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Prince Lewyn's Paramour


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I have seen this before some time ago, and their was a debate over the idea. The singer was Dareon right, who Arya later kills. But if I recall the song is the Ballad of Bael the Bard which ends with Lady Stark throwing herself from the tower. Like Jon, Arya does not know the story. But the story is known to have it's parallels as you know.

I word searched "bael" in AFfC and there were no results, aside from Baelor or Baelish, so I think this is just an assumption, or really, a misconception. (Did I miss something?) Bael the Bard was never a prince either. There is no such title beyond the Wall.

I'm not surprised if someone else caught this before me. It seems to fit well with what we know, once you realize what it is you're looking at.

I don't think there's any real reason to assume that Ashara would have known about Lewyn's fate just because she knew of Rhaegar's. Rhaegar was the crown prince, so his death would have been the big news from the Trident. Also, the reports might not have been clear which of the three KG lived, even if that kind of info was included. Information that Ned could have definitively delivered to Ashara, along with Dawn.

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I still prefer the idea the paramour was Rhaella though, with Bonifer Hasty and some woman Arianne knows as cover stories. If he was sleeping with the queen they would both absolutely need cover stories and diversions, it being quite a risky business. This would make it possible that Dany is a Martell bastard and love child as well as a Targ, and I love that idea because I want the dragon heads to turn out to all be great bastards.

Ashara is plausible, but there are better theories for Ashara's "dishonouring" whatever that means.

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It is possible, but then I think it is also possible that Prince Rhaegar got together with his best friend Arthur Dayne's sister, Ashara, and that Elia would perhaps have allowed it considering the Dornish view of Paramours. Perhaps Elia might have felt more comfortable with a loyal vassal from her own country being her husband's paramour than with a woman she didn't know who might try to challenge her position.

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That doesn't address Prince Lewyn's paramour though, so how about Joanna Lannister?

I believe she was planning more than betrothals with her friend the Princess of Dorne. Oberyn says they had an empty cabin on their ship perhaps to bring back a squire or cupbearer but maybe Joanna was planning to escape to Dorne and who better to get her but her lover's sister?

To me, it would also tie up a few other issues about Tywin and perhaps Tyrion as well which I can begin to post here, I suppose.

Tywin seems to have been unsure about Tyrion being his son. Perhaps when Tyrion was born, Tywin took the baby's "black fuzz" on his scalp and evil eye as proof and put her in the Silent Sisters like he did the Tarbeck women and as Jaime later sees her in his dream.

In the novels, Tyrion has a black eye and a green one and white blonde hair with black mixed in. Prince Lewyn + Joanna Lannister = Tyrion. So, Tyrion would be part Dornish and at least 1/8? Targaryen from Prince Lewyn, if his grandmother was Daenarys (married to Prince Maron in 184). He also may have other Targ blood in his Lannister side from Joanna.

There is a "sun shining brightly" as Prince Oberyn explains his visit to Casterly Rock to Tyrion and outlines what he knows of his mother's plan and as I recall a lot of sunrise imagery around Tyrion in general throughout the series.

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But Arianne's quote suggests heavily that the paramour is still alive in 300AC. Joanna died in 272/273AC..

Btw, how did you get to 184AC for the year of Daenerys' marriage to Prince Maron?

“A great knight with a paramour. She is an old woman now, but she was a rare beauty in her youth, men say.”

I'm not entirely sure this is the case. It definitely reads that way at first. But, I think it could also be a case of GRRM's tricky wording. This particular statement might just be rhetorical, as opposed to factual.

So I'm not sure we can use it to (definitively) rule out possible paramours. That said, I don't really see much of a case for Joanna Lannister. Regarding the sun imagery, I think it applies to Jaime as well. Bran dreams of, or sees, a knight thought to be Jaime shortly before he wakes up: Another was armored like the sun, golden and beautiful. - AGoT, Bran III

Fantastic (re)catch, JS. I've often wondered who the 'prince' of the song was. Completely forgot Lewyn Martell had that title too :dunce:

Thanks. :) You know, when I came across the Arya/Dareon passage, I was reminded of Ashara Dayne, and for the first time considered the possibility that the "prince" was Dornish. That's the tricky part, imo. Next I wondered if any Martells had died around the time of the rebellion, and recalled that Lewyn was KG, and had perished on the Trident. Interesting, I thought. Then I googled his name and this thread appeared near the top. More interesting, I thought.

