Winning the Game of Thrones: The Host of Characters and their Agendas (21 page)

     
Meanwhile, the god Höðr or Hodor, was known for not being terribly bright, though certainly big and strong. The trickster Loki set him up to slay the young and beautiful god Baldur. One hopes this won’t happen to Bran.

     
Ragnarok, the Apocalypse of Norse myth, will be an endless winter, much like the one coming. This section from the Norse Twilight of the Gods shares parallels with Martin’s series, book six of which will be called
The Winds of Winter
: (italics added below)

SNOW fell on the four quarters of the world; icy winds blew from every side; the sun and the moon were hidden by storms. It was the Fimbul Winter: no spring came and no summer; no autumn brought harvest or fruit, and winter grew into winter again.

There was three years’ winter. The first was called the
Winter of Winds
: storms blew and snows drove down and frosts were mighty. The children of men might hardly keep alive in that dread winter.

The second winter was called the
Winter of the Sword
: those who were left alive amongst men robbed and slew for what was left to feed on; brother fell on brother and slew him, and over all the world there were mighty battles.

And the third winter was called the
Winter of the Wolf
.
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The Gjallarhorn (“Shrieking Horn”) will be blown by the god Heimdall to summon his brethren to the last battle of the world. Until that time the horn is buried under Yggdrasil, the world tree. Horns with unknown but incredible powers also feature in Martin’s series.

     
Joffrey, like the hero Siegfried, is born of ill-fated siblings. Daenerys comes from a similar heritage.

     
Siegfried’s father wears a wolfskin that gives him animal powers. Likewise Siegfried eats a dragon’s heart to gain its magic – other sagas include devouring a wolf’s or bear’s heart to gain its powers. Daenerys of course eats a horse heart. All this leads to different kinds of warg magic.

     
Tolkien’s barrow-wights are inspired by the Norse draugar, creatures like vampires that rise from the burial mounds to attack the living. Martin’s wights are similar.

     
There is a fabled Norse cauldron that restores the dead to life, or at least a shadowy kind of life, allowing them to battle once more. Beric Dondarrion is restored to a similar life though he describes fading more each time.

     
Hill giants and frost giants both appear in Norse myth – the giants beyond the wall combine elements of both.

Celtic/Irish Myth

There’s quite a lot here, from single name references to major plot arcs.

     
House Morrigen of Crow’s Nest in the Stormlands likely references the Irish goddess Morrigan, who transforms into a crow.

     
Morrigan was also known to change into a wolf and battle heroes, much as the Stark children begin to do. Wolves were associated with the wild, wisdom, and transformation, important skills the Starks must gain. The Irish werewolf was of a sort like Martin’s wargs, a benevolent human who would sleep while his mind went into an animal.

     
Cuchulainn the Irish culture hero is the subject of the epic
The Tain
, much like Odysseus or King Arthur feature in their own sagas. Nicknamed The Hound of Ulster for his role in guarding the king’s household, Cuchulainn may be an inspiration for Sandor Clegane, the Hound. In Celtic myth, hounds represent hunting, fighting, and death, along with protection and guardianship.
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Cuchulainn is a handsome warrior, but known for his “warp spasm,” a kind of battle frenzy that overtakes him and mars his features. He wears a cloak of raven feathers when preparing for war, strengthening the concept of ravens bearing dark omens and violence.
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