Why do we love the anti-hero so much? Author Mark Lawrence of The Broken Empire Trilogy takes us through the characteristics that define a true bastard.
10. The Bastard roams free!
Mark Lawrence: "The bastard may or may not possess a moral compass. The key ingredient here is that they take no notice of it whatsoever, except when wishing to pretend they're not really such a bastard after all.
The bastard is free to journey where they like on the map, unhampered by guidance of any sort. It's the goal that matters. In many ways it's the bastard who still has their compass that's the worst, since they retain a sense of right and wrong but choose to ignore it.
In Prince of Thorns we see that Jorg definitely has a moral compass. He surgically detached himself from it at age ten, put it in a drawer, nailed that shut, then buried the desk in a very deep hole."
Other notable bastards: Tyrion Lannister definitely has a compass...Ser Gregor Clegane doesn't...Gollum gave his compass to Smeagol then walled him up.
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9. The Bastard never discriminates
Mark Lawrence: "The bastard hates everyone equally, or at least gives everyone the same opportunity to be screwed over.
People have called my 'hero' Jorg a misogynist because he treats women badly. This misses the point. Jorg is a misanthrope, he hates humanity regardless of gender. If little green aliens descended from the heavens he would hate them with an equal passion. And the red ones."
Other notable bastards: Ser Gregor has no favourites and would be as happy to toss one of his men to the dogs as he would a common peasant if either became useless to him. Logen Nine-Fingers, if caught in the wrong mood, is as likely to kill you as give you a hug. R. Scott Bakker's Kellhus will literally suck the usefulness out of his friends like a spider and give a wan smile while doing so.
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8. Bastards are great in a crisis
Mark Lawrence: "Like a good politician or CEO, bastards are great at making the hard decisions, trimming the fat, downsizing etc. A bastard would balance the budget in no time.
Jorg is happy to cut his way to the most efficient solution to a problem. The quickest path is often a bloody one, but your Class A bastard won't flinch from the lesser of two evils – they'll snatch the greater. Jorg has had occasion to reduce staffing costs with a sharp edge, or balance the odds with a weapon of mass destruction, or shoot a friend to get the enemy standing behind them. The thing about collateral damage is ... you frikken won!"
Other notable bastards: Other notable bastards: Tyrion Lannister torching the ships outside Kings' Landing with wildfire despite Lannister troops being in the blast area. King Edward in Braveheart having his archers fire on the Scots even though the remnants of his own front lines were still fighting.
English Commander: "I beg pardon, sire. Won't we hit our own troops?"
Longshanks: "Yes... but we'll hit theirs as well. We have reserves. Attack!"
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7. The Bastard loves his family... until he doesn’t
Mark Lawrence: "Even the technical bastard has a daddy, he just didn't marry Mummy. The thing about bastards is not the matrimonial state of their parents but the ease with which they will variously sacrifice, kill, or marry their own relatives in order to advance their state.
In Prince of Thorns we discover that Jorg's father is actually a bigger bastard than Jorg himself. His uncle also appears to outdo him. Suffice it to say that all three of them are keen to trim the family tree with the sharpest weapon that comes to hand."
Other notable bastards: Fratricide has also been popular among bastards, ever since Cain did for Abel. In Zelazny's Chronicles of Amber the royal family are all about shortening the chain of succession, and Prince Corwin offs more than one brother himself. In a Game of Thrones the Baratheon brothers, Robert, Renly and Stannis are all a cross word from fratricide.
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