The Origins of Conflict in Game of Thrones

For those who are familiar with Game of Thrones or its book series, it would appear that war, strife and conflict is the default setting for those unfortunate enough to live in Westeros. In fact, if you said it was part of their DNA, you might not be far off.

The past, and specifically one's personal and family history, is a constant preoccupation for the characters of Game of Thrones. Every person of note is preceded by their father's or grandfather's name and reputation, and immediately judged upon it. A single act earns a nickname or curse which remains for the individual's whole life, regardless of what happens for the rest of it. The people of Westeros have long memories. This creates a suffocating bubble of retrospective guilt, inescapable prejudice and mistakes handed down through the generations. This is exacerbated in the series by the lack of flashbacks - everyone is obsessed with the past, but we may never experience it in the present, so never achieve closure or a sense of what really happened. Subsequently, the many traumatic and hideous actions experienced by the characters constantly remain to haunt them, creating tensions and fear in the present.

These feelings of difference and alienation also stem from a far more ancient source; the evolutionary ancestors of the families. Though only mentioned occasionally within the series, there are distinct ancestral peoples from which the current inhabitants of Westeros are descended.

Families from the North of Westeros, such as the Starks, as well as wildlings, speak of themselves as having the blood of the First Men - the original human inhabitants of Westeros. Many Northerners and wildlings still retain the ancient traditions and religions of these people, and pride themselves thus on having a stronger connection to their roots and past. The Lannisters are known as descendants of the Andals, a race more advanced and Aryan-looking than the First Men, who they largely defeated. The Andals are credited with bringing medieval chivalry, iron tools and the present language to Westeros, and remain the dominant racial type on the continent. The third and final root civilisation are the Rhoynar, a small group of people from the south of Westeros, who give the Martells of Dorne their unique culture and typically more Mediterranean appearance. Finally the Targaryens, descended from the magical Valyrian people and the survivors of the mysterious Doom of Valyria. It is this ancestry which gives the Targaryens their unique appearance and ability to control magic and dragons.

It is in this way that, despite years of interbreeding, the people of Westeros still feel clear, deep boundaries between each other. Their ancestries, both familial and genetic, though hardly relevant, create inescapable cultural and religious differences which stand at the root of many of the conflicts within the story. Thus it would seem that rivalry and war is inevitable in Westeros, as long as the characters continue to live in the past and hold onto old grudges.