Jon Snow's Letter: From a traitor at the wall

[PeterPaulGualtieri]

Mel doesn't know what Reek means. At least, that's what we know. She did say 'you know nothing Jon Snow' once - but that might have been an educated guess and not magic

Maybe the ruby she gave Mance/Rattleshirt gives her the ability to see what Mance sees? I don't see that as that far off considering she does have some magic at her disposal.

[Magjee]

First, the letter:

Your false king is dead bastard. He and all his host were smashed in seven days of battle. I have his magic sword. Tell his red whore.

Your false king's friends are dead. Their heads upon the walls of Winterfell. Come see them, bastard. Your false king lied, and so did you. You told the world you burned the King-Beyond-the-Wall. Instead you sent him to Winterfell to steal my bride from me.

I will have my bride back. If you want Mance Rayder back, come and get him. I have him in a cage for all the north to see, proof of your lies. The cage is cold, but I have made him a warm cloak from the skins of the six whores who came with him to Winterfell.

I want my bride back. I want the false king's queen. I want his daughter and his red witch. I want this wildling princess. I want his little prince, the wildling babe. And I want my Reek. Send them to me, bastard, and I will not trouble you or your black crows. Keep them from me, and I will cut out your bastard's heart and eat it.

Ramsay Bolton, Trueborn Lord of Winterfell.

As pointed out in previous posts, "I want my Reek back" points to the letter being written by either Ramsey himself or, Mance after learning about Reek or Mel through some magic overhearing or communicating with Mance.

Ramsey, its plausible he caught Mance and tortured the information out of him.

Mance, maybe Stannis is going to win and Mance sent the letter to hurt the watch.

Mel, not really sure what she can gain for all this.

[Maxpey]

Whoever wrote the note has to:

1. Know about Ramsay and "Arya's" wedding.

2. Know about Theon being Reek.

3. Know that Mance Rayder wasn't the one who was executed.

4. Know about Val, Selyse, Shireen and the baby.

5. Know about Stannis's "magic" sword.

It's either Ramsay using info from Mance, or Mance himself. Just about everyone else is missing critical information, especially on points 2 and 3.

IIRC, some of Mance's spearwives that infiltrated Winterfell with him were unaccounted for after Theon and Jeyne's escape.

As they came from Castle Black along with Mance, I assume that they too would know about points 3-5.

If so, perhaps one of them was caught and Ramsay was able to obtain this information through torture.

ed. spelling

Of course, it's been almost a year since I read aDwD, so I may not have recalled correctly. :drunk:

[juanml82]

Maybe the ruby she gave Mance/Rattleshirt gives her the ability to see what Mance sees? I don't see that as that far off considering she does have some magic at her disposal.

Perhaps, but that got me thinking in another direction:

Mel recalls her ruby burnt her skin and caused her pain when Rattleshirt was burning. If Mance was captured and tortured with his ruby on - which is something Mel had to consider posible - his pain would have probably be 'transferred' to her, so she would have probably felt like being tortured :eek:

[Stargaryen81]

Is it possible the letter was actually sent by a person FROM the WALL or even beyond?) that wanted to lure Jon into a trap?

• Alliser Thorne
• Melisandre, to ensure Stannis's as AA
• Tormund Giantsbane?
• Wick Wittlestick?
• Bowen Marsh?
• Stannis, after defeating Bolton, goes into the crypts and discovers R+L = J, decides to take out the competition

How would Stannis find out that R+L=J in the crypts? Second, the Reek chapter in book six clearly shows that Stannis is has not made it to Winterfell. Third, Stannis doesn't know who Reek is until the very end of book 5, after the letter was sent.

[Stargaryen81]

I believe it was sent by Ramsay before the battle of Winterfell. The reason is he ask for his Reek back.

Why would he ask for the wildings, Ramsay is still a westorosi and I would think kill any wildling he came across. Also, how would Jon or anyone at the wall know that Ramsay has a follower named Reek? Also, if Ramsay wrote the letter how would JOn or anyone at the wall know who Reek was. Ramsay would say Theon. Now, Mance spent time at WF before being caught and could easily find out who Reek is also he knew Reek left but he never found out that Reek was Theon

[Dornish Whine]

My money is on Ramsay. IIRC, Roose sent the Manderly's and Frey's out to hunt Stannis down after the bad blood in Winterfell. I think it is possible that Manderly force joined with Stannis and crushed the Freys. Then the Manderly force return to Winterfell with a story of Victory over Stannis so that the Boltons would let their guard down and could be attacked unawares. Ramsay, being a bit impulsive, fired off a gloating letter to the Wall goading Jon into action. Unfortunately if this theory were true it would mean Mance was actually captured and likely tortured by Ramsay.

[Pod The Impaler]

I lean towards the idea that it was Ramsay who wrote it, but he's been getting more than just information Mance Rayder might have given up under torture.

Someone at the Wall has been talking covertly to the Boltons, and my suspicion that it is either Bowen Marsh or Alliser Thorne (who's still alive and instigating things covertly).

