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istumpysk · 2 years

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Operation Stumpy Re-Read

AFFC: Prologue

Please welcome our new POV, Pate. He's a novice at the Citadel.

"Dragons," said Mollander. He snatched a withered apple off the ground and tossed it hand to hand.

"Throw the apple," urged Alleras the Sphinx. He slipped an arrow from his quiver and nocked it to his bowstring.

"I should like to see a dragon." Roone was the youngest of them, a chunky boy still two years shy of manhood. "I should like that very much."

Okay. Alright.

The first few lines of this book feature dragons, and a sand snake shooting arrows.

We're off to a good start!

+.+.+

He could hear Emma's laughter coming through a shuttered window overhead, mingled with the deeper voice of the man she was entertaining. She was the oldest of the serving wenches at the Quill and Tankard, forty if she was a day, but still pretty in a fleshy sort of way. Rosey was her daughter, fifteen and freshly flowered. Emma had decreed that Rosey's maidenhead would cost a golden dragon. Pate had saved nine silver stags and a pot of copper stars and pennies, for all the good that would do him.

This is awful, but nothing new. Even highborn girls have a Bride Price.

+.+.+

"Throw the apple," Alleras urged again. He was a comely youth, their Sphinx. All the serving wenches doted on him. Even Rosey would sometimes touch him on the arm when she brought him wine, and Pate had to gnash his teeth and pretend not to see.

In case you're unaware, Alleras is actually Sarella Sand, Oberyn's daughter.

It's not clear if she's pursuing personal development, or if something else is going on.

Unless she returns to Dorne, there's naught I can do about Sarella save pray that she shows more sense than her sisters. Leave her to her . . . game. - The Captain of the Guards, AFFC

Dot, dot, dot.

+.+.+

Far and fast the apple flew . . .

. . . but not as fast as the arrow that whistled after it, a yard-long shaft of golden wood fletched with scarlet feathers. Pate did not see the arrow catch the apple, but he heard it. A soft chunk echoed back across the river, followed by a splash.

Mollander whistled. "You cored it. Sweet."

Excellent shot!

+.+.+

It would not have been the first time that good fortune had turned sour on Pate. He had once counted himself lucky to be chosen to help old Archmaester Walgrave with the ravens, never dreaming that before long he would also be fetching the man's meals, sweeping out his chambers, and dressing him every morning. Everyone said that Walgrave had forgotten more of ravencraft than most maesters ever knew, so Pate assumed a black iron link was the least that he could hope for, only to find that Walgrave could not grant him one. The old man remained an archmaester only by courtesy. As great a maester as once he'd been, now his robes concealed soiled smallclothes oft as not, and half a year ago some acolytes found him weeping in the Library, unable to find his way back to his chambers.

Please don't say you're unlucky, not enough time has passed since Merrett Frey.

Pate is Bizarro Jon. The little optimist gets chosen as a personal helper and assumes he's about to climb the ladder.

The little pessimist was the opposite.

"And what will my duties be?" Jon asked sharply. "Will I serve the Lord Commander's meals, help him fasten his clothes, fetch hot water for his bath?" - Jon VI, AGOT.

+.+.+

In the apple tree beside the water, a nightingale began to sing. It was a sweet sound, a welcome respite from the harsh screams and endless quorking of the ravens he had tended all day long. The white ravens knew his name, and would mutter it to each other whenever they caught sight of him, "Pate, Pate, Pate," until he wanted to scream.

Look, the white bird calls his name! Bizarro Jon! Insert joke about trading dragon for maiden girl here.

This chapter is all birds and apples, and I'm lost.

+.+.+

Perhaps it was the fearsomely strong cider—he had not come here to drink, but Alleras had been buying to celebrate his copper link, and guilt had made him thirsty—but it almost sounded as if the nightingale were trilling gold for iron, gold for iron, gold for iron. Which was passing strange, because that was what the stranger had said the night Rosey brought the two of them together. "Who are you?" Pate had demanded of him, and the man had replied, "An alchemist. I can change iron into gold."

To go along with all the apples, 'fearsomely strong cider' is used roughly 87 times. Sure, whatever.

Long story short, Pate needs money to be with Rosey, and out of the blue a stranger (the alchemist) shows up offering money in exchange for something in the Citadel.

Twice in this chapter we'll be told Rosey brought them together.

The coin appeared. The alchemist made it walk across his knuckles, the way he had when Rosey brought the two of them together.

I don't know what to make of that. Maybe she's working with the alchemist, or maybe she fancies Pate and would like to see him get that coin?

Pate loved her hazel eyes and budding breasts, and the way she smiled every time she saw him. He loved the dimples in her cheeks. Sometimes she went barefoot as she served, to feel the grass beneath her feet. He loved that too. He loved the clean fresh smell of her, the way her hair curled behind her ears. He even loved her toes. One night she'd let him rub her feet and play with them, and he'd made up a funny tale for every toe to keep her giggling.

+.+.+

The Quill and Tankard never closed. For six hundred years it had been standing on its island in the Honeywine, and never once had its doors been shut to trade. Though the tall, timbered building leaned toward the south the way novices sometimes leaned after a tankard, Pate expected that the inn would go on standing for another six hundred years, selling wine and ale and fearsomely strong cider to rivermen and seamen, smiths and singers, priests and princes, and the novices and acolytes of the Citadel.

Rest in peace, The Quill and Tankard.

Daddy's coming.

+.+.+

Even in Oldtown, far from the fighting and safe behind its walls, the War of the Five Kings had touched them all . . . although Archmaester Benedict insisted that there had never been a war of five kings, since Renly Baratheon had been slain before Balon Greyjoy had crowned himself.

Archmaester Pedant.

I have no desire to return to that HotU chapter, but I will say I'm starting to question whether those four dwarfs molesting the beautiful woman are meant to represent the War of the Five Kings.

It's recently come to my attention that Tyrion and Daenerys like to metaphorically sex.

+.+.+

One sailor with a story, aye, a man might laugh at that, but when oarsmen off four different ships tell the same tale in four different tongues . . ."

"The tales are not the same," insisted Armen. "Dragons in Asshai, dragons in Qarth, dragons in Meereen, Dothraki dragons, dragons freeing slaves . . . each telling differs from the last."

All of these are true, except Asshai. Weird.

He lifted his eyes and saw clear across the narrow sea, to the Free Cities and the green Dothraki sea and beyond, to Vaes Dothrak under its mountain, to the fabled lands of the Jade Sea, to Asshai by the Shadow, where dragons stirred beneath the sunrise. - Bran III, AGOT

+.+.+

"There's another apple near your foot," Alleras called to Mollander, "and I still have two arrows in my quiver."

SHE HAS THREE ARROWS.

+.+.+

"Fuck your quiver." Mollander scooped up the windfall. "This one's wormy," he complained, but he threw it anyway. The arrow caught the apple as it began to fall and sliced it clean in two. One half landed on a turret roof, tumbled to a lower roof, bounced, and missed Armen by a foot. "If you cut a worm in two, you make two worms," the acolyte informed them.

Uh, help?

+.+.+

"One last apple," promised Alleras, "and I will tell you what I suspect about these dragons."

[...]

Alleras threw a leg across the bench and reached for his wine cup. "The dragon has three heads," he announced in his soft Dornish drawl.

Thanks for that information? Lol.

Is she suggesting three have been hatched? Correct.

Is she suggesting there's three Targaryens? Incorrect.

