lucifermeanslightbringer

The central hypothesis of the mythical astronomy theory is that many of the ancient legends of Westeros and the rest of the “Planetos” are actually telling us about a world-shaping global cataclysm – the Long Night, of course – through the use of symbolism and metaphor. This is actually consistent with real-world mythology, which is quite often based on observation of the heavens and the cycles and characteristics of nature. But it’s not just the ancient legends of A Song of Ice and Fire that tell the story of the Long Night and the War for the Dawn – George has cleverly paralleled the ancient myths with all of the most important and vivid scenes in the main story. Jon and Daenerys may perform deeds which parallel those of Azor Ahai and Nissa Nissa, but that’s only the beginning – Robert and Renly Baratheon are modern versions of Garth the Green, and more than a few characters show parallels to the Night’s King and Queen, just to name a few examples. The bread and butter of the Mythical Astronomy podcast is comparing the various legends and myths to the characters in the main story and their symbolism, and by doing so, we can discover many exciting scenes which contain metaphorical references to the Long Night events. As you’ll quickly see, I do not think George chooses his descriptive language haphazardly, but rather with the utmost intention. The reoccurring turns of phrase that we find throughout the books create a tapestry of symbolism which is remarkably consistent, and I would suggest, meaningful. For me, it all started coming together when I noticed that the moon cracks in both the Azor Ahai story and the Qarthine “origin of dragons” story…

For a more thorough discussion of George’s use of symbol, metaphor, and esoterism in ASOIAF, click the ‘methodology’ tab above. If you’d like to hear about the evolution of this project, click the ‘about’ tab. Otherwise, just dive on in to the first essay, or you can listen to the podcast version wherever podcasts are found, or you can watch on YouTube (the YouTube versions are embedded at thte top of the page of each essay). To be notified when a new essay and podcast are released, please follow the blog here on WordPress or subscribe to Mythical Astronomy of Ice and Fire on iTunes. The podcast RSS feed can be found here.

NEW! King Bran 3: The God-on-Earth

Why should Bran Stark be King of Westeros? It’s going to make more sense in the books, my friends, because Bran’s greenseer magic will be much more important in the books – not only to defeat the others, but also use the knowledge of the weirwood to pull a “Bran-the-REbuilder” act for a Westeros in dire need. Above all, Bran should be king because he is the Prometheus of this story – the one who brings the fire of the gods to mankind, and specifically to aid mankind.

End of Ice and Fire 4: The Battle of Winterfell

HBO’s Game of Thrones is over, but the big question remains – how will George finish the story? The End of Ice and Fire series will be ripping into this topic, one plot element at a time, and we will compare how the TV show ended various plot-lines to the foreshadowing George has already laid out in the books. One thing is for sure – a big battle against the Others at Winterfell is coming – but what should we expect from George’s version?