Summer - Bran III

Let me preface this by saying that this chapter was the most interesting to me in my first read-through. It dangles answers right before our eyes. One of the characters sees something that we as readers are unable to. We are given glimpses of what’s going on in multiple mysterious lands (Always-winter and Asshai). Also, if you consider the fact that the series was only intended to be three books, then the first book should include insight and foreshadowing into what is truly going on in the world.

I also talk about this chapter a lot on forums because I believe people connect certain parts to Robert Strong, Oberyn Martell and prophesy when it doesn’t have anything to do with them.

Bran recalls Maester Luwin dressing up clay dolls to look like him - dropping them out of the tower to demonstrate how dangerous climbing could be. He says, “But I never fall.” In the end, he never really does, at least not by accident or his own carelessness.

He falls though, from above the world. The imagery is interesting. I wonder if he’s seeing the world as it is in the beginning of his fall, or if he’s just entering this out of body experience from some type of void. He thinks he’s dreaming, but he’s not.

“I’ll wake up when I hit the ground,” Bran says

“You’ll die when you hit the ground,” Replies the crow, Bloodraven.

He sees the ground very far away, only grey mists surround him. He mentions that it’s cold, there’s no sun or stars. The fact that there is navigation throughout the seas makes me believe that the nothingness that surrounds him is a void his consciousness is plunging from. He is very close to death, after all. Is this a familiar experience for all those who are near-death, or only those with the warging/greenseeing ability? In a later chapter, Euron mentions that he experienced a similar circumstance.

He tries to fly.

“The things I do for love,” A painful memory, causing him to fall faster than ever, nearing death in body and mind.

“Every flight begins with a fall”

Bran sees the whole world spread out before him. “He could see the whole realm, and everyone in it.”

He sees maester Luwin studying the sky with a bronze tube, taking notes. He’s probably forecasting the weather.

He sees Robb practicing swordplay with real steel in his hand.

“Gods,” Robb swore, his young face dark with anger. “If this is true, he will pay for it.” He drew his sword and waved it in the air. “I’ll kill him myself!” Ser Rodrik bristled at him. “Put that away! The Lannisters are a hundred leagues away. Never draw your sword unless you mean to use it. How many times must I tell you, foolish boy?” Abashed, Robb sheathed his sword, suddenly a child again. Catelyn said to Ser Rodrik, “I see my son is wearing steel now.”

He sees Hodor carrying an anvil to Mikken’s forge.

He sees the weirwood brooding over its reflection until it lifts its gaze back at Bran.

He sees a galley racing across the waters of the Bite. His mother is inside, looking at the knife that was intended for him, blood still on it. Ser Rodrik is there, too, sea-sick and throwing up over the rails of the ship.

Ser Rodrik protested. “My lady, let me accompany you at least. The kingsroad can be perilous for a woman alone.” “I will not be taking the kingsroad,” Catelyn replied. She thought for a moment, then nodded her consent. “Two riders can move as fast as one, and a good deal faster than a long column burdened by wagons and wheel-houses. I will welcome your company, Ser Rodrik. We will follow the White Knife down to the sea, and hire a ship at White Harbor. Strong horses and brisk winds should bring us to King’s Landing well ahead of Ned and the Lannisters.” And then, she thought, we shall see what we shall see.

The next couple glimpses are one paragraph, which is the most discussed aspect of his experience. 

He sees Ned pleading with the King.

He sees Sansa crying herself to sleep.

He sees Arya watching in silence and holding her secrets in her heart.

I'm not sure if these visions occur before or after caught, because Arya is watching in silence, possibly hiding. Ned is still pleading with Robert even though Robert stormed off in the previous chapter - there shouldn't be much left to plead about if Lady is already dead.

“There are shadows all around them. One shadow was dark as ash, with the terrible face of a hound. Another was armored like the sun, golden and beautiful. Over them both loomed a giant in armor made of stone, but when he opened his visor, there was nothing inside but darkness and thick black blood.”

The shadow with the terrible face of a hound is too easy, Sandor Clegane. If you’re dense, the ash is also alluded to because of his face and fire.

Armored like the sun, golden and beautiful. Many take this description to mean Oberyn Martell, especially when they consider the next bit to be Gregor Clegane. Their sigil, however, is that of a RED sun, with a spear through it. Oberyn, though damn sexy in the show, is not often referenced as beautiful. Jaime, however, fits all the criteria. He’s armored in gold, and is pretty.

These two men are also the ones searching for Arya at this point in the story (refer to previous chapter). They are both leading search parties north of the Trident. North of the Trident is also where there are mountains of the Vale begin.

Now, for the giant in armor made of stone. Sure, Gregor's helm has a stone fist atop the helmet and he's called the mountain that rides, but the whole of his armor is not made of stone, nor is he relevant yet in this story. If it is a reference to Robert Strong, the armor is different and it wouldn't make much sense - Strong has white enameled plate over gilded mail. He also has rainbow feathers coming from the top of his helm. If Gregor was decapitated, then I suppose the poison used by Oberyn could turn his blood thick and black, however, GRRM uses "black blood" as a reference to any blood coming from wounds:

Khal Drogo thrashed, fighting some unseen enemy. Black blood ran slow and thick from his open wound.

He remembered the old man’s eyes too, and the black blood rushing from his throat as the storm cracked overhead.

Beneath her ravaged scalp, her face was shredded skin and black blood where she had raked herself with her nails.

All of it came pouring out of Brienne then, like black blood from a wound

When he laid the edge of the blade against the swollen throat of the creature on the straw, the skin split open in a gout of black blood and yellow pus.

The dragon gave one last hiss and stretched out flat upon his belly. Black blood was flowing from the wound where the spear had pierced him, smoking where it dripped onto the scorched sands.

So, thick black blood isn't any indication that poison was used. It most likely isn't Robert Strong. The armor is wrong, he's not yet relevant, and there's no indication that thick black blood = poison. This means it probably doesn't have anything to do with Gregor's duel with Oberyn Martell, either.

What could it be, then? If what we are seeing are events that are currently happening while Bran lays unconscious/dying/having an out of body experience, then what Bran is seeing is the literal mountains of the Vale, maybe even specifically, Giant's Lance.

Geographically, the mountains are north of the Trident, where both Sandor and Jaime are searching. It is said to be looming. If we search for Giant's Lance, we see that it's quite an imposing geographical feature:

So lovely. The snow-clad summit of the Giant’s Lance loomed above her, an immensity of stone and ice that dwarfed the castle perched upon its shoulder. Icicles twenty feet long draped the lip of the precipice where Alyssa’s Tears fell in summer. A falcon soared above the frozen waterfall, blue wings spread wide against the morning sky. Would that I had wings as well.

