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Originally Posted by Captain Taco  I have a simple question maybe: The books often refer to 10 years of Summer and 10 years of Winter. Can someone roughly explain this astronomically? Does that mean that one revolution (year) on Westeros is equal to 10 Earth years? How does time pass in the realms? This has been bugging me as I re-read the first 3 books in preparation for the 4th (not read yet). Thanks. Winter is coming. |
No. The explanation is magical, not scientific. The seasons were normal up until the Long Night of 8,000 years prior to the books, when the Others (presumably) knocked the seasons out of joint. I suspect that 'normal' seasons will be restored at the end of the series.
The Helliconia Trilogy by Brian W. Aldiss is an SF approach to a world where the seasons last for centuries, due to the planet being part of a binary star system.