What Makes Westeros an Interesting Setting?
Dreamed up by author George R. R. Martin, the Seven Kingdoms has an aura that sets it apart from other fantasy settings.
On the Creation of Fantasy Worlds
Blessed are the legend-makers with their rhyme of things not found within recorded time.
J. R. R. Tolkien, “Mythopoeia” (1931)
Just as I said in my article on The Song of Achilles, I love a good mythology, and a fantasy world to back it up. Thinking up these worlds is hard enough, but writing them on paper, as well as creating full maps, stories, and even books in that world to add upon the base mythology you’ve already created as a foundation for your world? That can be very difficult. In that aricle, I mentioned my friend Potatolord9000’s world of Dragonscrest, a setting that he, myself, and others have used in games of Dungeons & Dragons. It’s a land with rich lore, a pantheon of many deities, and a fleshed-out environment to boot. It feels lived in. That kind of world is tough to create. It requires a lot of time to create lore that feels consistent and, above all, makes your world feel interesting.
I myself have tried to create a fantasy world, and speaking from experience it can absolutely be a slippery slope. However, when you successfully create a world that feels like it’s a well-crafted place, your creation will stand alongside the great mythical worlds that we’ve all come to know and love. Dragonscrest feels just as real of a place as Middle-Earth, or Azeroth from World of Warcraft, or any other fantasy world does. I think that’s what the quote from Tolkien really touches upon, the fact that the best myth-makers and worldbuilders are good at their job because they can make a world that is completly fantastical feel real. Sometimes, they can make it feel like the land they created may have existed in our real world, far past our own historical records. Tolkien framed his legendarium around that very sentiment, and it can work for other fantasy worlds as well.
What we’ve concluded here is that fantasy writers and worldbuilders can create reality from myth. Fantasy largely works because of its escapist nature, and if a creator is able to make a person lose themself in the world they created, they’ve done their job. What happens, then, when fantasy isn’t escapist? What happens when a fantasy world feels just as real as our real world, but for different reasons than we expect? What if it feels real because of its grittiness and its down-to-earth tone instead of its more fantastical nature? In my opinion, some fantasy writers have attempted this, but to ill success. To me, the one fantasy world with a grittier tone that does interest me is Westeros, the fictional continent from George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series of books, as well as the hit TV shows that adapted them: Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon. I’ve always been intrigued by the fact that the lands of Westeros and its neighboring continents have held my interest, mostly because they doesn’t occupy the escapist realm of fantasy that Middle-Earth, Dragonscrest, and other fantasy worlds do. Why then, is Westeros so interesting to people? What makes it such a popular world if it doesn’t allow itself to be escapist? I hope to maybe answer that in this article. We’re gonna get super nerdy and may be talking about some pretty touchy subject matter in this observation, so you’ve been warned.
A Short History of Westeros
Our histories… they tell us that Aegon looked across the Blackwater from Dragonstone and saw a rich land ripe for the capture, but ambition alone is not what led him to conquest. It was a dream, and just as Daenys foresaw the end of Valyria, Aegon foresaw the end of the world of men. It is to begin with a terrible winter, gusting out of the distant North. Aegon saw absolute darkness riding on those winds, and whatever dwells within will destroy the world of the living. When this great winter comes, Rhaenyra, all of Westeros must stand against it, and if the world of men is to survive, a Targaryen must be seated on the Iron Throne — a King or Queen, strong enough to unite the realm against the cold and the dark. Aegon called his dream ‘The Song of Ice and Fire’.
King Viseys I Targaryen, House of the Dragon
The foundation of most fantasy worlds, at least the ones worth paying attention to, come in several forms in my opinion, and they’re all tied together in some manner. One of these factors, of course, is the lore. Lore is an interesting topic, mostly because if it’s written well enough, a person can find themselves getting sucked into it and spending hours reading about the fictional events and characters. When it comes to Martin’s world, the history of Westeros is framed around a singular event that caused the formation of the Seven Kingdoms, that being the subjugation of Westeros by Aegon I Targaryen, also known as ‘the Conqueror’, along with his house of mighty dragonriders, as well as a few other denizens and houses from the ruined city of Old Valyria in Essos, another continent on the other end of Martin’s world. The Valyrian Freehold was a powerful empire, a utopia of cultural and infrastructural significance, but when an unexpected cataclysm fell upon it, the empire and city were destroyed, leaving only a few families and their dragons. Some other treasures were found, such as Valyrian steel, but the city as a whole was lost.
