Fans Obsessed With 'Game Of Thrones' Seek Parallels In Spanish Politics
It's the height of summer, but "winter is coming" to Spain.
For those who may not be well-versed in the lingo of the Seven Kingdoms, that's a reference to Game of Thrones — the HBO series filmed partly in Spain. It's hugely popular here, dubbed over as Juego de Tronos. Fans are flocking to Game of Thrones-themed tours of Spain, and they're also looking for plot parallels in real-life Spanish politics.
HBO got unprecedented access to the country to shoot the show's fifth season in Seville's ancient Moorish palace, the Alcázar, for about a month last fall. It may or may not be a coincidence that the U.S. ambassador to Spain, James Costos, is a former HBO executive.
The Alcazar was transformed into the Water Gardens palace in the mythical kingdom of Dorne, where Prince Doran Martell resides.
Extras on Game of Thrones leave a bullring in Seville, Spain in October 2014. More than 85,000 locals applied to be extras on the show.
"When we go into the gardens, they say, 'Ah, this is the Water Gardens!' " observes Pepe Pallarés, a licensed tour guide in Seville who has added a Game of Thrones-themed tour to his itinerary. "For fans, it's like an amazing experience."
Seville's Alcázar has seen a 25 percent jump in tourist visits this past year, in part because of Game of Thrones fans.
"Everything looks really familiar — the architecture and what not," says Sam Dawson, a college student visiting Seville from Minnesota. "I've traveled to a few of the other locations where they filmed, and it's got the exact same vibes."
More than 85,000 locals applied to be extras on the Game of Thrones set in Seville. Only 5,000 were accepted — and only a fraction ever appeared on TV. But people are so obsessed, they've started searching for parallels in real life.
The gardens on the grounds of Seville's Alcázar were transformed into the Water Gardens of Dorne in the fifth season of Game of Thrones.
"You can see the fight between the different royal houses in Game of Thrones — and they're more or less the same as our politicians today," Pallarés says. "They're fighting to keep their jobs inside city hall, inside the presidency, etc. It's the same!"
Game of Thrones analogies are most popular among supporters of Podemos — a new left-wing, grass-roots party that hopes to wrest power from Spain's ruling conservatives in elections this fall. At a recent Podemos rally, activists dressed up as rival Game of Thrones characters — the queen Daenerys Targaryen and the incestuous Lannisters.
When the Podemos leader, Pablo Iglesias, met Spanish King Felipe VI in Brussels this spring, he defied royal protocol and handed the king a gift — a DVD box set of Game of Thrones.
The new left-wing, grass-roots party Podemos ("We Can") hopes to wrest power from the ruling conservatives. Party leader Pablo Iglesias (shown here in March) gave Spain's King Felipe a box set of Game of Thrones: "I told him it's a series he'll definitely like, if he wants to understand the political crisis in Spain."
"I told him it's a series he'll definitely like, if he wants to understand the political crisis in Spain," Iglesias told reporters afterward, with a wink.
Iglesias has promised to hold a referendum on getting rid of Spain's monarchy, if elected. And his new slogan is "Winter is Coming" — for those in power, at least. Iglesias even edited a new book entitled To Win or To Die: Political Lessons from Game of Thrones.
Several of his co-authors are Spanish political scientists who also love Game of Thrones. One chapter's author, Dani Irraberi, who teaches political philosophy at Madrid's Complutense University, compares the people-power of Podemos with Daenerys Targaryen, the mother of dragons.
"She doesn't just free the slaves; she empowers them to free themselves," Irraberi says. "And that's what we see with Podemos. It's a political movement that tries to empower citizens to stand up to their oppressors, the ruling class."
Conservative political commentators in Spain are jumping on the Game of Thrones bandwagon, too. Even if Spanish conservatives are compared to the Lannisters — some of whom number among the TV show's villains — that's not necessarily bad, says conservative commentator Ruben Herrero. It's realpolitik, he says.
