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The Beheaders


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Hello everyone,

So, Ned beheads a member of the Night's Watch fleeing south, and a little while after gets killed in King's Landing, which is a surprise because he thought he was going to be sent off to the Wall.

Then Robb beheads Richard Karstark, and a little while after gets killed by surprise at the Red Wedding while under the laws of hospitality.

Now Jon beheads Lord Janos Slynt and a little while after gets stabbed by surprise by his sworn brothers...

Is it just me, or is the (Stark) Beheader accursed in the eyes of the gods ??

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Seriously though, this is a theme - and Theon's also in it. The question is, between Ned's clean but unjust kill, Theon's horrendous mess founded on injustice, Robb's just but ominous, cursed lordly blood-spattering, and Jon's clean, just kill, ...does the karmic punishment fit the crime?



The answer is yes, sort of; Ned's execution is also an unjust stitch-up, Theon's fate is utterly messy, Robb's illustrates the strict justice and lack of realpolitik that helps to undo him, and Jon (yawn, but you have to hand it to him) is probably just suffering a temporary setback.


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Theon does pay the high price for his mess... Do you believe Ramsay's madness will get him to pay an even higher price ? He may (arguably) be doing "justice" by torturing Theon, but what about all the women he hunts and the people of Winterfell he murdered ? And will Roose pay only for the Red Wedding, or will he also suffer for his bastard's crimes ?

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Theon beheads Farlen the Winterfell kennelmaster in the books, and makes a hash of it. He's blaming Farlen for the murders of Ironborn he (it is strongly implied) knows were committed by Reek (ie Ramsay). In the show, of course, it becomes Ser Rodrik.



'He could not let the killings go unpunished. Farlen was as likely a suspect as any, so Theon sat in judgment, called him guilty, and condemned him to death. Even that went sour. As he went to the block, the kennelmaster said, "M'lord Eddard always did his own killings." Theon had to take the axe himself or look a weakling. His hands were sweating, so the shaft twisted in his grip as he swung and the first blow landed between Farlen's shoulders. It took three more cuts to hack through all that bone and muscle and sever the head from the body, and afterward he was sick, remembering all the times they'd sat over a cup of mead talking of hounds and hunting. I had no choice, he wanted to scream at the corpse. The ironborn can't keep secrets, they had to die, and someone had to take the blame for it. He only wished he had killed him cleaner. Ned Stark had never needed more than a single blow to take a man's head.'


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Theon beheads Farlen the Winterfell kennelmaster in the books, and makes a hash of it. He's blaming Farlen for the murders of Ironborn he (it is strongly implied) knows were committed by Ramsay Bolton. In the show, of course, it becomes Ser Rodrik.

You're right, I had forgotten about this part... Well Theon does suffer from the Beheader's Curse !!

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Theon beheads Farlen the Winterfell kennelmaster in the books, and makes a hash of it. He's blaming Farlen for the murders of Ironborn he (it is strongly implied) knows were committed by Reek (ie Ramsay). In the show, of course, it becomes Ser Rodrik.

'He could not let the killings go unpunished. Farlen was as likely a suspect as any, so Theon sat in judgment, called him guilty, and condemned him to death. Even that went sour. As he went to the block, the kennelmaster said, "M'lord Eddard always did his own killings." Theon had to take the axe himself or look a weakling. His hands were sweating, so the shaft twisted in his grip as he swung and the first blow landed between Farlen's shoulders. It took three more cuts to hack through all that bone and muscle and sever the head from the body, and afterward he was sick, remembering all the times they'd sat over a cup of mead talking of hounds and hunting. I had no choice, he wanted to scream at the corpse. The ironborn can't keep secrets, they had to die, and someone had to take the blame for it. He only wished he had killed him cleaner. Ned Stark had never needed more than a single blow to take a man's head.'

Thanks. That was bugging me. Robb had trouble too, didn't he? Jon was the only one who managed it clean, right? But he had Valyrian steel.
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Thanks. That was bugging me. Robb had trouble too, didn't he? Jon was the only one who managed it clean, right? But he had Valyrian steel.

"The axe crashed down. Heavy and well-honed, it killed at a single blow, but it took three to sever the man's head from his body, and by the time it was done both living and dead were drenched in blood. Robb flung the poleaxe down in disgust, and turned wordless to the heart tree. He stood shaking with his hands half-clenched and the rain running down his cheeks."

Valyrian steel does help to make a clean cut, though.

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