Also meant in a totally not negative way: I also like to listen to this when falling asleep and when sleeping. I get terrible nightmares while sleeping (I've a weird sleep disorder, well, hmm, I've several weird sleep disorders) UNLESS there is some voice talking while I sleep. Can be a radio, or a book read on tape etc. Instead of having a horrible nightmare, my dreams are shaped by what the voice (S) are saying, which can make very weird dreams, but not aggressively horrible ones. Mr In Deep Geek doing a long talk is nifty for what ails me. Ta.
@@keithla7654 Excellent to hear! I was only able to start sleeping with the radio on when I finally lived on my own, and that wasn't until I was 32. Eeek. I lived in London then, and used to sleep listening to the World Service, on the BBC's radio 4. I'd wake up knowing the most intriguing things. UA-cam is great for this now. I also like sleeping while comedy programmes are on. The creates very entertaining dreams.
Robert, I send readings to my friends, and I felt a bit weird about many saying that it really helps them sleep. But over time, and after listening to you when I go to bed, I get it now! We choose you because of your beautiful voice, cadence, pacing. It's not just a sound, it reflects your intelligence. And also the words you choose - the topics you're interested in and the way you choose to talk about them, is another reason why we choose you to listen to. We don't *want* to fall asleep to put an end to listening to you! But we all need to sleep. And for many, it's difficult. If it helps, my wife and I are more and more trying to squeeze in time in the day to take in more of your words or revisit your ideas. Particularly enjoying the Old Valyrian stuff at the moment:) Thankyou! Great answer to the race-baity person! I don't know what that phrase means but I suspect they described themself! When I saw Corlys that was actually the first thing I thought - that the Valyrians weren't all white like Dany. And actually the purple eye contact lenses was bang on point. People complain about skin colour but I didn't hear anyone complain about Dany not having purple eyes.
yeh, even taken at its worst, its way more importand to get a good night sleep than any fictiontale. i personly do listen to new stuff when im aweak and only watch repeats so i dont get distracted by new interesting stuf. but then i have also lisend to the little mermaid by geoff castalucie for hundrets of times and hardly ever get past the first 15 min
If you are dragon and going to breach on the first room of the great cloth of the gentle man of the great trouser. All and most if nothing more than a huge big thinking of the
Definitely take the sleep as a compliment, your videos have been a source of comfort (from a fantasy nerd side) and are much appreciated, especially when health issues make getting to sleep difficult.
You know ... If Asshai is THAT BIG and can fit Kings Landing and Old town both, even one light out of ten is not as little as we are pushed to think...
I also having been playing this channel to sleep since coming across it, years after some of the videos have been made. It's playing in the day while I do other tasks, at night when I go to bed, and often still in the morning when I wake up. Hard to find videos that are good for that, videogame streams but sometimes people will shout which is jolting if I'm trying to sleep or awake. If it's not something interesting enough to pay attention to it definitely won't work for sleep because my body will know I'm Trying to sleep
14:00 - You have a fantastic voice; my wife had me put on headphones the other day because she found herself wanting to listen to you instead of doing what she needed to do. You're very pleasant and engaging to listen to.
"From Ibb to Ashai when men see my sails they prey." Euron has definitely been to Ashai. Where else would he have learned all that gnarly magic which he apparently uses to control the winds and summon storms and maybe krakkens. I think it would be safe to assume that Euron has been to every scary or mysterious place on planetos. The man is as crazy as he is clever.
I'm most interested in what's south of the summer isles and how big the planet is. The implication seems to be that the summer islands are near the equator.
I've often said, think about it like this: the book account is one version of a story, just like when you speak to someone about an event, you get their version. The film or television version is a different person's account. A different version. Like the dress that some saw as blue and black and some saw as gold and white or whatever it was.
I also listen to you almost every night when I sleep , but for the record I’ve watched every video multiple times while awake . I hope to become a Paterson when the U.S. banking system becomes viable again but right now I’m too poor lol😅
17:16 as a glasses wearer, i can't imagine using contacts. They seem like they would be uncomfortable. As such, I can empathize with being unfomfortable having to put special effects deparment lenses in your eyes constantly for filming a series
Hi, Robert. Good to see you after a long period of convalescence and a HUGE break that I had to take, due to the real world. Your videos have helped keep me safe and entertained during a hard year. I actually do have a questIon: have you ever read the five (allegidly) existing books by POV only? I've found that it entirely changes one's outlook on the story as a whole. Anyway, cheers. I hope you are doing well.
Euron did claim to have gone to Asshia. At the kingsmoot and the Forsaken chapter he mentions having been to Asshia. But for Quarth, he has probably been there as well he doesn't mention it by name I don't think. The warlocks he has he picked up while they themselves were headed to Pentos looking for Daenerys because they wanted to kill her. But Euron found them first.
