a garden
of thrones an allegorical landscape
Tanner Jordan Prewitt
Design Program for the 2018 National Collegiate Honors Council + the 2018 Mideast Honors Association conferences
Table of Contents Table of Contents
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Project Statement
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Precedent Studies The Villa di Castello The Medici A Song of Ice and Fire Game of Thrones
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Plantings
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Master Plan
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Plot Plans Dragonstone Pentos Khal Drogo Rhaego Viserys Mirri Maaz Duur Mother of Dragons Qarth The House of the Undying Astapor “Dracarys!� Yunkai Meereen Sons of the Harpy Fire and Blood Drogon
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Works Cited
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Project Statement
In the high fantasy series, A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin, exiled princess Daenerys Targaryen begins her quest to retake her throne in Westeros. Following her through foreign lands, marriage contracts, slave revolts, and war, the reader uncovers this dragon queen clothed in fire and blood. This design motif was part of an analysis of ancient and medieval landscape architecture. The Dance of the Dragons would follow the major events that occurred in Daenerys’ life. For her, the memories, hardships, and relationships she has made are integral to who she is as a person and as a queen. Any visitor to the site would have to walk through a living history of the last Targaryen in the world. They would begin by exiting the manor and meandering through the alleys and corridors, discovering the queen born amidst smoke and salt, with fire and blood.
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Precedent Studies The Villa di Castello In the landscape architecture history class of the College of Architecture and Planning at Ball State University, students were given a unique final exam. They were to choose a historical period and design a garden in that period’s style for a fictional character or contemporary celebrity. First choosing the Italian Renaissance, I then selected Daenerys as my client. Intrigued by the project and wanting to explore further, I began to research famous Renaissance gardens in Italy. Stretching along the Apennines to the Bay of Naples, I uncovered a plethora of unique gardens. Each had its own story relating to the family whom owned it. There were two gardens I was drawn too. One belonged to the Borgia family at their papal palace during the reign of Pope Alexander VI. The last, and my selection, belonged to the iconic Medici family. The Villa di Castello is located in Florence and served as the country home of Cosimo I de’ Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, in the 1530s. Since its construction, the villa estate has changed hands numerous times, and thus, some history is in order.
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The Medici Family The grand duke is often confused with his relative, Cosimo the Elder, but here is where blood begins to divide. The grand duke was from a lesser line of the Medici family, borne of Cosimo’s brother, Lorenzo the Elder. Cosimo the Elder, for lack of a better term, was the father of the pureblood Medici, the figurehead of their dynasty. He funded the construction of the Duomo and defined Florentine politics during the early years of the Renaissance. He lived during the 14th century, two hundred years before the grand duke. The villa estate was purchased by Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco de’ Medici, from the lesser line, in 1497. He began to build the manor and gardens until his death. His cousin, Lorenzo de’ Medici, Cosimo the Elder’s grandson and of the pureblood line, took control of the estate and land. Lorenzo “the Magnificent” ruled Florence during the height of the Renaissance, serving in conjunction with Cesare Borgia as inspiration for Niccolo Machiavelli’s The Prince. The grand duke received the estate upon the death of its landholder in a tumultuous time. 16th-century Italy was a cesspool of chaos in the wake of the Italian Wars, a Borgia papacy, and the waning years of the Renaissance. Though he was not of the pureblood family, the grand duke was famous for continuing the powerful rule of the Medici in Florence. As a grandson of Caterina Sforza, an enemy of the old Borgia empire, the grand duke had the power and experience to rule the crippled state. More notorious than the Borgias, the Medici controlled Florence with an iron fist, bank-rolling the papacy, the nobility, and the merchant class. It is fitting then that the Medici homes be as
renowned as the name. The grand duke’s villa was state of the art, with a hydraulic system that drew engineers from across the world. The villa also carried a heavy sense of symbolism in its garden style. Politically, this garden hosted lords, magistrates, cardinals, and even tyrants. It contained many famous works of art, showing the world that the Medici had power and money.
Lorenzo de’ Medici “the Magnificent”
Cosimo Medici “the Elder”
Like the Medici family, the Targaryens were powerful rulers in the kingdom of Westeros. For ages, the Targaryens rode on dragons, conquering vast swaths of land, keeping the people in control. But they were usurped by rival nobles, similar to how the Medici were overthrown, replaced by the Florentine republic.
