120 replies to this topic

[jarl the climber]

The question is why didn't Gendry mention to Arya that her Father had come to see him, the fact that he is intelligent enough to withold information seems to indicate that he is a little bit more intelligent than people think. He is now with Thoros of Myr, one of Roberts best friends, Thoros knows that Renly was gay and to young to be the Father and probaly knows that Stannis isn't the sort to have bastards. it is hard to beleive that Thoros hasn't noticed the similarity and mentioned it to him.

[Bear Grylls of Skagos]

He is Robert's son, he must be a master at denial.

[Lyanna Stark]

Bear Grylls of Skagos, on 31 March 2012 - 11:49 AM, said:

He is Robert's son, he must be a master at denial.

Tbh I think this might possibly be it, plus Gendry is stubborn and he thinks his father is some lame drunkard,  hence he will close his ears to anything about it. Brienne tried to talk to him about it and he didn't really wanna know. Perhaps she will get around to it eventually, but I think Gendry, in his own way, just wants to be his own person. He loathes his father for never caring about his mother or him, so in his mind, why should he care?

jarl the climber, on 31 March 2012 - 11:16 AM, said:

The question is why didn't Gendry mention to Arya that her Father had come to see him, the fact that he is intelligent enough to withold information seems to indicate that he is a little bit more intelligent than people think. He is now with Thoros of Myr, one of Roberts best friends, Thoros knows that Renly was gay and to young to be the Father and probaly knows that Stannis isn't the sort to have bastards. it is hard to beleive that Thoros hasn't noticed the similarity and mentioned it to him.

Maybe Thoros has also figured out Gendry really doesn't want to talk about it. Or maybe R'hllor has told him not to.

Edited by Lyanna Stark, 31 March 2012 - 12:41 PM.

[Buckwheat]

Lyanna Stark, on 31 March 2012 - 12:40 PM, said:

Tbh I think this might possibly be it, plus Gendry is stubborn and he thinks his father is some lame drunkard,  hence he will close his ears to anything about it. Brienne tried to talk to him about it and he didn't really wanna know. Perhaps she will get around to it eventually, but I think Gendry, in his own way, just wants to be his own person. He loathes his father for never caring about his mother or him, so in his mind, why should he care?

And we cannot say he is wrong about it, can we?
Agree about everything. He just does not want to listen. I do not think anybody could make him listen to it, least of all Brienne, whom he does not know and who assumedly betrayed Lady Stoneheart.

[Silver Spearwife]

Lyanna Stark, on 31 March 2012 - 12:40 PM, said:

Tbh I think this might possibly be it, plus Gendry is stubborn and he thinks his father is some lame drunkard,  hence he will close his ears to anything about it. Brienne tried to talk to him about it and he didn't really wanna know. Perhaps she will get around to it eventually, but I think Gendry, in his own way, just wants to be his own person. He loathes his father for never caring about his mother or him, so in his mind, why should he care?

I guess that would make it even worse once he knows who he is. At least as some random drunk guy who may not even remember having sex with Gendry's mother, the guy probably wouldn't know he has a kid. But the king of the realm probably does know (he must at least have passing knowledge of Gendry for people to be able to track the kid down so easily) and worse, he's got more than enough resources to make Gendry's life a little easier.

Buckwheat, on 31 March 2012 - 12:53 PM, said:

And we cannot say he is wrong about it, can we?

XD No doubt. Gendry was right on every front, he just missed the part about him being king.

[Lyanna Stark]

Silver Spearwife, on 31 March 2012 - 01:00 PM, said:

XD No doubt. Gendry was right on every front, he just missed the part about him being king.

Very true.

I hope we haven't seen the last of Gendry. Someone brought up the play fighting scene between him and Arya and really think it was nice, carefree and just something happy in the middle of all the misery. It also really seemed like Gendry and Arya got along really well, and that he did take to her almost like a younger sister, both protecting her from that leech in the inn, but also with the teasing.

Gendry is also really doing good deeds as he's helping out the orphans at the inn, so he's got purpose in life. He seems like a good smith and an overall pretty good guy and at least not dumber than your average Westerosi dude, despite being old Bob's offspring.

If Arya doesn't reconnect with him, I hope he somehow can be tied to Brienne since it would make a nice parallel to her devotion for Renly. Gendry might look quite like Renly, but personalitywise, he seems very far removed from his uncle.

[Buckwheat]

Silver Spearwife, on 31 March 2012 - 01:00 PM, said:

I guess that would make it even worse once he knows who he is. At least as some random drunk guy who may not even remember having sex with Gendry's mother, the guy probably wouldn't know he has a kid. But the king of the realm probably does know (he must at least have passing knowledge of Gendry for people to be able to track the kid down so easily) and worse, he's got more than enough resources to make Gendry's life a little easier.