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I'm not entirely sure this is the case. It definitely reads that way at first. But, I think it could also be a case of GRRM's tricky wording. This particular statement might just be rhetorical, as opposed to factual.

So I'm not sure we can use it to (definitively) rule out possible paramours.

Then how can it be read otherwise? I can't see it, so a bit of help would be appreciated :)
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Then how can it be read otherwise? I can't see it, so a bit of help would be appreciated :)

As I said, that she was being rhetorical. Arianne could simply be 'doing the math' when she states that "She is an old woman now." Imagine talking about a childhood friend you've lost touch with. She's grown up now, but she was all chubby cheeks and skinned knees at eight. You could conclude the first part by 'doing the math'.

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As I said, that she was being rhetorical. Arianne could simply be 'doing the math' when she states that "She is an old woman now." Imagine talking about a childhood friend you've lost touch with. She's grown up now, but she was all chubby cheeks and skinned knees at eight. You could conclude the first part by 'doing the math'.

And thus in that scenario, Arianne wouldn't know who she was? Got it.

Thought the rest of her quote suggests that who she was/is, is common knowledge in at leat a part of Dorne, IMO.

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"A great knight with a paramour. She is an old woman now, but she was a rare beauty in her youth, men say."

I just noticed the "rare beauty" bit.

Ashara was definitely a "rare beauty": haunting purple eyes and dark hair. That's not very common, as many purple-eyed people are blond.

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And thus in that scenario, Arianne wouldn't know who she was? Got it.

Thought the rest of her quote suggests that who she was/is, is common knowledge in at leat a part of Dorne, IMO.

Yeah, I don't necessarily disagree. I think that's how it reads at first. Then again, is Arianne speaking from firsthand knowledge or rumor?

Fwiw, Elio thinks that the paramour is known to be alive. Still, I'm holding out hope for this one until I see something more convincing.

"A great knight with a paramour. She is an old woman now, but she was a rare beauty in her youth, men say."

I just noticed the "rare beauty" bit.

Ashara was definitely a "rare beauty": haunting purple eyes and dark hair. That's not very common, as many purple-eyed people are blond.

Exactly. Another piece that fits. They all seem to fit fairly well, depending on how Arianne's "She is an old woman now" statement is taken.

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My money was on Ashara (or what about her sister? Allyria?) and that Oberyn or Lewyn would have been the father of Gerold "Darkstar". But then i rejected the idea since the woman is apparently still alive (Ashara's sister is still alive, Edric Dayne seems to talk about her in the present tense), unless of course Arianne knows something we don't. If Darkstar had Martell blood it might be the reason that Doran Martell thinks he's so dangerous.



Paramour seems to me to be a bit more than whore, more of a common law wife or long term mistress. I don't think of Ellaria Sand as a whore. On the other hand i think the woman would probably either be Dornish or from Essos, the rest of Westeros doesn't seem to be as open minded about these things as Dorne is.


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Another related piece is the timing of when Prince Lewyn goes to take charge of the Dornish troops going to KL before the Trident.



That is good timing for Ashara traveling either to or from KL. All those Dornish troops would be a good escort from Dorne or she could slip out of KL with Lewyn when he went to join the soldiers.


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But Arianne's quote suggests heavily that the paramour is still alive in 300AC. Joanna died in 272/273AC.

Yes, and I mentioned that I question that in my post I said I believed she might be in the Silent Sisters.

Btw, how did you get to 184AC for the year of Daenerys' marriage to Prince Maron?

184 was the date that Prince Daeron took over the throne and also the date that Daemon Blackfyre had his twins. Daemon Blackfyre had 7 children in the period between 184 and 196. The marriage between Prince Moran and Princess Daenarys was arranged after King Daeron took the throne in 184 and was the cause of the Blackfyre Rebellion in 196 even though it was many years later.

