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Hey @letters-to-theo!

I wanted to write a little about Jaime and Cersei and fairytale tropes/Arthurian for a while, so you've now given me the opportunity!

I think to begin with, GRRM intended ASOIAF partly as a play on Arthurian legend, particularly the story of Lancelot and Guinevere. In the legend, Guinevere is the wife of King Arthur, but engages in an affair with Lancelot, one of her husband's knights. In different versions of the story, different things happens to Guinevere and Lancelot, but in most versions they run away to a castle called "Joyous Gard" to be together (which translates into English as *drum roll*... Tower of Joy), and the fall out from their affair leads to a civil war and the downfall of the kingdom. In some versions, Guinevere is saved from execution for infidelity by Lancelot, and in others she returns to Arthur and he forgives her, but in all she is blamed for Camelot's fall due to her infidelity starting a chain of discord that led to the war. Lancelot's story is generally more streamlined: he fails to find the Holy Grail given his personal flaws that are exemplified by his relationship with Guinever, spends some time in exile away from Camelot, has a relationship with a woman called Elaine of Corbenic (who is in unrequited love with him) and has a son called Galahad with her, then after the fall of Camelot retires to a hermitage to atone for his sins and pin for Guinevere.

As you can probably tell, there are several characters in ASOIAF that take on aspects of Lancelot/Guinevere. Most obviously, Rhaegar and Lyanna fleeing to the "Tower of Joy" to conduct an illicit affair together screams Lancelot/Guinevere, with Robert playing Arthur. Robert then got to play Arthur *again* during his marriage to Cersei, as his wife was having an affair with one of his knights - Jaime - unbeknownst to him. Of course, Jaime and Cersei's affair leads to a huge civil war that leads to the ruin of the kingdom. Interestingly, in some versions of the Arthurian legends, Arthur unknowingly sleeps with his sister, Morgan le Fay, and the product of their incest - their son, Mordred - opposes his father in the upcoming civil war. Of course, this all screams Robert/Cersei/Jaime and Joffrey. Yet this is not the only version of Lancelot/Guinevere in ASOIAF. Cersei has an affair with her cousin, Lancel (get it?), and after their relationship ends he withdraws into religious life to atone for his sins. We therefore have different aspects of the Arthurian stories in all these characters.

Yet that is not where it stops. As you probably noticed, Lancelot's son with Elaine of Corbenic was called Galahad. Galahad becomes the Perfect Knight, whose virtue allows him to find the Holy Grail and do everything his father never could due to his own flaws. It is therefore not a coincidence that Brienne models herself after Galladon of Morne, and that the theme of legacy runs deep through Jaime's chapters. Is Brienne Jaime's Galahad? Or is she going to be the mother of his Galahad? That question can only be answered by future books.

And I've finally narrowed in on what bugs me the most about that comment. it misses the most fundamental thing about The Lord of the Rings and Aragorn specifically.

Aragorn is The One True King. He is THE perfect monarch for Gondor and the Numenorean line. He will fix things ("The hands of the king are the hands of the healer"), he will reconnect not just the living but the dead and right old oaths that have been wronged.

Aragorn is the classical example of the king. Not an absolutist monarch, but someone who is meant to be good and do good for all in the kingdom.

"I never set out to write a treatise on medieval governance or the practical burdens of kingship. My work is a mythology an exploration of moral truth, not political mechanics. Aragorn is not meant to be a bureaucrat but an archetype: the just king of legend, much like Arthur. Myth is concerned with the heart of a ruler, not the tax policies of his court.

The question of governance in the modern sense belongs to another kind of story one that I entirely respect, but did not seek to write. Real history is indeed complicated, but myth speaks to deeper, older truths. Power in my world is already perilous; no one may wield it without cost. Even the wise refuse the Ring, for good intentions alone are never sufficient. In that sense, my work hardly denies the burden of rule it only treats it in a different language.

As for the orcs: they are not a people I delight in destroying. Their existence is a tragedy, a corruption of something that was once good. No just king would slaughter the innocent, for even in the darkest creatures there remains a spark of the original creation. Mercy is not weakness; it is the highest form of strength.

You ask questions proper to politics. I ask questions proper to myth. Both have their place, but they need not answer each other in the same terms."

The linked post is the Twitter user's conjecture about how Tolkien would have answered Martin's comments were he alive today, which is why it so specifically addresses all those points.

speedpaint:

Lady Dyanna Dayne

Hi hi!

Morgan's reputation can differ, as I've already mentioned in my post about the Renown and Mercy stats. So that is, in part, up to you!

However, the court has diverse opinions on everyone, so there's no telling how a random background noble might perceive her and her love affairs. It depends on whether your Morgan is a pious woman or openly irreverent, whether or not she adheres to gender roles, and also whom she chooses for her lover.

Passion and affection in general is often seen at court and accepted, as long as it's within the bounds of reason. Nobody is going to stop Arthur's foster parents from vigorously making out at his wedding, but they're sure going to give them a berth.

There are some fixtures of course. Morgan could never publicly act too romantic with Guen. The reason for that should be obvious.

Zari or jari is a form of embroidery from South Asia made using an even thread traditionally made of fine gold or silver. This thread is woven into fabrics, primarily silk, to make intricate patterns and elaborate designs of embroidery. During the Vedic ages, the gold embroidery was associated with the grandeur and regal attire of gods, kings, and literary figures. Zari was popularised during the Mughal era; the port of Surat was linked to the Meccan pilgrimage route which served as a major factor for re-introducing this ancient craft in India.

Real zari was originally made from fine silver or gold thread is drawn from silver or gold alloys. These days, cheap and durable alternatives are used. This non-genuine modern zari is light in weight & more durable than earlier editions. Also, it has the sought after properties of resistance to tarnishing and knotting.

Surat in the state of Gujarat on the west coast of India is the world's largest producer of all types of zari embroidery. The art of zari making has been inherited from father to son for many centuries, and are often passed down in utmost secrecy.

Marble inlay work from the interior of the Jain Shwetamber Temple of Shri Chintamani Parshavnath in Agra, India.