Martin uses these events to subvert a fantasy trope: the idea that the "honorable" hero always wins. By borrowing from real, brutal history, he reminds readers that when your enemies play by different rules.
| Real History | Red Wedding | | :--- | :--- | | No "wedding" pretext (just a dinner or lodging) | A literal wedding (Edmure Tully & Roslin Frey) | | Small-scale assassinations | Mass slaughter of an entire army | | Political rivalries within one kingdom (Scotland) | Cross-kingdom war (Stark vs. Lannister) | | No pregnant bride killed | Talisa (Jeyne in books) stabbed in the belly | what is the red wedding based on
The primary inspiration for the setting of a formal dinner turned into a slaughter was the Black Dinner at Edinburgh Castle . Martin uses these events to subvert a fantasy