A Song of Crystal and Spice: Dune, Game of Thrones and Final Fantasy 16

(Spoilers for all three series mentioned)

I wouldn't call myself a "fantasy guy," but I'm trying. My newest obsession is George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series, and while I'm only two books in (not counting the Dunk and Egg novellas), I've noticed some strong connection between two of my other favorite stories, those being Dune and Final Fantasy 16.

One can draw a straight line from Dune to the first ASOIAF novel, A Game of Thrones, to, most recently, Final Fantasy 16. George R.R. Martin would be the right age to have grown up reading Frank Herbert's Dune series, and that influence can be seen in his work. I'm far from the first person to observe the similarities between these three stories, but frequently its only between one or the other, never all three.

In simple terms: House Stark is House Atreides.

Both Dune and A Game of Thrones begin with Lord Leto Atreides of Caladan and Lord Ned Stark of Winterfell being given a precious political gift, whether that be the fief of Arrakis or the title of Hand of the King, so they might leave their homes, the water paradise of Caladan and the snowy North, for the heat of King's Landing and Arrakis. Leto and Ned are both presented as better, morally speaking, than your average lord. Leto is well-loved amongst the servants of his house and very popular amongst the other houses, so popular that the Emperer ensnares him in a political trap by granting him Arrakis and incting further war between the Atreides and the Harrkonens. King Robert Baratheon knows Ned to be honorable and trustworthy, which is why he seeks out his old friend to be his Hand. The difference between these too is that Ned is too rigid to really play the game of thrones, too honorable for backstabbing and plotting, but Leto is not. While he's a good man, he is perfectly willing to exploit the Fremen, via diplomacy versus Harkonnen oppression, in order to arm himself against his enemies. In the end, their are both undone by their own own allies, whether that be Dr. Yueh or Littlefinger, and killed, leaving their sons, Jon Snow and Paul Ateides, to face their destinies.

This structure is also employed by the opening hours of Final Fantasy 16, where we follow the Rosfield family, who make up the Grand Duchy of the kingdom of Rosaria. Our main character, a dark-haired teen (like Jon Snow and Paul Ateides), Clive Rosfield. Like Jon and Paul, Clive shares the dark hair and facial features of his father, Elwin Rosfield. FF16 takes much inspiration from GoT rather than Dune, at least in its beginning, which can be seen when comparing Jon and Clive. While Clive is the trueborn son of Elwin, he might as well be a bastard. Clive and his mother, Annabella, share a relationship not unlike Jon Snow's relationship with his mother, Catelyn Stark. Catelyn resents Jon because he's her husband's bastard son, and since Ned is so damn honorable, he's raised his bastard amongst his other children--- Catelyn's children.

Annabella has blonde hair, as Catelyn has auburn. Joshua, Clive's brother, is like Robb Stark, the favored son by the mother because of their shared features. And like Jon and Robb, despite this tension, Clive and Joshua have a close brotherly bond. Joshua is the younger brother, closer in age to Bran Stark than Robb, but is favored by his mother because he's born as the avatar for the Phoenix, a genetic ability that skipped over Clive.

The Harkonnen invasion on Arrakis that wipes out the Atreides is similar to the ambush by the Empire of Sanbreque at Phoenix Gate that leads to the destruction of the Rosfields. Both lead to the death of Clives mentors, Rodney Murdoch and Sir Wade, who are like Duncan Idaho and Gurney Halleck, the mentors of Paul Atreides. These matches aren't one-to-one, but Rodney, like Duncan Idaho, trains the young prince and eventually dies protecting him. Sir Wade is more like Gurney Halleck in that he's believed dead in the destruction of the royal House but later returns to help his prince. Both even formed a group of outlaws while in exile; Gurney ran with a crew of spice traders while Wade formed a militia against the Sanbrque occupation in Rosaria.

Some superficial similarities include that Jon Snow has a pet direwolf named Ghost and Clive also has an animal companion, a magical dog named Torgal. Joshua resembles Bran Stark as the character closest to the darker magical secrets of the universe. Cid Telamon is like Mance Rayder in that he was Lord Commander for Royal Intelligencers of Waloed, like Mance was a ranger of the Night's Watch, before defecting and forming the Hideaway, a vestige for the enslaved, like how Mance became the leader of the freefolk beyond the Wall.

Speaking of Cid, FF16 and the Game of Throne show even share a cast member in Ralph Ineson, who played both Cid and Dagmar Cleftjaw. Dagmar being an Ironborn warrior in Thrones brings us to what might be the closest similarity. FF16 just straight up lifts the Iron Islands from Thrones in the form of their own Iron Kingdom. They even share a similar place on their respective maps, that being a clutch of island to the Western coast of the continent.

A discussion of Dune can't be complete without spice. A link between Dune and FF16 is that crystals, which are used as conduits for magic, are similar to the melange spice on Arrakis. Both are materials that come with a cost. Spice can give you visions of the future and allow you to access knowledge of those down your bloodline, but it comes at the cost of blue eyes, addiction, and madness. FF16's crystals, over time, result in the petrification of the body. The more magic one uses, the quicker their body turns to stone. Their greatest similarity is how these two resources rule their worlds. Wars are fought to control spice as much as they are fought to control the crystals. In fact, it was Elwin Rosfield's decision to move on the Iron Kingdom, a decision that made him vulnerable to Annabella's treachery, that was motivated by claiming their crystals.

