George RR Martin on Magic in Game of Thrones

A song of ice and fire/game of thrones author George R. R. Martin Interview

[@dylandlp19]

"You just have to keep reading" We want to George! We really want to!

[@nolangerrans6083]

A man can dream

[@kiloperson5680]

@@nolangerrans6083 of spring

[@diogovieira5563]

I came from 2040 to tell you he didnt finish

[@kingmidas430]

@@diogovieira5563 he at least released Winds of Winter right?….. RIGHT!?

[@psyhense]

Do you want another GOT ending? Cause that's what you would of gotten by now if he were to try and force the story out before it's ready.

[@DynomitePunch]

the other reason vampires don't cast a reflection is because silver was once believed to bre a pure material and holy, and most mirrors back in olden days where silver backed

[@eriks1765]

The Fevre Dream boat is also full of silver.

[@thedoge9590]

I'm glad someone else said this I was thinking this the whole time he was going on about vampires

[@dylanfreeland7063]

oh interesting. I would like to read Fevre Dream.

[@romulusnuma116]

@@eriks1765 Yeah it's also mentioned that the silver thing is a myth but humans believe it so it can be used to convince someone isn't a vampire

[@Toxodos]

I never heard that vampires don't reflect because they have no souls... it makes zero sense, inanimate objects have reflections

[@Siptom369]

He created one of the best worlds where magic doesn't just magically work

[@yuin3320]

Now if only the show was written that way too.

[@Sujal21]

Until season 8

[@farmerwithshotgun1293]

Sort of like when that ghost killed Renly

[@Maidaseu]

@@farmerwithshotgun1293 1 scene out of 1000. so much magic

[@ronnyhtl2985]

@@Maidaseu1 scene that impacted how many?. Its not just how much magic is used. But the effect of the magic in the world. He magically killed a super important character in terms of lineage. So yeah magic is kinda important if u can just do story-shifting things like that.

[@ssjdeadpool]

I love that he's like "Yeah, it's a wyvern, I know, I don't care"

[@christhomas7024]

I love that you blow goats for beer money.😅

[@severinbrunges-turl1301]

Saying a wyvern isn’t a dragon is like saying a lion isn’t a cat

[@rodriguezjavier6726]

Literally every one don't give a crap if the "dragon" is actually a wyvern

[@ssjdeadpool]

@@severinbrunges-turl1301 squares and rectangles

[@ssjdeadpool]

@@rodriguezjavier6726 lol you'd be surprised

[@hindsightpov4218]

“Deadline”. The ultimate taboo word for GRRM.

[@spinakker14]

When I heard the siren I thought at first that this channel put it there as a sound effect

[@Palafico3]

@@spinakker14 No, it just naturally follows George around whenever someone pressures him.

[@LuzMaria95]

HindsightPOV and honestly for me too! I understand how hard it is to be creative and finish books on a deadline!

[@mudpie6927]

As one writer once said a wizard is never late nor early he merely arrives when he means to

[@ladymercy5275]

Season 8 was finished by a deadline. Let's keep that in mind, going forward.

[@whittenaw]

I like how the magic in GOT complements the story, it doesn't completely depend on it like a crutch. Or at least that's how i see it

[@zenna4474]

I mean it's not better but it's an artistic choice to match his vision.

[@talisredstar1543]

I agree it compliments his story, and I respect it, but personally I prefer High Magic Fantasy, mainly because I'm gamer. I love magic, and i'm not a writer, but I do jam from time to time on my own a story of mine where Magic is plentiful, and for me it is great. In my world magic is everywhere, and yet still not "every where." For peasants the most magical thing they will ever see would be a Ward Stone. In my world a ward stone is placed on a grave and it wards away necromatic magic. Meaning while ward stone protects a grave that body can not be risen by a Necromancer, or dark magic user. Ward stone once placed cant be moved, but by certain mages, and to break it would take a Dark Magic User that you don't want to be near. However, as you go along with GoT, you can't help but realize that a ton of magic would bring it down.

[@TJ-fe7rr]

​@@talisredstar1543 too much magic kinda ruins it. Just my opinion

[@HOTD108_]

In the books and early show it complements the story, but in later seasons of the show it absolutely was a crutch.

[@talisredstar1543]

@@TJ-fe7rr too often the troph for high fantasy is back in the day magic was aplenty, but now its not. There is a time, place, and story for it like that. take LoTR, however, where i'm more enthralled is the silmarillion.

[@RandomShinigami7]

"I've never had a good record at meeting deadlines..." Congratulations George, you've said today's SECRET WORD!

[@shannond7437]

To quote another great commenter in this “season 8 met its deadline, keep that in mind.”

[@jamesdooling4139]

I've been watching too many GRRM videos lately. He's been lingering in my dreams quite early in the morning. Last night he played the role of a shopkeep. The day before, my father. Last week he owned a car wash.