I count five. At minimum, there's four.

+.+.+

"No dragon has ever had three heads except on shields and banners," Armen the Acolyte said firmly. "That was a heraldic charge, no more. Furthermore, the Targaryens are all dead."

"Not all," said Alleras. "The Beggar King had a sister."

"I thought her head was smashed against a wall," said Roone.

"No," said Alleras. "It was Prince Rhaegar's young son Aegon whose head was dashed against the wall by the Lion of Lannister's brave men. We speak of Rhaegar's sister, born on Dragonstone before its fall. The one they called Daenerys."

"The Stormborn. I recall her now." Mollander lifted his tankard high, sloshing the cider that remained.

Yes, we definitely need clarity on who was unidentifiable.

Imagine being known as The Stormborn.

+.+.+

Leo turned to Alleras. "A lord's son should be open-handed, Sphinx. I understand you won your copper link. I'll drink to that."

Alleras smiled back at him. "I only buy for friends. And I am no lord's son, I've told you that. My mother was a trader."

Leo's eyes were hazel, bright with wine and malice. "Your mother was a monkey from the Summer Isles. The Dornish will fuck anything with a hole between its legs. Meaning no offense. You may be brown as a nut, but at least you bathe. Unlike our spotted pig boy." He waved a hand toward Pate.

Alleras speaks no lies.

If you're wondering who this piece of garbage is, it's Leo Tyrell, cousin of Mace Tyrell.

My goodness, those Tyrells.

+.+.+

If I hit him in the mouth with my tankard, I could knock out half his teeth, Pate thought. Spotted Pate the pig boy was the hero of a thousand ribald stories: a good-hearted, empty-headed lout who always managed to best the fat lordlings, haughty knights, and pompous septons who beset him. Somehow his stupidity would turn out to have been a sort of uncouth cunning; the tales always ended with Spotted Pate sitting on a lord's high seat or bedding some knight's daughter. But those were stories. In the real world pig boys never fared so well. Pate sometimes thought his mother must have hated him to have named him as she did.

I'm not so sure about that, Pate.

"It would seem they have run short of poachers and thieves down south. Now they send us pigs to man the Wall. Is fur and velvet your notion of armor, my Lord of Ham?" - Jon IV, AGOT

+.+.+

The tiles turned against me at the Checkered Hazard, and I wasted my last stag on supper. Suckling pig in plum sauce, stuffed with chestnuts and white truffles.

Pate, I'm a little worried about ya, bud.

+.+.+

Every man off every ship that's sailed within a hundred leagues of Qarth is speaking of these dragons. A few will even tell you that they've seen them. The Mage is inclined to believe them."

Armen pursed his lips in disapproval. "Marwyn is unsound. Archmaester Perestan would be the first to tell you that."

[...]

The Mage was not like other maesters. People said that he kept company with whores and hedge wizards, talked with hairy Ibbenese and pitch-black Summer Islanders in their own tongues, and sacrificed to queer gods at the little sailors' temples down by the wharves. Men spoke of seeing him down in the undercity, in rat pits and black brothels, consorting with mummers, singers, sellswords, even beggars. Some even whispered that once he had killed a man with his fists.

When Marwyn had returned to Oldtown, after spending eight years in the east mapping distant lands, searching for lost books, and studying with warlocks and shadowbinders, Vinegar Vaellyn had dubbed him "Marwyn the Mage."

Marwyn!

Look, Daenerys is getting her very own Qyburn.

+.+.+

"Archmaester Marwyn believes in many curious things," he said, "but he has no more proof of dragons than Mollander. Just more sailors' stories."

"You're wrong," said Leo. "There is a glass candle burning in the Mage's chambers."

[...]

Pate knew about the glass candles, though he had never seen one burn. They were the worst-kept secret of the Citadel. It was said that they had been brought to Oldtown from Valyria a thousand years before the Doom. He had heard there were four; one was green and three were black, and all were tall and twisted.

[...]

Armen the Acolyte cleared his throat. "The night before an acolyte says his vows, he must stand a vigil in the vault. No lantern is permitted him, no torch, no lamp, no taper . . . only a candle of obsidian. He must spend the night in darkness, unless he can light that candle. Some will try. The foolish and the stubborn, those who have made a study of these so-called higher mysteries.

[...]

"It is a lesson," Armen said, "the last lesson we must learn before we don our maester's chains. The glass candle is meant to represent truth and learning, rare and beautiful and fragile things. It is made in the shape of a candle to remind us that a maester must cast light wherever he serves, and it is sharp to remind us that knowledge can be dangerous. Wise men may grow arrogant in their wisdom, but a maester must always remain humble. The glass candle reminds us of that as well. Even after he has said his vow and donned his chain and gone forth to serve, a maester will think back on the darkness of his vigil and remember how nothing that he did could make the candle burn . . . for even with knowledge, some things are not possible."

It's mandatory I include the glass candle stuff, but I have little to say about it.

Three black, one green? No thoughts on that.

+.+.+

Archmaester Walgrave had no trouble telling one raven from another, but he was not so good with people. Some days he seemed to think Pate was someone named Cressen.

Pate, I'm a little worried about ya, bud.

+.+.+

"Careful," Pate heard Armen say as the river mists swallowed up the four of them, "the night is damp, and the cobbles will be slippery."

Lol, I love when George mocks Melisandre.

That line will prove to be relevant later.

+.+.+

Leo needed no reply. "I expect that once I've broken in the wench [Rosey], her price will fall to where even pig boys will be able to afford her. You ought to thank me."

I ought to kill you, Pate thought, but he was not near drunk enough to throw away his life. Leo had been trained to arms, and was known to be deadly with bravo's blade and dagger. And if Pate should somehow kill him, it would mean his own head too. Leo had two names where Pate had only one, and his second was Tyrell. Ser Moryn Tyrell, commander of the City Watch of Oldtown, was Leo's father. Mace Tyrell, Lord of Highgarden and Warden of the South, was Leo's cousin. And Oldtown's Old Man, Lord Leyton of the Hightower, who numbered "Protector of the Citadel" amongst his many titles, was a sworn bannerman of House Tyrell. Let it go, Pate told himself. He says these things just to wound me.

Bravo's blade and dagger? I'd like the hear more about that.

I'm pretty sure Leo Tyrell is close to Samwell's age, making what I'm about to say impossible, but I feel like sharing the tinfoil anyway:

Her name is Rosey, her mother is a prostitute, and both Rosey and Leo are described as having hazel eyes.

There exists at least a small possibility this dude is joking about sleeping with his own daughter. Or maybe not daughter, but still Tyrell blood.

+.+.+

When the first shaft of sunlight broke through the clouds to the east, morning bells began to peal from the Sailor's Sept down by the harbor. The Lord's Sept joined in a moment later, then the Seven Shrines from their gardens across the Honeywine, and finally the Starry Sept that had been the seat of the High Septon for a thousand years before Aegon landed at King's Landing. They made a mighty music. Though not so sweet as one small nightingale.

That's a lot of ringing bells.

+.+.+

And beyond, where the Honeywine widened into Whispering Sound, rose the Hightower, its beacon fires bright against the dawn. From where it stood atop the bluffs of Battle Island, its shadow cut the city like a sword. Those born and raised in Oldtown could tell the time of day by where that shadow fell. Some claimed a man could see all the way to the Wall from the top. Perhaps that was why Lord Leyton had not made the descent in more than a decade, preferring to rule his city from the clouds.

