Harvard course examines medieval history behind Game of Thrones
When the much-anticipated final season of “Game of Thrones” premieres Sunday on HBO, fans around the world will see some resolutions to the themes of war, romance, and family loyalty that have marked the hit show for the past eight years. The epic battle for Winterfell, a reunion of the surviving Stark children, and the fallout from the union of Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen and subsequent discoveries about their lineage will be at the top of the minds of many viewers, including Racha Kirakosian, an associate professor of German and the study of religion. For Kirakosian, this last season of “Game of Thrones” is an opportunity for both entertainment and scholarship. She has been teaching “The Real ‘Game of Thrones’: Culture, Society, and Religion in the Middle Ages” since 2017, using “Thrones” and other famous works of fantasy to engage students’ love of the genre while dispelling myths about medieval life...