A closer look
George R.R. Martin didn't invent the concept of slaughtering your dinner guests; he just borrowed it from 15th-century Scotland. In 1440, the 16-year-old Earl of Douglas and his little brother were invited to dine with the 10-year-old King James II. Everything was going swell until the king's men brought out a black bull's head on a platter—a traditional Scottish symbol of death. The children were immediately dragged into the courtyard and executed after a sham trial, setting the gold standard for toxic hospitality.