Interesting - Giant's Lance looming above her. Would that I have wings as well. Well I'll be damned.

Looming over them all was the jagged peak called the Giant’s Lance, a mountain that even mountains looked up to, its head lost in icy mists three and a half miles above the valley floor. Over its massive western shoulder flowed the ghost torrent of Alyssa’s Tears. Even from this distance, Catelyn could make out the shining silver thread, bright against the dark stone.

Another quote about the looming, headless mountain. Three and a half miles is 18,480 feet. Mount Everest is 29,029 feet from ground level. Mount Kilimanjaro is 19,341 feet.

What then, is the visor? There are two possibilities for the visor - either the Gates of the Moon, which lies at the base of the mountain, or the Bloody Gate. It's more likely the Gates of the Moon as it is the last line of defense before ascending the Eyrie. The Bloody gate is further south and is one of the first defenses.

“The Gates of the Moon,” her uncle said as the party drew rein. His standard-bearer rode to the edge of the moat to hail the men in the gatehouse. “Lord Nestor’s seat. He should be expecting us. Look up.” Catelyn raised her eyes, up and up and up. At first all she saw was stone and trees, the looming mass of the great mountain shrouded in night, as black as a starless sky. Then she noticed the glow of distant fires well above them; a tower keep, built upon the steep side of the mountain , its lights like orange eyes staring down from above. Above that was another, higher and more distant, and still higher a third, no more than a flickering spark in the sky. And finally, up where the falcons soared, a flash of white in the moonlight. Vertigo washed over her as she stared upward at the pale towers, so far above.

So, we have a visor, the gates of the moon, that opens up to darkness and nothingness, the Eyrie. The Eyrie is much quieter and less populated than the Gates of the Moon. What is the blood?

The Vale of Arryn bathed in the morning light. It stretched before them to the misty east, a tranquil land of rich black soil, wide slow-moving rivers, and hundreds of small lakes that shone like mirrors in the sun, protected on all sides by its sheltering peaks.

If the Eyrie is being personified with the mountains as its armor and the Gates of the Moon as its visor, then the blood of the Eyrie is the definitely the rich black soil.

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.

If what Bran is seeing are real things and events, then these dragons really exist in or near Asshai. It's possible that they're smaller dragons like those toward the end of the Targaryen dynasty. Perhaps some Targaryens/ dragons escaped Valyria and headed East. Perhaps Asshai just has dragons of their own - I wish we'd get a look at Asshai.

Finally he looked north. He saw the Wall shining like blue crystal, and his bastard brother Jon sleeping alone in a cold bed, his skin growing pale and hard as the memory of all warmth fled from

This is another quote used by people connecting it to Jon being stabbed at the end of ADWD. I believe it's just Jon sleeping alone (as Ghost makes the other recruits afraid), and adapting to life at the wall.

And he looked past the Wall, past endless forests cloaked in snow, past the frozen shore and the great blue-white rivers of ice and the dead plains where nothing grew or lived. North and north and north he looked, to the curtain of light at the end of the world, and then beyond that curtain. He looked deep into the heart of winter, and then he cried out, afraid, and the heat of his tears burned on his cheeks. Now you know, the crow whispered as it sat on his shoulder. Now you know why you must live.

What did he see, damn it!? It says he looked beyond the curtain at the end of the world, the heart of winter. I think it has to be something other-worldly, the heart of winter - something that has to do with the existence of the Others - death itself, perhaps. Incorporeal consciousnesses, tied to the elements.

Bran looked down. There was nothing below him now but snow and cold and death , a frozen wasteland where jagged blue -white spires of ice waited to embrace him. They flew up at him like spears. He saw the bones of a thousand other dreamers impaled upon their points. He was desperately afraid.

In the show, we see a similar scene when the Other converts the baby. He's surrounded by spires of ice. I believe the truth in the books is much more graphic. Dreamers are impaled on the spires of ice. Bran is a dreamer himself. I think there are two possibilities:

1. Those who have the ability to warg/greensight "fall" when near-death, and they come close to this place, this curtain of light at the end of the world. Either they fall and die with their consciousnesses fusing with the spires of ice and become an Other, or they fly and live. 
2. The sacrifices given by Craster and/or any captives they come across with the ability to warg/greensee are taken and impaled upon the spires manually. This explains why Bran sees bones. Of course, HBO can't show babies being impaled on spires of ice, so their interpretation is more TV friendly. 

Perhaps it's the case that all with the warg/greensight ability fall when near-death, and simply only die when they hit the ground. Maybe the Others still need to impale the dreamers on the spires of ice. Maybe we'll see this if Jon has to go through it.

Death reached for him, screaming.

Is death the ground, or an entity?

Bran wakes up after learning to fly.

“His name is Summer”

It is a great crime to lie to a king - Eddard III

"It is a great crime to lie to a king"

The events that occur in this chapter are important for the analysis of the next chapter.

Arya is found by Eddard's men, but the Lannister men at the gate inform the Queen. She's brought directly before King Robert to talk about what occurred between her and Joffrey.

The royal party is held up in Castle Darry, which is an important point for the next Bran chapter. Castle Darry is "a modest holdfast a half day's ride south of the Trident." It's lord, Ser Raymun Darry, fought for Rhaegar, so there is considerable tension with the Lannisters, Starks, and Darry men all crammed into the small castle. 

Ned enters the audience chamber, asks what's going on, and studies the faces of the men present. He notices that both Jaime and Sandor are missing, leading searches north of the Trident.

There is some bickering, then Robert says to Arya, "Now, child, you will tell me what happened. Tell it all, and tell it true. It is a great crime to lie to a king."

Arya gives her account of the events that brought her there. She tells them truthfully. Joffrey goes after her and gives a completely different account of what happened.

Ned knew Arya was truthful because he was told by Sansa. "Ned had heard her version of the story the night Arya had vanished. He knew the truth."

When Sansa is brought forth to testify, she suddenly has no memory of the events. This is the moment that I began to hate Sansa, but I suppose I understand it. She's infatuated with this Prince who just gave an opposing account of what happened between him and her sister. She tried to remain neutral as she glanced between the two of them. 

Feigning ignorance was a lie though, and it is a great crime to lie to a king. Cersei wants Arya's direwolf punished, but the wolf is not present. Cersie mentions that there is a wolf present though, Sansa's Lady. 

Sansa pleads for her wolf. "All Ned could do was take her in his arms and hold her while she wept."