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Reasons Joanna Lannister may still be alive and sent to the Silent Sisters by Tywin:

No POV witnessed the death.

Jaime has the dream where he sees her dressed as a Silent Sister and she shows him it isn’t a dream by pointing out his stump. Why is she a Silent Sister?

Tywin sent Rohanne & Sarelle Tarbeck to the Silent Sisters in late 261AC. It is not known if he removed their tongues first.

Lord Tywin: “You cannot eat love, nor buy a horse with it, nor warm your halls on a cold night,” she heard him tell Jaime once, when her brother had been no older than Tommen." P107 AFFC Cersei. Tommen was 8 at the time, so it strikes me as very cold to say that right around when Tyrion was born and his beloved wife "dies".

Tywin has been a hypocrite about women before (ex. Shae).

Tywin has had to deal with two women who were said to be more powerful than his father: the mistress (who he shamed and exiled) and Ellyn Tarbeck (who was hanged during rebellions of 261 at Tarbeck Hall).

Then Tywin has to deal with the same problem himself: “many people said that Lord Tywin Lannister ruled the Seven Kingdoms, but Lady Joanna ruled Lord Tywin.” If Lord Tywin was thinking so negatively about love… what must he have thought when he heard people saying that?

Tywin has said that he could not prove that Tyrion was not his own, so he admits to a question about his wife’s fidelity.

The child was widely known to have “thick black hair”. Prince Oberyn hears these rumors in Oldtown on the way to Casterly Rock.

Prince Oberyn sees the black fuzz on the baby’s scalp during his visit.

I think it is interesting that we are first introduced to Tyrion as having pale white blond hair and an evil eye and only told later that his hair is mixed with black and that the evil eye means it is black. It would have stood out more if it was said he had mixed hair at his introduction and therefore, imo, it is deliberately mentioned later by the author.

Joanna Lannister and Tywin Lannister both have golden blonde hair and green eyes. Where does the black come from?

What would Tywin’s reaction to a black haired dwarf baby with one black eye be? Lord Tywin got the all black hair as his first sight and we got the all blonde. That was probably not good news for Lady Joanna.

Reasons why I think Prince Lewyn is the father:

We need a person with black hair and black eyes to explain the eye and hair colors.

Prince Lewyn was at court a lot as a KG as was Lord Tywin and Lady Joanna.

Prince Lewyn was known to have a secret paramour but this secret was held in confidence by the KG.

Lady Joanna was a friend of the Princess of Dorne who would be excellent cover for the affair. She could even visit Dorne to see her friend and lover.

The Princess of Dorne shows up right after Lady Joanna dies. As travel takes a long time, I believe it would have been planned in advance with some thought between the two. Perhaps the intent was for the Princess to arrive in time for the birth.

Other than friendship, why would Lady Joanna want this friend to be present at the birth of this baby? Maybe, because she knew the child might not look like a Lannister? If I was going to have a black haired child for Tywin I would want my most powerful friend in the room, too. It helps if the friend is also related to the child you are having and therefore more interested in making sure Tywin doesn’t go nuts on you or the child. I am guessing she was going to go with her friend back to Dorne and counted on the presence of the Princess for Tywin to allow it.

There is also Tyrion’s dwarfism. In these books, we have an abortive tea called Tansy Tea. In the example given by Lysa Tully, she drank it unwittingly when she was pregnant and there were problems including an excess of blood, as I recall.

In other examples, maids drink the tea to prevent pregnancy. The tea’s effectiveness is not known.

There were 8 years since Jaime & Cersei. If Joanna was having an affair at this time, she may have been drinking it and it was not affective. She then may have taken more which may have caused some developmental problems.

We have an example of poison causing developmental problems already: The Waif. She is very small and 35 years old and it is because her stepmother poisoned her and she did not die. Is Tansy Tea a poison? Probably.

Here is the thing… A gargoyle (which Tyrion also clearly is) cannot be poisoned. They defend walls, yes. They direct water and gutters, yes. In many legends and myths, they also purify water and cleanse them from disease and toxins. Incidentally, this trait didn’t just save him from Tansy Tea. Tyrion also didn’t get the greyscale from the Rhoyne and perhaps has evaded other poisoning attempts in the past. I would like to see what happens if he actually did try to eat those mushrooms from Illyrio’s Garden.

