Fragile Bird Posted May 25, 2015 Author Share Posted May 25, 2015 Howland Reed serves the old gods. Impossible. As has been mentioned several times already, the theory is that Howland has disguised himself as a humble but charismatic septon who gathered the poor around him and marched on King's Landing, mainly in response to the brutal brutal treatment exacted on the population by the Hound's brother and others, set out to burn and raze the lands of Stark supporters. Not only is he short, walks in bare feet and has brown hair, there is language GRRM uses in describing him that hints of House Reed. Lots of references to the colour green, for example. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jet199 Posted May 25, 2015 Share Posted May 25, 2015 He's a man who had spend his entire life wanting to wear a dress while hundreds of people fall at his feet but has only recently found a socially acceptable way of achieving this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferocious Veldt Roarer Posted May 25, 2015 Share Posted May 25, 2015 Now that we've seen him in action in a number of episodes, exactly who do you think this High Sparrow is? There was a lot of speculation in the book threads that he was Howland Reed in disguise. What do you think? Valyrian tinfoil. He's obviously an educated man, someone who seems far more sophisticated than a frog man. Can he be a simple peasant who taught himself over the years to become an eloquent and crafty spiritual leader? Or could he be a 3rd or 4th or 5th son of some smaller house who got sent to the sept as a career?Does he have a deep game plan, or is he really just a devout believer carrying out the will of the seven? I have a crazy theory: if he seems like a man who's received septon's education, that's because he's a septon and has received septon's education. Meanwhile, Howland Reed is at Greywater Watch, leading the bog devils, just where most people would expect to find him.(I also think that a sellsword styling himself Daario Naharis is, actually, a sellsword named Daario Naharis. And not, say, Euron Greyjoy. I'm that crazy.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eucratides_Megas Posted May 25, 2015 Share Posted May 25, 2015 High Sparrow is Thomas Becket with a bit more blood-lust. A Royal gave him power to use him in carrying ouit royal policy, he took that power and used it to be a good son of his particular faith instead. I suspect his end will be the same, just on a much messier, grander scale: like an army coming in to massacre the lot of them in Baelor's Sept. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The One And Only Posted May 25, 2015 Share Posted May 25, 2015 The High Septon is Benjen Stark.... Who is Euron.... Who is Daario.... Who is a Faceless Man. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clariana Posted May 25, 2015 Share Posted May 25, 2015 Savanrola... Or Torquemada, take your pick... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clariana Posted May 25, 2015 Share Posted May 25, 2015 HS = Howland Reed was actually a theory? Yes, your surprise was very much mine... The suckiest theory ever.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ser Axel Stout Posted May 25, 2015 Share Posted May 25, 2015 At first i though Jonathan Pryce was the same actor that played the dying man to which the Hound gave the gift of mercy on season 4, so I made loads of theories about it in my head (mostly related to the Gravedigger theory), but then I noticed that the actor was Barry McGovern, who happened to look a bit like him in that scene. Our minds like to find patterns, but I don't think there's one this time :/. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aFeastForDragons Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 Jonathan Pryce has been amazing this season. He really fills the void in KL that Charles Dance left behind. That scene before Cersei gets arrested was brilliant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glad Komrad Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 The High Sparrow doesn't need a name. It's part of the practice in the Faith Militant to renounce your family name, according to Lancel. It's not a big leap to think the most pious of the Fath might do without a given name altogether, or simply no longer care what he's called. That seems to be a point HS continues to make himself to many people. Gonna say he is who he is and that's that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aetta Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 Yes, your surprise was very much mine... The suckiest theory ever.... Uh, no. It might be bad, but it's hyperbole to say suckiest ever. There are some real stinkers here that make that one smell like roses. ETA-Here's one that might be as bad, just made this up myself, which makes it almost as likely as HR=HS: HS is a descendant of Baelor I and Naerys. No, Daeron II was not of the Dragonknight's seed, he was Baelor's darkest sin....how did HS descend from Baelor, exactly? Via Maester Aemon. Aemon did go on to Jon Snow about love and babies and all that shit that happened to him when he was young and struggling with his temptations. He was just lamenting giving his son to the Seven and taking off for the Wall. Aemon, having studied these things, came to realize that the present line came from Baelor the Blessed, and wanted his son to honor Baelor's memory by become the most piousy pious that ever was. See, now THAT sucked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fury Burns Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 While HS=HR is lacking in a lot of evidence, and after Jonathan Pryce's lines this season on how he has no ulterior motives I think he's telling the truth. But, I see no reason for them to put those giant ass septas into the scene when they could have just as easily used some of the sparrow males. It's a pretty small detail to keep the big muscular women in the show when they exclude so many other huge characters, which makes me think it would be possible for them to be northmen (northern women). I also don't see why people think it's so hard for someone to fake being for a different religion... I mean, the Reeds are just above where the Faith of the Seven's reach ends in the Riverlands, so I don't see why it would be impossible for him to slip down there and study up on the Faith of the Seven. But, again, I don't see Howland Reed as the type to achieve things through subterfuge and by playing the game of thrones. He's just supposed to be good with a sword, and be short... that's it. While it would be cool, and the only believable way for "the truth" to come out about Jon's true parentage, I'm pretty sure he's just a devout to the Faith of the Seven. