pobeb

I wholeheartedly agree. Bran absolutely rejects what he sees in the blood sacrifice. It's a moment that traces it's history back to the very beginning of the story, when Bran watches Ned execute Gared; a moment in which he is also watching with discomfort. And the importance of Bran's disagreement with executions and sacrifices, is being very, VERY heavily implicated when Asha requests Theon's execution at the weirwood tree. This request is (coupled with Bran's feelings and weirwood communication skills) is a GIGANTIC foreshadow of what will happen during Theon's execution. Bran had no power to stop Ned from executing Gared. Bran had no power to stop the bronze-sickle wielding woman from executing that unknown man. But he's got power now ;) And that is all the difference. This story is rooted in a pattern of repeating history. The reason why GRRM starts the story at this particular point in time, is because he's trying to convey to the reader the break in repeating history; that's why this particular point in time is special. Bran stopping Theon's execution encapsulates this idea - the break in pattern.

I have to agree here. I think Bran's "No, don't" is foreshadowing what will happen when Theon is put in, more or less, the same position. The difference, and reason why we can see a foreshadow, is that Bran will actually now be able to communicate his disagreements in the present, as he was unable to do so in his visions of the past.

I've been trying to contact the OP, shmoove, to amend the theory and include the massive amount of new evidence I've supplied. I'd love to create a new thread to include this information, as I find it most relevant, but I'm afraid it would just be locked up (as I've had some unexplained issues with this before) - see links in signature ;)

Just came fresh off the Howland Reed = High Septon thread. Please add this to the OP, it is an extremely strong and textually supported theory. Thanks.

A lot of truth in my new thread - Tyrion is a Gargoyle If this doesn't get added, then I'm not sure what constitutes a plausible theory anymore. Speaking of which, High Septon = Howland Reed is an amazing theory/thread as well.

This probably won't see the light of day, but I crafted a theory on who Daenerys' father is. It can be found here I believe it puts forth a very strong argument that hasn't been seen before.

I'd like to submit my own theory for review. Connecting the 3 Heads of the Dragon - Examining the Pattern in 3 This theory does more than offer (from my perspective) a lot of solid connections between each theorized head, but delves into Tyrion's potentially secret lineage, and addressess the House of the Undying triplet. Thanks for your consideration.

I agree with you, it is suspicious for the Manderlys to return Freyless, but I don't think the Boltons care. So, the Freys all perish? So the better for them. What would Roose care if neither Frey or Manderly return? He's not trying to beat Stannis, he already has Stannis beat - Roose is sitting in a well manned castle, while Stannis is out in the cold. He's purposely sending the Freys and Manderlys to certain doom, and if some manage to return brandishing a "magic" sword and some heads, all the better. Roose has Winterfell, all he needs to do now is just keep it; and therein lies the real battle. Remember, Winterfell is not exactly in a state of peace and harmony: Roose doesn't just want peace, he needs it. He's desperate for it: The North has no love for the Boltons: You're right, he isn't planning an invasion. The battle for Winterfell will be over before Stannis steps foot into the city. He's planning to use the ravens, he just doesn't understand how yet. Also, I don't believe Jon's final chapter is linear in relation to this Theon WoW chapter.

To everyone trying to make sense of why Asha is requesting Theon to be executed at the weirwood trees, it seems pretty simple to me: Beheading > Burning Her last chapter in ADwD began with 3 dudes being burned alive for cannibalism. Go read that and you'll understand exactly why she's making such a request. Speaking of which, I absolutely love how the ravens are being used in this chapter. It's sheer genius. They serve so many purposes, it boggles my mind: -They're used to implicate Tybald's betrayl -They're obviously being warged by Bran or BR -They have foreshadowed use in Stannis' ruse -The echoing of the weirwood plan - And share in the best line, in my opinion, of the entire chapter LOL "Stop that noise" I don't doubt there's something to take from this exchange, but for now I'm content to just laugh at it.