So, Joanna tries to drink Tansy tea but it is not effective. Drinks more… nothing. OK, so she sends for her friend the Princess to come be present during her child’s birth because she is in fear for her life and her baby’s life if she has a black haired child. Her friend doesn’t arrive in time - perhaps because a full 9 months didn’t pass…. Maybe the Tansy Tea shortened the term as well.

The Princess of Dorne didn’t turn back upon hearing her friend had died. If she had really simply been going to make a marriage alliance, I think she might have rescheduled the visit.

Even Tyrion thinks this is odd: “A queer time to come visiting. His mother had died giving him birth, so the Martells would have found the rock deep in mourning.” (Ch.38)

Why did the Princess of Dorne keep going? I would keep going if my friend had been in fear for her life and had told me so..I might not believe she was dead and I definitely wouldn't believe Lord Tywin, I would have to see for myself. What happened to her? What happened to the baby? It is repeatedly stressed that he was a newborn, therefore I think it was a very short time before the Princess of Dorne arrived.

There is the odd statement made by Cersei to Tyrion’s Nurse: “Be quiet or I’ll have my father cut your tongue out.” (Ch. 38) Why would that occur to an 8 year old? Is that something that she has seen recently or heard about or are servants suddenly tongueless?

During the scene where Oberyn shows up at KL, black hair is highlighted. Prince Oberyn is described as having “large eyes as black and shiny as pools of coal oil. Only a few streaks of silver marred the lustrous black hair.” “The salty Dornishmen were lithe and dark, with smooth olive skin and long black hair streaming in the wind.”

Tyrion: “I had just been born. What did you expect of me?”

Prince Oberyn: “Enormity,” the black-haired prince replied. (Ch. 38)

And later:

“Your head was monstrous huge, we heard, half again the size of your body, and you had been born with thick black hair and a beard besides, an evil eye and lion’s claws.”

“You did have one evil eye and some black fuzz on your scalp.”

Tyrion has the following thought: “This will mean blood in the gutters.” Another gargoyle reference with the addition of blood when thinking of Prince Oberyn.

Prince Lewyn adds a white element to Tyrion:

“A white lion ran through grass taller than a man.” From Dany’s HotU vision. I guess Tyrion could qualify for that now.

The white dragon Viserion is also foreshadowed with Tyrion and he would have had more Targ blood from Prince Oberyn's connection than Princess Elia who was chosen for Rhaegar does.

From examples given in the text, Lady Joanna might have died, she might have been killed by an angry Tywin, she might have been sent to the Silent Sisters. I think there is a good chance it is option C.

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184 was the date that Prince Daeron took over the throne and also the date that Daemon Blackfyre had his twins. Daemon Blackfyre had 7 children in the period between 184 and 196. The marriage between Prince Moran and Princess Daenarys was arranged after King Daeron took the throne in 184 and was the cause of the Blackfyre Rebellion in 196 even though it was many years later.

Ah ok. Daeron indeed ascended the throne in 184, but Daenerys, born in between 169 and 176AC, would most likely have been too young for a marriage in 184AC. So a betrothal as early as 184 is definitely possible. But I think her marriage itself would have occurred a few years later.not that many years though.

Also, Daemon and his wife had at least 9 children: 7 sons, and at least 2 daughters. :)

Though I firmly believe Joanna to be truly dead, a few thoughts in response to yours:

No POV witnessed the death.

Tywin sent Rohanne & Sarelle Tarbeck to the Silent Sisters in late 261AC. It is not known if he removed their tongues first.

Then Tywin has to deal with the same problem himself: many people said that Lord Tywin Lannister ruled the Seven Kingdoms, but Lady Joanna ruled Lord Tywin. If Lord Tywin was thinking so negatively about love what must he have thought when he heard people saying that?

