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A Song of Ice and Fire / Other Topics / Parallels

Snake
User ID: 0018434 Oct 18th 10:05 AM
Just curious here folks.

What place in the Seven Kingdoms seems most like your own home?

I would have to say Bear Island. I live on an island of the coast of Labrador. It's cold, wind swept and barren. We're all fisherfolk and have been for generations. Plus I got an uncle who reminds me of Ser Jorah. Big and Strong.

Hope someone hasn't already done this. I haven't read ALL the messages under ALL the topics.

KAH
User ID: 9209903 Oct 18th 1:58 PM
Having lived on the coast of Norway practically all my life, I'd go for some Northern Island myself. I suppose Bear Island or Skagos might serve.

Ran
User ID: 0283314 Oct 18th 2:15 PM
Living in a pretty part of the Swedish western coast . . . maybe Deepwood Motte, or perhaps Flint's Finger.

Formerly from Florida, the southern Neck in high Summer (humid and hot) or Storm's End around hurricane season. ;)

Mike H.
User ID: 8290473 Oct 18th 3:01 PM
I live in the Western USA. So I guess the Eyrie would be the closest.

Sphinx
User ID: 0638514 Oct 18th 3:26 PM
London, I guess, has to be King's Landing...
I used to live in Sunderland, which makes Winterfell look like Tahiti...

Jeff
User ID: 0227464 Oct 18th 4:53 PM
I'm in Cleveland, Ohio. Fair sized port, gets cold in winter -- though not like you folks in Scandinavia. I guess -- White Harbor?

Kevin
User ID: 1766884 Oct 18th 4:58 PM
Eastern Washington state, probably the riverlands. We have the Columbia river nearby. The area is fairly flat and dry but we are near mountains and wetter terrain. Dry and 90's in the summer, some snow and mid-teens in the winter.

Kevin
User ID: 1766884 Oct 18th 5:00 PM
Mike H. - What is your last name? I went to highschool with a Mike H. and am wondering if you are him. Your posts sound somewhat like his personallity.

LindaElane
User ID: 7733333 Oct 19th 0:33 AM
There is nothing in the Seven Kingdoms like Arizona. Even the desert Dany goes though is not "Arizona type" ....heres is all sand duny and bare...ours is red rocks and sage brush. Martin lives in the Southwest too, thought Santa Fe is in the mountains, he is just above the (yucky) desert and I hope he does not put it in any of his books. His books are a nice vacation away from this place for me.

Jeff
User ID: 0227464 Oct 19th 8:14 AM
Hmm. Now that I think of it again, I supposed Cleveland could be characterized as more like King's Landing after Tyrion's little experiment with fire.

Claidhaim
User ID: 9544623 Oct 19th 10:11 AM
I'd have to go with Torrhen's Square for Central PA. I really can't think of anywhere else that would come close.

Mike H.
User ID: 8290473 Oct 19th 11:59 AM
Kevin -

Hantz. Originally from NY. Am I him? ;)

And if somehow I am, this would definitely be one of the more way-out "small world" scenarios.

Kevin
User ID: 1766884 Oct 19th 12:49 PM
Nope. Not him. That's to bad. It would've really been cool.

Watcher
User ID: 7761613 Oct 19th 12:53 PM
LOL Jeff.... I'm from Toledo Ohio before I moved to Arizona. Which as LindaElane stated hasn't been represented.

Mike H.
User ID: 8290473 Oct 19th 3:20 PM
I kind of figured not - but you're right, it would have been pretty cool.

Kristin
User ID: 9767833 Oct 19th 9:11 PM
Well...let's see. I grew up in Wisconsin--definitely the North during Winter. Now I'm in Arizona.

Swithin
User ID: 0443584 Oct 20th 1:30 AM
Would anyone beat me if I said Seattle is quite a bit like Winterfell itself? Still, Winterfell is not as coastal, so I guess Seattle is more like Eastwatch (Westwatch?) by the sea. Dragonstone sounds almost cloudy enough, but probably not so wet.

haaruk
User ID: 8123903 Dec 8th 12:22 PM
I have always liked this board. Another angle on parallels. Literary ones.
I have already mentioned that Stannis seems parallel to Shakespeare's Macbeth. A basically just man with excessive ambition and scheming wife. Mellisandre is the equivalent of the 3 witches. Patchface (a favorite character of mine), reminds me of Lear's Fool.

