Is It Possible to Predict the Ending of “Game of Thrones”?

PREDETERMINED NATION

Is It Possible to Predict the Ending of “Game of Thrones”?

Article by Justin Bowler

This is a question my colleagues and I have asked several times. Sure, nearly every Sunday night at 10PM across many a living room, den, or college common room, fans the likes of college students, fantasy nerds, stoners, medieval scholars, literature students, or anyone between the age of 17-90 years old, interpret plot twists, speeches, prophecies and other minutia to pontificate the future of their favorite characters. Many have theories, supported with story elements, they are happy to proclaim. But… “Is there one irrevocable ending that we can deduce and conclude?” asked Bill, one of my colleagues. This seems like an impossible question to answer and an impossible task to surmount even if it can be answered (in addition, Bill has glaucoma (or so his doctor says) and uses his medication quite frequently, I mean A LOT! Probably three to four times a day. Seriously, he is a major partaker of the herbal sort. So, should I even give his question validity? “Philosophy teaches us ‘Although the mind behind the question is dubious, the question remains a question’”, said Bill the Pothead. Having never studied philosophy, I was compelled to agree (when I say I was “compelled”, I meant that I inhaled much of Bill’s second hand smoke)). Therefore, I began a journey, cyclical in nature, but full of discovery. My first stop was prophetic filler: foreshadowing.

“Foreshadowing adds dramatic tension to a story by building anticipation about what might happen next. Authors use it to create suspense or to convey information that helps readers understand what comes later.” 1

Great books throughout history and across all genres have been written with foreshadowing as a key narrative element. However, we don’t know exactly how to categorize the A Song of Fire and Ice (ASOFAI) series since it has not concluded. No one truly knows if the George R.R. Martin narrative is based on real historical events, a general medieval time period, literature within the medieval period, or a real world reflective of ours with certain fantastical caveats. All of these can and have been debated in various circles (the most fun circle I have seen is a group of anterograde amnesiacs, who also have glaucoma. The people Bill hangs with are truly amazing).

First, let us tackle the easy questions. Was ASOFAI or Game of Thrones (from here on out used interchangeably unless otherwise noted) based on historical events? According to Benjamin Breen, author of Why ‘Game of Thrones’ Isn’t Medieval – and Why That Matters 2, the answer is no. Breen presents, “If there’s one thing everyone can seem to agree on about George R.R. Martin’s bloody behemoth of a book and television series, it’s that the setting is ‘medieval FANTASY’.”

“Let’s survey Martin’s world. Seven large kingdoms, each with multiple cities and towns, share a populous continent. Urban traders ply the Narrow Sea in galleys, carrying cargoes of wine, grains, and other commodities to the merchants of the Free Cities in the east. Slavers raid the southern continent and force slaves to work as miners, farmers, or household servants. There is a powerful bank based in the Venice-like independent republic of Braavos. A guild in Qarth dominates the international spice trade. Black-gowned, Jesuit-like “Maesters” create medicines, study the secrets of the human body, and use “far-eyes” (telescopes) to observe the stars. In King’s Landing, lords peruse sizable libraries and alchemists experiment with chemical reactions and napalm-like fires. New religions from across the sea threaten old beliefs; meanwhile, many in the ruling elite are closet atheists. And politically, in the aftermath of the Mad King and Joffrey, the downsides of hereditary monarchy are growing more obvious with every passing day… These phenomena all belong to what historians call the “early modern” period — the timespan between the voyages of Columbus and de Gama at the end of the 15th century and the French and American Revolutions at the end of the 18th.”

Breen’s testimony not only illustrates that ASOFAI is not based on real events, but also, it clearly isn’t representative of a specific historical time. “A world that actually reflected daily life in the High Middle Ages (12th-century Europe) would be one without large cities or global networks. A diversity of religions would be inconceivable. Many aristocrats wouldn’t be able to read, let alone maintain large libraries. And no one would even know about the continents across the ocean.”

Butter_milk (self-proclaimed historian) (yes, I’ve resorted to referencing “self-proclaimed” “scholars”, known only by their usernames, as my resource material) further explains this.