Cosimo I de’ Medici, Grand Duke
Lorenzo Medici “the Elder”
Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco de’ Medici 5
A Song of Ice and Fire Inspired by the likes of J. R. R. Tolkein and C. S. Lewis, George R. R. Martin also penned a highfantasy saga detailing the exploits of various characters in a fantastic realm. Unlike Middle Earth and the hobbits, unlike Narnia and the Greco-Roman creatures, Westeros details conflict between humans (and yes, dragons). Martin’s series follows a similar story as the Wars of the Roses in 15th-century England. In Westeros, the Starks and the Lannisters vie for control of the realm, each with their own motivations. So far, only five books have been written in the proposed seven-part series. Each book is written in point-of-view narration, meaning that one character reveals his or her insights in that moment. Whether it be through the stoic eyes of Ned Stark, the reasoning voice of Jon Snow, the conquering might of Daenerys Targaryen, the sly calculations of Cersei Lannister, or through the wise witicisms of Tyrion Lannister, each chapter reads through the eyes of that character.
1. A Game of Thrones 2. A Clash of Kings 3. A Storm of Swords 4. A Feast for Crows 5. A Dance with Dragons 6. The Winds of Winter* 7. A Dream of Spring*
* not written
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George R. R. Martin
Game of Thrones In 2011, HBO bought the rights to Martin’s novels and adapted them into a television show available through their network. Directors David Benioff and D. B. Weiss have transformed the series into a global phenomenon. The series has obliterated its television competition, securing itself at the top of most charts as the best television series to date. It has secured the most Emmy’s of any televised series in history (47); the largest budget of any television show in history ($10 million per episode); and more viewers than any show in history (around 16.4 million). Two of its battle scenes have taken longer to produce than battles in The Lord of the Rings, and its actors have become sensational. Emilia Clarke (Daenerys Targaryen) and Kit Harrington (Jon Snow) are two of the highest paid actors on the show. Peter Dinklage (Tyrion Lannister) won an Emmy for “Best Supporting Actor”. They also love Lena Headey’s (Cersei Lannister) portrayal of the vile queen. Fans mourned Sean Bean’s character, Ned Stark, and most fans agree the best character development in the show has been Sansa Stark’s, portrayed by Sophie Turner. In 2019, the show concludes with its eighth season. Though this project does not draw inspiration from the show, it has still impacted Martin’s writing (which the show has surpassed in continuity) and television production worldwide.
D. B. Weiss
David Benioff
Daenerys Targaryen
Jon Snow
Tyrion Lannister
Cersei Lannister
Sansa Stark
Ned Stark
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Plantings The planting palette was curated using a botanical database to find the scientific taxonomy of certain plants. The emphasis was on native Mediterranean plants, with some exotic species brought in. Daenerys, in the novels, was always fond of flowers and plants, often wearing them in her outfits. Later, she dons more scaled garments in leather materials, but in the beginning, she dresses in silks and flowers.
Wild Asparagus Asparagus actifolius
Almond-leaf Pear Pyrus amygdaliformis
Italian thistle Carduus pycnocephalus
Red Pea Lathyrus cicera
Clustered Carline Thistle Carlina corymbosa 8
European Olive Olea europae
Opium Poppy Papaver somiferum
Slender Club-rush Scirpus multicaulis
Hemlock Conium maculatum
Boxwood Buxus spp.
Nightshade Alpiglossis sinuata
Osbeck Lemon Citrus limon ‘Osbeck’
Common Bluebell Hyacinthoides non-scripta
English Yew Taxus baccata
Orchid Orchis laxiflora
Rosemary Rosmarinus officinalis
Nettled Rush Agrostis pouretii
Japanese Maple Acer plamatum
Italian Cypress Cupressus sempervirens
Rose Rosa spp.
