Heroism in George R.R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire"

What more can be said about this incredible series that hasn't already been discussed? One might ask.

A Song of Ice and Fire (ASOIAF) is George R.R. Martin's political war fantasy epic, an acclaimed book series that has inspired iconic TV adaptations like Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon, and most recently, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. A series that reimagines fantasy through the lens of realism with its myriad of complexly written characters, navigating a world of realistic cause and consequence.

Due to the reputation of the HBO television show Game of Thrones, which brought the story into the mainstream, casual audiences now recognise George as the writer who indiscriminately 'kills off all of his characters', regardless of whether they are a protagonist or not.

While it is true that no character is safe in Westeros, be it in the war-torn country or in the scheming halls of its palaces, this observation trivialises what many believe is actually a story of triumph in an unjust, brutal world, not far removed from our own.

There are, after all, many characters in ASOIAF that fall under the traditional role of the fantasy hero, with Ser Duncan the Tall probably the most recognisable name due to the recent success of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' first season. Some of them even succeed, while others meet their doom.

What's both important and interesting to discuss, is how George has taken this fantasy archetype and encouraged it to adjust to the genre of realism, which his books, despite their dragons and magic, still partly adhere to.

**SPOILERS AHEAD FOR A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE, DUNK & EGG, GAME OF THRONES, AND A KNIGHT OF THE SEVEN KINGDOMS**

The Heroes of Ice and Fire

One of the best examples in George's work of the convergence of traditional fantasy and realism is Bobby B. himself: Robert Baratheon.

Before his days of lechery and drinking in the main series, the tropes of a classic fairy tale could be observed in Robert's role as a fearsome warrior.

A heroic Robert led the rebellion against the tyrannical Mad King Aerys II Targaryen, after prince Rhaegar Targaryen kidnapped the girl Robert was promised to marry, Lyanna Stark. Robert defeats the villainous Rhaegar while trying to rescue the princess, overthrows the tyrant Aerys, and establishes a new dynasty of peace and prosperity when he himself becomes king. One might even say that he ruled "wisely and well", like Aragorn at the end of his journey in The Lord of the Rings.

Alas, George couldn't understand the meaning of this phrase, as Tolkien never elaborated on the politics of Aragorn's rule. George decided to explore the possibilities of a warrior turned king in his own work. They were not great.

Lyanna Stark was never rescued, having died giving birth to Rhaegar's child. Robert never got over the loss, not even after marrying someone else - Cersei Lannister -, and the nuances of ruling were lost on him.

Robert was always more comfortable with fighting and the hammer, so he frequently left the kingdoms to his advisors, like Jon Arryn, while piling up debt for feasts and tournaments, leaving the crown in an unstable position by the time the main series starts. Having no love for his wife meant seeking the company of prostitutes and neglecting his children, which Robert never discovers are not his to begin with. It's possible that his son Joffrey's future reign as a despot stemmed partly from this disregard.

Not all heroes who fight can govern. They might turn into figureheads while the true players of the Game replace them. Littlefinger does cause the War of the Five Kings following Robert's death to pave his own way to the throne, and Varys sets the stage for the (supposed) Targaryen pretender Aegon VI to become king.

Quentyn Martell

Show watchers will never understand the experience of reading the tragic and grimly ironic journey of the prince of Dorne.

While the writers for Game of Thrones greatly simplified the Dornish storyline, the books introduced readers to the captivating, albeit doomed, plots of the Martell house. Joseph Campbell's writing model for the Hero's Journey, about an unlikely protagonist rising to the occasion, is explored and subverted through their eldest male descendent, Quentyn Martell.

Quentyn is a quiet dreamer, awkward but dutiful, who embarks on a voyage to Meereen with the goal of marrying Daenerys Targaryen, offering her the Dornish armies to crush Lannister rule, whom the Martells seek vengeance against, and place her on the Iron Throne. But the fantasy of adventure falls away after an arduous voyage, the loss of half of his companions, comparisons to more confident and capable knights, and Dany's rejection of his proposal. Quentyn resorts to stealing one of her dragons in order to honour his house, to not return home empty-handed, but burns for his recklessness instead.

What Quentyn's journey teaches the readers is that believing in the fairy tale is not enough in a realistic world. Martin's setting, like our own, does not reward pure bravery or honesty, and neither pure honour in the case of Ned Stark. One must be rational, recognise where their strengths and weaknesses lie, in order to make a difference.

The Martell's had been out of the Game of Thrones for too long, no thanks to the caution of Prince Doran, which he mislabels as patience. His descendants only act in response to this, feeling that the time to act is short. Quentyn's hubris, therefore, foreshadows the fate of his house, now in the unreliable hands of the defiant Arianne Martell, and the dangerous Sand Snakes.

Ser Duncan the Tall and Lady Brienne of Tarth

In The Hedge Knight and The Sword Sword, a wandering Duncan tries to fulfil the responsibilities of a true knight: to protect the innocent and serve justice, no matter the circumstances. But in an unjust world, one founded on realism, it isn't always so simple.

It's yet to be revealed whether Dunk was truly knighted by his former mentor or not, and, in general, he's a person that's very uncertain with himself. But he proves to be more honourable than a prince when he saves the puppeteer Tanselle from the ire of Aerion Targaryen, after her show had depicted the death of a dragon.

"All men are fools and all men are knights" we are told, and despite Dunk's recklessness he inspires prince Baelor Targaryen to fight alongside him in a successful duel against Aerion. But Tanselle has already fled to Dorne by this point, and Baelor, who would have become a wise and just king, one the country hadn't seen for generations, perishes in the fight. Despite Dunk's best intentions things seem to work out for the worst, even if the smallfolk laud him after the fact for standing up to the unpopular Targaryen royals.

