2.3.3. Pastimes
- Noble girls are taught womanly arts, such as knitting, singing, dancing, and playing instruments (I: 57, 59)
- Dicing is one way to pass the time (I: 155)
- Children play games like monsters-and-maidens, hide-the-treasure, come-into-my-castle, hopfrog, and spin-the-sword (I: 183. III: 776)
- Children play with toys such as wooden knights, joints pegged together and strings set through so that they can be made to move (I: 254)
- A game involving tiles and bets is played (I: 317. II: 98)
- Children chase after hoops (I: 602)
- Children often play rough-and-tumble games. One example is lord of the crossing, where a child plays at being the lord. Holding a stick he guards the crossing over a pool of water (necessary to the game) and others challenge him. The only way to win is to slip "mayhaps" amidst the play oaths that the lord makes them swear and then to push him into the water. Only the lord carries a stick (II: 56-57)
- Lord of the crossing usually comes down to shoving, hitting, and falling into the water, with many arguments over whether "mayhaps" has been said or not (II: 57)
- Nobles enjoy hawking (II: 120)
- Women can go hawking (II: 216)
- Drinking games (II: 239)
- Peak-and-sneak is probably a game played by children (II: 330)
- Travelling follies of mummers from the Free Cities travel among them on ships, and some visit the shores of Westeros plying their trade. These follies take on apprentices (II: 473)
- Bear baiting (II: 534)
- A mummer's dragon is a cloth dragon on poles, used to give heroes something to fight (II: 641)
- Setting dogs to fighting (III: 137)
- Young pages and squires can practice their skills by riding at rings (III: 493)
- Children play games in pools and fountains, such as climbing on one another's shoulders and trying to push their opponents into the water (IV: 33)
Last revised February 04, 2007