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Master Plan The Dance of the Dragons
Drogon, Viserion, and Rhaegal Statues Dothraki Statues Unsullied / Sons of the Harpy Statues
Almond-leaf Pear
European Olive
Cypress
Japanese Maple
Lemon Tree Assrtd. Hedges, Grasses, + Shrubs Assrtd. Desert Grasses
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Plot Plans I. Dragonstone In Martin’s first book, A Game of Thrones, we learn about Daenerys’ beginnings, and the beginnings of the Targaryens. Three-hundred years ago, the Targaryens conquered Westeros and established the Seven Kingdoms. Eventually, the kingdoms were consolidated into lords and wardens, but the name held. Twenty years before the novel begins, King Aegon Targaryen was usurped in Robert’s Rebellion. The “Mad King” was dead, his firstborn son slain in single-combat, and the queen was in retreat. Robert Baratheon was crowned king of Westeros. Daenerys’ story would begin at Dragonstone, the noble seat of the Targaryen family, and her birthplace. Her mother would die in childbirth, sending her remaining children away from the kingdom. The island of salt and obsidian in the series would be nearly foreign to Daenerys, so this plot of land is more ambiguous in that its plantings could be found in any Italian garden. In the Dragonstone plot, thistle represents the prickliness Daenerys feels to her ancestral home. Common olive trees and wild vegetation convey a sense of ambiguity concerning her old family.
Wild Asparagus European Olive
Clustered Carline Thistle
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II. Pentos Daenerys and her brother, Viserys, are taken by a loyal merchant to his home in Pentos. Across the sea, away from the usurpers and in a foreign land, Daenerys remembers little about her childhood. She does recall a red door and lemon trees though, which would have a prominent place in this plot. In the Pentos plot, red pea plants allude to the red door of her childhood. Boxwood, which is easily pruned, fills the planting beds. A variety of trees create screening, showing how Daenerys was protected in Pentos.
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Red Pea Boxwood
European Olive
Almond-leaf Pear
III. Khal Drogo
IV. Rhaego
In an arrangement between her brother and the horselords of the Great Grass Sea, Daenerys is wed to the khal of a great khalasar. Khal Drogo is the leader of a horde of horse-riders (similar to the Mongols of the steppes of Asia), and he takes Daenerys to be his bride. She becomes his khaleesi, and she receives three, petrified dragon eggs as a gift. They journey east, into the grasslands, further from Westeros. In the plot to Khal Drogo, triangles of rushes and wild asparagus sit opposite of sand and thistle, bringing the Great Grass Sea to Daenerys. Three horse statues allude to the khalasar she came to love, and also to the three dragons she would eventually control.
Khal Drogo and Daenerys soon conceive a child together. The child is prophesied to become a great conqueror, one whom will cross the salt sea the khalasar fears. Rhaego, as the child’s name shall be, is the pride and joy of Daenerys. In the memorial plot for Rhaego, four basins of water sit in rushes. They have a concave form, which is often a symbol of the womb and feminism. Roses are a motif for love in both literature and in medieval lore, and bluebells were thought to be a good unguent for pregnant women as well. Orchids are fragrant, showy flowers, alluding to Rhaego’s fulfillment of prophecy.
Nettled Rush Roses
Orchids
Slender Club-rush
Bluebells
Italian Thistle
Wild Asparagus Slender Club-rush
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V. Viserys
VI. Mirri Maaz Duur
Growing bitter and craving power, Daenerys’ brother, Viserys, tries to attack her one evening. Viserys is jealous of his sister’s popularity and power. Having abused her through most of his young adult life, Viserys is unnerved by her sudden power. Favoring women and strutting, Viserys is threatened by his sister’s keen mind. He is seized and brought before Khal Drogo, who offers Viserys the crown he has been begging for. Except this crown is molten gold, poured over his head, killing him. In Visery’s plot, braziers of fire mark the Targaryen lineage. Thorny thistle conveys the sharp contrast of Daenerys’ and Viserys’ lives and their allegiances.
While raiding a village, Khal Drogo is injured. Daenerys asks for a priestess – Mirri Maaz Duur – to heal her husband, but the woman’s ministrations fail, and Khal Drogo dies from infection. Desperate to save him, Daenerys offers to let “death pay for life”, and unbeknownst to her, the witch takes her unborn son’s life to resurrect the khal. The witch’s revenge for her people’s slaughter teaches Daenerys a valuable lesson: trust no one. In the plot to Mirri Maaz Duur and the sorrow in Daenerys’ life, a yew, a symbol for poison and darkness, stands in the center of the plot. Nightshade and hemlock are common poisons, and they were thought to be weeds of the devil in medieval lore. Cypress trees screen visitors, blocking their vision, and boxwood also creates dense forms.
