Secrets of Winterfell

[lordHodor]

Winterfell was supposedly built at the same time and by the same party as The Wall.

You know this feeling when you enter the crypt in an European church? When the church was built upon a early christian place of worship, and that was built upon a pagan place of ritual? As you go down, you go back in time?

Winterfell seems like this to me. At least the crypta is as old and as full of old power as the Wall.

You remember that Jon keeps dreaming of the Winterfell crypta?

I would find it plausible that the Stark crypts still hold useful secrets and / or magickal artifacts against the Others.

What do you think?

[aryagonnakill#2]

The cyrpts are below the weirwood as evidenced by the roots, I suspect this makes them warded against the WW's.

[Chacho_88]

I really think there is something deep down in their, and rickon probably knows at least something since it seems he's the only one who's been in some of the lower levels, their could be tunnels leading outside as well through water, who knows but definitely, and like lady melisandre said when she was at Storms End, that it was protected by spells at places, i imagine that winterfell is as well, don't know what good that'll do them their but yea

[Ser Cold Fingers]

We definitely need Jon's dream to playout in TWoW...I really think there is something in the crypts that will put this R+L=J to rest for good (which I do think will happen).

Howland Reed will show up at some point.

Buck back to the OP. Yes...something is going on with Winterfell...and the crypts specifically.

[Diregirl]

I also think there's a lot more to Winterfell than we have been told - spells seem likely (as it is the home of the Starks as defenders of the north), and please please let there be some ancient magic in the crypt!

Do you think there's any special meaning to the hot springs and the warm water used to warm the walls? Or was that just world-building?

[aryagonnakill#2]

My crackpot concerning WF has always been in regard to the gargoyles. The only other castle in Westeros we are told has gargoyles is Dragonstone, and we get a lot of description of them from Bran, who even names them. Inanimate objects have not yet come to life in this series, but how much farther is that from raising the dead really?

[Ser Cold Fingers]

<snip>

Do you think there's any special meaning to the hot springs and the warm water used to warm the walls? Or was that just world-building?

I think the builders took advantage of the hot springs while building Winterfell in order to heat the place...but with that being said...I sure hope there is something magical (figuratively or literally) in the Crypts.

[lordHodor]

When someone tries to use the cold as a weapon against you, central heating sure seems a good idea ;-)

[Ser Cold Fingers]

When someone tries to use the cold as a weapon against you, central heating sure seems a good idea ;-)

So very true.

And welcome to the forums.

[Diregirl]

When someone tries to use the cold as a weapon against you, central heating sure seems a good idea ;-)

Yes, but is it only central heating or is it, I don't know, firewyrms coiling deep through the ancient stone walls of Winterfell? Like Moaning Myrtle at Hogwarts, only more dangerous for Wights and Others...

[Lion Of The Night]

At the very least the crypts might be connected to the tunnels that the COTF used.

We might see Bran somehow use them to gain access or contol of winterfell again when the battle looms....

[Deep Like Davos]

The cyrpts are below the weirwood as evidenced by the roots, I suspect this makes them warded against the WW's.

We don't know that. when weirwoods die they stay intact and fossilize. for all we know the roots you are referencing may be from a tree cut down when they were building Winterfell thousands of years go. Besides, the crypts are very long, so even if it is the heart tree's roots there is no way of knowing how much of the crypts they cover.

[lordHodor]

And welcome to the forums.

Thank you, Ser!

[aryagonnakill#2]

Deep Like Davos, they really only need to cover the door. The Wall is also warded against the dead and WF was supposedly built by the same person.

[Ser Cold Fingers]

Deep Like Davos, they really only need to cover the door. The Wall is also warded against the dead and WF was supposedly built by the same person.

The Wall was warded against Cold Hands only from what I remember...Othor rose as a Wight and tried to kill Jeor Mormont. So is the Wall only warded against the Others? or just whatever Cold Hands is?

[Deep Like Davos]

Deep Like Davos, they really only need to cover the door. The Wall is also warded against the dead and WF was supposedly built by the same person.

i was replying to someone who said the crypts were under the heart tree in the Godswood based on the roots. Just pointing out that those roots don't necessarily mean what they think they mean.

As to your point, i assume u mean the stairs leading down the crypts? Because the door itself is flat to the ground and we know there are no roots covering it, but maybe there are roots all around that stone stairway.

[UtherSnow]

Wouldn't Winterfell date from before The Wall? There would have to be somewhere that The Starks called 'home'. They had to have some place as a base, like a castle. Remember that Winterfell now is not as it once was. It's been extended over time.

The crypts containing clues regarding Jon's parentage? I'd still think it'd be Howland Reed who tells Jon because he knows the events that took place at ToJ. If there is a secret down there for Jon, I'd imagine it's something personal and meaningful. Could that be his own egg, maybe? How about something else that Jon will find useful?

For the crypts to hold secrets about defence against The Others and Wights, I don't see the sense in that. If anything, something like that would be passed along from generation to generation. As nothing's been recalled by Jon or Bran, I'd let that one slide. Those kinds of secrets would more likely find their way to The Citadel. Isn't that why Sam's gone there?

[Lady Blizzardborn]

Hi lordHodor! Welcome to the forums!

Don't forget that BtB also supposedly helped build Storm's End. We haven't heard much about that Castle yet, but with Winterfell destroyed, and the Wall down (which I expect to happen near the end of TWoW) SE could turn out to be really important.

The crypts could contain: Night's King; Night's Queen; the original Ice; the original Lightbringer; any number of things in Lyanna's tomb; an underground passage that leads beyond the Wall; a cache of obsidian and "dragonsteel" weapons; the ghosts/wights of the Kings of Winter; Benjen, having traveled through the underground passage that comes out beyond the Wall.

Longshots: Gerion Lannister; dragon eggs outside of Lyanna's tomb; an actual dragon (who has been hibernating for several hundred years and is now REALLY hungry); Syrio Forel.

[aryagonnakill#2]

Ya it was my post you responded to, I just can't quote using my work computer for some reason.

Ser Cold Fingers, the 2 wights were carried threw the wall by sworn brothers and they were seemingly still in the process of being turned. We've been told by people like Old Nan that the wall has powers, idk what else it would be warded against other than the dead. Jon also could not feel Ghost from the opposite side of the wall.

[Lady Blizzardborn]

The Wall was warded against Cold Hands only from what I remember...Othor rose as a Wight and tried to kill Jeor Mormont. So is the Wall only warded against the Others? or just whatever Cold Hands is?

The Wall was not warded against just Coldhands. That would make no sense. He probably wasn't born yet when it was built.

There could be a time-delay in the wighting that made Othor and Jafer able to be carried through the Wall, but please note that they did not go through under their own steam. The men of the NW took them through. And they probably would not have been able to get through the Wall if they had risen as wights on the Other side of it.