BRAN’S GROWING POWERS AFTER his FINAL POV in ADwD

[evita mgfs]

12 minutes ago, Wizz-The-Smith said:

Hey Longie.  The 'quote' in the wind is something I'm not sure on myself, but having read Steven Attwell's breakdown of the chapter, I thought the content well worth posting here, especially with what Evita is looking for.  Of course this is highly speculative, but while others are debating it on wordpress pages I think it well worth being bounced around here. 

As for the mists, I feel we may be thinking differently.  I don't think the mists come from Bran/BR so to speak, just that it could facilitate their presence.  Do you see Bloodraven at all in the 'half the city will be half blind tonight' text?  If so then this could lend credence to the idea that Bran could also inhabit the same things BR can.  If not, then I suppose we gracefully agree to disagree for now. 

There are also weirwood faces on the backs of the chairs in the HOBAW, Arya sits a weirwood chair with an ebony face, there is also an ebony chair with a weirwood face.  This sounds a little like BR, in his ebon finery with that white [weirwood like] face.  Perhaps another possible avenue in?  The HOBAW certainly seems a place of magic with all that changing of the faces text. [?]   Whatever the case, let us leave no rock unturned. 

So I suppose Longie, I do colour you sceptical!      But I will continue to look at this line of enquiry, and will be the first one to say you were right.  Where would we be without some friendly debate, I always welcome your thoughts.    

Okay, this is totally off the cuff for me, but it may give you an idea where my "long range" theorizing is going:

1] Leaf tells she has studied men while traveling some 200 years.  Where was she if not, at some point, in Braavos?

2] The "nameless, faceless" gods of the north are too similar in some regards to the Faceless Men in Braavos.

3]  In Bran's cave are skulls without faces while in the temple of B&W are faces/hoods without skulls.

4]  Arya is guided to Braavos by agents of the old gods:  Yoren's mouth is red from sour leaf, Jaqen has white and red hair, etc.  All her spiritual guides are marked physically with the weirwood's facial features/colors, yes?

5]  Check out the names of bridges and such in Braavos - they appeal to aspects of Bran's godhood.  My goodness, even the water is GREEN - Bran's greensight.

6]  The city of masks and whispers = the weirwood masks/faces and BR's whispers/the tree's whispers.

7]  Arya's warg spirit is a portal for Bran to reach her, as he will endeavor to reach all his siblings.

8] The Hound is a canine, so the direwolf link, plus his nasty, deformed face is key as well!

I could go on!

[LongRider]

Just now, Wizz-The-Smith said:

Hey Longie.  The 'quote' in the wind is something I'm not sure on myself, but having read Steven Attwell's breakdown of the chapter, I thought the content well worth posting here, especially with what Evita is looking for.  Of course this is highly speculative, but while others are debating it on wordpress pages I think it well worth being bounced around here. 

As for the mists, I feel we may be thinking differently.  I don't think the mists come from Bran/BR so to speak, just that it could facilitate their presence.  Do you see Bloodraven at all in the 'half the city will be half blind tonight' text?  If so then this could lend credence to the idea that Bran could also inhabit the same things BR can.  If not, then I suppose we gracefully agree to disagree for now. 

There are also weirwood faces on the backs of the chairs in the HOBAW, Arya sits a weirwood chair with an ebony face, there is also an ebony chair with a weirwood face.  This sounds a little like BR, in his ebon finery with that white [weirwood like] face.  Perhaps another possible avenue in?  The HOBAW certainly seems a place of magic with all that changing of the faces text. [?]   Whatever the case, let us leave no rock unturned. 

So I suppose Longie, I do colour you sceptical!      But I will continue to look at this line of enquiry, and will be the first one to say you were right.  Where would we be without some friendly debate, I always welcome your thoughts.    

Thanks for mentioning the WW chairs, I had forgotten them.  When the Mercy chapter was first released I followed a thread on it that explored the mists in that chapter as being associated with the grayness of the Starks.  The mists turned many things of color into a gray and white 'Stark' palette.

The mists hide things and certainly sounds are muffled.   That would fit in with Arya being hidden and muffled.  But, in spite of all that, Arya cannot be fully repressed.  So truth be told, that feels more congruent to me than that mists hiding Bran and BR in Braavos. 

In your other quotes of Arya's prayer in HH, that I could see being partly Bran and partly her sadness of her father's death and the powerful memory of what he said to her. 

Quote

Do you see Bloodraven at all in the 'half the city will be half blind tonight' text? 

Well now, that is a chewy quote it's true but I'll have to chew on it somemore. 

[evita mgfs]

HEY WIZZ:

WE TURNED ANOTHER PAGE!  IT'S 11!

[LongRider]

17 minutes ago, evita mgfs said:

Okay, this is totally off the cuff for me, but it may give you an idea where my "long range" theorizing is going:

1] Leaf tells she has studied men while traveling some 200 years.  Where was she if not, at some point, in Braavos?

2] The "nameless, faceless" gods of the north are too similar in some regards to the Faceless Men in Braavos.

3]  In Bran's cave are skulls without faces while in the temple of B&W are faces/hoods without skulls.

4]  Arya is guided to Braavos by agents of the old gods:  Yoren's mouth is red from sour leaf, Jaqen has white and red hair, etc.  All her spiritual guides are marked physically with the weirwood's facial features/colors, yes?

5]  Check out the names of bridges and such in Braavos - they appeal to aspects of Bran's godhood.  My goodness, even the water is GREEN - Bran's greensight.

6]  The city of masks and whispers = the weirwood masks/faces and BR's whispers/the tree's whispers.

7]  Arya's warg spirit is a portal for Bran to reach her, as he will endeavor to reach all his siblings.

I could go on!

I get what you're saying but here's the rub.

5.)  The water in the canals is in a warm place where the waters aren't refreshed, so yeah, green.  4.) For H'Gar perhaps, but Yoren?  Not convinced.  And why not the Hound, certainly he has a two part face. 2.) I don't see nameless faceless gods as that similar the Faceless Men.   7.)  We know her portal is one for Nym, what I don't know tho, is can the Stark siblings warg their siblings wolves?  I don't think we've really seen Bran do that, so by the time the Mercy chapter happens, I don't know if he could. 

Now keep in mind, much and more could happen to Bran in TWOW before we ever get to Mercy and we will be able to see Bran and BR's influence.  But until then, I'm going with Bran has enough on his plate (but not Jojen paste, no way) just being in Westeros.  He still has some issues with warging; Hodor for one and not getting lost in the ravens or spending too much time in the weirwood net watching the past.

edt; I gotta admit, I wouldn't mind seeing Bran warg a dragon.  

[Wizz-The-Smith]

22 minutes ago, evita mgfs said:

HEY WIZZ:

WE TURNED ANOTHER PAGE!  IT'S 11!

Let's hope for many more!!! 

[Wizz-The-Smith]

29 minutes ago, LongRider said:

Thanks for mentioning the WW chairs, I had forgotten them.  When the Mercy chapter was first released I followed a thread on it that explored the mists in that chapter as being associated with the grayness of the Starks.  The mists turned many things of color into a gray and white 'Stark' palette.

The mists hide things and certainly sounds are muffled.   That would fit in with Arya being hidden and muffled.  But, in spite of all that, Arya cannot be fully repressed.  So truth be told, that feels more congruent to me than that mists hiding Bran and BR in Braavos. 

In your other quotes of Arya's prayer in HH, that I could see being partly Bran and partly her sadness of her father's death and the powerful memory of what he said to her. 

Well now, that is a chewy quote it's true but I'll have to chew on it some more. 

No problem Longie, the weirwood faces are awesome, but perhaps more convincing needed.    That's cool, as mentioned you will be first I admit defeat too.  I see a lot of credence in Evita's ideas/post above as well.  Oh well, for now we shall exchange friendly blows on opinion, and look to engage in enlightening discussion either way in the future.         [The post on the symbolism of grey up thread may help to knit together some of the thoughts from both threads, I'm not sure.   Whatever, as mentioned, your thoughts are always welcome.]  

[evita mgfs]

53 minutes ago, LongRider said:

I get what you're saying but here's the rub.

5.)  The water in the canals is in a warm place where the waters aren't refreshed, so yeah, green.  4.) For H'Gar perhaps, but Yoren?  Not convinced.  And why not the Hound, certainly he has a two part face. 2.) I don't see nameless faceless gods as that similar the Faceless Men.   7.)  We know her portal is one for Nym, what I don't know tho, is can the Stark siblings warg their siblings wolves?  I don't think we've really seen Bran do that, so by the time the Mercy chapter happens, I don't know if he could. 