Aegon I was motivated by many reasons to conquer the land of Westeros, and his ambition has been the subject of many theories by fans of the shows and the books. This is mostly because Martin never revealed why he sought to capture the western lands. That’s a major reason I enjoy Martin’s writing, because he likes to leave us as readers open to speculate why certain things happened and what will happen next. Perhaps Aegon the Conqueror was simply inspired by his own selfish urge to dominate, or maybe his dream of winter that the quote above mentioned made him realize that his line needed to protect the world. Viserys I and other Targaryen rulers certainly believed that was what led him to take over the neighboring lands, but there may have been other reasons as well. Maybe he wanted to create a legacy for Old Valyria and its ancient culture. Whatever it was that led Aegon to conquer Westeros, the conflict was bloody, brutal, and very impactful for the Seven Kingdoms.
Aegon’s Conquest led to the creation of the Iron Throne, a seat of power in the Westerosi capital of King’s Landing on which Aegon’s Targaryen bloodline ruled. What happens in the hundreds of years folllowing the conquest of Westeros result in the events that occur in the A Song of Ice and Fire series proper. Just to clarify how much exposure I’ve had to this series, I have watched all of Game of Thrones and have religiously kept up with the House of the Dragon series that’s currently airing on HBO Max. I’m also reading through the first book in the series, A Game of Thrones, and have found myself enthralled by its characters and the way it sets up the world of Westeros. Even in the first 250 pages, the world feels understandable, and that’s because the lore and the politics are very strongly written and thought out. I’ve been doing research on the entire history of Westeros, and would like to read all of Martin’s material on it if I can find the eventual time.
The history of Westeros, because of the singular event that frames it, is marked by other events that completely changed the landscape of the Seven Kingdoms. Another important event, one that ended the line of Targaryen kings, was Robert’s Rebellion, which was a resistence led by Robert Baratheon that aimed to dethrone the Mad King, Aerys II Targaryen. This led to other houses getting access to the Iron Throne, which formally kickstarts Martin’s saga of beloved books. What this short history and explanation of lore shows is that Westeros is a setting that focuses much more on political turmoil and conquest than many other fantasy worlds, which connects it to our real world’s own history.
The vieing of power among Westerosi houses was actually inspired in part by the War of the Roses, which involved the York and Lancastar families fighting over the English crown. This inspiration, among others from world history, creates a more political, shady vibe for this world that makes it share more in common with The West Wing than The Lord of the Rings. Another connection the saga shares to real world history is that the mainline consensus on events changes depending on who you ask. There are multiple different viewpoints on events that occurred in the history of Westeros, and there isn’t a source that is seen as wholly definitive. Martin’s mainline saga itself is told through the viewpoints of many characters instead of being told through the voice of an infinitely knowledgeable narrator. It adds fuel to the idea that the truth of what happened is only in the eye of the beholder, and in the case of A Song of Ice and Fire, there are several beholders of the events that occur throughout the series.
A Realm of Ice and Fire
As we’ve examined, the politics of Westeros create an environment of harsh consequences, one where nobody is safe. The characters of the series, no matter how important, could die at a moment’s notice. George R. R. Martin’s world is one that deals in succession, in-fighting, incest, bloody conflict, and treason rather than one that focuses on magic, extraordinary races such as elves and dwarves, and the creation of the world. In other words, the beauty that can be found in Tolkien’s world is long gone in Westeros. Everyone is an asshole. Death can be found at every corner. Houses fight one another to the death. Women and other oppressed groups are often mistreated and looked down upon by those who practice toxic masculinity. Chaos looms, and there isn’t a god or a race of elves to stop it. This does create an interesting opportunity for underdogs to make their presence known and stand up to the domineering and often ruthless patriarchy that can be found so much within the lands of Westeros and Essos. Figures like Arya Stark, Brienne of Tarth, Ser Duncan the Tall, and others prove that there can be good-natured and loyal people found in this desolate world. Evil people can sometimes be thwarted. However, nobody is perfect. There may be some black and white elements that can be occasionally found, but the majority of Westeros is occupied by those who live in the shadows of the gray spectrum of morality. Most people do not make the best choices. There is somewhat of a fantastical beauty that can be found in the world despite its bleakness, and that can be found in the colorful heraldry, sweeping architecture, and the unexpected loyalty of some helpful individuals like the ones I mentioned before. There is consolation to be found, in spite of all the death, injustice, and treachery in the world. These are diamonds in the rough, though the bleakness of the world often seems overwhelming.