[@jamesdooling4139]

I have a huge scheme for planning the next hundred years' worth of GRRM influence. A plot. A ploy. A gimmick or prank or political undermining, if you will. It needs to happen soon. If you're interested, George, please find me. Your wealth could easily sustain this experiment. Genetic science is a marvelous thing.

[@AJ_Evo]

I'm so glad I found this comment

[@sabrinakrisb4672]

Me too lol

[@first3numbers]

Breaking Bad???

[@KingBowserVlog]

I dreamed yesterday that I WAS GRRM writing and that I died at the end. No joke

[@Hernameispamela]

You can’t help but laugh with the end!

[@playermartin286]

Pamela Bezerra or cry

[@Hernameispamela]

playermartin286 true!

[@Golgari213]

They caught him admitting he isn't good at deadlines. "Sniper, take the shot. The window is green."

[@murdomaclachlan]

4:11 George: "There are no six-limbed things in nature" Insects: "Am I a joke to you?"

[@itwasalladream7134]

I guess he was referring to mammals

[@MrRenanHappy]

@@itwasalladream7134 tetrapods

[@murdomaclachlan]

@@itwasalladream7134 Well, he was talking about dragons, which are reptiles, so definitely not just mammals. I think he meant vertebrates in general.

[@mudrlandik]

do insect have 4 legs + 2 wings? coz that's what he was reffering to as having 6 libmbs.

[@murdomaclachlan]

@@mudrlandik Mate, it was just a joke. Insects have six legs and two wings, but unlike with birds or bats, their wings aren't limbs (this is because limbs are specifically the jointed appendages, which in vertebrates are actually modified legs/arms, but an insect's wings are extensions of the exoskeleton and have none of those joints). I was just making a joke because he worded it in a way that, even though what he *meant* was correct, made what he literally *said* incorrect.

[@LOLERXP]

His talking about Bran's chapter being the centerpiece really shows that he had Bran in mind as victor from the very beginning. To be honest, the more I think about the show's ending and how the plot points by themselves are actually really good and poetic and link up to all sorts of things, like Dany turning mad, the more I am confident that the books will show us all the potential that this finale really had without D&D.

[@malafakka8530]

That's why I could still enjoy the last season even though it was flawed and some things were downright stupid. You are not supposed to enjoy a story in that way, but most of the plot points made sense to me and had that bittersweet feeling that Martin is aiming for. It was the execution that was lacking in the show and not the ideas (well, most of them I think). Edit: as to Bran. It wouldn't be surprising if he became king because he is the first point of view character in the books and everything might come full circle if the last chapter of the series is told from his viewpoint. Also, if I am not mistaken, all or the majority of the most well-known members of the Stark family were called Brandon, like Brandon the Builder, but there was no Brandon the King.

[@brandonwhite4992]

I think this is what made me the most upset about the whole thing, so many shows have just bad endings, these endings make sense, but they were rushed and they were also diminished because of the cut of certain characters that in the books will make things much more intense.

[@alishatargaryen4532]

Oh my sweet summer children…

[@iResonate]

He said Bran MAY be the hero of the story, and that he sits on a throne, he didn't specify which throne. It was an idea he was wrestling with. He can also make Bran the hero without making Dany go mad, because Dany going mad actually contradicts her entire character in the books thus far.

[@flahoo2807]

​@@iResonate yeah I agree to just flip the switch near the end would totally ruin all of the crucial character development and the internal conflcit that Dany has. The books have also proved time and time again that she is not at all like her father.

[@toonbartholome479]

I like his unique rational fantasy

[@Alpostpone]

He keeps using that word, but it doesn't make his choices any more "rational". For instance, his explanation on vampires (haven't read the book) sounds pretty weak, randomly choosing which tropes he follows and post-fact calling his own choice "rational". From biological perspective, hexapod dragons are far more plausible or "rational" than fire-breathing ones. For one, Brandon Sanderson is much stronger at keeping his respective fantastic elements highly consistent, which you might also call "rational".

[@janprochazka9482]

@@Alpostpone He chooses ones which are more realistic. Vampires aren't taken as humans, they are drinking blood, long-aged, stronger and tougher. Sun kills them and they can't change into bats if I recall correctly. That's everything, characteristic of vampires is light, just some elements so they look like vampires. Dragons are usually described with fire breathing (which in the books resembles with Targaryens) and they are in the books from the beginning. How much enjoyable would be big lizards? I haven't read Brandon Sanderson's books yet, but I expect his dragons are more addition than those in ASoIAF.

[@Alpostpone]

@@janprochazka9482 Point being, if they already breathe fire, which is pretty damn fantastical, the amount of limbs makes relatively little difference. And why does GRRM use same vampire mythos as we do? Real life has no vampires (except actual bats), so qualities ascribed to them are arbitrary, sometimes metaphorical. But in a world where vampires exist, the mythos is likely to develop differently. They actually have live experience of vampires upon which to build their cultural perception.

[@kelman727]

Nothing unique about it: the Discworld series has been doing it for over 30 years.

