This is the finale to this blog series. It’s been fun to write about the parallels and themes found between Elden Ring and Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice & Fire. It was even more fun looking at Game of Thrones through an Elden Ring lens. It helped me see some similarities and reference points. It also showed how things that might’ve been deemed contentious about Seasons 6-8 of Game of Thrones be, in retrospect, less problematic. It was fascinating to discuss similarities between Godwyn the Death-Prince and the Night King; the parallels of Godwyn’s Those Who Live In Death and Night King’s Others. I enjoyed exploring the similarities of the Three Eyed Raven and the Three Fingers of Frenzied Flame. Analyzing them within the context of Chaos was very interesting. The Daenerys and Jon Snow entries regarding theme/character parallels were entries that I take pride in. They took me down one heck of a rabbit hole. Elden Ring changed my perspective on what I witnessed in my first viewing of Game of Thrones. Who knows how much more when I get around to fully reading A Song of Ice & Fire.
With that out of the way, welcome to the unexpected main event. Arya Stark, if we recall, is the youngest daughter of Ned Stark. Ned’s execution caused chaos. Then Joffrey ascended as king and sought to rid of the Stark family, except for Sansa. Arya lucked out from his clutches. Eventually, Arya met Jaqen H’ghar. He was part of the Faceless Men. They serve the Many-faced God, whom we’d identify as Death. The show only had Jaqen as the sole Faceless Man around her. He was alongside another he trained. The books indicate that there were other Faceless Men. They not only never showed their true faces but were stealthy. One would even argue their steps were silent. Many of us like to see full stories elaborated; actions demonstrated make sense of some events. Sometimes it’s when an action is off-screen that gives it more weight.
The case in point would be in the episode of The Long Night. This is when the battle against the Night King happened. Arya had a custom dagger handed to her by her brother Bran the 3 Eyed Raven for the right moment. We’re clearly given that she’d be a key figure in the operation. I enjoyed her portion of the episode for her level of stealth. She was very stealthy when trying to slip past all those White Walkers. To not have your breath or footsteps heard is sheer ninja skill of the highest level. Jaqen trained her. Others in the books also trained her. Disguise alone wouldn’t be what dictates a Faceless Man’s skill. Stealth is equally important. It’s implied that Arya was able to get past all of those White Walkers by wearing the face of a White Walker. This allowed her to deal the decisive blow to the Night King. Had her training been fruitless, that scene would’ve had little meaning.
In retrospect, it made me think of Elden Ring’s Black Knife Assassins. In the game, the assassins are faceless. They move swiftly with silent levels of stealth. Unless you’re using a Sentry Torch, good luck trying to catch them. They are in stealth mode in the Ordina Gaol puzzle. In one location, the assassin is utterly invisible. Given all the assets that make reference to the world and characters George R.R. Martin built, its no coincidence that the Black Knife Assassins are a reference to the Faceless Men of Braavos. As for the extent of impact the Faceless Men have had in the world of Westeros, I don’t know. I need to research and read the Martin books. As for the Black Knife Assassins, their impact on The Lands Between were devastating. Their soul slaying of Godwyn brought forth Those Who Live In Death alongside the Death Prince. This is similar to how the Forest Children gave us the Night King and his Others.
Arya’s training as a Faceless became instrumental in one of the turning points in the story of Game of Thrones. Her stealth and skill led to her decisive and victorious death blow. While viewers were only left theorizing how she pulled it off, the show did what FromSoft game enjoyers know best. It’s the story that’s told off-screen that adds the weight to what’s happening on-screen. Like many that watched the show, I wished that we had seen Arya do what’s reasonably the approach she took to get the job done. Thankfully, those dark and silent moments helped tell the story of how she managed to make it through.
Dark Souls, Bloodborne, or even Elden Ring all show that FromSoftware has been a company focused on environmental storytelling. In these games, things happen in the background. The gamer must investigate and piece together events to understand what’s going on. This approach helps tell the story the game’s world is trying to convey. George R.R. Martin, with his books, likes to explicitly tell as much of the story to you up front. Up until Seasons 7 & 8, Game of Thrones followed Martin’s style, even with simplified alterations for TV. Surprisingly, what seemed like a storytelling burn many experienced with Seasons 7 & 8…is what would be business as usual in the world of FromSoftware Games. I’m not sure if that was Benioff & Weiss’ intent. It sure looks a lot like something out of FromSoftware’s playbook. Interestingly enough, thanks to Hidetaka Miyazaki co-writing with Martin, Elden Ring found itself in a similar fashion. Thus, Martin likely found himself understanding what many GOT fans didn’t understand. This is something many Dark Souls fans do understand. You have lots of rich lore, environmental storytelling and history, waiting to be unearthed. You won’t have all the answers. There will be story arcs left to nothing but speculation. Lore elements are left for the player to theorize and piece together.
Even at the end of Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, nothing is fully tied up in a neat bow. The gamer does not have all the answers. You experienced so much and with many answers you had even more questions. Game of Thrones is having historical lore answered through House of the Dragon. The upcoming A Knight Of Seven Kingdoms and even Aegon’s Conquest will also provide answers. One thing is certain. Like Elden Ring, for every 3 answers we’ll be given, there will likely be 4-6 new questions.
I appreciate everyone who has taken the time to read this blog series Game of Thrones: Through the Eyes of Elden Ring. This was a fun passion project of mine. It felt good to blog again and I assure you it won’t be the last. I did also want to add that the blog series’ title was also inspired by one of Coheed & Cambria’s album titles called Good Apollo, I’m Dying Vol. IV: Fear through the Eyes of Madness. Until next time, stay tuned over at my Youtube channel Ron322 and keep your eyes open for future FireFrei content!
