Comparing Each House To A Country In Our World

[Sword of the Morning Wood]

Firstly, I see Westeros as being loosely based on the United Kingdom. Seperate Kingdoms who fought each other and were eventually brought under the rule of one King and effectively became a single entity but never really lost their own identities and loyalties.

The North: Scotland - Obviously in the North, with a colder and wilder climate. In medieval times, large parts of Scotland really were almost inaccessible and inhospitable and unconquerable. The people are of different origin to those in the South. The South is Anglo-Saxon after they invaded England (Andals) but those in the North still have strong Celtic/Pictish roots (the First Men). Thy see themselves as a bit tougher than the soft southerners and more honourable, even though that doesn't always prove to be true.

Riverlands: Ireland - Ireland is a pretty wet, fertile country. So the geography is similar. Red hair seems to be common. The people probably feel more affinity to the North (Scotland) than their other neighbours (England). Scotland and Ireland share a lot of common heritage. Seem to be the ones in the firing line a lot when their neighbours want someone to pick on.

The Westerlands: England: The richer, larger, power hungry neighbour who looks to take power and hold dominion over the lands around them. They seem the most 'establishment' kingdom, as England certainly was in medieval times, certainly in the British Isles.

Iron Island: Scandanavia - Possibly Scandanavia before the medival period, still heavily focussed on raiding by sea. To me the Ironborn are clearly based on Vikings. It's probably the most obvious comparison.

Wildlings: Celts (Scotland/Ireland) - Feel to me like the Celtic people before the medieval period. Makes sense as they're less developed than those south of the wall. Closer to nature and still believe strongly in magic etc.

The Vale: Alpine: Certaily the geography is Alpine, most likely Switzerland, what with their neutrality and all.

The Reach: France: Warmer climate, wine growers. Have that more relaxed, poetic, Gallic feel.

Dorne: Spain with Moorish influences - Climate fits. They're clearly a bot 'different' to their northern neighbours (Moorish influence = The Ryhonar).

The Free Cities: Feel a lot to me like the Italian city states of the time, especially the southern ones. I've heard a decent argument that Braavos is most like Amsterdam. I think they're clearly based around the Italian city states, with their own feels.

Valyria: Roman Empire - Obviously an old power that's fallen although I think the Targaryeans are based, at least somewhat on the Stuarts, who were the first kings of all of Great Britian. They effectively united the kingdoms but were deposed. Charles Stuart (Bonnie Prince Charlie) went into exile in France and Italy and was always scheming to get back the throne he saw as his own. He tried a couple of time, culminating in the ultimately unsuccessful Jacobite Uprising. He bears a lot of similarities to Viserys and Dany to me. If you look at pictures of them they had the almost platinum hair like the Trags as well.

Dothraki: Mongols: Don't think there's much doubt here. Horse culture, vast plains etc.

Slaver Cities: Clearly have some basis in ancient Egypt with the pyramids and slaving cluture.

[protar]

Westeros: Great Britain in general with the seven kingdoms mirroring the united kingdom.

Beyond The Wall: Picts and Celts and such are Wildlings, geographically it's like Scandinavia

North: Scotland

Central Westeros: England

The Vale: Switzerland, someone else picked up on the neutraility thing

Iron Isles: Vikings

The Reach: France

Dorne: Spain and the Mediterranean culturally, but politically it's like whales with it's isolation

Free Cities: Like the Italian city states in general but with some variation

.Braavos: Venice seems the most obvious, but Amsterdam would work what with the religious freedom and the climate.

.Pentos: Italy

. Lorath: No idea, greenland?

. Norvos: For some reason (probably the name.) I always get a Norse vibe from Norvos

.Qhohor: Germany

. Lys/Myr/Tyrosh: North africa/medditeraenean perhaps

.Volantis: Constantinople, remnant of the the old valyrian empire trying to live up to it.

[James Arryn]

The South is Anglo-Saxon after they invaded England (Andals) but those in the North still have strong Celtic/Pictish roots (the First Men).

Not to quibble, because in general I agree, but the Scoti actually came over from Ireland around the same time the Angles, Saxons, Jutes et al came from mainland Europe.

[Iceborn]

Beyond the Wall: Ireland (if the North=Scotland) or Scotland if the North=North of England.

North: Scotland or the North of England

Riverlands: The Midlands or hmn... they have sort of Welsh names and often have red hair. Belgium is invaded often.

Westerlands: Westcountry/Wessex or England

Kings Landing: London

The Reach: Suffolk or France (very into their courtly form like the French Middle Ages).