I'll try my best to assess your question: How does Ramsay know of Stannis' "death"? It's a two part answer: 1) He receives word of the battle and outcome via the ravens. It's the key behind why Stannis keeps Tybald's ravens (which only fly to Winterfell). Stannis intends to send a message to Winterfell, to be sure, and the rest of the chapter is sprinkled with suggestions as to what that message might contain. Make no mistake, Stannis knows he cannot take Winterfell (due to it's defenses and his current situation), which is why he says this: More like "whilst we froze", but despite that blunder, Winterfell is still manned and defended by the majority of the Bolton's strength: So Stannis knows, that even with Bolton's mistake, he's still at a disadvantage; he cannot take Winterfell head on. Which is why the ravens are significant. It's Stannis trump card, provided by Jon Snow's intel on the Karstark betrayl. But why send the ravens first? Well: Ramsay unfolds Stannis' grand plan. Granted, the plan becomes more clear once the Manderlys betray the Freys into the frozen lake and whatever magic at the weirwood goes down, but nonetheless Ramsay is a wrench in the cogs. If any portion of Ramsay's battalion survives and is able to get word back to Roose about Stannis' ploy, the game is over. Roose will turtle up in Winterfell and Stannis' army will freeze and die once winter finally descends upon them (which is fast approaching). So they use the ravens to prevent Ramsay from uncovering the plan. Ramsay receives the raven's message of Stannis defeat, doesn't bother to leave Winterfell, and the hosts await the Manderlys' triumphant return. Which then leads too... 2) Ramsay is given evidence of Stannis' defeat by the returning Manderlys. Heads, spikes, walls. This is a huge nod at the Manderly/Davos deception. The idea is, the Manderlys return to Winterfell with some heads, partly unrecognizable due to frostbite and the cold. Even if the heads weren't ravaged or frozen over, I think it's unlikely the Boltons could distinguish Stannis' head from any other head. Also, consider the parallel GRRM is drawing here. Ramsay, as Reek, set the events in motion to deceive the North of the Stark boys' deaths, with false bodies. Now he's being deceived in a similar fashion. It isn't just plot serving, it's poetic. Then there's the sword. I don't think Stannis believes the sword is Lightbringer. In fact, I don't think he's truly dedicated to R'hllor at all, but rather uses the sword and the religion as a means to support his cause (but I suppose that's another argument for a different time). If your question is, "Why would Stannis part with his famed sword?" My answer is this: Because the value he places on the sword is tied to how it can best serve his cause, not how it fits with the prophecy. Since Dragonstone, he's been using the glamor of the sword to intimidate and inspire - which in turn drew people to his cause. In this case, he's using the sword as a prop in his scheme to fool the Boltons. Deception is nothing new to Stannis. He's a seasoned battle commander - he WILL do and use whatever it takes to win, e.g. Renly Baratheon and Cortnay Penrose. I agree with you in part that Ramsay isn't wholeheartedly lying about Stannis' defeat. He's writing what he believes to be true, even though it's evident that it isn't. Now, here's what I find most puzzling in the letter: Mance... in a cage? Yea... no. That part is definitely the red flag of the letter. And we knows this because in ADwD, just before we learn of the plan to rescue "Arya", Mance explains to Mel: Mance was caught at the Wall because he was taken unaware. With the Winterfell mission, he knows exactly what's in store for him, and he's making it clear that he certainly does not intend to be taken captive again. Yet, Ramsay is claiming the opposite in the letter. Who are we to believe? How exactly does Ramsay know of Mance? Well, I'm inclined to think that Mance eluded the Boltons via the Winterfell Crypts (Bael the Bard style), and Ramsay flayed the info out of the spearwives. So, why would Ramsay claim he has Mance when he doesn't? Because he's a deceptive prick, e.g. pretending to be Reek, attacking the unaware Ser Rodrik. I wouldn't put that minor lie past him. Also, he has Mance and he hasn't flayed him? Really? There should have at least been a piece of Mance to go along with the Pink Letter (just like the Moat Cailin letter had a piece of Theon), but there was no such memento. As far as Mance sending the letter goes, I agree it's possible, but I don't think it's at all plausible. If it was, then consider this: Mance somehow escapes capture, somehow manages to find the exact raven that flies to the Wall, somehow manages to find a quill and ink, somehow manages to find pink wax (which he has to melt to "smear" onto the letter, and writes this elaborate ruse of a letter with the intention of... what exactly? That's the most pressing part of drawing up a theory on who sent the Pink Letter. You have to establish some grounds of intention, which (when studying Mance) I see none of. Hope this clarified things for you. If not, it's ok. We're all entitled to our own opinions, and I'm definitely open to different perspectives and theories.

I'm gonna list some key lines from the chapter and try my best to explain how they prove Ramsey wrote the letter: Obviously the implication here is that Maester Tybald has 3 ravens that fly exclusively to Winterfell and has been using them to betray Stannis' location to the Boltons. Yes, leave the ravens that only fly to Winterfell, as detailed earlier in this exchange. But why? Also meaning, it may be false. But why would Massey receive false news of Stannis' death? Well: The Pink Letter claims that Stannis is dead. It also claims there was a 7 day long battle. Odd that GRRM decided to include detailing the length of the battle. Why is it important for the reader to know? Well, after Roose Bolton get's Tybald's last message, he says: 3 days for the Freys/Manderys to arrive at The Gift, 1 day of a farce of a battle (Manderly's drive the Freys into the frozen lake - more on this later) and to plot on how to prevent Ramsey from following into battle and discovering their ploy (see Dreadfort ravens explanation above), and another 3 days for Stannis' host to reach Winterfell. 3 + 3 + 1 = How do I know the frozen lake will play a part in the doom of the Freys? Well, from Theon we know: And Roose Bolton orders this: Then we have this piece of information, when Stannis asks Theon if boys killed Aenys Frey. Theon answers: What's Stannis smiling about? He's been given an idea, which he begins to explain here: Then the ravens, who I assume are Bloodraven or Bran, begin to hint at the plan as well: And where is the tree? Well, later in the chapter, Asha says: Aaaand the ravens go bananas. As far as the heads on the Winterfell walls go, seems fishy *wink wink*. Perhaps we now know the significance of why GRRM had the Manderlys mount "Davos" head on their walls. Fake head mounting seems their style, certainly, and that "evidence" would help the Manderlys' story once they returned to Winterfell to deceive the Boltons and spread word that Stannis was just outside the walls (invisible behind the snow). All these little "truths" sprinkled throughout the Pink Letter are given substantial support from this chapter, and for me solidifies that Ramsay did indeed write the Pink Letter, just under false pretenses, Also, consider this: The parchment is a letter from Jon explaining Arnolf's treachery. Here we see Stannis ordering Justin Massey to drop "Arya" off at Castle Black before heading off to Eastwatch because, as he explains, "A true king pays his debts." He felt, even if it was to the most minuscule degree, indebted to Jon. What could possibly be the reason for sending "Arya" to Jon at Castle Black, then turning around and sending a raven (which would undoubtedly travel faster than Massey's company) to Castle Black with a deceptive message? If it was to draw Jon out, why send "Arya" to Castle Black in the first place? If Stannis truly believes he's a "true king", why would he pay his debt with deception? It makes no sense.