Plot holes (Real ones, not things you don't like)

[Knight Of Winter]

For starters, whole Theon's capture of Winterfell.

1. Dagmer besieges Torrhen's Square with cca 70-80 men, and yet Tallhart is so terrifies he calls for Rodrik's help.

2. Rodrik decides to take few thousand men to combat Dagmer's 80 (why on Earth so many? ) and defeat them

3. Theon slips past Rodrik's army unnoticed

4. After Rodrik's army was slain, Dagmer (with his survivors from battle against Rodrik) manages to take TS.

Also, in ACOK, we have Tyrion, pretty vengeful guy, not doing anything to LF despite almost dying due to dagger lie.

[new djinn]

Ned wants to resettle the Gift, a land that doesn't belong to him, while Stony shore/Seadragon point are underpopulated,and the longest summer in living memory isn't enough time to take any measures to do this.

The Northmen consider service in the NW a honor, unlike the rest of Westeros, yet there doesn't seem to be any greater percentage of Northmen in the NW that of any other region.

How does Donal Noye actually beat metal at his anvil with only one arm?

[A_Cornered_Wolf]

Theon's taking of Winterfell. The logical course of action for someone with intimate knowledge of the terrain of Winterfell who wanted to take it by stealth would be to scale the outer wall somewhere along the Godswood section and then use the cover of the Godswood to approach the inner wall undetected. If Theon did this Summer and Shaggydogg would've ate some Ironborn and an alarm would've been raised. However, Theon had no knowledge that Summer and Shaggydogg were being penned up in the Godswood, as it happened well after he left, so it still should've been the course of action he'd favor. Instead he attempts a more frontal assault and manages to succeed.

[Ser Pounds]

Why did Roose Bolton legitimized Ramsay Snow instead of getting rid of him? He knows that Ramsay killed his only true born son and he could just conceive another child with Fat Walda.

[Game Of Thrones]

Why did Roose Bolton legitimized Ramsay Snow instead of getting rid of him? He knows that Ramsay killed his only true born son and he could just conceive another child with Fat Walda.

1. Roose knows he is old.

Or

2. Roose killed Domeric.

[FreeParking]

Why did Roose Bolton legitimized Ramsay Snow instead of getting rid of him? He knows that Ramsay killed his only true born son and he could just conceive another child with Fat Walda.

Roose is married to Walda. This obviously prevents him from marrying someone else. He needs to solidify his hold on the North. He has Ramsay legitimized to impregnate fArya. Once a male heir is born, Roose will arrange for Ramsay's untimely demise and raise the heir to Winterfell to be pro-Bolton while also raising an heir to the Dreadfort. Roose simply uses Ramsay as a tool and a lightning rod of hate until his use runs out. Keep in mind that the conversation between Roose and Reek where Roose states he doesn't care if Ramsay kills Walda's children starts off by him acknowledging that Reek will report anything Roose says back to Ramsay.

Edit: Tywin's death and Stannis's arrival in the North speeds this plan up substantially.

[HexMachina]

Why did Roose Bolton legitimized Ramsay Snow instead of getting rid of him? He knows that Ramsay killed his only true born son and he could just conceive another child with Fat Walda.

Boy Lords are the bane of any House

[FreeParking]

Boy Lords are the bane of any House

Roose says as he is talking to Reek who they both just agreed will report back to Ramsay.

[HexMachina]

Roose says as he is talking to Reek who they both just agreed will report back to Ramsay.

Its a perfectly reasonable explanation though. House Bolton's hold on the North is fragile at best. A boy lord would not be able to hold it for long. It certainly isn't a plot hole

[Steelborn]

How things keep falling at Jon's feet.

[JayRankin]

How does the Nights Watch deserter get south of the wall for Ned to chop his head off?

How do Osha and her two wilding associates get south of the wall?

Oh, and where is Benjen?

[RumHam]

Why doesn't Tyrion tell Jorah that he was friends with his father? Tyrion would definitely know of the family connection. I couldn't stop thinking about this in every Tyrion-Jorah chapter.

Never understood this either. Does Jorah even know his dad is dead?

[JonCon's Red Beard]

Embarrassment. He didn't want to bring up the topic of Lysa's out of wedlock child or the abortion. Which he would have to do, because Arryn probably doesn't provide him with a list of all the minor nobles he takes to King's Landing. Maybe Arryn mentioned it off-handedly, but again Hoster would have to bring it up himself, because simply saying LF is a bad seed is not going to be enough. And if Hoster beats about the bush, Arryn will connect the dots.

Also, as far as Hoster is concerned, the affair is over and done with, it was a youthful folly and is no longer an issue. Even if it isn't, the worst Hoster would think LF capable of his having another affair with Lysa. Which in some circles was considered the norm among nobility, at worst embarrasses Arryn but is not really a good enough reason for Hoster to raise a fuss about.

