Warrior Philosophy in Game of Thrones (2 page)

Secondly, I wanted to address directly something which may be on your mind: Am I just jumping on the bandwagon?  The short answer is yes and no, but as with most short answers, that doesn't tell you very much!  I have definitely seen an opportunity to as my friend calls it “meme-surf” - to ride the wave of popularity around a particular concept, idea, or form.  However, when I say “Inspired by...” I mean that.  I watched the series and loved the way they brought the world, characters, politics, struggles and dilemmas to life so much it inspired me to want to connect with this great story and become a part of the rich flow of meaning that comes from this kind of genuinely great story-telling.  The warrior's path is so strongly a part of this story, and it is so strongly a part of my life that it just felt like it made total sense for me to write this book, and when better than now?  I believe the message I offer here, which I pass on from previous generations of truly wise men and women is a powerful message about how we can grow into the fullness of ourselves as human beings and in doing so, make the world around us a better place.  I think that is a message of both challenge and hope which we are all in need of sometimes, and there is much in the world right now which needs challenging, and many people who could use a greater sense of hope.  I see it as timely in that way too.

Enjoy this book for what it is: an opportunity.  Take that how you will...

Warrior's

Code

Chapter 1 – The Warrior's Code

“A hedge night is the truest kind of knight... Other knights serve the lords who keep them, or from whom they hold their lands, but we serve where we will, for men whose causes we believe in.  Every knight swears to protect the weak and innocent, but we keep the vow best, I think.”
[i]

In every warrior tradition around the world that I have come across there is a code of behaviour which serves as moral foundation and ethical yard-stick for the warriors in that culture.  Just as this quote suggests of the knights of Westeros, the land where George R. R. Martin's  'A Song of Ice and Fire' is set, it varies greatly how strictly these codes have been adhered to.  However, they were put in place and generally the warriors most respected and admired over the generations have been warriors who serve a higher purpose than their own glory, and a key part of that life of service was abiding by a code of honour.

The vow that Knights take in Westeros is never stated in full in the books that I'm aware of but it is spoken in part in one of Martin's novella's as:

“...in the name of the Warrior I charge you to be brave... In the name of the Father I charge you to be just... In the name of the Mother I charge you to defend the young and innocent... In the name of the Maid I charge you to protect all women...”
[ii]

I'd guess the rest of the vow continues the pattern and is based on the Seven Gods: Warrior, Father, Mother, Maid, Smith, Crone, and Stranger.  Perhaps only Martin knows for sure!  The Night's Watch also swear an oath which I shall explore more in chapter 5 on Duty and Service.

Lord Beric Dondarrion uses a simpler oath in 'A Storm of Swords 1: Steel and Snow' but that feels more like a basic and expedient oath rather than an expression of a code of honour.  For completeness' sake, here it is:

“...do you swear before the eyes of gods and men to defend those who cannot defend themselves, to protect all women and children, to obey your captains, your liege lord, and your king, to fight bravely when needed and do such other tasks as are laid upon you, however hard or humble or dangerous they may be?”
[iii]

The most obvious examples of these codes of behaviour  in our history are Chivalry in
Europe
and Bushido in
Japan
.  The Chivalric Code of Charlemagne was:

To serve God and defend the Church

To serve the liege lord in valour and faith

To protect the weak and defenceless

To give succour to widows and orphans

To refrain from the wanton giving of offence

To live by honour and for glory

To despise pecuniary reward

To fight for the welfare of all

To obey those justly in authority

To guard the honour of fellow knights

To eschew unfairness, meanness and deceit

To keep faith

At all times to speak the truth

To persevere to the end any enterprise begun

To respect the honour of women

Never to refuse a challenge from an equal

Never to turn the back upon a foe
[iv]

Japanese
Bushido
[1]
is much harder to pin down in terms of a well defined or specifically recordable code.  The main attempt to set out the key principles of Bushido is the book 'Bushido: The Soul of Japan' by Inazo Nitobe written at the end of the nineteenth century and first published in 1900.  In the introduction Nitobe himself says that true Bushido defies definition but he is attempting to describe it to help Westerner's to understand the Japanese psyche.  The qualities and concepts named in the chapter headings are:


      
Rectitude or Justice


      
Courage, the spirit of Daring and Bearing


      
Benevolence, the Feeling of Distress


      
Politeness


      
Veracity and Sincerity


      
Honour


      
The Duty of Loyalty


      
Self-Control


      
The Institutions of Suicide and Redress


      
The Sword, the Soul of the Samurai


      
The Training and Position of Woman
[v]

(This last is more respectful and less sexist than it

sounds!)

This is a helpful framework upon which to hang an initial understanding but in my experience of the Japanese martial arts, I have spent many years diving deeply into what is essentially a living and breathing philosophy of life and still feel like I am discovering new facets all the time.  One of the best ways I have found Bushido expressed is in the 'Hagakure'
[vi]
which is a book than began life as a secret record of an old Samurai's wisdom collected by a younger Samurai of the clan.  As such it is made up of a huge collection of short sayings and anecdotes.  I have found that by sitting with these and seeking to understand them within the cultural context of ancient Japan, I feel like I get a flavour of what it meant to live your life according to Bushido, and while I have enjoyed and deeply respect Nitobe's work in defining Bushido for outsiders, it is the Hagakure along with practising the physical arts which I feel has given me the greatest insight into true Bushido.

