George RR Martin reveals ‘heartbreaking’ childhood pet deaths inspired Game of Thrones’ most twisted moments
GAME of Thrones may be a fantasy drama, but it was inspired by George RR Martin’s real life experiences.
The HBO epic wrapped earlier this year to mixed reviews, with many taking issue with the final few episodes on grounds they were “rushed” and “oversimplified”.
However, the franchise still has a bright future, with Targaryen spin-off House of the Dragon currently in production.
Martin gave an impassioned speech earlier this week as he was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame, opening up about his early writing career and inspirations.
He revealed that dealing with loss during his childhood was a driving force behind some of the darkest plot lines in Game of Thrones.
Specifically, he seemed to have a revolving door of pet turtles who never seemed to last very long.
“I had a toy castle that was big enough for [two turtle bowls] in the courtyard, so I put two turtle bowls side by side in my castle...the thing was, dime store turtles don’t live very long,” he told the audience.
“I don’t think the food they give you—the little shakers of turtle food—were really very nutritious.
“So my turtles were always dying, which broke my heart, and I had to come up with some explanation as to why they were dying.”
To make sense of their deaths, Martin would cook up all kind of twisted murder narratives in his head.
“So I decided they were murdering each other - they lived in a castle, and obviously they were knights and kings, and princes, and they were competing for the turtle throne so they were murdering each other,” he went on
“Long before Game of Thrones, Turtle Castle was one of my first fantasy epics.”
The trip down memory lane marks a departure from Martin’s usual answer when asked what inspired the show.
In the past he has credited the War of the Roses as the historical source material for the series, which centred around warring factions’ claims to the Iron Throne.
The final season of Game of Thrones and the full series box set is available on DVD and Blu-ray from 2nd December.