Ned asks Robert to be the one to swing the sword. Robert leaves without saying anything. Cersei asks for Ilyn Payne. Ned says that he will do it himself. When asked why by Cersei, Ned says, "She is of the north. She deserves better than a butcher." I can't help but think that Ned is also thinking about Arya practicing stick-fighting with a butcher's boy. He doesn't yet know about Needle, but perhaps he is already considering her wild ways. 

No sooner after the deed is done Ned gives a command to have the wolf's bones buried at Winterfell and the Hound returns with Mycah dead on his shoulder. 

Extraction of the Lion's Tooth (Sansa I)

Night gathers, and now my watch begins. It has been so long since I said the words. So long that it feels like another life, and yet I can never forget them. It shall not end until my death. No, my watch has not yet ended. It is late and by all rights I should be asleep beside my wife. I pledge my life and honor… for this night and all the nights to come. I dust off my worn copy of A Game of Thrones. It’s been too long, old friend.

Ok now that I’ve got the corny intro out of the way, just wanted to say thanks for having me and I will try my best to aid in the efforts of this re-reading project. I’ve only read the books once, though I’d like to think it was a thorough read. I am reasonably well-versed in most of the conspiracy theories regarding ASOIAF, but please let me know if I’ve missed anything.

This is the first Sansa chapter in the series. As such, it’s not terribly enjoyable: Sansa is just about at peak level of naivety and obnoxiousness, which is even more painful to read with the hindsight of Joffrey’s evil acts to come. Our first introduction to Sansa, from her POV, is as she is eating honey comb for breakfast. Clearly, Martin is foreshadowing Sansa’s terrible lemon cake addiction. I find this quote from Septa Mordane (RIP) at the start of the chapter to be amusing: “You’re a good girl, Sansa, but I do vow when it comes to [your direworlf] you’re as willful as your sister Arya”. The interesting takeaway is that the direwolves are what connects all of the Stark children; Lady’s eventual murder is the beginning of Sansa’s drifting apart from her family.

The king’s party stays at a large inn, “a three-story structure… the biggest that Sansa had ever seen.” Who the hell built this giant inn? I assume it’s privately owned, but who’s got the money to be building giant inns? Certainly none of the landed gentry. And is business really so great along the King’s Road that you can turn a profit off a three-story inn? As far as I can tell, the only businesses that are profitable in Westeros are brothels, but based on their location this would be the equivalent of staying at a motel in rural Pennsylvania, only instead of a mint under your pillow it’s an underage girl with greyscale. King Robert would be DTF, though.

Note: I realize now that this inn was likely built to commemorate King Robert's victory at the Ruby Ford. I still maintain that it cannot possibly turn a profit.

Ok sorry I’ll get back on track now. Arya indicates that they are at Ruby Ford, where Rob defeated Rhaegar and supposedly knocked the rubies out of his crown. Arya wants to go searching for said rubies with Mycah, not spend the day with the Queen and Princess Myrcella. Myrcella won’t even allow her to bring Nymeria because she’s afraid of wolves! Ok that’s probably not foreshadowing anything, and it actually seems pretty reasonable that an eight year old would be afraid of a fucking wolf.

OK, Martin is intentionally making this difficult to read. All she wanted was for things to be nice and pretty, the way they were in the songs. I’d actually forgotten how insufferable Sansa was pre-Stark murders.

There’s a bit about Sansa questioning Arya’s birth, but since Arya is Catelyn’s daughter I imagine that would be hard to fake, so let’s chalk this up to standard sibling bickering.

Joffrey has a sword, and of course he named it Lion’s Tooth. I’m reminded of the wise words of TV Sandor Clegane, “Only a c**t would name his sword”. Joffrey appears to be a pretty swell guy for most of this chapter, but then again this is being read from Sansa’s POV. Still, he rescues her from an awkward situation (being frightened by Ilyn Payne and the Hound), and is genuinely sweet to her for an afternoon. Unfortunately, Arya ruins everything.

I notice in the re-read that Arya is much more to blame for Mycah’s death than I realized. Yes, Joffrey is a dick. He bullies Mycah and presses a sword into his cheek, drawing blood. He was drunk, and we know what Joffrey is capable of. Still, I am certain that the worst he would have done was to give Mycah a cut on the cheek before Sansa persuaded him to let them go. Arya, being the youngest (and most Stark-like) really and truly fucked things up.

How to get your low-born friend killed: a 4-step process

Step 1: Convince him to fight you and not hold back, even if it means causing you harm and literally putting his life at risk if he is caught by an authority figure

Step 2: Upon being discovered by the heir to the throne, immediately shout at him and disrespect him.

Step 3: Bash the prince over the head with a wooden stick. If prince is still upright, chuck a rock at him.

Step 4: Once your wolf has incapacitated and wounded the prince, threaten him and throw his expensive sword into the river. This will either humble him and teach him a valuable lesson that he will take with him as he becomes a wise and level-headed king, or send him into a murderous rage-spiral that will result in your butcher friend’s death.

A final thought: the chapter ends with Sansa tending to Joffrey and offering to get help. He responds by looking at her with “nothing but loathing” and snapping at her. I’m wondering if there was any genuine affection from Joffrey towards Sansa prior to his humiliation at her sister’s hands, or if this was simply a show he was putting on. The obvious comparison is to Margaery. Though we get very little insight on their relationship in the books, the bit we get from the show (and from the Cersei chapters) indicates that she was making quite an impression on him, so that Cersei felt threatened. Cersei instructed him not to trust Margaery and I imagine she did the same with regards to Sansa prior to their meeting. Still, Joffrey may have genuinely liked Sansa. After getting his ass kicked in front of her, he either changes his mind or lets go of the charade he was putting on for her. Sucks to be Sansa. I’m gonna go pound a lemon cake.

Hot bread, honey, butter and blackberry preserves

This chapter is probably the beginning of many readers' dislike of Catelyn. She spends much of it acting irrationally, and it's easy for a reader to judge. But it's a pretty accurate portrayal of her character, and how she embodies House Tully's words. Until her death she's standing by her family; after it, her personality is distilled to a warped form of duty - her obsession with taking revenge for the family she believes to be all lost.

We can already see Littlefinger's machinations in effect here - Catelyn, having been primed with Lysa's accusation against the Lannisters (not to mention the pre-existing mistrust between their houses) immediately assumes they must be responsible for Bran's fall. Her landing on Jaime as a suspect is halfway between being a sharp assessment of available facts, and a lucky guess, thanks to the suspicions that have already been planted - if it weren't for Lysa's letter, would she have been so ready to put the blame on a Lannister?

