help with some English please.

[Horza]

'Curiously' is like 'strangely' or 'oddly', the situation Bran finds himself in is new to him, he has no idea what is going on. 'Apart' means separated, it's a slightly odd choice here, but in context it's saying that through feeling no pain from his cut Bran feels separated from his body and this is a very odd sensation.

[DirePenguin]

Thanks. That's complicating but I think I get the idea now :)

[Horza]

Thanks. That's complicating but I think I get the idea now :)

It's an odd choice of words, I'm not used to using 'apart' being modified with an adverb ('curiously'), or it being something 'felt'.

[DirePenguin]

When you ride someone down, does it mean you slash them too? Or just hit the opponent with your horse?

Osha didn't seem to die when Robb rode her down, unlike Mycah which got cut almost half.

On the fourth or fifth thrust, the tall woman overextended herself and lost her balance, just for a second. Robb charged, riding her down.

[Horza]

It can mean both of those things and can just mean outrunning someone while on horseback.

[DirePenguin]

This is when Theon shoots arrow to save Bran. I imagine the arrow would be soaked in blood. So why would the narrator use the word "as if"? Since it really was painted in blood?

A low thrum came from the woods behind them. Stiv gave a choked gasp as a half foot of razor-tipped broadhead suddenly exploded out of his chest. The arrow was bright red, as if it had been painted in blood.

[Corvinus85]

This is when Theon shoots arrow to save Bran. I imagine the arrow would be soaked in blood. So why would the narrator use the word "as if"? Since it really was painted in blood?

I believe it means that there was so much blood on the arrow, that it looked like someone used a brush to paint it. It's just a way to give a visual description.

[Lykos]

@DirePenguin

This is really complicated for me. I understood it as the arrow looked like it was made of blood, not just covered with blood. When you do a painting and paint an arrow and use blood as paint, the arrow is painted in blood, there is no wood no iron tip.

The difference is the word "in". If you paint an arrow with blood it can mean that you cover the surface with blood. We have a similar expression in german, but I´m not shure that it is the same in english.

[Elaena Targaryen]

This is when Theon shoots arrow to save Bran. I imagine the arrow would be soaked in blood. So why would the narrator use the word "as if"? Since it really was painted in blood?

A low thrum came from the woods behind them. Stiv gave a choked gasp as a half foot of razor-tipped broadhead suddenly exploded out of his chest. The arrow was bright red, as if it had been painted in blood.

If you look before "The arrow was bright red" the color was so intense and covered the entire arrow so it was "as if" it was deliberately done "painted in blood" ( the coloring looked like it could have been painted before hand.) So soaked and saturated in blood that I can visualy picture it. ( gross! )

[DirePenguin]

Wow that's interesting. You had really keen eye for details Lykos. Thanks Everyone :)

Another question. After Theon shot the wilding. What's the meaning of "every smiling"? Probably has something to do with what Bran narrated earlier that Theon "seemed to smile all the time" ?

Theon Greyjoy stood beside a sentinel tree, his bow in hand. He was smiling. Ever smiling.

[Lykos]

@DirePenguin: Ever means always. Theon seems to be smiling at all times (as if he knows a secret. Catylin noticed.)

ETA: The funny thing is, that I hated Theon for that, even though I do that myself. I smile to myself and people think, I´m mocking them. But I just try to be cheerful.

[DirePenguin]

Thanks Lykos.

You know, I've never really noticed how bad my English is until I try to fully understand this book on my re-read o_O The first time, I just kept on reading and reading, didn't really try to understand all the little details like this. I'm really surprised how much I do not know.

[Lykos]

@DirePenguin

From reading your posts I know that your english is very good. GRRM uses a lot of old and unusual words and he likes to be ambiguous, so I can understand that it´s often very confusing. It is for me, too. And then there are all the cultures Martin invented, I often don´t know if some of the words are invented too, or real english. The description of the armour and the house sigils give me the most problems.

[DirePenguin]

The blue in this sentence. If the sky is blood-streaked, shouldn't it be red? Or is blue = sadness in this case?

As they came together in a rush of steel and shadow, he could hear Lyanna screaming. “Eddard!” she called. A storm of rose petals blew across a blood-streaked sky, as blue as the eyes of death.

[iheartseverus]

The blue in this sentence. If the sky is blood-streaked, shouldn't it be red? Or is blue = sadness in this case?

It is the rose petals that are blue, not the sky.

[Lykos]

@DirePenguin

The rose petals are blue, not the sky. The Winter rose is blue. The Winter rose is an invention of GRRM.

[DirePenguin]

oh

[iheartseverus]

@DirePenguin

The Winter rose is an invention of GRRM.

If I may nitpick a bit, GRRM didn't invent the Winter Rose--its a real plant, also known as the Christmas rose, since it blooms (often blue blooms) in mid-winter. The plant family is Hellebore.

http://www.sfx.co.uk/2012/04/11/game-of-thrones-gwendoline-christie-interview/

[Lykos]

@iheartseverus

I only knew the hellebore to be white, blueish at the most, more often green and redish.

ETA: Wow, I didn´t know there were so many varieties.

[DirePenguin]

hmm a little off from the first book but no spoils. What does "Power is a curious thing" mean?