Why do people think Arya will die? (Just curious, not defensive).

[Leif]

She's too badass to die.

[Raining Blood Magic]

I haven't really read a lot of posts to suggest Arya is favored to die. I think most think she will live out the series.

[Jon of the Dead]

She's too badass to die.

This

But there have been other forshadowings, like when Arya tells Edwyn Frey that she hopes his princess dies.

[Ibbison from Ibben]

Arya has spent the entire series creating new personnas for herself, then moving on. I think those porsonnas may die, but (premature) death will never catch up with Arya.

For example, the Arya that would freeze to death doing needlepoint as a punishment no longer exists. Arya will never do needlepoint again in her life, and her mother isn't going to punish her ever again. "Needlepoint Arya" is dead.

By the end of the series, the North will probably become loyal to the Iron Throne again. There will be no King in the North, so "Princess Arya" will be dead.

Arya will not need her Cat of the Canals identity again, so "Molly Malone Arya" will be dead. (There's an old Irish song about a girl with a wheelbarrow selling shellfish who dies from a fever.)

No prophesy can ever catch up to Arya. She's the aSoIaF version of Siona Atreides from Godemperor of Dune.

[aceluby]

finding the dead direwolf foreshadowed the entire series. Not like the direwolves are helping the stark kids much anyways. Summer and Shaggy are a bit but Ghost and Nymeria aint done shit really.

Are you reading the same books? Nymeria has HUNDREDS of wolves and they are pillaging Frey lands now. And Ghost has not only helped Jon a handful of times in battle, but he's also a costant reminder of the old gods and was instrumental in Jon not taking Winterfell because he would have to foresake them. Even Mel realizes that Ghost is important and tells Jon to never have him leave his side.

[jentario]

Whenever GRRM kills a main character it serves a purpose. At the moment her death would be pointless and so would her whole story so until she becomes involved in one of the other main storylines I don't see her dying.

This.

[Lost Melnibonean]

In the recurring dream Jon tells to Sam, he sees Ned, Robb, Benjen, and Arya. That is not a promising list. At least Rickon's not there...

[conon394]

Arya has spent the entire series creating new personnas for herself, then moving on. I think those porsonnas may die, but (premature) death will never catch up with Arya.

For example, the Arya that would freeze to death doing needlepoint as a punishment no longer exists. Arya will never do needlepoint again in her life, and her mother isn't going to punish her ever again. "Needlepoint Arya" is dead.

By the end of the series, the North will probably become loyal to the Iron Throne again. There will be no King in the North, so "Princess Arya" will be dead.

Arya will not need her Cat of the Canals identity again, so "Molly Malone Arya" will be dead. (There's an old Irish song about a girl with a wheelbarrow selling shellfish who dies from a fever.)

No prophesy can ever catch up to Arya. She's the aSoIaF version of Siona Atreides from Godemperor of Dune.

This

I agree there is a lot of foreshadowing about Arya and death - but its not always clear what is foreshadowing of her death or more generally foreshadowing of her frequent and intimate relation with death. I would agree the Arya of Winterfell of book one is sort of dead already.

She could be stuck with a permanent not her own face, she could be on the run from the FM, even if she does find Jon or Sansa or Bran etc she simply never be herself again even if she does not go the FM route - all of which would sort of validate her as 'Dead'.

Also she will of course be presumed dead as soon as Jayne is exposed. Even those in the Riverlands who know she went to the Saltpans will likely figure she died in the attack. Nobody but a FM knows she had a free passage ticket out of Westros. She has in effect died or been presumed rather a lot already.

[Elaena Targaryen]

Arya has spent the entire series creating new personnas for herself, then moving on. I think those porsonnas may die, but (premature) death will never catch up with Arya.

For example, the Arya that would freeze to death doing needlepoint as a punishment no longer exists. Arya will never do needlepoint again in her life, and her mother isn't going to punish her ever again. "Needlepoint Arya" is dead.

By the end of the series, the North will probably become loyal to the Iron Throne again. There will be no King in the North, so "Princess Arya" will be dead.

Arya will not need her Cat of the Canals identity again, so "Molly Malone Arya" will be dead. (There's an old Irish song about a girl with a wheelbarrow selling shellfish who dies from a fever.)

No prophesy can ever catch up to Arya. She's the aSoIaF version of Siona Atreides from Godemperor of Dune.

Interesting Ibbison from Ibben!

It all seems to coincide with major kills that Arya has commited, like maybe Arya was supposed to die at that time but paid the price to live a second life or as in only death may pay for life

The "Needlepoint Arya" death with her first kill to escape the RK - the stable boy - or she would have died in KL

The "Princess Arya" death with escaping HH - the Bolton guard (or Weasel Soup?) - or she would have died at HH

The "Molly Malone Arya" death with the NW deserter (someone who "escaped") - Dareon - or she would have died ??? (ok this one is curious and I need to think about it some more)

[conon394]

And of course the Ugly GIrl sort of dies with the Merchant and Arya Stark of WInterfell captive of the hound 'dies' at the Saltpans but with two more kills.

