Fictional Folklore: On the Paremiology of A Game of Thrones

Abstract

In this article, the first work in the fantasy literature series, titled A Song of Ice and Fire: A Game of Thrones, by George R. R. Martin will be analyzed in relation to the author’s use of proverbs, in order to determine the role that these play in the narration and what their features are. This choice seems appropriate for the analysis of folklore elements, such as proverbs, given the popularity of the series and its presumed contribution to the spread of phraseology. In the analysis of this text, a rather interesting approach to proverbs emerges, one in which the author makes use of proverbs existing in the real world, as well as creates his own, ad hoc, for this literary composition. These occurrences seem particularly interesting and will be analyzed in detail to determine whether they produce the desired effect and whether they follow the expected use of proverbs in real life.