Alongside the lore, another interesting aspect of Westeros are its characters, who all have a dense history of their own. Many of these characters are members of houses found all throughout Westeros — noble families of lords, ladies, and knights who either bend their knees to the Iron Throne or contest each other and the ruling leader’s seat of power. Each of these houses are very unique in their beliefs, and their characterization is really well-written by Martin. For example, the Starks of Winterfell are always readying themselves for the harsh winters coming from beyond the Wall that protects the land of Westeros from northern dangers, while also worshipping the Old Gods of the forest. The Ironborn of House Greyjoy believe in an eternal life after death under the waters of the sea, where they will forever dine with their deity, the Drowned God. Many other houses believe in the Faith of the Seven, a religion that focuses on seven forms of the same deity. Other factors make each house unique in and of itself. They all have symbols, flags, crests, and colors that set them apart from one another (the Starks have the direwolf, the Tullys have a fish, the Baratheons are symbolized by a stag, the Targaryens have a three-headed dragon, etc.) and the same goes for the religions and their imagery. Other people in the land have different cultures than there neighbors, such as the people of Essos and Dorne, with the latter being one of the only places in the world to treat women and men as true equals. Characters come from many different backgrounds and all of them are very unique. Westeros really does feel like a living, breathing world because of the detail and the richness of the lore.
The characters within each house are fleshed out and very numerous. Sometimes there are so many characters to keep track of in Westeros that you need to keep a written list somewhere to keep track of everyone. Individuals like the Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, Lord Corlys Valaryon, Lord Eddard Stark, Jon Snow, Ser Davos Seaworth, and Prince Aegon V Targaryen are notable individuals that I find particularly interesting, among others. I’ve spent hours reading about the characters of Westeros on A Wiki of Ice and Fire as well as listening about them in Alt Shift X’s many videos about Westeros on YouTube. Both of these sources are fantastic if you’re a fan of the series or are just wanting you to know more about the world, and I urge anyone reading to check them out, especially Alt Shift X’s channel.
The Dragon and the Wolf
Of particular notability in Martin’s works are House Targaryen of Dragonstone and House Stark of Winterfell. They often have some of the most interesting characters in the entire series in their midst. They both serve as the emotional and historical heart of the world of Westeros it seems, in spite of the fact that their colleagues and rival houses prove to be just as important in the long run. The Targaryen line ruled Westeros for hundreds of years after Aegon’s Conquest, and their presence over the land was widely noted. They sought to mostly keep their line of pure Valyrian blood, which meant that they often bred within their own family or with other highborn Valyrian families such as the Valaryons. They were definitely yucky, we’ll just say that. Incest is a thing that isn’t taken lightly in Westeros, but the houses of Old Valyria don’t really care. The Targaryens were often ruthless and believed that because of their Valyrian blood, they must be seated on the Iron Throne in order to unite the realm. One won’t often find a more fucked up family than them in most other fantasy books and stories. George Martin does not shy away from graphic depictions of violence and yucky family relations. What’s interesting about the Targaryens is that in their long history, there are some genuine rulers who did try to treat the realm fairly, such as Aegon V and Daeron II, but they were all overshadowed by some of the most grotesque and insane rulers imaginable, like Aegon II and Aerys II, otherwise known as the Mad King.
Let me tell you something about wolves, child. When the snows fall and the white winds blow, the lone wolf dies, but the pack survives. Summer is the time for squabbles. In winter, we must protect one another, keep each other warm, share our strengths. So if you must hate, Arya, hate those who would truly do us harm.
Lord Eddard Stark, A Game of Thrones (p. 240)
If the Targaryens serve as the historical heart of Martin’s stories, the Starks occupy the emotional center of these works. Many Starks, such as Lord Eddard ‘Ned’ Stark, were honor bound and charitable. Ned, however, was often cold and reserved, and many thought this to be a reflection of his contempt for others and his cold heart, yet he stood strong among his detractors. As the quote shows, he believed that his house could endure hardships if they stuck to one another. Both Ned and his son, Jon Snow, were notable stoics, who remained cold-faced and strong in spite of the dangers that befell them. The Starks are different from other fantasy protagonists in that they are constantly portrayed as honorable and just, but are consistently faced with tragedy and scorn from the Lannisters, as well as others who oppose them. Unfortunately, that can’t rely on one another because throughout much of the story, they’re split apart. Many of them end up on the other end of the world for one another. The level of tragedy that befalls House Stark sets them apart as protagonists from those in other fantasy stories, who are often treated more fairly in works like Tolkien’s. Through the Starks, Martin is introducing us to stories where bad things happen to good people, and that creates a vibe that many other fantasy stories don’t always have.
The two houses examined here often share experiences that parallel one another, and the same goes for other houses and characters as well. For example, the prophetic dream Aegon has of a terrible winter that the Targaryen kings pass to their heirs parallels the Starks’ own preparations for winter, and their own fears that the cold and the monsters that come with it will overcome them. Even their house motto, that being ‘Winter Is Coming’, reflects this. Parallels such as these show us that in Westeros, history often repeats itself and creates a cycle of events that sometimes cannot be broken. People sometimes make the same mistakes, just as our own history has shown us.