I do not think Robert knew about Gendry's existence. He did not care about his bastards once they were not babies anymore and he could not play with them. I think it was Varys who found Gendry and paid for his apprenticeship and even if he told Robert about it, Robert did not care and forgot as soon as he got drunk the next time.

[Ángela Martell]

Hi! i'm new here
I was looking for this thread because I just read the chapter in aSoS where Arya and co. go to The Peach and Bella flirts with Gendry, and then he refuses her.
My first thought was that Gendry indeed knows(or, at least, suspects) that he is Robert's bastard and that's why he doesn't want to have sex with Bella, because she said she's Robert's bastard too.

What do you think?

(btw, i was re-reading aSoS. I've just finished Feast, so no spoilers of Dance with Dragons, please ;D)

[Queen Cersei I]

Lyanna Stark, on 31 March 2012 - 12:40 PM, said:

Tbh I think this might possibly be it, plus Gendry is stubborn and he thinks his father is some lame drunkard,  

And on that count, he could not be more correct.

I always found it splendid dramatic irony that Gendry, reflecting on the possible identity of his father, noted, "I don't know who he is. Some drunk, probably."

Oh Gendry. You have no idea how right you are.

[Independent George]

Does Gendry even know what he truly looks like? Mirrors are extremely expensive in the medieval world; it's doubtful he's even seen his own face on anything larger than a small hand mirror to shave.

[A Free Shadow]

Ángela Martell, on 10 April 2012 - 10:49 AM, said:

Hi! i'm new here
I was looking for this thread because I just read the chapter in aSoS where Arya and co. go to The Peach and Bella flirts with Gendry, and then he refuses her.
My first thought was that Gendry indeed knows(or, at least, suspects) that he is Robert's bastard and that's why he doesn't want to have sex with Bella, because she said she's Robert's bastard too.

What do you think?

(btw, i was re-reading aSoS. I've just finished Feast, so no spoilers of Dance with Dragons, please ;D)

Welcome to the forums!
Interesting question. I think there is no way of knowing for sure one way or another yet. I somehow thought he did not know at that moment. Maybe because I took the scene just as George showing us what can happen in his world. And I was busy cringing when the possibility still hung in the air And too relieved to think of anything when it was off the table.

However I guess it could have served as one more tiny additional detail for Gendry to finally realize who he is. Because, and I will repeat myself, if he does not know by now, he is worse than the slowest person in Westeros. He might not care, but he should be aware by now.

[Apple Martini]

Ángela Martell, on 10 April 2012 - 10:49 AM, said:

Hi! i'm new here
I was looking for this thread because I just read the chapter in aSoS where Arya and co. go to The Peach and Bella flirts with Gendry, and then he refuses her.
My first thought was that Gendry indeed knows(or, at least, suspects) that he is Robert's bastard and that's why he doesn't want to have sex with Bella, because she said she's Robert's bastard too.

What do you think?

I really don't think he knows. I think the instance with Bella is more for the benefit of readers. "Haha look how close he came to banging his half-sister!"

[Sweet-N-SourRobin]

I think Gendry is smart enough to figure out who he is but that he's best served to keep it to himself.

Jon Arryn and Ned Stark both came around with this Royal Bastard stuff and they got killed for it.  Brienne of Tarth tried to tell him what's what, and it just about got her killed, too. The Goldcloaks come looking for him at the start of ACOK and, in the show at least, they drop a reference to "coming back for the bastard".

On the other hand, being nothing but a dumb and humble blacksmith saved him from the worst of Amory Lorch/Vargo Hoat's threats (they couldn't cut his hands and feet off, because he was a smith, could fix their weapons and armor, and thus was too valuable to maim) and introduced him to a cool little girl who pretends to be a boy that, while of noble birth herself, thinks all that highborn stuff is kinda stupid.  Plus he LIKES it.  He's real proud of that bull helmet he made.

Even the best case scenario for him coming forward as a Royal Bastard is some warlord trying to cut his way to the throne in Gendry's name, which still puts a big target on his back and nobody will let him touch a forge again because now he's "too important" and working a forge is Beneath A King.  He'd hate it.

He's got every reason in the world to play dumb.

[Phénix.]

Ummm I believe that Edric Storm will get Storm's end and Gendry will get something in the North or river lands. Who ever wins will being giving away Lordships,land and castles. And Mya may get legitimize and stay in the Vale and lets hope she will end up happy.