This is how I envision Leyton Hightower:

Some claimed a man could see all the way to the Wall from the top.

Because of that one line, people believe Leyton Hightower has a glass candle.

"What feeds a dragon's fire?" Marwyn seated himself upon a stool. "All Valyrian sorcery was rooted in blood or fire. The sorcerers of the Freehold could see across mountains, seas, and deserts with one of these glass candles. They could enter a man's dreams and give him visions, and speak to one another half a world apart, seated before their candles. Do you think that might be useful, Slayer?" - Samwell V, AFFC

That seems like a bit of a reach to me, but what do I know.

+.+.+

A butcher's cart rumbled past Pate down the river road, five piglets in the back squealing in distress.

Pate, I'm a little worried about ya, bud.

+.+.+

He was on one knee, trying to wipe the mud off his robes, when a voice said, "Good morrow, Pate."

The alchemist was standing over him.

[...]

"Have you decided what you are?"

Must he make me say it? "I suppose I am a thief."

"I thought you might be."

The hardest part had been getting down on his hands and knees to pull the strongbox from underneath Archmaester Walgrave's bed. Though the box was stoutly made and bound with iron, its lock was broken. Maester Gormon had suspected Pate of breaking it, but that wasn't true. Walgrave had broken the lock himself, after losing the key that opened it.

Inside, Pate had found a bag of silver stags, a lock of yellow hair tied up in a ribbon, a painted miniature of a woman who resembled Walgrave (even to her mustache), and a knight's gauntlet made of lobstered steel. The gauntlet had belonged to a prince, Walgrave claimed, though he could no longer seem to recall which one. When Pate shook it, the key fell out onto the floor.

Is that miniature woman a Florent?

This feels like bait. Should I care about these items? I'm going to say no.

+.+.+

If I pick that up, I am a thief, he remembered thinking. The key was old and heavy, made of black iron; supposedly it opened every door at the Citadel. Only the archmaesters had such keys.

The alchemist wants entry into every room! What could he want? Yay, a mystery.

+.+.+

"I want my dragon."

"To be sure." The coin appeared.

[...]

Pate grabbed it from his hand. The gold felt warm against his palm. He brought it to his mouth and bit down on it the way he'd seen men do. If truth be told, he wasn't sure what gold should taste like, but he did not want to look a fool.

Oops.

The old man would count it out carefully, sorting the coins and stacking them up neatly, like with like. He never looked at the coins. Instead he bit them, always on the left side of his mouth, where he still had all his teeth.

[...]

The kindly man understood. "And with that coin and the others in his purse, he paid a certain man. Soon after that man's heart gave out. Is that the way of it? Very sad." The priest picked up the coin and tossed it into the pool. "You have much and more to learn, but it may be you are not hopeless." - The Ugly Little Girl, ADWD

+.+.+

"The key?" the alchemist inquired politely.

Something made Pate hesitate. "Is it some book you want?" Some of the old Valyrian scrolls down in the locked vaults were said to be the only surviving copies in the world.

"What I want is none of your concern."

Many have speculated the alchemist might be looking for the following:

Ten years ago, Tyrion had read a fragment of Unnatural History that had eluded the Blessed Baelor, but he doubted that any of Barth's work had found its way across the narrow sea. And of course there was even less chance of his coming on the fragmentary, anonymous, blood-soaked tome sometimes called Blood and Fire and sometimes The Death of Dragons, the only surviving copy of which was supposedly hidden away in a locked vault beneath the Citadel. - Tyrion IV, ASOS

Anyone searching for a book about the death of dragons is A-OK in my books.

+.+.+

"Show me your face."

"As you wish." The alchemist pulled his hood down.

He was just a man, and his face was just a face. A young man's face, ordinary, with full cheeks and the shadow of a beard. A scar showed faintly on his right cheek. He had a hooked nose, and a mat of dense black hair that curled tightly around his ears. It was not a face Pate recognized. "I do not know you."

"Nor I you."

"Who are you?"

"A stranger. No one. Truly."

Pate, you don't know him! Pate!

"I know this man," she did hear a priest with the face of a plague victim say. "I know this man," the fat fellow echoed, as she was pouring for him. But the handsome man said, "I will give this man the gift, I know him not." Later the squinter said the same thing, of someone else. - The Ugly Little Girl, ADWD

Boy, that alchemist sure sounds familiar.

"I do. My time is done." Jaqen passed a hand down his face from forehead to chin, and where it went he changed. His cheeks grew fuller, his eyes closer; his nose hooked, a scar appeared on his right cheek where no scar had been before. And when he shook his head, his long straight hair, half red and half white, dissolved away to reveal a cap of tight black curls. - Arya IX, ACOK

+.+.+

He was halfway down the alley when the cobblestones began to move beneath his feet. The stones are slick and wet, he thought, but that was not it. He could feel his heart hammering in his chest. "What's happening?" he said. His legs had turned to water. "I don't understand."

"And never will," a voice said sadly.

The cobblestones rushed up to kiss him. Pate tried to cry for help, but his voice was failing too.

His last thought was of Rosey.

No, Pate! :(

The night is damp, and the cobbles will be slippery! :(

Anyway, spoiler alert. We're not going to have a difficult time connecting the prologue with the last chapter.

"My thanks." There was something about the pale, soft youth that he misliked, but he did not want to seem discourteous, so he added, "My name's not Slayer, truly. I'm Sam. Samwell Tarly."

"I'm Pate," the other said, "like the pig boy." - Samwell V, AFFC

Final thoughts:

It was an impossibly long chapter, so I must be reading AFFC.

Jaqen is headed to the Wall when he's first introduced, and now he's potentially looking for a book about the death of dragons.

I'm not sure whether I should be concerned over his interest in Samwell. I'm going to hope for the best.

"There's an empty sleeping cell under mine in the west tower, with steps that lead right up to Walgrave's chambers," said the pasty-faced youth. "If you don't mind the ravens quorking, there's a good view of the Honeywine. Will that serve?"

"I suppose." He had to sleep somewhere. - Samwell V, AFFC

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#operation stumpy re-read #affc #prologue

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ilargizuri · 1 year

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Three Things in One Creature - Part 1: Dragons, Harpyies and Sphinxes

In my introduction, I tried to explain why I consider prophecies in the world of ice and fire to be warnings. Now I want to talk about another constant that appears in all books. The beings from the legends and stories of ancient mythology. All representatives from this book series have been taken from Greek mythology and two of them are slightly changed. Dragons have a fiery breath in Greek mythology, but mostly no wings, in addition, they are mostly the antagonists and always the reason why the hero moves out to save a princess. Incidentally, this motif of the noble knight, who frees the princess from a dragon, originates from antiquity. The Greek dragon from antiquity often has several heads, due to the little evidence from this period, only two examples are known by name, the hundred-headed Typhon and the nine-headed Hydra. The idea of a dragon with several heads is also directly from this time. The harpy is in Greek mythology a bird being with the body and head of a woman. In the books, however, the harpy has alongside the human torso and head, bat wings, eagle claws and the tail of a scorpion.

»In the center of the Plaza of Pride stood a red brick fountain whose waters smelled of brimstone, and in the center of the fountain a monstrous harpy made of hammered bronze. Twenty feet tall she reared. She had a woman’s face, with gilded hair, ivory eyes, and pointed ivory teeth. Water gushed yellow from her heavy breasts. But in place of arms, she had the wings of a bat or a dragon, her legs were the legs of an eagle, and behind she wore a scorpion’s curled and venomous tail. « - Daenerys 2, A Storm of Swords.

