George R.R. Martin Confirms Political ‘Game of Thrones’ Fan Theory

Since HBO adapted it into the hit TV show Game of Thrones, George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series has become one of the most successful fantasy series of all time, joining the ranks of The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter. The series is yet to be finished and there are many threads that are still waiting to be tied up. Who is Jon Snow’s real mother? What do the White Walkers want? And who will finally rule Westeros on the Iron Throne?

The depth of the books means fans spend ours debating one another online over fan theories and speculation about the world and its characters, some of which are more believable than others. One fan theory that has been widely circulated for years, and widely believed, is that, to a certain extent, A Song of Ice and Fire is an allegory for the threat humanity faces from climate change. For those unfamiliar with the books, the series follows a number of characters set in the fantasy land of Westeros as they vie for control of the Iron Throne. While they’re busy fighting for power, a supernatural threat is on its way in the form of White Walkers, an army of undead beings that were thought to be nothing more than a myth told by mothers to scare their children. Some readers believe that the relentless and utterly uncompromising White Walkers represent the slow but steady threat of climate change, and it’s worth noting that a popular saying in the books, ‘Winter is Coming’, highlights the idea that something unstoppable is on its way.

As Bustle reports, in a recent interview with Times, George R.R. Martin confirmed there is some intention behind these themes.

“And the people in Westeros are fighting their individual battles over power and status and wealth. And those are so distracting them that they’re ignoring the threat of “winter is coming,”” he said. “Which has the potential to destroy all of them and to destroy their world. And there is a great parallel there to, I think, what I see this planet doing here, where we’re fighting our own battles. We’re fighting over issues, important issues, mind you — foreign policy, domestic policy, civil rights, social responsibility, social justice. All of these things are important. But while we’re tearing ourselves apart over this and expending so much energy, there exists this threat of climate change, which, to my mind, is conclusively proved by most of the data and 99.9 percent of the scientific community. And it really has the potential to destroy our world. And we’re ignoring that while we worry about the next election and issues that people are concerned about, like jobs. Jobs are a very important issue, of course. All of these things are important issues. But none of them are important if, like, we’re dead and our cities are under the ocean. So really, climate change should be the number one priority for any politician who is capable of looking past the next election. But unfortunately, there are only a handful of those. We spend 10 times as much energy and thought and debate in the media discussing whether or not N.F.L. players should stand for the national anthem than this threat that’s going to destroy our world.”

The real-world parallels don’t stop there. When asked which character from the series is most like Donald Trump, Martin pointed to the arrogant, cruel, and petulant boy-king Joffrey Baratheon. “They have the same level of emotional maturity,” he explained. “And Joffrey likes to remind everyone that he’s king. And he thinks that gives him the ability to do anything. And we’re not an absolute monarchy, like Westeros is. We’re a constitutional republic. And yet, Trump doesn’t seem to know what that means. He thinks the presidency gives him the power to do anything.”

We’re still waiting for a release date for the latest instalment in the series, The Winds of Winter, but fans will be pleased to learn that a book called Fire and Blood, which dives into the history of the Targaryen dynasty is set to be released on November 20.