I'm actually reasonably hopeful about the Grrmillion. I think alot of it may already exist in note form so it may more a question of polishing and editing it
I truly wish that if they ever do a valyria or old world asshai spin off. That they hire you to help in some fashion. Need your kind of genuine-ness to keep it true to the amazing world and overall feel of what george was creating! Loving the channel so far! Subscribed!
I thought leaving out Bombadil was a good move. A really, REALLY faithful adaptation of LotR would end up being a weird musical, with the action stopping every few pages of script as the actors start singing some damn song or other. It would not have been cool.
2:05:00 "The glass candles are burning..." Euron's home is his ship. I can't imagine that he has a "home" anywhere else. There might be places like inns that he stays for certain periods of time.
Amazing as usual Robert, though I fear we're going to be wandering around Planetos ruminating forevermore. I think the fans should crowdfund a coalition of top ASOIAF scholars such as yourself to write us the books.
Well, if you consider, the fact of how much of the north is probably covered in ice cap, the sea levels are lower, so Lang would be essentially Sunderland
I wish Asshai was relevant in the books. Quaithe did indicate that Dany would have to go there. Also, Bran did see a vision of dragons in the Shadowlands Beyond Asshai, but unsure if that vision was past, present or future.
Surely if the architects of Planetos can build things like the great castles of Westeros, the maesters can calculate the circumference of the planet right??
If you look at the story closely, it feels like jon fits more as the nights king or the bloodstone emperor for his tendencies to make peace with 'the bad guys' than the azor ahai who just fights them. I think the story is about someone making peace with the others or whoever the bad guy is and then someone messing the peace up. Azor Ahai never completely destroyed the others, only ended the long night but if the history is to be repeated, the long night cannot be very long (at least not this time). So what did he do?
In the vein of fantasy fiction but really intended as reality and new events- David wilcock has, on the end of wonder channel forest fire episode- talked about paradise, california and extra terrestrial beings who live there that have very valeryian looks, aside from vertically slot pupils, they have purple colored pupils and platinum blonde hair, and often go in dishuise. they are telepathic and if you look at one you may recieve some somewhat unwanted communication or forboding message. They are described to be benevolent, however, and are also found in los angeles. Sounds crazy right? i think so.
The science nerd within me has to state that radiation doesn't make things glow, and if it's so radioactive that fish are deformed, humans won't live long there either. Definitely hope we get more information about Asshai, it's one of my favorite places in the world of ice and fire because of all the mysteries.
Quaith is leading Danny to her destiny as Azor Ahai Reborn (however much this is a shared role). Danny's desire to conquer Westeros is only something to be used as a motivating factor and really doesn't matter to Quaith. In this she basically mirrors Melisandre, who is condemned by viewers/readers where Quaith is not. This is the sense in which Melisandre is so grossly misunderstood IMNSHO.
Oily and fused black stone are definitely not the same thing, and there's no way that the largest city on Planetos was intentionally built out of cursed stone. I mean it's heavily implied that children cannot survive around oily stone (there are no children in Asshai), so how could you have a civilization there? The only way it makes sense is if it was originally built of a different kind of stone, and some magical aberration occurred that transformed it. The largest magical catastrophe that we know of is the coming of the Long Night, referenced on the blurb you mentioned on the original Game of Thrones book - "The seasons are off," something or other. It also makes sense that Asshai, the greatest city, was the capital of the greatest civilization, the GEOTD. The magical catastrophe was most likely caused by the infamous Bloodstone Emperor, the same event that led to the seasons being off, the first Long Night, and the transformation of the stone of Asshai into oily black stone. Just my two cents :)
50:06 I think one evidence of the worldwide long winters is that the Dothraki continue to buy the peace of cities instead of keeping to their massive domains. If they had stable summers and winters, eventually a nomadic society would stabilize. But just like the climate disaster in the 6th century drove eastern steppe horse nomads to move west and harass Roman Constantinople for gold, the Dothraki can't feed their herds properly and so must depend on pillaging to the point that it becomes an essential cultural behaviour. Otherwise, it honestly seems like every Dothraki could roam the grass for a lifetime without ever worrying about running out of resources.