The last character from our mythology is the Sphinx and here it gets more interesting. Because both the dragons and the harpy were changed by Martin to fit the realities of the story he wrote, why one has to give the tail of a scorpion to an ancient wind spirit, which was under the command of the King of the Gods Zeus, I do not know and I do not care. The dragons were led by the obstacles of the hero, to the allies and the harpy to their enemies, which is especially interesting because the harpies in many stories are destructive wind spirits and according to Hesiod these harpies were the descendants of the hundred-headed dragon Typhon after Zeus imprisoned Typhon. It makes Harpies the sisters of the nine-headed Hydra and the Sphinx. The sphinx was not changed at all, but if you search for sphinxes in Google, you first get to see the Egyptian sphinx. Which is important, because this sphinx has no wings. Unlike Martins.

»It had been Lazy Leo who dubbed Alleras „the Sphinx.“ A sphinx is a bit of this, a bit of that: a human face, the body of a lion, the wings of a hawk. Alleras was the same: his father was a Dornishman, his mother a black-skinned Summer Islander. His own skin was dark as teak. And like the green marble sphinxes that flanked the Citadel’s main gate, Alleras had eyes of onyx.« - Prologue, A Feast for Crows.

Just like the harpy from our mythology, the original that Martin was probably inspired by, the Sphinx is a daughter of Typhon, so also a kind of dragon. Later Sam mentions that the sphinxes that Lazy Leo mentioned in the prologue had snake-headed tails. This is not from Greek mythology, but an interpretation of archaeologists who dug up statues of sphinxes and recorded descriptions of them in writing. And the rods were described as they looked like serpents; which is not wrong, the pictures of such statues show, that due to erosion and the way the artists shaped these, the snake comparison is quite comprehensible. As in our mythology, sphinxes in Westeros pose riddles like Roone mentioned in the prologue of A Feast for Crows.

»“The day you make them all is the day you stop improving.” Alleras unstrung his longbow and eased it into its leather case. The bow was carved from goldenheart, a rare and fabled wood from the Summer Isles. Pate had tried to bend it once, and failed. The Sphinx looks slight, but there’s strength in those slim arms, he reflected, as Alleras threw a leg across the bench and reached for his wine cup. “The dragon has three heads,” he announced in his soft Dornish drawl.“Is this a riddle?” Roone wanted to know. “Sphinxes always speak in riddles in the tales.”“No riddle.” Alleras sipped his wine.« - Prologue, A Feast for Crows.

It also suggests that the Sphinx in the stories of Westeros also has a guardian function like the Sphinx in our mythology. The figure of the Sphinx was thus not changed in any way by Martin. But then Maester Aemon makes an interesting statement in A Feast for Crows, which many fans take as a reason for speculation. This is this passage.

»When he woke he’d call for Sam, insisting he had to tell him something, but oft as not he would have forgotten what he meant to say by the time that Sam arrived. Even when he did recall, his talk was a jumble. He spoke of dreams and never named the dreamer, of glass candles that could not lit and eggs that would not hatch. He said the Sphinx was the riddle, not the riddler, whatever that meant.« -Samwell 4, A Feast for Crows.

Many fans think that this is an indication that Alleras is not who he pretends to be, but Sarella Sand, one of Oberyn Martell’s bastard daughters. Especially because Alleras mentions in the prologue the sentence which is otherwise only said by Targaryens and the Undying of Quarth. In addition, Sam meets him at the end of A Feast for Crows and Alleras is very interested in what Sam has to say about Maester Aemon. In my opinion, the enigmatic Sphinx is not Alleras, but a reference to the heroes in this story, which is not Azor Ahai. Several times we are reminded by the Targaryens in this story that the dragon has three heads and Aemon regrets that he is not younger to help Daenerys.

»„Daenerys is our hope. Tell them that, at the Citadel. Make them listen. They must send her a maester. Daenerys must be counseled, taught, protected. For all these years I’ve lingered, waiting, watching, and now that the day has dawned I am too old. I am dying, Sam.“ « -Maester Aemon, Samwell 4, A Feast for Crows.

Aemon also says in this chapter that he and Rhaegar always misunderstood the prophecy. This is a motive that we have more often in the story, people who receive a prophecy, try to interpret it and make mistakes. In addition, their obsession with this prophecy leads them to overlook the things that are happening just in front of their eyes. The best example of this fact is Daenerys and Cersei, not because they are both women, but because they are the only characters who really receive a prophecy. Cersei searches all the time for the woman who, according to the prophecy she received from Maggi the Frog, is responsible for her downfall. Daenerys constantly searches for the three traitors announced to her in her prophecy. Both overlook the obvious, what is happening right now. Daenerys always worries about the traitors, while there is a Civil War happening around her and escapes a poison attack, only because she does not eat those sweetened locusts that are offered to her. Cersei tries to disable the younger and more beautiful Queen, who she believes is Margaery, and does not realize that she has a far more dangerous opponent with the High Sparrow, who she believes to be her ally. Prophecies are warnings, but the figures in the story are obsessed with them and see the fulfilment of their prophecy all around them. And the reader follows the thoughts of the characters and takes them for bare coins although we as readers should see the bigger picture and therefore assume a less biased position than the figures that concern the prophecy.

But the Sphinx and the Dragon with the Three Heads are not prophecies only images, and analogies that put the characters before puzzles that misinterpret them or answer them incorrectly. So Sam asks Alleras if he knew what Maester Aemon meant by his pronouncement.

» Sam fumbled for a penny. „Are you a novice?“ „An acolyte. Alleras, by some called Sphinx.“ The name gave Sam a jolt. „The sphinx is the riddle, not the riddler,“ he blurted. „Do you know what that means?“ „No. Is it a riddle?“ „I wish I knew. I’m Samwell Tarly. Sam.“ « Samwell 5, A Feast for Crows.

This scene and what happens afterwards is often seen as an indication that the riddle that addresses Aemon must be Alleras. However, any attentive reader of these books, already noticed in the prologue that Alleras is the disguised Sarella sand. After all, Doran Martell mentions that Sarella is in Old Town and he can do nothing to get hold of her. In addition, we learn that she is the most curious and read by Oberyn’s daughters and we know that the citadel does not accept women. So if Sarella wanted to study in the citadel, she has to dress up as a man. Moreover, Aemon has never met Alleras or even heard of him, so why should the pronouncement refer to him?

#anti daenerys targaryen in some way #my meta #I want to look at it from a different point of view #no beta so if you find errors their yours to take

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sayruq · 2 years

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A sphinx is a bit of this, a bit of that: a human face, the body of a lion, the wings of a hawk. Alleras was the same: his father was a Dornishman, his mother a black-skinned Summer Islander. His own skin was dark as teak. And like the green marble sphinxes that flanked the Citadel's main gate, Alleras had eyes of onyx.

Sand Snakes Week: Day 2 - Symbolism

#sarella sand #dornesolstice #sand snakes week #asoiafedit #gotedit #dorneedit #valyriansource #asoiafwomensource #dorneuniverse #dornesource #house martell #my edits #*edits #song of ice and fire

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greenhikingboots · 2 years

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A Rabbit Hole of Fan Theories - The Faceless Man, The Elder Brother, and More (Updated)

Here’s nearly 6,000 words of ASOIAF fan theory exploration. On the one hand, a lot of it sounds like crackpot, tinfoil nonsense to me. On the other hand, I might be a genius who has solved some mysteries. Feel free to disregard or indulge, whichever you prefer.

