---
title: 'Why Is Game Of Thrones Called A "Song?"'
source: 'https://youtube.com/watch?v=-WHWOk5q5CE'
video_id: '-WHWOk5q5CE'
date: 2026-09-20
duration_sec: 331
---

# Why Is Game Of Thrones Called A "Song?"

> Source: [Why Is Game Of Thrones Called A "Song?"](https://youtube.com/watch?v=-WHWOk5q5CE)

## Summary

This video analyzes George R. R. Martin's 'A Song of Ice and Fire' series, arguing that the title reflects the series' commentary on how history transforms into mythology. It explores how songs, stories, and nicknames in Westeros are tools of power, shaping perception and serving the ruling class, ultimately questioning the accuracy of our own historical narratives.

### Key Points

- **The Meaning of 'Song' in the Title** [00:00] — The 'ice and fire' in the title is self-explanatory, but 'song' refers to the relationship between history and mythology, suggesting the series is about how history becomes mythologized.
- **History vs. Mythology** [00:24] — Martin's novels are a commentary on how history transforms into mythology. Characters in Westeros are obsessed with their place in history, but they confuse songs (entertainment) with historical records (facts).
- **Songs Warp Perception** [01:30] — Songs provide relief from the cruel world but also warp perception of history, making them vulnerable to manipulation. King Robert romanticizes the past, ignoring the brutal reality of wars.
- **Rewriting History as Power** [01:58] — The greatest power of the Iron Throne is the ability to rewrite history. Joffrey's reenactment of the War of the Five Kings presents a false heroic narrative, showing how rulers control the story.
- **Suppressing Truth** [02:27] — Joffrey rips out a musician's tongue for singing a song that insinuates Cersei killed Robert, demonstrating how rulers fear songs that challenge their narrative. The Lannister anthem 'The Rains of Castamere' is a tool of intimidation.
- **Nicknames and Sigils as Tools** [02:53] — Nicknames reduce people to single characteristics and are used to intimidate or disempower. Songs, stories, nicknames, and sigils all influence where power resides, as Varys says: 'Power resides where men believe it resides.'
- **The Realm as a Shared Lie** [03:19] — The entire kingdom relies on fabricated histories. As Varys says, 'The realm is a story we agreed to tell each other over and over till we forget that it's a lie.' The Lannister regime depends on ignoring the truth about Joffrey and Tommen's heritage.
- **The Real History vs. the Song** [03:55] — The series shows the real events, not the mythologized song. The accuracy of the eventual song depends on who wins the Game of Thrones, highlighting that what happens matters less than the story told.
- **Lesson for Our Own History** [04:17] — The video asks how much of our own history is a wishful narrative created by the powerful, emphasizing that the story we are given permission to tell often outweighs actual events.

### Conclusion

The video concludes that 'A Song of Ice and Fire' is not the song itself but the real history on which a song will later be sung, depending on who wins. It challenges viewers to question the narratives they accept as history.

## Transcript

Why did George R. R. Martin call his series A Song of Ice and Fire? The ice and fire part is pretty self-explanatory, but why is it a song? For me, the answer lies in the relationship between history and mythology.
George R. R. Martin is often praised for primarily drawing on real history to create the stories of Game of Thrones, as opposed to mythology like many other epic fantasies. But Martin doesn't just use history.
His novels are a commentary on how we understand history and how history can transform into mythology. The people of Westeros are obsessed with their place in history. I will not become a page in someone else's book.
It's the family name that lives on. It's all that lives on. They will sing about the bottle of Winterfell until the Iron Islands have slipped beneath the waves. The problem is that they talk about songs and history as if they are the same thing, but they are not.
Songs are entertainment first, and historical records second. They are not beholden to the fact. King Robert constantly confuses the two, and often waxes on nostalgically about the wars he once fought.
Ha ha ha ha ha! Those were the days! Which days exactly? The ones where half of Westworld fought the other half and millions died? Or before that? When the mad king fought women and babies because the voices in his head told him they deserved it Or way before that When dragons whole city is to the ground Easy boy Robert romanticizes the past but there is a huge divide between the chivalrous world
of the song and the cruel, random, and evil world of Westeros. Songs provide relief from this world, but they can also warp our perception of history,
and it is for that reason that they are vulnerable to manipulation. After slicing a history book in two, King Joffrey enjoys a cartoonish reenactment of the War of the Five Kings. In it, Joffrey is presented as a courageous hero, his enemies inept clowns.
But we, the audience, know the truth. We know that the songs, the plays, the statues, and the stories are all a lie. In fact, the greatest power that the Iron Throne gives is the ability to rewrite history.
Someday, you'll see on the throne that truth will be what you make it. This is why rulers rightly fear the power of songs and stories. Songs are a threat to the narrative of the ruling house. One of Joffrey's first acts as king is to have a musician's tongue ripped out
for singing a song that insinuates that Cersei killed Robert, which is the truth, but it challenges the narrative that the Lannisters want to maintain. Meanwhile, the lyrics of the Lannister's unofficial anthem, The Reign of Castamere essentially boils down to Don mess with the Lannisters That the song that they want you to sing This is also why there is such an emphasis on nicknames in the series They reduce people to a single characteristic and are used
to intimidate others or to disempower an enemy. Power resides when man believes it resides. And songs, stories, nicknames, and even the house sigils are all tools that influence
those leads. In fact, the entire kingdom relies on these fabricated histories. Do you know what The realm is a story we agreed to tell each other over and over till we forget that it's a lie.
And there is a mountain of lies that the Lannister regime relies on to hold on to power. For the country to be at peace, for instance, the truth about Joffrey and Tom's heritage has to be ignored by everyone. So, in Game of Thrones, we are presented with a cruel and punishing world where the only comfort for most people are the stories told in songs.
These songs are more powerful than actual facts and have an immense level of influence over both the powerful and the powerless. While we get to see how the actual events of the story play out, we are also presented with an alternative version which mythologizes real history into a narrative that serves the ruling class.
So when we read the book or watch the show, we are not actually witnessing a song of ice and fire. Not yet anyway. We are seeing the real history on which a song will later be sung How accurate the song is will depend entirely on who wins the Game of Thrones And that an important lesson because how much of our own history is really just a wishful narrative created by powerful
Because what Game of Thrones has proven to us time and time again is that what actually happens often doesn't matter nearly as much as the story we are given the permission to tell. Now, as you probably know, Game of Thrones is largely based on the War of the Roses,
a period of dynastic struggle in medieval England. I find the series more satisfying when I know more about the history it's based on, and if you want to learn more about that history, then check out the documentary called The Real War of Thrones on CuriosityStream,
the sponsor of this episode. CuriosityStream is a streaming service with over 2,000 documentaries about history, science, technology, and more. In The Real War of Thrones, you'll get a great primer on the Hundred Years War and the Game of Thrones-y political and military history of medieval France.
My favorite part is when this guy is getting knighted, and the king really smacks the sword down hard on him and gives him a slap to the face. Someone please tell me if this is historically accurate. Access to the entire catalog only costs $2.99 a month, but the first 30 days are free if you sign up with my link at curiositystream.com slash justwrite, and use the promo code justwrite.
Thanks for watching and keep writing, everyone.