It all demonstrates how easy Littlefinger's goals are to accomplish, in some ways. He doesn't need to engineer an incident to set in motion the events that will lead to a civil war - he just needs to spread mistrust and enmity however possible, and dumb luck does the rest. This is assuming, of course, that he didn't directly influence Joffrey to send the assassin, which (IIRC) isn't confirmed. At any rate, the fact that his M.O. is to create disorder makes him one of the most dangerous characters in the story - even Varys, his archrival, has a much more precarious position, both in his foreign origin and lack of a title and house that has his back, and in that his plans (whatever they might be) are much more elaborate and can be upset by one of Littlefinger's Joker-like moves.

The biggest thing that bugs me about this chapter is that it highlights how little sense it makes for Robert's entourage to take the lengthy Kingsroad journey up to Winterfell, while Catelyn plans to take a boat and beat them to King's Landing. Are there no fleets capable of holding Robert and his party? Obviously in this case, characters are moving at the speed the plot requires them to, but just like the mushy sense of distances that crops up more than once in GRRM's writing, this detracts somewhat from the ability to suspend belief. My belief, anyway.

The title of this post is because I couldn't think of a better one, and I was hungry. So the paragraph describing her meal became the chapter's most memorable feature...

Little Ironies - Tyrion II

To to north we go!

Initially we are with only Tyrion, Benjen Stark and Jon Snow. They split from the royal procession out of Winterfell and headed north where the procession went south. Later though, they meet up with Yoren, a brother of the night's watch, and two boy recruits.  The boys are reported to be rapers, which dampens Jon Snow's perception of the Brotherhood being an honorable calling. This leads to tension between Jon and Tyrion, but then they joke about it later and seemingly get along fine.

In the beginning of the chapter, while heading through the tough northern terrain, Tyrion remarks about how the map was one thing and the land quite another.  This is funny because of GRRM's notoriously bad estmations of distances, height, age, and also book release dates. It is, however, an accurate representation of cartography at this point in their fictional history - things aren't exactly as they are presented on paper. Nothing is to scale in ASOIAF, even invidual's representations of events, because everyone is an unreliable narrator.

Tyrion seems to take offense in how he's being treated by Benjen and Yoren during the ride north, thinking that they share a distace for Lannisters just as Ned does. I'm not sure if this is actually the case, or whether they are just hard men and do not spoil Tyrion like he's used to as the Queens brother. I don't see Jon being treated differently.

This is also the chapter in which we discover that Tyrion is a book worm. He says "a mind needs books as a sword needs a whetstone, if it is to keep its edge" in response to Jon asking why he reads so much. This sums up Tyrions character throughout the series, He doesn't have any physical advantages, so his wit and wisdom is what keeps him alive through the game of thrones.

The book that he happens to be reading is about dragon bones. He says that the Dothraki use them incrafting  bows. They are said to be strong as steel yet lighter and more flexible. More, they're impervious to fire. It'd be interesting to see dragon bone used in other weapons/armor. Perhaps a dragon bone suit of armor or shield can be useful in flying and/or fighting dragons. Perhaps a melee weapon can be used to defeat the Others (lightbringer anyone?). I wonder if dragon bone is the same as obsidian like the daggers that Sam finds, and uses, to become the slayer. 

He then goes on to tell Jon about his fascination with dragons since he was young (probably fueling all the Tyrion = secret Targ theories, which I hate). He reminisces about the last of the Targaryen dragons, and wonders if they were the last dragons everywhere (I think not, but we'll talk about that in a later chapter).

He thinks about the Field of Fire, which was a catastrophic loss for the Seven Kingdoms against Aegon Targaryen. In a shock and awe campaign, Aegon and his two sisters use their dragons against the forces of Mern of the Reach and Loren of the Rock, killing thousands. King Mern dies as well, but king Loren is spared and bends the knee. Amusingly, Tyrion is grateful for this as he would not have been born, and Tywin would not have had the chance to almost exterminate the Targaryens. 

There is a strange moment towards the end where Jon loses his temper. Tyrion suggests that Jon imagines his mother and  sister being harmed/burning just as he does. Jon gets very defensive and loud until Ghost attacks Tyrion when he gets too close. When Tyrion asks for a helping hand in getting up from the ground, Jon says "ask me nicely" almost sadistically, like he enjoys the power over Tyrion. It's most likely from the events that transpired before this, but it seems strange to me that he would act like that, especially becoming so defensive. This strange event seems to bond them though, as they get along and joke with each other afterward.

He had never been a patient man, Robert Baratheon- Eddard II

This chapter opens with Robert Baratheon acting only as Robert Baratheon can, rude, reckless, and impractically. On the first few times through, it is hard to see how terrible King Robert is, as he is consistently shown through the eyes of Ned Stark, his oldest friend and near brother. Robert wakes Ned in the early morning, and then proceeds to, without his Kingsguard, take off on a long gallop. Robert takes a lot of secretive precautions to ensure that he and Ned won't be heard...or even recognized.

Ned and Robert proceed to have a conversation that shows the format for their future dealings, Ned advises Robert of prudent, practical moves, and Robert ignores him entirely.

The first conflict is over Daenerys' marriage to Khal Drogo. Robert wants to send assassins after the Targaryens, Ned says no.

The second conflict is over who to appoint as Warden of the East. Ned favors choosing Robert Arryn, or failing that, Stannis or Renly. Robert says no, he wants Jaime Lannister.

The third conflict is over Jaime Lannister himself. Ned distrusts Jaime and believes he lacks respect and seriousness. Robert again disagrees.

Ned ends the chapter realizing what a terrible mistake going to King's Landing is.

This chapter serves primarily to serve as insight into the kind of leader Robert is...a poor one. He's stubborn, and while he makes decisions quickly, he doesn't appear to ever be happy with any of them. Take, for example, his decision to leave his Kingsguard Knight behind. We later find out that the knights on the road, Ser Boros and Ser Meryn, are largely useless as bodyguards anyway, but it is very suspect that Robert would have no trust in two men he appointed himself. The chapter also lets us know that the Lannisters have some sort of hold over Robert, a prelude to the Westerosi debt crises we discover in Kings Landing.

All in all, you cannot help but to pity Ned, who has taken on an impossible job working for a man who only remembers being his friend.

No? - Daenerys II

This chapter begins with everyone a little bit on edge.