The Vale: East Anglia or Switzerland

The Stormlands: South East England, I think that's Essex or Kent

Dorne: Wales and Cornwall but with Spanish weather

Iron Isles: Orkneys or Scandinavia

Lothar: Holland (Jaqen had sort of red hair which reminded me of William of Orange)

Braavos: Bruges which is a city of canals, bankers, and is cold like Braavos

Pentos: Florence and Northern Italy

Myr: Naples or Spain

Norvos: Rome but Areo Hotah reminds me of a Serbian Orthodox priest I met once, certainly he seems more serious than any Roman I have ever met.

Qohor: Germany in the way they are craftsmen and engineers but Romanian in Language

Lys: France (sexy time)

Tyrosh: Madeira or Portugal (with their maritime sellswordness)

Volantis: Constantinople

Slavers Bay: Carthage and Phoenicians, but without Phoenician culture's redeeming features.

Quath: Persia

Dothraki: Mongols and Turks (especially if Volantis falls to them)

Jhogos Nhai: India

Yi Tai: China

Summer Isles: Andaman and Nicobar Isles (since all the summer islanders are dark, but not African, sex positive like ancient indians and they live on an island so not India proper) I have seen people from these Islands without clothing...

Basilisk Isles; Madagascar

Sothorys: Africa proper

I am hopeful that Naath and the Lhazareen are sort Jewish (intelligence and picked on by vile people) especially the way the Lhazareen are located between two empires (as Israel is located between Europe and the Far East-hence the economic impetus behind the crusades)

yes just stretch and twist britain a bit and you have it, and removing the wretched gulf stream northern england would have canadian winters such as the ones in the books, barrows indicate a scottish twist but remember the wall = hadrien's wall (in ssm).

[butterbumps!]

My friends and I have this debate a lot. I tend to think of the families/ regions more culturally than geographically:

Starks: Anglo (King Lear era culture)

Lannisters: De Medici family (I know, I know- Lancaster, but as a family, they remind more of the Italian family. I'd also say that the Westerlands generally remind me the Italian peninsula).

Arryns/ Vale: Switzerland (in this case, mostly for the geography. Not sure if House Arryn is always neutral)

Greyjoy: Vikings

Dorne: Medieval Spain

Tyrells/ the Reach: France (center of chivalry and huge bread basket)

The Arbor: Burgundy (though that doesn't much explain their naval prowess)

Tully: the Low Countries

Wildlings: Celts + Picts

Targaryen: I thought maybe HRE or even Byzantine (no longer Rome)

The one that I can't figure out is Baratheon- they strike me as Germanic (Teutonic), but I feel less confident about this than the others.

I also thought Valyria = Rome (and what's left as kind of Byzantine in spirit)

Braavos = Venice

Qothor = Russia

Quarth = Medieval Baghdad

Asshai = India (possibly China)

[The Frosted King]

I've always seen it like this

Lannisters - England

Baratheons - Germany

Tyrells - France

Martells - Spain/Medit

Tullys - Rhineland

Arryns - Switzerland

Starks - Russia (devastating winters are key, sheer size of region)

[Silver Spearwife]

The words associated with the Arryns strike me as very Irish. Just the word "Eyrie" sort of screams it. But nothing else about them really has anything to do with Ireland. There are some qualities of the Baratheons that are much closer. Even ignoring their physical appearance (black hair, blue eyes), there's the association with raw emotions ("Ours is the Fury!"), and Robert's definitely got the rough-edged drunken brawler thing going on. Storm's End has a heavy association with the sea and rain, things that are traditionally very Irish.

The wildlings are sort of disorganized land-vikings. Obviously, the Iron Islands are much more viking-esque, but the names among the wildlings are closer to vikings, and both cultures share that idea of survive-on-reaping-and-raiding.

Course, the cultures are still closer to the ones others have already mentioned, but most of the houses of Westeros (along with the other cultures) have elements not just from their primary inspiration but from others as well.

[Frey Pie]

All Starks are Irish-it is known.And the wildlings are our fun neighbours whom we like to quarrell with a lil aka the Scottish.And neither of the nations like the english so theyd be the Lannisters.

France is also very like the riverlands.Strong but enemies everywhere.Also enemies of the Lannisters in ancient times ie the english.Dornes defo Spain.

Braavos seems to be an amalgamtion of Venice and Athens.Like Venice physically but i remember Arya commenting on the city having no walls and a boy telling her our walls are wooden ie the ships.This parallels with Xerxes invasion when a prophet told the Athenians to hide behind wooden walls,some took it literally and died,some figuratively,got on a ship and survived

[str8 outta Old Town]

Where is everyone getting Dorne=Spain from? They are as Arab as a camel kebab.

