#syrio forel

[nobodysuspectsthebutterfly]

@ihaveastorminme reblogged the post “Was there any mention of why Sansa never got high harp training...” and said:

#more and more i think that sansa's first “dancing master” was the hound. he's the one that tells her to look with her eyes and hear #with her ears #and what a savage education that was. she's gonna have other masters as well but her first one of this kind was sandor i think. #and before that - the education that suited her natural talents came from her mother and septa: courtesies are a lady's armor #she got her fitting lessons as well. they were just a different kind cause her journey would be of a different kind

Excellent addition - no need to add anything myself... ok, wait, one thing: I'd say that Littlefinger was also one of Sansa's teachers (even before he became her “father” and made her Alayne, etc), since in AGOT it's his "life is not a song" that returns to Sansa at the end. As does Sandor's "save yourself some pain and give them what they want".

However, unlike the way Syrio's aphorisms continue to be repeated by Arya for their truth and help when she needs them, I believe Sansa will learn otherwise that Littlefinger's (and yes, Sandor's too) cynical teachings are not the truth, that life can be a song (because it is, it's the song of ice and fire), that "all the stories can't be lies". More on this here, and slightly related but still relevant here.

#asoiaf #asoiaf meta #sansa stark #sandor clegane #petyr baelish #littlefinger #arya stark #syrio forel #sansa meta #valyrianscrolls #ihaveastorminme #queue and me we're in this together now

[laurellerual]

Syrio says that every hurt is a lesson, and every lesson makes you better.

Day 18: Mentors - Syrio Forel and Eddard Stark

#aryastarkmonth2022 #aryastark #asoiaf #ned stark #syrio forel #ned is worried #kings landing #asoiaf fanart

[winterprince601]

outRAGEOUS that we didn't get more syrio and arya adventures. grrm gives us like,,, two chapters of this delightful student-teacher relationship and then he DIES for her and that's it. it's so clear that he's fond and proud of her - arya is, after all, every mentor's dream student. i would love an alternate universe where arya flees to braavos with syrio at the end of got and gets the full waterdancer training she deserves.

what their short training DOES achieve is giving arya a strong foundation for survival later on in the books. it helps her hone her instincts and keep a clear head in dire circumstances: "fear cuts deeper than swords". she never becomes a full waterdancer but that's because arya stark is many things at once, her incredible adaptability meaning she's the sum of her experiences. syrio recognised that physical and mental potential before anyone and i'm sure he would have shaped it with immense care. arya stark learnt from her suffering but she deserved kinder teachers.

#arya stark #I LOVE HER #asoiaf #a song of ice and feels #asoiaf meta #syrio forel #house stark #the chapter in which syrio dies overall is a masterpiece #the switch from our established routine of dancing training is so abrupt #and arya's fear is so vivid

[nymerias-heart]

Who knew that Arya was receiving sword fighting lessons?

I always presumed that it was a secret and that nobody knew about it because it wasn't a ladylike activity.

"Who are you?" Arya asked.

"I am your dancing master." He tossed her one of the wooden blades. She grabbed for it, missed, and heard it clatter to the floor. "Tomorrow you will catch it. Now pick it up."

We know that Sansa knew, which makes sense because she's her sister:

Arya was chewing at her lip in that disgusting way she had. "Can we take Syrio back with us?"

"Who cares about your stupid dancing master?" Sansa flared.

However, it seems like most of the castle also knew about them, for example Cersei:

"Sansa," the queen said. "I've given it out that I have the younger brat as well, but it's a lie. I sent Meryn Trant to take her in hand when Robert died, but her wretched dancing master interfered and the girl fled. No one has seen her since. Likely she's dead. A great many people died that day."

As well as, Meryn Trant:

"And why is it that Lord Eddard is sending Lannister men in the place of his own? I am wondering."

"Mind your place, dancing master," Ser Meryn said. "This is no concern of yours."

The questions I have though is did Cersei and others knew that Arya was receiving sword lessons and they just didn't care?

Or did they think she was receiving dancing lessons?

Everytime Syrio is mentioned by them, it is always "Dancing" Master. But that doesn't hold up either because Meryn Trant isn't surprised that Syrio knows how to fight.

"You are quick, for a dancing master," said Ser Meryn.

"You are slow, for a knight," Syrio replied.

Girls learning how to swordfight is treated like it's something that is forbidden and not socially acceptable. But yet here we see that other people knew about Arya's lessons and made no comment on them (or none that was shown to us).

Is this because of Arya's privilege as a daughter of the Warden of the North and Hand of the King? Would her and Sansa been given more freedoms and rights than the other ladies in the court? Or is just because Arya's a little girl so it's just seen as child play?

She nodded. "Tomorrow we're going to catch cats."