Now keep in mind, much and more could happen to Bran in TWOW before we ever get to Mercy and we will be able to see Bran and BR's influence.  But until then, I'm going with Bran has enough on his plate (but not Jojen paste, no way) just being in Westeros.  He still has some issues with warging; Hodor for one and not getting lost in the ravens or spending too much time in the weirwood net watching the past.

edt; I gotta admit, I wouldn't mind seeing Bran warg a dragon.  

LONGRIDER:  GREAT THOUGHTS AND ANALYSIS!

Like I said, my sharing was "off the cuff", although I did detail and evidence Arya's spiritual guides long ago in a thread called Arya and the Water Motif.  I started to piece some of my long-range ideas there, with other scholarly minds, some of whom have left westeros never to return again, sadly.

I have lots of work to do with the texts to cement my ideas - that is, the forces of the godhood need Arya in Braavos for a reason that has to do with her connection  to water.[As Howland Reed is busy watching the grey waters.]  It seems that Bran is earth, Arya water, Sansa air, and Rickon an uncontrollable force of nature whose purpose I can only guess at.  But you may agree that Martin has linked Arya with water and Sansa with air/birds?  

As I said, I have not totally formatted my theories because, as you so RIGHTLY POINTED OUT - Martin will inform us of a great deal more in the TWoW.

Poor Bran!  I do hope he has some good fortune in the future, and BR promised him he would FLY. Somehow, i think he meant more than flying ravens, but that may just be my wishful thinking.

As far as Jojen paste, it would be a violation of the sacred laws of hospitality to cook and serve, or serve, poor Jojen.  Somehow I do not think the CotF would defy the laws of their own gods.  So on that note, we are of one mind.

[evita mgfs]

1 hour ago, LongRider said:

I get what you're saying but here's the rub.

snip

 

43 minutes ago, Wizz-The-Smith said:

No problem Longie,

snip

L

 

 

Longrider and Wizz:  I found some of my notes that speak to our earlier discussions.  Wizz:  more "words are wind" and the old gods are listening- see how Weese's words to Arya come back to haunt him!

 

NOTES ON BRAN AND ARYA / PARALLEL JOURNEYS / ATTENTION TO MARTIN’S USE OF SENSORY DETAIL AS THE AUTHOR WHOSE INTUITIVE CHARACTERS MASTER THEIR SENSORY PERCEPTIVITY /FACELESS IMAGES

 

In scenes set at HarrenHell, Arya “assumes” a new identity and bonds with a “fast friend”  Jaqen, a spiritual guide likely sent by the forces that are the old gods with the intent to direct Arya towards Braavos.  Jaqen’s choice of words in the dialogue he has with Arya indeed echo the “content” of what Syrio Forel teaches her and foretells the “content” of the kindly man’s lessons.

 

SYRIO FOREL

Syrio tells Arya. “Just so. Opening the eyes is all that is needing. The heart lies and the head plays tricks with us, but the eyes see true. Look with your eyes. Hear with your ears. Taste with your mouth. Smell with your nose. Feel with your skin. Then comes the thinking afterward, and in that way knowing the truth” (AGoT  532).

 

KINDLY MAN

 

The kindly man tells Arya that if she stays at the HoB&W, “the Many-Faced God will take your ears, your nose, your tongue. He will take your sad grey eyes that have seen so much. He will take your hands and feet . . .” (ASoS 453).

 

In this the kindly man’s words are metaphoric:  he will take Arya’s ears by rendering her “deaf” with a magic potion, and as a result of not being able to hear, Arya will train her other senses to be more acute to compensate for the hearing loss.

While in HarrenHell, these are threats that Arya faces while under the service of Weese, who owns the ugly dog. Martin evokes the five senses in these instances where Arya is menaced by Weese and his dog.  Then, ironically, Weese meets a bloody end when Jaqen grants Arya’s second death, an end that involves his ugly dog and Weese’s sensory “tools” he tells Arya he will take from her:

OLFACTORY/SMELL

• Weese has “an ugly spotted dog that smelled worse than anything” (ACoK 457).

• Weese tells his crew, “My nose never lies. When I sniff you, all I want to smell is fear” (421).

• “Weese frowned at her, as if he smelled her secret” (554).

TASTE

• When Arya yawns, Weese says, “next time I see that mouth droop open, I’ll pull your out your tongue and feed it to my bitch” (465). Here Weese threatens to take her tongue, essential to the taste buds.

• “For a moment she had been a wolf again, but Weese’s slap left her with nothing but the taste of blood in her mouth. She’d bitten her tongue when he hit her” (551).

• Weese eats a capon that he promised to share with Arya, and Arya watches longingly, secretly resenting him as he licks his fingers. He then slaps Arya and pushes her to the floor.

AUDITORY/HEARING

• “He twisted her ear between his fingers to make certain she’d heard . . . “(465).

• Arya eavesdrops on the “whispers” of others, some of it gossip.

• She stays in the cellar of the Wailing Tower.

SEEING

• “Keep those eyes to yourself, or next time I’ll spoon one out and feed it to my bitch” (554).

• Arya sees horrors of many kinds at HarrenHell.

• Also some foreshadowing: “If there were ghosts in Harrenhall, they never troubled her. It was the living men she feared (457).

TACTILE/FEELING
1. Weese beats Arya bloody often.
2. Arya awakes to the pointed toe of Weese’s boot kicking her.
3. Vargo Hoat is the threat to Arya’s limbs, for he likes to take body parts, like hands and feet.

Upon the arrival of Tywin and his army, Arya realizes that she has chosen the wrong recipient of her second death.  As she races to find Jaqen, she hears the portcullis close: “its spikes sinking deep into the ground” (ACoK  555) , which conjures an image of a mouth snapping closed, the spikes serving as teeth.  Then, Arya hears “a shriek of pain and fear” (ACoK  555).

Arya finds Weese “sprawled across the cobbles, his throat a red ruin, eyes gazing sightlessly  up at a bank of  grey cloud. His ugly spotted dog stood on his chest, lapping at the blood pulsing from his neck, and every so often, ripping a mouthful of flesh out of the dead man’s face”  (ACoK 555-556).

Someone shoots the ugly dog with a crossbow while the bitch “was worrying at one of Weese’s ears” (ACoK 556).

Clever Martin serves poetic justice to Weese in the twisted details of his death, making sure to address the body parts associated with sensory details: the  “red ruin” of his throat prevents speech, especially if the vocal chords are severed; sightless eyes insinuate blindness, and the ugly dog is nibbling at an ear, the organ associated with hearing. 

The ugly dog devours Weese’s face – appropo with Arya’s eventual relationship with the Faceless Men of Braavos.  But the irony is that Weese threatened to remove Arya’s eyes and her tongue to feed to his bitch, and Weese twists Arya’s ear;  Martin brilliantly adds a karmic element to Weese’s comeuppance as his loyal dog turns against her master by punishing him with similar threats he waged at Arya.

The “ugly dog” is a bitch, an interesting parallel that speaks to Arya’s very first magically-inspired “face” – the Ugly Girl.

HOW MARTIN EMPHASIZES SENSORY PERCEPTION THROUGH ARYA’S CONTACT WITH JAQEN IN ACoK

Syrio Forel tells Arya. “Just so. Opening the eyes is all that is needing. The heart lies and the head plays tricks with us, but the eyes see true. Look with your eyes. Hear with your ears. Taste with your mouth. Smell with your nose. Feel with your skin. Then comes the thinking afterward, and in that way knowing the truth” (AGoT  532).

 

Syrio Forel’s “lessons” very much parallel  lessons shared between Arya and Jaqen in ACoK, only there is an awesome “TWIST” that divulges Martin’s brilliance even further.  During JAQEN’S time with Arya, Martin “shows” how the sensory details “play out” in “real time” – and the reader must “look” if he or she hopes to “see”.

“JUST SO” is an expression popular with Syrio, and when Jaqen says “just so” (ACoK 686), careful readers are reminded of Syrio.

TACTILE / TOUCH

“Arya was dreaming of wolves running wild through the woods when a strong hand clamped down over her mouth like a smooth warm stone, solid and unyielding.”

[Interestingly, Jaqen’s hand feels like a smooth warm stone, and Martin evokes the sense of touch with the adjectives “smooth” and “warm”.  Arya feels what is “tangible”, but then she “feels” what is immeasurable:  Jaqen’s hand over Arya’s mouth is “solid and unyielding”– his clamp is firm and unbending, subduing Arya effortlessly.  Furthermore,  the “stone” is linked to the old gods whose spirits live in earth, rock, water, roots, trees, etc.]

