The links between Scottish history and the fantasy series Game of Thrones are to be highlighted in a lecture this week.

George RR Martin, the author of the books that have inspired the TV series, has long spoken of the inspiration he has taken from Scottish history for his popular epics.

Now the National Trust for Scotland is to host a talk by David Weinczok, a historian who is to underline the links between Scotland's past and the drama.

These links will include the name of the fantasy world of Westeros, a name not far removed from Wester Ross.

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Mr Weinczok will also, at the talk at Gladstone's Land on the Royal Mile, explore the links between Game of Thrones and Scotland's Gaelic culture and the rule of the Lord of the Isles.

Game of Throne's infamous Red Wedding incident was inspired, Martin has said, by two episodes in Scottish history - the "Black Dinner", where the Scottish king James II invited the chieftains of the powerful Clan Douglas to a feast at Edinburgh Castle.

A black bull's head, the symbol of death, was served as the last course of the dinner while a single drum was playing in the background, and the Douglases were murdered.

The other was the 1692 Massacre of Glencoe.

The Wall in Game of Thrones is analogous to Hadrian's Eall or the Antonine Wall.

Mr Weinczok said: "There are a lot of historical and thematic connections between Scotland and Game of Thrones.

"If you look at the driving forces and dynamics behind the world of Westeros you will find the very same in Scottish history.

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"A lot of pivotal events are direct echoes of events here."

At the Edinburgh International Book Festival, Martin once said that several women from Scottish history inspired characters in the saga.

He said: "I enjoyed Xena the Warrior Princess a lot but I did not think it was an accurate portrayal of what a women warrior was or would be like, and I sort of created Brienne of Tarth as an answer to that.

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"I was inspired by people like Eleanor of Aquitaine and not so much Joan of Arc, but the queens of Scottish history, from Lady Macbeth on down - strong women who didn't put on chain-mail bikinis to go forth into battle, but exercised immense powers by other ways."