Words Are Wind: “Maester”

“Words are wind” is a common phrase in A Song of Ice and Fire, usually used to say “talk is cheap.” But that’s a view that underestimates both the power of words and wind themselves. In the “Words Are Wind” column, contributor Scott Andrews discusses some of the more important words in the world of Game of Thrones.

“I can teach you history, healing, herblore. I can teach you the speech of ravens, and how to build a castle, and the way a sailor steers his ship by the stars I can teach you to measure the days and marks the seasons, and at the Citadel in Oldtown they can teach you a thousand things more.” -Maester Luwin

Few professions have had a tougher run on Game of Thrones than the maesters. We’ve seen them stabbed, poisoned, imprisoned, locked in a dungeon, and kicked out of the order. One departed maester has now moved on to another project.

Be advised: SOME LINKS BELOW CONTAIN SPOILERS FROM THE BOOKS, though the text does not.

Maesters wear many hats: teacher, healer, scribe, raven network administrator, and so on. We’ve met several through the course of the show, ranging in personality from good-hearted to treacherous. Maester Luwin was the Stark’s maester and the personal tutor of the Stark children. Maester Cressen made a fatal error by challenging Melisandre to his own version of the Princess Bride game. Maester Aemon, though struck with impaired vision in his advanced age, remains a vital figure in the Night’s Watch. The former maester Qyburn found favor with the Lannisters after his “bold” experiments cost him his title. Grand Maester Pycelle has advised (and survived) two dynasties and multiple generations of kings—mostly by flying under the radar.

What does it take to become a maester? And how did George come up with this term? Let’s forge some links.

A link for language

Maester trips everybody up. Even the actors on the show couldn’t pronounce this one. In the early seasons, we got “MY ster” and “MESS ter.” For the record, according to HBO’s official pronunciation guide, it’s “MAY ster.” Why did Martin give us this oddity, instead of the far easier and simpler master?

Master is of course the closest English word. It traces its origins from Old English mæster–basically the word Martin uses. But Martin’s choice wasn’t arbitrary.

Master goes all the way back to Latin magister. Magister was also a title used in medieval Europe. It was bestowed on “a person in authority, or to one having a license from a university to teach philosophy and the liberal arts.” So it is very likely, given the similarity between the roles of a magister and Martin’s maester, that maester was inspired by the concept of a medieval magister. To give it a fantasy spin, Martin used the Old English version instead.

In Game of Thrones: The Game, “Maester Martin” bears a striking resemblance to a certain fantasy author, although said author did not provide the voice for the character.

A link for history

Maesters are trained in the Citadel, an ancient seat of learning in Oldtown. To become a maester, novices must become proficient at multiple subjects of scholarship. Each subject they learn earns them a link in their maester’s chain. Different types of metal represent different subjects. For example, black iron is for ravenry, yellow gold for economics, silver for medicine, copper for history, and so on. This way, maesters can know the expertise of their fellows at a glance.

The rarest link is Valyrian steel, which is awarded for deep knowledge of magic. Few take up this course of study, as the maesters believe it beneath them to study such a frivolous topic.

When they have forged enough links, a novice can become a maester. To do so, he must give up his family name and renounce all allegiance to his family.

Lest you think I’ve been sexist with my pronouns, only men can become maesters, just like the Night’s Watch. The maesters have many similarities to the Watchers on the Wall. They are both considered servants of the Realm with no loyalty to any single faction. They both swear oaths of celibacy and renounce their inheritance. Bastards and younger sons are often given to the Citadel for training so they will not bear children of their own that could someday threaten a house’s succession.

As we learned in Season 1, Maester Aemon was once a Targaryen, but he gave up any right to the Iron Throne twice over when he joined the maesters and the Night’s Watch. That is why Robert spared him — even while trying to erase the Targaryen name from Westeros. Aemon’s name has already been erased. He can never claim the throne.

A link for politics

Maesters swear to serve whatever castle they are assigned to. One interesting loophole for the maesters is that the oath is to the building, not the family. Therefore, should a castle change hands, its maester is bound to serve the new rulers. One day a maester could be advising his lord on how to withstand a siege. The next he could be helping the men who killed his lord to keep their new prize. This is why Maester Luwin advises Theon after the Greyjoys take Winterfell. (Of course, Theon being a traitor himself, he didn’t trust Luwin and ordered all the ravens in the castle killed.)

For the maesters, this loophole is a savvy way to avoid getting murdered in every war. Too bad it didn’t work out that way for Luwin…

The order of Maesters is ruled by the Conclave of archmaesters. An archmaester is considered the one authority on his field of specialization. He is given a mask, ring, and rod of his subject’s metal. The conclave chooses the Grand Maester to serve the king. The king (or Hand) can fire the Grand Maester from the Small Council, but he cannot strip the Grand Maester of his title. Only the conclave can do so. Even while Pycelle was cooling his heels in the Black Cells beneath the Red Keep by Tyrion’s command, he was still a Grand Maester.

Granted, if a Grand Maester falls out of favor with the king, the Conclave may decide to elect a new one, lest they also lose the king’s favor. No one is exempt from the game of thrones.

Maesters and their deep knowledge remain important to the lords and ladies of Westeros. Some, like Qyburn, have risen to influential positions. Others have paid the ultimate price for their service. Who will take their place? Will Game of Thrones ever visit the Citadel? Hopefully we will find out over the next few seasons!

Scott is a freelance writer and copy editor, and the author of The Guild Leader’s Handbook, a guide to leadership in online gaming. He lives in Philadelphia, where he leads a fantasy and science fiction workshop. Scott roots for the Greyjoys. You can follow him @QuestVendor.

• Published on 11/14/2014 at 8:00 AM CDT
• Last updated on 11/14/2014 at 8:00 AM CDT