The free city Pentos and its magisters are on edge because all 40,000 of Drogo’s Khalasar are squatting outside of the city. Viserys is brooding because he has to take a back seat to his sister for the time being. Daenerys is nervous about consummating her wedding night with her big, strong, rough husband. Of course Illyrio is an enigma, but this is a big part of his master plan so he must be a little bit apprehensive about the wedding proceedings. Mormont the spy is also probably curious about what’s going to happen.

Illyrio’s response to Viserys’ impatience about getting his army is an early indication of how he wants things to proceed slowly. As we know later thanks to his discussion with Varys under Kings Landing, he wants to take things slow, but Varys is having trouble juggling many events at once. In response to Viserys asking how long he must wait, Illyrio states, “You have waited most of your life, great king. What is another few months, another few years?”

Mormont tells Viserys that the Dothraki are true to their word but they do things on their own time. Viserys snaps at him and tells him to guard his tongue. He states that he is the “rightful Lord of the Seven Kingdoms” and that “The dragon doesn’t beg”. To this, Mormont bows his head, but Illyrio “smiled enigmatically” and ate sloppily as if disregarding Viserys claims as nothing more than an arrogant child.

If the Dothraki are true to their word, then perhaps Viserys “golden crown” was a part of Illyrio’s plan all along. When talking to Viserys, Illyrio says “I have told you, all is settled. Trust me. The khal has promised you a crown, and you shall have it.” It doesn't seem that far fetched for Illyrio to have plotted this since he shows contempt to Viserys right to his face and seems to understand Viserys’ character.

Then there was the wedding party. “A Dothraki wedding without at least three deaths is deemed a dull affair.” Funny, since the red wedding definitely outmatched Dany’s in excitement, the purple wedding was a dull affair and a future wedding might have the same potential as the red wedding.

The wedding gifts are as follows:
Viserys gives Dany the three handmaidens, Irri, Jhiqui, and Doreah. (One each to teach riding, language, love)
Jorah gives her books of history and songs from the Seven Kingdoms
Illyrio gives her the chest that contains the dragon’s eggs from the Shadowlands beyond Asshai.
Haggo gives Dany a leather whip with a silver handle
Cohollo gives her a gold-chased arakh
Qotho gives her a dragonbow
(Per Dothraki custom, she was to refuse these three gifts and hand over to Drogo)
Finally Drogo's gift to Dany is her horse, Silver. Which she gets on, rides through the crowd and, upon approaching a fire-pit, "The silver horse leapt the flames as if she had wings." This is clear foreshadowing of her riding a dragon.

Then it came time to consummate the marriage. She says "No" twice before finally, after being fondled by Drogo a bit and after he asks No?, she says "Yes". Was it rape? No, it wasn’t in the context of the story. Also, we're in her consciousness as readers, and she doesn't react that way.

"What are You doing here?"

Jon II

This chapter is perhaps the penultimate "anti-Cat" chapter. It features our favorite bastard, Jon Snow, seeking a final audience with his comatose brother.

The mood in Winterfell is fairly dark at this time. Bran is lying, comatose and broken in bed. Catelyn has broken, and resorted to living in her son's room. Jon is leaving Winterfell forever, headed to the Night's Watch.

This is a relatively short chapter, and the main takeaways are as follows.

Jon describes Bran as a type of skeleton, a leaf, with bones "like a bird". This, I believe, is meant as a clear allusion to Bran's future as a greenseer, a skeleton sitting on a throne.  We'll get to Bran's future more in Bran's next chapter (to be expertly exegeted by James), but its clear from the many hints in Bran's chapters that his storyline is perhaps the most important in the series.

The second takeaway is Catelyn's speech, about her prayer to the Seven for Bran to stay in Winterfell, by any means possible. There is a lot of talk in the fandom that the Seven "don't have any power", compared to R'hollor, the Old Gods, and the other religions of Martin's world. I think Catelyn's statement is a kind of direct contradiction (among other things, like Lancel Lannister's prophetic visions) of this idea. The Seven do hear prayer, but like the other gods of Westeros (or ancient mythologies) they rarely answer them in the desired fashion.

The chapter ends with a scene the cements Jon's place in the readers heart, Jon Snow gifting Needle to his youngest sister Arya.

"I cannot abide the wailing of women"

Tyrion I

Our favorite halfman enters the series with a bang, or shall we say a slap? Tyrion Lannister, the least respected Lannister by most of Westeros, is known to us already through his conversation with Jon. Presented as "the imp", a drunken layabout who frequents brothels, we find out that Tyrion is in fact a thoughtful, intelligent man who struggles with his place in the world.

We find Tyrion asleep in Winterfell's library, apparently home to several rare books. He awakes to find the Hound and Prince Joffrey outside goading each other on in their impudence. He advises his nephew to talk to Lord and Lady Stark, and is instead insulted and rebuffed. This chapter also serves to give us our first notice that Joffrey truly is a terrible person, not just an obnoxious preteen. Tyrion delivers his world famous (and very portentous) slaps and goes on his way, but not before ignoring the advice of the Hound.

One of the more interesting bits here is the dynamic between Joffrey and the Hound. The Hound clearly recognizes to some extent what Joffrey is. Its why he warns Tyrion about slapping him. However, to some extend, the Hound also encourages this behavior in Joffrey. Did the Hound help create the monster that is Joffrey, or did Joffrey create himself?

Speaking of monsters, of course, the next thing we after Joffrey is Cersei. This is a pretty defining moment for Tyrion. He clearly senses that his siblings had something to do with Bran's fall, and he is cognizant of the fact that they almost certainly threw him to protect their incestuous relationship. Tyrion argues with Cersei about the direwolves, announces he is going to visit the Wall, and then chats with his brother for the last time until the end of Storm of Swords. Jaime tells Tyrion that he's not sure what side his brother is on. As the reader, however, its clear. Tyrion is loyal to House Lannister.

The Things I do for Love - Bran II

The Things I do for Love – Bran II

The chapter begins with a bunch of the party out hunting wild boar, which Robert wanted for the feast that evening.  Bran is eagerly anticipating heading south and riding a real horse for a change, instead of his usual pony. He daydreams about being a knight of the kingsguard and considers the three kingsguard that came along with King Robert. Of the three, he says that Jaime is the only one who looked like the knights in the stories. Jaime, however, doesn't seem very fond of boar hunting and isn't with the party.

He reminisces about his life in Winterfell and visits a couple of friends. He plays with his wolf for a bit and then decides to go climbing. His wolf, the only one still without a name at this point, objects to his climbing. This is where some of the interesting imagery begins and, of course, he begins his ascent into warg-dom.

