ned stark Posted December 1, 2011 Share Posted December 1, 2011 It could be that I missed it in earlier books but having just completed Feast for Crows and having seen that Beric Dondarrion brought Catalyn back to life I found myself wondering why?Surely she is not the same person she was before being brought back to life. Some of that is surely because of the trauma she had to endure at the Red Wedding but for her to not remember the good heart of Brienne, something big had to change. I just knew that when she was being taken to Catalyn, Brienne was going to be home free.But setting that aside, why would Beric want to do anything for Catalyn, much less give her life? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bozworth Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 My impression is that he did it as much for himself as he did for her. I mean, was he really doing her any favors by bringing her back?I can't find an exact quote (think it was in aSoS, but I gave all my books except aDwD to my mom, since she's getting into it now), but on at least a couple of occasions, Beric expressed dissatisfaction with his predicament. It seemed to me at the time that he wanted out, and by 'passing the torch' to Catelyn, he finally got to bag it up once and for all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aeryon Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 Maybe Lord Beric still remembers (after 6 resurrections) that it was Ned Stark who commissioned him to hunt down and bring Gregor Clegane to the king's justice. He could've felt indebted to Ned's sense of honor and duty, that when he recognized Lady Catelyn he gave her the gift of life. Also, Lord Beric has nothing else to do. He couldn't go back to his former life. It is also explicitly said that in his resurrections he wasn't the same man as before. It's difficult to imagine the state that he was in. With the surety of the Brotherhood's continuity with Lady Stark's leadership, he could've wanted no more than die once and for all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sulla88 Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 Good question. I've just finished AFFC and have to say that I find Catelyn/Stoneheart to be an incredibly creepy presence in the storyline. Face ripped to shreds and gaping hole across her throat, all waterlogged and stuff. I haven't read ADWD yet so I don't know where the Stoneheart character arc is going, but she seems very creepy and monster-like, a rotted corpse that lives and hangs people, regardless of the sympathy she should evoke for the grievous crime done her. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ned stark Posted December 2, 2011 Author Share Posted December 2, 2011 Thanks all!I just started Dance with the Dragons and your comments about Beric's many lives have got me thinking that the reason might be something that is addressed in the first chapter of Dance with the Dragons.And Yes, I agree that this was no real favor. Since she has changed so much, I wonder what she would have done had Brienne brought Sansa with her when she was captured... This character arc has really messed with my long lived hope that the family would ever be brought back together again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nahlim Posted December 6, 2011 Share Posted December 6, 2011 I loved Catelyn.... I really missed her chapters when I realized that soon there will be no more...Lady Stoneheart is a completely different character, but I find it one of the most intriguing so far! I am really curious about the way her storyline will be handled... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gurthnar Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 I think he restored her to life to serve exactly the one purpose we have read about. Judging people and things that nobody else would know as good as her. (Though for all we know it did not turn out very well, did it? :D ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Honest Eddard Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 I always thought that it had somthing to do with the fact that with her hatred for the lannisters and freys, that she would be helping his cause of protecting the riverlands small folk by ridding the area of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RABIDMONKEY Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 I think it was twofold ,he didnt like his current state of (un)life clearly and in his minds eye evens his promise to return the Arya to her mother . When Catelyn turns up dead he raises her , I dont think he knew for sure it would mean his death , but if he did suspect it , that was a honorable way out and to pass with honor . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheDrawback Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 Think he wanted out and saw the oppertunity with passing the flame on to Catelyn/Lady Stoneheart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unreliable Sellsword Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 Most likely he just acted very irrational in this particular situation, as do so many other characters in the story.A few points to keep in mind:Earlier, when Arya is captive of the brotherhood, she begs Thoros to revive her father, and Thoros says this is only up to R'hllor, or otherwise not possible.So when he has the opportunity to "safe" at least the girl's mother, he decides to give it a shot (from all we know, it was not his decision to pass on the flame, it was R'hllors to grant him that wish, Thoros for example bothers very much with this act of his god).After all he could have imagined that Catelyn Stark would not just be Catelyn Stark again, just like himself.All the desperate-and-sick-of-life points count as well though, if he had had still a purpose in this world he wouldn't have thought to do this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drowsey Dragon Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 I think it was in large part for Arya and the obligation he felt for Ned. Also he was ready to die and be at peace. He had enough and this was his opportunity to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvershanks Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 My guess is he found her in the river was heart broken by the sight of her dead body. So he honourably sacrificed himself to bring her back so she can take vengeance on the scummy frey's and lannister's who did this to her! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northern Girl 30 Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 I think he was out of steam and thought maybe she could do more -- even though he was an Outlaw his loyalty was to Ned Stark as it was Ned that send him on his last mission from Kings Landing... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northern Girl 30 Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 I also am not sure of this character, if you are going to come back from the dead, I hope you do something justified, get some real vengeance, although she is a sort of zombie? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unreliable Sellsword Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 I also am not sure of this character, if you are going to come back from the dead, I hope you do something justified, get some real vengeance, although she is a sort of zombie?Don't tell me you are actually optimistic towards this after the epilogue/introduction of the new Catelyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheDrawback Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 think the new cat is pure heartless and EVIL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7V3N Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 I don't think he was aware of the consequences. I think he just saw a victim that could be a trusted source of what happened exactly at the Red Wedding. When he gave her the "kiss" he unknowingly gave up the last of the flame-life he had in him from Thoros.Or maybe he did it because he saw a chance to fulfill the prophecy by the Ghost of High Heart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheLightningLord Posted April 4, 2012 Share Posted April 4, 2012 The Catelyn as we knew her disappeared as soon as Bolton delivered the killing blow to Robb. She ripped her own face to shreds and murdered a harmless fool in Jingle Bell. The loss of Robb after Ned, Bran and Rickon was just too much for her sanity to take. She is now nothing more than a spirit of vengeance hell bent on destroying all that destroyed her family. The reason she condemns Brienne is because in her mind Jaime is the same man she confronted in the dungeon at Riverrun. Brienne taking on a mission at the request of Jaime looks like a betrayal to her and I can understand why. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AryaPrevails Posted May 8, 2012 Share Posted May 8, 2012 I'm rereading ASoS and had a similar question when I read the Arya POV chapter where the BwB captures the Hound and bring him to the cave. I found this thread from April 2011 which has an excellent (as usual for this board) discussion about it. There may be spoilers in that thread for those who haven't read beyond ASoS yet. The thread is "why did Beric Dondarrion revive Catelyn".ETA: correct spelling of Beric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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