Today\u2019s post is an interview with Anthony Le Donne on his new book,\u00a0Gods of Thrones: A Pilgrim\u2019s Guide to the Religions of Ice and\u00a0Fire.<\/a><\/em>\u00a0Le Donne (PhD, Durham) is Associate Professor of New Testament at United Theological Seminary. He is also the author\/editor of seven books including\u00a0Historical Jesus: What Can We Know and How Can We Know It?<\/a> \u00a0<\/p>\n Anthony, my readers are no-nonsense people. Can you provide them with a no-nonsense description of your latest book?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Yes.<\/p>\n Feel free to do so now.<\/strong><\/p>\n Gods of Thrones <\/em>is for fans of George R. R. Martin\u2019s fantasy, Game of Thrones <\/em>and its HBO adaptation. It explains the fictional gods, religions, and cultures by comparing them to the real-world worship of the ancient near east, medieval superstitions, and popular mythology. My co-author and I include basic descriptions of the tree spirits and fire gods of Martin\u2019s world. But we also include sections on real-world henotheism, suzerain-vassal treaties, human sacrifice, etc.<\/p>\n There was a little bit of nonsense in there. But we\u2019ll give you a passing grade.<\/strong><\/p>\n Thanks. I always try to season my academic interests with a little bit of nonsense. Helps the medicine go down.<\/p>\n So this is an academic book?<\/strong><\/p>\n Yes. At its most basic, it\u2019s a work of comparative religion. It\u2019s definitely a pop-culture entry point and we don\u2019t take ourselves too seriously. But we think that understanding, for example, why blood had divine currency in the ancient world will help explain some of the religious rituals in the show. We also do character studies. For example, we introduce Durkheim\u2019s theory of religion by comparing Ned Stark and Tywin Lannister. And we see how Jaime measures up against Nietzsche\u2019s \u00dcbermensch morality.<\/p>\n So understanding the history and philosophy of religion will help people appreciate what\u2019s going on in the show?<\/strong><\/p>\n Exactly. My favorite example is Tyrion. Game of Thrones<\/em> is a fantasy that likes to play with fantasy tropes. With Tyrion, we\u2019re getting Martin\u2019s take on the old greedy and self-interested dwarf. This is a trope that you\u2019ll find in Norse mythology. But it\u2019s echoed in Tolkien, Lewis, and (most recently) Marvel\u2019s Infinity War<\/em>. But Tyrion is a subversion of the trope. He\u2019s not a \u201cdwarf\u201d in the fantasy sense. Tyrion is dealing with a unique disability in a world that thinks that disability is proof of divine punishment. In academic speak, we\u2019re basically talking about physiognomy.<\/p>\n I think Tyrion is almost everyone\u2019s favorite character. Say more about physiognomy. Are you saying that Tyrion\u2019s disability makes him a pariah?<\/strong><\/p>\n Right. Many people in the medieval and ancient worlds would have assumed that physical abnormality told you something about a person\u2019s character. Martin based Tyrion (loosely) on Richard III. Richard\u2014according to Tudor propaganda\u2014was deformed and this revealed his deep-seated immorality. He gets accused of plotting the murder of two children of noble birth. To the medieval mind, physical abnormality didn\u2019t make you a murderer, but it made you suspicious. You would have been seen as someone inclined to commit evil. This is exactly what happens to Tyrion. Almost everyone assumes that Tyrion is rotten to the core. So this becomes Tyrion\u2019s reality. He eventually starts to lean into his reputation.<\/p>\n This is obviously relevant to the question asked of Jesus in John 9, \u201cWho sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?\u201d The assumption here is that being blind was divine punishment in some way.<\/strong><\/p>\n Perfect example. In ancient physiognomy, the eyes weren\u2019t just windows to the soul, they projected the virtue (or lack thereof) of the soul. So if a guy was born blind, it probably told you something about how the gods have judged him or his parents. In the books, Tyrion isn\u2019t blind but he has mismatched eyes: one is green and one is black. From a physiognomic perspective, this would be proof that Tyrion is capable of dirty deeds, done dirt cheap. George Martin once said in an interview that Tyrion\u2019s physicality is proof that he is \u201chated by the gods.\u201d This is a very ancient form of prejudice and Martin captures it tragically.<\/p>\n Tyrion isn\u2019t all that religious. So where does he fit in a book about the religions of Westeros?<\/strong><\/p>\n Because there are so many religions in Martin\u2019s world, this is a two-volume project. In volume one, we have a chapter titled \u201cThe Faithless and the Hound.\u201d Lots of Tyrion in that chapter. In volume two, we have a chapter on the dragon cult. This is mostly about Dany and her Targaryen lineage. But we include Tyrion in that chapter too because he seems primed to convert to Dany\u2019s cult-of-personality.<\/p>\n What is the break down of topics between volumes 1 and 2?<\/strong><\/p>\n Volume 1 covers the animism of the North, the relationship between religion and patriarchy, the religion of the \u201cLord of Light,\u201d the Faith of the Seven, demigods, messiahs, and skeptics. Volume 2 covers the Night\u2019s Watch, Arya\u2019s conversion to death worship, the dragon cult, the Drowned God, Dothraki religion, etc. We also do a bit of postcolonial and feminist critique just for fun.<\/p>\n![\"God](\"https:\/\/thebiblefornormalpeople.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/God-of-Thrones-203x300.jpg\")
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