Lord Reaver Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 I don't get where all the love for "We Do Not Sow" is coming from. All it basically says is "we're a bunch of thieves." Personally, my favorite is "Winter is Coming" because it gives the members of House Stark a useful reminder of what they ought to be doing as lords of the North. I also have a juvenile fondness for "Fire and Blood", because it just sounds cool. Along those lines, you ought to hate "Ours is the fury and "Fire and Blood" as well. They basically say "we're a bunch of raging murderers" and "we're psychopathic pyromaniacs". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chatty Duelist Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 Of the Great Houses, I'd say that the Arryn motto "As High as Honor" is probably the worst. It doesn't really say anything much about the family, nor is it even a good pun like "Growing Strong". It doesn't work all that well in rousing speeches, either. It sounds like they're high on druges...which explains a lot of things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Fevre Dream Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 Along those lines, you ought to hate "Ours is the fury and "Fire and Blood" as well. They basically say "we're a bunch of raging murderers" and "we're psychopathic pyromaniacs". I'd have to respectfully disagree. One can serve up Fury and Fire and Blood for a good reason. It doesn't equate with We Do Not....Do Anything Worthwhile, IMO anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Reaver Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 I'd have to respectfully disagree. One can serve up Fury and Fire and Blood for a good reason. It doesn't equate with We Do Not....Do Anything Worthwhile, IMO anyway. Not sowing does not equate with not doing anything worthwhile. I'm no farmer, but I don't consider myself a thief either... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Fevre Dream Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 Not sowing does not equate with not doing anything worthwhile. I'm no farmer, but I don't consider myself a thief either... That's fine, if that's how you want to interpret it, but in all honesty.......I see it almost the same way that Septon Meribald explained that the Cobbler was a part of the Smith, etc. It seems to me that boasting that they do not 'sow' boasts of them not doing any of the work, period. Hence the need to grab thralls to do everything for them, from working in the mines to scrubbing their floors. That's really how I see it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The-Targaryen-Dog Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 I think the worst thing to have would be a dull motto. Even if they are quite bad, at least you remember them.I like winter is coming, fire and blood, and ours is the fury. They're catchy, strong, and make you think of a proud ancient house. Plus maybe the Stark words are a massive clue to the Others? They actually try and warn you of the threat, instead of something useless like hear me roar.I think as high as honour, growing strong, and family duty honour to be the dullest. As Lady Olenna says, you want something memorable and strong to fill your enemies hearts with fear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Reaver Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 And I see "Fire and Blood" as boasting that they can roast and kill anyone the damn well please because they're the insane Targaryens. No difference, really. If you really want to, you could probably find a sinister/silly way to interpret any of the house words. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Fevre Dream Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 And I see "Fire and Blood" as boasting that they can roast and kill anyone the damn well please because they're the insane Targaryens. No difference, really. If you really want to, you could probably find a sinister/silly way to interpret any of the house words. Most House words do not boast about not doing something useful, though. That is the difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Reaver Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 No, instead they boast about burning and killing shit. Much better.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ilúvatar Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 I don't get where all the love for "We Do Not Sow" is coming from. All it basically says is "we're a bunch of thieves."I don't really see it that way. Without knowing what the Ironborn are like as people, "We Do Not Sow" just sounds like they refuse to serve or be subject to others in a feudal society. Jumping to the conclusion that this automatically makes them thieves isn't that different to making the assumption that african americans are automatically thieves for not wanting to work as slaves on a cotton plantation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jory Cassel Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 'High as honor' sounds like a Tony Montana line Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Fevre Dream Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 No, instead they boast about burning and killing shit. Much better.... If that's how you see it, that's how you see it. I see Fire and Blood to have more than one, fixed meaning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pocketsaviour Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 My favourites are probably "Ours is the Fury" and "Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken". Worst is "Hear me Roar" (childish) and "As High as Honour" (stoners) and "Family, Duty, Honour" (yawn.) I do like the Codds', "Though All Men Do Despise Us". It reads the same way as the Millwall chant, "No-One Likes Us, We Don't Care". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jory Cassel Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 The Freys should probably adopt "though all men do despise us". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
complexphoenix Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 Not sowing does not equate with not doing anything worthwhile. I'm no farmer, but I don't consider myself a thief either... In a preindustrial economy, the most important sector is agriculture and the second most important sector doesn't matter. So in a medieval setting it does, in fact, equate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Fevre Dream Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 Lest it go unnoticed, I'm giving another honorable mention to Dolorous Edd and House Tollett and When All Is Darkest. When All IS Darkest, here's hoping Edd is still there to see us through it. That would make those words the most meaningful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Generic Bravo Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 Lest it go unnoticed, I'm giving another honorable mention to Dolorous Edd and House Tollett and When All Is Darkest. When All IS Darkest, here's hoping Edd is still there to see us through it. That would make those words the most meaningful. If Dolorous Edd dies, I might just stop reading. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Fevre Dream Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 If Dolorous Edd dies, I might just stop reading. LOL, I know. I might just toss the books out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colonel Green Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 House Royce's "We Remember" is a favourite of mine. Yeah, I really like that one. It's not a battle cry or even a warning, more like a statement of heritage. Among the background houses, "Sound the Charge" (House Wensington) is a good one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Universal Sword Donor Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 In a preindustrial economy, the most important sector is agriculture and the second most important sector doesn't matter. So in a medieval setting it does, in fact, equate. I'd disagree when you live on an island(s) that have poor soil, few natural resources, and have little in the way of animal help. If the Eskimos 500 years ago said "We do not sow" they wouldn't be wrong and they aren't thieves. Not to defend the ironborn choices, but the Greyjoy motto only reflects "Thief" if you're already biased against them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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