Okay, so it started like this: I was thinking about how TWOW might go, more specifically how Robb’s letter legitimizing Jon and making him an heir might finally come into play. I was wondering what happened to the letter, which led me to this post. It makes a strong case for the letter being sent with the captain of the Myraham to either White Harbor or Oldtown. As for White Harbor, the post says Robb would have sent the letter there because Wyman Manderly, wealthy and loyal to the Starks, has the means necessary to “champion the contents of Robb’s letter.” That wasn’t enough reason to excite me, truth be told, but I kept reading anyway.

As for Oldtown, Sam’s there now (more specifically at the Citadel), so Robb’s letter finding its way there would tie story lines together in an interesting way. Additionally, I’ve always found a certain scene from the show rather suspect. “A raven came from the Citadel. A white raven. Winter is here.” It’s a nice nod to House Stark’s words, and it gives Jon a chance to bring up Ned. And maybe that’s all it was ever meant to be. But I don’t recall the show mentioning white ravens at any other point, so I thought, “Maybe it’s a nod to something that will happen in the books.” With that in mind, I went searching for information about white ravens. In the ACAK prologue, there’s this: “They are larger than other ravens, and more clever, bred to carry only the most important messages. This one came to tell us that the Conclave has met, considered the reports and measurements made by maesters all over the realm, and declared this great summer done at last.” I hate to make generalizations about the fandom, but there seems to be this false idea that white ravens only announce the transition of seasons, but as I’ve just noted they actually announce “the most important messages,” and the transition of seasons is but one example. So that got me thinking that Robb would have wanted his letter to make it to the Citadel so that his legitimizing Jon was known far and wide. (For what it’s worth, I tried to find out if there is a precedent for this in the books — if this is the sort of thing that white ravens have been used for at any point in the already published story — but no luck. Still, I think the theory holds weight).

Recent addition: I think the maesters are neutral for the most part, or at least they’re supposed to be (though Marwyn’s obviously up to something). Meaning, their sending out a bunch of white ravens about Jon being legitimized isn’t necessarily an indicator that they support the North’s independence. I think of it more like them saying, “Hey, here’s the latest news everyone needs to know.” This reddit post (from 9 years ago!) has some good conversations about it.

After that, I read more about Sam at the Citadel because I want to make my fanfic ideas as canon compliant as possible. I’d previously read the chapter where he arrives there, but overall I wasn’t a careful reader of the books. With each one, I skimmed more and more and skipped some POV chapters completely. And while House Martell sounds wonderful when I read about them online, I struggled to get into chapters which feature them. So I missed it completely, that Sarella Sand and Alleras the Sphinx are one in the same. But after reading some fan theories on it, it seems more than plausible to me. It seems indisputable, actually. “Well, then how do I want to incorporate that into my writing?” I asked myself. I mean, Sarella wants to be at the Citadel badly enough that she’s pretending to be a boy to do so. But why? Sure, she could be seeking knowledge simply for the sake of it, but this is ASOIAF so that seems unlikely, doesn't it? After all, the Citadel has all the answers to all the ancient secrets, right? The last copy of certain books, information about dragons and Valyerian steel and dragonglass and magic… Meaning Sarella probably has a specific agenda in support of House Martell. I don’t know enough about them to guess quite what it is, but put a pin in that anyway because I’ll come back to it later. A lot later and only briefly. But it will happen. Moving on now. Wait, wait, wait. Sidebar before moving on. I should note that because the Sarella = Alleras fan theory is indisputable in my opinion and because examples of it are easier to find than the one I linked above about Robb’s letter being sent with the captain of the Myraham, I chose not to link anything for it. Just an FYI for why I give links sometimes and not others. That pattern will continue throughout this post. Okay, so what else is happening at the Citadel? Jaqen H’ghar, of course! Arya’s Faceless Man friend is there, passing as Pate. “Pate, like the pig boy.” Like Sarella = Alleras, this becomes quite clear after reading up on it a bit. And also like Sarella = Alleras, I doubt Jaqen is there simply for the pursuit of knowledge. That dude has a mission and it has something to do with — well, with a dragon egg, right?

Hey, look! A fan theory I knew about before falling into this rabbit hole! It’s a popular one, but in case you aren’t familiar: Euron Greyjoy had a dragon egg at one point, but he used it as payment to the Faceless Men when he hired them to kill Balon. So, most likely, Jaqen is at the Citadel wanting to learn how to hatch a dragon egg. Well, even though that seemed pretty straightforward for me, I went on to read about Jaqen anyway. Just in case. Now, I could be misinterpreting my internet findings, but it seems these next fan theories I’m going to talk about aren’t as widely known as Sarella = Alleras or Jaqen = Pate, despite there being several Quora and Reddit posts about them. Perhaps because there’s more to dispute? Let me explain. Jaqen H'ghar is a Targaryen, everybody. Or so the theories go. More specifically, he’s either the real Aegon or Rhaegar resurrected. Oof. Sounds complicated, right? Have you heard these theories before? I’m really not sure how popular they are, therefore I’m not sure how much I should dive into them. Whatever, here goes, I guess. Some points to support Jaqen being either the real Aegon or Rhaegar resurrected: First, he’s got the Targaryen look in some ways. Second, there are parallels between him/Arya/Gendry and Rhaegar/Lyanna/Robert. Third, in ACOK, just before Arya gives Jaqen his own name, she says, “Anyone? A man, a woman, a little baby, or Lord Tywin, or the High Septon, or your father?” And he replies, “A man’s sire is long dead…”

Sire? Hmm. Interesting. Okay, Arya again: “Even if I named the king?” Jaqen: “Is it Joffrey?”Arya: “It’s Jaqen H’ghar.” That could totally be a clue, right? Classic, GRRM, you know. Oh, and how about the fan theory that says Jaqen has gone rogue, that he’s not doing Faceless Man things the way a Faceless Man is supposed to? This link sums that up nicely. I like it a lot. Wait, another sidebar! When discussing Jaqen, I especially like the questions, “How did he end up in King’s Landing? Why was he taken prisoner and set on the path to the Night’s Watch?” I’ve read some theories about those questions too, but I’m not going to go there in this post. I’ve got enough to try to unravel as it stands. Back to speaking more generally. Why would GRMM have Jaqen go rogue and be important to the story if he’s just some random Faceless Man? Isn’t it more interesting and doesn’t it tie story lines together better if he is in fact the real Aegon or Rhaegar resurrected? So there I was after reading a lot more fan theories, thinking, “Okay, yeah, I’m fully on board with Jaqen being one of those Targaryens, but which one?” Maybe I was overthinking it. Given Jaqen’s age and given that Rhaegar, after being resurrected, probably wouldn’t just go into hiding and wind up a Faceless Man, Jaqen being the real Aegon does seem the better theory. But I guess I’ve always liked the idea of Young Griff being the real Aegon because… Well, I don’t really know why, really. Everyone seems to expect him to be an imposter, so wouldn’t it be more interesting if he wasn’t? Maybe I just need to drive into the Blackfyre Theory more. Only, every time I try, my head spins uncomfortably fast and I give up. Young Griff and Varys and Illyrio and Serra and JonCon and Septa Lemore. Ugh. I can’t keep track of it all. (I haven’t read this particular post in full, only skimmed it, but it looks like an extremely detailed summation of the Blackfyre Theory, if anyone is interested. I know I’ve got it bookmarked and will be returning to it in the coming days). Want more on the theory that Jaqen is the real Aegon? This Quora user makes the case for it in great detail across several posts. I’ve only read a few so far, but much of what I’ve read made me think, “That’s good, but it doesn’t necessarily rule out the other theory I’m seeing, that Jaqen could be Rhaegar resurrected. It still sounds like it could be either of them.” I mean, Faceless Men could be a different age they appear, right? So I kept digging, but with more of a Rhaegar angle. I’ll say it again: oof! Where to begin with that theory?

