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Mercy foreshadowing (Mercy spoilers)


chrisdaw

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I have no doubt the following is foreshadowing of something, very likely Arya's future actions, I've matched them up and hope people will speculate as to the meaning.



1) Lady Stork, needle, thread, a torn dress and a wedding.


“Mercy,” her friend Daena implored, “Lady Stork has stepped on the hem of her gown again. Come help me sew it up.”




and then ran for needle and thread so the Snapper could sew the lace hem back onto the cloth-of-gold gown that the queen would wear in the wedding scene.




2) Bloody paste, a broken left horn and the stranger.


“Mercy,” the Stranger called, “bring the bloody paste, my horn is coming loose.”




She fetched the sticky paste and fastened the Stranger’s left horn back onto his forehead.




3) The crown required so that they'll know he's the king, left in the privy and pinned to the wig.


“Mercy,” boomed Izembaro the Great himself, “what have you done with my crown, girl? I cannot make my entrance without my crown. How shall they know that I’m a king?”




She found Izembaro’s crown in the privy where he always left it and helped him pin it to his wig,




4) A cock that need stay in it's breeches until it's required, or some backshadowing perhaps.


“Mercy,” squeaked the dwarf Bobono, “Mercy, something’s amiss with my laces, my cock keeps flopping out.”




And Bobono’s cock was indeed flopping out. It was made to flop out, for the rape. What a hideous thing, Mercy thought as she knelt before the dwarf to fix him. The cock was a foot long and as thick as her arm, big enough to be seen from the highest balcony. The dyer had done a poor job with the leather, though; the thing was a mottled pink and white, with a bulbous head the color of a plum. Mercy pushed it back into Bobono’s breeches and laced him back up. “Mercy,” he sang as she tied him tight, “Mercy, Mercy, come to my room tonight and make a man of me.”



......



That was one of Izembaro’s “wisdoms,” as he liked to call them. You have to please the pit. “I bet it would please the pit if I ripped off the dwarf’s cock and beat him about the head with it,” Mercy replied. “That’s something they won’t have seen before.” Always give them something they haven’t seen before was another of Izembaro’s “wisdoms,” and one that Bobono had no easy answer for. “There, you’re done,” Mercy announced. “Now see if you can keep in your breeches till it’s needed.”





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Not every passage of descriptive writing is going to turn out to be foreshadowing.



Of course, there are always going to be those readers who a) insist that everything is a foreshadowing of something yet to happen or b ) look backwards whenever something significant happens in the story and decide that it was "foreshadowed" by writing much earlier in the series.


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In her rented room in Braavos, Arya shortens her prayer list by one. Poetic justice is the theme of Arya’s melodramatic tragedy. With Needle in her bloody hand, Mercy bows to an audience lost and the dead.



Arya’s merciless actions foreshadow how Bran will wield his greenseeing powers when he “visits” past events to learn what has happened to his family. As a matter-of-fact, his teachers may encourage Bran to seek the truth in the hopes that it will arouse in him a rage for which bloody vengeance is the only remedy.



HBO’s “The First of His Name” features Bran, through Hodor, killing a man – Bran is as vulnerable to the darkness in man’s as is any character in ASoIaF.

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Someone pointed this out in another thread right after the Mercy chapter was released:



The four people seeking help from Mercy are Arya's siblings.



Lady Stork/the queen is Sansa who requires some needlework to be done by Arya.



The bloody paste refers to Bran.



The king who has lost his crown is Robb.



Bobono simply alludes to Rickon, who is small.

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Someone pointed this out in another thread right after the Mercy chapter was released:

The four people seeking help from Mercy are Arya's siblings.

Lady Stork/the queen is Sansa who requires some needlework to be done by Arya.

The bloody paste refers to Bran.

The king who has lost his crown is Robb.

Bobono simply alludes to Rickon, who is small.

Interesting, although I'd suggest it's Jon who has lost a crown and would need help showing people that he is king.

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In her rented room in Braavos, Arya shortens her prayer list by one. Poetic justice is the theme of Arya’s melodramatic tragedy. With Needle in her bloody hand, Mercy bows to an audience lost and the dead.

Arya’s merciless actions foreshadow how Bran will wield his greenseeing powers when he “visits” past events to learn what has happened to his family. As a matter-of-fact, his teachers may encourage Bran to seek the truth in the hopes that it will arouse in him a rage for which bloody vengeance is the only remedy.

HBO’s “The First of His Name” features Bran, through Hodor, killing a man – Bran is as vulnerable to the darkness in man’s as is any character in ASoIaF.

Bran killed in self-defense in order to prevent imminent kidnapping or worse - nothing dark about that. It was necessary.

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Someone pointed this out in another thread right after the Mercy chapter was released:

The four people seeking help from Mercy are Arya's siblings.

Lady Stork/the queen is Sansa who requires some needlework to be done by Arya.

The bloody paste refers to Bran.

The king who has lost his crown is Robb.

Bobono simply alludes to Rickon, who is small.

Lady Stork could also be Queen Cersei in need of some needlework through her heart.

Bloody Paste = Bran, obviously. Perhaps he'll find the Horn of Joramun

King who lost his crown in the Privy = Tywin and/or Joffrey

Bonobo and his detachable penis = Tyrion I'd guess. Perhaps it's Theon.

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The play is based on Robert & Joffrey's deaths. Or just Tyrion. Bobono is Tyrion, Arya is Sansa (but doesn't know it). The scene in the play is after Sansa & Tyrion's wedding. And then there's the coincidence about the cocks.