Clustered Carline Thistle Cypress Nightshade
English Yew
Boxwood Hemlock 14
VII. Mother of Dragons
VIII. Qarth
Daenerys places Mirri Maaz Duur in a funeral pyre for her husband. Khal Drogo is merely a shell, and Daenerys kills him to spare him agony. Entering the inferno, knowing the fire is her life source, Daenerys awakens the next morning to discover that she survived the conflagration, and her dragon eggs have hatched. She is now the Unburnt, the Mother of Dragons. In the Mother of Dragons plot, a funeral pyre stands in the center, a literal symbol of the funeral. A horse statue symbolizes Khal Drogo, and three dragon statues represent her three dragons. Japanese maples have a red tint to the leaves, representing the colors of the House of Targaryen. Thistle again transforms the scrubby landscape.
Martin’s second book, A Clash of Kings, Daenerys is recovering from her khalasar’s collapse, as many refuse to follow a khaleesi. Stumbling through the Red Waste, a vast desert east of the grasslands, Daenerys and her khalasar arrive at the wealthy merchant city of Qarth. Here, Daenerys soon learns that everyone is not as they seem, and their interests lie only in her three dragons, the first in two hundred years. In the plot for Qarth, four ornamental basins of water again symbolize the femininity of Daenerys and her power. They also represent how clean the city is, and they create a juxtaposition. The transparency of the water contrasts the opacity and duplicity of the people. They sit in boxwood hedges, reflecting the strict order of the city, and orchids tangle through them, colorful like the clothes of the Qartheens.
Boxwood
Orchids
Italian Thistle
Japanese Maple 15
IX. The House of the Undying
X. Astapor
In Qarth, a cult of warlocks steals Daenerys’ dragons. In the House of the Undying, Daenerys faces a series of harrowing visions, foretelling three loves, three loses, and the arrival of a second Targaryen. She eventually takes back her dragons and flees the city. In the plot to the House of the Undying, two water basins again symbolize femininity and cleanliness. Rosemary and poppies are aromatic plants, often believed in ancient and medieval times to cause visions. We know now that opium is a hallucinogenic drug. The color is also a nod to the shadowed hue of the warlocks’ lips in the novels. Boxwood creates ordered forms, and rushes create rustling sounds.
With renewed vigor, Daenerys visits the slave city of Astapor. Here, she inquires for an army and navy to conquer Westeros, as is her destiny. The slave masters deceive the young khaleesi though, and she must abandon one of her dragons to purchase the 100,000 Unsullied. These soldiers, castrated at birth, feel no pain or desire. They only fight. In the Astapor plot, a large stepped pyramid represents the city’s architecture and its hieratic caste systems. Thistle represents the deserts around the slave cities and the prickly feelings between Daenerys and the slave masters. The statues of the Unsullied represent her army.
Boxwood
Italian Thistle
Opium Poppy
Rosemary Slender Club-rush
Clustered Carline Thistle 16
XI. “Dracarys!” Realizing she cannot leave without her dragon, Daenerys swindles the masters of Astapor, and she orders her three dragons to burn the leaders. The High Valyrian command is “Dracarys!”. Her three dragons attack, and the Unsullied seize control of the city, the first of Daenerys’ conquest. The “Dracarys!” plot has a large brazier of fire in the center to represent the Targaryens. Three statues of her dragons represent the carnage and power she possesses. Japanese maples convey the colors of her ancestral family. Boxwood provides structure to the plot.
Boxwood
Japanese Maple
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XII. Yunkai
XIII. Meereen
Martin’s fourth book, A Storm of Swords, is dominated by plights in Westeros, but the continent of Essos has its problems too. Daenerys is ruining the slave economy. Next Daenerys arrives at Yunkai, where she offers the slave masters two options. They can free their slaves and join the thousands of people in Daenerys’ army, or they will burn. Scoffing at the khaleesi, the masters ignore her. Daenerys sets her army on the city, which falls quickly to her conquest. In the Yunkai plot, a large stepped pyramid represents the city’s architecture, and again, the caste system of the slave cities. Thistle and olive trees represent the generic landscape and the lack of variety Daenerys sees in the cities. They have all prospered on slavery.