Well, we know Rhaegar was obsessed with prophecies. He’d been trying to make sense of them for a long time and even changed his mind about which parts apply to him vs. his child/children. So it seems he understood prophecies are — well, fickle bitches, right? (To paraphrase another fandom which was paraphrasing an author who is not GRMM. That is, Ben Linus from Lost referencing Black Company by Glen Cook. Oh, I digress.)

Anyway, when it came time for Rhaegar to join the fight against Robert’s Rebellion, he was probably worried he’d die before getting it all sorted out, before doing all he needed to do to ensure the prince who was promised would one day deliver the world from darkness. Well, what if from his place of worry, his heightened motivation to survive and get the prophecy right, he came up with a plan? “Not today, death,” he might have said. Just kidding. Kind of. I’ve read that fan theory too by the way, that Jaqen = Syrio. But I’m not buying it. This is just a little jaunt into cheekiness. Back to the point. So at first I thought, “Maybe Rhaegar just brought a red priest or priestess along to the battle, came back to life, and went on to be known as Jaqen H’ghar from some TBD reason.” But then, as I was researching the likelihood of that, I read this Reddit post that talks about the possibility of Rhaegar’s rubies being used as a glamour. Body switch style. Mance and Rattleshirt, anyone? Now, unless it’s buried in the comments somewhere, I don’t think any connections are made in that last link to Jaqen, but it got me thinking. We know from Melisandre’s time at the Wall that there are some rubies that can be used to glamour people. So what if Rhaegar planned to have someone glamoured to look like him, to fight and then die in his place? Wait, wait, wait! But the fan theory I’d been exploring said Jaqen was Rhaegar resurrected, not just Rheagar who faked his death but never died. (I can’t find it back now, but I particularly liked a post that related the Jaqen = Rhaegar resurrected theory to one of Dany’s visions in the House of the Undying). So I started to feel overwhelmed. I’d gotten even deeper in the rabbit hole but was no closer to making book predictions (or decisions about how to write my fanfic for that matter). I’d switched from the Jaqen = real Aegon angle to Jaqen = Rheagr resurrected angle, and now I needed to switch again? To the Rhaegar faked his death angle? I didn’t want to. Instead, I asked myself, “What do I know about other resurrections in ASOIAF? What clues do I already have?” Well, I know that Thoros “kissed” Beric and Beric “kissed” Catelyn… but only after Thoros refused to do it himself. *Looks at the camera like I’m in The Office.” I’ll come back to that later. For now, recall that Catelyn had been dead for so long that it became a trading of lives; Beric died to bring her back. and even then she became… well, Lady Stoneheart. This suggests a few things, not all of which are super relevant, but I’ll spell them out just in case. 1. Less relevant: The person who performs the “kiss” loses something — let’s call it health — in doing so. This is further supported by Thoros becoming loose skinned and gray haired the more times he brings Beric back to life. (For what it’s worth, we also saw this in the show: Melisandre looks loose skinned and gray when not using her ruby necklace/glamour. But I can’t remember if that is included in her POV chapter or not). 2. More relevant: Beric wasn’t a Red Priest in the past the way Thoros was, and yet he’s able to “kiss” Catelyn. I think this means the ability to resurrect someone is duplicated in anyone who receives a “kiss.” (Catelyn’s probably an exception to this rule though, don’t you think?) Emphasis on duplicated, not transferred. Otherwise Thoros wouldn’t have been able to bring Beric back more than once, right? Um… did I say I had a few things for this list, not a couple things? Well, it turns out my list is actually rather short. I thought I’d have had more to add, but I’m now realizing otherwise. Nothing to add about resurrections that I can conclude based on what I know about Thoros and Beric alone. *Looks at camera again.*

“What about the Elder Brother and Sandor Clegane?” I asked myself. “What can they tell us about resurrections in ASOIAF?” Actually, not much? I mean, I knew about this theory which says the gravedigger Brienne sees when she visits Quiet Isle is Sandor Clegane, resurrected by the Elder Brother. And based on what I’d read about Thoros and Beric, I figured Sandor can probably now resurrect people too. So that’s cool. But the theory doesn’t do a lot for me, you know? As with Sarella = Alleras and Jaqen = Pate, I’m fully on board, but that doesn’t mean I’m any closer to answers. Does Jaqen = real Aegon, or Rhaegar resurrected, or Rheagar who never died thanks to his magic rubies? I still didn’t know! I gave up for a bit. Went on with my life for a day and a half. Showered, ate dinner, went to bed, woke up again. The usual stuff. But then I returned to the Elder Brother, wondering if I’d missed anything there. “He’s just a guy. There doesn’t need to be a mystery,” Reddit told me. “I wish people could accept that some characters don’t have mysterious pasts and are just who they say they are.” Okay, fair. But the Elder Brother!? The guy who has a veined red nose and shaved head? Who was a Knight who fought for House Targaryen at the Battle of the Trident? Who said others thought him dead so they stripped his armor, dumped his body, and then he floated downstream to the Quiet Isle? And then he spent the next ten years there in silence? That’s a fascinating backstory for someone who’s “just a guy.” “What’s really going on with him?” I wondered. I tried to make it fit with Jaqen = Rhaegar resurrected or Jaqen = Rheagar who never died, but I wasn’t able to come up with a clean idea. I did, however, find myself liking those rubies more and more. What if Rhaegar had a ruby related plan for survival, but something went wrong and the Elder Brother was involved somehow? I kept stewing on it, switching angles back and forth, moving between them more rapidly than before. Again, I thought of how I agreed with that one Reddit comment, sometimes a guy is just a guy. But if the Elder Brother was someone important, who would he be? “Maybe his title is a hint,” I thought. “So who in ASOIAF is important because of their role as an elder brother?” *Looks at the camera like I’m in The Office yet again.” No, not Thoros. I’ll get back to him soon, I swear. No, the Elder Brother is… Brandon Stark resurrected.