First, when he begins climbing he considers Winterfell, “To a boy, Winterfell was a grey stone labyrinth of walls and towers and courtyards and tunnels spreading out in all directions. In the older parts of the castle, the halls slanted up and down so that you couldn't even be sure what floor you were on. The place had grown over the centuries like some monstrous stone tree, Maester Luwin told him once, and its branches were gnarled and thick and twisted, its roots sunk deep into the earth.”

This seems like a comparison to an old bone-white weirwood tree, which we’ll see referenced again as a tree that looks like stone around the cave up north and possibly on the Iron Islands. Is it only a comparison though, or does Winterfell have something magical about it below in its deep roots? What keeps it warm? What’s in the crypts?

The tree imagery doesn't stop there; however, “He confessed his crime the next day in a fit of guilt. Lord Eddard ordered him to the godswood to cleanse himself. Guards were posted to see that Bran remained there alone all night to reflect on his disobedience. The next morning Bran was nowhere to be seen. They finally found him fast asleep in the upper branches of the tallest sentinel in the grove.”

Could this possibly be foreshadowing his time inside and connected to a weirwood, just as Blood Raven is?

“When he got out from under it and scrambled up near the sky, Bran could see all of Winterfell in a glance. He liked the way it looked, spread out beneath him, only birds wheeling over his head while all the life of the castle went on below. Bran could perch for hours among the shapeless, rain-worn gargoyles that brooded over the First Keep, watching it all: the men drilling with wood and steel in the yard, the cooks tending their vegetables in the glass garden, restless dogs running back and forth in the kennels, the silence of the godswood, the girls gossiping beside the washing well. It made him feel like he was lord of the castle, in a way even Robb would never know.”

This is very similar to what happens to Bran next. He enjoys seeing events in Winterfell unfold from above. The next thing he knows, he’s flying and seeing events all across Westeros from above.  Is it possible that he becomes a kind of “lord of warging/greenseeing” that his siblings and any other wargs would never know?

“Old Nan told him a story about a bad little boy who climbed too high and was struck down by lightning, and how afterward the crows came to peck out his eyes. Bran was not impressed. There were crows’ nests atop the broken tower, where no one ever went but him, and sometimes he filled his pockets with corn before he climbed up there and the crows ate it right out of his hand. None of them had ever shown the slightest bit of interest in pecking out his eyes.”

Is it just another Old Nan story or does she know something about warging, or even about Blood Raven and his crows?

Finally, as he gets to the top of the First Keep, we learn of the incestuous relationship between Jaime and Cersei and, well, Bran never falls….

Before he left the window, Bran says his age (7) if that’s of any significance. The wolf howls, the crows circle.

Crooked Stitches - Arya I

Arya I

This is Arya’s first POV chapter, and basically serves to illustrate the contrast between her wildness and Sansa’s proper ladylike behavior.

The chapter begins with Arya, Jeyne Poole, Beth Cassel, Sansa and Princess Myrcella practicing the womanly art of needlework overseen by Septa Mordane. Arya isn’t very interested in her work, possibly because she once overheard the Septa telling her mother that she had the hands of a blacksmith. Instead, she glances around the room thinking about how beautiful Sansa’s work is because “everyone says so.” The rest of the girls giggle, gossip and gush about Joffrey and how he’s going to marry Sansa. The talking attracts the attention of the Septa, and Arya’s lack of needle talents is announced publicly, to her embarrassment. Arya storms out of the room and out of any possible opportunity to lead a prissy proper ladylike life. When asked where she is going by the Septa, she responds with quick wit saying “I have to go shoe a horse.”

This makes me wonder if Arya had any real chance to be a “proper lady” or whether she was born with the wild wolf-blood. Everyone seemed to be too busy cooing over Sansa’s beauty and talents. She seemed to be trying her best at needlework, and we know how well she gets at sword play with Syrio with practice, but perhaps when she overheard the Septa telling her mother that she has the hands of a blacksmith, it activated some type of stereotype threat or self-fulfilling prophecy which made her unable to perform well or get better. She’s also two years younger than Sansa, so the expectations of the Septa may have even been unrealistic. Telling the Septa that she was going to shoe a horse was a rejection of the gender norms. It’s also interesting with her later friendship with Gendry.

After she leaves, she looks for some place to watch Joffrey get knocked on his backside by Robb. At this point, there isn’t much reason to dislike him, besides the fact that Jon said he looks like a girl. Perhaps this could be the earliest glimmer of Arya’s dark side. She also says that she would have taken Nymeria to needlework seemingly to intimidate Septa Mordane. She is only 9 years old though, and is embarrassed and hurt by her sister’s friends giggling at her failure to fit in and do girly things. It isn’t unreasonable to feel this way.

She finds a spot to watch the fighting and Jon is already there. She’s disappointed to see that it’s only the younger boys fighting instead of Robb and Joffrey. Jon messes up her hair as she says she can perform better than Bran who’s fighting plump Prince Tommen. They remark on the arms on Joffrey’s coat. It’s interesting that they are looking at Joffrey’s arms and not Tommen’s because the arms are divided between the crowned stag and the lion of Lannister. This is possible early symbolism of Joffrey’s  incestual parentage and also the proudness of house Lannister.

The fighting ends with Robb and Joffrey arguing since Joffrey doesn’t really want to go another bout with Robb, and the Lannister men laughing at Joffrey’s lame jokes.  Arya heads back to her room where the Septa and her mother were waiting for her.

A couple of other important things that were mentioned in the chapter:

Arya discussing appearances. She says “Jon had their father’s face, as she did. They were the only ones. Robb and Sansa and Bran and even little Rickon all took after the Tullys, with easy smiles and fire in their hair. When Arya had been little, she had been afraid that meant that she was a bastard too. It had been Jon she had gone to in her fear, and Jon who had reassured her.”

Possibly subtle evidence of R + L = J. She’s discussing similar features that she shares with Jon, and later on in her second chapter, Ned says she looks like Lyanna. It’s just a small connection.

“Ah, Arya. You have a wildness in you, child. ‘The wolf blood,’ my father used to call it. Lyanna had a touch of it, and my brother Brandon more than a touch. It brought them both to an early grave.” Arya heard sadness in his voice; he did not often speak of his father, or of the brother and sister who had died before she was born. “Lyanna might have carried a sword, if my lord father had allowed it. You remind me of her sometimes. You even look like her.” “Lyanna was beautiful,” Arya said, startled. Everybody said so. It was not a thing that was ever said of Arya. “She was,” Eddard Stark agreed, “beautiful, and willful, and dead before her time.”

