The Medievalism of Castles in Fantasy

Bodiam Castle is perhaps the most fantastic and picturesque castle in Britain, and invokes a sense of magic and fantasy. Johnson argues that this was intended even when it was built in the late 14^th century.¹

Compare this interpretation of Riverrun, seen in The World of Ice and Fire, with Bodiam.

Inserting “castles” or buildings with castle-like aesthetic features serves a deliberate purpose in fantasy writing. The aesthetics of castles deliberately invoke the medieval period, and the image of the castle is deeply associated with knights,princes, ladies, kings, chivalry, quests, honour, fealty, faith, tradition, and all the other things commonly associated with the medieval. Including castles in their invented worlds is one of the easiest ways for fantasy writers to invoke the real medieval world.

Castles and castle ascetics thus allow writers like Martin to easily communicate to readers or viewers that this fantasy world is “medieval” and intricately connected to everything else “medieval” in the readers mind. While the fantasy world is almost always a quasi-medieval one, those fantasy worlds that desire an element of realism are especially apt to include major elements of historical medieval culture simply to lend an authenticity to the created world.

Martin’s “castles” in themselves do not contribute to his narrative;  rather they are part of the larger stage on which his narrative takes place, communicating both a sense of authenticity and depth to his world, as well  firmly rooting it in the tradition of medieval fantasy.