“GoT is not set in Medieval Europe, so by its very nature it can’t be historically accurate. What was the historical Westeros like? Whatever George R.R. Martin wanted it to be like. The issue arises when people start assuming that it is an accurate depiction of the Medieval world. It is not. It’s an amalgamation of times and cultures woven together to give an interesting cultural and political background to a fantasy story. So when people start asking, well did X happen in the Middle Ages, or assuming that GoT is ‘accurate’ we often have to point out that whatever it was did not, or is an adaptation of something similar, or never ever happened. Medieval Europeans didn’t commonly use morphine, for example, never used ravens to send messages, etc.” 3

In addition, the technology of ASOFAI is well beyond the 18th century. Yglesias, Matthew Yglesias, (the Hispanic James Bond) author of Westeros’ Uneven Level of Technological Progress 4 expands on this idea.

“One’s first instinct is to describe it as featuring a ‘medieval’ level of technology since you have knights in armor, castles, no guns or cannons, and no printing press.” However, “Westeroi technology is much more advanced than the technology of medieval Europe. This is particularly true in the life sciences. Their “moon tea” appears to be a highly effective abortifacient or perhaps some kind of equivalent to our so-called “morning after pill.” They also appear to understand a fair amount about the problem of infected wounds and how to treat them. This science is less advanced than post-WWII antibiotics but seems to be at-or-beyond 19th century medical science.”

Satisfied that GOT is neither based on real historical events nor an accurate representation of a particular time period, we are left to wonder if it is a narrative representative of fantasy within a period(s) or a narrative representative of literature within that period. It is a subtle difference to say the least, but one worthy of distinction (and a question certainly brought up by Bill and his cohorts), the difference between the two resting in the common elements of fictional writing, specifically, destiny. Bernadette Prochaska extrapolates.

“The word, destiny, engages the focal point of action regarding human endeavor. It comes from the Latin word, destinare, which means making firm or determining. The general interpretation of destiny has to do with naming the end toward which we move, toward which we aspire, and toward which we enlist our physical, our mental and our spiritual energies.” 5

Furthermore, she deliniates “destiny” in literature vs. “destiny” in life. She believes destiny in literature is predetermined. “In Medieval Literature, the interpretation of destiny is associated with fate, wherein some force outside of the individual was so intense that the individual was powerless” and ”…destiny was absolute. One could not escape destiny.” Whereas, according to Prochaska, destiny in life is simply the journey we, as humans, are taking. She explains “In our humanity we are all destined for the journey; the beginning, the middle and the end of our human life. Our destiny is to live without closure, without the final reward of our purpose, our destiny.” Thus, in real life, there is no predetermination of our fates (for the purposes of this article I am not going to get into the debate of a higher power or supreme being. Since, in real life there are several religions and no one can authoritatively say which is correct).

On it’s surface, Game of Thrones appears to be like that of the pseudo fantasy medieval world. But is it a depiction of a pseudo fantasy medieval world, or a depiction of the literature found in the medieval world? (I realize this is minutia, but Bill would not be satisfied with anything less). The medieval world, like our own, was a place where God may or may not have actually existed. Men worshiped God (or Gods), yet, He (She) never made any personal appearances, thus leaving it open to debate. However, medieval literature was not a reflection of its time, so much as an interpretation of its time. Writers during that period, quite frequently sponsored by the church, wrote stories congruent with the teachings of their sponsor. Hence, literature was commonly written with the intent of showing that there was a master plan and all things were pre-determined, just as faith doctrine declared, exemplifying God existed. Faria Saeed Khan, author of Religious Education as the Basis of Medieval Literature 6 explains.

“The medieval literature was written with a purpose to teach Christian dogmas to the masses. The prose and poetry of the time meant to show men the ugliness of sin and the beauty of goodness. Critics are of the view that English drama originated from Christian religious rituals with the purpose to provide religious education to the masses and strengthen the faith of the worshippers.”

So, to determine if Game of Thrones is a depiction of the medieval era, or the literature from the medieval era, we must answer a more acute question. Is the world of Game of Thrones a representation where characters’ lives are predetermined, or is it a representation where their outcomes are a collection of their own decisions?

