Do the Maesters experiment? (Game of Thrones)

FAN: Discuss various fictional worlds that don't qualify for SF.

Moderator: Steve

Post Reply
User avatar
FaxModem1
Emperor's Hand
Posts: 7700
Joined: 2002-10-30 06:40pm
Location: In a dark reflection of a better world

Do the Maesters experiment? (Game of Thrones)

Post by FaxModem1 »

In A Song of Ice and Fire, and in Game of Thrones, we do see the Maesters collect knowledge, their documentation is second to none. They spend a lot of time remaking the books that have worn down with age so that what knowledge they do have isn't lost. This is akin to the Church in the Middle Ages and the preservation of knowledge from the Classical Era.

But, do they experiment? The only real person who seemed to experiment that I can find is Qyburn, and he was kicked out of the Maesters for it. Were his experiments beyond the pale, or was it because he experimented at all? What advances, if any, have they made in Westeros?
Image
User avatar
Raw Shark
Stunt Driver / Babysitter
Posts: 7473
Joined: 2005-11-24 09:35am
Location: One Mile Up

Re: Do the Maesters experiment? (Game of Thrones)

Post by Raw Shark »

Fuck yeah, they do. The stuff we know about is only the stuff people found out. Marwyn was not exactly an amateur.

"Do I really look like a guy with a plan? Y'know what I am? I'm a dog chasing cars. I wouldn't know what to do with one if I caught it! Y'know, I just do things..." --The Joker
User avatar
Lord Revan
Emperor's Hand
Posts: 12211
Joined: 2004-05-20 02:23pm
Location: Zone:classified

Re: Do the Maesters experiment? (Game of Thrones)

Post by Lord Revan »

Wasn't there at least Maester so discovered a cure for greyscale in the TV-series, but no-one else dared to repeat the experiment because the maester in question got infected due to his experiments.
I may be an idiot, but I'm a tolerated idiot
"I think you completely missed the point of sigs. They're supposed to be completely homegrown in the fertile hydroponics lab of your mind, dried in your closet, rolled, and smoked...
Oh wait, that's marijuana..."Einhander Sn0m4n
Ralin
Sith Marauder
Posts: 4329
Joined: 2008-08-28 04:23am

Re: Do the Maesters experiment? (Game of Thrones)

Post by Ralin »

There's a Maester mentioned in one of the latter books that was convinced he could reattach Balon Greyjoy's father or brother or something's fingers after he lost them in an unfortunate ax game incident. It failed and both the patient and the Maester died horribly (and in the exact same way), but it always made me wonder exactly how advanced Maester medical science was that the guy would even think he could pull it off to begin with. Arrogant or not I can't imagine he would have gotten to that point if he hadn't already made a few dry runs at it first.

Also I think that Qyburn mentions at one point that the Maesters had been cutting up dead bodies to figure out how they worked for a long time and that what got him kicked out was doing the same to living bodies.
Post Reply