Achilles. Greatest warrior of the Greeks against the Pride of Troy.

Loras Tyrell. Martin inverts the Patroclus, Achilles relationship. In Homer's Iliad the two are generally considered to be sexually involved with Achilles bisexual. Patroclus dies at the hands of Hector while wearing his lovers armor. Achilles then avenges his death in battle with Hector.

A similar but inverted scenario in ACOK. Renly and Loras, who are quite possibly lovers are allies against Stannis. Renly is killed by Stannis. Loras puts on Renly's armor and the greatest warrior of the southern forces, similar to Achilles before the walls of Troy, takes revenge against Stannis's army outside the gates of King's Landing. The Shadow of Achilles.

Dirjj
User ID: 0094674 Dec 10th 0:11 AM
Hey, I live on the left coast (California - Silicon Valley), and I'd say that in Westerosi terms, I'd probably live near Oldtown.

I found the Achilles/Loras juxtaposition very interesting. Sometimes reading all these posts and theores makes one want to read out of genre. I mean, heck there are times when I want to read Shakespeare or read the Iliad, and other historical events, whether fact or fiction.

ab

Malice
User ID: 0826264 Dec 10th 8:35 PM
I once wrote practically an essay on the Wars of the Roses historical characters who might have been the basis behind the characters in ASOIAF. Unfortunately I had posted it on a fantasy board somewhere and now it's been cleared.

Oh well. One parallel with history I noticed occurs in the appendices, under "House Targaryen". You get this nifty Targaryen Succession list, and there's a very brief description of that war called the Dance of the Dragons in which Aegon II & Rhaenyra fought each other.

It seemed to me to be similar to the battles between Maud (Latin 'Matilda'), daughter of Henry I, and her cousin Stephen. Aegon II was the only one who actually was crowned and ruled, it seems, the way Stephen was the only one to be crowned, but it's Rhaenyra's son Aegon III who became the next king. It was Maud's son Henry II who would become king also. (He'd be the Henry that Eleanor of Aquitaine would marry.)

And this has been my other essay. : ) If you have read the whole thing then you're a rare person. If you have understood the whole thing you're a rarer one.

I, too, am living in California, near LA. Where would that be? Pretty close to Dorne? Oooh! Does that mean I get to actually MEET some Martells? <g>

Sorry for this really long post.