Many contemporary martial arts also have some kind of behavioural code which may express a moral or spiritual philosophy explicitly, but any code of behaviour is an implicit expression of a set of values.  Essentially it says “This is what we think is the right way to behave.”  One example of a code with explicitly moral content is Gichin Funakoshi's Twenty Guiding Principles of Karate:

1.
      
Do not forget that Karate-do begins and ends with rei
[2]

2.
      
There is no first strike in Karate

3.
      
Karate stands on the side of Justice

4.
      
First know yourself, then know others

5.
      
Mentality over technique

6.
      
The mind must be set free

7.
      
Calamity springs from carelessness

8.
      
Karate goes beyond the dojo
[3]

9.
      
Karate is a lifelong pursuit

10.
  
Apply the way of Karate to all things, therein lies its beauty

11.
  
Karate is like boiling water: without heat, it returns to its tepid state

12.
  
Do not think of winning. Think, rather, of not losing

13.
  
Make adjustments according to your opponent

14.
  
The outcome of a battle depends on how one handles emptiness and fullness (weakness and strength)

15.
  
Think of the opponents hands and feet as swords

16.
  
When you step beyond your own gate, you face a million enemies

17.
  
Kamae
(ready stance) is for beginners; later, one stands in shizentai (natural stance)

18.
  
Perform kata exactly; actual combat is another matter
[4]

19.
  
Do not forget the employment or withdrawal of power, the extension or contraction of the body, the swift or leisurely application of technique

1. Be constantly mindful, diligent, and resourceful in your pursuit of the Way
   [vii]
   

It is no surprise that these have a moral and even spiritual feel to them as Funakoshi was a scholar of oriental philosophy as well as a martial artist.  His reference to the 'Way' is the core concept of Taoism, the indigenous spiritual tradition of
China
and one of the key influences on Zen Buddhism.  Tao means 'Way'.  It is the way of the universe and your personal path through life.  It is the gateway through which the microcosm relates to the macrocosm.  If you'd like to understand more about Taoism then you may enjoy my other books
[5]
, however, for now hopefully you can see that Karate's principles have clear directions in terms of how to live a 'good life' and even have a kind of spiritual lineage within the context of which practitioners could deepen their moral foundation.

An example of a more obviously pragmatic code is the Marquess of Queensbury rules (one of the early established sets of formal rules for boxing):

1.
      
A fair stand-up boxing match, in a twenty-four foot ring.

2.
      
No wrestling or clinching.

3.
      
Three minute rounds, one minute between rounds.

4.
      
Ten seconds to rise and return to the scratch line.

5.
      
A man hanging on the ropes in a helpless state is considered down.

6.
      
No seconds or any other person allowed in the ring during the rounds.

7.
      
If the match is stopped, the referee designates a time and place to continue.

8.
      
The gloves must be fair-sized boxing gloves of the best quality, and new.

9.
      
A glove that bursts, or comes off, must be replaced to the referee's satisfaction.

10.
  
A man on one knee is considered down, and if struck the other forfeits the match.

11.
  
No shoes or boots with springs allowed.

1. In all other respects, the match is governed by the revised
   London
   Prize Ring rules.
   [viii]
   

While this is mostly concerned with the practicalities of a fight, it still says a lot about the values of those who chose to engage in this warrior art.  The word 'fair' is used twice.  This is not a word of precise technical definition, it is a word of personal, ethical judgement.  If you hit a man while he is down you forfeit the match – this is another expression of fairness and to me speaks of maintaining a level of civility which must be part of your way of life in order for it to be sustainable under the  emotionally charged conditions of a fight.  Essentially much of this expresses a set of values to do with justice, dignity, respect, courage, and honesty and in that way, while it at first glance looks like a set of rules it is no less a warrior code than Charlemagne's code of Chivalry, or Bushido.

I think all of these warrior codes share something implicitly which has been expressed more explicitly about Bushido: living the code involves a lot more than what is written down.  Not only is the code not adhered to as strictly by all those who profess to follow it as by the minority of dedicated followers (the “Truest Knights” of our original quote), but
really
following the code is much more than the 'letter of the law' so to speak.  I believe that in any life path, in any moral code, in any spiritual or religious path for that matter, there is a vast field of implicit, lived experience which goes to make up the code and any written or spoken definition can only ever express a small part of this larger reality.  Returning to our example in story, Game of Thrones: at first glance many of the characters seem to be sworn knights, but most of us watching it would only pick out a handful who we'd consider the true knights within the piece.  I'd suggest that there are some not-so-obvious candidates as well.  Lord Eddard Stark is perhaps one obvious example of a true knight, but his honour proves his downfall.  Does that then mean that all honourable men are doomed to be taken advantage of by those less scrupulous than themselves?  Tyrion Lannister does not seem much of a knight but many of his acts show clearly a much more knightly sensibility than many others including his brother Jaime who at first glance looks much more in keeping with our expectations of warrior-hood.  I think Varys shows many of the deeper features of knighthood and warrior-hood in his commitment to service and care for the greater good.  Whether that proves true in the long haul we will find out.  Ser Allister who trains the new recruits in the Night's Watch at the wall probably follows the letter of the law of the knights vow religiously, but most of us would recognise that he has about him a quality of presence and lack of grace and respect which marks him out as a poor example of the knight's vow as it should ideally be lived.  These are just a few examples of how the Warrior's code shows up in the series and we will explore many more as we start to look at specific qualities within the way of the warrior in future chapters.