Pink Letter Theory

[jet199]

There is also the possibility that Mance has just told Ramsay who he is and has offered to bring the wildlings over to their side, most likely acting as a double agent. Mance seems to be quite cosy in Winterfell and doesn't seem to be worried about the Boltons. The PL could have been sent with Ramsay's full knowledge and include some news which the Boltons want to to be broadcast such as Stannis's apparent defeat.

[Aaronomus]

Ramsay wrote it. It wasn't written in blood because it was done in haste. No mention is made of its legibility, so it may well have been scrawled in as shabby a hand as Asha's letter. Why am I certain? Because it makes perfect sense for Ramsay to write it.

The letter simply shows Ramsay having a total meltdown: without Jeyne, Ramsay has no claim to Winterfell, and he also has no reason to doubt that Theon will tell the world of Jeyne's true identity at the earliest opportunity, which would spell the end of House Bolton forever. He needs his bride back, and if Jeyne heads for the wall before Ramsay can give Stannis battle, Ramsay's only hope is to cow Jon into keeping her mouth shut and giving her back, which he hopes to accomplish with blustering threats.

Mance did enjoy pushing Jon's buttons by calling him bastard, but it's just as in-character for Ramsay to do the same; we have many good reasons to trust that this letter is Ramsay's work (though WoW Theon I proves it's full of lies), and extraordinary claims demand extraordinary evidence.

[Hos the Hostage]

There is also the possibility that Mance has just told Ramsay who he is and has offered to bring the wildlings over to their side, most likely acting as a double agent. Mance seems to be quite cosy in Winterfell and doesn't seem to be worried about the Boltons. The PL could have been sent with Ramsay's full knowledge and include some news which the Boltons want to to be broadcast such as Stannis's apparent defeat.

Can't be ignored. Mance is clever enough to see Ramsay's situation, caught between and army of Freys and angry Northmen.

Ramsay wrote it. It wasn't written in blood because it was done in haste. No mention is made of its legibility, so it may well have been scrawled in as shabby a hand as Asha's letter. Why am I certain? Because it makes perfect sense for Ramsay to write it.

The letter simply shows Ramsay having a total meltdown: without Jeyne, Ramsay has no claim to Winterfell, and he also has no reason to doubt that Theon will tell the world of Jeyne's true identity at the earliest opportunity, which would spell the end of House Bolton forever. He needs his bride back, and if Jeyne heads for the wall before Ramsay can give Stannis battle, Ramsay's only hope is to cow Jon into keeping her mouth shut and giving her back, which he hopes to accomplish with blustering threats.

Mance did enjoy pushing Jon's buttons by calling him bastard, but it's just as in-character for Ramsay to do the same; we have many good reasons to trust that this letter is Ramsay's work (though WoW Theon I proves it's full of lies), and extraordinary claims demand extraordinary evidence.

All this makes sense, and is exactly what I thought at the first read. But, there are other points, as I mentioned before, that is not consistent with Ramsay's writing.

If he caught wildlings, they will tell about Mance's son and Dalla's sister. Not the little prince and wildling princess. But why should they tell all this to Ramsay, even after torturing? Spearwives are hard. If Ramsay was flaying them, they have no reason to help Ramsay with information. 'A flayed man has no secrets' is what Theon thinks. But the spearwives knew what kind of treatment awaited them if caught by Ramsay. They are less likely to be completely broken as Theon did, and its more in character of them to die with a secret. They could tell about Mel, Shireen and Selyse because they hated them, but Val and the babe? Why?. Remember when Jon caught Ygritte? Stonesnake told Jon she may cut her tongue out than tell him something.

[Batbob45]

The letter was to tame to be written by Ramsey

[Androme]

I don't think Mance is stupid enough to attack the North and the Night's Watch, he, if anyone, knows that the real threat are the Others. I don't see him making such a retarded dick move.

[Aaronomus]

If he caught wildlings, they will tell about Mance's son and Dalla's sister. Not the little prince and wildling princess. But why should they tell all this to Ramsay, even after torturing? Spearwives are hard. If Ramsay was flaying them, they have no reason to help Ramsay with information. 'A flayed man has no secrets' is what Theon thinks. But the spearwives knew what kind of treatment awaited them if caught by Ramsay. They are less likely to be completely broken as Theon did, and its more in character of them to die with a secret. They could tell about Mel, Shireen and Selyse because they hated them, but Val and the babe? Why?. Remember when Jon caught Ygritte? Stonesnake told Jon she may cut her tongue out than tell him something.

It takes a rare sort of man to be capable of administering the kind of torture that would be necessary to get Mance & Co. to talk, but Ramsay fits the bill. A flayed man really has no secrets. In real life, there is not a human on Earth capable of withstanding flaying. Everyone has a breaking point, and I guarantee you, if the Boltons have Mance, then he's been broken. Mance may not have called her a princess, but if Stannis could conclude that Val is a 'princess', then why not Ramsay? A mere choice of words isn't going to overturn the mountain of evidence we have that this letter is genuine.

This whole hypothesis is pretty damn tinfoil.

[Kyll.Ing.]

I think the main piece of evidence pointing away from Ramsay is the phrase:

"Your false king's friends are dead. Their heads upon the walls of Winterfell."

Ramsay wouldn't have cut off their heads and displayed them. He'd have skinned them instead.

[Rodrik Harlaw]

I think the main piece of evidence pointing away from Ramsay is the phrase:

"Your false king's friends are dead. Their heads upon the walls of Winterfell."

Ramsay wouldn't have cut off their heads and displayed them. He'd have skinned them instead.

"the cage is cold, but I have made him a warm cloak from the skins of the six whores who came with him to Winterfell." Who says he couldn't have done both? Where does it say that Ramsay can't put heads upon a wall?

Who says that Ramsay can't be lying about any details? Manipulating Jon would be the point of the letter if Ramsay wrote it. Manipulation is achieved through lying, or misleading.

This whole hypothesis is pretty damn tinfoil.

I have not been persuaded that this is a sound argument either.

[Hoid]

You know, most people seem to have decided a definitive favorite of the identity of the author, but I'm undecided. There are a lot of good arguments for each of the candidates, but I for one, am on the fence. I don't think there's proof either way, but I don't think Ramsay wrote it. It just doesn't fit in with the other letters we've seen from him.