The fountains and summer palaces, the spicy food (there is no spicy food in Spain) the desert, the poetry and harems, the light robes, the use of spears over sword, the lighter armour. I suppose you might argue the Dornish marches were like the Iberian Muslim Taifas.

[TheSpottedCat]

The cultures of ASOIAF are each one a mixture of real-world cultures. I think it's also a mash-up of cultures from different times, too. Some ancient, some Medieval or Renaissance, some closer to prehistoric. Summer Islanders look like Africans, but they remind me of Amazonian/Papuan tribes with all those feathers. The North seems like Medieval Britain. The South seems more like Medieval or Renaissance Western Europe. Braavos reminded me immediately of Venice (canals, courtesans, flamboyant bravos). Dorne seems very Mediterranean, with maybe some Arabic notes. The Valyrian Empire seems to be a bit like the Roman Empire. The Ghiscar Empire in turn reminds me of the Persian Empire (google ziggurat - they're Mesopotamian buildings that look like stepped pyramids). The Dothraki are like Mongols/Huns and maybe a little like some horse-breeding Bedouin tribes. The wildlings remind me strongly of Ice Age prehistoric humans. The Ironborn seem like Vikings. Some of the Free Cities seem to be Arabic-inspired, others Mediterranean. The three archons of Volantis sound a lot like the Triumvirate of Rome.

[Light a wight tonight]

also Old Ghis = Ancient Egypt.

Old empire of pyramid builders, who deal with slaves destroyed by the Valyrian (roman) empire! ;)

Except that Egypt was subjugated by the Persians and then ruled by the Macedonian Ptolemies after Alexander conqured Persia and gave various parts to his companions to govern.Tthe Romans took over from the Ptolemies.

[Lothar Imbel]

Where is everyone getting Dorne=Spain from? They are as Arab as a camel kebab.

The fountains and summer palaces, the spicy food (there is no spicy food in Spain) the desert, the poetry and harems, the light robes, the use of spears over sword, the lighter armour. I suppose you might argue the Dornish marches were like the Iberian Muslim Taifas.

They're not saying Spain in the time of the Inquisition and Columbus, but when it was still divided between the Moors and the Castilians, or indeed, when Spain was basically fully ruled by the Moors, which works better.

[str8 outta Old Town]

They're not saying Spain in the time of the Inquisition and Columbus, but when it was still divided between the Moors and the Castilians, or indeed, when Spain was basically fully ruled by the Moors, which works better.

In that case, the South=Christian Spain, Dorne=Muslim Spain. But the lack of deserts in Spain (apart from a tiny one in Almeria) definitely biases Dorne towards North Africa.

[AelinorTarg]

North of the Wall looks to me like mythical Hyperboreea/Thule. The ironborn look like vikings to me,but more slavic/rus vikings than norse. Dorne is Marocco/Moorish Spain,and yeah,the Reach is France,as someone said before me,they are divided by the Pyrineans mountains. I get a strong vibe from India in Qarth,and the lands of the Jade Sea are just like Burma/Indonesia with a stronger african streak. The Slaver's Bay is totally Sumerian/Babylonian. Sothoryous is definately Africa,with the Basilisk Isles as Zanzibar,but still Naath has a striking similitude to the southern pacific islands. Valyria is based on Rome,a high knowledge empire which decayed and collapsed,as well as Atlantis. The summer isles look like Green Cape islands. The Free Cities: Lys= Lesbos[island,] Myr= Leipzig in 18-19 centuries, Lorath= Faroe Islands, Braavos= Venice, Volantis= Alexandria[with the huge library and the positioning near the mouth of a river],Tyrosh=?, Norvos and Qohor= Medieval german cities, Pentos=Milano. Dothraki Sea= Hungarian Pusta/innermost asian plains.

[Fancy Peasant]

I support the notion of Dorne being Spain, but I could also see them as Ottoman Turkey. But the most striking similarity is no doubt that of:

House Frey - Denmark

They may not be that many, but like the Freys the Danes are ambitious and sneaky, trying to lay waste to neighbouring countries or even ruling them. Walder Frey is very similar to the despicable Christian II, the tyrant. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_II_of_Denmark).

