A Song of Ice and Fire: in da clurb, we all fam

In Westeros, when you're here, you're family.

Oh, wait, that's The Olive Garden.

But we're talking about families this week, and, like most things in Westeros, being part of a family is generally not a great time for anyone in this world. Certainly not as fun as having dinner at The Olive Garden.

We look specifically at the Targaryen family and some possible historical inspirations for this mythical dynasty. The blonde dragon people share some interesting similarities with the Egyptian Pharoahs and the Ptolemeic dynasty, as well as the infamously inbred Habsburgs. Just how inbred were the Habsburgs? Surprisingly, not as much as the Targaryens, and we have a geneticist's Tweet to prove it.

Then we look at families on more of relational level, discussing the psychology concept of attachment theory as it relates to our favorite Westerosi families. Does anyone in this world have a secure attachment style? You are probably not surprised to hear that the answer is no.

We also of course have another installment of Wig Watch for you (see the wigs discussed on our Instagram), and we've got some recommendations in What Are We Watchin'.

Join us next time to talk about politics and religion, yay!

Further Reading:

Historical connections to the Targaryens

Real royal families and House of the Dragon

How inbred is Daenerys Targaryen?

Attachment Theory explained

Remember that sweet 85-year-old food critic in North Dakota who wrote a positive review of the new The Olive Garden in her town?