"Cats." Ned sighed. "Perhaps it was a mistake to hire this Braavosi. If you like, I will ask Jory to take over your lessons. Or I might have a quiet word with Ser Barristan. He was the finest sword in the Seven Kingdoms in his youth."

"I don't want them," Arya said. "I want Syrio."

Ned later suggests to Arya that he could have a "quiet word" with Ser Barristan, so that Arya could train with him.

This definitely feels like privilege to me. Arya is easily being offered the chance to be trained by one of the greatest knights in the kingdom and the Lord Commander of the King's guard. An opportunity many other people would have killed for (like Bran 😭).

In talks about Arya's privilege as a Highborn girl and daughter of one of the most powerful Lord's in the kingdom, it's almost always about the Trident (stupid arguments about how Arya should have known better than to play with a peasant boy 🙄) and never about the actual privileges that girls like Arya, Sansa, Margaery, Myrcella, etc. Would have in comparison to ladies from lesser houses and/or lowborn women and girls.

#asoiaf #arya stark #house stark #ned stark #syrio forel #valyrianscrolls #my meta #just some thoughts #wish there was more conversations about highborn vs Lowborn #rights and privileges #which werent just arguments about why arya was wrong at the trident and why joffrey was right to hurt the butchers boy

[allovesthings]

When we talk about Arya and learning skills linked to politic we usually talk about Braavos and the faceless men but the training with Syrio is also the begining of that since he is teaching to detect lies from truth without trusting what people say but how they acts. Especially with the story of the cat which, in fact did allow him to get a good political position as the first sword of Braavos.

#asoiaf #asoiaf reread #A Song of Ice and Fire #arya and the wipe out king's landing #Arya Stark #Syrio Forel

[westerosiladies]

Arya Stark Appreciation Month Day 18 - Mentors

#game of thrones #asoiaf #arya stark #aryastarkmonth2022 #arya fancast #rebecca emilie sattrup #mentors #syrio forel #peter mensah #yoren #graham mctavish #jaqen h'ghar #jamie campbell bower #jon snow #skandar keynes

[silverflameataraxia]

Everything Syrio Forel had ever taught her vanished in a heartbeat. In that instant of sudden terror, the only lesson Arya could remember was the one Jon Snow had given her, the very first.

She stuck him with the pointy end, driving the blade upward with a wild, hysterical strength.

When the spirit stepped out of the open tomb, pale white and moaning for blood, Sansa ran shrieking for the stairs, and Bran wrapped himself around Robb's leg, sobbing. Arya stood her ground and gave the spirit a punch. It was only Jon, covered with flour. "You stupid," she told him, "you scared the baby," but Jon and Robb just laughed and laughed, and pretty soon Bran and Arya were laughing too.

The memory made Arya smile, and after that the darkness held no more terrors for her.

- AGoT, Arya IV

#a song of ice and fire #game of thrones edit #pro arya stark #ser brienne #joffrey lannister #walder frey #night king #syrio forel #jon snow #anti sansa stark #king bran #robb stark #asoiaf edit #a game of thrones #arya #brienne of tarth #joffrey baratheon #jonarya #brandon stark #asoiafedit #game of thrones season 7 #arya stark #brienne the beauty #jonrya #asoiaf #game of thrones #jon x arya #anti jonsa #agot #gotaryastark

[ilikestuff69]

10 Game of Thrones (and HotD) Side Character Deaths that affected me more than they probably should have

(P.S. I don’t consider characters like Oberyn Martell, Berric Dondarion, and Talisa Maegyr as side characters so they won’t be on this list. But like, they would be on this list if I considered them side characters ya know?)

10: Syrio Forel

9: Grenn

8: Maester Aemon Targaryen

7: Maester Luwin

6: Eddison Tollett

5: Ser Barristan Selmy

4: Shrieen Baratheon

3: Ser Rodrik Cassel

2: Ser Harwin Strong

1: Jeor Mormont

#game of thrones #got #house of the dragon #hotd spoilers #HotD #syrio forel #grenn #maester aemon #aemon targaryen #maester luwin #eddison tollett #edd #ser barristan selmy #barristan selmy #shireen baratheon #rodrik cassel #harwin strong #ser harwin strong #jeor mormont #lord commander mormont #house targaryen #house strong #house mormont #house baratheon

[shrimp-gender]

I don't think Syrio Forel died. I think that he is Jaqen H'ghar. what his true name is, I have no idea but he survived his encounter with the gold cloaks and that is how he knew Arya immediately and I think we will see him again wearing another face with a different name and yet Arya will look at him and say "this man is Jaqen H'ghar" and he will smile and deny it but they will both be happy to see each other. this will be a huge step in her journey as a faceless man, being able to recognize him in a new face.