Wait, what? I’m so serious, everyone. Hear me out. Brandon Stark, Ned’s brother, died by strangulation. Signs and symptoms of strangulation? Well, among other things they include broken blood vessels in the nose and damage to vocal cords. Remember? The Elder Brother had a veined red nose and spent ten years in silence. What, that’s not enough, you say? Because what about everything else we know about him, that he was a knight who fought for House Targaryen at the trident? Why would GRRM include all that just for it to be a lie? And on the other hand, how could it be true? Why would Brandon Stark, resurrected, have fought for House Targaryen? Well, I don’t think that he did, not exactly. Okay, here’s my theory. Thoros — woop, there he is — I think he was present when the Mad King tortured and killed Rickard and Brandon Stark. We know Thoros came from Myr to try and curb the king’s fire obsession and that he was distrubed by the violent acts against Elia and her children. So it stands to reason that he was also disturbed by what happened to Rickard and Brandon. Oh, okay. What happened next, you say? Well, Thoros went to wherever dead bodies are dumped, performed the “kiss” but believed his attempts failed. Remember how in the show everyone was already out of the room by the time Jon gasped for air, convinced Mel’s efforts hadn’t worked? So, yeah, Thoros believed he failed, which helps explain why his faith was so shaken when he joined Beric and the brotherhood without banners, why resurrecting Beric reaffirmed his faith, and why — here it comes — he wouldn’t attempt to resurrect Catelyn. A lot of Thoros build up for a payoff that isn’t that great, I admit, but it fits, right? I mean, I think by the time the brotherhood encountered Catelyn, Thoros had started to realize there are levels of dead, and some folks are just too dead to ever be brought back to life. So there’s that. But it doesn’t explain why Brandon would kind of, sort of, not really have fought for House Targaryen. Let me get back to that. In my theory, poor Rickard was dead dead, so after grieving for him some more, Brandon had to decide what to do next. And he decided he could use his new situation to his advantage, go undercover to learn Lyanna’s whereabouts. He shaved his head to make himself harder to recognize, then joined the Targaryen army to get closer to Rhaegar. If you read the Robert’s Rebellion timeline and/or Rhaegar’s main page, you can see he didn’t fight in any battles before the Battle of the Trident. He was probably at the tower of joy with Lyanna. But then he returned to the crownlands to take control over the Targaryen army. So that would have been Brandon Stark’s chance to go undercover without doing any real fighting for House Targaryen. Maybe at some point he did something outside of battle to be named a knight? Maybe — I’m moving further and further into wild speculation territory, I know, but go with it, okay — maybe he realized Rhaegar actually loved Lyanna, didn’t see the point in the war anymore, didn’t want to fight against Stark and Baratheon forces, figured he was meant to be dead anyway, somehow learns there’s a ruby-related plan for Rhaegar’s survival, and he volunteers to be the one glamoured to look like him? Or something kinda, sorta along those lines? Maybe? He figures he might as well help Lyanna get her crown prince back. And because of that, Rhaegar names him a knight? “Arise, Ser Silent the Body Double,” Rhaegar might have said. Because, don’t forget, the ten years of silence would already have already started for the Elder Brother = Brandon Stark resurrected.

Just over here thinking like a crazy fanfiction writer, I guess. Anyway, has a theory like this been shared before? I wanted to know, so I went searching yet again. But I wasn’t able to find anything. If it's out there somewhere while I’m over here acting like I’m the first person to invent it, I am so, so sorry. But like I said, I wasn’t able to find it. But then that made me second guess myself, you know? “Maybe it’s a fun fanfiction idea,” I thought, “but not at all where GRRM is headed.” Well, hang on a second! I didn’t find a theory to match mine, but I did find this Elder Brother theory which says that he and Ser Morgarth are one in the same. Ser Morgarth? Remember him? If not, don’t worry. I didn’t either. Now, I’ve only skimmed that last link, but it seems that theory goes like this: in Sansa’s final chapter of AFFC, she’s sent to speak with Littlefinger. Before they get into all that talk about Harry the Heir, she’s introduced to three hedge knights. One is Ser Morgarth, who is described as having “red nose bulbous with broken veins,” a similar description to the Elder Brother, you’ll recall. (If I remember correctly, he’s also the least talkative of the three). Now, to be fair, he’s also described as having a thick beard and salt and pepper hair, which doesn’t fit the shaved head description of the Elder Brother, but, hey, hair grows, right? Also, I know Littlefinger challenged Brandon to a duel over Catelyn way back when. So that raises an objection. “But Littlefigner would recognize him!” But if you think someone is dead, are you really gonna be like, “Oh, I guess not because this guy kinda, sorta looks like an older version of him.” No, only crazy people who are trying to predict GRRM’s books think like that! (Besides, maybe that’s why he’s the least talkative of the group, doesn’t want Littlefinger to get suspicious). Also in the room with Sansa, Littleginer, and Ser Morgarth is Ser Shadrich (and one other person whom I’ll come back to soon). Earlier in AFFC, Ser Shadrich is the one who told Brienne he was looking for Sansa “for love.” And it turns out, there’s yet another fan theory floating around about him. It’s not based on much, just both of them being described as short, but some suspect Ser Shadrich is Howland Reed. Plenty of imagination stretching happening here, sure, but if you look at some of the above theories at the same time, they actually become more convincing, I think. It would mean neither Ser Morgarth nor Ser Shadrich are newly introduced randos, working independently to snatch Sansa and take her away from the Eyrie. They’re characters whose backstories we already know, whose motivations make sense, and they’re working together, “for love.” I’m inclined to believe Shadrich on that point at least. Okay, what about that third hedge knight, though? Because if the first two are working together, it seems the third would be in on it too. Let’s go to text! The third hedge knight is called Byron the Beautiful and he’s described as “an elegant young knight whose thick blond man cascaded well past his shoulders.” Brienne?

Listen! I know her last chapter in AFFC has her meeting Lady Stoneheart, who gives her an ultimatum: kill Jaime or die. And then in ADWD, Jaime’s POV has Brienne showing up at Pennytree talking about Sansa and Sandor. But what if it went down like this: Howland Reed and the Elder Brother/Brandon Stark meet up, discuss how they both met Brienne and she’s clearly looking for Sansa, and Howland’s like, “I tested her with lies and trickery, and she didn’t give in. I think she wants to protect her, same as us. Let’s go after her and get her and all work together.” So they go riding after her, and they save her from Lady Stoneheart just in the nick of time! Apparently GRRM has said the word Brienne shouted in her last AFFC chapter was “sword.” So I’m thinking she realizes folks are there to save her and she’s like, “Give me a sword! Let me help!” Maybe? Oh, also Brienne the Beauty (the backstory included in AFFC) = Bryon the Beautiful? I mean, it just fits, right? Plus I’m over here thinking how those who know Brienne to be a woman would judge her appearance differently than those who meet her when she’s presenting as a man. If one didn’t know better, she could come across as an elegant knight with cascading hair, I think. Also, I checked and book Brienne does have long hair. Ooooof! Over 4,000 words into this thing now. And more to go. Is anyone still reading? I just want to circle back to the top a bit, sprinkle in a few more thoughts, and then close out. So, what’s taking the captain of the Myraham so damn long to deliver Robb’s letter? I don’t know. Maybe it only seems like a long time because AFFC and ADWD run concurrently? Or, you know, because ADWD was published over a damn decade ago? Or maybe it actually is taking a long time and something went wrong for the captain? Sam saw some wreckage near White Harbor, right? Maybe the Myraham went there first, then the crew had to go by land to Oldtown because of a wreck (the Myraham is a trading cog from Oldtown, btw). Also, I don’t have any evidence to support this, but I’ve been wondering if the captain of the Myraham and Sarella = Alleras are connected in any way. That’s right, I’m finally back to her. Her mother is the captain of a ship as well, so… maybe the Myraham wrecked and it was Sarella’s mother and her crew who saved him? Maybe they confiscated Robb’s letter and have their own Martell family reason for holding on to it? Anyone who knows more than I do about the Martells want to help me speculate on that point? What else, what else?

