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What does Rickon/Shaggydog's behaviour tell us?


Daevyd Targaryen

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There's been a lot of talk about Rickon in the last couple of days and got me to thinking about him and led to me thinking of something I've never considered before;

 

Why is Shaggydog so wild?

 

It's clear from the text that the Direwolves mimic their masters nature but Shaggydog is the only one that doesn't seem to make sense on the face of it. I get that Rickon is confused and angry etc and that seems to be accepted as an explanation for Shaggy's behaviour but is that really enough? It doesn't really add up for me.

 

Grey Wind is martial and dutiful, as is Robb.

 

Lady is well groomed/behaved and proper, as is Sansa.

 

Nymeria is wild and unkempt (and then later obsessed with surrounding herself with a pack), as is Arya.

 

Summer and Ghost don't really seem to have much in the way of characterisation in my opinion but I would be interested in what anyone has noticed or thinks about their behaviour and what it says about Jon and Bran.

 

Shaggydog isn't just wild, he is downright vicious. In all of the other pairings, there doesnt seem to be any give and take, the relationship is one way, with the wolves taking direction from the master, so does this mean that there may be more to Rickon than meets the eye?

 

I may just be reading too much into it but being angry and confused just doesn't fit for me as the cause for Shaggy's violent nature. Is there maybe a proper vicious streak to Rickon that hasn't been mentioned yet? And if so, was it perhaps always there or is he just a victim of circumstance?

 

It's all probably immaterial at this point since whatever plans GRRM had for Rcikon would be vasly different after scrapping the time skip but even so, he put the wolf descriptions in for a reason at the time.

 

Any thoughts anyone?

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I like to think that Rickon will come back as a ruthless badass. There isn't much time left in the story so he's he's going to presumably be too young but you never know. 

 

I think it would be sweet to have a Rickon POV but I'm fairly certain we aren't getting any new ones. 

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It was bad giving Rickon such an influential animal companion at such a young age. He is at a critical stage of human development but instead of learning from humans, he is picking up on animal behaviours....and Shaggy Dog is not the best influence.  

The situation is so bad because he can warg into Shaggy dog and his childhood has been unsettling. I wouldn't be surprised if Rickon is more wolf than boy when we see him again.

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Rickon was way younger when he got his wolf than the others, he was like 3 or something and you don't have that much of a characterdevelopment at this age, he is mostly driven by his feelings and the chnages that accure which he can't crasp. Wolves mature faster than humans, thats why I believe that rickon takes over of the raw and wild wolvenature than Shaggy by Rickons not yet developed character.

 

damn you darkhorse^^

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Honestly? It shows Rickon is a really stressed small child. Last time we have seen him, he was four and under severe stress of losing his parents and brothers and sisters.
Four is old enough to remember, and it can really mess with them. It is, however, very unlikely that he will keep this behavior until adulthood.
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I like to think that Rickon will come back as a ruthless badass. There isn't much time left in the story so he's he's going to presumably be too young but you never know. 

 

I think it would be sweet to have a Rickon POV but I'm fairly certain we aren't getting any new ones. 

 

The story doesn't "end" where people think it will. This isn't the story of how the Others are defeated, this is the story of the birth of the heroes who will (someday) defeat the others. Think of ASoIaF as a sort of "prequel". Characters who are children now will be in their prime when the Heroes are coming of age, so if Rickon is destined to be a player during the next Dawn War his age is entirely appropriate.

 

EDIT: Also...

 

 

I think it would be sweet to have a Rickon POV but I'm fairly certain we aren't getting any new ones.

 

Kings, and those who become Kings, don't get POV chapters. Rickon is very likely to become the King in the North, if he isn't already.

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It was bad giving Rickon such an influential animal companion at such a young age. He is at a critical stage of human development but instead of learning from humans, he is picking up on animal behaviours....and Shaggy Dog is not the best influence.  

The situation is so bad because he can warg into Shaggy dog and his childhood has been unsettling. I wouldn't be surprised if Rickon is more wolf than boy when we see him again.

:agree: 

Rickon is the story's resident beastling. Nan's tales prove true again. The whole warging thing is both a blessing and a curse for the Starks. Bran was worried about being a beastling. Rickon actually is one--which makes me worry about what happens if/when anyone brings him back. 

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The story doesn't "end" where people think it will. This isn't the story of how the Others are defeated, this is the story of the birth of the heroes who will (someday) defeat the others. Think of ASoIaF as a sort of "prequel". Characters who are children now will be in their prime when the Heroes are coming of age, so if Rickon is destined to be a player during the next Dawn War his age is entirely appropriate.
 
EDIT: Also...
 
 
Kings, and those who become Kings, don't get POV chapters. Rickon is very likely to become the King in the North, if he isn't already.


True, but we have Dany which we pretty much know will become Queen (whether she will be able to keep the throne or not is another issue), and she is a POV character.
Rickon not having a POV is mostly because he is too young, and even the 93' letter shows that Rickon is not a main character (all Stark who have POVs - Arya, Bran and Jon - are, along Tyrion and Dany).
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I would say just that Shaggy Dog is responding to the baser insticts we all have, but that Rickon, being a toddler, doesn't really know how to control.

 

The way I have read it, it seems the Direwolves respond to their master's emotions, as well as attack to protect.

 

Rickon is young, so I am not really worried. Shaggy may always be more wild then any of the others, but it will all depend on who mentors Rickon.

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  • 2 weeks later...

 

The story doesn't "end" where people think it will. This isn't the story of how the Others are defeated, this is the story of the birth of the heroes who will (someday) defeat the others. Think of ASoIaF as a sort of "prequel". Characters who are children now will be in their prime when the Heroes are coming of age, so if Rickon is destined to be a player during the next Dawn War his age is entirely appropriate.

 

EDIT: Also...

 

 

Kings, and those who become Kings, don't get POV chapters. Rickon is very likely to become the King in the North, if he isn't already.

 

what evidence do you have to support the idea that this series is some sort of prequel series? 

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I like to think that Rickon will come back as a ruthless badass. There isn't much time left in the story so he's he's going to presumably be too young but you never know. 

 

I think it would be sweet to have a Rickon POV but I'm fairly certain we aren't getting any new ones. 

yeah i agree here. i think Shaggydog being vicious could be foreshadowing of how Rickon is going to be when he comes back from Skagos. Skagos is crazy and harsh and when Rickon comes back i think he'll be a hard crazy short tempered mofo ready to eff stuff up lol

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Jon and the 4 other Stark kids were a good deal older than Rickon and so a lot more patience and maturity and knowledge of what could go wrong likely went into the training of their direwolves.

 

To the extent possible, they were probably able to "socialize" them a great deal more.

 

Although the innate personality of each animal counts as well--Shaggydog and Lady wouldn't have been interchangeable.

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