Among the many things George R.R. Martin borrows from other authors, there are many character borrowings. In some cases it is very straightforward. In others he merges or splits characters. For example, Melisandre is obviously derived from Pryrates, the evil sorcerer from Memory, Sorrow and Thorn. But in what way does this character undergo such a gender change? After all, Melisandre is a woman and Pryrates is a man.
The possible answer could be very interesting. Probably the character of Melisandre was also influenced by the character of Pale Woman from Robin Hobb's books. So Pryrates + Pale Woman = Melisandre.
Even more interesting are the examples of character splitting. In Memory, Sorrow and Thorn, Princess Miriamele pretends to be a boy and then a girl servant called Marya. In A Song of Ice and Fire this character is split into two sisters, Sansa and Arya. The older one is very girlish and gentle, while the younger one behaves like a boy at first and then actually disguises herself as a boy. So Sansa and Arya are descended from Miriamele, and each of the two girls sort of embodies one of the two aspects of that character. Sansa is more Miriamele and Arya is more Marya.
But even more interesting is the case of Josua, Miriamele's uncle. First he lost an arm in battle, and then he was forced to flee to the nomadic barbarians. There he married the daughter of their chief. Ring any bells? The loss of his hand passed on Jaime Lannister, and the flight to the nomads and subsequent marriage to their leader went to Daenerys. So Jaime Lannister and Dany are like brother and sister. After all, they both trace their ancestry back to Prince Josua. And through Corum Jhaelen Irsei, they may be descended from the ancient god Nuadu who also lost his hand.
Even more complex and interesting is the image of a boy who likes to climb towers in a huge castle. I'm writing about Bran, of course, who seems to have picked up this dangerous habit from Simon from Memory, Sorrow and Thorn. But Simon wasn't the first boy in fantasy books to engage in such dangerous play. In fact, the character can be traced back to Steerpike in Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast.
But Steerpike was a villain, so how did Simon become a good guy and even a protagonist? He was influenced by the image from Sam from Lord of the Rings. Even their names are slightly similar. At the beginning of "Memory, Sorrow and Thorn" -- just a kitchen boy, but then he becomes a knight and a king. He's a sort of a Lord of the Rings Sam who's been upgraded to Aragorn.
So Steerpike + Sam = Simon, and Bran is sort of descended from Simon.
The case of Jon Snow is also very interesting. A ******* with a magical connection to a wolf is reminiscent of Fitz in the Robin Hobb books. But even that character is not so original. The ******* who faithfully serves his ruling uncle and has no claim to the throne is reminiscent of Merlin from the Mary Stewart books. So Jon Snow is descended from Fitz, and Fitz from Merlin. Who would have thought that Jon Snow could be someone like Merlin's grandson?
Of course, such lineages can be traced back to more than just George R.R. Martin's books. For example, Moiraine Damodred from Wheel of Time and Dr Morgenes from "Memory, Sorrow and Thorn" are both descended from Gandalf. I think there are many more of these funny lineages in fantasy books, and I've only traced the ones that come to mind at the moment. Perhaps other people can trace more such lineages in sci-fi and fantasy.
The possible answer could be very interesting. Probably the character of Melisandre was also influenced by the character of Pale Woman from Robin Hobb's books. So Pryrates + Pale Woman = Melisandre.
Even more interesting are the examples of character splitting. In Memory, Sorrow and Thorn, Princess Miriamele pretends to be a boy and then a girl servant called Marya. In A Song of Ice and Fire this character is split into two sisters, Sansa and Arya. The older one is very girlish and gentle, while the younger one behaves like a boy at first and then actually disguises herself as a boy. So Sansa and Arya are descended from Miriamele, and each of the two girls sort of embodies one of the two aspects of that character. Sansa is more Miriamele and Arya is more Marya.
But even more interesting is the case of Josua, Miriamele's uncle. First he lost an arm in battle, and then he was forced to flee to the nomadic barbarians. There he married the daughter of their chief. Ring any bells? The loss of his hand passed on Jaime Lannister, and the flight to the nomads and subsequent marriage to their leader went to Daenerys. So Jaime Lannister and Dany are like brother and sister. After all, they both trace their ancestry back to Prince Josua. And through Corum Jhaelen Irsei, they may be descended from the ancient god Nuadu who also lost his hand.
Even more complex and interesting is the image of a boy who likes to climb towers in a huge castle. I'm writing about Bran, of course, who seems to have picked up this dangerous habit from Simon from Memory, Sorrow and Thorn. But Simon wasn't the first boy in fantasy books to engage in such dangerous play. In fact, the character can be traced back to Steerpike in Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast.
But Steerpike was a villain, so how did Simon become a good guy and even a protagonist? He was influenced by the image from Sam from Lord of the Rings. Even their names are slightly similar. At the beginning of "Memory, Sorrow and Thorn" -- just a kitchen boy, but then he becomes a knight and a king. He's a sort of a Lord of the Rings Sam who's been upgraded to Aragorn.
So Steerpike + Sam = Simon, and Bran is sort of descended from Simon.
The case of Jon Snow is also very interesting. A ******* with a magical connection to a wolf is reminiscent of Fitz in the Robin Hobb books. But even that character is not so original. The ******* who faithfully serves his ruling uncle and has no claim to the throne is reminiscent of Merlin from the Mary Stewart books. So Jon Snow is descended from Fitz, and Fitz from Merlin. Who would have thought that Jon Snow could be someone like Merlin's grandson?
Of course, such lineages can be traced back to more than just George R.R. Martin's books. For example, Moiraine Damodred from Wheel of Time and Dr Morgenes from "Memory, Sorrow and Thorn" are both descended from Gandalf. I think there are many more of these funny lineages in fantasy books, and I've only traced the ones that come to mind at the moment. Perhaps other people can trace more such lineages in sci-fi and fantasy.
