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The Ironborn history is nightmarish, isn't it?


C.T. Phipps

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No. In times of peace you don't see Westermen, Northmen, Stormlanders, etc. constantly preying on their neighbors

before the targs came and unified westeros, that was exactly what they used to do. (example, dayne's attacks on the reach.)

back in the early medieval era lord's would constantly prey upon other lord's. looting village's and taking castle's etc,etc.

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Not much to add except that I agree with OP completely. All the other regions of Westeros offer us plethora of various different characters and ideas through their history, only Ironborn always and ever ultimately return to their "burn, rape and pillage" ways. By far the most disgusting culture in 7 Kingdoms.


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Not much to add except that I agree with OP completely. All the other regions of Westeros offer us plethora of various different characters and ideas through their history, only Ironborn always and ever ultimately return to their "burn, rape and pillage" ways. By far the most disgusting culture in 7 Kingdoms.

the Skagosi probably have them beat in that category.

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  • 2 weeks later...

The Ironborn are pretty much an ACCURATE representation of the Vikings or at least an accurate representation of how they were perceived by the residents of Europe and the Church. Some of the Vikings were monsters just as portrayed (especially in France) others tried to rule. The Hoares seem modelled on the Vikings who conquered Paris and surrounds for a period. Thr Vikings pillaged England and Ireland destroying churches, books etc



Some settled and founded colonies - Normandy and the Danegeld in England. Just like the Ironborn, the Viklings chose leaders by council and had a democracy of a primitive kind. Some Vikings rules well and wisely (Canute anyone). Many converted to Christianity. However the folk memory left behind is pretty much the same as the record of the Ironborn.



In the medieval era when Westeros is set, the Ironborn represent the Nowegians/Danish who were still powerful and dangerous for England and remained important freidns/enemies for Scotland practically to the Stuart times.


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The Ironborn are pretty much an ACCURATE representation of the Vikings or at least an accurate representation of how they were perceived by the residents of Europe and the Church. Some of the Vikings were monsters just as portrayed (especially in France) others tried to rule. The Hoares seem modelled on the Vikings who conquered Paris and surrounds for a period. Thr Vikings pillaged England and Ireland destroying churches, books etc

Some settled and founded colonies - Normandy and the Danegeld in England. Just like the Ironborn, the Viklings chose leaders by council and had a democracy of a primitive kind. Some Vikings rules well and wisely (Canute anyone). Many converted to Christianity. However the folk memory left behind is pretty much the same as the record of the Ironborn.

In the medieval era when Westeros is set, the Ironborn represent the Nowegians/Danish who were still powerful and dangerous for England and remained important freidns/enemies for Scotland practically to the Stuart times.

Well, even during Stuart times some parts of Scotland were still Norwegian/Scandinavian territory. Even after essentially being bought by Scotland it took centuries for them to integrate with the rest of the country. And in some respects the culture of those areas never fully reflected that of the rest of the country.

Centuries before the age of The Bruce or the concept of Scotland as a nation, the Norse territories of Scotland did engage in trade and alliances with other petty kingdoms within modern day Scotland, as well as warring with others. Long before adopting Christianity the Vikings would find ways to assimilate their own culture with that of the remaining subjects (whom they hadn't killed) in new lands. I mean, if you look at Scotland there eventually became a Scandinavian Scotland (prior to the eventual unification of much of the country) that had roots in both the cultures of those lands as well as the Vikings.

To be fair to the Vikings, the stereotype that the English and French traditionally portrayed was of uneducated, unkempt brutes. Often it ignores that they were far from unkempt, and in terms of naval tools and navigational technology they were rather advanced. It's often overlooked that they attempted to settle in North America centuries before the "discovery of the New World".

Sure, some of the vile portrayals are justified. Sometimes it's just based on biased histories rather than objective analysis.

As to the Ironborn? I'd agree that they seem to be inspired by the Viking stereotype, just like the Dothraki seem to have similarities with the Mongol Hordes. However, it does seem like they're based on the way a lot of people think of them, rather than the truth.

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