[The Trumpet of Joramun]

I think Valyria would be something like Crete

[Conor]

Starks - Northern England/Lowland Scotland (House York)

Greyjoy - Viking (Thinking Lord of the Isles or the Viking kings of Dublin and the Isle of Man)

Not mentioned before but The Neck is obviously Ireland (Crannogs, Bogs etc)

Dorne is Spain

The rest including The Tyrells and Baratheons would be Normandy and France (the power house of Norman Europe)

[Prince of Braavos]

Ok, so I just last week figured out that Westeros, being a continent the size of South America, doesn't have seven separate fiefdoms; it has seven separate NATIONS. If you don't know the difference between a nation and a country/kingdom, look it up; certain aspects of the books will make a lot more sense to you (like why nobody can hold the Kingdoms together without personal WMD dragons and why Dorne is so damn different). I know this was probably obvious to some of you, but it wasn't to me, and it seriously hampered my reading of the Dornish storyline because I couldn't figure out why they were so damn different...

Anyway, so I'm really digging this thread and here's my list, based on Westeros being Europe more-or-less.

-North- Celtic

-Iron Islands- Vikings

-Westerlands- England

-Riverlands- Alsace-Lorraine/Rhineland (really obvious given the way it's not a properly separate nation and gets fought over all the time)

-Vale- Switzerland (least clear out of all of them, but geography and politics both point towards it)

-Reach- France

-Stormlands- Germany

-Dorne- Spain (probably the most direct parallel, given the influence of its later eastern immigrants)

-COTF- Stone-Age Europeans (think pre-Columbian Native Americans too)*

On Essos it's a little more questionable because we don't know as much; because real European geography doesn't end in Germany; and because I think just in general Martin was more freewheeling with the imagination and combining influences when creating it. Still, it mostly conforms if you aren't too rigid.

-Free Cities- Mediterranean city-states, although I'll give you that Braavos is probably also based on the Low Countries in a lot of ways

-Qohor- Russia (Kiev specifically?)

-The Rhoyne- The Rhine

-Ibben- Siberia (look how far east it is and just consider the coastal areas, where fishing has been going on for centuries)

-Sothoryos- Africa

-Dothraki- Mongols

-Valyria- Ancient Rome combined with Atlantis, which is just awesome

-Lhazar- Israel or, since Israel was Palestine in the Middle Ages, could be Lebanon or somewhere like that where they've been more-or-less peaceful but trampled on throughout history

-Slave Cities- North Africa (Ghis was clearly Carthage)

-Qarth- Babylon/Baghdad

-Asshai- India

-Yi Ti- China

*A more nature-oriented people who were supplanted by humans with bronze weapons. In fact, the Mayans actually used obsidian weapons, as did a number of extremely ancient Old World civilizations, wikipedia tells me. And the nature worship should be really obvious at this point, with the Old Gods being the type of pagan worship that was extinguished by the spread of Christianity. Really I think the COTF should be more read like Native Americans, with the coming of Europeans just happening centuries or millennia earlier. Also, I think that's why GRRM doesn't want them to be thought of as elves: elves are a fantasy trope based on European fairy tales, but the COTF are based on a real people and he treats them more in that way.

[Datepalm]

I read the title of this thread very differently, I guess:

Stark - Germany. Nice, sensible, like to collaborate with their neighbours, but theres a good old streak of extreme barbaric provincialism there that tends to come out now and then.

Lannister - USA! Rich, decadent, like to throw their weight around, more than a little crazy and with an incestuous oligarchy in place of politics, but everyone still wants to be them or fuck them or be their best friend, no matter what they've done.

Arryn - Switzerland. Yeah, yeah, picturesque and neutral, but also xenophobic and shameless. What kind of wacky hillbilly eccentricity are they really hiding in those mountain valleys and secret vaults? Women couldn't vote in Switzerland until 1973 and no one has figured out how their government works yet. If Littlefinger was from earth, this is where he'd be building a secret lair.

Dorne - Israel. Tries to punch above its weight, constantly scheming unreliably, hot tempered and not convivial to strangers. Internally fractious, nurses grudges like they're going out of style and fully supports it's women where they belong - on a battlefield. And hey, great food and beaches.

Baratheon - Italy. Its all about men who can't handle women, one way or another. Fractious and incompetent to the point of comedy, struggling with its masculinity, seems to hold so much promise - the history! the pedigree! the location! - and yet constantly somehow lets it slip between its fingers for mediocre results.

Tyrells - China. Brimming with upstart confidence. The biggest, the fastest, the best, buying up everything right and left, taking the place on the world stage that they feel they deserve, at last, but undoubtedly hiding plenty of nasty little - and not so little - secrets in every closet they can get their hands on.

Greyjoys - Russia. It could only be Russia. Obsessed with death, dreaming of a glorious past in grimly alcohol soaked ruined barbaric splendour.

[Fantôme]

Tyrells are definitely French. Switching sides continually-Bah!

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