Cersei and Jaime were living at the Rock. It's highly likely they saw their mother dead. And Kevan most likely saw her dead too (though in his only POV, there was absolutely no reason to think back about such a time)

You ask where an 8 year old (actually, Cersei was 6 or 7, since Tyrion was born in 272 or 273, and Cersei herself in 266) would have heard anything about tongue removal? You answer it yourself in your own post: that's what Tywin did before. Tales about Tarbeck Hall and Castamere would be well known in CR.

The app confirmed that Tywin/Joanna was a love match, meaning, in Tywins eyes, it was love. Whether Joanna felt the same, we don't know. So it seems a bit unlikely that Tywin would be angry because of such sayings.

Joanna Lannister and Tywin Lannister both have golden blonde hair and green eyes. Where does the black come from?

Is Joannas appearance known? I can't recall it ever having been described?

Reasons why I think Prince Lewyn is the father:

We need a person with black hair and black eyes to explain the eye and hair colors.

Prince Lewyn was at court a lot as a KG as was Lord Tywin and Lady Joanna.

Joanna seems to have been living at CR, with Cersei and Jaime. Not at KL with Tywin. Though she could have visited every now and then.

We have an example of poison causing developmental problems already: The Waif. She is very small and 35 years old and it is because her stepmother poisoned her and she did not die. Is Tansy Tea a poison? Probably.

Tansy tea is supposed to abort, so yeah, it is definitely a poisonous mix.

The waif would be different though. She was already born, a normal girl, who was a few years old when she was poisoned.

The white dragon Viserion is also foreshadowed with Tyrion and he would have had more Targ blood from Prince Oberyn's connection than Princess Elia who was chosen for Rhaegar does.

In your theory Tyrion is Lewyns child, which would give him just as much Targaryen blood as Elia had, being the daughter of Lewyns sister. A small difference, which doesn't change a thing about your theory. Just thought I'd mention it. :)
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Also, Daemon and his wife had at least 9 children: 7 sons, and at least 2 daughters. :)

spoilered for off topic. ->

It would be interesting to know who he married and had 9 children with while he was well known to be in love with Daenarys. To me, it sounds like he got married at the same time as his love was engaged or married in 184. His supporters would probably include her family and they would have been willing to face war with the Martells as well as the Targaryens. Would it perhaps have been an enemy of the Martells? As Daemon was a legitimized bastard and he apparently got along well with his wife, I suspect he chose her. Also, he would have chosen a woman with the pedigree and potential power of arms to support his claim. A Tyrell? An Yronwood? Haven't considered this before, but it is interesting.

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Though I firmly believe Joanna to be truly dead, a few thoughts in response to yours

I don't see any reason to believe Tywin based on what he said about love, his suspicions about his wife's fidelity and the behavior of the Princess.

It is possible she is dead but in that case I believe Tywin might have killed her. I do not believe he would have done nothing when she bore a black haired son.

In Kevan's POV when he goes to see Cersei and gets crossbowed. He recalls that Tywin claimed the crushed baby was Aegon and considers whether or not Tywin lied. Therefore, Kevan considers it within reason that Tywin might have lied about something reasonably huge - death of a prince not that different from death of his lady wife.

Also, there is no reason for Joanna to appear to Jaime in Silent Sister robes. Why would he see his supposedly dead mother in Septa robes? Could it be a subconscious recollection of some clue that he is not willing to face consciously?

Cersei and Jaime were living at the Rock. It's highly likely they saw their mother dead. And Kevan most likely saw her dead too (though in his only POV, there was absolutely no reason to think back about such a time)

However, no one mentions seeing her dead and I think they would (at least Jaime might have when he had the dream about his father's vigil and Cersei seems obsessed with her father enough to mention it).

I think there are plenty of references to Joanna and plenty of funerals (Robert and Joffrey's) in which another funeral can reasonably be recalled. There is alot of discussion about Tywins body which might bring up comparisons to her mothers.

At any funeral or with regard to death in general, Tywin's reactions and behavior at another funeral could be mentioned. Also, Jaime, Kevan or Cersei as pov characters could recall Joanna's funeral as they comment on the situation of Tyrion's birth and Joanna's death often enough. No funeral is mentioned either.

