Things I am ashamed to admit I didn't catch...

[Black Crow]

Sooo... I'm skipping probably 10 pages of responses, but I stumbled the other day onto something I was surprised to find:

Bran means "raven" in Gaelic.

Hm.

Not surprising, but I was a bit disappointed in myself for not picking up on that.

Welsh actually and as near as we can figure on the Heresy threads an awful lot of stuff about Bran is based on the Mabinogion and Bran the Blessed. Why not come over for a chat.

[Spider]

It took me an inordinate amount of time to figure out that Mance was the bard in Winterfell. I was embarassed when I talked to my wife about it, and she could of looked at me like I'm an idiot.

Ha! I was washing dishes when this realization hit me and I felt so stupid. At least I figured it out before Ramsey did.

[Spider]

keepin it strictly aDwD (have done this topic since GoT and i dont recall anymore but i missed a LOT of shit in the first book. since then i learned to read carefully)...

Who the Harpy might be.

I'm pretty sure the Green Grace is the Harpy.

GRRM has told us over and over again that the single wolf dies but the pack survives. The Starks are doomed unless they get back into a pack.

[Lord Bear Mormont]

I'm pretty sure the Green Grace is the Harpy.

GRRM has told us over and over again that the single wolf dies but the pack survives. The Starks are doomed unless they get back into a pack.

I never thought of the Green Grace being the Harpy but it actually makes more sense.

[RWHamel]

GRRM has told us over and over again that the single wolf dies but the pack survives. The Starks are doomed unless they get back into a pack.

Seems to me that all the Stark kids, except for Rickon have created their own packs. And it's except Rickon, because we haven't really heard what's happened to him. It could be that the people of Skagos have hailed him their lord and are preparing for war.

[Queen of the Vale]

I basically missed everything in the books. I was clearly far too naive when reading them ;) thank gods for the forums!!

What I did get however, was the Jon Connington could be gay, and the Coldhands could be Benjen (even though I don't believe this any more.)

When I first finished the books, I thought they were good. Now I'm realising just how complex they are, they're mind-blowing!

On a side note... I really hope Bran isn't eating Jojen. :stillsick:

[lostinwesteros]

Roy Dotrice does the majority of the books and I feel he overall does an excellent job. It's just that GRRM goes into chapters with new POVs and characters almost as if he assumes the readers know the backhistory of Westeros as much as he does. So when names I didn't recognize were said I just blocked them out and focused on the characters I did know.

Me, too - and that's why this is just the greatest thread for me, although I do still have questions when a poster refers to an event but doesn't give the specifics that they discovered about that event. Using the Wiki helps a lot, though, to fill in the blanks and also gather other relevant background info. And I read the 5 books in slightly under 3 and 1/2 months -- so I very badly need to go back and start a reread when the AGOT I lent out comes back to me. :dunno:

[lostinwesteros]

Don't feel bad about the Bloodraven thing, you really need to read the Dunk and Egg novellas to have a good hint about bloodraven's identity.

I just found that out via another thread and am ordering the Dunk and Egg novellas.

[lostinwesteros]

Quentyn - the sun that rises in the west and sets in the east,

Ohhhhhhhhhhhh . . . I've got to start paying attention to symbolism! :blushing:

[RWHamel]

Things I believe, that I think a lot of people have missed.

1. Tyrion was the intended victim at the purple wedding, because the Purple Poison was in the Pie.

2. The Sailor's Wife is Tyrion's long lost wife.

3. That Tywin was dying of poison when Tyrion shot him with the crossbow bolt.

4. That Sansa's cover was blown when Bronze Yohn recognized her at the Eyrie, and that was Littlefinger's intention.

5. Robert Arryn is really Littlefinger's son from his long standing affair with Lysa.

[RWHamel]

Oh missed something.

6. Lightbringer is Oathkeeper/Widow's Wail

[Nymeria101]

I didn't get that Abel is actually Mance Rayder... :dunce:

[Onion Smuggler]

I thought that Abel=Mance was fairly obvious.

However I am ashamed to admit I didn't get:

Frey Pie

Jaqen = Pate

Jojen Paste? (Anyone care to elaborate one what that theory is?)

Sandor = The grave digger (Although I knew he was alive)

Arstan=Barristan ( Dammit I should have got this)

Green Grace = Harpy (I can't remember if I spotted this or just thought she was suspicious)

[Lord of Cheese]

Hehehe. I thought it was pretty much spelled out for us that Mance would go fetch unArya when Snow had the meeting with Mel and Mance.

I missed everything else though.

[Lyanna Stark]

What I originally missed in AGOT and ACOK I can't remember; it was over 10 years ago I read them for the first time. I do remember having a vague notion that no, this Wylla woman was a setup and there was something fishy with Jon's heritate, wasn't there? I also felt vaguely vindicated that baby Aegon was not dead.