Mystery, Monsters and Magic
Unlike most other fantasy worlds, magic does not exist at the forefront of Martin’s world. Many people do possess magical abilities, but they are few and far between and these abilities are often latent in those who possess it. Others are only rumored to possess these traits. The red priests of R’hllor use spells for rituals and other means, but the means by which they gained these spells are unknown. Mages are said to exist in the east, but their means are also unknown. Many characters experience prophetic, prescient dreams any visions, but they aren’t able to explain them or how they were able to receive those dreams.
Because there isn’t an account of the creation of the world and the forces that exist beyond the mortal plane in the vein of The Silmarillion by Tolkien, we don’t know how magic exists in Martin’s stories. In many Dungeons & Dragons worlds, magic exists because of the gods that people have created for their world, but we don’t have any clue of how the supernatural works in Westeros, magic remains mysterious for both the characters and the readers. Other storied races, such as the Children of the Forest, are said to have used magic, but they have only been heard of in stories and fairy tales by the time of A Game of Thrones and haven’t been seen in eons. Most Westerosi citizens don’t even believe magic exists, while others have only heard about it through word of mouth. This is perhaps one of the coolest and most interesting depictions of magic in fantasy, because it creates an aura of mystery surrounding the paranormal that isn’t dissimilar to our own theories and fears regarding the unknown in the real world. The fear of the unknown plays a big role in the events that transpire in the lands of Westeros and Essos. That fear gives the stories an atmosphere of dread and suspense that can’t be found in many other fantasy stories.
Those elements of fear and dread that I mentioned are heightened by the existence of monsters, which ties the series more into the realm of fantasy. Monsters themselves wield their own kind of magic, with the mysterious Others (also known as the White Walkers in the TV show) being a prime example. They use magic of their own to dominate and turn their prey into their own kind, and have been feared by a good many of Westeros’s citizens since they last disappeared, though they have been passed off as myths by most. Meanwhile, dragons are the Westerosi equivalent of a nuclear bomb. The bond they share with their Valyrian riders is said to be magical, but that again is very mysterious and isn’t always explained. They are widely feared, even after they seemingly go extinct before the events of A Song of Ice and Fire. Other monsters and large beasts, such as mammoths, ice spiders and direwolves, roam the frozen wilds of the North. What I find especially captivating in Martin’s world is that there are many beasts that are clearly mythical and have only appeared in fairy tales, just like our world. It seems that you won’t find any griffins, centaurs, and harpies in Westeros. I find it to be a really creative idea that a fantasy world has its own fairy tales.
A Dream of Spring
If this incredibly long article has proven anything, it’s that I think that George Martin has created a vibrant world with varied cultures and a brilliant level of detail that some fantasy worlds scarcely have enough of. To answer the question in the article’s title, I think that the human element, the parallels and similarities the history shares with our own world, and the mystery surrounding the extra-normal are what truly set Martin’s world apart from other fantasy worlds. These stories don’t shy away from showing the bleakness of the world. They don’t hold back on displaying the truly despicable acts of vicious individuals. The Dothraki, for example, are a collection of truly terrible male warriors who proudly display their own sexual advances on women of their own culture and their female slaves. This world is brutal and not a beautiful sight, but as I said, the underdog is what makes this series so fun to experience. It’s also fun to see how a bunch of terrible people can tear each other apart. That’s more so the case for House of the Dragon than the main series, but you’ll find a lot of terrible people in the mainline books and show as well.
I would like to admit that the final two seasons of Game of Thrones, which were made mostly without George R. R Martin’s involvement or consolation, are of a much lower quality than the rest of the series, and I don’t think that they really reflect George’s vision. However, reading and researching this world has so far been an incredible journey, and I’m excited to continue experiencing the stories of this wonderfully fleshed-out world. I don’t think writers like Tolkien or those that write stories about escapist fantasy would like the tales of Westeros that much, but that’s okay. Escapist fantasy is something that I have a truly passionate love for. The Lord of the Rings is my favorite book of all time, and the greatest fantasy story ever written in my opinion, but I will always have a soft spot for writers who take their chosen genre into a different direction and come up with creative and innovative ideas that change the landscape of that genre forever. It may not share the same qualities as escapist fantasy, but Martin’s world occupies the realm of good fantasy storytelling all the same. He has yet to release his last two books of the series, but I hope for the sake of all of the fans of the world of Westeros that they’re met with as much success as possible.