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ser Quork Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 Valyrian tinfoil. I have a crazy theory: if he seems like a man who's received septon's education, that's because he's a septon and has received septon's education. Meanwhile, Howland Reed is at Greywater Watch, leading the bog devils, just where most people would expect to find him.(I also think that a sellsword styling himself Daario Naharis is, actually, a sellsword named Daario Naharis. And not, say, Euron Greyjoy. I'm that crazy.) What is a septon's education? I think that's an extrapolation from real life. In the books, we meet Septon Meribald who cannot read but has learnt by rote a number of passages of the Seven-Pointed Star by listening to preaching. He has no education other than that. We are led to believe that the High Sparrow is of a similar ilk - an itinerant septon - i.e., not someone formally educated in religion. If HS=someone else, such a lack of qualification would be a godsend (pun intended). And I can't help but think the Faith's eschewing of names on becoming High Septon is an early seed of a plot device for this particular character (the High Sparrow) for reasons yet to be revealed. High Sparrow is Thomas Becket with a bit more blood-lust. A Royal gave him power to use him in carrying ouit royal policy, he took that power and used it to be a good son of his particular faith instead. I suspect his end will be the same, just on a much messier, grander scale: like an army coming in to massacre the lot of them in Baelor's Sept. I suspect the same.Jonathan Pryce has been amazing this season. He really fills the void in KL that Charles Dance left behind. That scene before Cersei gets arrested was brilliant. He has been amazing. One of the best this season. While HS=HR is lacking in a lot of evidence, and after Jonathan Pryce's lines this season on how he has no ulterior motives I think he's telling the truth. But, I see no reason for them to put those giant ass septas into the scene when they could have just as easily used some of the sparrow males. It's a pretty small detail to keep the big muscular women in the show when they exclude so many other huge characters, which makes me think it would be possible for them to be northmen (northern women). I also don't see why people think it's so hard for someone to fake being for a different religion... I mean, the Reeds are just above where the Faith of the Seven's reach ends in the Riverlands, so I don't see why it would be impossible for him to slip down there and study up on the Faith of the Seven. But, again, I don't see Howland Reed as the type to achieve things through subterfuge and by playing the game of thrones. He's just supposed to be good with a sword, and be short... that's it. While it would be cool, and the only believable way for "the truth" to come out about Jon's true parentage, I'm pretty sure he's just a devout to the Faith of the Seven. I don't believe HR is good with a sword although he probably kills it with a spear and net (like Meera). When she describes him in the book, she says he can "weave words" and I wonder if he has some abilities or is merely charismatic. For me, he is a contender. But I'll be equally happy for HS to be exactly what he appears to be so there is a spanner thrown in the nobility's game of thrones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eish2306 Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 To add some fuel to the fire, the people of the neck are different, they don't have big huge castles on a hill so the rulers might me more at one with the people, building the floating houses and such, so his words to QoT may not be so removed? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aFeastForDragons Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 I can't make up my mind if he was playing Cersei all along or if he only came to the conclusion she should be arrested after Margery was. At least Darrio=Euron hasn't shown up yet in this show. Emm it has several times and seems to be heavily leaning that way. Even though its pure tinfoil it would fill in some major plot holes and explain motives. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MyLittleFinger Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 He's just a religious fanatic. They exist you know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ser Osis Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 Valyrian tinfoil. I have a crazy theory: if he seems like a man who's received septon's education, that's because he's a septon and has received septon's education. Meanwhile, Howland Reed is at Greywater Watch, leading the bog devils, just where most people would expect to find him.(I also think that a sellsword styling himself Daario Naharis is, actually, a sellsword named Daario Naharis. And not, say, Euron Greyjoy. I'm that crazy.) :laugh: I agree. People seem to get so caught up in who character "X" really is....Is Jon really Rhaegar?, is Robert Strong the Mountain?, is Tyrion the long lost Targ?....they seem to forget that some characters are just what they seem to be. The High Sparrow is the chosen leader of a bunch of religious fanatics who are sick of the so-called highborn treating the rest of the populace as their personal door mats. When Cersei offers to reinstate the Faith Militant, it must have seemed proof positive that the Gods exist and are on the side of the 99%. How could one not be a believer after seeing that? :cool4: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philpenn Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 They have made note of his small size over and over though...Proves nothing, just mentioning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robasp2 Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 The facial expression at "his soul is so light" shows the sparrows true color.So he is not just a "simple" man. Hes really complex.Jonathan Pryce was epic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
voodooqueen126 Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 Savanrola... Or Torquemada, take your pick... The show version has elements of Bernardino of Siena Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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