Expert on Game of Thrones

The following University of Victoria faculty member is available to comment on what life was really like during the Middle Ages, in time for the premiere of Season Four of HBO's Game of Thrones. George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire epic novels, upon which the TV series is based, evoke hints of medieval history within a fictional fantasy world.

James Acken (Medieval Studies) is an expert in the European Iron Age, Early Norse and Celtic cultures, as well as medieval myth and legend. He can comment on the relationship of George R. R. Martin's epic series to the Middle Ages, including medieval poetry and real instances of heroism juxtaposed with extended periods of bloody warfare that easily rival the most gruesome scenes in Game of Thrones. (Dr. Acken is available, including over the weekend, by email at ackenjt@uvic.ca)

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