Game of Thrones is the biggest fantasy juggernaut of our times, with the HBO series having a chokehold over audiences for eight seasons. In its later seasons, the series drastically deviated from the source material penned by author George R.R. Martin, changing several key elements of the story.
One of the most mysterious and important lore from the source material became lost in adaptation. However, the series fumbling with the lore arguably created more issues than the creators could’ve foreseen. Here is how Game of Thrones disrespected the Children of the Forest lore from Martin’s books.
Game of Thrones disrespected George R.R. Martin’s Children of the Forest lore
George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire books introduced readers to the world of Westeros, where political intrigue and fantastical elements co-exist. However, Martin’s craft in balancing the grounded political conflicts with the more outlandish elements is the story’s true heart.
One of the more fantastical concepts in the book revolves around the Children of the Forest, the natives of Westeros, and the source of most magic in the books. As a result, the Children of the Forest are the key to most of the lore in the series while being directly linked with the land’s political conflicts.
However, when Martin’s novels were adapted into the globally popular HBO series, Game of Thrones, the Children were largely sidelined, making only a handful of appearances. Moreover, many fans felt their role in the history of Westeros and connection to the White Walkers was also undermined (via Reddit).
As a result, when the series approached its end, the fantastical conflict linked with the White Walkers and the political intrigue of the Iron Throne felt like two entirely different stories. Hence, Game of Thrones not only disrespected the source material’s role but also ended up damaging its core story.
Canceled Game of Thrones spin-off further proves the series dropped the ball on Children of the Forest
The television series largely ignored the Children of the Forest and drastically reduced their role and importance to the overall story. However, the makers had initially planned to explore more of the Children in a proposed spin-off series set during the Longest Night.
According to IGN, the spin-off series was expected to take place thousands of years before the parent series. It would have explored the relationship between the Children of the Forest and the White Walkers while also developing upon the lore in the source material.
The series was tentatively titled Bloodmoon, with Naomi Watts cast to play the lead role along with an ensemble cast. A pilot episode was also shot for the proposed spin-off series, but in October 2019, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed HBO was not moving ahead with the project.
Ultimately, GOT showed very little understanding of the Children of the Forest and sidelined the most important lore from Martin’s source material. The spin-off’s cancellation further proves the studio executives did not understand the concept’s true purpose and failed to adapt it into a compelling story.
Game of Thrones is currently streaming on Max (USA).
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