I guess the inspiration G.R.R. Martin took to wrore Asshai wasn't only from Lovecraft but also from Tolkien. I don't know if you have the same impression, but Asshai's description is very similar of Mordor's description. You know, all the things with blacklands, a landlocked place with mountains protecting it (in Tolkien's Legendarium we also have Gondolin in the Silmarillion), poisonous air, I always remember Boromir in the movie speaking "the air is a poisonous fume!" 🤣, a desolate land where nothing grows, it matches a lot with Mordor, specially in the Gorgoroth Plains, only Nûrn to the south it's the only place where you can grow things, but the lake itself seems puterify, dirt and poisonous. And about the luminouscenc plants and fungi we also have this in the Dead Marshes. And the inspirations Tolkien took from it weren't about nuclear fallout (he wrote it before Hiroshima and Nagasaki) but on real things, you know the lights as methane flames, and bioluminescent fungi as a real thing that can exists in this kind of environment. And of course, as Mordor became what it was because of a vulcan (Mt. Doom aka. Amon Amârth) the same can happened to Asshai. Vulcanism as the answer and not a nuclear fallout. And both Mordor and Asshai are in the southeast edges of the known maps. In Tolkien's Legendarium we also have the cold and waste places in the north, just we have with the lands beyond the Wall, in the Silmarillion we have the Thangoridrin and Angband as the Morgoth's headquarters, and in the 3rd Age we have Carn Dûm lead by the Witch-King of Angmar. Listen Martin's fans I'm not saying the man stoled everything from Tolkien, but the inspirations here are quite explicit. I also enjoyed your link between the Lovecraftian concept of "Deep Ones" with the Tolkien concept of the "Nameless Things" (and yes, Tom Bombadil and his wife maybe are examples of that). About the "Black Stones" architecture we also can see some of that on Tolkien's work. It is a kind of a signature that the ancient Numenorians left on Middle-Earth, we have some examples of that on the Minas Tirith outer wall or in the wall around Isengard and in the tower itself. Morannon or the Black Gate in the entrance to Mordor was also built by the Numenorians to kept the Orcs out from Gondor. I don't remember if Minas Môrgul (former Minas Íthil) and Cirith Ûngol were also built with this black stone architecture. However if we dive on the Numenorians of the North, we don't see this same kind of signature, probably because Annúminas was abandoned even before Arnor split in three, Lond Daer the first colony founded by the Numenorians in the Middle Earth was also abandoned the same happened with Tharbad, and we don't know anything about this in Dol Amroth, Osgiliath and Umbar, for example. Another link om that was the "Erech Stone" as a black stone, the stone where the Men of the Mountain made their oath with Isildur, and then they broke that oath and became the Oatchbreakers or the "Army of the Dead". The "Palantíri" were descripted as black stones and of course having a kind of a magical property.
What if jon, being targaryen is brought to life when they burn his body. This makes the most sense? I cant see the nightswatch keeping his body around too much longer since bodies are coming back due to white walkers?
this was a long one IDG. Get Men of the West, Philosophers Games and the clueless fangirl on for Tolkien content. Best LOTR tubers in my humble opinion.
I was far, far more bothered in the LotR films by the fact that Aragorn decapitated the Mouth of Sauron than I was about any purely "visual" change that they made or could have made. That was an ignoble act, that Aragorn did not and would never have committed in the books.
Just as an aside; on the thought that Jon will have warged into Ghost whilst 'dead', while we likely won't get a POV of him inside Ghost, I think it's quite intriguing to think about what he'll hear while in Ghost from those around him, that will influence that "wolfish" sort of mentality, a bit more, beast-like. I expect Jon to be one serious dude, and we thought he was serious before?! Also, with respect to UnGregor. How would he see without a head at all? That would sort of imply that he's controlled more than just reanimated. Whether it's his head or some dwarf's head that Qyburn used in place is sort of a non-issue when it comes to the question of how he could even see at that point. I can buy that he's reanimated through a grim sort of science, but not so much that he has no eyes (because he has no head) but can still fight, that just goes a little too far. I think the helm always being on hide the head's true identity, the symbolism is still there, darkness within, but not so as absurd so as to suspend all belief.
Never read the books but loved the tv show. My question is how does Varys get around so quickly from place to place and could he be a sea dragon? Also is Ammon his brother as he speaks to egg on his death bed ? I also dont think that it was Varys that Danny kills because a dragon cant burn so was it a faceless man?
Robert, I have a question. I came upon you in the first place via Lord of the Rings material. But you cover all of these things - was one of them your "original" entry into UA-cam presence? Do you have a "favorite" among them?
I was just wondering if you were going to do a live stream on the tall man of the grasslands the sarnori or the lost free cities of gogossos or essaria
I think that lupine is the word you're after rather than wolfish. Wolfish is primarily used for negative character traits, e.g., a wolfish (I.e., lascivious) grin.
My one complaint about the LOTR movies is that I hate almost everything Legolas does. Like I understand he’s supposed to be agile and mystical but when he rides shields down stairs and punches someone with arrows between his fingers like ???? It kinda takes me out of it. I also don’t like the warg attack and Aragorn fakeout in Two Towers. I do like the change they made my taking all the women and children to helms deep, the tension is a lot better
I take my time, mostly over a number of days and not to send me to sleep! Corlys is from Valeria, a melting pot of all races! GRRM is now able to do this! Ah well, this is still going to take me a few more days. Thx Robert!
Why must this be about uncreating the Others? Wouldn't it be strange for GRRM to make the overall antagonist a purely evil force? It's entirely possible that they aren't purely "bad guys."