As I pondered this question, I found myself needing to research it, but tired of the boring factual books, journals, and forums that I had previously quoted, I decided to spice things up. Obviously, I wanted to go to the best source I could: George R.R. Martin. So, I Tweeted him. To my surprise, he never got back to me. Odd. Perhaps it was because he was busy working on the next book. However, since the last book was released five years ago, I can’t imagine that he was working very hard (clearly, he must have a lot of free time). After accepting his rigorous schedule as his most prevalent concern, I moved on to the next greatest source of knowledge on Game of Thrones: the internet. It is a vast wealth of information, where many questions can be answered by merely typing in a question. After deducing that I should go directly to the most involved audience, I posted the question on Instagram with #GameOfThrones or #GOT for those in the know (I fared as well as anyone would have expected, which is to say, not very well).

@Veronica_mb 7 on Instagram was my first response. She told me the answer was “obvious”, I “wasn’t paying attention” to the most recent episode, and the lives of characters are all predetermined. I questioned at what point it was established in the books or show that the fate of characters were predetermined. She did not appreciate being questioned by the likes of me. “First, of all, you didn’t pay attention to the last episode”, @Veronica_mb repeated (repetition of a statement really is the best form of empirical data). “It was said there that ‘Everything was meant to be’, you obviously, cannot see the ASOIAF story from a higher perspective, I repeat, the metastory which binds every meaning altogether.” (I was schooled. She brought up some good points. I’m not sure what they were, but, I’m not that smart. First, I don’t even know what “metastory” means. In addition, I don’t remember her mentioning it before. Perhaps, she has this debate with a lot of people. Third, I went to public school, and was taught the difference between “all together” and “altogether”. Yet, clearly, my information is out of date, because she used it interchangeably).

So, I went back and watched the episode @Veronica_mb was referring to. To my dismay, she was correct. “Someone” did say “everything was meant to be”. But once again, I’m not that smart and I had to question her vast intellect further. “@Veronica_mb, Jaqen has said ‘Not all things seen will come to pass’, furthermore, there are over a dozen religions in the world of GOT, so why would we believe what one character says over another in determining the existence of a higher power in their world? Statement after statement has been made about the ‘future’ in ASOFAI, and most of them did not come true. Viserys said he would be king. That didn’t happen. Rob Stark said he would be king. That didn’t happen. Melisandre and Stannis Baratheon both said he would be king. That didn’t happen. Seriously, A LOT said, NEVER happens.” After this, @Veronica_mb called me a “Poopy pants” and said “I do not have time to explain it to you, since you are obviously not smart enough to understand.” I responded by informing her “I’m not very smart, but I still want to know why you think everything is predetermined. If a random character says “everything happens for a reason”, why on earth should we believe them? We have several different religions that are represented in Game of Thrones. Just like in real life, who is to say, which religion is correct?” By now, she was extremely tired of my idiocy and she insulted me again for not paying any attention, then she informed me that she had to go, probably because she had to attend to her litter of puppies.

“No one on the internet is in a conversation to remain in a conversation”
– Paul Preston, The Movie Guys

Once again, this leads us back to one of the original questions. Is Game of Thrones a depiction of medieval literature OR of the medieval world itself?

I was unsatisfied with the evidence presented by the @Veronica_mb, who I seriously hope is NOT a child (dear God, I hope not! WHY ARE GRADE SCHOOLERS WATCHING GAME OF THRONES?!?! What kind of parenting is going on in that household?! Or are they reading the books? Once again, I ask what kind of parent lets their grade schooler read ASOFAI? I’m all for encouraging reading, but I think a bio on Zayn Malik @Veronica_mb is more her speed).

Upon further investigation, I found an online forum which questioned this very subject. They debunked the idea of predetermination pretty quickly based on Melisandre’s leech trick. One might argue that her prophecy was dead on three times, proving that the Fire God is real, but according to warghardbyjonnysnow:

“From a purely logistical view point, the motions for all three king’s deaths were set before the leeches were thrown into the fire. Littlefinger’s machinations, with Sansa’s purple amethyst hairnet, with the Tyrells were set before, Euron must have contacted the Faceless Men before he set sail for the Iron Islands, and the Red Wedding must have been set in motion shortly after Robb’s marriage to Jeyne. Going by this timeline, Robb’s was the shortest interval before death, while Balon’s was likely the longest. As far as predictions go, Joffery’s was the earliest, being predicted by Maggy while Cersie was still a child. Balon and Joffery both get one prediction of their deaths, while the Red Wedding is foreseen by the Ghost of High Heart, Patchface, and Dany. So from a prediction and logistical standpoint all three deaths were happening whether those leeches hit the fire or not.” 8

However, what if all three of those deaths would have been avoided without the three leech trick? Thus, debating, it was Melissandre’s magic that made the deaths come about. All one has to point to is the death of Stannis’ daughter. She was burned at the stake so he could win the coming battle. Well, Stannis did not win. Furthermore, warghardbyjonnysnow echoes sentiments from my deliberation to @Veronica_mb.