[@mudpie6927]

@@Alpostpone actually we have fire breathing bugs in irl so fire breathing dragons is possible

[@august7535]

George: You just have to keep reading. The fans: READ WHAT?! YOU HAVEN'T PUBLISHED ANOTHER BOOK IN NEARLY A DECADE!!

[@RealmDesigner]

Fire and Blood was released months back.

[@august7535]

@@RealmDesigner I'm talking about the next installment in Ice and Fire lmao

[@SauvvyB]

August I mean.. it covers half of Westeros history

[@mattg2306]

Seth Wedgewood He should complete one project before moving onto another.

[@ellieadele3769]

Matt G not how he likes to write. And while I certainly don't care about everything he writes, I loved Fire and Blood. I thought it was fascinating and just a lot of fun to read.

[@AbiShoukathAliA]

"I still have a science fiction mindset" so the theory that the children of the forest are linked with each other and weirwood by hive-mind and Giants and The Others and Velarions are just mutated humans are correct

[@friedrichhayek7655]

Velarions?

[@thr0atyhawk]

@@friedrichhayek7655 Meant Valyrians, probably

[@ascalon8001]

Not necessarily, magic still exists in his world, it's just subtle and unpredictable and rare.

[@wisdommanari6701]

So Preston Jacobs was correct

[@libenhagos9335]

Valyrians are just humans what. Humans in ASOIAF just have different traits from humans in our world.

[@wariowuzo9433]

Reign of Fire did a really good job making Dragons work in a realistic and sci fi sort of way. Very underrated movie.

[@rorus9530]

I can’t remember that movie getting any marketing at all. It really went under the radar. Crazy considering Christian bale had the lead role.

[@wariowuzo9433]

Rory I think it was because it was before he became Batman.

[@brookswilliams5239]

Yeah but Matthew McCaughey was in it and he was a huge star at the time

[@branonlamphere9624]

Reality is though, modern military might trumps dragon power. While I really enjoy that movie it still had some fantasy to it. A dozen F-15’s would take out 76 dragons if fully armed with air to air missiles. Patriot batteries and Russian S series defense systems would also clear the sky of dragons.

[@kohisaaakohisaaa7095]

And what do D&D do? Destroy Night King and GoT with Arya's teleportation magic

[@Krushtykon]

kohisaaa kohisaaa I always have the image of GRRM launching his tv out the window when seeing that scene

[@prestonschwann2414]

Don't forget her Wolverine healing powers.

[@ladymercy5275]

... but it was finished 'on time!'

[@kryoboy36]

@@ladymercy5275🤣👍

[@panda4247]

I certainly like GRRM's dragons more than most of other fantasy dragons. As flying lizards, they are kind of related to pterodactyl, which also had slim body, and the upper limbs were the wings. Similarly with bats, which are flying mammals, but still, the wing design is similar.

[@paulgalligan1916]

Smaug was impressive

[@panda4247]

@@paulgalligan1916 Indeed he was. He was in the same category as GRRM's dragons. impressive yet believable design with the right amount of limbs (and fingers with claws coming out of the leading edge of the wings) and big wingspan to support the body. So yeah, I like Smaug as well But take dragons from the Eragon fanchise for instance (i just googled images of Glaedr, in some he looks like a brontosaurus with wings attached. Too many limbs, big belly. Zafira even has feathers???

[@paulgalligan1916]

@@panda4247 true true out of proportion funny looking childish things 🤣

[@shane1489]

GRRM, the creator of rational dragons. 🐉 🔥 ⚔️ 🛡 🐺 🦁

[@sorayacatfriend]

🐺🦅🐟🦁🦑🦌☀🌹🐉

[@Dave_ja_vu]

@@sorayacatfriend the bird - is that for House Mallister?

[@Dave_ja_vu]

@@sorayacatfriend or Arryn

[@ethancoster1324]

Nah man that was Tolkien.

[@the1tigglet]

Uh I wouldn't call them rational and no Gary Gygax was the first creator of rational dragons!

[@garrynewby1442]

That is what I liked about Underworld. It took the mysticism out of the vampires and lycans and approached the story in a scientific way which is what made it unique for it's time and GRRM has this same way of thinking which I like

[@nohero178]

"Now heraldically that's a wyvern not a dragon, WHICH I'M PERFECTLY AWARE OF."

[@bonbon9435]

“You have to keep reading to find out” Well give us something to read!

[@210SAi]

The interviews posted by this account are several years old. I wouldn’t be surprised if this interview was for the Dance of Dragons tour

[@eugenebebs7767]

Nice video, but could you please provide some dates? With many GRRM interviews being reuploaded, it becomes difficult to judge when interview actually happened.

[@shannond7437]

I have requested this too often and it’s clearly not happening.

