Looking back at the most atrocious betrayals in Game of Thrones, we can say that the Red Wedding tops the list. Not only did it take two of the most beloved characters halfway through the series, but it also violated an ancient Westerosi tradition that many book readers would recognize.
We recall the massacre orchestrated by Lord Walder Frey as revenge for Robb Stark breaking his marriage pact. Believing that all is well and the House Frey has moved on after they were invited to Edmure Tully and Roslin Frey’s wedding, Robb and his mother, Catelyn, expected they were under the protection of guest rights.
How the Red Wedding in Game of Thrones violated the rule of guest right
Guest right is an ancient and sacred tradition in Westeros that dates back thousands of years to the era of the First Men. Violating this is basically breaking a covenant that would invoke the wrath of the old gods and the new. When a guest eats the food off his host’s table under his roof, then guest right is invoked, and no harm shall be inflicted on both parties.
The concept of bread and salt was introduced in George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire, so it was quite interesting for him to break his own rule when he wrote the controversial Red Wedding chapter. In his interview with Entertainment Weekly, the author shared that breaking the rules of the guest right goes back to medieval times.
Hospitality laws were real in Dark Ages society. A host and guest were not allowed to harm each other even if they were enemies. By violating that law, the phrase is, they “condemn themselves for all time.”
Readers know that breaking the sacred covenant would cause extreme repercussions for the fact that this heinous crime is considered much worse than kinslaying or regicide. Stories claimed that lords who have broken guest right were cursed for all eternity. While the show made it look like the Red Wedding was a display of betrayal, it was much more profound in the books.
The infamous massacre ruined the Freys’ reputation in the eyes of their allies, and their house was also plagued with bad fortune and strange deaths, which could be taken as a sign of the gods’ fury.
The historical references of the Red Wedding
We know that Martin is a history buff who mostly draws inspiration for his books from documented accounts. Breaking guest right had taken place in the past, and there were two infamous occasions: The Black Dinner and the Glencoe Massacre.
There are many narratives about these bloody events in history that fans could read in their spare time, but it’s worth noting that Martin does not makeup stuff that people haven’t read in history books. Most of the time, they were worse than his fictional stories.
The Red Wedding remains a memorable part of Game of Thrones, and even though the series ended on a disappointing note, it still delivered one of the most heart-wrenching scenes ever witnessed on television.
Game of Thrones is currently available to watch on HBO.
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