“Now, many views on future events come with the warning that some futures seen will never come to pass. If there are futures that don’t happen that means that the choices made by the characters do matter, so free will > predetermination.”

To put a finer point on it, one could argue, and many have, ASOFAI is reflective of Greek and Roman literature on mythology. Characters were free to make choices, but it was pre-determined that they would face those specific choices. The gods would interfere with said milestones, engineering certain events to happen and how the characters responded to those events was entirely by their own inclination. To be fair to @Veronica_”poopy_pants”_mb, she has probably not read Greek or Roman literature, because I don’t think she gets out much (her social skills are lacking) (I do find it ever so funny that we as humans come to believe our own position in the world based on our own tiny little environment. @Veronica_”You_weren’t_paying_attention”_mb spoke with such authority and pomposity, that I am sure she thinks she is smarter than everyone around her. That doesn’t say much for the people around her by the way. Yet, not understanding or recognizing that the rest of the world consists of much more than the people in in her immediate environment, it is inconceivable to @Veronica_”product_of_her_own_micromind”_mb that she may be speaking with an educated person, or at least a person educated beyond whatever grade she dropped out of). But, even by the strictest of Roman and Greek mythological interpretations, man still had free will to choose how to react in that situation. Hence, once again, free will prevails.

By drawing the conclusion that a lack of destiny or predetermination is the defining element separating representations of life over representations of literature, we can conclude George R.R. Martin’s narrative is a representation of life. However, it takes place within a fantasy world set in a period similar to the middle ages, but with superior technology and fantastical magic as key elements shaping its reality. Can we concretely conclude an irrevocable ending? No. Just as life is a series of events, seemingly random, yet affected from of the millions of elements large and subatomic, one cannot determine what will occur. That is if George R.R. Martin continues his narrative as a representation of life. However, if the remainder of the narrative skews, then perhaps foreshadowing will raise its head and let us know what we are in for. Until then, we can only hope for the best for our most beloved characters, hope Bill will overcome his ocular challenges, and hope @Veronica_mb may one day get an education beyond middle school.

Justin Bowler
@IndyFilmTwittic on IG
@JustinTBowler on Twitter

Bibliography
1. Group. “Author’s Craft.” – Narrative Elements. Author’s Craft, 2010. Web. 05 Aug. 2016. .
2. Breen, Benjamin. “Why ‘Game of Thrones’ Isn’t Medieval – and Why That Matters.” PSMag.com. Pacific Standard Magazine, 12 June 2014. Web. 05 Aug. 2016.
3. Butter_milk. “(Spoilers All) Freewill vs Predetermination in Asoiaf • /r/asoiaf.” Reddit.com. Reddit, 1 Aug. 2013. Web. 07 Aug. 2016.
4. Yglesias, Matthew. “Westeros’ Uneven Level of Technological Progress.” Web log post. Http://www.slate.com/. Slate, 23 Aug. 2012. Web. 1 Aug. 2016. .
5. Prochaska, Bernadette. Existence, Historical Fabulation, Destiny. Vol. 99. Dordrecht, Netherlands: Springer Verlag, 2009. Print. Analecta Husserliana.
6. Khan, Faria Saeed. “IOSR Journal of Humanities and Social Science.” International Journal of Humanities and Social Science 4.4 (2014): n. pag. Web. 1 July 2016. <http://www.ijhssnet.com/journals/Vol_4_No_4_Special_Issue_February_2014/7.pdf>.
7. Ms. Knowitall. (@Veronica_mb). May 27. Instagram.
8. Warghardbyjonnysnow. “(Spoilers All) Freewill vs Predetermination in Asoiaf • /r/asoiaf.” Reddit. Reddit, 28 July 2013. Web. 05 Aug. 2016. <https://www.reddit.com/r/asoiaf/comments/1j8owi/spoilers_all_freewill_vs_predetermination_in/>.