[MarcusLloydAK]

I was so shocked when I found out everybody thought she'd die. I think the 4 Stark children will live through it all now. I'd love to see Sansa and Arya meet again, even if it's just one last time. Loved it when Sansa thought that she'd do anything to meet Jon Snow again.

[joluoto]

She's been dancing with death for so long. Arya Stark will die, that I'm sure of. Whether the girl with no name will live or not, well that is not certain.

[Northbound]

I feel her arc has been the darkest and saddest, with the exception of Theon's. I feel she will die, because I dont see how she can ever come back; after all the things that she has done or seen. Even if she lives, to me she would lead a half life. Never being whole again. Personally, I compare her to the child "soldiers" of Africa. Ripped from their homes and families. Never to be happy again.

[NorthRemembers10]

Because valor morghulis.

I agree :)

[tyrions sliced nose]

Are you reading the same books? Nymeria has HUNDREDS of wolves and they are pillaging Frey lands now. And Ghost has not only helped Jon a handful of times in battle, but he's also a costant reminder of the old gods and was instrumental in Jon not taking Winterfell because he would have to foresake them. Even Mel realizes that Ghost is important and tells Jon to never have him leave his side.

yeah and jon is stabbed and might be dead and arya is across the sea nowhere near her wolf so not sure how that is helping either of them.

yes i am reading the same books.

[Tyrion_is_Omar]

There is a literary term, that I don't remember, that refers to the moment when a character decides her/his tragic fate and IMHO, Arya chosed hers when she chosed to go to Bravoos instead of going to the Wall at the end of book 3. At the end, she will be a woman without a country: not enough detached of her Stark's self to be a faceless woman and too dark to be a funtional Stark again and I don't see GRRM leaving her just wandering around, so he will give her a glorious death.

[aceluby]

yeah and jon is stabbed and might be dead and arya is across the sea nowhere near her wolf so not sure how that is helping either of them.

yes i am reading the same books.

Lol, ok man... just ignore that Ghost has saved Jon a bunch of times and has been a companion of his throughout his entire arc while simultaneously ignoring the build up of Nymeria and her hundreds of wolves that are terrorizing Frey lands. I'm sure the whole direwolf as a sigil while getting direwolves will never be important since it's only been around since the first chapter. You're probably right, they aren't important.

[Whitering]

Lol, ok man... just ignore that Ghost has saved Jon a bunch of times and has been a companion of his throughout his entire arc while simultaneously ignoring the build up of Nymeria and her hundreds of wolves that are terrorizing Frey lands. I'm sure the whole direwolf as a sigil while getting direwolves will never be important since it's only been around since the first chapter. You're probably right, they aren't important.

Well, Nymeria also saved her from some men Bolton sent out to find her after she left Harrenhall. Nym (and Arya) also helped Arya being the process of healing after her Mother and Robb were killed.

Arya's death would serve no purpose at this point other than to provoke an emotional response, that was not tied to making the story better. Plenty of authors have done this, I normally don't go back to those books.

Does Parris still love Arya? That's the real question.

[Light a wight tonight]

Ghost found the dragonglass daggers, saving Sam and therefore leading Bran to BR, Nymeria took out the mummers chasing Arya and Grey Wind helped Robb massively in battle. And the foreshadowing did nothing to the Starks.

The foreshadowing was the stag bringing down the direwolf, Robert (Baratheon=stag) making Ned (Stark=direwolf) Hand bringing about his death.

[Budj]

Prior to the spring thaw quote Jon says 'the longer you hide the sterner the presence' (roughly paraphrased) and immediately after the spring thaw quote is 'sometimes different roads lead to the same castle.' What I think this entire conversation is foreshadowing is Arya's return to Westeros and not her death.

Jon ends up being assassinated (at least an attempt) in the Snow for 'deserting' the watch to save a fake Arya the Lannister's were able to concoct because the real Arya is in hiding. Essentially, Jon paid Arya's penance for running / hiding from her problems. As a previous poster mentioned she has been hearing news from Westeros all over Bravoos and she will eventually hear that Jon was assassinated and why - obviously blaming herself. The needle reference is a direct reference to Arya's sword 'Needle' which Jon gave to her. She did not dispose of it meaning that she really is lying when she says she is 'no one' - she will retrieve the sword and head back for vengeance.

How the story unfolds to allow that to happen I'm not certain. My crackpot theory is that a weasel stew type of event goes down in the house of black and white since we all know Arya is surrounded and followed by death.