As a little sidenote, she says “everyone said so” again in regards to someone’s appearance. She doesn’t think much of herself because of the fact that she’s called Arya Horseface even though she’s probably actually pretty (in the books at least). The last line of that quote is pretty dark and foreboding, especially given what Jon tells Arya at the end of the chapter I reviewed,

“You’ll be sewing all through winter. When the spring thaw comes, they will find your body with a needle still locked tight between your frozen fingers.”

Combine this quote with what the Ghost of High Heart sees, and I’m a bit on edge about the future of Arya. 

Summer Will End Soon - Catelyn II

Pride and deceit were the main theme in this chapter.

PRIDE: The chapter began with Ned and Catelyn’s discussion of the former’s acceptance/refusal to being hand of the king. As Ned argued to refuse his closest comrade, Catelyn insisted that the king would not understand his reasons and his refusal would eventually put their house in danger. We get a glimpse of Cat’s pride in bringing her house honor when she talked about Sansa’s betrothal to the crown prince and her supposed marriage to Brandon Stark, Ned’s older brother who was killed by the Mad King Aerys.

DECEIT: As we continue reading, Maester Luwin makes an unexpected appearance bearing a lens, a symbolism that every character and reader should look more closely as events unfold and a controversial letter from the Lady Lysa Arryn of the Eyrie. The first taste of deceit was thrown to us in this chapter, a concept that GRRM greatly utilized in writing the whole series. Lysa sends a hidden letter in a language only she and Cat could understand and revealed that the Lannisters murdered the late hand, Jon Arryn. This event made me believe that the Lannisters were the antagonists of the series, when they are in fact just players in a game played by characters who claim loyalty to the realm. Lysa’s cunning way of sending the message also hints of her sly nature, a fact that will later on be revealed in A Feast for Crows. Due to this event, Ned was urged by both Cat and Maester Luwin to go south to find out the truth about Jon Arryn’s death; this makes me conclude that everything that was brought upon house Stark is Cat’s fault.

PRIDE and DECEIT: We are later introduced to Ser Arthur Dayne of the Kingsguard also known as the Sword of the Morning. Ser Arthur is one of the deadliest and finest knights of Aery’s seven and Prince Rhaegar’s closest friend, it is believed that Ned slew him in the Tower of Joy in single combat, a contradiction to Ned’s statement that Ser Arthur would’ve killed him if not for Howland Reed (This establishes the Bran-Jojen connection). After Ser Arthur Dayne, Lady Ashara Dayne was introduced, a beautiful maiden who is believed to be the mother of the bastard Jon Snow. Again, a devious way to conceal the true identity of Jon’s mother/truth behind R+L=J, a theory that we all probably accept as true (verified by Ned’s own statement “He is my blood, and that is all you need to know” regarding Jon Snow). This part of Cat’s POV emphasizes on her pride as a mother (something that will eventually transcend to something bigger and powerful) and how that eventually sends Jon to the wall.

CONCLUSION: Does anyone else blame Cat for falling into Littlefinger’s trap (The first step to start the game that is about to be played, yes he knows her that well)? If only Ned stayed north, none of this would’ve happened and the series wouldn’t be as interesting. So thank you, Catelyn Stark. 

The Bastard

This chapter mostly serves to introduce the royal family and the rest of the Lannisters, although Jon's exchange with Benjen is significant too. Picking up from the previous chapter, Jon sees Robert the same way Ned does, but doesn't pull his punches in describing him - a fat man, red-faced and sweating. Joffrey's doucheface also makes an appearance, as does Tyrion's white-blond hair and his mention that his father does not really consider him his own - fodder for the Tyrion Targaryen theory, which I think is absurd.

This chapter seemed more clumsily written to me, than did some of the others. I can't exactly say why, but something about the writing style comes off as amateurish. I'd bet that GRRM wrote this one quite early in the process.

Benjen's conversaton with Jon seems odd. First he raises the idea of Jon going to the wall, but then begins discouraging him almost immediately. This may be because he wasn't expecting Jon to be so enthusiastic about it, but in any case, the seed is obviously planted. It's too bad Jon didn't have the chance to talk to Tyrion about the Wall during their conversation at the end of this chapter; maybe Tyrion's take on the sorry state of the Night's Watch might have given Jon second thoughts, if he'd heard it before becoming so emotionally committed to the idea.

Also touched on is the expectation that each younger son of a Great House will inherit a holdfast and serve as his older brother's bannerman, which relates to my complaint about the sparse size of noble families in ASOIAF - what happened to all of the Stark uncles, aunts, cousins, and so on, in the generations before Ned and Benjen's? Few of the other nobles families seem to be any more sizeable. But I've complained about this elsewhere. In a story of this scope, some things have to be abstracted and written unrealistically. In this case, we have problems with distances and the size of Westeros, and with missing nobles throughout the realm. Whatever - at least the political intrigue is developed more deeply, and that's what matters.

Finally - does anyone think it's significant that Ghost distrusts Tyrion initially? Is that an omen, or just a leftover from GRRM's early stages of writing, when he didn't put as much thought into things?

Also, what the hell is up with Tyrion backflipping down off walls?

Promise Me, Ned

Given that all of us are probably R+L=J believers, if not zealots, I feel safe in saying that, re-reading this chapter, we probably fixated on the characters' implied relationship to Lyanna.

So what do we have? To see her crypt is Robert's first wish, and it inspires in Cersei what might be seen as jealousy (though I doubt this, given the insight we get later into her feelings about Robert - perhaps she is trying to control his foolish behavior here? It is a pretty absurd thing for a king to do in this public occasion).

"Ned loved him for that." So whatever else Ned thinks about Robert's obsession with his sister, he appreciates it as something genuine and doesn't scorn it. But Ned is reticent in the rest of the conversation, or silent. He certainly doesn't openly share in Robert's continued hatred of Rhaegar, one hint that he knows more about that dead prince than he's letting on. And this chapter is the first appearance of "promise me" - here it implies she was begging to buried at Winterfell, though it's perfectly plausible to doubt this. I don't think this chapter is heavy with foreshadowing of Lyanna's story, and certainly not with clues, but it's the first thing that came to my attention while reading.

There's more going on than just clues for a theory, though. Throughout the chapter, Ned notes, and Robert demonstrates, the degree to which the king has gone to seed; it's a sign of the state of the kingdom: In thrall to Lannister wealth; grown weak and sloppy and corrupt; incapable of withstanding the pressures on it.