Jaqen! Oh, Jaqen. Is he real Aegon? Is he Rhaegar? Or is he just a talented Faceless Man who has gone rogue and thinks he can hatch a dragon egg, even though he doesn’t have Targaryen blood? Someone make it make sense! As much as I initially found the idea fascinating, I’ve decided I’d actually hate it if Rhaegar was still around. So I’m leaning towards him trying to do something clever with magic rubies, but it didn’t work. Now he’s dead dead, but Brandon Stark resurrected was involved somehow, so maybe we can get the story for him. And therefore Jaqen is the real Aegon and Young Griff is the imposter. I mean, in my opinion, Young Griff being an imposter is more acceptable if the real Aegon is still around somewhere, lurking. And him being around somewhere, lurking, is more acceptable if GRRM has been doing a hiding-in-plain-sight sort of thing with him. By the way, I still can’t keep Blackfyre theory stuff straight, but I’m starting to agree with the folks who say Varys and Serra (Illyrio’s supposedly deceased wife) are siblings (making Varys and Illyrio brothers-in-law and Young Griff Varys’s nephew) and Serra is not in fact dead, she’s Septa Lemore. (I can’t find it back, but somewhere there’s a good post that talks about how Serra worked in a pillow house, which fits with Septa Lemore not acting very Septa like + something about how Septa Lemore cutting up baby clothes fits with this theory…?) Recent addition: While we’re on the topic of Septa Lemore… have you heard the theory that Ashara Dayne = Septa Lemore? Yeah, I’m not buying that one. I’m with the folks who say if that was true, Tyrion’s POV would have made note of Septa Lemore’s eye color, because Ashara’s eyes are violet. So then I was like, “Okay, sure. Why not go further down this rabbit hole. People are clearly trying to figure out what’s going on with Ashara, so might as well nibble at that too.” So if you don’t already know, Ashara was a lady-in-waiting to Elia and present at the infamous Tourney at Harrenhal. Some in Westeros say she and Ned Stark fell in love during the tourney, and since Brandon Stark was still alive at the time and promised to Catelyn, there was no shame in it. Pretty sure Catelyn’s first POV chapter in the series also says she thought Ashara was Jon’s real mother. Other parts of the text kinda, sorta suggest it might have actually been she and Brandon who fell in love and/or another unnamed party might have dishonored her during the tourney.

Basically, shit’s complicated with Ashara. And then! Supposedly Ashara’s brother, Arthur (more on him soon), died at the tower of joy, Ned returned his sword to House Dayne, and then (trigger warning!), she jumped from a castle tower to commit suicide. Her body was never found, and the reason she killed herself is unclear: maybe a broken heart, maybe a stillborn daughter, maybe a stolen child, maybe grief over her brother’s death. Oof. Okay, now to Arthur. He was a chivalrous knight and Rhaegar’s best friend. He supposedly died at the tower of joy, where Rhaegar left him, among others, to protect Lyanna. But there are clues in the text that leave readers wondering if that’s true. This Reddit post covers them well, but basically the theory goes that Arthur was the better fighter, would have totally killed Ned “if not for Holwand Reed” (Ned’s POV words) and Howland Reed, apparently, is great with words, so he must have been like, “Listen dudes, you both just want to protect Lyanna. Let’s cut a deal.” Plus! There’s this one tiny choice of word use (also in a Ned POV) that has given readers pause. Ned’s with Lyanna and says something about when they joined, not when he (Howland Reed) joined. And isn’t that exactly the sort of sneaky shit GRRM does? I mean, there’s also the unkiss and the intentional changing of the name of Joffrey’s sword, so…. So, yeah, as the Reddit post summarizes, “Ser Arthur Dayne, the Sword of the Morning, does the only thing he can do to protect his charge: he dies. He hands over Dawn [sword], builds a phone funeral cairn, and disappears, leaving Jon in the hands of the only person who can still save him.” Oh! And! The Daynes still in Dorne go on to name a kid after Ned a while later. What’s up with that? Hmm…

Here’s the thing that really gets me, though. The fandom wants to figure out what’s going on with these Dayne siblings, but very few posts mention them at the same time. Like, a post will mention theories about one and comments on the post might sometimes mention the other, but there’s very little trying to solve their mysteries by looking at the at the same time. That’s bonkers to me.

Because clearly Ned helped them both fake their deaths, right? And the other Daynes know. (The “clearly” here is hyperbole. Nothing about ASOIAF is clear. For real, why do we put up with this shit from GRRM? He’s terrorizing us. He’s a terrorist.) So then I was like, “Well, if there’s more of this hiding-in-plain-sight sort of thing going on, who could the Daynes be now? The Rhaegar and Elia loving Daynes… the real Aegon Targaryen loving Daynes… Oh, seven hells. Here it comes. This is so ridiculous and I hate it and I don’t want it to be true, but what if they’re the Waif and the Kindly Man at the House of Black and White? I’ve only seen one other person say this (the Quora user I linked earlier). Actually, no. I think that user only said Ashara Dayne = the Waif, but never said the Kindly Man = Arthur. But, you know, maybe? Here’s a post I couldn’t fully wrap my head around, but it does say that the Waif told Arya at some point that she’s actually 36. Oh, and it says the cook at the House of Black and White, Umma, could also be Wylla (the wetnurse from Starfall, another woman who is sometimes suspected of being Jon’s mother). Oh, and before I forget: let’s say Jaqen is the real Aegon with a team of supporters at the House of Black and White. Well, doesn't it fit pretty well with the book foreshadowing of Arya taking down some Targaryens and/or dragons? Either she helps Jaqen = real Aegon take down Dany or she takes down Jaqen = real Aegon herself. Yeah? End of recent addition. Oof. Did I say earlier that I wanted to sprinkle in just a few more bits? And then I went on for forever anyway? Damn, that was a lot of sprinkles. Blame the Daynes. Almost done now. Truly. A question: are there any theories that attempt to explain the meaning behind the number of days Azor Ahai labors over the swords? As I was thinking about Jaqen theories, I had Azor Ahai theories in the back of my mind, trying to see if anything meshed together. No luck, but it reminded me that I’ve long been curious about those days - 30 days, then 50, then 100. What’s that about? What else, what else? Brandon, Howland, Brienne? Someone tell me I’m not crazy. I’m thinking they’ll help Sansa escape the Eyrie and then head to the Wall. Maybe they get separated at some point? By Ramsey’s dogs while he’s chasing after Jeyne? Because Sansa might still be the girl in gray, right? (Reddit link). But Mel’s vision has her by herself, not traveling with allies disguised as hedge knights, so who knows. Welp. That about does it. I know that makes for a TON of fake deaths, and fake identities and hiding-in-plain-sight and blah blah blah. And it sounds crazy. But like with the hege knights, when you start to look at it all at once instead of in fragmented pieces, it seems a little more likely. At least I think so. I feel like I should end on a more exciting note than that, but that’s all I got. Someone who hasn’t skimmed and skipped over so much of the books, please help! Which fan theories work? Which ones don't? Can we solve anything new together? Let’s try. Or at least iron out some damn good fanfic ideas. Thank you and goodnight!!

#ASoIaF #asoiaf fan theories #fanfiction research #jonsa fam #help me #the faceless men #the elder brother #brienne of tarth #mix of crackpot and genius #gifs not mine #the house of black and white #house dayne #make it make sense #brandon stark #im bad at tags

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