marv_hucker Posted November 17, 2014 Share Posted November 17, 2014 Reading a bit of middle East history, Crusades era. Shawar was a former ruler of Egypt, when under imminent attack - which for him was all the time - had planned to burn the city down and everything in it, stocking up on tens of thousands of pots of pyrotechnics, possibly an inspiration for Aerys. Quick search I couldn't find any reference on here.http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/ShawarHe was eventually succeeded by Saladin, TPTWP? ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
House Hendrix of Rock Posted November 19, 2014 Share Posted November 19, 2014 The castle that was built in Monty Python and The Holy Grail sank into The swamp multiple times before it stayed up ( only 4 time though) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thenedstark Posted November 21, 2014 Share Posted November 21, 2014 From WoiaF Spoiler The bewildering number of "King Durrans" in the Stormland history may be a (not sure if intentional or a freudian slip) reference to large the number of dwarvish kings named "Durin" in Middle Earth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoosier427 Posted November 22, 2014 Share Posted November 22, 2014 Don't know if anybody said this but the battle of the wall is similar to the story of 300 Spartans fighting against the might of the entire Persian empire Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HosteenOsteen Posted November 23, 2014 Share Posted November 23, 2014 Thenedstark--I see that Stormlands name as alluding more to Durrendal, Roland's sword in The Song of Roland. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ulthosian Stark Posted November 23, 2014 Share Posted November 23, 2014 Don't know if anybody said this but the battle of the wall is similar to the story of 300 Spartans fighting against the might of the entire Persian empire There also is a bit of a better parallel with the 300 Unsullied standing against the might of 3 Khalasars and fending them off Qohor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ulthosian Stark Posted November 27, 2014 Share Posted November 27, 2014 Anyone remember the old, and pretty dark Disney film Dragonslayer? I just realized the dragons name is Vermithrax.And then we have in ASOIAF, Vermithor, Meraxes, Vermax, Arrax, Tyraxes, Urrax.Vermithor+Vermax=Vermithrax Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lykos Posted November 27, 2014 Share Posted November 27, 2014 Yup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weirdo Posted December 3, 2014 Share Posted December 3, 2014 In Game or Thrones, the second Catelyn chapter, Ned says of of his appointment as Hand of the King: "I never asked for this cup to pass to me.”In the King James Bible, Matthew 26:39, Jesus prays: "And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt." Jesus is referring to his impending arrest and public execution. This is foreshadowing for the danger Ned is walking into in King's Landing, and his ultimate fate there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thenedstark Posted December 3, 2014 Share Posted December 3, 2014 In Game or Thrones, the second Catelyn chapter, Ned says of of his appointment as Hand of the King: "I never asked for this cup to pass to me.”In the King James Bible, Matthew 26:39, Jesus prays: "And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt." Jesus is referring to his impending arrest and public execution. This is foreshadowing for the danger Ned is walking into in King's Landing, and his ultimate fate there.Jesus (!) GRRM even skimmed off the Bible :bowdown: :bowdown: :thumbsup: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taenqyrhae Posted December 3, 2014 Share Posted December 3, 2014 (edited) Anyone remember the old, and pretty dark Disney film Dragonslayer? I just realized the dragons name is Vermithrax.And then we have in ASOIAF, Vermithor, Meraxes, Vermax, Arrax, Tyraxes, Urrax.Vermithor+Vermax=VermithraxThat's just GRRM and the writers of Dragonslayer drawing from the same well of Celtic names, not GRRM copying Dragonslayer. If you look at fantasy literature before and after Dragonslayer you will see lots of dragons with names ending in -ax, because that was how dragons in ancient English mythology were frequently named. Edited December 5, 2014 by THICK PINK MAST Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fox fur cloak Posted December 4, 2014 Share Posted December 4, 2014 Not sure if this has been mentioned, but if you've read As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner, you probably had the same reaction as I did during Vardaman's "My mother is a fish" monologue... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thenedstark Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 (edited) Yet far to the east, well beyond the borders of the Golden Empire proper, past the legendary Mountains of the Morn, in the city Carcosa on the Hidden Sea, dwells in exile a sorcerer lord who claims to be the sixty-ninth yellow emperor, from a dynasty fallen for a thousand years. Clear reference to "Carcosa" and the "Yellow King" from Ambrose Bierce's short stories. Also recently referenced in the series, True Detective. Edited December 9, 2014 by thenedstark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stannis of Tanis Posted December 14, 2014 Share Posted December 14, 2014 I have searched for this notion and not found it anywhere, but I do apologize if this is a repeat:The name Stannis may be derived from Tanis, the ancient city in Egypt where Indiana Jones finds the Ark of the Covenant which held the 10 commandments. If so, that would be an allusion to his severe morality; at least, until Melisandre gets her claws into him, that is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ulthosian Stark Posted December 15, 2014 Share Posted December 15, 2014 That's just GRRM and the writers of Dragonslayer drawing from the same well of Celtic names, not GRRM copying Dragonslayer. If you look at fantasy literature before and after Dragonslayer you will see lots of dragons with names ending in -ax, because that was how dragons in ancient English mythology were frequently named. Oh I didn't see it as copying, I quite liked the idea he separated the names but mixing them yielding vermithrax, I'm aware of the whole Celtic -ax thing but figured him incorporating both like that may be a reference Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IronTitan Posted December 16, 2014 Share Posted December 16, 2014 Is Durran Godsgrief a reference to Durin from Lord of the Rings? In addition to similar spellings, Durin kept being reincarnated, in his children, taking the titles Durin II, Durin III, etc. Similarly, the eldest sons of House Durrandon were named Durran. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HosteenOsteen Posted December 17, 2014 Share Posted December 17, 2014 I feel with respect to the Arya Stark/Alia Atreides from Dune parallel noted earlier on this thread, that because Alia ends up 'gong bad' in the Dune books, GRRM will pull a reverse and have Arya not go bad in ASOIAF. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imaginepageant Posted December 19, 2014 Share Posted December 19, 2014 (edited) In AWOIAF, the history of the Riverlands mentions an Elmo Tully, Kermit Tully, and Grover Tully. George is such a troll. :rofl: Wait. Is this an allusion to the Tullys being puppets...? Edited December 19, 2014 by imaginepageant Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weirdo Posted December 19, 2014 Share Posted December 19, 2014 (edited) In AWOIAF, the history of the Riverlands mentions an Elmo Tully, Kermit Tully, and Grover Tully. George is such a troll. :rofl: Wait. Is this an allusion to the Tullys being puppets...? It's a progression, I think. Grover is a monster, albeit a very silly one, and associated with flight (by virtue of his Super Grover aspect) and thus with dragons and the reptilian Targaryen dynasty that his forebears championed. His son is Elmo, a red demon, but diminished in size, his feet firmly on the ground. Then comes Kermit, amphibian, a humble frog, yet a natural leader, intelligent and gentle, yet capable of leading his men into battle, slaying the enemy champion with his tiny green hands. Though the uncles of lesser men might own the theater, the scion of House Tully is ready to manage the stage. House Tully will eventually become a fish, thus completing the progression from air to water. But we are all puppets. Valar Dohaeris. Edited December 19, 2014 by Weirdo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Killer Snark Posted December 19, 2014 Share Posted December 19, 2014 I always thought the moving fort of the Reeds was reminiscent of the moving castles in Larry Niven's Ringworld books. I may have brought that up before. Someone else brought up the similarity between 'Howl's Moving Castle' and ' Howland Reed.' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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