You ask where an 8 year old (actually, Cersei was 6 or 7, since Tyrion was born in 272 or 273, and Cersei herself in 266) would have heard anything about tongue removal? You answer it yourself in your own post: that's what Tywin did before. Tales about Tarbeck Hall and Castamere would be well known in CR.

The settling of the Tarbecks and the Reynes happened in 261, 5 years before Jaime and Cersei were born. Making Cersei younger when she says this just makes it worse. Granted she is a psycho, but there is no reason given for her to pick that particular punishment to threaten the Nanny with so many years later (12 or 13 years), nor for the Nanny to believe and submit to such a young child so readily without it being a recent event that perhaps they both have heard about or seen the evidence of around CR.

This is when Tyrion is a newborn and her mother just died. Why would that occur to her at that point in time when it is specifically a punishment to keep a person silent? Or as Tyrion says later - to prove you fear what someone might say?

The Nanny simply didn't want to show the baby to a bunch of kids. Wouldn't a whipping or something seem more appropriate? It seems like s fixation on a punishment Cersei has heard about recently or noticed recently.

The app confirmed that Tywin/Joanna was a love match, meaning, in Tywins eyes, it was love.

No one is saying it wasn't for Tywin at least at the start. However, things change, maybe right when a black haired child was born when expecting a blonde?

Another opposite and parallel repetition reference to the blonde children born of Cersei (that Varys talks about seeing sliding from between Cersei's thighs) when a black haired child would be expected for a Baratheon? Basically, Cersei got away with it and Joanna did not.

Perhaps the records and the app show the story that Tywin has decided will be shown to the Seven Kingdoms, much like Aegon having his skull crushed.

As many people state, Tywin does not want to be laughed at and by saying she is dead he is not made more of a joke by her leaving him or continuing an affair and having more black haired babies. It is worse for him that she cheated when the whole country knows how much he loved her and how she ruled him. He can't allow her cheating to be known or he will be as big a joke as his father. This would be his motive for handling the situation as I proposed. He would be totally humiliated.

Perhaps he was in love with her even though he knew she was unfaithful and even though he killed her or sent her to the Silent Sisters. Perhaps he just knew it was not possible to allow it to continue after the black haired son.

Whether Joanna felt the same, we don't know.

We don't and just like with Tywin we don't know how long it was a love match. However, I think we have proof that it wasn't any longer.

1) A love match is not indicated by one spouse wondering if the other spouses child is theirs. He and his son repeatedly state his doubts.

2) The baby does not have Lannister coloring. He was born with black Hair and a black eye.

3) Tywin tells his son right around this time that love is not worth much (paraphrasing).

Is Joannas appearance known? I can't recall it ever having been described?

Yes, it is and also Jaime described her again in the dream. Blonde hair and green eyes.

Joanna seems to have been living at CR, with Cersei and Jaime. Not at KL with Tywin. Though she could have visited every now and then.

It seems that way and perhaps it is but also she could stay at court sometimes like Lysa did, we don't know. At any rate, Prince Lewyn would need to be very discreet and would have duties as well which took him around the country. We do not know whrn the affair started but all of the parties were at court together for a reasonable period of time while Joanna went from companion to the queen to wife and Tywin went from squire to Hand and Lewyn was KG. All seeing each other alot.

Tansy tea is supposed to abort, so yeah, it is definitely a poisonous mix.

The waif would be different though. She was already born, a normal girl, who was a few years old when she was poisoned.

She also didn't live in the Seven Kingdoms and has no dragon blood that we know of and is not constantly referred to as a gargoyle.

However, she was poisoned, she was not killed by it and it did stunt her growth.

In your theory Tyrion is Lewyns child, which would give him just as much Targaryen blood as Elia had, being the daughter of Lewyns sister. A small difference, which doesn't change a thing about your theory. Just thought I'd mention it. :)

Right, with regard to Targ blood from Princess Daenarys, Tyrion's blood would be equal to Elia's amount from the same source.

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  • 10 months later...

I have a crackpot theory that Lewyn's paramour was Olenna Redwynne before she became Olenna Tyrell. Once I have finished compiling all my info I will post it to be ruthlessly dissected my the forum. Oh and Marwyn is the bastard child of the union.


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