#arya stark #jaqen h'ghar #syrio forel #asoiaf #a song of ice and fire

[winnie-the-monster]

#got #game of thrones #s1 #1x08 #arya stark #syrio forel #a broken wooden sword and he still refused to back down #a true king

[pixiecactus]

some tertiary characters in arya stark's story: mycah, syrio forel, jaqen h'ghar, harwin, ravella smalwood and the waif

#a song of ice and fire #asoiaf #house swann #house smallwood #arya stark #mycah #syrio forel #jaqen h'ghar #harwin #ravella swann #ravella smallwood #the waif

[agentrouka-blog]

'Fear cuts deeperthan swords' appeared in Arya chapters many times. What do you think it's implying?

It's implied to be a lesson by Syrio Forel, though we are not shown that moment.

The phrase first appears in AGOT, Arya III, while she is exploring the tunnels beneath the Red Keep, but its origin is explained in her next POV chapter, while she is running for her life:

All that Syrio Forel had taught her went racing through her head. Swift as a deer. Quiet as a shadow. Fear cuts deeper than swords. Quick as a snake. Calm as still water. Fear cuts deeper than swords. Strong as a bear. Fierce as a wolverine. Fear cuts deeper than swords. The man who fears losing has already lost. Fear cuts deeper than swords. Fear cuts deeper than swords. Fear cuts deeper than swords. The grip of her wooden sword was slick with sweat, and Arya was breathing hard when she reached the turret stair. For an instant she froze. Up or down? Up would take her to the covered bridge that spanned the small court to the Tower of the Hand, but that would be the way they'd expect her to go, for certain. Never do what they expect, Syrio once said. (AGOT, Arya IV)

It's one of the lessons that sticks especially because Arya has many moments where she needs to overcome her fear in order to survive, because her survival depends on acting quickly and effectively. It helps her overcome the paralysis of fear or despair because implicit in that lesson is the promise that defeat is never certain as long as one keeps fighting, keeps focused instead of giving in to fear, impulsivity, directionless panic or anger.

The last time we see the phrase appear is in AFFC, Arya I when she enters the House of Black and White.

Fear cuts deeper than swords, she told herself. "Arya." She whispered the word the first time. The second time she threw it at him. "I am Arya, of House Stark." "You are," he said, "but the House of Black and White is no place for Arya, of House Stark."

Arya fears she has nowhere else to go and she tries to leave herself behind.

Without doubt, Syrio's lessons will come back to her when she has chosen to leave the Faceless Men and return fully to Arya of House Stark.

Without doubt, she will find an opportunity to put these lessons to good use again.

#arya stark #syrio forel #fear cuts deeper than swords

[takemetodragonstone]

Just to reiterate: you’re choosing between MY faves, if you want to see your own favorite minor asoiaf characters in a poll feel free to leave suggestions in the tags/replies after voting on this one! (or you could always make your own poll)

#I’ll go first. for me it’s loras <3 #can you tell I love the tyrells??? #I wanted to put willas on here too but then a third of the poll would be tyrells lmao #I restrained myself #asoiaf #asoiaf polls #polls #loras tyrell #olenna tyrell #garlan tyrell #satin #edric storm #grenn #pyp #missandei of naath #oberyn martell #meera reed #maester aemon #renly baratheon #syrio forel

[nymerias-heart]

Arya: Women vs. Men in her life

She had never cared if she was pretty, even when she was stupid Arya Stark. Only her father had ever called her that. Him, and Jon Snow, sometimes. Her mother used to say she could be pretty if she would just wash and brush her hair and take more care with her dress, the way her sister did. To her sister and sister's friends and all the rest, she had just been Arya Horseface.

#asoiaf #arya stark #aryastarkmonth2022 #house stark #my gif #my gifset #day 10 #catelyn stark #ned stark #sansa stark #jon snow #septa mordane #syrio forel #jeyne poole #gendry #this can also count for the men in aryas life day #im not saying all the women in aryas life are horrible #only pointing out that she has better relationships with the men in her life #usually because they dont insult her

[allovesthings]

“So was the Kingslayer when he killed the old king, I don’t have to go with you if I don’t want to”

Can we talk about how much I love Arya ? This 9 year old girl with with a wooden stick and her dancing teacher(6 against 2) looked at all the armed  Lannister guards and a Kingsguard which is supposed to be the best of the best knights, and said no, in defiance.

She is so brave, I love her so much.

#asoiaf #asoiaf reread #A Song of Ice and Fire #arya stark #arya escape the red keep the chapter #Syrio Forel

[westerosiladies]

Arya Stark Appreciation Month Day 23 - Men in Arya’s Life

#game of thrones #asoiaf #arya stark #aryastarkmonth2022 #men in arya's life #eddard stark #jaqen h'ghar #syrio forel #gendry waters #yoren #sandor clegane #the kindly man #jon snow