Lions are tough. Resilient, hardcore, strong.
This is in no way anthropomorphizing. Those are not exclusively human traits. Those are facts. Lions are as tough as nails, simply because they have to be. To survive in the hostile environment that they do, and grow up to be the apex predator, there isn’t room for the weak. And it strikes me that there are parallels to be drawn between a pride of lions and the award-winning HBO series Game of Thrones.
I was quite late to join the Game of Thrones craze. The series had been out for a good few years before I watched my first one, which I eventually did simply because I wanted to know what all the fuss was about. And now I’m just another one of the millions that are eagerly awaiting the release of Season 8 (which will sadly be the last) in 2019.
A rangers’ discussion a few months ago around the campfire drifted into the drama of GOT, and comparisons were made between lions and the cast. It wasn’t so much a personification of individual lions, but more a metaphorical look at the similarities between the day-to-day struggles of the main characters and those in the lion world.
There is a hilarious Beginner’s Guide to GOT on YouTube narrated by Samuel L. Jackson in which he uses a classic line to refer to the Starks: “Nice family, right? Don’t get attached!”.
This sums it up pretty well when referring to lions as well, whether we’re talking about the Tsalala pride, Mapogos, the Tsaro pride of Duba Plains, or any one of a hundred other groups of lions made famous by documentaries or social media. You’ll invariably get one or two individuals who make it through to enjoy a certain amount of longevity (Read: Jon Snow or Brandon and Arya Stark or the Tailless lioness), while everyone else falls by the wayside (everyone else in the Stark family, and most lion cubs).
Much like in the character-driven series, we are able to identify with our favourite individuals. If not identify, then at least to pick a favourite, but just like with the Starks, we can never be sure when disaster is going to overtake our favourite character and essentially remove them from any future episodes.
Some lions become so well known that they almost take on personas of their own, and the level of attachment from people the world over can be quite remarkable. The struggles that lions endure can have people gripped, and checking in to a blog or Instagram page to see what the latest update is is like tuning in for another episode of Game of Thrones; what have the Mhangeni pride been up to? Will the Tsalala lioness be able to have cubs? Do the Birmingham males know they fathered the Mhangeni youngsters? You don’t want to have to wait another week to find out the next update.
The plot lines in the lion world (although simplified compared to television, without dragons or exiled queens or white walkers) run along remarkably similar directions to those in GOT. The main difference of course, is that nothing here is scripted. It all plays out in the grand arena of the African bush, and the characters don’t even know they’re being watched. They are running purely on instinct, adapting to circumstance as best they can, with no rehearsals, run-throughs, cuts or re-edits.
Arya Stark left for many months to learn special skills, which enabled her to be that much more formidable when she returned. Young male lions go through exactly this when they leave their natal prides; a couple of years in the wilderness in which they grow bigger and stronger, eventually to take over territory of their own. Catlyn Stark did whatever it took to protect her children. We’ve seen this time and time again with adult lionesses when their cubs are threatened.
Neither Rickon nor Rob Stark survived in the end, which is true for most young lions.
Notable Author Cristopher Booker believed that there are only 7 basic plot structures in all story-telling, with the characters and settings changing but the essential outlines remaining the same. If that is so, then in telling the story of the Tsalala Pride, or the Sparta Pride, or whichever group of lions we are dealing with, I suppose it’s inevitable that we will be able to draw comparisons between the twists in the tales of these big cats and their GOT counterparts.
Now if only the Dark Maned Majingilane rose from the dead, just like Jon Snow did, then we’d really have a story on our hands!
Maybe the unscripted similarity to some of the great fantasy epics is is why I can’t get enough of the Londolozi Song of Ice and Fire! Explains a lot! By the way if you haven’t had a look at the books then you should really check out what the fuss is about there too.
This made me smile. Interesting take on lions vs a television series. I guess out in the bush daily life is like a soap opera.
I have never seen a Game of Thrones episode as of today but since my initial visit to Londolozi I admit I too read the blog everyday to see the events of each pride of lions and leopards. I find myself both cheering and saddened by what occurs on seemingly a daily basis. My daily fix is this blog. I appreciate you and all the other contributors keeping it going. Thanks to all of you
Hi Andrew and Daniel,
Thanks for the Kind words!
Best regards
Check out “The Savage Kingdom.” It is the best documentary / docudrama Nat Geo has ever done. And I believe it is every bit as good as game of thrones. If I could choose between another season of GoT or Savage, I’d pick savage.
James I believe that the similarities you paint between great stories in both real life and on film is, in the words of Joseph Campbell, “Mythology relating found truth to the living of a life”. The more we can interpret and tell these stories to relate the many truths that are part of the human experience, the greater our awareness will be towards all species and indeed our own humanity.
Profound, Rich!
I agree completely.
A GOT fan, I found your thought process and comparisons between lions and the Starks interesting. I was hooked from the first episode to the twists and turns of the various families in this famous series as I’ve been reading the daily blogs from Londolozi. Will the young Tsalala female make it on her own, what if the Anderson male goes blind and have the Birmingham males reigned supreme?? There’s stories and drama everywhere, though not scripted within your realm. So looking forward to experiencing some of the Londolozi story in November
That’s alright, my next hotel break is hosted by a family who hosted the original Red Wedding . Back many centuries ago,
Ramsey Bolton and his proclivity for infanticide would match any dominant male lion
If the Dark Maned Majingilane rises from the dead, I’ll agree to fly one of Daenerys Targaryen’s dragons!! Your analogies made me laugh, James, although with further thought I could see your point! Fun!
I love the comparison you’ve made, James. There is drama whether in fictional acting or the daily life in the African bush. Of course if a animal we follow actually dies, we mourn or cheer when they heal. They are flesh and blood. I make it no secret that I enjoy the blog and all the various activities within Londolozi. You teach well.
Will the Tsalala lioness be able to have cubs?
I hope she will not have a similar fate like the lonely Sandy Patch in the northern part of Sabi Sand.
https://www.facebook.com/pg/Sandy-PatchSafari-Pride-of-Lions-206229030047/about/?ref=page_internal
She lived in exile, returned to her homeland, the last of her family (a great one) and with battles ahead. Will she be able to leave descendants?
Tsalala lioness or Daenerys Targaryen
I don’t know too much about Game of Thrones, but great comparison andI can imagine it’s more true than I realise!
This is a great comparison! Sharing this article.
As a GOT fan, I could absolutely “see” the drama and relate completely. I do think though that the Lions of Londolozi may be even more enthralling, as Alan and I follow the blog with bated breath between each visit!
Great idea. This has actually already come to fruition with the creation of the two season series called savage kingdom. It’s an amazing dram.