Game of Thrones as Myth: The Series so Far
Game of Thrones has built its own beautiful mythology, but it’s also steeped in traditional myth. Over the last couple years, I’ve explored how Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey and classic archetypes apply to characters and situations from the series, exploring things like the mythic underpinnings of the White Walkers and the traditional way to kill a dragon.
There’s more of that on the way, but before it comes, we thought it would be a good idea to assemble all the articles from this series in one place in case anyone wanted to catch up. At the very least, this little omnibus offers some Game of Thrones-related for use between now and when season 8 finally arrives. Let’s take a look.
THE HERO’S JOURNEY (Seasons 1-5)
1) Jon Snow and The Hero’s Journey
As the bastard who becomes a leader of men, Jon Snow is the closest thing to a traditional hero in George R. R. Martin’s story. Jon’s journey is easily tracked using mythologist Joseph Campbell’s paradigm, available here.
2) Daenerys Targaryen and The Hero’s Journey
Campbell’s paradigm also fits well with Daenerys. Read about the Queen of Dragons here.
3) Tyrion Lannister and the (Anti) Hero’s Journey
As a disowned son and drunken (but highly intelligent) gadabout who finds causes to believe in, Tyrion’s progress pairs nicely with Campbell’s Heroic model, although it’s a bit on the darker side of it. Investigate the trials and tribulations of Tyrion here.
4) Bran Stark and the Hero’s Journey
There’s no more unlikely hero than Bran Stark: handicapped as a boy, he escaped into hunted exile after the near-total destruction of his noble family. But Bran was special, and the Three-eyed Raven had other ideas concerning his destiny. The Hero’s Journey traditionally fits with more warrior types — see how Bran makes his own way through it.
5) Hero’s Journey Update: Season 6
As Season 6 ended, I updated the Hero’s Journey for each of the four previously established Game of Thrones characters: Jon Snow, Daenerys Targaryen, Tyrion Lannister and Bran Stark. See how their season 6 progressions match Joseph Campbell’s paradigm.
6) Arya Stark and the Hero’s Journey (Seasons 1-6)
Can Arya Stark’s strange and violent adventure be matched to the ancient stages of the heroes journey? Is she more than just a dark assassin? Find out.
7) Samwell Tarly and the Hero’s Journey (Seasons 1-6)
And the meek shall inherit the Earth, right? Sam may start out as a weak and cowardly sidekick to Jon Snow, but he finds his way on the Hero’s Journey. Check out Sam’s journey here.
THE ARCHETYPES
8) Alliser Thorne as the Threshold Guardian
Ser Alliser Thorne is one heck of a Threshold Guardian, the first that Jon Snow encounters on his Hero’s Journey. Thorne is literally standing at the gateway to the far north: the Wall. Ser Alliser immediately throws obstacles in Jon’s way, vanishes, reappears, and continues to test him, finally confronting the Hero with the ultimate obstacle: death. Read about Alliser’s mythical role here.
9) Melisandre as the Dark Herald
The Herald’s main purpose is to warn and challenge the Hero (in this case Jon Snow) and launch him upon his journey of passage and transformation. Like most Game of Thrones characters, Melisandre is complicated in terms of her archetypal function and personal motivations. Investigate the measure of her warnings and challenges here.
10) Osha as the Protector
If any single person is responsible for Bran Stark surviving long enough to make it to the cave of the Three-eyed Raven, it’s Osha. Like so many of Martin’s wonderfully layered characters, the wildling spearwife is a mix of archetypes, including the Warrior, Shapeshifter, Herald, and Mother, but here I’ll argue that the Protector is her dominant archetypal function.
11) Jon Snow as the Archetypal Hero
Yes, we’ve already seen that Jon Snow’s journey matches Joseph Campbell’s paradigm, but does Jon himself match the ancient archetype of the hero? The word ‘hero’ is derived from the Greek word hērōs, which means something along the lines of ‘warrior’ and ‘defender.’ A hero is someone who is ready to sacrifice to protect the greater good. Does that sound like somebody we know?
12) Daenerys Targaryen as the Archetypal Hero
Like Jon Snow, it’s fascinating to see how Daenerys Targaryen’s experience matches up with both Campbell’s Hero’s Journey and the traditional hero archetype itself. Check out her unique background story right here.
13) Qyburn as the Shadow
Qyburn is a disgraced Maester who quickly forms an alliance with Cersei Lannister. Qyburn performs a number of archetypal functions, such as Mentor and Mad Scientist, but his primary role is that of the Shadow, or the energy of the dark side. Let’s dig in to the roots of this mysterious and sinister character!
