R+L=J

George R.R. Martin is, perhaps, the most celebrated American author within the Fantasy genre. While his writings encompass far more than his magnum opus, A Song of Ice and Fire, this as yet unfinished saga of masterful storytelling has captivated the imagination of the Millennial Generation with fervor unmatched by any works of Fantasy save the crowning achievements of the early masters, J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. Impressive nomenclature isn’t the only thing that Martin shares with both the great Tolkien and Lewis. All share an uncanny ability to build a world of mystery, intrigue and enchantment that captures our imagination. While Tolkien is without a doubt the patron saint of Fantasy, Martin stands poised to join the regrettably limited collection of fantasy works within the literary canon. Indeed, as a connoisseur of Fantasy novels myself, I reluctantly admit that most Fantasy works have no place within proper literature. They serve as a wonderful diversion, an escape, but they lack the heady issues, lurid prose, and wonderful verbosity of the great masters. This is not to denigrate the works of R.A. Salvatore or Margaret Weiss and Tracy Hickman, but their novels, however wonderful, however enjoyable, lack the sort of literary panache and critical cache to become a true member of classic literary canon. However, credit must be given where credit is due, and it is a certainty that without the wondrous diversion of shared world fantasy stories, many readers, me included, would never have discovered the genius of Martin. One of the things about shared world fiction is that, due to the collaboration of many different authors, is that it generally possesses a much more detailed and vibrant back story than works by single authors. This is, indeed the defining characteristic of a Tolkien, or a Martin. The Legendarium of Tolkien, largely contained in the epic Silmarillion, if fleshed out, could fill upwards of twenty novels. Likewise, the background of A Song of Ice and Fire, as discussed in interviews with Martin, as well as coming through in works of the main series, rivals the details and majesty, and in many cases even exceeds that of the main work itself. This is a monumental achievement by any writer, and it explains the exhaustive editing and writing processes of both writers. One of the biggest criticisms of Martin is that he takes so long to produce a book. The reason for this, in my not so humble opinion, is that he is an artist, not an architect. He doesn’t plot out the pieces methodically and formulate every event before returning and fleshing it out. Rather, he prefers his stories to grow organically and follows the threads of the characters as he weaves them into one magnificent tapestry. Because this writing process is so exhaustive, Martin primarily includes elements from the back story that tend to have some form of importance for the story later on. While it is true that some of the background details exist simply for the purpose of increasing the depth of the story, many others have critical importance for the overall narrative. Indeed, this brings us to the purpose of this article, essay, or what have you. The inclusion of the details about the root cause of one of the most critical elements of the background of A Song of Ice and Fire, Robert’s Rebellion, and particularly, the “abduction” of Lyanna Stark by the crown prince Rhaegar Targaryen exist not to justify the rebellion to the reader, but serve as subtle hints to the true protagonist of the story and his heritage. The ensemble nature of the work, as well as the first novel, A Game of Thrones inclusion of decoy protagonist Ned Stark makes the identification of a true protagonist difficult. The most obvious candidate for the protagonist would be the daughter of the deposed king, the Mother of Dragons, Danaerys Targaryen. On the surface, she fits all of the criteria for the heroine of an epic tale. She’s a princess in a foreign land, trying to find a way to win back her kingdom. She commands a group of outcasts and misfits and ex slaves in the process of becoming a formidable army. Rather than moving on, leaving the destruction of cities in her wake, she has attempted to learn how to rule a hostile city, one that she has deprived of its very livelihood, of the slave trade. Her “children” a trio of dragons, are both the sigil of her deposed House and the last three dragons in existence. Danaerys seems placed in prime position to win the day in Westeros, that is, if she ever gets there. All this sounds wonderful, if somewhat formulaic. Therein lies the rub of wonderful Fantasy writing in the post Tolkien era. Tolkein was able to work without the notions of his tropes being tired clichés. He invented the genre, nearly singlehandedly. Even so, the end of the Lord of the Rings still featured a subversion of the traditional heroic narrative, in which Frodo was unable to complete his mission, and it was only through the consequences of his pity toward the creature Gollum that the Ring was destroyed at all. One of the best things about great writing is unpredictability. Twists and turns both delight and dismay readers, as our expectations are thwarted, or fulfilled in unexpected ways. So, then, what if the true hero of the Song of Ice and Fire is not the magical, almost fey princess of House Targaryen? What if, on the contrary, the true protagonist was hidden in plain sight throughout the entirety of the saga? There exists, both within the text of the novels, as well as the subtext of the books as well, ample evidence that the true hero of the story is a bastard boy. This boy is a member of a storied and ancient Order of protectors. An order which exists to guard the realms of men against the encroachment of the evil Others, dark fey in the mold of the old Fair Folk whom Martin describes as “Sidhe made of ice.” However, this once noble institution now serves as a sort of last frontier, a place where those condemned by decent society can flee to escape execution. The order of the Night’s Watch, which once served in honor, now serves as a dumping ground for the dregs of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros. This is where Ned Stark’s bastard, Jon Snow, finds himself as the novels progress. A casual reading of the novels makes no doubt that Jon is indeed Ned’s son, however, the mystery surrounding the identity of his mother is a question that many readers have pondered and researched, leading them to comb back through the memories and thoughts of Ned Stark to find evidence of her identity. Some readers, myself included, upon this close reading of the text, have come to the conclusion that in reality, Jon Snow is not Ned Stark’s son at all. In fact, ample evidence exists that he is in fact the son of the crown prince Rhaegar Targaryen, Danaerys’ older brother, and Lyanna Stark, Ned’s sister. If such is the case, then Jon is the son of the eldest child of the previous king, and therefore, if legitimate, holds a better claim to the throne than even Danaerys Targaryen herself. Jon’s Stark (Ice) and Targaryen (Fire) lineage makes him the true protagonist and hero of the story, as well as the subject of the titular Song of Ice and Fire.