Posts Tagged ‘Jon Snow’

An Arthurian Song of Ice and Fire

Posted: November 23, 2019 by patricksponaugle in Game of Thrones
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The final season of Game of Thrones has come and gone, closing the chapter on the conflict between Starks, Lannisters, and Targaryens with battles, betrayals, and the unexpected choice of a boy-king to rule over (most) of the kingdoms of Westeros. The conclusion of the story was tied in with the tragic fall of Daenerys Targaryen, who ambitiously considered herself The Last Dragon and had long sought to reclaim the seat of power that had been literally forged by her ancestors.

There’s solid analysis talking about Daenerys as a tragic hero in the Shakespearean mold. I’ll be happy to recommend articles from ShakespeareOfThrones discussing the Shakespearean ending to the series, as well as /r/asoiaf subreddit moderator glass_table_girl and her epic opus on Daenerys which predicted a literary-inspired tragic fall. But I’m not here to talk about Shakespeare. Instead, I’d like to talk about Daenerys and her association with the other prominent Targaryen in the story, Jon Snow, from an Arthurian perspective.

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Winterfell: Coming Together to Fight the Night King. Or Each Other.

Posted: April 18, 2019 by patricksponaugle in Game of Thrones, Opinion, TV
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Season Eight of Game of Thrones has finally started, and now our watch begins. The fine folks at the Watchers on the Wall are agreeably continuing to publish features written by yours truly, and my latest essay is on the site, talking about the events of the first episode of this final season.

The Night King is on his way, and it looks like our favorite Starks, Targaryens, and Lannisters might be too busy squabbling to resist him. And that’s okay.

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Where’s Ghost? Defending Dead Direwolves Part 4.5

Posted: September 19, 2018 by patricksponaugle in Game of Thrones, Opinion, TV
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This post is part of a continuing series on the direwolves in Game of Thrones. I’ll also be discussing the books so if you’re not up on either versions, this is your spoiler warning.

I’ve been discussing the various fates of the direwolves, and had planned on writing a single post about pairs of direwolves (so, six direwolves would be covered in three posts) with an intro post and a wrap-up post making for five posts total. This worked well with the dead pair of direwolves (Lady and Greywind) and the dead-on-the-show direwolves (Shaggydog and Summer) but when I started writing about the still-living Nymeria and Ghost in the last post, I wrote so much about Nymeria I had to split my discussion of that pair into two posts.

So this is the second part of a fourth entry in a five-post series. And it will be all about Ghost. Or rather, mostly about Ghost. (I reserve the right to refer back to other wolves.)

But there will be no more math, I promise.

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Jon Snow and Theon Greyjoy: the Reunion

Posted: August 9, 2017 by patricksponaugle in Game of Thrones, Opinion, TV
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Look you guys, I got REALLY excited when Theon Greyjoy and Jon Snow were face-to-face, something that hadn’t happened since the very first season of Game of Thrones. (It’s possible the only scenes they’d shared were in episode 1?)

I got so excited, that even though I wasn’t really planning on keeping up with my usual blogging schedule, I wrote something up about their reunion for the Watchers on the Wall website.

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Sansa Stark: Playing the Game Her Way

Posted: August 6, 2017 by patricksponaugle in Game of Thrones, Opinion, TV
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Up on the Watchers on the Wall site is a new post from me, talking about Sansa Stark.

I’m occasionally a vocal member of the Sansa Stark Defense Squad, since she tends to be viewed in the most negative light possible at times. My latest post is along those lines.

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Game of Thrones: Magic of Ice and Fire

Posted: June 27, 2017 by patricksponaugle in Game of Thrones, Opinion, TV
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This post will be talking about magic, but not really Harry Potter magic. I’ll be addressing some supernatural underpinnings in HBO’s Game of Thrones. If you’re not up on the show, I wanted to state up front that I’ll definitely be discussing plot points.

The blogger would make an awful maegi. One is supposed to make vague statements  and trick the reader into stumbling onto curses and naked spoilers.

No one disputes that there is magic on display in Game of Thrones.

Daenerys Targaryen was given a brief lecture about magic and dragons by the Warlocks of Qarth, while in their House of the Undying.

When your dragons were born, our magic was born again. It is strongest in their presence, and they are strongest in yours.

This post will be about magic and specifically how Daenerys represents a magic that had gone away from the world, and which is now returning in force. I’ll also discuss that there’s a magic that never went away, a passive but persistent kind of magic. As a counterpoint to Daenerys, there’s a character who is the central focus for that type of supernatural element. (Narratively or symbolically speaking. Yes, it’s going to be one of those posts.)

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Game of Thrones: You Win Or You Die. Unless You Die And Still You Win.

Posted: June 6, 2017 by patricksponaugle in Game of Thrones, TV
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This post will be talking about Game of Thrones. If you’ve not heard about it, it’s this pretty cool show based on an amazing (and sadly, unfinished) book series.

When you play the Game of Thrones, you win or you die. There is no middle ground.
But if we dead things kill you, then you’re on our team and when we win, you win.
So, when you play the Game of Thrones, it’s Win-Win! #TeamUndead

In the very first episode of Game of Thrones, a party of rangers from the Night’s Watch fall prey to the Others, the legendary White Walkers who figuratively dwell in myth and literally dwell in some frozen land far north of the Wall.

This set the stage for a conflict that has been slowly developing over the seasons, promising a large battle between humanity and an army of the dead.

I’m not here to talk about that.

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Second Looks at Jon Snow: Ned Stark 2.0

Posted: May 9, 2017 by patricksponaugle in Game of Thrones, TV
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On the off chance that the names Jon Snow or Ned Stark are unfamiliar to you, go watch Game of Thrones or read the book series A Song of Ice and Fire. Otherwise this post will be spoiling the story.

Ned: Thanks to the North’s chilly climate, things don’t spoil too quickly up here.
Jon: Well actually, Lady Catelyn just makes me eat all of the spoiled food.
Ned: There’s that. Wait, did you just “well actually” me?
Jon: Uh, no?

When Game of Thrones first aired in 2011 on HBO, one could not escape promotional material featuring Lord Eddard “Ned” Stark, played by ruggedly handsome Sean Bean.

Typically our man Ned was shown seated and pensive upon the Iron Throne, the symbol of power in the fictional Seven Kingdoms.

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Northern Politics: the Stark Candidates

Posted: May 2, 2017 by patricksponaugle in Game of Thrones, Opinion, TV
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Whoa, it’s the month of May, and there’s still no new Game of Thrones? Fine. (Pronounce that the way my teenage daughter might…)

So hopefully you’ll enjoy a short essay on the politics of the kingdom of the North, an area usually associated with the rule of House Stark. (Spoilers within if you’re not watching the show/reading the books. But you already know that.)

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Politics? I hear you cry out. Don’t we have enough of that going on in the real world? Yup. We do. But I’m still going to write about Westeros and politics. (My family gets less worried about me when I’m talking about kings and not presidents.)

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Viserys the Tragically Impatient

Posted: April 18, 2017 by patricksponaugle in Game of Thrones, Opinion, TV
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This post will be talking about Game of Thrones. In particular, I’ll be discussing king-in-exile Viserys Targaryen. This has been your spoiler warning.

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Spoiler warnings? Spoiler warnings are for babies! When I am seated upon my throne, there will be no “warnings”

There’s precious little that can be said positively in regards to Viserys Targaryen.

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