VISUAL/SEEING:

When Arya sees Jaqen for the first time at HarrenHell, Martin writes, “He does not know me, she thought. Arry was a fierce little boy with a sword, and I’m a grey mouse girl with a pail” (ACoK 464).  [Arya assumes that Jaqen will not recognize her now as a girl, with the “fierce” aspect diminished by her female sex.  On the contrary,  Jaqen “sees” beneath and beyond the “physical” presentation, seeking out “My Lady of Stark”.]

“Syrio had told her once that darkness could be her friend, and he was right.  If she had the moon and stars to see by, that was enough” (ACoK 684).  [Arya often finds herself in darkness, which is literal or figurative, and sometimes Arya is symbolically blinded to what is true.  However, Arya sneaks about HarrenHell without illumination, and these instances mirror Arya creeping through the pitch black dungeons while escaping from the Kingsguard in AGoT.  Symbolically, Arya’s “path” to Braavos is “dark” as she comes closer to the source of evil haunting humanity.]

Syrio says, “Look with your eyes.”

AUDITORY / HEARING
“A girl says nothing,” a voice whispered close behind her ear. “A girl keeps her lips closed, no one hears, and friends may talk in secret. Yes?”

[Jaqen whispers, which foreshadows the whispers in the HoB&W. Arya remains silent, her lips closed, for silence is the part of the auditory that is “soundless”. In the Cave of Skulls,  BR whispers in the dark to Bran].

“She crept up quiet as a shadow, but he opened his eyes all the same. ‘She steals in on little mice feet, but a man hears,’ he said.  How could he hear me?  She wondered, and it seemed as if he heard that as well.  ‘The scuff of leather on stone sings as loud as warhorns to a man with open ears.  Clever girls go barefoot’” (ACoK 553).

[Again the “stone” is mentioned, an association with the old gods.  Endowing “stone” with sound, especially “song” is significant to the series title A Song of Ice and Fire.]

Jaqen tells Arya:  “A man sees.  A man hears.  A man knows” (ACoK 684).
OLFACTORY / SMELLING
“The cellar was black pitch and she could not see his face, even inches away. She could smell him though, his skin smelled clean and soapy, and he has scented his hair” (464)

[Jaqen comes to her in darkness so that she cannot see his face.  Once again, Martin reminds his readers that Arya has been “blind” before, albeit “symbolically” for she finds herself thrust in the darkness of the dungeons in AGoT.   Arya displays her resilience in commanding her attuned senses.  Without her eyes, Arya’s olfactory senses are alerted to Jaqen’s  pleasant soapy smell. ]

TASTE

Arya’s sense of taste is evoked in Jaqen’s smell, for she links it to spices:

“ . . . only a faint smell remained of him, a whiff of ginger and cloves lingering in the air” (ACoK 465).
[When one’s sense of smell is incited by food, the taste-buds are also evoked.]

Arya steals a tart from the kitchen before meeting up with Jaqen in the godswood:  “”It was stuffed with chopped nuts and fruit and cheese, the crust flaky and still warm from the oven” (676).

As evidence to Arya spotting a glamor or an artifice, here is a passage from ADWD:

“She seated herself in a weirwood chair with a face of ebony.  Bloody sores held no terror for her.  She had been too long in the House of Black and White to be afraid of a false face” (836).

·       Arya does not fear the glamors and artifices or hoods the faceless men wear to the monthly meeting.

·       Note the significance of the chair Arya sits in – like her brother Bran, Arya sits a weirwood throne of sorts, and that weirwood chair even has a face of its own, just as the weirwoods of the north and beyond the Wall.

 

RECURRING IMAGE:  THE FACE AND RUIN

EXAMPLE #1

The Prologue/AGoT/Royce’s face “a ruin”.

“Will rose.

“Ser Waymar Royce stood over him. His fine clothes were a tatter, his face a ruin. A shard from his sword transfixed the blind white pupil of his left eye. The right eye was open. The pupil burned blue. It saw. The broken sword fell from nerveless fingers. Will closed his eyes to pray. Long, elegant hands brushed his cheek, then tightened around his throat. They were gloved in the finest moleskin and sticky with blood, yet the touch was icy cold” (AGoT 10-11).

EXAMPLE #2

Bran’s 3EC dream.

“There were shadows all around them. One shadow was dark as ash, with the terrible face of a hound. Another was armored like the sun, golden and beautiful. Over them both loomed a giant in armor made of stone, but when he opened his visor, there was nothing inside but darkness and thick black blood” (AGoT 161).

AN:  When studying the visual images of the faceless dead, and I am sure there are other examples I have missed, I speculate NOW on the giant in STONE ARMOR, but when we see beyond the visor, “nothing’ BUT darkness and thick black blood.

EXAMPLE #3

(See Above Evidence)  In ACoK:  Weese’s death mirrors aspects that depict him as ‘faceless’: the ugly dog eats his eyes, ravages his throat, nibbles on his ear, and attempts to gobble up his face.

EXAMPLE #4

Thistle’s violent reaction to V6S’s attempt to slip her skin in the Prologue of ADwD:

Thistle dances grotesquely and sheds bloody tears after she expels V6S, but she scratches out her eyes and bites off then spits out her own tongue.

EXAMPLE #5

The Night’s Watch party killed by Coldhands and the ravens in ADwD:

“A head staring sightlessly up at a horned moon, cheeks ripped and torn down to bloody bone, pits for eyes, neck ending in a ragged stump. A pool of frozen blood, glistening red and black”.

“Men.  The stink of them filled the world. . . Cloaked and hooded, once, but the wolves had torn their clothing into pieces . . ; Those who still had faces wore beards . . . (ADwD 67-68).

Bran says to Coldhands:  “You killed them.  You and the ravens.  Their faces were all torn, and their eyes were gone . . . they were your brothers.  I saw . . . Who are you?  Why are your hands black?” (ADwD 68).

Regarding Arya learning to control biting her lip, I give you this example from ADWD:

“She almost bit her lip again, but she caught herself and stopped” (837).

 

To prove Arya has exceeded Melesandre’s powers, from ADWD::

 “Wise men see through artifice, and glamors dissolve before  sharp eyes, but the face you are about to don will be as true and solid as that face you were born with” (843).

·       Arya has sharp eyes that have learned to detect a lie – she can spot lies and she can lie herself with a false face.

·       Mel’s glamors will dissolve before Arya’s sharp eyes.

We have three [maybe four] magically inspired facial alterations associated with the HoBaW:

1.    Artifice:  theatre makeup and costuming

2.    Glamors:   smoke and mirrors – maintaining an illusion of another, sort of like a hologram, but that is an analogy!  [In the Haunted Mansion ride located in the Disney theme parks, the holograms, or images of the ghosts, sit beside the riders as they exit, facing a mirror which is integral to the smoke and mirrors illusion being successful.]

3.    Faceless Men Hooding – the magic that allows Arya to change to the Ugly Girl.  This involves drinking a lemony “refreshment” from a cold cup to assist the awakening of  mystical gifts  in the Stark blood.  The drink allows Arya to transform just as her brother Bran “transforms” when he slips his skin to enter the roots of the weirwoods, then looksthrough the eyes carved in the trunks by the CotF.

4.    Warging:  a gift significant to Arya in the HoB&W, at least as far as we know.  I think the kindly priest knows ALL, like Bloodraven.  Arya wargs Nymeria across the Narrow Sea during her “Night Wolf” dreams.

5.    Skinchanging:  Arya is able to see through the eyes of a tomcat when her sight is taken away by the kindly man.

[LongRider]

Thanks for your thoughts Wizz and Evita.  We discussed the eating of human meat here before and also what Bran and party were given to eat from the CotF.  They have fed Bran their food so he's there by guest right I would think.  As such, I could see a case for no Jojen paste. 

Connecting Arya with water is interesting.  Bran is connected now with the WW trees and their roots.  He has literally gone to ground and I see his influence there, rooted if you will, in the trees and the mist that rises from the ground. 

But Bran's powers aren't all in full yet I think but he is stretching.  That's why his contact with Theon is important.  I like Evita your mention of the leaf touching Theon's brow.  A third eye for Theon, hmmmmm.  He certainly sees the world from a very view that he had before he sacked WF that's for sure. 

He could see the humanity and human tragedy that Janye had become.  Without that insight, he couldn't of rescued her and yes I do believe Bran played his part in that. 

edt; this was posted just as yours was, I'll read that tomorrow tho.  

[evita mgfs]

6 minutes ago, LongRider said:

Thanks for your thoughts Wizz and Evita.  We discussed the eating of human meat here before and also what Bran and party were given to eat from the CotF.  They have fed Bran their food so he's there by guest right I would think.  As such, I could see a case for no Jojen paste. 

