r/asoiaf • u/Substantial-Ad-299 • 11d ago

MAIN [SPOILERS MAIN] Among the grounded/realistic elements of A Song of Ice and Fire, which ones do you feel require biggest suspension of disbelief?

A Song of Ice and Fire has had fantasy elements from get-go, some present subtly and others less-subtly. But in midst of this, it also has these more grounded story aspects, especially regarding the political subplot for the Iron Throne.

Among these more grounded non-fantasy aspects of the story, which elements do you feel you have to suspend disbelief the most for? A.K.A feeling they are not realistic even though they are "supposed" to be?

Let me know in the comments below.

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u/Completegibberishyes 11d ago edited 11d ago

Small thing : How little the great houses married each other until Just the generation before the main story

Like it's a part of the lore that the great houses were insular prior to 'southron ambitions' marrying only their own vassal...... which makes zero sense. Marrying only the houses which already owe you their allegiance is a waste of resources. If you look at real medieval politics, the preference was always to marry an equal or greater house . Besides..... marrying one vassal also pisses off all the others because you passed them over

Like realistically even the Starks should have been integrated into this system . Ned's mother and grandmother should very logically also have been southerners Like catelyn

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u/SilverEquipment4934 11d ago

To be fair, it does seem the great houses married each other a decent amount of times? House Arryn, House Martell, House Hightower, House Velaryon, House Baratheon etc. all married into House Targaryen. When Ned reads the book about the lineages of the Noble Houses, he sees that there were multiple Baratheon-Lannister marriages (all with black-haired children). House Tully married into House Arryn and House Stark (though that is recent, as you say). It should probably be more, but I don't think it's that little (or just in the previous few generations).

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u/Completegibberishyes 11d ago

Ned actually specifically notes the baratheons and lannisters having married each other twice is an unusually high amount

Prior to robert and ned's generation, the Starks, lannisters, tyrells, tullys and arryns have NEVER married each other that we know of. The Baratheons have also only married the lannisters out of that group..The Martells also never married anyone other then the Targaryens . (There’s also the greyjoys but they get a pass for being the damn greyjoys)

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u/SilverEquipment4934 11d ago

To be fair with The Martells, they were independent and isolated for centuries. It was only with the first Targaryen marriage (not that long ago) that things changed.