Roose Hunting Wolves

[Farstrider]

Someone else asked a question whether Roose and Walda were communicating back and two during his time in Harrenhal.  Roose received a letter.  Soon after, he decides to go hunting for wolves.  On the surface, it seemed innocent.  It could have been he met with one of the Freys to work out the RW.  But let us assume the innocent and say he just went wolf hunting.

Isn't that wierd?  To do this, to engage in recreation while in the middle of war?  Any good reason why he would go on a hunt during war?  Yes, I understand hunting is big in his famiy, coming from Rogar the Huntsman's bloodline.  Still, it seemed irresponsible to me.  And the river lands are not his to hunt on.

[Lord Ravenstark]

Hunting wolves as in the pack of 200 wolves and a direwolf.

[aryagonnakill#2]

I took if as symbolism.  Roose received a letter from Walda indicating that Ramsay would be legitimized and that he would be ruler of the North, in exchange he go's hunting for wolves and probably replies as such in his own letter indicating he was in agreement.

[Protagoras]

I took if as symbolism.  Roose received a letter from Walda indicating that Ramsay would be legitimized and that he would be ruler of the North, in exchange he go's hunting for wolves and probably replies as such in his own letter indicating he was in agreement.

Very much this. In addition I would say that this is the point when he decided to switch sides and that he was loyal to the Stark cause when he took Harrenhal originally.

[Mladen]

I took if as symbolism.  Roose received a letter from Walda indicating that Ramsay would be legitimized and that he would be ruler of the North, in exchange he go's hunting for wolves and probably replies as such in his own letter indicating he was in agreement.

Very much this. In addition I would say that this is the point when he decided to switch sides and that he was loyal to the Stark cause when he took Harrenhal originally.

Exactly. And this is why people who claim RW happened because of Cat and release of Jaime should recall this scene.

[Damsel in Distress]

Someone else asked a question whether Roose and Walda were communicating back and two during his time in Harrenhal.  Roose received a letter.  Soon after, he decides to go hunting for wolves.  On the surface, it seemed innocent.  It could have been he met with one of the Freys to work out the RW.  But let us assume the innocent and say he just went wolf hunting.

Isn't that wierd?  To do this, to engage in recreation while in the middle of war?  Any good reason why he would go on a hunt during war?  Yes, I understand hunting is big in his famiy, coming from Rogar the Huntsman's bloodline.  Still, it seemed irresponsible to me.  And the river lands are not his to hunt on.

Diversion.  Maybe he was ordered to track down the wolf pack menacing the river lands.  He's doing this as a favor to the river folks. 

[Dorian Martell]

I took if as symbolism.  Roose received a letter from Walda indicating that Ramsay would be legitimized and that he would be ruler of the North, in exchange he go's hunting for wolves and probably replies as such in his own letter indicating he was in agreement.

Definitely symbolism. 

[Wavey Sauce]

Foreshadowing and symbolism in the most obvious way

[Lord Wraith]

Also remember he manages to kill several wolves after several other lords had failed at the task. Take that how you will.

[Good Guy Garlan]

Symbolism, for sure. Most of the RW was planned in code, I imagine, in case the letters fell into the wrong hands. Remember the letter Walder sends to Tywin after the wedding, about Roslin catching a trout and her brothers getting her a couple of wolf skins? Same thing.

[RoamingRonin]

Symbolism? Or were they...

(•_•)

( •_•)>⌐■-■

(⌐■_■)

Furshadowing.

[Universal Sword Donor]

It's just as weird as Robert doing the same*:

At Summerhall he won three battles in a single day, and brought Lords Grandison and Cafferen back to Storm's End as prisoners. He hung their banners in the hall as trophies. Cafferen's white fawns were spotted with blood and Grandison's sleeping lion was torn near in two. Yet they would sit beneath those banners of a night, drinking and feasting with Robert. He even took them hunting. 'These men meant to deliver you to Aerys to be burned,' I told him after I saw them throwing axes in the yard. 'You should not be putting axes in their hands.' Robert only laughed.

*GRRM wasn't using hunting as a metaphor or foreshadowing in Robert's case

[Good Guy Garlan]

Symbolism? Or were they...

(•_•)

( •_•)>⌐■-■

(⌐■_■)

Furshadowing.

It's just as weird as Robert doing the same*:

At Summerhall he won three battles in a single day, and brought Lords Grandison and Cafferen back to Storm's End as prisoners. He hung their banners in the hall as trophies. Cafferen's white fawns were spotted with blood and Grandison's sleeping lion was torn near in two. Yet they would sit beneath those banners of a night, drinking and feasting with Robert. He even took them hunting. 'These men meant to deliver you to Aerys to be burned,' I told him after I saw them throwing axes in the yard. 'You should not be putting axes in their hands.' Robert only laughed.

*GRRM wasn't using hunting as a metaphor or foreshadowing in Robert's case

But was Robert hunting wolves? 

[Farstrider]

Diversion.  Maybe he was ordered to track down the wolf pack menacing the river lands.  He's doing this as a favor to the river folks. 

