The Dead Ladies Club

The Dead Ladies Club (sometimes called the "DLC") is a meta essay as well as a term created by Joannalannister to refer to several female characters 1-2 generations prior to the main storyline of A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin. It critiques the fact that Martin developed many of the male characters from this time period, but did not similarly develop the female characters, instead reducing them to the effect that they had on the main characters' stories.

The Dead Ladies

The list of Dead Ladies varies from person to person. Discussions occur on whether one person should be part of the club or not. However, Joannalannister first stated the list as

• Lyanna Stark [sister of Eddard Stark]
• Elia Martell [sister of Doran and Oberyn Martell]
• Ashara Dayne
• Rhaella Targaryen [mother of Rhaegar, Viserys, and Daenerys Targaryen]
• Joanna Lannister [mother of Cersei, Jaime, and Tyrion Lannister]
• Cassana Estermont [mother to Robert, Stannis, and Renly Baratheon]
• Tysha [wife of Tyrion Lannister] Lyarra Stark [mother of Brandon, Eddard, Lyanna, and Benjen Stark]
• the Unnamed Princess of Dorne (mother to Doran, Elia, and Oberyn)
• Brienne’s Unnamed Mother
• Minisa Whent-Tully
• Bethany Ryswell-Bolton
• The Miller's Wife

and added that she might be forgetting someone.

First Use of the Term

Joannalannister first used the term in a Tumblr post on 23 October 2013 in response to a question by user thericajstuff which asked "From what we know about Tywin, do you really believe that he simply forgot about Elia during the Sack?". It references another meta, "Can I be Lord of a Holdfast?" by downtothelastbullet.

Critiques of the Term

Fandom reaction to the term varies. Some people question why the ASOIAF fandom has created a separate term for this phenonmenon because many fantasy series have a similar trope in play, such as The Lord of the Rings. Others state that equivalent male characters are similarly undeveloped. Some note that this may have been an intentional critique on Martin's part.

Usage in Fandom

Frequent users of the Dead Ladies Club tag have included:

• joannalannister (creator)
• poorshadowspaintedqueens
• cosmonauthill
• lyannas
• allyriadayne
• poorquentyn
• goodqueenaly
• arielno
• gulbaharsultan
• racefortheironthrone

Fanworks

Several fans have created fanworks centering members of the Dead Ladies Club and their perspectives.