Storm of Swords – Wildlings

Storm of Swords – Wildlings

On the way to Mance Rayder’s tent, Jon gets the chance to look at the Wildings. In the process, he gets to see that they are more than a barbarian horde.

I have to say that as a culture, the Wildlings are about as convincing as the Dothraki. All we know about them (and when I say this, I mean all the different cultures of Wildlings put together) can fit on one page.

The biggest thing we know about them is that they call themselves the free people. My response to that is, “yeah, and?” I’m not saying I want an anthropology textbook, but I wouldn’t mind another page of data.

 Here is an example of what I mean. The Wildlings are described as dressed in furs. But in this chapter, we’re told about their herds of sheep. Where are the textiles?

I’m not trying to be a pedant but, in this exercise, I want to be true to the text as possible. I feel a little bit guilty when I’m forced to make stuff up.

For the record, I mostly used a blend of Siberian cultures for my references.