To the non-obsessive layperson, the Grateful Dead are not exactly an obvious source of inspiration for George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire book series, which HBO adapted for TV as Game of Thrones. For a Deadhead, appreciating the art of the Grateful Dead is usually a relaxed experience, filled with pleasant vibes, the sounds of Jerry Garcia’s improvised guitar solos, and perhaps the occasional acid-induced hallucination. But for a fan of A Song of Ice and Fire, the experience of enjoying Martin’s epic fantasy story involves gruesome violence, foreboding omens, and the occasional incestuous relationship. Watch an episode of Game of Thrones: it’ll probably be dark, tense, and funny (if there’s a scene featuring Tyrion or Bronn). Watch a Grateful Dead concert and it’ll be either blissful or boring (depending on your taste in music).
So how exactly did the world’s most famous jam band influence Martin’s epic? For one thing, there are some dark connotations to many Grateful Dead lyrics, despite the often jovial attitude of the band and its followers. Jerry Garcia loved horror films, and his lyricist Robert Hunter often wrote mysterious allusions to the Bible and American folklore. The Dead also have a fair amount of fantastical imagery in their lyrics, such as a prophet’s vision of a “fire wheel burning in the air,” or a narrator ringing “a silent bell beneath a shower of pearls in the eagle-winged palace,” or the apocalyptic doom of “Morning Dew” (a song the Dead frequently played but didn’t write).
Martin has publicly acknowledged his love of the Grateful Dead, as well as their influence on his work. In an interview with Salon’s Laura Miller at the 92nd Street Y in New York City, Martin said he was “certainly a fan of the Grateful Dead. I’ve attended Grateful Dead concerts and my wife Parris is perhaps even more of a fan of the Grateful Dead.” Martin also said he often had Dead lyrics “rattling around in my head. ‘Ripple’ is one of my favorite songs of all time.”
Fans have scoured the Grateful Dead’s history and lyrics looking for connections to ASOIAF. Some of those connections seem quite obvious, others are a bit speculative, and a few are just flat-out ridiculous. But no matter which theories you believe, it can’t be denied that references to a singular, six-piece psychedelic rock band from San Francisco are scattered throughout Martin’s work. Here’s a comprehensive breakdown of those references:
Dire Wolf / Direwolf
Direwolves are the sigil of House Stark and play a prominent role in ASOIAF. “Dire Wolf” also happens to be a Grateful Dead song, released on 1970’s “Workingman’s Dead” (which is usually considered to be the Dead’s best or second-best studio album). Some of the lyrics certainly call ASOIAF to mind, such as the reference to a winter “so hard and cold” when deadly direwolves are “running round.”
Weirwood / Bobby Weir
Weirwood is a type of red-leafed tree found throughout Westeros. A heart tree is a weirwood with a face carved into it. ASOIAF characters often contemplate their fates in front of heart trees, ruminating on death and prophecies.
These trees appear to take their name from Bob Weir, one of the founding members of the Grateful Dead. Although Weir doesn’t seem to have any particular connection with trees, he does generally enjoy the outdoors.
Darkstar / Dark Star
Gerold Dayne, also known as Darkstar, is a knight with dark purple eyes described as handsome but dangerous. At one point, he is Arianna Martell’s paramour. We meet him in A Feast for Crows, the fourth book in the series.
“Dark Star” is also a song by the Grateful Dead filled with mysterious and mystical imagery, such as “dark star crashes, pouring its light into ashes.” Both Darkstar (the character) and “Dark Star” (the song) are weird and awesome. Also,
Mountains of the Moon
The Mountains of the Moon is an intense and dangerous mountain range located in the Vale. “Mountains of the Moon” is also a song by the Grateful Dead.
Steal Your Face
This one is a bit more speculative. In the Grateful Dead song “He’s Gone,” Garcia sings that he’s going to “steal your face right off your head.” (“Steal Your Face” is also the name of a live album released by the Dead in 1976).
It’s possible that this lyric inspired Martin’s depiction of the Faceless Men, assassins who quite literally take the faces of the deceased and then wear them as disguises.
Uncle John’s Band
One of the Grateful Dead’s most famous songs may have inspired some ideas in ASOIAF. The song "Uncle John's Band" contains a reference to “fire from the ice,” and it mentions a crow that can somehow either speak or otherwise communicate with the narrator. That crow could be the inspiration for the three-eyed crow that appears in Bran’s dreams.
Or it could just be a coincidence, but where's the fun in that?
Terrapin Station and the Terrapin Theory
Martin reportedly refers to his home in New Mexico as Terrapin Station, which is also the name of a Grateful Dead song. There’s also a Reddit theory that claims the lyrics of the song can be linked to ASOIAF, almost line for line.
While it’s tempting to find connections, it’s also true that lyricist Robert Hunter’s work is often vague and non-literal, filled with mysterious images and poetic language.
The Armageddon Rag
The Armageddon Rag isn’t related to ASOIAF, but it is the title of a 1983 novel written by Martin that, according to him, contains “a lot of Grateful Dead references.” Martin even told Miller that he was, at one point, hoping to make a film adaptation of the book and shoot concert scenes at real Dead shows. Sadly, those plans never came to fruition.
The story is about a legendary rock band called Nazgûl (a reference, of course, to The Lord of the Rings) and the mysterious murder of its lead singer. Clearly, rock and roll music has influenced Martin's work, so we're inclined to see purpose even when it could be dismissed as coincidence.
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