42 replies to this topic

[MizasterJ]

At this point in reading, What do you think is the reason why Mance Rayder and the wildlings want to overtake the Nights Watch?

What is their motivation for wanting to take down the wall? It's got to be more than a grudge Mance has against the Nights watch.

So why do they attack the Nights watch?

[Khal Pono]

I absolutely do not think they want to take down the wall.  The Horn of Joramun threat is just a bluff

I think they probably just want to defeat the Watch in battle, take over the wall and settle and ravage the North, where they will be safe from the Others, protected by the magic of the wall

[The_Spanish_Inquisition]

1. Because they are also trying to escape the Others. This is why Mance would prefer not to destroy the wall if he can help it. It's still useful.

2. Because they feel like they have just as much right to be on the "good" side of the wall as anyone else. They are also descended from the First Men.

[A Bear covered in Fluff]

I actually think they wouldnt want to attack the nights watch but because the nights watch will kill them if they even try to approach they need to knock them out and get through. they dont want to take down the wall. they are trying to escape the north

[justashadow]

Mance has a conversation with Jon when he goes to see him. Basically, he has the horn the wildings  have been looking for but doesn't tell them. They don't want the Wall to come down per say. Mance uses it as threat tactic if the wildings can't get through the wall. They want to go behind the wall for protection from the Others who are growing rapidly and the wildings have no where to run. If the wall does comes down, the Others will likely cross

Also Jon recalls a conversation between Ned and Benjen  about the "Gift" (piece of land the NW owns) and says that Wildings could settle there. The potential problem is  that the wildings won't kneel to any King or pay taxes but rather make up their own rules.

[MizasterJ]

They need to allign with the Nights watch to fight the others. If only someone could do this..he could save thousands of lives..if only someone could convince them both, someone who has been on both sides, someone with compassion and intelligence. Surely not Stannis, so I wonder who.

[theguyfromtheVale]

Spoiler for the end of the book ahead:

Spoiler

Well, the new Lord Commander at the end of ASoS has definitely seen both sides.

Edited by theguyfromtheVale, 15 June 2012 - 05:19 PM.

[Winter's Lion]

The wildlings do not want the Wall to be destroyed, they only want to get onto the other side of it in order to escape the Others. The need to Wall to remain standing in order for it to offer them any sort of protection from the Others. The reason that they must attack the Night's Watch is that the Watch is what is preventing them from getting onto the "safe" side of the wall.

[mchaza]

There are only 3 tunnels though the wall and they cant get their people to all climb over, so they need one of these tunnels, but each one is manned by the men of the nights watch, so they want to get though the wall they have to take down the nights watch. The nights watch wont let the wildlings in on the other side because who wants an horde of over 100,000 looting and destroying the the lands south of the Wall since they dont believe in the Kings peace and rules. Mance does have the horn of winter to destroy the wall but because they are in a desperate struggle to escape the others, they rather no let the wall fall.

[your grace]

people keep saying theyre trying to escape the others.  the only information i have regarding the wildlings/others (thru FfC) is that the others fight alongside the wildlings.  is there something from DwD that backs up the claim that they're trying to escape the others?

[Bib Fortuna]

Nothing in the books say the wildlings are fighting alongside the Others. Quite the opposite in fact. Will and Gared came across a group of wildlings that the Others had slaughtered.  Osha and her companions were fleeing south to avoid the Others. Jon and the rest of the NW found many abandoned wildling villages that the Others had evidently threatened.

All the evidence is there if you look for it.

[your grace]

maybe i'm misremembering the details because i was so giddy while reading but i thought the others stormed the fist?  maybe they were just wights and i assumed they were others.  also, didnt sam kill a white walker?

[Bib Fortuna]

Yes, the Others and their wights stormed the Fist and killed most of the Night's Watch there. The survivors made their way back to Craster's Keep, and Sam did indeed kill an Other on the way.

[Glom]

your grace, on 16 June 2012 - 10:02 PM, said:

maybe i'm misremembering the details because i was so giddy while reading but i thought the others stormed the fist?  

It was a great start of this book, when the horn sounded thrice.
I was surprised later on, when Mance said to Jon during the march that the wildlings had been worried about the others and was glad that they had choosen to attack the black instead of the wildlings. It was the first time I realized that the wildlings and the Others didn´t cooperate.

[KnightOfDragonstone]

Because they are pathetic usurpers who want to steal the kingdoms of King Stannis Baratheon. Oh, and they want to escape from The Others.

[WanderingKnight]

The Wildlings are looking to escape the others. Osha and her group were unning from them, also several villages north of the wall have been killed off by mysterious (Other) means. Besides being a division the wall is also safty from the Others.

Spoiler

It was mentioned somewhere that the wall wasn't built to keep wildlings out, but keep the others out. The Nights Watch have just forgotten everything. Also Mance,s plan was never to take don the wall. He originally sent a small group of wildlinings take over Castle Black before the rest got there.

Edited by WanderingKnight, 07 July 2012 - 03:00 PM.

[KhaleesiDany]

Actually I thought this part of the book was really f***ed up. The poor wildlings are basically in danger of starving and getting eaten by Others, that's why they want to get to the other side of the wall. The only reason they have to attack it is because . . . the night's watch won't let them through. Why don't you just let them through, Night's Watch? why why why?

[Ser_Willem]

KhaleesiDany, on 08 July 2012 - 03:43 AM, said:

Actually I thought this part of the book was really f***ed up. The poor wildlings are basically in danger of starving and getting eaten by Others, that's why they want to get to the other side of the wall. The only reason they have to attack it is because . . . the night's watch won't let them through. Why don't you just let them through, Night's Watch? why why why?

Because the wildlings attack,steal,rape and all this stuff...

[Melonica Stormborn]

The Night's Watch won't let them in because they have forgotten their true purpose. This is referenced repeatedly. From the start of AGoT all they talk about is keeping the wildlings out and they believe that is their main purpose to protect the realm of men. No one has heard three horns for a very long time and it might be that for a good long time the brothers only fought wildlings and therefore passed that mindset that it's their main enemy. They don't even know that they should burn the dead or that dragonglass can kill the Others, for starters.

[MizasterJ]

Melonica Stormborn, on 09 July 2012 - 10:13 PM, said:

The Night's Watch won't let them in because they have forgotten their true purpose. This is referenced repeatedly. From the start of AGoT all they talk about is keeping the wildlings out and they believe that is their main purpose to protect the realm of men. No one has heard three horns for a very long time and it might be that for a good long time the brothers only fought wildlings and therefore passed that mindset that it's their main enemy. They don't even know that they should burn the dead or that dragonglass can kill the Others, for starters.

So according to that...what is your best guess to the true purpose of the  Nights Watch.