Episode 21: "Know True Knights; Chivalry & Law in Westeros" feat. Dr. Shiloh Carroll

Learned Hands: The Official Podcast of the Westerosi Bar Association

Maester Merry, Clint from Laws of Ice and Fire and Dr. Shiloh Carroll ask: What are the Westerosi rules of chivalry and how do they relate to other chivalric codes, real and fictional?

Our analysis this week includes:

• Dr. Shiloh, who is a real life medievalist expert, learns us all about what chivalry really was and how modern audiences have interpreted (and mis-interpreted) the codes of knighthood.
• We do a deep dive into how the competing ideas of chivalry are reflected in ASOIAF.
• A point-by-point comparison between what we know about the Kingsguard oath and Sir Thomas Malory’s Pentacostal Oath.
• Merry says an unkind word or twenty about Barristan the Bold.
• Clint dusts off his rickety Jaime-as-Doc Holliday impression.
• Everyone wants to get their hands on the White Book.
• Actual Blackfish content on Learned Hands for the very first time.
• The crew issues very specific knightly grades to Barristan, Sandor, Jaime, and Brienne.

Supplemental reading:

• Shiloh on twitter
• Buy Shiloh’s book
• “Brienne of Tarth, not quite a lady; not quite a Knight” essay by Lo the Lynx
• Medieval Chivalry (Cambridge Medieval Textbooks) (9780521137959): Kaeuper, Richard W.:
• From Chivalry to Terrorism: War and the Changing Nature of Masculinity (9780679768302): Braudy, Leo:

Extensive editing by LittleWolfBird. Bumpers by Zach of the North. Intro & Outro music courtesy Sid Luscious & The Pants. None of this should be construed as legal advice OBVIOUSLY.

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