I always thought that the Others were coming down south to run away from something even more treatening than them. As the most mystical creatures of ASOIAF are very nature/animal like, I don't see why the Others should be this pure evil, it sounds too artificial and unlike anything else in the books. I always, ever since the first book, thought that the Others were running away from a Dragon up north. An actual, natural "Ice" Dragon, not one like in the show, that was artificially created. I mean what else would scare the coldest beings away if not for a lonesome creature of fire ending their winter/natural habitat. But that seems too far-fetched tbh, I thought of that a decade or more ago.
Re: the Corlys casting, I'm just unwilling to engage in these "real world arguments" over such things. I just want to enjoy the story. Is it real world social struggles penetrating into the process? Sure, no doubt. But... I just choose to focus on the story and not worry about all that stuff. To some extent the showrunners would catch criticism no matter what decisions they made. They're just trying to get the job done.
When everyone rushes out to watch the next show, that'll teach them that it doesn't matter how bad they screw things up. They'll know that they have their franchise and all the little sheep will flock to gobble it up no matter how horribly they butcher the stories and writing. This is the reason so many big budget movies are trash. They learn that they don't have to try and they'll make their money anyway. And so begins the process to pump out as much trash as fast as possible.
I disagree respectfully about it showing signs of magical fallout. I think from what he wrote about the bloodstone emperor, worshipping a black stone from the sky Implies natural disaster, and the global climate change from it.
What I find interesting, as a Black man particularly, is that Valyrian's are never expressly described as what we recognize as "white"/European. Nevertheless, this casting is being called in accurate and "SJW" Propaganda. The people who are being vocally negative about the casting need to watch Grey's video on this subject. She breaks it down perfectly from all the angles.
Nah bro, pale skin is expressly mentioned in the books. That's simply not true. Not every story needs to be retconned for representation tho. Trust me you would be annoyed too if Nordic looking Wakandans randomly popped up with no decent or logical explanation
How can you say “these are legends we cant take them to seriously” but can automatically debunk this story being scifi in the way if an post apocalyptic or post modern story???
Fire isnt good and ice isnt bad. Magic is a thing but its not an end all mechanism. It’s frustrating because you do have some unique insight into the world but your blind trust in the fact that you think it’s solely a fantasy world with jon being the ultimate good guy and prophecy is to tbe completely trustworthy is so frustrating. Its scifi no doubt. George has written nothing but scifi since he started.
Also meant in a totally not negative way: I also like to listen to this when falling asleep and when sleeping. I get terrible nightmares while sleeping (I've a weird sleep disorder, well, hmm, I've several weird sleep disorders) UNLESS there is some voice talking while I sleep. Can be a radio, or a book read on tape etc. Instead of having a horrible nightmare, my dreams are shaped by what the voice (S) are saying, which can make very weird dreams, but not aggressively horrible ones. Mr In Deep Geek doing a long talk is nifty for what ails me. Ta.
Same here, been falling into the best sleep via radio starting at age 10. 20 years later Robert's stuff edges out even George Noory now and then!
@@keithla7654 Excellent to hear! I was only able to start sleeping with the radio on when I finally lived on my own, and that wasn't until I was 32. Eeek.
I lived in London then, and used to sleep listening to the World Service, on the BBC's radio 4. I'd wake up knowing the most intriguing things.
UA-cam is great for this now. I also like sleeping while comedy programmes are on. The creates very entertaining dreams.
Haha I do this too!
I cant sleep while listening to Robert, he wakes my brain up lol
@@chenderhan I hope it gives you amusing dreams, as it does for me!
Robert, I send readings to my friends, and I felt a bit weird about many saying that it really helps them sleep. But over time, and after listening to you when I go to bed, I get it now! We choose you because of your beautiful voice, cadence, pacing. It's not just a sound, it reflects your intelligence. And also the words you choose - the topics you're interested in and the way you choose to talk about them, is another reason why we choose you to listen to. We don't *want* to fall asleep to put an end to listening to you! But we all need to sleep. And for many, it's difficult.
If it helps, my wife and I are more and more trying to squeeze in time in the day to take in more of your words or revisit your ideas. Particularly enjoying the Old Valyrian stuff at the moment:) Thankyou!
Great answer to the race-baity person! I don't know what that phrase means but I suspect they described themself!
When I saw Corlys that was actually the first thing I thought - that the Valyrians weren't all white like Dany.
And actually the purple eye contact lenses was bang on point. People complain about skin colour but I didn't hear anyone complain about Dany not having purple eyes.
the part at the beginning about getting to sleep was definitely meant as a compliment lol
The Travelers Guides are some of my very favorite content. I think I've watched both three times through so far. ❤️
yeh, even taken at its worst, its way more importand to get a good night sleep than any fictiontale. i personly do listen to new stuff when im aweak and only watch repeats so i dont get distracted by new interesting stuf. but then i have also lisend to the little mermaid by geoff castalucie for hundrets of times and hardly ever get past the first 15 min
He certainly has a soothing voice that helps me sleep but I'm also learning new things at the same time
If you are dragon and going to breach on the first room of the great cloth of the gentle man of the great trouser. All and most if nothing more than a huge big thinking of the
I can get game of thrones lore anywhere... but a velvety voice that lulls me to sleep? That's special
Definitely take the sleep as a compliment, your videos have been a source of comfort (from a fantasy nerd side) and are much appreciated, especially when health issues make getting to sleep difficult.
