Image Credit: Bethesda
Forgot password
Enter the email address you used when you joined and we'll send you instructions to reset your password.
If you used Apple or Google to create your account, this process will create a password for your existing account.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Reset password instructions sent. If you have an account with us, you will receive an email within a few minutes.
Something went wrong. Try again or contact support if the problem persists.

Guild Wars 2: Is The Mad King Realistic?

The pumpkin King Oswald Thorn isn't exactly realistic, but he isn't too far off.
This article is over 11 years old and may contain outdated information

In a recent Wartower interview, ArenaNet developers Angel McCoy and Scott McGough were talking about the lore surrounding the current patch in Guild Wars 2.

Recommended Videos

They were discussing the monarchs of Kryta, including the Mad King, Oswald Thorn; his Bloody Prince, Edric Thorn; and their distant descendant, Jennah. As the writers were discussing Krytan ruling society, it made me wonder how realistic the brutal stories of the Krytan court could be. 

In order to do this comparison of a real-life monarchy and a fictional Halloween bogeyman, I have to discount certain things.

I have to ignore the fact that Oswald was born crazy. Very few people are actually insane. Some of his acts could have been real, but not all of them together.

Oswald killed his father for the crown to Kryta. Dipendra of Nepal killed his father Birendra in 2001 for the crown.

Oswald allowed his best friend to get eaten by a worm. That is probably the most unusual part of his biography. The fact that Oswald fed his brother to a giant spider is much more true in comparison considering patricide is a tradition from the biblical story of Cain and Abel to Ashoka of India killing his brothers.

All of these deaths might seem implausible in one person’s life, but I think major parts of the Antic Harrower’s story are extremely possible. 

Parts of the Mad King’s story, other than the death, are more normal given our global history.

Oswald Thorn of Kryta was married eight times. Henry VIII of England married six women. Both monarchs started nation-wide conflicts over women and had a wife killed.

The Autumn Lunatic was murdered and then burned by a mob of angry peasants when his rule became too tyrannical. Culien of Scotland was killed when the military leader Amdarch burned him alive.

The Grim Japer isn’t based on any monarch in particular, nor is he particularly realistic in how many deaths he caused, but any single piece of his life could be real. That’s what makes him scary. That’s why he’s perfect for Halloween.


GameSkinny is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Learn more about our Affiliate Policy
Author
Image of EmilyOrange
EmilyOrange
GameSkinny intern, college student, and lifelong nerd.