'Game of Thrones' fever grips Iran
Fans across Iran are waiting eagerly for the new season of "Game of Thrones," a show whose content and storytelling style resemble the epic tales Iranian children grow up with.
“Why isn’t Khal Drogo on the list?” asked an outraged fan, clearly dismayed that a list ranking the best swordsmen on “Game of Thrones” has omitted Khal, warlord of the mighty Dothraki. According to this Iranian fan, the dark-eyed horse warrior should have a place on the list at the Persian-language fan website winterfell.ir.
Westeros fever has gripped Tehran and other cities as Iranians eagerly count down the days to season seven of HBO’s series to begin on July 16. Some might credit the interest to the fact that its composer Ramin Djawadi is of Iranian descent. Others point to the fictional legend of Azor Ahai — a deity known as the Lord of Light — being inspired by Zoroastrianism, a monotheistic religion with origins in Iran that views fire as a representation of the light of God. However, Iranian fandom for “Bazi Taj va Takht,” literally “game of crowns and thrones” in Persian, delves much deeper than that.