I love that Robert takes it as a compliment. I think it's lovely that his gentle voice soothes so many of us to sleep. 💛
Never had three hours pass so quickly. A testament to how brilliant your live streams are. Thank you Robert
THREE HOURS OF ASSHAI I AM *HERE* FOR IT
I certainly do listen in the daytime or at work. But I love to fall asleep to indeepgeek just as much haha
Like many here, I use your videos to fall asleep. Great streams and your voice is soothing
I loved the HoTD pics and i loved loved Corlys' wig and the different valyrian style and textured wigs.
You know ... If Asshai is THAT BIG and can fit Kings Landing and Old town both, even one light out of ten is not as little as we are pushed to think...
I also having been playing this channel to sleep since coming across it, years after some of the videos have been made. It's playing in the day while I do other tasks, at night when I go to bed, and often still in the morning when I wake up. Hard to find videos that are good for that, videogame streams but sometimes people will shout which is jolting if I'm trying to sleep or awake. If it's not something interesting enough to pay attention to it definitely won't work for sleep because my body will know I'm Trying to sleep
I would love to see a live stream about Sothoryos and the Basilisk Isles
Love catching up on all your live streams Robert, great to hear about the mysterious eastern fringe of Essos 👍🏻👍🏻
14:00 - You have a fantastic voice; my wife had me put on headphones the other day because she found herself wanting to listen to you instead of doing what she needed to do. You're very pleasant and engaging to listen to.
Hi Robert I love your channel. I think that you talk about very interesting topics un your videos . You are one of my favourite youtubers
Thank you, Robert, for your delightful insight!
"From Ibb to Ashai when men see my sails they prey." Euron has definitely been to Ashai. Where else would he have learned all that gnarly magic which he apparently uses to control the winds and summon storms and maybe krakkens. I think it would be safe to assume that Euron has been to every scary or mysterious place on planetos. The man is as crazy as he is clever.
He sounds like a cool villain. Show made him a side piece clown.
I'm most interested in what's south of the summer isles and how big the planet is. The implication seems to be that the summer islands are near the equator.
Thank heavens we are getting new things 💖💖💖💖
Yes yes yes the Far East of the world
Of ice and fire, thanks for this, I can’t wait to deep drive into this world this afternoon…..
I cant fall asleep to interesting subjects, but I'll second you having a super relaxing tone of voice.
Euron has been to Asshia and he was mad before glimpsing the darkness.
I've often said, think about it like this: the book account is one version of a story, just like when you speak to someone about an event, you get their version. The film or television version is a different person's account. A different version. Like the dress that some saw as blue and black and some saw as gold and white or whatever it was.
Well honestly your voice is comforting and even my sleep is better. :)
I also listen to you almost every night when I sleep , but for the record I’ve watched every video multiple times while awake . I hope to become a Paterson when the U.S. banking system becomes viable again but right now I’m too poor lol😅
Am I the only one who reads Asshai and sees Asshat?..... Now I can't unsee it..
17:16 as a glasses wearer, i can't imagine using contacts. They seem like they would be uncomfortable. As such, I can empathize with being unfomfortable having to put special effects deparment lenses in your eyes constantly for filming a series
Hi, Robert. Good to see you after a long period of convalescence and a HUGE break that I had to take, due to the real world. Your videos have helped keep me safe and entertained during a hard year. I actually do have a questIon: have you ever read the five (allegidly) existing books by POV only? I've found that it entirely changes one's outlook on the story as a whole. Anyway, cheers. I hope you are doing well.
Euron did claim to have gone to Asshia. At the kingsmoot and the Forsaken chapter he mentions having been to Asshia. But for Quarth, he has probably been there as well he doesn't mention it by name I don't think. The warlocks he has he picked up while they themselves were headed to Pentos looking for Daenerys because they wanted to kill her. But Euron found them first.
AND ALL THE REST OF IT!!!
After he mentioned it I couldn’t stop noticing it! 😂
I'm actually reasonably hopeful about the Grrmillion.
I think alot of it may already exist in note form so it may more a question of polishing and editing it
I truly wish that if they ever do a valyria or old world asshai spin off. That they hire you to help in some fashion. Need your kind of genuine-ness to keep it true to the amazing world and overall feel of what george was creating! Loving the channel so far! Subscribed!
I thought leaving out Bombadil was a good move. A really, REALLY faithful adaptation of LotR would end up being a weird musical, with the action stopping every few pages of script as the actors start singing some damn song or other. It would not have been cool.
I agree fully with you. Also, the movie Aragorn is a much more compelling character. In the book he's a 2D, finished product.