Snake User ID: 0018434	Oct 18th 10:05 AM Just curious here folks. What place in the Seven Kingdoms seems most like your own home? I would have to say Bear Island. I live on an island of the coast of Labrador. It's cold, wind swept and barren. We're all fisherfolk and have been for generations. Plus I got an uncle who reminds me of Ser Jorah. Big and Strong. Hope someone hasn't already done this. I haven't read ALL the messages under ALL the topics.
KAH User ID: 9209903	Oct 18th 1:58 PM Having lived on the coast of Norway practically all my life, I'd go for some Northern Island myself. I suppose Bear Island or Skagos might serve.
Ran User ID: 0283314	Oct 18th 2:15 PM Living in a pretty part of the Swedish western coast . . . maybe Deepwood Motte, or perhaps Flint's Finger. Formerly from Florida, the southern Neck in high Summer (humid and hot) or Storm's End around hurricane season. ;)
Mike H. User ID: 8290473	Oct 18th 3:01 PM I live in the Western USA. So I guess the Eyrie would be the closest.
Sphinx User ID: 0638514	Oct 18th 3:26 PM London, I guess, has to be King's Landing... I used to live in Sunderland, which makes Winterfell look like Tahiti...
Jeff User ID: 0227464	Oct 18th 4:53 PM I'm in Cleveland, Ohio. Fair sized port, gets cold in winter -- though not like you folks in Scandinavia. I guess -- White Harbor?
Kevin User ID: 1766884	Oct 18th 4:58 PM Eastern Washington state, probably the riverlands. We have the Columbia river nearby. The area is fairly flat and dry but we are near mountains and wetter terrain. Dry and 90's in the summer, some snow and mid-teens in the winter.
Kevin User ID: 1766884	Oct 18th 5:00 PM Mike H. - What is your last name? I went to highschool with a Mike H. and am wondering if you are him. Your posts sound somewhat like his personallity.
LindaElane User ID: 7733333	Oct 19th 0:33 AM There is nothing in the Seven Kingdoms like Arizona. Even the desert Dany goes though is not "Arizona type" ....heres is all sand duny and bare...ours is red rocks and sage brush. Martin lives in the Southwest too, thought Santa Fe is in the mountains, he is just above the (yucky) desert and I hope he does not put it in any of his books. His books are a nice vacation away from this place for me.
Jeff User ID: 0227464	Oct 19th 8:14 AM Hmm. Now that I think of it again, I supposed Cleveland could be characterized as more like King's Landing after Tyrion's little experiment with fire.
Claidhaim User ID: 9544623	Oct 19th 10:11 AM I'd have to go with Torrhen's Square for Central PA. I really can't think of anywhere else that would come close.
Mike H. User ID: 8290473	Oct 19th 11:59 AM Kevin - Hantz. Originally from NY. Am I him? ;) And if somehow I am, this would definitely be one of the more way-out "small world" scenarios.
Kevin User ID: 1766884	Oct 19th 12:49 PM Nope. Not him. That's to bad. It would've really been cool.
Watcher User ID: 7761613	Oct 19th 12:53 PM LOL Jeff.... I'm from Toledo Ohio before I moved to Arizona. Which as LindaElane stated hasn't been represented.
Mike H. User ID: 8290473	Oct 19th 3:20 PM I kind of figured not - but you're right, it would have been pretty cool.
Kristin User ID: 9767833	Oct 19th 9:11 PM Well...let's see. I grew up in Wisconsin--definitely the North during Winter. Now I'm in Arizona.
Swithin User ID: 0443584	Oct 20th 1:30 AM Would anyone beat me if I said Seattle is quite a bit like Winterfell itself? Still, Winterfell is not as coastal, so I guess Seattle is more like Eastwatch (Westwatch?) by the sea. Dragonstone sounds almost cloudy enough, but probably not so wet.
haaruk User ID: 8123903	Dec 8th 12:22 PM I have always liked this board. Another angle on parallels. Literary ones. I have already mentioned that Stannis seems parallel to Shakespeare's Macbeth. A basically just man with excessive ambition and scheming wife. Mellisandre is the equivalent of the 3 witches. Patchface (a favorite character of mine), reminds me of Lear's Fool. Achilles. Greatest warrior of the Greeks against the Pride of Troy. Loras Tyrell. Martin inverts the Patroclus, Achilles relationship. In Homer's Iliad the two are generally considered to be sexually involved with Achilles bisexual. Patroclus dies at the hands of Hector while wearing his lovers armor. Achilles then avenges his death in battle with Hector. A similar but inverted scenario in ACOK. Renly and Loras, who are quite possibly lovers are allies against Stannis. Renly is killed by Stannis. Loras puts on Renly's armor and the greatest warrior of the southern forces, similar to Achilles before the walls of Troy, takes revenge against Stannis's army outside the gates of King's Landing. The Shadow of Achilles.
Dirjj User ID: 0094674	Dec 10th 0:11 AM Hey, I live on the left coast (California - Silicon Valley), and I'd say that in Westerosi terms, I'd probably live near Oldtown. I found the Achilles/Loras juxtaposition very interesting. Sometimes reading all these posts and theores makes one want to read out of genre. I mean, heck there are times when I want to read Shakespeare or read the Iliad, and other historical events, whether fact or fiction. ab
Malice User ID: 0826264	Dec 10th 8:35 PM I once wrote practically an essay on the Wars of the Roses historical characters who might have been the basis behind the characters in ASOIAF. Unfortunately I had posted it on a fantasy board somewhere and now it's been cleared. Oh well. One parallel with history I noticed occurs in the appendices, under "House Targaryen". You get this nifty Targaryen Succession list, and there's a very brief description of that war called the Dance of the Dragons in which Aegon II & Rhaenyra fought each other. It seemed to me to be similar to the battles between Maud (Latin 'Matilda'), daughter of Henry I, and her cousin Stephen. Aegon II was the only one who actually was crowned and ruled, it seems, the way Stephen was the only one to be crowned, but it's Rhaenyra's son Aegon III who became the next king. It was Maud's son Henry II who would become king also. (He'd be the Henry that Eleanor of Aquitaine would marry.) And this has been my other essay. : ) If you have read the whole thing then you're a rare person. If you have understood the whole thing you're a rarer one. I, too, am living in California, near LA. Where would that be? Pretty close to Dorne? Oooh! Does that mean I get to actually MEET some Martells? <g> Sorry for this really long post.