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canyonwalkerIn Game of Thrones S5E9 Stannis Baratheon makes a dreadful choice in his pursuit of his claim to the Iron Throne. It's also an evil choice (though I can imagine some debate about that). In S5E10, the season 5 finale, the true cost of that choice becomes apparent— and it's ruinous on every level. Should Stannis have anticipated the awful price?
Discussion beyond the cut contains spoilers.
Stannis's army was trapped far in the north as the snows of winter began to set in. Hundreds of mercenaries already deserted, figuring the cause of sacking Winterfell was lost. At the behest of Red Priestess Melisanrde, Stannis prepares to offer a blood sacrifice to her god to clear the snow so his army can attack. But unlike previous blood sacrifices involving himself and his nephew— where the person whose blood was taken was not seriously harmed— this would be a death. Stannis let his own daughter, Shireen, be burned at the stake.
Even as the weather changed noticeably the next morning the costs of the sacrifice were already growing out of control. Stannis's wife, Selyse, who until this point in the story had been a true believer in the god of the Red Priestess and considered Shireen an unwanted cripple, hanged herself in grief. Stannis had now lost every known kin of his by blood or marriage. And most of the rest of his army deserted: all of the remaining mercenaries, plus half the bannermen. It's unsurprising that lords and soldiers who support his cause because they thought it was just would withdraw once he became a kinslayer.
In S5E10 Stannis continues marching toward Winterfell with what's left of his army. As they approach the base of the hill, Stannis begins giving instructions to prepare siege lines but one of his general interrupts, saying, "That won't be necessary." Roose Bolton's army took the field to fight rather than weather a siege. And Bolton's army was numerically superior by that point. Stannis's army was massacred.
Stannis himself survived the onslaught but was found, wounded, by Brienne of Tarth. She announced her intent to kill him for the murder of Renly Baratheon, his brother. Stannis by that point realized the utter cost of his decisions to kill everyone in his family and, resigned to his fate, told her, "Go on, do your duty."
In our world it would be evil, unquestionably evil. Their world is not our world, though. In their world magic is real and proven. Melisandre proved her magic to Stannis when she used it to kill his rival, Renly.
Why does it matter if blood magic is provably real and effective? It matters because the context is war. Thousands of soldiers will die fighting war the good, old-fashioned way. Blood magic, as distasteful as it is, offers a way to sacrifice one life to save hundreds or even thousands of other lives.
Even in that context, though, there's still evil to what Stannis did. The difference between Shireen's life and the soldiers' lives is Shireen's a civilian. The soldiers signed up to fight and put their lives very much at risk. They joined willingly— just like many of them departed willingly. Shireen did not have that element of informed choice.
Discussion beyond the cut contains spoilers.
Stannis's army was trapped far in the north as the snows of winter began to set in. Hundreds of mercenaries already deserted, figuring the cause of sacking Winterfell was lost. At the behest of Red Priestess Melisanrde, Stannis prepares to offer a blood sacrifice to her god to clear the snow so his army can attack. But unlike previous blood sacrifices involving himself and his nephew— where the person whose blood was taken was not seriously harmed— this would be a death. Stannis let his own daughter, Shireen, be burned at the stake.
Even as the weather changed noticeably the next morning the costs of the sacrifice were already growing out of control. Stannis's wife, Selyse, who until this point in the story had been a true believer in the god of the Red Priestess and considered Shireen an unwanted cripple, hanged herself in grief. Stannis had now lost every known kin of his by blood or marriage. And most of the rest of his army deserted: all of the remaining mercenaries, plus half the bannermen. It's unsurprising that lords and soldiers who support his cause because they thought it was just would withdraw once he became a kinslayer.
In S5E10 Stannis continues marching toward Winterfell with what's left of his army. As they approach the base of the hill, Stannis begins giving instructions to prepare siege lines but one of his general interrupts, saying, "That won't be necessary." Roose Bolton's army took the field to fight rather than weather a siege. And Bolton's army was numerically superior by that point. Stannis's army was massacred.
Stannis himself survived the onslaught but was found, wounded, by Brienne of Tarth. She announced her intent to kill him for the murder of Renly Baratheon, his brother. Stannis by that point realized the utter cost of his decisions to kill everyone in his family and, resigned to his fate, told her, "Go on, do your duty."
Was it Evil?
An interesting question about Stannis's sacrifice of Shireen is, Was it evil? And the most obvious answer may be, Of course it was; why is that even a question? But let me play Devil's Advocate for a moment.In our world it would be evil, unquestionably evil. Their world is not our world, though. In their world magic is real and proven. Melisandre proved her magic to Stannis when she used it to kill his rival, Renly.
Why does it matter if blood magic is provably real and effective? It matters because the context is war. Thousands of soldiers will die fighting war the good, old-fashioned way. Blood magic, as distasteful as it is, offers a way to sacrifice one life to save hundreds or even thousands of other lives.
Even in that context, though, there's still evil to what Stannis did. The difference between Shireen's life and the soldiers' lives is Shireen's a civilian. The soldiers signed up to fight and put their lives very much at risk. They joined willingly— just like many of them departed willingly. Shireen did not have that element of informed choice.