[@pigeonchin]

What a witty guy. Very funny at the end

[@AesirUnlimited]

Vampires couldn’t appear in mirrors because originally mirrors had a silver layer behind the glass to achieve the mirror effect. So it was the silver that prevented them from appearing in the mirror, not that they literally can’t be seen in any reflection

[@josephmatthews7698]

#1 they wouldn't show up in any reflection in most older fiction which became part of the mythos. #2 it started because silver was believed to be the purest metal and closest to god which is why a soulless creature wouldn't appear in it as grrm said. It's also why it kills werewolves etc.

[@laughingvampire7555]

@@josephmatthews7698 the believe that silver is pure is oldest than Christianity, and is still stupid because well rocks are souless and you can still see them in mirrors, clothing etc, Ghosts themselves can be seen in mirrors. And Vampires are corpses possessed by impure spirits. Also souls are spirits and unless you have been purified by God himself your human soul is also an impure spirit.

[@bruhhh._.150]

The ending of the video had me

[@stick-itproductions.3307]

Jesus, they're dragons people. It's a fantasy creature, and any "source" you have referring to wyverns not being actual dragons, or a subspecies of dragon or whatever, depends on the context and the fictional setting they are put in. If in ASOIAF they're called dragons, THEY'RE DRAGONS. Next you're gonna say half of tolkein's dragons aren't dragons because they didn't have wings or limbs. A wyvern is a type of dragon anyway, though in ASOIAF they're two distinct creatures. One can breathe fire. The other can't. Thank you for attending my rant.

[@eveningstar7048]

Holy fuck who cares

[@ahumanbeingfromtheearth1502]

@@eveningstar7048 are you responding to him or the people he's complaining about? If you're responding to him then you do realise "who cares?" Is exactly what was saying? If you were agreeing with him then disregard this comment.

[@ahumanbeingfromtheearth1502]

@Jonathan Olson okay?

[@piggypoo]

Yes, but still, established terminology isn't unimportant. The creatures' speciational name is irrelavelant to ASOIAF. They could be called dragons, wyverns, or jyzanthepus and it would still be the same. But I feel that the fantasy universe is just so much more richer if there are such distinctions in the animal hiearchies. Leaving out intelect and magical ability, I feel that wyverns are the anatomically lesser dragons. They have combined wing-arms and only 5 limbs, A wyverns head and neck are close to the ground, a disadvantage in that a predator or warrior has easier access to its weak spots. Whereas a dragon stands on 4 limbs, its head towering over a wyvern. I imagine a head to head dragon-wyvern fight ending with the dragon's jaws clamped onto the back of the wyverns neck, not too different in how a mountain lion to take down it's target. Nomenclature is not unimportant. Thank you for reading.

[@kolbywilliams6288]

Edgar Allan Poo I think that to make Martin happy with the traditional dragon you’d have to add quite a few caveats. Maybe add hollow bones, like a bird, or perhaps dragons are more like massive chickens and can’t really fly so much as achieve some limited air time, but due to their size cover great distances. Maybe you could treat the forelegs more like arms so that they are smaller and weaker, but also lighter for flying. The real difficulty is how you deal with the square cube law. A massive dragon with 4 legs and wings, even with hollow bones, would be difficult to believe, which is what we are asking the reader to do temporarily. If we make the dragon the size of a large dog, or maybe even a car, with a lean frame and limbs, but also the wingspan of a school bus, you might have a case for a reasonably realistic dragon, albeit at the cost of a lot of style points. It would probably look more like the dragons on medieval heraldry, just with larger wings.

[@CHLOCHLOLP]

dragons could have 6 limbs in a fantasy story, you just have to make sure the other animals that evolved with them have 6 legs. I imagine dragons would probably fit into the archosaur line, so you could have 6 legs evolve somewhere after where mammals and reptiles split, or somewhere after archosaurs and dinosaurs split, if you want humans and other mammals to remain with 4 limbs. though personally I like the wyvern design too.

[@lordofbanana6869]

Fevre Dream is my all-time favorite book and hearing him mention him makes me happy every time

[@anthonyappleyard5688]

My viewpoint about the dragons is that some sort of low-level magic counteracted gravity and kept them in the air despite the laws of aerodynamics.

[@josephmatthews7698]

I always just thought it was because they had fire inside them like hot air balloons. Then add wings and such to help them take off, glide and dive.

[@laughingvampire7555]

well, if you believe in magic then that is what fairies/spirits/daimons actually do, that is what the creatures in the middle of the afterlife and earth do, they control the winds because they are the winds. So Dragons, birds etc all have this spiritual connection to the fairies of the wind and the fairies make them fly.

[@tylerwright4185]

I'm a young writer but i feel a kinship with George. His approach to his own work with rationalisation is sort of how I am. Don't know if any of my material is as good as his but it's nice to see your own qualities in the people you admire

[@overcomingsins6334]

Come on bro, there is a magical family that all can posses into wolf, another family that can hatch dragons and endure fire. Face changing ninja, necromancer, zombie apocalypse, giant, resurrection and elf This is not low magic rational story, this is more magical than harry potter

[@someguy4405]

“There are no six-limbed things in nature” *looks at insects* *LOOKS AT DRAGONFLIES* Actually, dragons that are basically giant insects would be pretty cool.