14) Ser Davos as the Sage
Ser Davos Seaworth is an experienced man who fills a number of archetypal roles. He is heavily representative of the Mentor and Protector archetypes, but his main purpose is to offer his wisdom to a leader he believes in. That makes him primarily a Sage, as I argue here.
Photo Credit: HBO
15) Ser Jorah as the Dishonored Knight
The Dishonored Knight is a type of Fallen Hero, one who has made a terrible mistake but who seeks to earn forgiveness. Jorah Mormont expresses a number of archetypal functions such as the Wanderer, Warrior, Lover and Protector, but his quest for redemption clearly marks him as the archetypal Dishonored Knight.
16) Jaqen H’ghar as the Shapeshifter
Shapeshifters are an ancient archetype, appearing in the earliest totemism and shamanism. It can be argued that Jaqen’s primary role is that of Mentor or Threshold Guardian for Arya, but it’s more fun to explore his function as the Shapeshifter.
17) The Hound as the Dark Warrior
Sandor Celegane (the Hound) is one of George R. R. Martin’s most fascinating creations, a traumatized beast who’s committed heinous acts but who nonetheless follows a kind of moral code. Because his character is complex, the Hound has, at different points throughout his journey, expressed traits from a number of different archetypes, including the Threshold Guardian, Protector and Destroyer. At his core, I argue he is primarily the Dark Warrior archetype.
THE GAME OF THRONES MYTHOLOGY GRAB BAG
18) The Mythological Roots of the White Walkers
Hoo-boy, this is a fun one! In George R.R. Martin’s story, the first White Walker is created by the Children of the Forest. But really, the creatures are a combination of Martin’s vivid imagination mixed with elements borrowed from traditional folklore/mythology and its archetypes. Let’s take a look.
19) Dragonslaying in Game of Thrones and Myth
First, we take a look at the dragonslaying methods available to the characters on the show. Then, we take a tour through world mythology and discuss various tactics employed against dragons and their kin, such as Wyverns, Sea Serpents, Sirrush, Basilisks, Cockatrices and Qilin. So, how do you kill a dragon?
20) The Power of Seven in Game of Thrones
The number seven is big on Game of Thrones. We have seven kingdoms, the Faith of the Seven religion, and seven members of the Kingsgaurd. In the first season of the series, the Stark family numbers seven (not counting Jon Snow, of course). Let’s discuss the magical world of seven here.
21) Dire Wolves: Real and GRRM-Imagined
The direwolves on Game of Thrones are familiar to us: they are popular creatures in fantasy fiction. But unlike many of their mythical counterparts (dragons, giants, undead legions) dire wolves were once very real. Let’s head over to the famous La Brea Tar Pits and discuss.
22) Researchers Discover a Real-Life Brienne of Tarth
An ancient Viking grave gives up its secret: the remains of a tall (for her time) female warrior with a striking range equal to most of the men around her, a female who was also an accomplished fighter and military leader. Find the story of the Viking version of Brienne here.
23) Is the Hound the Prince that was Promised (Tinfoil Theory)?
The Hound is undergoing one of the most dramatic metamorphoses of any character on Game of Thrones, which is saying something. He’s gone from being a nihilistic man to having a sense of higher purpose. Metaphorically, he has been born of flames and agony, died and been resurrected, and now sees redemption through transformation. Now that the Hound is awakened, the Lord of Light speaks to him like He speaks to no one else. This feels like a good path for the Prince that was Promised to take, doesn’t it?
24) Ranking the 15 Greatest Swordsmen on Game of Thrones
Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who is the greatest swordsman of them all? Everybody has their favorites, but here is my ranking on who best swung the steel (or equivalent weapon) in their prime.
25) Melisandre compared to Arthurian Legend’s Morgan Le Fay
Morgan Le Fay is a great enchantress of Arthurian legend with the complex and ever-evolving characteristics typical of mythological figures, and it is easy to see parallels between Morgan and Melisandre’s character in Game of Thrones, as I discuss here.
26) The Meek Shall Inherit Westeros
Almost as a rule, Game of Thrones celebrates reversals of fortune. If you think back to season 1, you’ll realize that almost all of the original power players are long dead and gone. And who rose in their place? A bastard, an exiled princess, a dishonored dwarf, a chubby maester-in-training and many more. Find out how the powerless made their way into the great game here.
That’s it! There will be more Game of Thrones as Myth articles to come (including the season 7 Hero’s Journey update) during the long wait for season 8.
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