Ice Dragon confirmed?

[Mithras]

Food spoilage is not a problem surely... it would be so cold outside.

The fresh fruit thing is a stronger point of course, as well as chronic vitamin D deficiency, one assumes.

Although I'm still unclear as to how bad the winters get South of the Neck..

Also, they could import some food for the nobles/soldiers from the parts of Essos that are able to grow food even during winter.

But they are storing food for years before the winter comes. Surely, they must eat the old food before it is spoiled and store the newly grown food.

Deserts can have extremely cold weather without snow. So, even Dorne should get very cold in long winters. Narrow Sea produces fierce storms that surely hurts the coastline. Many parts of the Vale becomes close during winters. Westerlands is another terrain full of hills, high valleys and mountains. It snows in Riverlands.

I think every region suffers bad winters in varying degrees, though none of them can be equal to the North.

[Lord_Pepsi_Cupps]

I imagine they developed massive grain silos / storage facilities, where they add fresh grain at the top and consume the oldest from the bottom. It would be great to get a food security expert to look at a hypothetical situation of a medieval society with unpredictable seasons, and decide what crops/plants they'd absolutely need to grow (including to feed any animals they'd absolutely need to have).

[Durran Durrandon]

It seems likely that the Starks are not the only people who have developed green house technology. (Hey, maybe there was a green house outside Danny's window.) The fact the Jon seems to be the first Lord Commander to think of this, probably just shows that the Night's watch has been able to depend more on the lords of the North, in the past. Probably every major fief in the the North has green houses.

[ser_duncans_heir]

'' There is no ice dragons lord commander Snow '' said bowen marsh

''There is an Ice dragon before you '' said Lord commander Snow sounding strangely familiar to daeron II .

[Muggle]

Well, unlike earth, they also have years of Summers and Springs and Autmuns. They get multiple harvests over and over again before the winter comes. And that is why all of them have to keep large winter supplies.

Why is starvation a huge concern then. Almost every region is in fear of starvation but for Dorne. I know the WOT5K plays a part. But we get that meeting with Bran at the harvest feast or what ever when he is acting Lord of Winterfel. He asks his bannerman to start setting aside a portion of there harvest for winter. Implying they have not been doing this before. With only 1 or two harvest left before winter comes at full force. I dont see how the plan to make that last for years.

[Lord_Pepsi_Cupps]

(Hey, maybe there was a green house outside Danny's window.)

Lemon treeeeeeee!! *explodes*

Well things will be quite different for Westeros during the coming long night of course, because the Arm of Dorne will become crossable from Essos again - the huge freezing up north will lower the sea level enough for Dany's khalasar to ride across. They can bring supplies for everyone!

[TheHoundJR]

I think it's quite interesting that the 'direwolf' on the Stark sigil seems to have scales.

I think it's quite interesting that Bran is with a Blackfyre that is telling Bran he will fly

[Lord_Pepsi_Cupps]

I think it's quite interesting that the 'direwolf' on the Stark sigil seems to have scales.

I think it's quite interesting that Bran is with a Blackfyre that is telling Bran he will fly

Bloodraven isn't a Blackfyre, he's one of Daemon Blackfyre's many bastard brothers.

And the scaly sigil is just from the show (I think it's just meant to be stylised fur).

Bran has already flown inside the raven in ADWD, but the "winged wolf" vision hopefully means that Bran will eventually skinchange a dragon.

Or Bran could end up being the last hero who really turns the tide of the battle for the dawn by flapping his raven wings in everyone's faces going "corn corn corn". Would make all the difference. "10/10 would leave my home and travel months across frozen wastelands in fear of my life for this, again".

[marco84]

You rely too much on ice and fire duality.. Melisandre is evil, Thoros good they both serve the same God. Direwolves are not cruel monsters, but they could represent ice as well. Guys an ice dragon is too much..just one maybe, two would be already too much. The Others will be stronger,much stronger than human armies, Daenerys's dragons will the only, real weapon to use against them.. Dragons vs Others, it's not Dragon Fire vs Drgon Ice.. Got it?

[Man of Many Faces]

I feel that there is just too much of a lack of evidence to back up their existence, it seems to just be folklore or sailors tales. They may have existed at one point, but not any more. And if the Others controlled them then why haven't they just busted them out already and laid waste to all of Westeros?

[oursisthefury69]

I don't think it necessarily proves anything other than that sailors think they've seen ice dragons. Is it possible? Yeah. But is it confirmed? I don't think so.

lol

[SevasTra82]

I think this is one of those fun easter eggs that GRRM inserts into the story. It helps build his world. But it also could act as a "placeholder" for him in case he ever wants to explore adding them into the story (and avoiding a potential Deus-ex Machina situation).

If he adds in Ice Dragons, everyone can point to this as foreshadowing. If he doesn't end up adding them, it just adds more to the lore of the story for people to endlessly debate about.

[Rhaenys_Targaryen]

To get back to a discussion from page 2 and 3, you all are aware that GRRM has confirmed The Ice Dragon is not set in Westeros, right?

Having recently bought the reprint, I can understand why people might think so. The text on the back is misleading, and the text inside feels familiar (Old Laura/Old Nan, etc.), but they are not the same universe.

As to whether ice dragons actually exist... There is no hint in text that I am aware of that suggests that there were once two species of dragons..

[Aerys Blackfyre]

does an ice dragon spit ice?

[oursisthefury69]

As to whether ice dragons actually exist... There is no hint in text that I am aware of that suggests that there were once two species of dragons..

I'd say the Ice Dragon qualifies as a hint

[Sir Duck's Squire]

I think that it would be fitting for the fire dragons and ice dragons to have a Dance of Dragons like battle at the end of the series, with Other riders and Human ones, maybe

[FlameQuencher]

Could it be that there is an Ice Dragon (or its remains) inside/beneath the Wall?

Bear with me... we have heard that the Horn of Joramum supposedly could bring down the Wall, and summon "the giants of the earth"...

But we've already seen another sorcerous horn... used by the Valyrians to summon (fire) dragons!

What if the Horn of Joramum can be used to summon a giant ice dragon inside the Wall, thus causing a part of it to collapse, leave the North open to the Others?

(Sorry if this' been posted elsewhere, I've tried searching for it but found nothing.)

[Mithras]

To get back to a discussion from page 2 and 3, you all are aware that GRRM has confirmed The Ice Dragon is not set in Westeros, right?

Having recently bought the reprint, I can understand why people might think so. The text on the back is misleading, and the text inside feels familiar (Old Laura/Old Nan, etc.), but they are not the same universe.

As to whether ice dragons actually exist... There is no hint in text that I am aware of that suggests that there were once two species of dragons..

There are tales of ice dragons in the far North and Shivering Sea. This at least suggests that there might be ice dragons out there somewhere.

[Alia of the knife]

I knew it........!!!!!! :thumbsup:

[Mish Windage]

Just Glaciers