Connecting Arya with water is interesting.  Bran is connected now with the WW trees and their roots.  He has literally gone to ground and I see his influence there, rooted if you will, in the trees and the mist that rises from the ground. 

But Bran's powers aren't all in full yet I think but he is stretching.  That's why his contact with Theon is important.  I like Evita your mention of the leaf touching Theon's brow.  A third eye for Theon, hmmmmm.  He certainly sees the world from a very view that he had before he sacked WF that's for sure. 

He could see the humanity and human tragedy that Janye had become.  Without that insight, he couldn't of rescued her and yes I do believe Bran played his part in that. 

edt; this was posted just as yours was, I'll read that tomorrow tho.  

Longrider:  Nice words!  Thanks.

I wanted to tell you what idea regarding Bran's influence on Theon I was most proud to make:  through Theon, Bran vicariously achieves aspects, or qualities, that Bran perceives are worthy of knights and the knighthood, as in his father's confessions of the greatest knight Ser Arthur Dayne:  Theon rescues the damsel in distress and observes a code of honor in doing so.  Does that make sense?

[LongRider]

On 12/19/2015 at 9:47 AM, LongRider said:

  Checking around I see that absolve =/= forgiveness.  Perhaps Bran absolved Theon of some of his sins, but is unable to forgive him?

 

9 hours ago, evita mgfs said:

I wanted to tell you what idea regarding Bran's influence on Theon I was most proud to make:  through Theon, Bran vicariously achieves aspects, or qualities, that Bran perceives are worthy of knights and the knighthood, as in his father's confessions of the greatest knight Ser Arthur Dayne:  Theon rescues the damsel in distress and observes a code of honor in doing so.  Does that make sense?

I brought my quote above forward because I think the two important things Bran did for Theon was to absolve Theon for sacking WF and to give Theon back his name.  If the Old Gods knew his name is Theon, then how could he be Reek anymore? 

I also think we must acknowledge that Theon does have his own agency and isn't just a puppet for Ramsay or Bran.  Rescuing Janye is good, but he could not have done it without the spear wives and they didn't give him much of a choice.  Plus he has alot more to make up for before he could be a knight me thinks. 

Bran calling him Theon, that was what was important in this scene (to me).  Theon doesn't need to be knighted and called Ser Theon, he just needs his name back.  More powerful in this series than kinghthood is the power of a person's name, and Bran had the power to give Theon what he really needed; the power of his own name. 

When I first read this series, one of the most wonderful passages was when Asha captures Theon and realizes who he is and he tells her  "Theon.  My name is Theon, you have to know your name."  But he couldn't get there without Bran, so that's what I see, Bran gave Theon his name back, that and the power of his name.

[Wizz-The-Smith]

16 hours ago, evita mgfs said:

Longrider and Wizz:  I found some of my notes that speak to our earlier discussions.  Wizz:  more "words are wind" and the old gods are listening- see how Weese's words to Arya come back to haunt him!

                                    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~snip~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hey Evita!  More great work, this is very interesting.  I love what you unravel regards Weese, ''words are wind' indeed.    And the breakdown of the senses in Arya's arc are awesome, as are all the examples showing the face and its ruin.  On that note, I think I may have another one for you.  After reading Arya IV ASOS the other day looking for wind around HH, I remembered a face eating, so checked it out again.  It's a bit different, see what you think.  Here's the text..........

''The Mountain lost half his men at the Stone Mill, we hear.  Might be this Tickler's floating down the Red Fork even now, with fish biting at his face.''  

Arya of course kills the Tickler herself a few chapters later, not long before she uses Jaqen's faceless man coin to get to Braavos.  I thought this worth a post anyway. 

As a side note, I don't have a great deal of time tonight, but I saw some other things after reading your post that grabbed me as well.  Text with insinuations around the senses. 

Thoros says 'just so' at the beginning of the chapter, and later we get 'Well, Arya could watch as well. Syrio Forel had taught her how.'

She smells the 'stinky sweet stuff' in the bath.  And we get the flirty, touchy roll around the smithy between Gendry an Arya, it starts with..................... ''Nice though. A nice oak tree.''  He stepped closer, and sniffed at her. ''You even smell nice for a change.''.......................... ''You don't.  You stink.''  Arya pushed him back...........

There's talk of food and then as they arrive we get.......''though she gave them a 'tongue' lashing for dragging a young girl through the war.

Talk of eyes.........''And the eyes, the eyes were jet and lapis and mother-of-pearl, they pried them out with their knives.  May the Mother have mercy on them all.''

Ears.........''Such talk is not for ears, milady.''

As I mentioned, a had a once over quick look and am probably missing loads of stuff.  But thought all this interesting after reading your post.  Anyway, thanks again for the post I loved it.     

[evita mgfs]

On 3/26/2016 at 10:40 PM, Wizz-The-Smith said:

snip..

She did not intend to enter.  Instead she perched atop a wooden piling twenty yards away as the blustery wind tugged at her cloak with ghostly fingers.  Even on a cold grey day like this, the harbour was a busy place....................  A red priest swept past, his scarlet and crimson robes snapping in the wind.

So as Arya eyes her target the lack of mist/fog is replaced by the 'blustery wind that tugs at her cloak with ghostly fingers.'  This is of course almost the same text as George used to describe Bran in the wind when 'pulling Theon's hood with ghostly fingers.  This is all very cool, how far can these powers potentially go?  

There is also another grey reference, and interestingly the wind snapping around a red priests robe.  We have seen the wind playing with Mel's robes as well in Jon's chapters, perhaps nothing but again maybe worth noting.  Anyway, I think these thoughts are worth consideration and fit well with what you've found surrounding the mist/fog/elements.   

There is obviously a lot more in these chapters, but your Mercy/mist post had me thinking.  I will continue to search, and I have plenty to read and reply to in the meanwhile.  Thanks as ever for your hard work!      

    

Wizz-The-Smith:  I am continuing my analysis of your earlier most excellent post, so I hope this backtracking is not confusing.

Finally, once Arya is positioned to take out the old man we get some familiar text......................

She did not intend to enter.  Instead she perched atop a wooden piling twenty yards away as the blustery wind tugged at her cloak with ghostly fingers.  Even on a cold grey day like this, the harbour was a busy place....................  A red priest swept past, his scarlet and crimson robes snapping in the wind.

So as Arya eyes her target the lack of mist/fog is replaced by the 'blustery wind that tugs at her cloak with ghostly fingers.'  This is of course almost the same text as George used to describe Bran in the wind when 'pulling Theon's hood with ghostly fingers.  This is all very cool, how far can these powers potentially go?  

·        I think the above is an awesome catch – on point as well! Martin employs the verb “perched” which is a nod to the verbs he uses when describing Bran early in AGoT and ACoK, all those delightful bird images that link Bran to the crows he joins when climbing at Winterfell and when watching the goings-on from his bedroom window.

·        The Starks seem to share aspects of their gifts among each other, even though their journeys are separate, Martin still manages to connect them through his carefully selected language patterns.

There is also another grey reference, and interestingly the wind snapping around a red priests robe.  We have seen the wind playing with Mel's robes as well in Jon's chapters, perhaps nothing but again maybe worth noting.  Anyway, I think these thoughts are worth consideration and fit well with what you've found surrounding the mist/fog/elements.   

·        I will have to look for these references regarding the red priest’s robes and Mel’s as well.  I have written about Martin’s clear use of his theatre motif when describing Mel’s visions in her flames.  Wait – I will see if I can put my hand on my Mel file!

·        What luck – here it is!

"The flames crackled softly, and in their crackling she heard the whispered name Jon Snow. His long face floated before her, limned in tongues of red and orange, appearing and disappearing again, a shadow half-seen behind a fluttering curtain. Now he was a man, now a wolf, now a man again. But the skulls were here as well, the skulls were all around him. Melisandre had seen his danger before, had tried to warn the boy of it. Enemies all around him, daggers in the dark. He would not listen."

I parsed these lines for the significance of the wording. These words are smartly written, and I think they give some evidence, although I am just offering an opinion.

First, note that Martin employs a theatre motif with Mel, her glamors that disguise people in costume and Martin’s language denotes a staged show:

she heard the whispered name Jon Snow

• Whispering is associated with the theatre for an audience must be silent, and if they speak, their words should be whispers.

• Actors whisper back stage giving directions and preparing for their entrance, etc.

a fluttering curtain.

• Her flames provide stage lighting;

• When  Mel gazes into the flames, she often sees visions. So, Martin compares the flames to stage curtains which open when the show begins, only in the case of Melisandre, her hungry flames expose several visions.