[@LouisKing995]

Some Guy He clearly meant none, exoskeletal creatures or indeed “large” creatures.

[@someguy4405]

Trajan Ssshhhhhshshhhshhhhhhshhhhh

[@justashark776]

You thought mosquitos were bad? well now they're the size of a T.rex and can breathe fire. : )

[@someguy4405]

mynameisnotdave23 If we use wasps then dragons lay eggs in you which explode out of your corpse in a blaze of blood and glory

[@Tempusverum]

Some Guy Wasps would be Xenomorph dragons

[@InconspicuousBot]

The shoulder blade (scapula) glides on the rib cage because it only articulates with the collar bone and, obviously, the arm, but it is otherwise attached to the spine and rib cage by muscles; it wouldn’t be entirely unrealistic for a vertebrate to have two sets of scapulae, as cumbersome as that may be in execution. I think that adds to they sense of wonder and fantasy for these fictional creatures. I too enjoy fantasy that’s somewhat grounded in reality, so any magic moments should really inspire awe and fascination. A six-limbed dragon could still do that for someone, or a four-limbed dragon/wyvern can-it’s just how well you present it. To each his/her own.

[@justashark776]

And this is why GRRM's dragons are my favorite in fiction.

[@johnnywhitsel1583]

As somebody who wants to be a science fiction drama writer I can totally see where George is coming from with the 'low-magic fantasy' thought process, but as somebody who grew up with very high-fantasy magic in games I think its mostly accepted now, especially by younger generations (40 and younger), as not so 'dorky'. I love writing very strictly science-based sci-fi, but it's also fun to let loose with some imagination and tell a skyrim or dragon age-esque story.

[@Chu9947]

whats the source of this ? would love to listen more

[@vshazam]

It's from this - kzbin.info/www/bejne/maqbmmaCdq5jr9U

[@Chu9947]

@@vshazam you linked me the same video back ?

[@shannond7437]

Mateo 😂 I was so excited!

[@Anthony_Gx]

Great that he involved himself in giving the dragons 4 limbs instead of 6. They look so realistic and I love them. While before I started watching the show, they were the main reason I almost never started giving it a chance

[@saljpal3]

It does make sense from an evolutionary perspective considering the way they scale walls and caves, to have a more bat like body.

[@dylanfreeland7063]

So George R.R. Martin doesn't just write fantasy. He also writes science fiction and supernatural horror.

[@zenebean]

I think six limbed dragons could work if there were other six limbed vertebrates about. It would be a separate lineage from all other tetrapods (land vertebrates), but they wouldn't need to be common, just a lineage that evolved alongside tetrapods. All tetrapods descended from four-limbed fish, just have some six limbed fish climb out of the water too.

[@darj617]

I wish George was my pep-pep...heck even a step-pepper. He's the kind of old timer you can learn from and not have to worry about being touched inappropriately.

[@localcryptid42]

Pep pep?

[@carlosdiaz7573]

The science fiction approach to magic is awesome.

[@mentor397]

A ten minute video does not need four commercial breaks.

[@UnexpectedWonder]

That Ending was perfect. 😊😊😊😁😁😂😂

[@JamboLinnman]

It was

[@DareToWonder]

Oh the way to make sci fi dragons is to have then fly like TIE fighters from Star Wars, they "push" out electrons that propell them forward (real phenomenon) also make them more like the orginal myhological dragons. Feathered or bearded snakes with no wings.

[@DareToWonder]

umm who gave me a like?

[@ViktorTheMusician]

The way I was able to rationalize 6-limb dragons was that their rib cages evolved to be glider wings of sorts (like a flying lizard). This also doubled as the reason for the classic "soft underbelly" weakness: because their ribs are now wings all of their vital organs are completely exposed.

[@johnlucas2838]

But ribs provide structure and support to the bones and muscles in your chest, shoulders, and back. At least for us. Considering how massive dragons are, they would also need ribs to provide structure as well. In plus, part of me just imagines their guts popping out of their skin as imprints or indents if they didn't have ribs and how that wouldn't help in a realistic sense when flying.

[@richtea615]

"You'll just have to keep reading." We would if we could, George.

[@HarmyDespecialized]

Does anyone have a link to the full interview?

[@fencserx9423]

The true magic is in the show: how quickly the character development disappeared

[@jonharrison9222]

He takes the same approach to magic as the late Terry Pratchett did in the Discworld books. It exists (in his imagined works) but it’s rare and often causes more trouble than it solves.

[@Funwithaball]

He always reminds me of a train conductor

[@imaboxcar8459]

funny enough he funded a railroad in sante fe new mexico

[@rhaenyralikesyoutube6289]

I actually wouldn't have minded if GOT didn't have any magic or dragons in it. I think it would have been very cool of George to just have an alternate history/world, and have him focus solely on plot and characterization.

