From Chronicle to Fairy Tale: On the Transformation of the Story of the Harrenhal Tourney in George R.R. Martin’s "A Song of Ice and Fire"
From Chronicle to Fairy Tale: On the Transformation of the Story of the Harrenhal Tourney in George R.R. Martin’s "A Song of Ice and Fire"

Author(s): Bartłomiej Błaszkiewicz
Subject(s): Language studies, Theoretical Linguistics, Applied Linguistics, Studies of Literature, German Literature, Theory of Literature
Published by: Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego
Keywords: Martin; fantasy; fairy tale; romance; narration
Summary/Abstract: This paper is concerned with the role and significance of the fairy-tale narrative in the feudal heroic society depicted in George R.R. Martin’s heroic fantasy saga – "A Song of Ice and Fire". Specifically, the analysis traces the process of the evolution of the historical account concerning the momentous events which take place during the fabled tournament at Harrenhal in 281 AC and which determine the subsequent history of Martin’s fantasy world. The paper compares the historical narrative included in the chronicle The World of Ice and Fire, which reappears in the form of scattered personal reminiscences of various eyewitness characters who recall the events throughout the saga, to Meera Reed’s fairy-tale version of the story told to Bran Stark during their strenuous journey north. The aim of the argument is to illustrate the process by which the transformation of historical events into a fairy tale is presented in Martin’s fantasy narrative and to define the social context of this literary evolution.

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