A Song of Ice and Fire
Religion in Westeros
Bibliography
The topic of this webpage assignment is George R. R. Martin's series A Song of Ice and Fire. I will be exploring the 3 major religions in the series: The Faith of the Seven, the 'Drowned God', and the 'Lord of Light'/R'hllor. I will be examing the real world religions and mythology that they are based on, and arguing that Martin included such detail and history of religion in his work as a sort of religious criticism. The religions in the series are intended to explain how the characters view magic in their world, a criticism on how religion is only used to fill the gaps in our understand of our world.
Łaszkiewicz, Weronika. "Finding God(s) in Fantasylands: Religious Ideas in Fantasy Literature." Crossroads: A Journal of English Studies 1/2013 (2013). Crossroads. Web. 5 Oct. 2015. <http://www.crossroads.uwb.edu.pl/finding-gods-in-fantasylands/>.
Although not written specifically about Martin's work, this article helps to understand how writers add elements of religious criticism and symbolism to their works.
Hardy, M. (2015). GAME OF TROPES: THE ORIENTALIST TRADITION IN THE WO RKS OF G.R.R. MARTIN. International Journal of Arts & Sciences, 08(1944-6934), 417-418. Retrieved from <http://www.universitypublications.net/ijas/0801/pdf/U4K318.pdf>
Gives insight into the geographic parallels in ASOIAF. Helps to explain what groups in the series are meant to represent, by comparing their geographic locations to the real world. Provides much stronger support to the real world parallels by adding another dimension other than belief similarities.
Byassee, Jason. "On TV." The Christian Century 129.15 (2012): 42-43. Web. 5 Oct. 2015
Byassee takes a different approach, arguing that the characters, although belonging to specific belief systems, are actually 'godless'. Interesting to see the Christian view of the religions in the series.
Dhalla, Maneckji Nusservanji. History of Zoroastrianism. Oxford University Press, 1938.
A complete history of Zoroastrianism. Very helpful to understand the origins of the religion, as well as how it spread over time and developed. Illustrates how the spread of Zoroatstrianism mirrors the spread of the religion of The Red God of ASOIAF.
Skjærvø, Prods Oktor. Introduction to Zoroastrianism. Vol. 102. Harvard University Press, 2005.
Great overview of the religion, with particularily detailed explanations of the belief structure. Explains the dualistic belief system and stories found in Zoroastrianism, which is helpful to identify which aspects of the novel's religion are taken from the real world.
Cambell, Joseph. The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Princeton, NJ. Princeton UP, 1968.
Campbell examines the archtypical Hero's Journey, arguing that the goal of physical existence is to connect with the spiritual world. He uses parallels between the typical journey of the protagonist in fantasy and religious mythology, which will be helpful when examing character's religious motivations in ASOIAF.
R. R. Martin, George. A Game of Thrones. New York: Bantam, 1996. Print.
Book one of the Song of Ice and Fire series which my web page is based upon.
R. R. Martin, George. A Clash of Kings. New York: Bantam, 1999. Print.
Book two of the series on which the web page is based.
R. R. Martin, George. A Dance with Dragons. New York: Bantam, 2011. Print.
Book five of the series.
Krule, Miriam. "The Religions on Game of Thrones Help Explain the Show. Here’s How." Web. 6 Oct. 2015.
A brief overview of the religions of Westeros, featuring an interview with author George R. R. Martin. Will help to gain insight into the original intentions of the author.
"ASOIAF Religions vs Real World Religions." YouTube. YouTube. Web. 6 Oct. 2015.
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSnYYXzDKzk>
An in depth analysis of the religions of Westeros as well as their real life parallels (excluding the Drowned God).
"The Religion of Ice and Fire." ASOIAF University:. Web. 6 Oct. 2015.
<http://asoiafuniversity.tumblr.com/post/18575597885/the-religion-of-ice-and-fire>
Overview of the 3 major religions, with particular focus on the Catholic structure of the Faith of the Seven.
"The Faith of the Seven in Medieval Christianity: Systems and Symbolism." Tower of the Hawk. 6 Apr. 2015. Web. 6 Oct. 2015.
<https://hawkstower.wordpress.com/2015/04/06/faithofthesevenchristianity/>
This blog post explores how the Faith of the Seven is structured after Catholocism, featuring useful biblical quotes and historical references and their parallels to ASOIAF.
"Zoroastrianism." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Web. 6 Oct. 2015.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoroastrianism>
Wikipedia page about Zoroastrianism. Gives a simplified overview of the religion's history and belief structures.
"Mind Unclouded." Gods of Westeros: A Metaphysical Analysis of Game of Thrones. Web. 6 Oct. 2015.
<http://mindunclouded.blogspot.ca/2014/06/gods-of-westeros-metaphysical-analysis.html>
Examines religions of ASOIAF, but more importantly, how the apocalyptic themes of the series tie into religious beliefs about the end times. Also touches on magic in the series, and how it may or may not be actually related to religion.
"The Drowned God (Norse Mythology)." Life of Ice and Fire. 6 Oct. 2014. Web. 6 Oct. 2015. <https://lifeoficeandfire1.wordpress.com/religions-of-game-of-thrones/the-drowned-god/>
A look at the Ironborn religion of the Drowned God and it's parallels to Norse mythology. Identifies many similarities between Norse and Ironborn legend, including symbolism.