[@mijanhoque1740]

Same here though the only magic I wouldn’t mind is the Lord of light stuff.

[@whaddyamean99]

What originally drew me into the show when I was 13 was how little magic there was. Then the dragons were born

[@MikeTall88]

Magic is weird. You have to explain why a character would not cast the same spell later on. Elisandras (spelling?) shadow baby, could that take on the night king? I have no fucking idea about the rules or limitations.

[@rorus9530]

I think all fantasy needs a magic element, otherwise it would just be historical drama.

[@obsidian8180]

If it didn't have dragons, i wouldn't have bothered

[@guillaumecarriere9195]

According to the title of this video, this should've lasted half as long it did.

[@StankoAx]

Insects are also called Hexapods, meaning - 6 legged. But I get where his influence comes from. :))

[@TheGamebuzzHD]

that mean Preston is at least somewhat right

[@redblueproductions9739]

Yaa!

[@marcusanark2541]

Yep.

[@wisdommanari6701]

Well he's probably wrong about half of it

[@c.d.dailey8013]

That is an interesting interview. Martin has a more rational mindset. It is tricky to put into fantasy. I have noticed that Game of Thrones doesn't have many supernatural elements despite being a fantasy. Maybe his rational mindset contributes for that. Personally I like to put in lots of supernatural stuff. I am not sure whats the difference between high and low magic. I tried googling it, but couldn't find good explanations. I do see a difference in how much magic is use. In my fantasy world, magic is very common. It is normal for people and animals to have magic powers. In Martain's world magic is rare. The only magicians I can think of off the top of my head is Bran and Melisandra. They form a tiny minority of characters. Martain is limiting dragon anatomy to that of bats and birds. I find it odd. I like to be a bit looser. To me anything from nature is fair game. I like to mix stuff up. Insects comes from real nature, and they have extra limbs. They have six legs and four wings. Insects come from a different phylum within the animal kingdom, so they don't follow the same rules as bats and birds. The extra limbs of insects helps to justify winged creatures to me. Such creatures are dragons, pegasi, fairies and angels. Land vertebrates only have four limbs. Bats, birds and pterosaurs have these four limbs become two wings and two legs. Insects have six limbs, or ten if one counts the wings. Dragons and similar fantasy creatures have four legs and two wings to form six limbs. It is an intermediate of the vertibrite and insect. It is still plausible in my mind.

[@catbowserfantasytherapist3132]

High and low fantasy definitions are really going to differ by who you ask to be frank. As a general rule, a series that is low magic or low fantasy does not have clearly defined rules for their magic and magic is not a center point of the plot, usually. LOTR is considered low magic/fantasy by most people because while the magic of the ring is important, the actual plot itself is not dependent on magic. I would consider Harry Potter, by comparison to be high magic because there are clearly defined rules, limits and the magic itself is an important factor in the plot.

[@c.d.dailey8013]

@@catbowserfantasytherapist3132 Thank you. That is helpful. Harry Potter is different from many other fantasy stories in that magic is all over the place. Most characters are wizards and wiches. There is a whole school of magic with detailed lessions and rules. I guess it is high magic in the sense that there is a high amount of magic. Lord of the Rings doesn't have as much. Some are magical, like Gandalf, Sauroman and Sauron. However they are the exception, not the rule. A big chunk of the characters don't do magic. So there is low magic as in a low amount of magic.Game of thrones is like low magic too, and the magic is really rare. I have heard of another way to distinguish fantasy. It is high fantasy and low fantasy. It is a difference in setting. Low fantasy has a magic world run alongside to a mundane world. It is often underground. High fantasy has a magic world in a completely separate universe. I wonder if fantasy and magic could work as separate dimensions or axies to classify fantasy stories. Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones has the same situation. They are in seperate fantasy universes with low amounts of undefined magic. So they are high fantasy and low magic. Harry Potter has the exact opposite situation. The wizarding world has common well-defined magic. It runs parallel to muggle world. There are other combos. I like to mix lots of magic with a seperate fantasy universe. For me the more outlandish the better. World of Warcraft is like this too. This is high fantasy-high magic. There could be the opposite which is low-fanasy low magic. The best example of this I could think of is Mary Poppins.

[@AndreasVNesje]

@@c.d.dailey8013 check out Brandon Sandersons three rules of magic and soft/hard magic systems. GRRM favors "soft" magic systems where the rules are unknown - and therefore can't be used to solve difficult problems in a satisfying way - in sharp contrast to e.g. The Wheel of Time. You mention LOTR - here Gandalf has soft magic, he can practically do whatever the story requires, whereas the Ring is hard magic, because you know what it does (and at what cost)

[@theM4R4T]

The Others are projections confirmed. They leave no foot prints in the show.