Appearing and disappearing
A magician makes things disappear and reappear:

a shadow half-seen behind

I immediately thought SHADE from Homer. Look at what the Wiki says:

• In literature and poetry, a shade (translating Greek σκιά Latin umbra) can be taken to mean the spirit or ghost of a dead person, residing in the underworld.

• The image of an underworld where the dead live in shadow is common to the Ancient Near East, in Biblical Hebrew expressed by the term tsalmaveth, literally "death-shadow" The Witch of Endor in the First Book of Samuel notably conjures the ghost (owb) of Samuel.

• Perhaps Mel’s vision, in this context, tells us that Jon Snow is DEAD when she sees him – he is already a shade. [She cannot see the death-shadow accurately]

• Her vision is speaking to the fact that Jon is wolf = wolf is Jon.

Now he was a man, now a wolf, now a man again

• Mel misinterprets her vision. Jon in death will move from JON to WOLF; then WOLF will move back to JON.

• Martin intimates this will be done magically – for the theatre terms indicate it is like a magic show – so abracadabra! Jon is dead. Jon is Ghost.

• In theatre, these would be interchangeable masks: Ghost returns Jon to Ghost.

Enemies all around him, daggers in the dark.

Mel sees how Jon dies, [but she doesn't realize it] as well as the men who killed him. [She earlier offered to give him their names].

Since the entire context of this passage is a magic show in miniature, whose magic will “assist” Ghost in returning Jon back to his dead body?

The most logical choice is Ghost – with the help of his own brother Bran. Bran knows – the birds always mentioned in the rafters of the halls are keeping an eye on what’s going on.

Ghost = BR = Bran =CotF=Weirwood trees and their faces=the old gods.

After breaking down the wording here, it seems clearer now that she misinterpreted what she sees, as she has before.

There is obviously a lot more in these chapters, but your Mercy/mist post had me thinking.  I will continue to search, and I have plenty to read and reply to in the meanwhile.  Thanks as ever for your hard work!      

THANK YOU!!! WIZZ-THE-SMITH!!! YOU HAVE HELPED REVIVE MY IDEAS AND SPURRED ME ON WITH A RENEWED CONFIDENCE I OFTEN LACK!

 

[evita mgfs]

On 3/27/2016 at 1:03 AM, ravenous reader said:

My post disappeared when I tried to edit it, so let me try again...

Spoken like a true direwolf!  Likewise, you too have given me much food for thought in return...much to digest!  Sorry it's taking me a while to get back to you and do justice to your commentary following on from my post; also saw your direwolf re-read contribution.  Herewith, a few preliminary thoughts, with more to follow.  I love the blood-warg connection you've made, particularly as it relates to Bran, Rob, and even Catelyn...  Metaphysically, it's the First-men/CoTF equivalent of Targaryen blood-magic, which allows them to bond almost telepathically with their wolves and dragons, respectively.

Further to Catelyn's spiritual journey which we began discussing, you ingeniously point out how Catelyn is initiated into the mysteries via a blood 'baptism' (very Tully-like too that immersion, come to think of it), the elements of blood and fire and words (the rare, sacred texts go up in flames in the torched library, symbolizing an 'ignition of understanding'; similarly facilitated by the catalysts of blood and fire, there is an ignition of understanding/sacred communion between Catelyn, Summer, and Bran) all playing their part, as with the Targaryens. 

snip

 

RAVENOUS READER:  ANOTHER MOST IMPRESSIVE CONTRIBUTION!  GREAT WORK?

GRRRRR- From one direwolf gal to another:  GrrrrrEAT!

I am breaking down your analysis into sections and reacting.  I hope my backtracking is not too confusing, but I believe GRRRRREAT words need to be repeated!

  On 3/24/2016 at 2:31 AM, evita mgfs said:

a meaty piece of prose that Martin so expertly phrases and that you strategically found to share here!  I could reallysink my teeth into this

Spoken like a true direwolf!  Likewise, you too have given me much food for thought in return...much to digest!  Sorry it's taking me a while to get back to you and do justice to your commentary following on from my post; also saw your direwolf re-read contribution.  Herewith, a few preliminary thoughts, with more to follow.  I love the blood-warg connection you've made, particularly as it relates to Bran, Rob, and even Catelyn...  Metaphysically, it's the First-men/CoTF equivalent of Targaryen blood-magic, which allows them to bond almost telepathically with their wolves and dragons, respectively.

·        I am sure the connection between the Starks is both telepathic and empathic.  See the following from “Visions in a Wolf Dream” -

Who Calls Jon?

 

“Jon?

“The call came from behind him, softer than a whisper, but strong too. Can a shout be silent? He turned his head, searching for his brother, for a glimpse of a lean grey shape moving beneath the trees, but there was nothing, only...

“A weirwood”.

·        Martin does not enclose Jon in quotation marks, yet he distinguishes Jon with italics, which separates dialogue from a character’s inner thoughts and feelings.  Bran sends his call for Jon to the minds of both Jon and Ghost. 

·        Bran’s green magic appoints him as a telepathist who communicates directly from his mind to another’s, an extrasensory exercise Bran achieves by utilizing Ghost as the conduit and a dream as the platform to meet and to share with his brother Jon as a warg.

·        Martin selects words with care, employing singular masculine pronouns as references that have no clearly printed antecedents separating wolf from boy. Martin demonstrates that wolf and warg are truly of one mind, one spirit, instinct and intellect married by a shared past with mystical influences at work.  Together they endure both emotional and physical pain.

“The call came from behind him, softer than a whisper, but strong too. Can a shout be silent?”

·        Ghost responds to the call name for Jon? as if the call name is his own, which is Ghost.   Regardless of hearing “Jon”, Ghost expects to see his own grey brother, as in his grey direwolf brother, even though Ghost surely knows that any one of his pack does not speak with words, does not call out names, does not whisper secrets, and does not shout into the silence. 

·        Martin pens a brilliant moment of suspense as a transition that provokes anticipation among Ghost, the warg Jon, and the readers who literally and/or figuratively “turn” with or AS Ghost, eagerly awaiting a lean grey direwolf. 

·        Alas, for a heartbeat, Martin fools those in the moment with shared disappointment that he colors with unflattering commentary:  “nothing” and “only” are not winning words by way of an introduction to the greenseer behind the weirwood. 

“Can a shout be silent?”

·        The silent shout emphasizes Bran’s telepathy. 

·        Martin does not mention that the tree has a mouth, and through omission, the author makes clear that Bran does not need a carved mouth to speak words when he can use thoughts; therefore, Jon and Ghost hear Bran’s voice not with their ears.

The Weirwood

“It seemed to sprout from solid rock, its pale roots twisting up from a myriad of fissures and hairline cracks. The tree was slender compared to other weirwoods he had seen, no more than a sapling, yet it was growing as he watched, its limbs thickening as they reached for the sky. Wary, he circled the smooth white trunk until he came to the face. Red eyes looked at him. Fierce eyes they were, yet glad to see him. The weirwood had his brother’s face. Had his brother always had three eyes?”  [ACoK  766].

·        When Bran first meaningfully connects with Jon, he inhabits a weirwood sapling.

·        Jon observes the tree maturing rapidly, a visual metaphor of Bran’s accelerated “intake” of greenseeing knowledge compared to the physical growth of a weirwood from a sapling and beyond.  The expanding tree limbs that extend toward the sky are the greenseer’s arms spreading wide and shooting upward as if stretching far beyond other trees to grasp the greatest enlightenment.

·        The visibly growing weirwood Jon sees resembles the rapidly moving visions that Bran experiences through the eyes of Winterfell’s heart tree.  Bran watches trees dwindle and vanish through the “mists of centuries” [ADwD 460].

·        Bran’s learning takes place on a field of time according to a weirwood:  “a thousand human years” equal “a moment to a weirwood”’ [ADwD 458].

·        Bran’s red weirwood eyes mirror Ghost’s, “When the direwolf raised his head, his eyes glowed red and baleful, and water streamed from his jaws like slaver.  There was something fierce and terrible about him” [ACoK 516].

·        Their ferocity is symptomatic of visionaries, prophets, priests, and priestesses.  And, after experiencing visions, these mystics may have a loss of consciousness, physical weakness, intense thirst, temporary confusion, memory loss, and difficulty speaking.

·        Martin gives readers a glimpse of how a weirwood ages from the surface of Planetos, but Martin mentions very little as to the labyrinthine roots that embrace Bran in his weirwood throne.

·        The weirwood, at varying stages of growth, is and will be the symbolic representation of Bran the greenseer when he visits the dreams of his siblings through their direwolves.  Lord Brynden reaches Bran through dreams during which he wears the skin of a three-eyed crow, the bird that commands Bran to choose:  fly or die! The crow wakes Bran, kissing his forehead with a peck – a “dream” pain that Bran feels still upon waking.  The Three-Eyed Crow wants Bran to open his third eye, and an intense moment of physical discomfort in a dream may serve as a waking memory later.