Asshai: Nuclear fallout? More likely a rock that fell from space ("The Colour Out of Space" by Lovecraft).
The corpse city of R'lyeh, I mean Asshai.
@@MajesticGovernor Actually, the corpse city is Stygai.
2:05:00 "The glass candles are burning..." Euron's home is his ship. I can't imagine that he has a "home" anywhere else. There might be places like inns that he stays for certain periods of time.
The beauty of Qarth is legendary👍
🔥🐲🔥🐲🔥🐲
*QWARTH
@@wyatt1339 I didn't come here to argue grammar
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
@@wyatt1339 did you read📖 the video title before you replied?
*Qarth
@@QueenDaenerysTargaryen What? I'm referencing Dani mispronouncing it in the show. Chill out
Amazing as usual Robert, though I fear we're going to be wandering around Planetos ruminating forevermore. I think the fans should crowdfund a coalition of top ASOIAF scholars such as yourself to write us the books.
Well, if you consider, the fact of how much of the north is probably covered in ice cap, the sea levels are lower, so Lang would be essentially Sunderland
The corpse city of R'lyeh, I mean Asshai.
In Deep!!!!!!!
I wish Asshai was relevant in the books. Quaithe did indicate that Dany would have to go there. Also, Bran did see a vision of dragons in the Shadowlands Beyond Asshai, but unsure if that vision was past, present or future.
Surely if the architects of Planetos can build things like the great castles of Westeros, the maesters can calculate the circumference of the planet right??
If you look at the story closely, it feels like jon fits more as the nights king or the bloodstone emperor for his tendencies to make peace with 'the bad guys' than the azor ahai who just fights them. I think the story is about someone making peace with the others or whoever the bad guy is and then someone messing the peace up. Azor Ahai never completely destroyed the others, only ended the long night but if the history is to be repeated, the long night cannot be very long (at least not this time). So what did he do?
In the vein of fantasy fiction but really intended as reality and new events- David wilcock has, on the end of wonder channel forest fire episode- talked about paradise, california and extra terrestrial beings who live there that have very valeryian looks, aside from vertically slot pupils, they have purple colored pupils and platinum blonde hair, and often go in dishuise. they are telepathic and if you look at one you may recieve some somewhat unwanted communication or forboding message. They are described to be benevolent, however, and are also found in los angeles. Sounds crazy right? i think so.
The science nerd within me has to state that radiation doesn't make things glow, and if it's so radioactive that fish are deformed, humans won't live long there either.
Definitely hope we get more information about Asshai, it's one of my favorite places in the world of ice and fire because of all the mysteries.
Sand Kings is an amazing sci fi story by George.
Quite right about bombadil
Quaith is leading Danny to her destiny as Azor Ahai Reborn (however much this is a shared role). Danny's desire to conquer Westeros is only something to be used as a motivating factor and really doesn't matter to Quaith. In this she basically mirrors Melisandre, who is condemned by viewers/readers where Quaith is not. This is the sense in which Melisandre is so grossly misunderstood IMNSHO.
Oily and fused black stone are definitely not the same thing, and there's no way that the largest city on Planetos was intentionally built out of cursed stone. I mean it's heavily implied that children cannot survive around oily stone (there are no children in Asshai), so how could you have a civilization there? The only way it makes sense is if it was originally built of a different kind of stone, and some magical aberration occurred that transformed it.
The largest magical catastrophe that we know of is the coming of the Long Night, referenced on the blurb you mentioned on the original Game of Thrones book - "The seasons are off," something or other.
It also makes sense that Asshai, the greatest city, was the capital of the greatest civilization, the GEOTD.
The magical catastrophe was most likely caused by the infamous Bloodstone Emperor, the same event that led to the seasons being off, the first Long Night, and the transformation of the stone of Asshai into oily black stone.
Just my two cents :)
Omg, i go to sleep listening to him too 😂
50:06 I think one evidence of the worldwide long winters is that the Dothraki continue to buy the peace of cities instead of keeping to their massive domains. If they had stable summers and winters, eventually a nomadic society would stabilize. But just like the climate disaster in the 6th century drove eastern steppe horse nomads to move west and harass Roman Constantinople for gold, the Dothraki can't feed their herds properly and so must depend on pillaging to the point that it becomes an essential cultural behaviour. Otherwise, it honestly seems like every Dothraki could roam the grass for a lifetime without ever worrying about running out of resources.
I guess the inspiration G.R.R. Martin took to wrore Asshai wasn't only from Lovecraft but also from Tolkien.
I don't know if you have the same impression, but Asshai's description is very similar of Mordor's description.
You know, all the things with blacklands, a landlocked place with mountains protecting it (in Tolkien's Legendarium we also have Gondolin in the Silmarillion), poisonous air, I always remember Boromir in the movie speaking "the air is a poisonous fume!" 🤣, a desolate land where nothing grows, it matches a lot with Mordor, specially in the Gorgoroth Plains, only Nûrn to the south it's the only place where you can grow things, but the lake itself seems puterify, dirt and poisonous.