[@theM4R4T]

@ScissorMeTimbers It's like Melisandre's shadow baby, which can hurt people. And the Others are called white shadows. This passage really makes it sound like it's not really physical: "Will saw movement from the corner of his eye. Pale shapes gliding through the wood. He turned his head, glimpsed a white shadow in the darkness. Then it was gone. Branches stirred gently in the wind, scratching at one another with wooden fingers. Will opened his mouth to call down a warning, and the words seemed to freeze in his throat. Perhaps he was wrong. Perhaps it had only been a bird, *a reflection on the snow, some trick of the moonlight.* What had he seen, after all?" On the other hand their blue blood makes me think they're real. If their blood contained Hemocyanin instead of Hemoglobin like human blood, it would be blue instead of red, because of oxygenated copper. Hemocyanin is better for life in cold environments. So, Idk, it could be either one, but both sound science-fiction-like.

[@shannond7437]

They are frozen snow/ice themselves, this the in no way confirmed or implied.

[@jamie_d0g978]

When Sam stab the other, it feels pretty physical. I always imagine the others as some kind of Elves

[@DiZtheJedi]

@@theM4R4T A KZbinr called Lucifer Means Lightbringer - LML for short - does theory videos on A Song of Ice and Fire, and one of them draws this exact connection between the Others and the shadow baby. He also draws a connection between Melisandre and the Night's Queen, suggesting that she, with the help of the Night's King, birthed the first Others in the same way that Melisandre does the shadow baby. It's a really good video; he's got a bunch of good ones actually.

[@nicolebragg1171]

I think now I understand the structure of his books a bit better. They're still jarring for me to read & I'll admit I only got to storm of swords before I quit, but I at least understand him as a writer a bit better now.

[@realworldforum]

So now we know Bran is the hero somehow

[@hmulford3851]

While how it happened in the show was stupid, I do believe Bran will end on the Iron Throne at the end of ASoIaF. GRRM is particularly a fan of expected heroes failing, as proven by the deaths of Ned, Robb, and Jon. You'd think the same could be said about Bran, since he begins the series, but he quickly loses that status the second he's pushed out the window. Now he's no longer a knight or soldier, like the other men in his family or other kings and heroes in fantasy books. Instead, he will be an intelligent warlock that hopefully isn't as detached from reality as show Bran. That sounds a lot more like the type of person GRRM would want on the throne. An intelligent, just, and powerful ruler.

[@realworldforum]

@@hmulford3851 also I found out that Brandon in scandinavian means fire or something related to light. So we know for sure he is Azor Ahai and has something to do with Rhllor

[@kryoboy36]

@@realworldforum 😎👍

[@jaimelannister1797]

@@realworldforum eh that’s a stretch. Bran’s name likely comes from it’s welsh meaning, which is crow/raven

[@realworldforum]

@@jaimelannister1797 did JRRM say that his name comes from the word "raven" in Welsh?

[@sean3533]

“George I have a question about your writings.” Grrm: “well Tolkien is very important.”

[@QueenDaenerysTargaryen]

Full interview? 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@Primenumber19]

The show was predicated on prophecy, dragons, and magical families. So I disagree with him and people who say he doesn’t use magic too much.

[@apollyonkatastrefia1586]

George says " you'll just have to keep reading." In regards to finding out how the story ends. Well George, I'd love to keep reading but I need more books to read.

[@garmisra7841]

The magic in ASOIAF serves as instruments of power, whehter that's power to deceive, inspire, or destroy, but it is all about how the users use it to define their own power over others - and most often to maintain the status quo and the social order.

[@saljpal3]

I also enjoy how there's different types of magic with different effects. Valyrian blood magic to control dragons and make Valyrian steel, R'hollor magic to create shadow demons and bring the dead back to life, and children of the forest magic have green sight and create white walkers.

[@Problemsolver434]

George: there are no six limb things in nature Insects: Are we jokes to you?

[@No_Relation_666]

he has acknowledged that

[@Bluemilk92]

This fandom has so many brilliant, dedicated, and ambitious members, I never feel like I have anything to add to the discussion. As a consequence, 6:07 when I'm convinced someone else in the comments will more elegantly express any opinion I may have, I always say the same thing. Just because, It's usually my only way to add something new. 6:07 I really love how he says "'da books." Sometimes it's "read 'da books" or "in 'da books." Regardless, he almost says it the same way every time. I can't explain why I love it, but I do. Go watch a few dozen interviews, I promise, you'll be delighted by his consistent pronunciation.

[@SHDUStudios]

His approach to magic is much like it was seen in 1400’s, which really shows his historical knowledge and care about the world.

[@troglodytezero1697]

Interesting. He has an ending in mind but going from head to paper the story keeps growing and will probably never finish

[@Parasmunt]

Tolkien understood the wisdom of underusing magic and understatement in general. Gandalf no doubt knew how to do a lot of things but only uses magic in the books a few times.

[@Nimrod336]

I so glad he didn't he skip too much time in chapters. I read a fantasy book one time called the war of shadows or something I forget..its been years. But in the book months passed between chapters and it was just lame to many gaps...I kept wondering wtf happened in between...g.o.t just took books to a new level...