·        The parallels between Bran’s first three-eyed crow dream and Jon’s wolf-dream are many, but both tree and crow impress the importance of opening the third eye.

 

Bran Answers What Jon Thinks

“Had his [Jon’s] brother [Bran] always had three eyes?

“’Not always’, came the silent shout.  ‘Not before the crow’” [ACoK  766].

Martin demonstrates Bran’s telepathic powers because after Jon Snow thinks:  “Had his brother always had three eyes?”  Bran answers, “’Not always’, came the silent shout.  ‘Not before the crow’”.  For the second time, Martin refers to the silent shout pertaining to Bran’s thoughts, which Martin conveniently italicizes.

Further to Catelyn's spiritual journey which we began discussing, you ingeniously point out how Catelyn is initiated into the mysteries via a blood 'baptism' (very Tully-like too that immersion, come to think of it), the elements of blood and fire and words (the rare, sacred texts go up in flames in the torched library, symbolizing an 'ignition of understanding'; similarly facilitated by the catalysts of blood and fire, there is an ignition of understanding/sacred communion between Catelyn, Summer, and Bran) all playing their part, as with the Targaryens. 

·        I LOVE THIS bit about the sacred texts.  I had once compared the destructive fire in Winterfell’s library to a similar historical loss with the fire in the Library of Alexandria, Egypt:

“The Library of Alexandria was one of the largest and most significant libraries of the ancient world. Famous for having been burned, thus resulting in the loss of many scrolls and books, it has become a symbol of "knowledge and culture destroyed." Although there is a tradition of the burning of the Library at Alexandria, the library may have suffered several fires or acts of destruction, of varying degrees, over many years. Different cultures may have blamed each other throughout history, or distanced their ancestors from responsibility, and therefore leaving conflicting and inconclusive fragments from ancient sources on the exact details of the destruction. Experts differ on when books in the actual library were destroyed. Manuscripts were probably burned in stages over eight centuries”  [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Destruction_of_the_Library_of_Alexandria].

[evita mgfs]

On 3/27/2016 at 0:55 AM, ravenous reader said:

snip

The 'dark' side of this 'baptism' or 'communion' got me thinking about the symbology of the Christian rite of Communion (most prominent in Catholicism), in which the congregants ingest a communion wafer and sip red wine from the sacred chalice, representing the 'body' and 'blood' of Christ, respectively.  By ingesting 'the body and the blood,' they become one with God, and one with each other -- hence, 'communion' (the latter is represented by the congregants sharing the same batch of wafers and drinking from the same cup as each other, and of course recapitulates 'the last supper' of Christ before he was crucified). 

In this relatively sanitized ritual, paradoxically, higher knowledge is achieved at the expense of the repression of another less palatable knowledge -- namely that 'communion' is only possible at the expense of another's life (in this context, Christ's life), hinting at none other than a trope of cannibalism its heart.  The boundaries of this 'trope,' separating literal from figurative 'cannibalism,' have become uncomfortably strained, even amongst Catholic adherents, some of whom still believe in the 'trans-substantiation,' i.e. that the bread and wine is literally transformed into Christ's physical body and blood (when a gong/bell is chimed), and therefore that one literally ingests another's physical body and blood, while others instead prefer a less literal interpretation of the mysteries.  Should this sound far-fetched, consider the dark shadow hanging over the ritual as revealed indirectly, by the pedantic attention the priests give to washing their hands in a basin of holy water, purifying themselves (of a certain 'sinfulness,' presumably), before and/or after the offerant is raised up and received for consumption (as additional evidence thereof, the ritual takes place on the altar, like a  table, and the priests dry their hands on a white cloth, like a serviette/napkin, following washing off the stain associated with that sacrificial consumption).   

Likewise, the trope of cannibalism as a vehicle of spiritual transcendence features prominently in GRRM's work.  As you correctly point out, Summer and Catelyn share a blood meal with each other, thereby reaching a new level of mutual understanding, after which Summer does Catelyn the courtesy of washing off her stain of cannibalism (she sank her teeth into the 'bread' of the assailant's arm, and tasted the man's blood!)  Thus, Summer is both co-congregant and priest to Catelyn in the ritual communion, as he initiates her into the mysteries of the old gods.  I particularly love how you develop the idea of the 'outside wolf' becoming the 'inside wolf,' visually represented by Catelyn's in-gestion of the man's flesh and blood, whereby she feeds her own personal inner she-wolf, and emerges with renewed strength and purpose.  A further possible example of cannibalism, one which is particularly disturbing, is the 'acorn paste' (? of the so-called 'Jojen-paste' theories) ingested by Bran at the weirwood, in order to awaken his greenseeing capacaties.  I'm sure you can think of other examples. 

Nice citing of the irony.  From the first, however, Ghost's mutism, in addition to being a debility is also presented as a strength.  Of all the direwolves, Ghost is singled out as the only one without a voice; however, we are also told that despite this apparent 'shortcoming' he is the first wolf to open his eyes and move about.  Although Ghost may be mute, he is not blind like the others, allowing him therefore greater freedom of movement to explore his environment and make his own choices. Significantly, one of his first choices is to choose Jon:

Perhaps on account of his mutism, Ghost's other faculties have become overdeveloped, his remaining senses heightened-- including presumably the magical senses.  Whereas the other direwolf pups were found, i.e. they were passive, Ghost is the only pup who himself actively found and chose Jon.  Moreover, he was able to communicate to Jon, hinting at some pre-existent telepathic connection.

snip

RAVENOUS READER:  OMG! OMG!  Remember how I said that we were kindred spirits?  You have to check out my thread on the Blood Motif because your words mirror mine!  I just about died when I read your insijghts here.  You obviously know Martin was Catholic, albeit jaded, as am I, but I attended parochial school and suffered through the sacraments of which you have so expertly detailed.

ANOTHER GRRRRRRRRRREAT POST HERE!

http://asoiaf.westeros.org/index.php?/topic/94439-the-blood-motif-in-asoiafsymbolismanalysispatterns/

 

The 'dark' side of this 'baptism' or 'communion' got me thinking about the symbology of the Christian rite of Communion (most prominent in Catholicism), in which the congregants ingest a communion wafer and sip red wine from the sacred chalice, representing the 'body' and 'blood' of Christ, respectively.  By ingesting 'the body and the blood,' they become one with God, and one with each other -- hence, 'communion' (the latter is represented by the congregants sharing the same batch of wafers and drinking from the same cup as each other, and of course recapitulates 'the last supper' of Christ before he was crucified). 

GRRRRRREAT STUFF!

In this relatively sanitized ritual, paradoxically, higher knowledge is achieved at the expense of the repression of another less palatable knowledge -- namely that 'communion' is only possible at the expense of another's life (in this context, Christ's life), hinting at none other than a trope of cannibalism its heart.  The boundaries of this 'trope,' separating literal from figurative 'cannibalism,' have become uncomfortably strained, even amongst Catholic adherents, some of whom still believe in the 'trans-substantiation,' i.e. that the bread and wine is literally transformed into Christ's physical body and blood (when a gong/bell is chimed), and therefore that one literally ingests another's physical body and blood, while others instead prefer a less literal interpretation of the mysteries.  Should this sound far-fetched, consider the dark shadow hanging over the ritual as revealed indirectly, by the pedantic attention the priests give to washing their hands in a basin of holy water, purifying themselves (of a certain 'sinfulness,' presumably), before and/or after the offerant is raised up and received for consumption (as additional evidence thereof, the ritual takes place on the altar, like a  table, and the priests dry their hands on a white cloth, like a serviette/napkin, following washing off the stain associated with that sacrificial consumption).   

MORE GRRRRRREAT STUFF!

Likewise, the trope of cannibalism as a vehicle of spiritual transcendence features prominently in GRRM's work.  As you correctly point out, Summer and Catelyn share a blood meal with each other, thereby reaching a new level of mutual understanding, after which Summer does Catelyn the courtesy of washing off her stain of cannibalism (she sank her teeth into the 'bread' of the assailant's arm, and tasted the man's blood!)  Thus, Summer is both co-congregant and priest to Catelyn in the ritual communion, as he initiates her into the mysteries of the old gods.  I particularly love how you develop the idea of the 'outside wolf' becoming the 'inside wolf,' visually represented by Catelyn's in-gestion of the man's flesh and blood, whereby she feeds her own personal inner she-wolf, and emerges with renewed strength and purpose.  A further possible example of cannibalism, one which is particularly disturbing, is the 'acorn paste' (? of the so-called 'Jojen-paste' theories) ingested by Bran at the weirwood, in order to awaken his greenseeing capacaties.  I'm sure you can think of other examples. 