I do remember catching the Hound as the gravedigger and definitely Mance as the bard with the washerwomen. Missed the Frey pie though (ewwh) and not at all convinced about the Jojen paste. Definitely on board with Jon being resurrected as Azor Azhai.

Interestingly, I remember reading Benjen = Coldhands many, many years ago as well.

I still wonder if Stranger's and my prediction of Robert's words when Lady died ("Get her a dog instead") still means the Hound will end up at Sansa's side at some point.

[Vanaathiel]

I didn't have a CLUE that R+L=J. Zero. My inclination went with either Jon's mother was a Baratheon or she was someone Robert had been smitten with at one point. I think somehow I was confusing the stories of Robert's love for Ned's sister and Ned's infidelity. Either way, the forum's got me leaning toward the connections now. Though, it may just be that I'm hoping for anything that keeps Jon in the books. :cool4:

I was just reading the books again and all the sudden who Jon's parents were just hit me. My mind was blown, can't believe I didn't realize it earlier!

I couldn't believe I didn't catch on to who Robert Strong was right away. Seems pretty obvious now!

[Lord of Long Lake]

1. Mance and Abel - I'm really ashamed of this one

2. Sandor the Gravedigger

3. Frey Pie

4. Jaquen and Pate

I must say that I am proud of myself for remembering the Mad Mouse and the Vale of Arryn in affc

[Independent George]

I must say that I am proud of myself for remembering the Mad Mouse and the Vale of Arryn in affc

I completely missed the Mad Mouse.

[Cerulean]

Nina, I have to say I LOVE your signature. "Every time you ask when the next book will be done, GRRM kills a Stark". Hilarious.

-----

On my FIRST read-through:

I did pick up on the mean old black cat Arya was chasing being Balerion. I put the two together via later descriptions on my first read-through the book.

I picked up on the Tom O' Sevens being the reason Edmure hated bards.

I got also that Theon did not kill the Stark boys.

I didn't 100% grasp the Sandor Clegane = gravedigger thing, but I like it.

I was certain that Lady Stoneheart was Catelyn Stark.

I got the Barristan/Arstan thing right away. I was waiting for Barristan to turn back up, as was everyone else in the run for Kingship in the story.

-----

I am on my fourth or fifth read-through and completely missed the R+L = J thing, but I believe it 100% after reading so much about it here on the forums, and from what I see in the books now.

I originally did think that Coldhands was Benjen, but again, after reading here I believe he's the Night King, or the spawn of the Night King and the White woman he gave his soul to.

I just started on AFFC, and I read this book only to get to ADwD - can't stand Feast, honestly, but I can't wait to get to the Frey Pie part.

Never caught on to the alleged Jojen paste - I remember reading those bits, and the thought never crossed my mind that Bran was eating Jojen. Like others have mentioned, Jojen often stated "today is not the day I die" but his death is impending, judging by his weakness and listlesness in the cave (in Dance.)

As far as the prophecies and the "Perfumed Seneschal" ship name.. never got those until they were point out here... Son/son, mountains blowing... It all makes sense now! Which means, if Murri Maz-Duur was correct, Danerys may possibly have had a miscarriage. I had wondered that myself, but never put the rest of the threads together. This makes me think that she will have to die before the end of the series - Can't have any more Targaryens lol

[Silver Spearwife]

So, I have a question. Judging by looking through these posts, who actually did figure out the Frey Pies?

Anyway, yeah, I missed almost everything. My problem is that I don't think through what I'm reading, so I kind of touch on the ideas but don't expand on them. The Green Grace is a great example. I never trusted that lady and knew she was on Hizdahr's side and working for the Harpy. I just didn't continue with the idea.

In the early pages, someone mentioned not getting that Bran and Rickon weren't dead. I was so absurdly proud of myself for catching that one XD. Mainly because I realized it straight from the beginning, waaay before Theon hinted that they were still alive. I actually recall fistpumping.

I'm not sure how obvious this is (probably pretty obvious), but when Tyrion first sees Penny, I figured it was one of the dwarfs from the feast, but dismissed it because...well, nothing about that theory made sense at the time.

Anyway, yeah, I caught almost nothing:

1. R+L=J

2. Barristan=Arstan

3. Sandor=gravedigger

4. Abel=Mance

5. More to the point, Rattleshirt=Mance

6. Frey Pies

7. Bran/Meera/Jojen eating the black brothers

8. Pate=Jaqen

9. Arya imposter=Jeyne (didn't catch it till Theon came right out and said it - even though my friend hinted that Jeyne was returning)

10. Loras/Renly

11. Jon Connington is gay

12. What Arya meant when she gave that clam guy the boots

And much, much more.

It's not that I can't catch things. I just really need to stop after every chapter and take stock of what I've just read. Then I could feel smarter.