The final slave city is Meereen, which Daenerys conquers but not in entirety. A ruling council still sits in on the newly-crowned-queen’s meetings. Here, Daenerys is threatened daily, and she relies on her closest allies to protect her from the unrest in the city. In the Meereen plot, many of the plantings and art pieces remain the same as the plots to Astapor and Yunkai. This pyramid is hidden by olive trees, much how Daenerys hides from her assassins and enemies.
European Olive
European Olive
Nettled Rush Nettled Rush
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XIV. Sons of the Harpy
XV. Fire and Blood
We skip a book in Martin’s timeline. A Feast for Crows is devoted to minor characters’ POVs. Instead, we advance to the fifth book, A Dance with Dragons. Here, Daenerys rules as queen of the slave cities. Soon, the slave masters revolt against their queen. The Sons of the Harpy stab loyalists in the streets, wearing gilded masks and cloaks as they lurk in the shadows. Daenerys uses the Brazen Beasts, masked as well, to play in the cloak-anddagger game. In the Sons of the Harpy plot, two alternating alleés of cypress trees and assassin statues show the fierce contrast of Daenerys’ solid supporters and her vile enemies. Thistle rises up around them like so many arrows in war.
With mounting opposition, the queen is undone when war plagues her three cities. Astapor is taken over by slave masters, reinstating the abhorred practice. Yunkai falls victim to plague, which begins to spread through the army now marching to Meereen’s gates. Daenerys realizes she must resort to fire and blood to maintain her kingdom. In the Fire and Blood plot, three stepped pyramids stand for Daenerys’ three cities. Thistle conveys the surrounding desert but also the abrasive feelings of her people.
Cypress
Italian Thistle
European Olive
Italian Thistle
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XVI. Drogon During a gladiatorial fight in Meereen, the Sons of the Harpy swing their killing blow. Daenerys and her closest allies are forced onto the arena floor, where they fight the hundreds of assassins closing in on them. It isn’t until Drogon arrives, the largest and cruelest of her dragons, that Daenerys flees to the horizon. This is where the most recent novel ends. For HBO, this is where Season Five ended. The sixth book, The Winds of Winter, is supposed to pick up here, but so far, Martin’s focus has been on the television series. In the plot to Drogon, four large braziers of fire represent her mightiest dragon’s strength, and the power of the Targaryens. Red pea plants convey the colors of her ancestral family.
Boxwood
Red Pea
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XVII. The Irone Throne The gardens are located to the east of the manor and the eastern grotto. There are many pieces of art located in the site, besides the draconian and equine statues. Central in the garden is a statue of the Iron Throne, wrought much like the one in Westeros. It is a constant reminder of Daenerys’ destiny. Located to the east is a long building, housing a secret grotto deep in its recesses. Much like the grotto at the Villa di Castello, the grotto at the Dance of Dragons has importance to the owners. The throne sits on a raised dais, surrounded by the four most important events in Daenerys’ life: the dark magic of Mirri Maaz Duur, the death of Khal Drogo and birth of her dragons, her conquest of Astapor, and dragonfire.
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XVIII. Citrus Allee The grotto contains a fountain of eternal flame, with three dragon eggs nestled at the base. A number of bas relief details give an artist’s representation of Daenerys’ life thus far, with people carved from the stone relief. The citrus allee before the grotto features a number of lemon trees, bringing fragrant memories back to Daenerys. Any visitor would be overcome by the number of trees and the secrets they screened.
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Works Cited Attlee, Helena. Italian Gardens – A Cultural History. London: Frances Lincoln, 2006. Print. Ballerini, Isabella. The Medici Villas: The Complete Guide. Florence: Giunti, 2003. Print. Landon, William J. Lorenzo di Filippo Strozzi and Niccolo Machiavelli. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2013. Print. Martin, George R.R. A Song of Ice and Fire: A Game of Thrones. New York: Bantam Books, 1996. Print. Martin, George R.R. A Song of Ice and Fire: A Clash of Kings. New York: Bantam Books, 1999. Print. Martin, George R.R. A Song of Ice and Fire: A Storm of Swords. New York: Bantam Books, 2000. Print. Martin, George R.R. A Song of Ice and Fire: A Dance with Dragons. New York: Bantam Books, 2012. Print. Meyer, G.J. The Borgias: The Hidden History. New York: Bantam Books, 2013. Print. Unger, Miles J. Magnifico: The Brilliant Life and Violent Times of Lorenzo de’ Medici. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2008. Print.
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