#asoiaf worldbuiling

[gwenllian-in-the-abbey]

Hi, I was wondering if you could explain what a "petty lord" would be in Westeros? Are these lords that are sworn directly to a paramount's bannerman (like Beesbury and Costayne being sworn to Hightower instead of directly to Tyrell)? I haven't been able to find a definition, only that they have much smaller holdings and there are dozen petty lords near White Harbor according to Wyman Manderly. Thank you so much in advance.

Good question!

Westeros, unlike medieval Europe, has a very simplified feudal structure. You might have noticed that everyone who is not royalty is either a "lord" or a "ser." There are no equivalent titles to earl or duke or marquis or count. My understanding is that George uses the term "petty lord" to distinguish smaller, less influential lordships from larger ones. IRL the term "petty kingdom" is used much the way George used the same term to describe pre-conquest Westeros-- houses like the Hightowers were petty kingdoms in the way that Mercia, Kent, East Anglia, etc were petty kingdoms before England was unified. They were local powers encompassing a few counties at best, and many medieval petty kingdoms irl went on to become duchies or principalities when larger kingdoms expanded to encompass more territory. In Westeros, the petty kingdoms became lordships, either lords paramount or the principle banner houses to the lords paramount. My understanding of "petty lord" is that it's an imprecise term used to describe any minor lordship, but it would be particularly applicable imo to those houses that do not have their own banner houses, which would include the sorts of houses you mention, sworn to a bannerman rather than the lord paramount. That said, I don't think there is any exact canon definition, so it can probably be applied loosely to any minor house that doesn't have significant power or influence.

[warsofasoiaf]

Worldbuiling question: Are there enough dogs in ASOIAF? Just watched an informative video on the varieties of working dogs in sheep herding, which makes me wonder where Westeros and Essos could see more dogs? Useful at the Wall? Should they be seen more among the smallfolk and farms? Cats too? Domestic "helper" animals in general worldbuilding?

Dogs are referenced more than a few times. Jon Arryn and Willas Tyrell both have a deft hand in the breeding of hunting hounds, the Dothraki are followed by packs of dogs who scavenge in their wake, Clegane’s hall is noted to be so scary even dogs fear to go in it, the Last Hero is mentioned explicitly to have a dog. This last one bears specific attention, Old Nan mentions that “one by one his friends died, and his horse, and finally even his dog,” the phrasing of which suggests that his dog was indeed a loyal and true companion and that the loss of such a noble beast was a true hardship for the Last Hero. This falls in line with the Azor Ahai myth that the prophecized savior of the world will lose the things that he holds most dear. Similarly, we have Tommen’s beloved cats and the old nasty black tomcat who is the “real king of the castle” and who might be Rhaenys’s beloved Balerion.

In worldbuilding terms, remember that GRRM is limited by a wordcount, so he needs to pick and prioritize what he wants to include in his novel. A lot of the storytelling niches that would be filled by dogs as loyal companions to the protagonists is filled out by the Stark direwolves. 

Thanks for the question, Anon.

SomethingLikeALawyer, Hand of the King