George R. R. Martin’s Entire ‘Game of Thrones’ Lore Was Inspired By One Random Thought That Helped the Author Build His Fictional World
Countless people couldn’t get enough of the tale about noble families fighting, strange creatures, and a big disaster about to happen. And it all takes place in just a single world created by George R. R. Martin, with really detailed history and maps.
No doubt, in the world of fantasy stories, few stories are as detailed as Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series, which inspired the popular HBO show Game of Thrones. But guess what?
This whole amazing story of Westeros started from just one simple idea – Winterfell. It’s a name that brings to mind old castles, strong winds, and a mighty family – the Starks. This important place in the North has been around for ages!
One Random Thought that Helped George R. R. Martin to Create the Game of Thrones World
In an interview with CBS, George R. R. Martin, famous for his careful world-building, talked about how one moment of inspiration started the entire A Song of Ice and Fire series. He said:
I knew right from the beginning, I mean, that first sentence. They find the dire wolf pups in the summer snows. I knew they were the summer snows. So this was a place where it snowed even in summer.
This small detail created an interesting puzzle: a place [Winterfell] where seasons didn’t follow normal rules. “So what could result in that?” Martin wondered.
This question made his imagination soar. “What kind of world would have that? Where do these people live? What is the rest of the kingdom like?” With each question, the world of Westeros started to form in his mind. This is how the 75-year-old came up with the idea for the Game of Thrones story.
George R. R. Martin’s Creative Process While Writing Game of Thrones
George R. R. Martin explained that while he was writing, he decided to mention more of the old kings. Then the Bayonne native thought it would be a good idea to keep track of all these kings so he wouldn’t make mistakes. That’s why the author made a list of The Targaryen Kings and when each one ruled. Later, he felt he needed to visualize where everything was happening, so he drew a map. Check out his quote below:
Someone makes a reference to some king who’s been dead 100 years and I threw a few of those in then I said, I better write a list of all these kings, or I am going to start contradicting myself. So I wrote a list of The Targaryen Kings and the names of their reigns. At some point I said, I better have a map. So, I sat down, and I drew a map. All while I was still writing the story.
Fans of the epic fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire will have to keep waiting for the next installment. Martin is still working on the sixth book, titled The Winds of Winter, and there’s no word yet on when it will be finished.
Watch Game of Thrones on HBO!