"From Podemos, they try to say, 'We're good, we're like Khaleesi [Daenerys Targaryen], in favor of justice for poor people.' But that's not true," Herrero says. "For instance, the Lannisters are realists — classical realists. It's like, 'I don't mind the nature of my partners while in power.' "
Herrero's favorite conservatives may lose that hold on power in Spanish elections this fall. But not before the sixth season of Game of Thrones starts shooting this summer — in Spain once again.
9(MDE1MTIxMDg0MDE0MDQ3NTY3MzkzMzY1NA001))
Transcript
DAVID GREENE, HOST:
Winter is coming in Spain. In case you're not familiar with "Game Of Thrones," that is a reference to the HBO series and its world of the Seven Kingdoms. It was filmed in part in Spain. Fans are flocking there for "Game Of Thrones"-themed tours and looking for echoes of the show in Spanish politics. Lauren Frayer visited the set in Seville.
(SOUNDBITE OF RAMIN DJAWADI SONG, "GAME OF THRONES THEME SONG")
LAUREN FRAYER, BYLINE: Welcome to the mythical kingdom of Dorne.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
GEAORGE R.R. MARTIN: Dorne is the southernmost of the Seven Kingdoms.
FRAYER: That's George R.R. Martin, author of the "Game Of Thrones" books. He may call this Dorne, but in real life, it's Seville. This city's ancient Moorish palace, the Alcazar, is where parts of season five were filmed. That's brought about 25 percent more tourists here, fans like Sam Dawson from Minnesota.
SAM DAWSON: Everything looks really familiar, like the architecture and whatnot. I've traveled to a couple of the other locations where they filmed. And so it's, like, got the exact same vibes.
FRAYER: HBO got unprecedented access to Seville's palace, where they shot for about a month, transforming it into the Water Gardens where Prince Doran Martell resides, mourning his brother's death.
(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "GAME OF THRONES")
INDIRA VARMA: (As Ellaria Sand) Your brother was murdered, and you sit here in the Water Gardens, staring at the sky and doing nothing.
FRAYER: More than 85,000 locals applied to be extras on the "Game Of Throne's" set. Pepe Pallares was one of them. He's a tour guide who takes fans through the palace every day.
PEPE PALLARES: So when we go to the gardens, they say, ah, this is the Water Gardens. Yes. It's, like, amazing.
FRAYER: He says people are so obsessed, they're looking for plot parallels with Spanish politicians.
(SOUNDBITE OF PODEMOS RALLY)
UNIDENTIFIED PEOPLE: Si se puede. Si se puede.
FRAYER: At a recent left-wing political rally, activists dressed up as rival "Game Of Thrones" characters. And when the leader of the left-wing Podemos party met Spain's king back in April, he defied royal protocol and handed him a gift - a DVD box set of "Game Of Thrones."
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
PABLO IGLESIAS TURRION: (Speaking Spanish).
FRAYER: "I told him it's a series he'll definitely like if he wants to understand the political crisis in the Spain," Iglesias told reporters afterward with a wink. Iglesias wants to get rid of Spain's monarchy. And his new slogan is Winter is Coming for those in power. He even edited a new book entitled "To Win Or To Die: Political Lessons From Game Of Thrones." Dani Irraberi is one of his co-authors. He compares the people-power of Spain's Podemos with a "Game Of Thrones" character Khaleesi, mother of the dragons.
DANI IRRABERI: (Speaking Spanish).
FRAYER: "She doesn't just free the slaves, she empowers them to free themselves," he says. And that's what we see with Podemos, a political movement that tries to empower citizens to stand up to their oppressors - the ruling class. Conservative political commentators are jumping on the "Game Of Thrones" bandwagon, too. Ruben Herrero says even if Spanish conservatives are cast as the Lannisters, the TV show's villains, well, that's realpolitik, he says.
RUBEN HERRERO: The Lannisters are realists - classical realism. It's like, I don't mind the nature of my partners while I'm in power.
FRAYER: Herrero's conservatives may lose that hold on power in Spanish elections this fall. But this summer, "Game Of Thrones" season six starts shooting in Spain once again. For NPR News, I'm Lauren Frayer in Seville, Spain. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
300x250 Ad
300x250 Ad