Fire & Blood

Archmaester Gyldayn is the fictional author and primary narrator of Fire and Blood. Martin characterizes Gyldayn through his role as historian and his words. Archmaesters are at the top of the hierarchy of scholars of Westeros. The interior title page, on which Gyldayn is listed as “Archmaester Gyldayn of the Citadel at Oldtown” (1), is the real-world equivalent of a scholar listing an affiliation at Harvard or Oxford. That description is designed to establish Gyldayn’s authority and credibility.

Martin also uses Gyldayn’s words as characterization. In the initial paragraph of the work, Gyldayn disputes the AC/BC dating system used by laypeople and historians as inaccurate. This paragraph thus shows that as a writer, Gyldayn believes he is committed to telling the truth by shaping an accurate historical narrative. The choices he makes as a writer communicate his cultural values and sometimes make him an unreliable narrator, however. Gyldayn treats powerful Targaryens with respect. He tends to denigrate commoners and women who exercise authority by referencing Mushroom, a “fool” who uses salacious writing to popularize his work, as a source on these characters. These choices reflect his beliefs about what constitutes legitimate power and his acceptance of the patriarchal values of Westeros.