In my last entry, I brought up a few things. I found these things familiar yet dynamically different between Elden Ring and A Song of Ice and Fire/Game of Thrones. I also talked about how experiencing Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree before Game of Thrones. This would give me a very different experience. This is different from the reverse experienced by many. Not all GOT enjoyers are FromSoftware enjoyers.
At the very core of A Song of Ice and Fire/Game of Thrones, there is a central conflict. It’s the conflict between the Forest Children and the First Men. In attempting to win, the Forest Children (according to Game Of Thrones) used Dragonglass on a human. This turned the human into the first White Walker, i.e., the Night King. What they didn’t expect was the Night King not being their puppet and instrument. Instead, he became an agent of chaos plaguing both Men and Forest Children alike. He almost wiped out the latter in the process. The First Men managed to survive, thrive and multiply.
Firstly, I want to address the Night King’s creation, which Game of Thrones presented. I found a parallel between the Forest Children using a foreign ancient object on a human. They turned that man into their puppet against the First Men. This resulted in the creation of the Night King. Unbeknownst to them, the Night King, being a now living 3rd party in the equation, chose chaos. He wiped out most of the Forest Children while also being the thorn of the side of humanity.
This reminded me of the Night of the Black Knives. It was an event where Black Knife Assassins, hired by Lunar Princess Ranni. They stole a fragment of the Rune of Death from Gurranq/Malekith. They did this in order to slay Ranni’s flesh…at the expense of her half-brother Godwyn the Golden’s soul. When Godwyn the Golden’s soul was slain, his body was physically alive. As a result, he was no longer Godwyn the Golden. He is now Godwyn the Prince of Death. As the Prince of Death, the Black Knife Assassins unleashed a new problem for all life upon the Lands Between. They also unleashed a problem on the Land of Shadow. This problem is called Those Who Live In Death. They are like living zombies walking the earth. They haunt and bring ruin to anything they touch. The presence of their power is made visible by Deathroot, Tibia Mariners, Deathrite Birds and other creatures. In Elden Ring, they’re allergic to Holy magic as it permanently eliminates them. The only problem I have with the game’s lore is related to TWLID. The problem is that the Rune of Death is unsealed. This happens when you defeat Malekith at Farum Azula. Thus, the concept of Death itself is now widespread again. By this logic, TWLID should be granted a true death. The Mending Rune of the Death-Prince would end the persecution of TWLID. It would be used on Fractured Marika’s body at the end of the game. In having a closed wheel hallow brand, TWLID would be granted a true death.
This is a flaw I found in its execution. It does not respect the very lore George RR Martin co-wrote in Elden Ring. Game of Thrones executed it well. Arya used a dagger imbued with Dragonglass to bring about the true death of who once was the Night King. As a result, she granted true death to all the White Walkers.
Lastly, I wanted to bring about the element of Chaos. In Elden Ring, the Two Fingers were always divining the message of their Mother of Fingers, Metyr. Metyr, in turn, was relaying the message of her father, The Greater Will. The Two Fingers represented order in The Lands Between. The Three Fingers? They represented madness and chaos. In the lore of A Song of Ice & Fire/Game of Thrones, Chaos was essentially introduced. This happened with the creation of the Night King. As I discussed earlier, he was intended as the Forest Children’s trump card against the First Men. This only ended up creating a chaotic 3rd element. It was to the detriment of both parties. Additionally, the Weirwood Trees throughout Westeros contain the history and mysteries of all the land. Through the Three Eyed Raven/Crow, these trees offer a means to even manipulate the past in part. This can alter the present and potential futures. In House of the Dragon Season 2, Daemon goes through his journey of conflict. He struggles between his ambitions, regrets, and worries. This journey brings him full circle towards understanding his role in the story. He doesn’t joke when he says that the place would make one bark at the moon. Wherever there’s a Weirwood Tree, a sense of chaotic madness in the mind of any unsuspecting person is inevitable. The conclusion of Game Of Thrones showed us this. The Three Eyed Raven is like the Three Fingers and its Frenzied Flame. It isn’t just an entity that possesses those whom it deems worthy. It also works to throw monkey wrenches in the plans of the unsuspecting.
In turn, The Three Eyed Raven, originating from the Weirwood Trees, works on the behalf of the Forest Children. With Bran Stark as King of the 7 Kingdoms, he is essentially now the puppet of the Forest Children. The Night King couldn’t become this puppet. The Forest Children found their Messiah. He is seated and lord over the descendants of The First Men. In turn, the war between The Forest Children and the First Men came to an end.
In Elden Ring, Hyetta would tell us the story of the One Great. She explained how, “All that there is came from the One Great. Then came fractures and births and souls. But the Greater Will made a mistake. Torment, despair, affliction. Every sin, every curse. Every one, born of the mistake and so, what was borrowed must be returned. Melt it all away, with the yellow chaos flame until all is One again.” This would only be accomplished if your Tarnished character decided to be embraced by the Three Fingers. Your character must do this to be Lord of the Frenzied Flame. This would then lead to burning everything down. We learn in Shadow of the Erdtree why Melina beseeches us to not embrace the Three Fingers. We find out that the Yellow Chaos Flame doesn’t just destroy bodies. It also destroys souls. Torrent, our trusted spectral steed, flees. He refuses to aid your travel through the Abyssal Woods when trying to reach Midra’s Manse.
Bran Stark no longer has agency over himself as the Three Eyed Raven. In the same way, such is the Tarnished when they become Lord of Frenzied Flame. They’re not in control, the Outer God of Frenzied Flame is. The former is covert chaos while the latter is overt chaos. Why would Bran stir the pot by revealing Jon’s secret? He knew who would leak it. This set into motion the descent of chaos that we witnessed in Season 8 of Game of Thrones. This would then benefit the 3 Eyed Raven. It created chaos as a means to clear the path for them to rule. Thus, it put the Forest Children in charge by proxy.
This also brings into full circle a central theme that seemed to encompass Martin’s book series. The theme is the environment. Humanity tends to be not only nature’s worst enemy but its own as well. If nature were sentient like the Forest Children, would it do what they did against the First Men? Would it wage war on us? Tolkien’s message in The Hobbit/Lord of the Rings was about the power of love and kindness. They will find a way to drive out evil. Love and kindness will prevent evil from ruling the land. Martin’s message asks if love and kindness would be enough. Martin asks if love and kindness would be enough to drive out evil. Would authoritative power need to be its sword and shield? Could having authoritative power coupled with love and kindness work or would it lead to corruption and potential ruin?
The subject of love and compassion will be discussed in the next entry. I will present the conversation regarding Daenerys Stormborn, Marika, and Miquella the Kind. I promise you, this voyage won’t be 1,000 years. But it will be very detailed. The parallels are something I couldn’t ignore. It’s a conversation worthy of having.