[It's Not That Littlefinger]

i think its ramsay, but i wouldnt be too shocked if it turned out to be mance or stan. the only thing about mance is, how the hell would he be able to do that? werent he and his spearwives being found out the last time we saw them? and there are less than seven of them left. how could they gain a good position?

[walkingWITHcersei]

I read an awesome analysis a while back that said Asha sent the pink letter, and it was spot on. I'm convinced but I've never seen it mentioned in any other thread on the subject. Anyone else read that? A link would be great and am I the only one who is sold on this?

[Alaynsa Starne]

For some reason, it bothers me that the PL includes numbers. 7 days of battle, 6 whores, who the crap bothers to include that in grumpy letters? Actually, now that I'm looking at it, the PL refers to 7 days of battle, 7 whores (including Mel) and makes 7 demands (Jeyne, Selyse, Shireen, Mel, Val, Monster, Theon). Thoughts, anyone? I haven't looked at many PL threads.

[bemused]

Stannis knows all of the information in Apple's list , including points 2 and 3. I think there are ample signs that he knows about Mel's glamour of Mance... and in the Theon chapter ,

Theon tells Stannis ,

"Frey and Manderly will never combine their strengths. They will come for you, but separately. Lord Ramsay will not be far behind them. He wants his bride back. He wants his Reek."

I think Stannis can figure that out.

But I think the letter was intercepted by Marsh (Thorne ) & co at least read , and probably edited to be more insulting , make sure everyone they wanted rid of was asked for and to implicate Jon if Mance really was alive.

[VicsFieryHand]

Don't they point out the handwriting style to be "spiky" and childish or something? It's the same way it was decribed when Asha got the letter with Theon's skin in it right? That would point to the ramsay (his name doesn't get capitalized in my world...) wouldn't it?

[Starspear]

.

[walkingWITHcersei]

I read an excellent theory about Asha having written the Pink Letter. Wish i had time to find and link it here. It is the only theory I've seen that fills all the holes the other theories leave.

[Batbob45]

The letter wasn't Ramsey level of Cruelty.

He did say anything bad about Val, Shireen, and Monster. If Ramsey wrote it, He say horrible things about those 3.

[barmyscouser]

Your false king is dead bastard. He and all his host were smashed in seven days of battle. I have his magic sword. Tell his red whore.

Your false king's friends are dead. Their heads upon the walls of Winterfell. Come see them, bastard. Your false king lied, and so did you. You told the world you burned the King-Beyond-the-Wall. Instead you sent him to Winterfell to steal my bride from me.

I will have my bride back. If you want Mance Rayder back, come and get him. I have him in a cage for all the north to see, proof of your lies. The cage is cold, but I have made him a warm cloak from the skins of the six whores who came with him to Winterfell.

I want my bride back. I want the false king's queen. I want his daughter and his red witch. I want this wildling princess. I want his little prince, the wildling babe. And I want my Reek. Send them to me, bastard, and I will not trouble you or your black crows. Keep them from me, and I will cut out your bastard's heart and eat it.

Ramsay Bolton, Trueborn Lord of Winterfell.

If Ramsey wrote this it's the only time a person born south of the Wall refers to the Men of the Night's Watch as crows.

If on the other hand we agree that the author of the pink letter comes from beyond the wall then I vote for Mance.

[Lyanna<3Rhaegar]

Your false king is dead bastard. He and all his host were smashed in seven days of battle. I have his magic sword. Tell his red whore.

Your false king's friends are dead. Their heads upon the walls of Winterfell. Come see them, bastard. Your false king lied, and so did you. You told the world you burned the King-Beyond-the-Wall. Instead you sent him to Winterfell to steal my bride from me.

I will have my bride back. If you want Mance Rayder back, come and get him. I have him in a cage for all the north to see, proof of your lies. The cage is cold, but I have made him a warm cloak from the skins of the six whores who came with him to Winterfell.

I want my bride back. I want the false king's queen. I want his daughter and his red witch. I want this wildling princess. I want his little prince, the wildling babe. And I want my Reek. Send them to me, bastard, and I will not trouble you or your black crows. Keep them from me, and I will cut out your bastard's heart and eat it.

Ramsay Bolton, Trueborn Lord of Winterfell.

If Ramsey wrote this it's the only time a person born south of the Wall refers to the Men of the Night's Watch as crows.

If on the other hand we agree that the author of the pink letter comes from beyond the wall then I vote for Mance.

My vote would go to Mance righting the letter also because of the reason you named. But why? Why does Mance right this letter? Is it some sort of code ? Is he being a dick & trying to lure Jon into some trap ?

[Light a wight tonight]

Don't they point out the handwriting style to be "spiky" and childish or something? It's the same way it was decribed when Asha got the letter with Theon's skin in it right? That would point to the ramsay (his name doesn't get capitalized in my world...) wouldn't it?

There was no mention of the writing in the Pink Letter, which causes some folks to say it wasn't Ramsay. Just means that it wasn't mentioned. If the writing was said to be spiky that would be a strong indication that it was Ramsay.

[sifth]

Yea, The Reek line pretty much confirms it was either Ramsay or someone inside the castle who sent the letter.

The person would have to know Ramsay pretty well too, because if it is a fake, it certainly sounds a lot like him.