And perhaps that is the point. Egg still wishes to squire for Duncan after all the tragedy, because it falls on the unlikeliest of everyday heroes to inspire and train the next generation for a better tomorrow. There may even come a time when Dunk's hand and foot, which he would have lost for striking Aerion, may be needed by the realm.

In the following novella Dunk and Egg have their loyalties tested when they finally swear an allegiance to a lord, only to get involved in a moral dispute between two nobles. Their employer's lands, Ser Eustace Osgrey's, dry up when his river is dammed by Lady Rohanne Webber, threatening his subjects during a sweltering summer. He also claims that Webber's castle Coldmoat isn't hers, for it once belonged to his family, until it's revealed that Osgrey once supported the Blackfyre Rebellion, before the crown ceded the land and its river as punishment.

Duncan is torn between his duty to the traitor Osgrey and the uncompromising Webber, who also seeks justice after an Osgrey knight attacked one of her own subjects over the dam. Duncan ends up fighting in a duel, nearly drowning in the river in question, before Osgrey and Webber resolve the issue through marriage.

All of Dunk's efforts at negotiation, even training local villagers in case of a battle, were overlooked by his superiors. But unlike the fickle Osgrey and Webber, who the text suggests might have been using the knight when convenient, Dunk retains his honour, serving no matter what.

His descendent in the main series, Lady Brienne of Tarth, would herself aspire to knighthood and face similar challenges of honour and identity.

She is often mocked and underestimated by male knights far less honourable than her, and is sworn to locate and protect the Stark daughters after the death of their father, mother, and brother. This becomes a seemingly impossible feat that challenges her integrity as a protector of the innocent. The devastation after a war for a country, one that has become a 'feast for crows', contrasts with Brienne's ideals, challenging both her and the reader with whether honour can be retained in a broken society.

Ser Arthur Dayne(??)

Inspired by King Arthur and Excalibur, Ser Dayne is a curious case, for while he fits all the criteria of a typical fantasy hero, his actions are worthy of scrutiny.

Dayne is recognised as the greatest fighter in modern Westerosi history, an effective commander, and a skilled tourney knight. He is lauded as a chivalrous hero who defeats an obligatory fantasy villain in the form of an outlaw group - the Kingswood Brotherhood - and their infamous Smiling Knight. He also wields a magical, star fallen blade known as Dawn, the "Sword of the Morning". Dayne's absolute loyalty to his prince, however, would spell his dishonour.

Because Arthur, as a kingsguard knight, protected Rhaegar Targaryen while the prince manipulated Lyanna Stark with tales of prophecy, stole her from her family, and sparked a civil war which cost the lives of thousands. We're told by George R.R. Martin that prophecy is a treacherous thing, a "double-edged sword" that influences those who hear and act on it, often with disastrous consequences.

Rhaegar believed, according to ancient prophecy, that a "dragon must have three heads" in order to stop the world-ending arrival of an endless winter during the Long Night, and the Others. But in trying to fulfil this, by having three children, Rhaegar caused the ruin of his house and countless deaths, including his own, two of his children, and Arthur Dayne.

Interestingly, ASOIAF's prophecies do come true in unexpected ways. Over millennia of history unlikely characters have played a part in fulfilling the promise of Azor Ahai, the hero proclaimed to end the Long Night. Were it not for Ser Duncan's honour as a knight Baelor would never have fought and died for him, causing a chain of succession until Aegon V's ascension to king. Aegon V might never have caused the tragedy at Summerhall, birthing a Rhaegar steeped in melancholy and obsessed with prophecy. Rhaegar's controversial decisions wouldn't have caused Daenerys' family to flee Westeros, leading to the return of dragons, nor the birth of Jon Snow; representations of fire and ice said to defeat the White Walkers in the books to come.

And furthermore is the role of House Dayne, said to trace its roots back to the primeval Empire of the Dawn in the far east. Their own Azor Ahai ended the first Long Night in Essos and Westeros with the sword Lightbringer, rumoured to later be passed down to rightful wielders in the then established House Dayne as Dawn, the weapon used by Ser Arthur. At the most recent point in the story, Gerold "Darkstar" Dayne is said to be tracking it down, to possibly end up in the hands of Jon Snow when he faces the "winds of winter".

George R.R. Martin doesn't choose heroes for his stories so much as he assigns a part for each of his characters to play; be it in the Game of Thrones, or in the War for Life. The real world itself doesn't promise a chosen saviour against its threats, political or existential. Perhaps, it can only be saved by all its constituents.

Closing Thoughts

The perennial question returns: Is George repellent towards traditional heroes in his unjust world? I'd argue not. He is a realist, one who commonly asked how rules and behaviours would actually apply to the stories he grew up reading, before deciding to answer this himself in his own writing.

ASOIAF is populated by dozens of characters beyond the five discussed in this article, ones who have to choose between duty and love, like Ned Stark and Robb Stark, ones who follow Maester Aemon's philosophy that "love is the death of duty" like Jon Snow, or those who blindly follow both like Jon Connington. Dilemmas of honour and identity torment the morals of Jaime Lannister and Arya Stark, who too must determine what 'doing the right thing' entails.

Heroism, while upholding objective ideals, does not come easy. Yet despite these difficulties, Martin encourages his readers to strive for it all the same with the prudence required in a realistic world. He recognises that everyone has a "heart in conflict with itself" (William Faulkner), and that this makes for the most valuable stories, ones where the truest of lessons can be learned.