joan of arc as historical analog for Brienne of Tarth

[Brother Seamus]

I'm sure someone has posted on this before. It's obvious once you think about it. But, I was just listening to an NPR interview with an author of a new history of Joan of Arc, and I immediately thought of Brienne. Especially, the author (sorry, didn't catch her name) was talking about how Joan's practice of wearing men's clothes and armor was scandalous at the time and played a substantial role in her condemnation and execution. In fact, wearing men's clothes was like count II in her trial, whereas count I was heresy for claiming to have had visions of the saints and to be channeling messages from God and the saints.

And, once you think about it, "Arc" and "Tarth" sound alike.

So, I am wondering if perhaps this suggests a Joan of Arc-like role for Brienne in rallying the beleaguered forces of ????? at some point where they have suffered grave defeats and are on the verge of final defeat, which I assume most of you are aware is the role she is credited in playing in the French rally from near defeat in the 100 years war, after the Battle of Agincourt and some other disasters.

If so, the obvious candidate is the men vs others war, which in turn suggests she survives whatever is coming with her, Jaime, and Lady Stoneheart.

Or not.

[Equilibrium]

Yeah, I could see Stannis burning her at stake after unsuccessful assassination attempt

[EternET]

Well obviously the "Voices she heard" is a big piece of character concerning Joan of Arc...That we don't find back in asoif. If you want "fighting maidens", you had the amazones with the greeks, and the Valkyries with the nords. Also, Joan wasn't a "wandering knight" a là Don Quichot, she was backed by barons and counts and the freaking french army. And she didn't "spare" with the "boys".

[Lykos]

I agree with EternET, Brienne is much more like Don Quichote and has no devine mission to bring Westeros under the rule of a "rightful dynasty" as Dany has. Cervantes wrote Don Quichote as a satire on the popular romantic knightly adventure stories, DQ was an anachronistic missfit in the absolutist spanish society, trying to live up to an outdated knightly ideal. Even though readers would laugh at DQ, it was really a critique of the society Cevantes lived in and it's warped glorification of medieval knighthood.

[TimJames]

This analog would be more probable if Brienne joined the Warrior's Sons and drove Eurion's army out of The Reach.

[JonisHenryTudor]

I don't know. I have done extensive manuscript research on her, and well.....the child girl warrior is quite a myth. So no.

If anything, I see Dany in this role. Particularly with the prophesy, and more of a mascot. Now Dany fans before you get your draws in a wad, calm down for a second. There is absolutely no evidence that suggests Joan led or even fought on the front lines. She encouraged the men, and she did offer advice, but she did not lead the charge. In a way, Dany sort of takes a similar role. Her advisers are mapping out the strategy, and Dany is not exactly charging into battle.

Now the prophesy. Contemporaries immediately looked to Joan because it fit, and similarly people are doing the same with Dany because she is the only known Targ. Joan fit the bill of the old prophesy, and those who believed in her did not see it as a coincidence.

Ok I was a bit harsh in Joan, but the sources suggest that she took part in the meetings, etc but her role was more of an advisory or mascot, if you will, than the image we have. I don't doubt that she may have charged a few times, or even carried a sword, but Brienne is an actual warrior. Joan was not.

[JonisHenryTudor]

Well obviously the "Voices she heard" is a big piece of character concerning Joan of Arc...That we don't find back in asoif. If you want "fighting maidens", you had the amazones with the greeks, and the Valkyries with the nords. Also, Joan wasn't a "wandering knight" a là Don Quichot, she was backed by barons and counts and the freaking french army. And she didn't "spare" with the "boys".

Poor Brienne.

[Brother Seamus]

All points about the differences between Brienne and the historical Joan are well-taken, but I don't think those detract from the point, which is that Brienne seems partly inspired by Joan, and to the extent she is that may have some predictive power for her future role in the books.

I like the Don Quixote parallel though. and making the deluded knight errant a female is even better.