Even his manhood was ugly, thick and veined, with a bulbous purple head.

The dyer had done a poor job with the leather, though; the thing was a mottled pink and white, with a bulbous head the color of a plum.

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Here's one for Bobo. Mercy in this instance is Sansa and Bobo Tyrion. When Sansa and Tyrion inevitably unite again perception will be key to Sansa. She will want to present a facade of a stable, pious, noble and dutiful self to the people and Seven in contrast to the recent debaucherous royalty and court. And as an extension of self she'll want her marriage to present the same way, a fitting challenge for Tyrion.

For the good of her schemes she'll manipulate him into giving up whoring, forcing him to keep it in his breeches till it's needed.

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I have no doubt the following is foreshadowing of something, very likely Arya's future actions, I've matched them up and hope people will speculate as to the meaning.

1) Lady Stork, needle, thread, a torn dress and a wedding.

2) Bloody paste, a broken left horn and the stranger.

3) The crown required so that they'll know he's the king, left in the privy and pinned to the wig.

4) A cock that need stay in it's breeches until it's required, or some backshadowing perhaps.

I see more parallels or shout-outs ... not sure about the foreshadowing.

Well, definitely in #3 and #4 -

#3 - Without the fact Robert wore a crown, would one take him for a king ? (Many would seem to say no.)

#4 - A shout-out to Sansa's wedding night, as well as being symbolic of the fact that every time Tyrion's cock flops out, he ultimately gets himself in some trouble (as Bobono did).

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“Mercy,” her friend Daena implored, “Lady Stork has stepped on the hem of her gown again. Come help me sew it up.”

and then ran for needle and thread so the Snapper could sew the lace hem back onto the cloth-of-gold gown that the queen would wear in the wedding scene.

I believe this refers to Arya fixing (sewing up) the Red Wedding V2 situation which will include the needling of Stoneheart (Lady Stork).

Lady Stork has stepped on the hem of her gown again. - I suggest the Red Wedding V2 results in something of a sticky situation, perhaps even a stand off with Stoneheart/BWB holding up inside Riverung having Lannister/Frey hostages and wanting, among other things, Edmure.

Needle and thread - I believe Sansa is going to have Arya remove Stoneheart and rescue whoever needs to be rescued, basically ending the situation so that things can move forward. Consider Emmon and Genna Stonehearted and RR in need of new ownership.

the queen would wear in the wedding scene. - This will be important to Sansa as she'll orchestrate someone of favorable Tully/Lannister allegiance to sit in RR. Perhaps even a marriage. Should Edmure's wife (a Frey) die then perhaps Edmure to Jeyne Westerling or something along those lines. All part of the bigger picture of going queen.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Here's one for Bobo. Mercy in this instance is Sansa and Bobo Tyrion. When Sansa and Tyrion inevitably unite again perception will be key to Sansa. She will want to present a facade of a stable, pious, noble and dutiful self to the people and Seven in contrast to the recent debaucherous royalty and court. And as an extension of self she'll want her marriage to present the same way, a fitting challenge for Tyrion.

For the good of her schemes she'll manipulate him into giving up whoring, forcing him to keep it in his breeches till it's needed.

LOL what? The only thing that Sansa wants from her marriage to Tyrion is to get out of it.

The scene was clearly meant to remind the readers of Sansa's wedding night, but Mercy is not playing Sansa in the play, she is playing a minor character, a random victim raped by evil Tyrion, probably a maid or something like that, because she says "M'lord".

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HBO’s “The First of His Name” features Bran, through Hodor, killing a man – Bran is as vulnerable to the darkness in man’s as is any character in ASoIaF.

interesting as a friend and i were just discussing Bran's path...take a look at these quotes from Bryden Rivers i just picked up on the other day :

"The strongest trees are rooted in the dark places of the earth. Darkness will be your cloak, your shield, your mother's milk. Darkness will make you strong."

A little different than the path Jon Snow is on...

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Here's one for Bobo. Mercy in this instance is Sansa and Bobo Tyrion. When Sansa and Tyrion inevitably unite again perception will be key to Sansa. She will want to present a facade of a stable, pious, noble and dutiful self to the people and Seven in contrast to the recent debaucherous royalty and court. And as an extension of self she'll want her marriage to present the same way, a fitting challenge for Tyrion.

For the good of her schemes she'll manipulate him into giving up whoring, forcing him to keep it in his breeches till it's needed.

LOL. I do hope people don't think they will end up together ... I mean, do you honestly believe Sansa would want to wake up to him everyday - Sansa will always hate Lannisters - Sure Tyrion is a cool character, but ... not a maids dream guy. People that think they would make a good couple are obviously not taking into consideration Sansa's personality and feelings. It's pretty selfish.

The marriage was forced, no matter what way you look at it. She had no say in it whatsoever. And I do hope she somehow escapes Little finger's grasp before she is forced to wed again. There must be a hero out there that can save her :D Even in a place like Westeros, there must be a hero.

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LOL. I do hope people don't think they will end up together ...

Yes of course they will, GRRM has not contrived the marriage to later throw away. We have Tyrion who is manipulated to act against his better judgement by a young attractive girl who can well enough allow him to fulfil his fantasy of being loved. And Sansa, a young attractive girl finishing up her scholarship in manipulation. It's not by coincidence they have been pushed together through marriage or that their character traits play to each other's, Tyrion is Sansa's back door to power.
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