·       I debunked Jojen Paste long ago on the forum when I so rightly pointed out that it would be a violation of the sacred laws of hospitality, a sin that the CotF are unlikely to commit to guests with whom they have shared meals.

  On 3/24/2016 at 2:31 AM, evita mgfs said:

“She [Catelyn]  lifted her hand, trembling. The wolf padded closer, sniffed at her fingers, then licked at the blood with a wet rough tongue. When it had cleaned all the blood off her hand, it turned away silently and jumped up on Bran's bed and lay down beside him” (133).

 

Summer gently tends to Catelyn’s hand, a remarkable turn of events considering Catelyn’s fear of the beast she assumed meant her child harm.  Summer licks Catelyn’s fingers, cleansing them with his saliva to remove the dead man’s blood.

 

Even though Catelyn’s defensive wounds will leave a permanent scar, Summer’s healing powersstay off excessive bleeding and sterilize the deep cut, preventing infection. 

 

Because of Catelyn and Summer’s mystical communion, Catelyn’s suspicions and fears aresymbolically “licked away” along with the blood.  Summer uses his tongue, not his teeth, on Catelyn’s “trembling” hand.   Afterward, she permits the “outside” wolf to assume his place “inside” Bran’s once forbidden sickroom. Summer exercises his new liberties by jumping atop Bran’s bed to nestle close to the unconscious child.  Summer situates himself as an equal occupant of the room where once Bran slept alone.

 

The far-reaching consequence of Catelyn’s complete “turnaround” regarding Summer is that she trusts that the direwolves are divinely sent and motivated.  Catelyn demonstrates her renewed strength by leaving Bran’s side for the first time in weeks.

 

  On 3/24/2016 at 2:31 AM, evita mgfs said:

The southron Lady, a Tully from Riverrun, is symbolically baptized in blood.  Moreover, Catelyn tastes the enemy’s blood: “The wolf was looking at her.  Its jaws were red and wet and its eyes glowed golden in the dark room.    It was Bran’s wolf, she realized.  Of course it was”. Moreover, Catelyn reaches for the wolf and speaks as though Summer is capable of understanding words:  ‘Thank you,’ Catelyn whispered, her voice faint and tiny” (133). 

 

Spilling blood is the unifying device that draws Catelyn and Summer together, and Martin details that woman and wolf taste the warm blood of a fresh “kill”.  Consequently, blood seemingly endows Catelyn with greater insight

 

 

  On 3/24/2016 at 2:31 AM, evita mgfs said:

The sad irony is that Grey Wind is blessed with a voice to communicate a warning, and Ghost has only his curled lip and a flash of white teeth with which to impress Jon, although Ghost employs elements in his surroundings with which to make noise to attract Jon, such as lapping water from a stream and scrabbling rocks to dig a hole.  Ghost trains Jon’s ears to be on the alert for other sounds at the direwolf’s disposal.  A man must listen in order to hear

Nice citing of the irony.  From the first, however, Ghost's mutism, in addition to being a debility is also presented as a strength.  Of all the direwolves, Ghost is singled out as the only one without a voice; however, we are also told that despite this apparent 'shortcoming' he is the first wolf to open his eyes and move about.  Although Ghost may be mute, he is not blind like the others, allowing him therefore greater freedom of movement to explore his environment and make his own choices. Significantly, one of his first choices is to choose Jon:

I love this stuff!  Here is an excerpt from my “Visions in a Wolf Dream”:

The Sounds of Silence

Celebrated fantasy author George R.R. Martin scatters clues among deeply symbolic layers of prose narratives in novels that he styles A Song of Ice and Fire Series much like an expert gardener sows metaphoric seeds that take root and prosper.  Just so, Bran’s escalating greenseeing powers are the seeds that flourish under Martin’s ministrations. The author seemingly tempts readers to dig deep and reach far if they endeavor to unearth the evidences that document the scope of Bran’s magic. Even in those novels preceding A Dance with Dragons, Martin buries treasures awaiting discovery that only comes from returning to the beginning with the knowledge needed for insightful rereading.

Jon’s POVs throughout A Clash of Kings are noteworthy on many levels of analysis, but in regards to literary techniques, Martin favors engaging sensory elements to augment his descriptions of characters, of environments, and of “things” in general, conscientiously and artistically choosing words that he arranges into sentences, then paragraphs, to animate a fantasy world and its colorful populace. 

Martin makes the intangible tangible, relating for his readers what they know as familiar in order to evocate the unfamiliar.  Martin summons his fans to feel the biting cold of the Wall and beyond, to taste the potent sweetness of summerwine, to see Valyrian steel spill hot red blood on clean white snow, and to smell moist earth, sour perspiration, and wet fur. 

However, in Jon’s seventh ACoK narrative, while retaining particulars of the sensory perceptions associated with the tactile, the taste, the visual, and the olfactory, Martin showcases the auditory, employing distinctive sounds more acute when Martin places them strategically between silences.

Illustrations of sound and silence are integral to Jon’s POVs in ACoK, and Martin attaches significance to the auditory during the rangers’ upward trek of the Skirling Pass, traveling on one of many steep, narrow paths lined with walls of rock.  Moving silently and in single file, the men hear the wind blowing through the mountain rock, causing the “skirling”, a shrill, mournful sound similar to bagpiping. Jon Snow observes, “The wind cut like a knife up here, and shrilled in the night like a mother mourning her slain children” (ACoK 739).

Amid the sounds and the silences of nature and men, Jon’s direwolf Ghost remains silent, a point Martin reaffirms throughout Jon’s POVs.  However, at the zenith of the Skirling Pass and under a rock archway, Jon sleeps only to hear Ghost break his silence, finally finding his voice to sing to his pack. Consequently, the boy inside the wolf shares his acute feelings of loss for his littermates, five brothers and a sister.  So great is his longing for his family, the otherwise silent Ghost announces his mourning with a direwolf’s voice, howling into the night sky: “his [Ghost’s] cry echoed through the forest, a long lonely mournful sound” [ACoK  765].

Martin fittingly chooses the Skirling Pass, known for its keening, as a setting for Ghost’s melancholy song.  The narrow pathway through which a warg is symbolically born serves as a metaphoric birth canal, and Bran the budding greenseer assists at the delivery of Jon’s warg spirit, which is marked by Ghost finding his voice. 

More later – I love all that you have to say – good job!

[evita mgfs]

On 3/27/2016 at 0:55 AM, ravenous reader said:

snip

The idea of developing 'the Sight' -- truly seeing and listening, and by implication communicating --is also detailed in Arya's arc, first with Syrio, who emphasizes seeing what is there (sometimes a cat is only a cat..!), not what one wishes to find (ones own illusions), nor being led astray in ones judgment by misdirection (the illusions of others); followed by her rigorous and brutal faceless-men training, in which all ones senses are successively stripped from one, in order to develop the remaining senses (because of this experience, Arya also develops her special, magic senses like warging):

More to come soon!

Halfway across the bridge, Jon pulled up suddenly.

"Can't you hear it?"

Bran could hear the wind in the trees, the clatter of their hooves on the ironwood planks, the whimpering of his hungry pup, but Jon was listening to something else.

"There," Jon said. He swung his horse around and galloped back across the bridge. They watched him dismount where the direwolf lay dead in the snow, watched him kneel. A moment later he was riding back to them, smiling.

He must have crawled away from the others," Jon said.

"Or been driven away," their father said, looking at the sixth pup. His fur was white, where the rest of the litter was grey. His eyes were as red as the blood of the ragged man who had died that morning. Bran thought it curious that this pup alone would have opened his eyes while the others were still blind.

Perhaps on account of his mutism, Ghost's other faculties have become overdeveloped, his remaining senses heightened-- including presumably the magical senses.  Whereas the other direwolf pups were found, i.e. they were passive, Ghost is the only pup who himself actively found and chose Jon.  Moreover, he was able to communicate to Jon, hinting at some pre-existent telepathic connection.

GRRRRREAT!

The idea of developing 'the Sight' -- truly seeing and listening, and by implication communicating --is also detailed in Arya's arc, first with Syrio, who emphasizes seeing what is there (sometimes a cat is only a cat..!), not what one wishes to find (ones own illusions), nor being led astray in ones judgment by misdirection (the illusions of others); followed by her rigorous and brutal faceless-men training, in which all ones senses are successively stripped from one, in order to develop the remaining senses (because of this experience, Arya also develops her special, magic senses like warging):

GRRRRREAT!