[@4RedJohn]

What's the source of this interview?

[@dylanfreeland4756]

My favorite ASOIAF book is A Game Of Thrones by George R.R. Martin.

[@cinesoda2082]

“You just have to keep reading”. Dude- we’re all out of material!

[@Lightstar449]

Looool forreal

[@maedle99]

2:12 😳

[@garmisra7841]

The magic adds spice, but it isn't essential. Being that there's historical antecedents to a lot of the major events in ASOIAF, I wonder if GRRM ever thought about what the warring families of the Wars of the Roses would do if they were faced with an existential threat like a Hunnic or Tatar invasion. Not comparing huns or Tatars to the Others/white walkers. But an invasion nonetheless, or perhaps a major climatic event. Would they unite against it? Would they follow their human nature and try to leverage themselves to take advantage of it? Martin is emblematic of postmodernism in the sense there is no intrinsic morality to the actions that people take but this also applies to the magic-wielders, whether shadowbinders, oracles, red priests, wargs or dragonriders.

[@jimmyjabs7849]

I always thought if dragons were real they would spit acid in large volumes similar to how the spitting cobra works or the Gila monsters saliva works and that’s why the stories of breathing fire and melting cities would be from the acid burns of corpses and the way the acid would melt buildings

[@dylanfreeland7063]

There is some romance along with fantasy in ASOIAF.

[@PaulyWally30]

I would have liked for it to have had more of a strong physical presence in the show.

[@kaijukeizer6900]

2:12

[@trevclaridge]

Well, I was trying falling asleep to this video.

[@wserthmar8908]

Did you succeed back then?

[@trevclaridge]

@@wserthmar8908 The blaring alarm made it a little difficult, so no.

[@tana4056]

Did you mention the part about Bran? He said "Is this all Bran's Story, Bran's book?" I'm afraid now, after the eighth season, really afraid.

[@odstarmor557]

"I've never been a fast writer" I've never felt kinship like this before.

[@turtleanton6539]

I gotta read fever Dream.

[@calvinjluther]

GRRM: There are no six limbed things in nature. The Insect Kingdom: He doesn't suspect a thing. We'll infiltrate his mansion tonight and feast like kings.

[@ages6592]

Technically if you would combine the abilities of an electric eel with the methane burps of cows… then you could get a creator that could set their own breath on fire! Of course it would need to be a ruminating animal so that’s a little less scary than a predator. But imagine a big ferocious bull with great horns and wings instead of front legs. And that’s why they like to lay and rest in their lair, in order to ruminate!

[@micow9951]

So Daenerys could've been a fire bender

[@christopherronningen9500]

Nearly every insect, and therefore most of the land based animals on earth have six limbs and wings.

[@panchotz100]

wait, so a song of ice and fire was supposed to be only one book? ''game of thrones''?

[@ivanmp3e48]

He means the end of the first book of A song of ice and fire, that was intended to be a trilogy. -A game of thrones, about the Stark-Lannister war -A dance with dragons, about Danny's invasion of westeros -A time for wolves, about the war with the Others

[@panchotz100]

@@ivanmp3e48 thanks

[@factbeaglesarebest]

Not true

[@willyreeves319]

by the logic he uses for 4 limbed flying things the flying insects should count as arachnids.

[@kevinlawler2571]

Forbes #1 richest man- George R.R Martin. That should be a reality. His work is that incredible.. give him more money.. it is his by right!

[@TheUnnbreakable]

I like how he doesn’t care they are wyverns lol I appreciate that.

[@stephenscott6111]

For any Jamaicans that happen upon this comment that alarm at the end was the seala we never getting that book

[@imaboxcar8459]

I always pictured fat dragons as a kind of natural hot air balloon

[@toetaggerh4253]

This was the biggest difference for me.

[@HellionImmortal]

2:11 You'll thank me

[@spartan-s013]

oh yeah, dragons were the best choice. This is the only reason i have read these books xD

[@josepinheiro292]

I would like to see him talking about the shit end of GoT on tv.

[@raulduke3237]

He probably has the story complete, but he waiting until he dies to bring it out

[@spooplegeist5260]

I know he’s referring to the tetrapods like mammals and reptiles and such when he’s talking about limbs, but... there definitely are animals with six or more limbs, including legs plus a set of wings. That’s kind of insects’ whole thing.

[@Jesusprayerwarriorbw]

Reign of fire had same Dragons, realistic ones, like bats

[@majoranna9224]

"I've applied as much rationalism to my dragons as you can. I mean... I look at pictures of dragons in other people's fantasies and all that... This beast could never fly." I love him.

[@sunnynepal1940]

where are the comments???

[@TheNimdude]

Good question

[@nicemovies99]

helllo

[@aussieL14M]

I got you

[@jordanp8424]

How’d you post this?

[@reverendVapors]

They too busy listening frfr