And about the luminouscenc plants and fungi we also have this in the Dead Marshes. And the inspirations Tolkien took from it weren't about nuclear fallout (he wrote it before Hiroshima and Nagasaki) but on real things, you know the lights as methane flames, and bioluminescent fungi as a real thing that can exists in this kind of environment.
And of course, as Mordor became what it was because of a vulcan (Mt. Doom aka. Amon Amârth) the same can happened to Asshai. Vulcanism as the answer and not a nuclear fallout.
And both Mordor and Asshai are in the southeast edges of the known maps.
In Tolkien's Legendarium we also have the cold and waste places in the north, just we have with the lands beyond the Wall, in the Silmarillion we have the Thangoridrin and Angband as the Morgoth's headquarters, and in the 3rd Age we have Carn Dûm lead by the Witch-King of Angmar.
Listen Martin's fans I'm not saying the man stoled everything from Tolkien, but the inspirations here are quite explicit.
I also enjoyed your link between the Lovecraftian concept of "Deep Ones" with the Tolkien concept of the "Nameless Things" (and yes, Tom Bombadil and his wife maybe are examples of that).
About the "Black Stones" architecture we also can see some of that on Tolkien's work. It is a kind of a signature that the ancient Numenorians left on Middle-Earth, we have some examples of that on the Minas Tirith outer wall or in the wall around Isengard and in the tower itself. Morannon or the Black Gate in the entrance to Mordor was also built by the Numenorians to kept the Orcs out from Gondor. I don't remember if Minas Môrgul (former Minas Íthil) and Cirith Ûngol were also built with this black stone architecture.
However if we dive on the Numenorians of the North, we don't see this same kind of signature, probably because Annúminas was abandoned even before Arnor split in three, Lond Daer the first colony founded by the Numenorians in the Middle Earth was also abandoned the same happened with Tharbad, and we don't know anything about this in Dol Amroth, Osgiliath and Umbar, for example. Another link om that was the "Erech Stone" as a black stone, the stone where the Men of the Mountain made their oath with Isildur, and then they broke that oath and became the Oatchbreakers or the "Army of the Dead". The "Palantíri" were descripted as black stones and of course having a kind of a magical property.
Stygai: Stygian - of the river Styx, the river you cross to the Underworld - Ancient Greek mythology.
Shouldn't that be Ancient Greek?
@@heyokaikaggen6288 Yes, of course! That's what I get for posting at 1am on Saturday after a long week's work! Corrected.
@@johnbell4328 This is the effect of In Deep Geek, Robert keeps all of us up way past our proper bedtimes...
What if jon, being targaryen is brought to life when they burn his body. This makes the most sense? I cant see the nightswatch keeping his body around too much longer since bodies are coming back due to white walkers?
I wish I'd remembered that Asshai is very much like the Dying Earth lands of Jack Vance with it being a dying land inhabited by lone magicians.
and all the rest of it 💙
this was a long one IDG. Get Men of the West, Philosophers Games and the clueless fangirl on for Tolkien content. Best LOTR tubers in my humble opinion.
or Geekzone
I was far, far more bothered in the LotR films by the fact that Aragorn decapitated the Mouth of Sauron than I was about any purely "visual" change that they made or could have made. That was an ignoble act, that Aragorn did not and would never have committed in the books.
I don't know what it is about his accent, but I really want to he ad him say "You get nothing! You lose! Good day, sir!"
They CGId three whole ass dragons, don’t try and tell me they couldn’t have turned people’s eyes purple in post production. I’m staying mad.
Robert, the type of guy to close the fridge with his hips :)
Lol you're a good man Robert, i doubt id be able to take people saying im the only reason they can get to sleep as a compliment 😆
Just as an aside; on the thought that Jon will have warged into Ghost whilst 'dead', while we likely won't get a POV of him inside Ghost, I think it's quite intriguing to think about what he'll hear while in Ghost from those around him, that will influence that "wolfish" sort of mentality, a bit more, beast-like. I expect Jon to be one serious dude, and we thought he was serious before?!
Also, with respect to UnGregor. How would he see without a head at all? That would sort of imply that he's controlled more than just reanimated. Whether it's his head or some dwarf's head that Qyburn used in place is sort of a non-issue when it comes to the question of how he could even see at that point. I can buy that he's reanimated through a grim sort of science, but not so much that he has no eyes (because he has no head) but can still fight, that just goes a little too far. I think the helm always being on hide the head's true identity, the symbolism is still there, darkness within, but not so as absurd so as to suspend all belief.
I have no problem with them swapping out race, as soon as we get to do it for Black Panther
Would love to hear a comparison of Tragaryan powers to Wargs/Greenseers and the sort of balance between opposing forces of Ice and Fire.
