Dornish Neck Tie Posted July 9, 2016 Share Posted July 9, 2016 Funny thought recently occurred to me re: the series in general. So much of this story focuses thematically on the power of human faith (spirituality, fanaticism, sheer willpower, whatever you want to call it) to drive the outcomes of real-world events. We see this time and again on a more superficial scale in the game of thrones, where no matter how high a person's official title, they only possess as much power as their peers believe they do. I'd also be willing to bet that this is where we can find the real power of kingsblood. Not in the blood itself, but in the degree of human faith invested in its power. Which brings me to my funny thought: What if no one ever figured out how to defeat the Others? What if no one ever figured out how to end the Long Night? What if the resolutions to the stories of the Last Hero, Azor Ahai, and the like were just blind leaps of faith that seemed to yield favorable results? Their lessons have been trumpeted through the ages by generations of zealots and fanatics who believed that repeating their favored lies would somehow maintain the relative stability that followed these catastrophic events. It's highly unlikely these sorts of things would ever be revealed in text; I just think it's an interesting lens through which to view the central conflicts of the series. As a fellow former Catholic, GRRM seems like a kindred spirit in being deeply skeptical but sympathetic with regards to the concept of institutional faith Maybe this could strike a particular chord with the people of the Riverlands, who constantly lament that the real problem is that everyone has lost faith in the way things should be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tatsuwa Posted July 29, 2016 Share Posted July 29, 2016 On 7/8/2016 at 8:43 PM, Dornish Neck Tie said: Maybe this could strike a particular chord with the people of the Riverlands, who constantly lament that the real problem is that everyone has lost faith in the way things should be. The concept of the way things should be is age dependent. The days of carefree childhood are usually the most fondly remembered time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dornish Neck Tie Posted July 30, 2016 Author Share Posted July 30, 2016 8 hours ago, Tatsuwa said: The concept of the way things should be is age dependent. The days of carefree childhood are usually the most fondly remembered time. Sure, but my point is that the real doom of Westeros lies in the fact that the bulk of Westeros' population is already broken both mentally and physically, just in time for the arrivals of Ice and Fire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tatsuwa Posted July 30, 2016 Share Posted July 30, 2016 I agree. Didn't intend for the comment to sound flippant. Sort of a "just when you think things can get any worse" they do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksyfullah07 Posted August 28, 2016 Share Posted August 28, 2016 On 7/30/2016 at 10:51 AM, Dornish Neck Tie said: Sure, but my point is that the real doom of Westeros lies in the fact that the bulk of Westeros' population is already broken both mentally and physically, just in time for the arrivals of Ice and Fire. Agree with you... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dornish Neck Tie Posted August 28, 2016 Author Share Posted August 28, 2016 On 7/30/2016 at 10:19 AM, Tatsuwa said: I agree. Didn't intend for the comment to sound flippant. Sort of a "just when you think things can get any worse" they do. Ah, no worries, I didn't take it that way. I honestly forgot about this thread, lol. Someone just mentioned this topic on yet another forum, and it brought me back to this one. This person had some interesting things to say re: Dany's dragon rebirth and Beric's resurrection. Not sure if you've been to the Last Hearth, but there are some wild and very cool ideas flying around there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Voice Posted December 9, 2016 Share Posted December 9, 2016 On August 28, 2016 at 3:49 PM, Dornish Neck Tie said: Not sure if you've been to the Last Hearth, but there are some wild and very cool ideas flying around there. Link Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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