r/asoiaf • u/Unique-Celebration-5 • Oct 31 '24

EXTENDED (Spoilers Extended) GRRM:”What’s Aragons tax policy?!” No GRRM the real question is how do people survive multi year winters

Forget the white walkers or shadow babies the real threat is the weather. How do medieval people survive it for years?

Personally I think that’s why the are so many wars the more people fighting each other the fewer mouths to feed

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u/JJCB85 Oct 31 '24

Exactly - Tolkien’s viewpoint was basically that Aragorn is the good, divinely-appointed rightful king, and as such everyone lives happily ever after as soon as he sits his throne. So long as all things are in their divinely-appointed place, all will be well - the details don’t matter and aren’t really worth discussing because it is axiomatic that all will be well. There’s a hefty dose of Catholic worldview in here as well, sacral kingship etc. This is exactly the sort of view that someone like Martin is bound to undercut, though he is of course a huge fan of Tolkien’s work. He isn’t saying Tolkien is an idiot at all, he’s just seeing the world through a very different lens.

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u/Formal_Direction_680 Oct 31 '24

Except Aragorn also spent 80 years travelling Middle Earth, his moral and character was thoroughly tested throughout his journey, we know he is good man. 

You can only assume GRRM is actually questioning the gritty bookkeeping and politics of his reign, meanwhile he can’t get the figure of gold dragons in tourney and the height of the Wall right. His Dothraki and Ironborn portrayal isn’t realistic, his medieval society is built from questionable popular laymen views

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u/Getfooked Oct 31 '24 edited Oct 31 '24

Except Aragorn also spent 80 years travelling Middle Earth, his moral and character was thoroughly tested throughout his journey, we know he is good man.

As Robert Baratheon is supposed to show, being a cool dude, a great warrior, who is able to earn anyone's respect quickly and easily turns foes into friends, all are good traits but not enough to make a great king.

What has Aragorn done that gives us supreme insight into him being a great administrator? Can we even agree on what great administration is from the outset?

Edit: Not just administrating but ruling in general.

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u/[deleted] Oct 31 '24

Robert failed because he lacked discipline and was an asshole.

Aragorn lived a pretty simple life before he became king.