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Patriotism in the Seven Kingdoms. Who Bleeds Westeros?


George Sapp

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After blowing up some stuff tonight to show my act of patriotism on this 4th of July, I got to thinking who would be that one guy who BLEEDS Westeros in the world of ASOIAF? Who would be the guy to proudly wave that Westeros banner?

I came up with one guy off the top of my head.

Brynden 'Bloodraven' Rivers.

This man stayed loyal to his King and country when he had siblings declaring war. He killed his brother (who he loved) for his kingdom! After that, despite taking tons of shit from his fellow citizens and kin, became a good hand and crushed rebellion aftet rebellion.

Then after getting thrown into a dungeon for getting the hot girl, he gets sent to the wall...and what does he do? Rises to Lord Commander. No bitching or griping. He went and did his job. The kingdom needed him at the wall and so he went. But then after all of this...

The man decides to give up his life to become a tree so he can help a heroe who will one day fly to save his home...his country from the Long Night.

Bloodraven loved his country.

Who are some other mighty patriots of westeros?

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After blowing up some stuff tonight to show my act of patriotism on this 4th of July, I got to thinking who would be that one guy who BLEEDS Westeros in the world of ASOIAF? Who would be the guy to proudly wave that Westeros banner?

I came up with one guy off the top of my head.

Brynden 'Bloodraven' Rivers.

This man stayed loyal to his King and country when he had siblings declaring war. He killed his brother (who he loved) for his kingdom! After that, despite taking tons of shit from his fellow citizens and kin, became a good hand and crushed rebellion aftet rebellion.

Then after getting thrown into a dungeon for getting the hot girl, he gets sent to the wall...and what does he do? Rises to Lord Commander. No bitching or griping. He went and did his job. The kingdom needed him at the wall and so he went. But then after all of this...

The man decides to give up his life to become a tree so he can help a heroe who will one day fly to save his home...his country from the Long Night.

Bloodraven loved his country.

Who are some other mighty patriots of westeros?

Hmm. There aren't many who have pride outside of their family and their region.
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It's hard to say because nationalism is only an extremely recent concept. The idea of a nation having a defined identity didn't exist in earnest until the French Revolution, which most historians agree is the beginning of nationalism.

For the most part, there would be too many splintered cultures in Westeros to have a single defined identity that is needed for nationalism. Lots of people confuse cultural pride with nationalism, so I won't be surprised if there are some posts in this thread that follow the assumption they are the same thing. However, I think that nationalism doesn't exist in Westeros because it is set in a roughly equivalent time as Earth, when it didn't exist here either.

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Beric Dondarrion seemed pretty patriotic to me. After Ned charges him to bring the Lannisters to justice and war breaks out, this badass doesn't choose this side or that side. No, he follows his orders and tries to bring people to justice for their crimes against the smallfolk. He's so dedicated to it that he dies numerous times doing it.

I think the Night's Watch as a whole needs a shout out too. Sure, most of the people there are conscripted and criminals, but they still give their lives for the realm without expecting anything in return.

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Fortuntately, I don't think the concept of "patriotism" exists in Westeros yet and I hope it won't for quite a while. Westeros is in a terrible enough state as it is without nationalism to finish the job.

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There isn't patriotism as such,When oaths and fealty are sworn to a Man or family patriotism doesn't come in to the question at all,the Only ones would probably be the First Nights Watch and the ones that followed them until the decline happened.

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Fortuntately, I don't think the concept of "patriotism" exists in Westeros yet and I hope it won't for quite a while...

There isn't patriotism as such...

You've both summed it up well: patriotism is a modern invention and one that Westeros doesn't seem to have. It irked me a little when, in the TV series, Jaime said, "Pretty soon half the country was against [Aerys]." The idea of a country as a separate body capable of having its own distinct identity shared by those within it didn't exist once upon a time. In fact, it doesn't even exist everywhere in the world now.

For this reason, I don't think anyone in Westeros would be a patriot. They wouldn't even understand the concept unless it was explained to them, and even then they'd find it perplexing.

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The idea of a country as a separate body capable of having its own distinct identity shared by those within it didn't exist once upon a time. In fact, it doesn't even exist everywhere in the world now.

I would say that concept does exist to some extent w/ regards to Westeros. The adjective Westerosi seems to be used quite a lot.

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Bloodraven

After him, the Old Bear, maybe Jon after his return to the Wall, most of the Night's Watch. Just maybe Stannis, but his 'patriotism' is rather convenient, as he sees himself as the king. Egg might have had some of it, due his travels through the realm, but it's unkown at this point.

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Of course patriotism existed in the past. It was just more localized. I'm pretty sure Spartans felt pride in being from Sparta, Athenians in being from Athens, Greeks in being Greeks when fighting the Persians etc. Countries were simply smaller, and the area you identified with limited to that occupied by your clan or tribe.

But tribalism has existed since the earliest times. Even in Biblical times we see the Israelites vs the Amalekites vs the Philistines etc.

Germannic tribes against the Romans are another example.

Group identity is thousands of years old. Its just that the groups didn't cover areas as vast and diverse as the countries of today. Your countrymen pretty much all looked like you, had the same customs and the same religion. The geographic borders on a map just didn't mean someone was from your group, like it does today. Instead his tribal membership is what counted.

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Where is the info on BR? Like getting the girl... I've read all d&e and books. All the descriptions were vague and they didn't seem to add up to me (in regards with blackfyre rebellion). Although this could be due to fact I cared much more for the overlying story the first few rereads I did. Now on forth and am taking in all details but only in agot. I'm interested in blackfyre though.

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