Oh man, I hope you all watched Game of Thrones last night. We’re not gonna give any real spoilers here, but if you watched (and listened) carefully, you might have recognized the dudes from Sigur Rós performing “The Rains of Castamere” at Joffrey’s wedding.
Oh man, I hope you all watched Game of Thrones last night. We’re not gonna give any real spoilers here, but if you watched (and listened) carefully, you might have recognized the dudes from Sigur Rós performing “The Rains of Castamere” at Joffrey’s wedding.
Some background!
In the Game Of Thrones universe, “The Rains of Castamere” is a topical folk song about the time the Lannisters were feuding with the Reyne family, who had rebelled against their liege lord, Tytos Lannister (father to Tywin).
The song is basically about the fact that the Lannisters destroyed the House of Reyne after they questioned Tytos’s ability to lead. It wasn’t about territory as much as it was about issues over quality of leadership. The song reappears throughout the books (and show) as a reminder of how the Lannisters are hard, unforgiving motherfuckers who will crush you. During the Red Wedding, the song is heard and then, well, you know what happens.
The song is essentially a symbol of the domination of the House Lannister. The lyrics are all metaphorical, because minstrels couldn’t get too explicit without risking their lives, but everyone in Westeros knows what it means when a minstrel plays the song. If you hear it, you know some shit is about to go down. Listen to Sigur Ros’s version below, and remember, don’t mess with House Lannister.