There is a chance Arryn knew. Cat's musings about the whole thing are interesting. Jon Arryn needed Hoster's swords for the rebellion as he needed an heir. And Hoster have both men and a proven fertile daughter. Even Lysa, when she's having his drunken rant about Jon says her father told her she was luck that a man like Arryn accepted her stained. There must be some truth on that.

Also, Hoster seems a smart man. Didn't he find odd that LF was close to Lysa once more? As soon as it was public knowledge who the new master of coin was, he could have sent a simple letter saying "that's the boy who dishonoured my daughter and it's bad news". It has nothing to do with them retaking the relationship, simply letting him know what kind of person LF was, and he would have been right.

[Rhaenys_Targaryen]

How does the Nights Watch deserter get south of the wall for Ned to chop his head off?

How do Osha and her two wilding associates get south of the wall?

Oh, and where is Benjen?

Where Benjen is, I can't answer you. But the Gared-issue, and the Osha-issue, that I can.

There are plenty of ways to circumvent the Wall. At Eastwatch, you can walk around the Wall, as the Wall doesn't go all the way to the sea. Jon uses this knowledge in Dance to get the mammoths from one side of the Wall to the other, as the beasts don't fit through the gates.

There's also the Bridge of Skulls, going over the Gorge. Wildlings are known to descent into the Gorge, as it is hard to spot them that way (crossing the actual bridge would attacks more attention).

And then, of course, you can always climb the Wall (though I doubt this is what Gared did, Osha and her friend, together with the two NW men she was with, could have done so).

These routes can't be used when you are with a big group of people, or when you have small children or the old and sick with you, like Mance did, but small groups of experienced people can use any of these ways easily.

[HexMachina]

Where Benjen is, I can't answer you. But the Gared-issue, and the Osha-issue, that I can.

There are plenty of ways to circumvent the Wall. At Eastwatch, you can walk around the Wall, as the Wall doesn't go all the way to the sea. Jon uses this knowledge in Dance to get the mammoths from one side of the Wall to the other, as the beasts don't fit through the gates.

There's also the Bridge of Skulls, going over the Gorge. Wildlings are known to descent into the Gorge, as it is hard to spot them that way (crossing the actual bridge would attacks more attention).

And then, of course, you can always climb the Wall (though I doubt this is what Gared did, Osha and her friend, together with the two NW men she was with, could have done so).

Gared, Will and Waymer rode north, north-west, so I came to the conclusion Gared took the Bridge of Skills route back across the Wall, as this would take them closer to the Shadow Tower.

Nine days they had been riding, north and northwest and then north again, farther and farther from the Wall, hard on the track of a band of wildling raiders.

[Rhaenys_Targaryen]

Gared, Will and Waymer rode north, north-west, so I came to the conclusion Gared took the Bridge of Skills route back across the Wall, as this would take them closer to the Shadow Tower.

Yeah, I think so as well. I was just listing all the possible routes.

Descending into the Gorge seems to have the the route for Gared (it is a known route for crossing wildlings) Walking over the bridge would mean he would easily been seen. Though, Gared was in such a paranoid state of mind, that he might not have considered that, and just crossed the bridge.

The fact that Gared managed to remain uncaptured for more than half a year, while in such a weird and paranoid state of mind shows just how experienced he was.

[King of Vaes Tolorro]

Tyrion not having SHagga cut off Littlefinger's manhood. Then, later, head.

He knew Littlefinger had lied and told Catelyn that the dagger used for the attempt on Bran' s life was Tyrion's. He got Tyrion captured and almost killed. Doesn't matter that Littlefinger was important. If someone tries to get you killed, you return the favor. A Lannister always pays his debts.Tyrion didn't even mention the dagger. He threatened just about everyone but Littlefinger. That does not make sense at all. One of GRRM's mistakes.Aso Littlefinger said that if Tyrion had been at the tourney of the King, he would have won more gold when Jaime was unhorsed. Eddard was there. He didn't pick up on that? Littlefinger said that Tyrion had bet against his brother, bu now he was saying that Tyrion would have bet for his brother.

[Ingelheim]

How things keep falling at Jon's feet.

You mispelled Jon. It's Daenerys.

[HexMachina]

You mispelled Jon. It's Daenerys.

Lets not play games, they both receive their share plot gifts.

[Game of Thrones Reference]

I'm not sure if this is a plot hole, but it is something that has been bothering me. It concerns Jon Arryn's squire, Ser Hugh. Eddard wishes to question him about Jon Arryn's death, but the Mountain kills him in the Tourney before he is able to do it. This leads both the reader and Eddard to believe that the Lannisters paid him to kill Jon Arryn and then they killed him to shut him up. But, as we all know, it was Littlefinger and Lysa who conspired to kill Jon Arryn. I can't remember if Lysa said she poisoned her husband or paid Ser Hugh to do it, so it's either a plot hole or a red herring.