This being an epic fantasy novel, it would be too much to expect political strife or civil war not to be looming, but here there are only signs of it - Ned's mistrust of Tywin; the mention of a rebellion nine years previous, from which Ned still holds a hostage; the surprise offers-that-can't-be-refused of a promotion to king's regent and of a Baratheon-Stark marriage alliance; the tension between Cersei and Robert (and by extension, their houses); and Robert's total disinclination to deal with the demands of ruling a fragile new dynasty. Having read the series, I know how ominous each of these mentions are, but none of the characters seem to have any notion of how badly things are about to go wrong.

The characters of Ned and Robert seem incompatible as close friends, as well. Ned is solemn and stark, if you will; Robert is sanguine and apparently a buffoon. Both, we'll learn, are completely unprepared for the game of thrones, though for wholly different reasons. I wonder if their youthful friendship did not resemble Robert's character more than Ned's current one - behind the rigid, honorable face of Lord Stark could be a well-hidden past full of drinking, whoring and carefree hedonism. It's certainly conceivable, but it's also possible their differing personalities have always been so. If Ned was more like Robert in his younger days, it's easier to imagine him fathering a bastard. Although I believe R+L=J, I never bought the argument that said Ned's current emphasis on honor means it's too hard to believe Jon would be his son - it could just as well be that Jon's existence led him to become so conspicuously scrupulous.

Across the Narrow Sea

In Pentos, across the Narrow Sea, we meet Daenerys of House Targaryen. Dany, as many call her, is one of the last known living Targaryens. Her father, "The Mad King" was stabbed in the back by Jaime Lannister and killed. Robert Baratheon took the throne and since then, Dany and her brother Viserys have been running and hiding to stay alive. 

When we meet her, she is a meek girl but as we know, she develops into a strong character.

At this point in they story she is a poor child at the mercy of her older brother Viserys. Through Dany's eyes we see the monster in Viserys. He touches her inappropriately; he plans to marry her off for an army and doesn't even seem to feel an ounce of

guilt or shame about it. 

Viserys remembers everything they went through since their family was butchered. Unfortunately, he seems like a sick twisted boy who is incapable of ruling a kingdom. He controls Dany, while he is controlled by Illyrio Mopatis. Illyrio is an obese man of many talents and business endeavors. As Dany mentions, they have lived in his home for a year, yet Illyrio has never asked anything of them. 

In this chapter Martin certainly emphasizes that Daenerys mistrusts Illyrio. We already know Illyrio has some schemes brewing. What we know now really makes me question why he had this plot with Dany, Viserys and the Dothraki. Obviously, raising a kid to be Aegon or raising Aegon in secret isn't exactly a plan B. 

Daenerys mistrusts him for a reason. It seems like he possibly planned to betray her and her brother all along. Dany notices the words he speaks to Viserys. For example, he tells Viserys that "in holdfasts all across the realm, men lift secret toasts to [his] health while women sew dragon banners and hide them against the day of his return." Those words seem very empty and Dany senses that Illyrio is misguiding her brother. 

Daenerys at this point just yearns for a home. Not necessarily in Westeros but she is definitely curious about her "homeland". She doesn't share her brother's rage or need to conquer. We can see that she is controlled by her brother. The poor girl is upset that she is going to marry a rich and powerful horse-lord because she always assumed she would marry her brother.  

Dany is extremely worried about meeting Khal Drogo, and she gives protest to her brother despite the fact that she is very afraid of Viserys. Her protest does nothing but anger Viserys. The chapter ends with Dany in tears, right before she is about to meet the ruthless horselord that will be her husband and give her brother an army to conquer Westeros and reclaim the Targaryen throne. 

The Old Gods and the New

In this chapter we are introduced to Catelyn of House Tully of Riverrun, Ned Starks southern wife. Martin uses her to give us a crash course on religion and practices in the North and South. We learn that they are as different as spring and winter. We also learn that Jon Arryn, a character that was like a second father to Ned Stark, is dead.

From the news of Jon's Arryn death we learn a few very important things. We learn that the King, Robert of House Baratheon is headed to Winterfell. Ned Stark mentions that he finds it strange that the widow of Jon Arryn, Lysa Tully, went to the Eyrie rather than Riverrun. As we now now, Lysa had specific plans and thus traveled to the impregnable land where the Eyrie sits.

During this reread I find myself paying a lot more attention to the gods in this world. The north, as we are told in this chapter, follows the old gods. The old gods of the children of the Forrest have no names. We know through Catelyn that Lord Stark sits before the weirwood in the godswood after taking a man's life. "The heart tree", as Ned calls the weirwood, makes Catelyn uneasy because she senses that the face carved by the long gone children of the forest watches her. Catelyn's southern family worships the new gods. She feels like an outsider in the north. We can truly see that Catelyn views the north as a dark place compared to her southern home. 

Her southern traditions are very different from the practices in the north. Her religion, The Faith of the Seven seems more complicated. She describes that worshiping involves a septon, incense, a seven sided crystal, and song. Worshipping the old gods involves praying before the weirwood tree in the godswood. No priests, no song, just the worshiper and the tree. 

 In the North, the children of the forest carved the faces in the trees long before the arrival of the First Men. During a war, between the Children and the first men, all the trees in the south were cut down. The only place in the south where weirwoods still exist is in the isle of faces. This caught my attention because I don't exactly remember this from my first read. Maybe this isle will come to play in future books. Perhaps a Howland Reed/knight of the laughing tree/Green Seer Bran connection. 

As we now know, the weirwood trees are a sort of network. A network that greenseers use to see visions of the past and present. Since there are no weirwoods in the south we no that greenseers have no sight there. 

It's interesting that Catelyn Stark, despite believing in the faith of the seven, is so afraid of the weirwood trees. She is also afraid of The Others. One would think that her faith would put her at peace. According to Ned Stark, The Others and the children of the forest have been gone for thousands of years and Maester Luwin doesn't even believe the Others ever existed. Catelyn Tully obviously believes in all of these otherworldly entities. She is very uneasy about the dead direwolf in the snow with the antler it's throat. Foreshadowing that George RR Martin throws at us right at us from the beginning. This is definitely one of the more obvious omens in the books. Direwolf and Stag, representing the Starks and Baratheons. 

Finding and reinterpreting all of the omens and prophecies is something I'm really looking forward to. I'm sure Martin has foreshadowed the end of the series already. I hope that as we read the last two books we can say, "Whoa, that was spelled out all along!"  Or maybe we'll be completely blindsided. As "boy" says in season 3 episode 6 of A Game of Thrones "If you think this has a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention." I'm definitely paying attention to omens/prophecies throughout this re-read and I think the Children of the forest storyline will give us many clues.


Sent from my iPod