The green folk sort of function as the 3rd faction of ice and fire. Seems they just go with who's winning.
Never read the books but loved the tv show.
My question is how does Varys get around so quickly from place to place and could he be a sea dragon?
Also is Ammon his brother as he speaks to egg on his death bed ?
I also dont think that it was Varys that Danny kills because a dragon cant burn so was it a faceless man?
Robert, I have a question. I came upon you in the first place via Lord of the Rings material. But you cover all of these things - was one of them your "original" entry into UA-cam presence? Do you have a "favorite" among them?
I was just wondering if you were going to do a live stream on the tall man of the grasslands the sarnori or the lost free cities of gogossos or essaria
I think that lupine is the word you're after rather than wolfish. Wolfish is primarily used for negative character traits, e.g., a wolfish (I.e., lascivious) grin.
Video starts at 6:08
Prior to that he talks about upcoming shows that look terrible.
My one complaint about the LOTR movies is that I hate almost everything Legolas does. Like I understand he’s supposed to be agile and mystical but when he rides shields down stairs and punches someone with arrows between his fingers like ???? It kinda takes me out of it. I also don’t like the warg attack and Aragorn fakeout in Two Towers. I do like the change they made my taking all the women and children to helms deep, the tension is a lot better
I had to rewind to make sure you didnt say thank you for a dancing Hitler super sticker lol thankfully it was a dancing hippo
For some reason, whenever I see the name Asshai, my brain replaces the i with a t.😁
I take my time, mostly over a number of days and not to send me to sleep! Corlys is from Valeria, a melting pot of all races! GRRM is now able to do this! Ah well, this is still going to take me a few more days. Thx Robert!
Great video as always! Really disappointed in the people in the chat losing their shit over a black actor being cast in their precious story.
its weird there is a jasper in the chat that makes my name ligth up in the side of my vision. confused me into thinking i was watching live for a sec
Why must this be about uncreating the Others? Wouldn't it be strange for GRRM to make the overall antagonist a purely evil force? It's entirely possible that they aren't purely "bad guys."
I always thought that the Others were coming down south to run away from something even more treatening than them. As the most mystical creatures of ASOIAF are very nature/animal like, I don't see why the Others should be this pure evil, it sounds too artificial and unlike anything else in the books. I always, ever since the first book, thought that the Others were running away from a Dragon up north. An actual, natural "Ice" Dragon, not one like in the show, that was artificially created. I mean what else would scare the coldest beings away if not for a lonesome creature of fire ending their winter/natural habitat. But that seems too far-fetched tbh, I thought of that a decade or more ago.
Harry Potter was supposed to have green eyes and they scrapped that for the same reason
Re: the Corlys casting, I'm just unwilling to engage in these "real world arguments" over such things. I just want to enjoy the story. Is it real world social struggles penetrating into the process? Sure, no doubt. But... I just choose to focus on the story and not worry about all that stuff. To some extent the showrunners would catch criticism no matter what decisions they made. They're just trying to get the job done.
6:09 today's topic begins
32:07 poison in Asshai
GRRM wanted the Valerian's to have both black and milk white skins?
Are you sure?
IDG!!!
Asshai-by-the-Wendy's-at-the-intersection
When everyone rushes out to watch the next show, that'll teach them that it doesn't matter how bad they screw things up. They'll know that they have their franchise and all the little sheep will flock to gobble it up no matter how horribly they butcher the stories and writing. This is the reason so many big budget movies are trash. They learn that they don't have to try and they'll make their money anyway. And so begins the process to pump out as much trash as fast as possible.
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1:48:00
OK but if no one can be born in Asshai, how come Quaithe and Melisandre are from Asshai?
Asshai is color out of space
I disagree respectfully about it showing signs of magical fallout. I think from what he wrote about the bloodstone emperor, worshipping a black stone from the sky Implies natural disaster, and the global climate change from it.
Casting a black guy as a valyrian is comedic to say the least.
:D
What I find interesting, as a Black man particularly, is that Valyrian's are never expressly described as what we recognize as "white"/European. Nevertheless, this casting is being called in accurate and "SJW" Propaganda. The people who are being vocally negative about the casting need to watch Grey's video on this subject. She breaks it down perfectly from all the angles.
Nah bro, pale skin is expressly mentioned in the books. That's simply not true. Not every story needs to be retconned for representation tho. Trust me you would be annoyed too if Nordic looking Wakandans randomly popped up with no decent or logical explanation
How can you say “these are legends we cant take them to seriously” but can automatically debunk this story being scifi in the way if an post apocalyptic or post modern story???
Fire isnt good and ice isnt bad. Magic is a thing but its not an end all mechanism. It’s frustrating because you do have some unique insight into the world but your blind trust in the fact that you think it’s solely a fantasy world with jon being the ultimate good guy and prophecy is to tbe completely trustworthy is so frustrating. Its scifi no doubt. George has written nothing but scifi since he started.
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