Finally, the big bads of these franchises, the White Walkers (or the Others, as they're referred to in the books) and FF16's Ultima are similar in their ethereal horror. Dune doesn't really have a villain in this way, unless you count the Bene Gesserit. Ultima, like the Others, is an ancient evil that has come to this world again to bring ruin. Clive and Jon Snow, as far as the show is considered, have a secret destiny. Clive is the only one who harness enough magical power to defeat Ultima, and Jon Snow could be Ahzor Ahai, the chosen one that might defeat to the Others during the Long Night.

Where the comparison forks in different directions is in what these villains represent. Ultima stands for oppression and supremacist dogma. He believes himself to be God because, well, he is. As the creator of life in the universe, he sees humanity as his property, which ties into the game's themes of slavery, emancipation and freedom. Clive slamming God with his best right hook is the game's thematic thesis. The Others present a different threat, one that the most powerful people in the world of Ice and Fire are too distracted by politics and ambition to truly combat. Martin was smart to make the Others something that most people know about but don't take seriously, as magic is severely downplayed in this world. White Walkers and ice zombies are scary, yes, but the idea that everyone is simply too "busy" to deal with them is scarier. The Others are more like climate change whereas Ultima is if oppression itself were a person that you could punch. FF16 also features the blight, a wave of decay spreading across the land thanks to the crystals sucking up the Earth's life. The threat of the blight being one that feels like an act of nature that cannot be fought is more akin to the one posed by the Others that Ultima.

Clive is not just a chosen one. Whether its madness or true belief in his quest for freedom from Ultima's yoke, he puts everything on the line to earn his victory. Now, I like Jon Snow, he's alright, but I don't think he's Azor Ahai. Its too easy. If anyone had to be Azor Ahai, its probably Danaerys Targaryen, and since Martin loves to turn prophecies on their head, it might be that Jon and Dany together are Azor Ahai. Jon Snow's story isn't about being great, its about doing the right thing even when its the hardest thing. Him being Azor Ahai might be satisfying is a traditional narrative, but not this one. I don't think Jon Snow, or anyone, will have a victory over the White Walkers as Clive does over Ultima.

Ultimately, these three things I like seem to be directly inspired by one another, which I think is neat. The genealogy of these ideas go back much further, I'm sure, but these three texts will be forever linked as siblings in fiction, and that's something special.

Addendum:

After some time marinating on this subject, I'm going to try and figure out why this structure was used for these stories. In the end, it could just some classic hero's journey shenanigans. In the case of Jon Snow, Paul Atreides and Clive Rosfield, their fathers are supremely influential figures, so like any mentor figure, they have to be removed in order for the protagonist to grow into their own. What's interesting is that these men go on to have other replacement mentors, like Cid, Stilgar, and in the case of Jon Snow, many senior members of the Night's Watch like Measter Aemon, Jeor Mormont and Qhorin Halfhand.

Their familial fathers must die so they can soar into the greater world and learn wisdom from those outside that bubble. What can't be denied is that this is all male-centric. All of these protganists are defined by their relationship with their fathers is mostly positive ways while their relationships to their mothers (or lack thereof in the case of Jon), is mostly negative. Lady Jessica is the wrinkle in this claim because she isn't a bad mother, but she is instrumental in Paul's ascent to power which subsequently results in the galactic jihad that results in billions of deaths. While Paul might not have an outwardly negative view of his mother, her place in the narrative isn't exactly positive. Clive has an explicitly antagonists relationship with his mother as she despises him for not being the Phoenix and Clive equally despises her for arranging the death of his father. Jon and Catelyn's relationship is icy on Catelyn's part but Jon has a whole bunch of mommy issues anyway due to being a bastard.

Catelyn and Jessica are similar in the way that as woman in this system, they have few ways of expressing their agency besides their children. Jessica pushes Paul in the direction of becoming the messiah because of its obvious benefits, including wealth, power, and worship, not just for Paul, but for herself. In the case of Catelyn, being the lady of Winterfell means she's beholden to her husband Ned, their sons, and she often reflects on her experiences waiting on her aging, dying father and her brother, all of whom are fighting men. Catelyn's rejection of Jon is a way for her to exercise what little agency she has in this system. Jon is a threat to the claim her own trueborn, Robb, has to Winterfell.

In the end, I think these authors use this oddly common structure in the beginning of their stories because its efficient and convenient. It sets up motivations, intrigue, clears out unnecessary characters and puts its protagonists on a journey of discovery and growth. Its also tragic, exciting and packed with action. The audience gets to see firsthand the political mechanisms of these universes working exactly as intended, which makes the story's stakes ratchet up higher and higher.

Below is a rapid fire list of other similarities between the franchises:

• Jill Warrick (FF16) = Ygritte + Theon Greyjoy

• Joshua Rosfield = Bran + Arya Stark

• Dion Lesage (FF16) = Targaryens (he literally turns into a dragon) + Renly Baratheon

• Olivier Lesage (FF16) = Alia Atreides

• Uncle Bryon Rosfield (FF16) = Benjen Stark

• Cid Telamon = Stilgar

• The Hideway (FF16) = Sietch Tabr (There is also a town in FF16 called Tabor, which might be a reference)

• Hugo Kupka (FF16) = Jaime Lannister

• Gav (FF16) = Samwell Tarly

• Dragons = Eikons (both are considered the nuclear equivalents of their franchises)

• Jote (FF16) = Brienne of Tarth

• Harkonnens = Lannisters

• Bran Stark = Leto II

• Green dreams = Spice visions

• Lady Jessica = Catelyn Stark (both have auburn hair)