 

Definitely symbolism. 

 

Foreshadowing and symbolism in the most obvious way

Oh, I am in agreement.  There's symbolism there.  I don't want to discount that the small folk complained about the wolves and Roose wanted to do generate positive P/R.

Let us say that he actually rode out and hunted wolves.  Was it Nymeria's pack that he was hunting?  What's up with Nymeria?  Yeah, I know she's out of place in the south, but still.  To go out and hunt men is weird for any animal.  Lions wouldn't do it unless they were starving.  Dragons don't even do that.  I'm thinking she's picking up some of Arya's feelings.  Nymeria doesn't really know the reason, but she is picking up Arya's blood lust. 

[Dorian Martell]

 

 

Oh, I am in agreement.  There's symbolism there.  I don't want to discount that the small folk complained about the wolves and Roose wanted to do generate positive P/R.

Let us say that he actually rode out and hunted wolves.  Was it Nymeria's pack that he was hunting?  What's up with Nymeria?  Yeah, I know she's out of place in the south, but still.  To go out and hunt men is weird for any animal.  Lions wouldn't do it unless they were starving.  Dragons don't even do that.  I'm thinking she's picking up some of Arya's feelings.  Nymeria doesn't really know the reason, but she is picking up Arya's blood lust. 

With all the destruction in the riverlands, wolves have a lot of carrion to feed on. That is how a pack of hundreds survives. you are probably right about nymeria and her feeling Arya's blood lust 

[Walda]

Of course he didn't really want to go hunting. Roose is a hypochondriac. He has just been leeched. When he gets home, he complains "I took a chill in the woods."(ACoK, Ch.64 Arya X) He would rather have stayed in bed, or sat by a warm fire, burning a book, but the letter from 'Lady Walda' meant a change of plans.

"Tothmure had been sent to the axe for dispatching birds to Casterly Rock and King’s Landing the night Harrenhal had fallen"(ACoK, Ch.64 Arya X), as far as Arya knew.

But I think, Tothmure knew Tywin's handwriting and Tywin did not trust his discretion ( "Once she even overheard Maester Tothmure’s serving girl confiding to her brother about some message that said Joffrey was a bastard and not the rightful king at all. “Lord Tywin told him to burn the letter and never speak such filth again,” the girl whispered."(ACoK, Ch.30 Arya VII)). The charges for Lucan, Harra and the steward seem extremely trumped-up, too. I mean, why Lucan and not Ben Blackthumb? why Harra and not Amabel? The only difference I can notice is that Harra and Lucan took slightly more notice of the people around them. Qyburn knows to wait until he is asked to read, and knows when it is better just to hand the letter to his Lord 'unread'.

Walda's letter is in code. It might be from Lord Tywin, letting Roose know that Joffrey will legitimise his bastard. It might be from Winterfell, or the Dreadfort. If it was from the Twins, I would want to know how many Harrenhal ravens the Twins has. At least two, as, while Arya is practising with her stick at the Weirwood, a raven that definitely did come from the Twins arrives, bearing news of Robb's wedding. (Perhaps there is only one Harrenhal-Twins raven, but it flies back and forth several times a day.)

Hunting gives Roose two possible objectives I can think of:-

1) It takes him into the area of the Riverlands where Gregor Clegane's forces are, where he can meet, or at least, leave a mark or signal to let them know Operation Duskendale is go.

2) If he returns with two small wolf pelts, he can write a letter to Walda (or Balon, Tywin, Arnolf, Walder, whoever knows the code) announcing that he went hunting for wolves, and now has two cub pelts. If a letter like that came out of Winterfell, it would be treason, but from Harrenhal, its just what happened on his hunt today. 

ETA: Of course, Good Guy Garlan is on the money.

“What of Lady Catelyn?”
“Slain as well, I’d say. A pair of wolfskins. Frey had intended to keep her captive, but perhaps something went awry.”(ASoS, Ch.53 Tyrion VI)

As far as Lords Tywin and Walder had planned, Catelyn was going to be kept as a captive. Bolton had other plans - or at least had contingency plans, and could have killed every Stark alive and still had two young wolves left over. Well prepared. He is a brother-by-law of Roslin, and the honour of killing the Young Wolf had been reserved for him in their plans - killing more wolves than needed before leaving Harrenhal was probably just cautious forward planning, even if it meant staying out until evenfall and getting a chill.

[Wm Portnoy]

I agree, the letter was a coded message between the two.  The hunting was just Roose switching sides and making plans to snare the young wolf.

[Damsel in Distress]

With all the destruction in the riverlands, wolves have a lot of carrion to feed on. That is how a pack of hundreds survives. you are probably right about nymeria and her feeling Arya's blood lust 

Aren't Nymeria's pack hunting and feeding on people too? 

[UnViserion]

Symbolism

excellent symbolism, I might add

[Dorian Martell]

Aren't Nymeria's pack hunting and feeding on people too? 

Mostly it is just Nymeria. At least that's what I got from the books. In arya's dream, nymeria talks about hunting people and how her wolves are afraid but not her