[Brienne the Beauty]

He's either playing dumb or doesn't want to know who his father was. Because what does he gain if anyone knows? Nothing. He's not the ambitious sort, and the only thing that being a pretender to the throne would do for him is paint a target on his head.

Maybe if the BWB rebellion turns into a big peasant revolt, they might use him as a figurehead to legitimize their concerns.

[Qhorin Halfhand and Yoren]

Yeah I kind of like that Gendry does not care that he is Robert's, a king's son, either because he knows but doesn't care or because he doesn't know.

[Queen Cersei I]

James Arryn, on 31 March 2012 - 03:37 AM, said:

of course he's stupid: he hasn't bothered to read ASOIAF.

Reasons Gendry has to suspect something about his birth, having nothing to do with omniscient knowledge of ASOIAF or his birth:

1. He was sent to work for an extremely wealthy, elite blacksmith at a young age. While not a sign that he is royalty, this gives him a reason to suspect a heritage of some wealth, or at least a wealthy benefactor.

2. He looks exactly like the king of the land and the king's brother. Even without mirrors, its hard to believe that no one has noted this to him... ever. His non surprised reaction to Brienne's comments suggest that this no means the first time someone had remarked upon the resemblance between him and the king.

3. The Queen regent personally ordered him dead. There must be some reason for this. And later Gendry is privy to the knowledge, like everyone else, that the Myrcella, Tommen, and Joff are not the kings true kids. But still... he suspects nothing?

4. A noble born woman approaches him and mentions to him that he looks exactly like the king's brother, and the king when he was young. This woman notes the fact that he was born near the red keep, looks exactly like the king, and asks whether or not anyone ever remarks upon his face.

Gendry acts as though this  is a common occurance, and brushes it off by insulting Brienne.

And still he suspects nothing.

IMO, saying Gendry's being the slightest bit dense not to even suspect that there is something up with his birth is not making the common fallacy of considering storybook characters "stupid" for not knowing what we, the readers know. I would hardly expect Joffrey to figure out the exact source of his origins acting like some sort of "Gendry-- teen detective!" or something of that nature. But having an inkling that something is up and that he must have some connection to Robert or Renly and that the queen regent may want him dead for this reason would hardly require a genius IQ or any sort of psychic powers.

So yeah, in the end, I'd say that Gendry is either just a bit dim like his old man, or is intentionally ignoring the truth staring him in the face because he just can't handle it emotionally at this point. Personally, I'd say it looks to be a little bit of both at this point, but that's just my two cents.

[Independent George]

Queen Cersei I, on 10 April 2012 - 12:47 PM, said:

2. He looks exactly like the king of the land and the king's brother. Even without mirrors, its hard to believe that no one has noted this to him... ever. His non surprised reaction to Brienne's comments suggest that this no means the first time someone had remarked upon the resemblance between him and the king.

4. A noble born woman approaches him and mentions to him that he looks exactly like the king's brother, and the king when he was young. This woman notes the fact that he was born near the red keep, looks exactly like the king, and asks whether or not anyone ever remarks upon his face.

I don't have a copy of FFC handy - did Brienne actually say that he resembled Robert/Renly? I thought they were interrupted before she got that far. Second, I imagine that it's rather rude to talk to a bastard about his father's identity, so it wouldn't surprise me if nobody said to him directly.

[A Free Shadow]

Independent George, on 10 April 2012 - 01:39 PM, said:

I don't have a copy of FFC handy - did Brienne actually say that he resembled Robert/Renly? I thought they were interrupted before she got that far. Second, I imagine that it's rather rude to talk to a bastard about his father's identity, so it wouldn't surprise me if nobody said to him directly.

Just to repeat myself:

“You have black hair and blue eyes, and you were born in the shadow of the Red Keep. Has no one ever remarked upon your face?”

“What’s wrong with my face? It’s not as ugly as yours.”

“In King’s Landing you must have seen King Robert.”

Gendry answers and answers some more..

“Listen to me,” Brienne began.

I do not think anybody cares what is rude around bastards.

[Dr. Pepper]

If Gendry knows who he is (and I suspect he does), why would he be discussing it with people?  He knows two Hands died shortly after talking to him and that gold cloaks came looking for him.  Keeping his background to himself and playing dumb is the smart thing to do.  He's certainly not going to reveal anything he knows to Brienne, who's a stranger to him.  That would be stupid.  All of Gendry's interactions with Arya indicate that he's not stupid.

Everything we know about Gendry's character suggests that he would never accept a lordly position.  It's simply not him.  He's a doer not a teacher.  The perfect metaphor for the Smith.