In spite of AND BECAUSE OF her training, her warging and skin-changing nature awakens and strengthens.  Although many do not agree with my supposition that the forces of the godhood of which Bran is now a part guides Arya with a purpose to Braavos, I do!  Arya’s training is by design as the powers that be in Braavos need her especial abilities; the kindly man surely knows he has a warg and skinchanger on his hands.

KINDLY MAN = LORD BRYNDEN

WAIF = LEAF

Now, maybe with your brilliant insight and perceptivity you can tell me WHY Arya NEVER LOOKS IN HER MYRISH MIRROR when the kindly man first gives her a new face?

After all her training before it, learning to command her smile, she never looks in it again.  I think this means she has mastered her smile/face, which she uses to her advantage in “Mercy”.

Arya never even looks in her Myrish mirror because all she would see is Arya Stark, or No One, not the Ugly Girl. She can see through the glamor.  No one at the Wall sees through Mel's glamour, so Arya already has mastered certain deception skills.

Here’s more observations you have inspired;

I found lots of patterns in Jon’s POV, in Bran’s POV and in Arya’s POV.

After Bran looks through the weirnet for the first time, he sees his father cleaning Ice beneath the heart tree in WF.

Leaf tells Bran, “ ‘You saw what you wished to see. Your heart yearns for your father and your home, so that is what you saw’ (458).

“ ‘A man must look before he can hope to see . . . in time you will see beyond the trees themselves.’

‘When?’ Bran wanted to know.

‘In a year or three, or ten, that I have not glimpsed. It will come in

time . . .’”

 

Note that Arya also despairs in her training when the KOM puts off teaching her to change her face with the magic she witnesses in Jaqen. KOM says, “’All sorcery comes at a cost, child. Years of prayer and sacrifice and study are required to work a proper glamor.’

 

‘Years?’ she said, dismayed.

 

Quick point: Syrio’s lessons will suggest the link to the ‘heart yearning to see’ – through his Sealord story mentioned below.

 

Likewise, in AGoT, Syrio Forel educates Arya on “ ‘The seeing, the true seeing, that is the heart of it’” (531).

After Syrio’s story about how he became the first sword of Braavos through honestly reporting the TRUTH of the Sealord’s cat, Arya says, “You saw what was there.”

“ ‘Just so. Opening your eyes is all that is needing. The heart lies, and the head plays tricks on us, but the eyes see true . . . Look with your ears. Taste with your mouth. Smell with your nose. Feel with your skin. Then comes the thinking, afterward, and in that way knowing the truth’” (AGoT 531).

Similarly, Jojen, whom the three-eyed crow sends to Bran, tells him to OPEN HIS THIRD EYE:

“Open your eye.”

“They are open. Can’t you see?”

“Two are open.” Jojen points. “One, two.”

“I only have two.”

“You have three. The crow gave you the third, but you will not open it . . . with two eyes you see my face. With three you see my heart . . . ” (ACoK 437).

 

As the KOM names Arya “LIAR” in the HOB&W [“Who are you?” “No one.” “You lie” (AFfC 738) ], Jojen calls Bran “Warg. Shapeshifter. Beastling.” Jojen claims, “A knight is what you want. A warg is what you are . . you will never fly .. . Unless you open your eye.’ . . . Jojen puts two fingers together and pokes Bran in the forehead, hard” (ACoK 523).

 

Arya asks the KOM how he knows that she is lying:

“Is it magic?”

“A man does not need to be a wizard to know truth from falsehood, not if he has eyes. You need only learn to read a face. Look at the eyes. The mouth. The muscles . . . A false smile and a true one may look alike, but they are as different as dusk from dawn. Can you tell dusk from dawn? . . . Then you can learn to see a lie . . . and once you do, no secret will be safe from you” (AFfC 459). To which Arya responds, “Teach me.”

 

Notice Bran’s lament in DWD: “He had thought the three-eyed crow would be a sorcerer, a wise old wizard who could fix his legs, but that was some stupid child’s dream” (455). [bran’s irony is unconscious – he has no inkling BR had once been called ‘sorcerer’ and ‘wizard’ by some].

Also, Bran observes the eyes of the ravens in the warded cave – they are filled with secrets.

Regarding dreams, when Bran tells Jojen Maester Luwin says “there’s nothing in dreams to fear”, Jojen responds prophetically:

“The past. The future. The truth” (ACoK 523).

Back to Arya – she laments, “I don’t know any mummer’s tricks either.”

 

“Then practice making faces. Beneath tour skin are muscles. Learn to use them. It is your face. Your cheeks, your lips, your ears [Almost word for word Syrio: “Look with your ears. Taste with your mouth. Smell with your nose. Feel with your skin.” ] Smiles and scowls should not come upon you like summer squalls. A smile should be a servant, and come only when you call it. Learn to rule your face.”

 

“Show me how” (AFfC 463).

 

The KOM instructs Arya to train before a Myrish mirror one hour every day. “Eyes, nostrils, cheeks, ears, lips, learn to rule them all.”

So every morning and every night Arya sits before the mirror with a candle on each side of her, making faces. “ Rule your face, she told herself, and you can lie” (AFfC 463).

Aren’t these words mirroring each other? BR’s: “Choose one now and fly” (ADwD 450).

“ Rule your face, you can lie” / “Choose one now and fly”

 

Likewise, when Bran is alone, he tries to open his third eye, which parallels Arya learning to rule her face: “ . . . he wrinkled his forehead and poked at it, he couldn’t see any different than he’d done before” (ACoK 523). Jojen advises Bran to use his heart, not his fingers, to open his third eye, much like the KOM advises Arya to master her facial muscles in order to conceal emotion.

 

The KOM teaches Arya to detect lies in others and to train her facial muscles so others will not detect her lies. Through observation and practice, Arya learns to master secrets others hide and discern the truth all while “masking her own truths, ie, her true identity as Arya of House Stark which is hidden beneath a different face, or skin. [Note that when Bran surfs the weirnet, he is covered with ‘skins’ as well; and, at first, he looks through heart trees – back to Syrio’s “The heart lies, and the head plays tricks on us, but the eyes see true . . .”].

Likewise, Jojen wants Bran to open his third eye to seek the ‘truth’ – In Jojen’s lessons, he challenges Bran to examine his wolf and tree dreams, to confront his fears of falling, and to accept the truth about himself: that he is the winged wolf who must break free of Winterfell and learn to fly; that he is a greenseer and a warg who has been blessed by the old gods to see as they do while still mortal.

Just as Arya studies the art of glamor – illusion versus reality – Bran weds the weirwood to learn the truth that men forgot. As Arya wears a mask, so does Bran – he peers through the faces carved in the weirwoods.

Bran’s education is inert, Arya’s is active. Bran sits – he learns through an on-line college whereas Arya is attending a vocational institution. Bran surfs, Arya experiences [sort of]. Both will be an instrument of some force; both will assert their superiority by mastery of knowledge albeit through differing methodology; both will serve a purpose. However, the knowledge they acquire may be the same, they will most likely ‘implement it’ in different ways.

I am going to continue, but maybe I will address comments you and others make and add less of my own for time’s sake.  I will never get caught up if I do not stop my writing.

 

More to come . . .

[evita mgfs]

10 hours ago, LongRider said:

 

I brought my quote above forward because I think the two important things Bran did for Theon was to absolve Theon for sacking WF and to give Theon back his name.  If the Old Gods knew his name is Theon, then how could he be Reek anymore? 

I also think we must acknowledge that Theon does have his own agency and isn't just a puppet for Ramsay or Bran.  Rescuing Janye is good, but he could not have done it without the spear wives and they didn't give him much of a choice.  Plus he has alot more to make up for before he could be a knight me thinks. 

Bran calling him Theon, that was what was important in this scene (to me).  Theon doesn't need to be knighted and called Ser Theon, he just needs his name back.  More powerful in this series than kinghthood is the power of a person's name, and Bran had the power to give Theon what he really needed; the power of his own name. 

When I first read this series, one of the most wonderful passages was when Asha captures Theon and realizes who he is and he tells her  "Theon.  My name is Theon, you have to know your name."  But he couldn't get there without Bran, so that's what I see, Bran gave Theon his name back, that and the power of his name.

I absolutely agree!  My commentary was that Bran exercises knightly behavior in his inspiration of Theon, not that he wants to knight Theon.  Because Bran is crippled, at this time, anyway, [and not in the HBO series where he is pictured in screen caps mounted on horseback], he can not achieve his dream of becoming a knight. 

In a similar manner, Bran skinchanges with Hodor to do battle with a sword, so Bran makes use of Hodor's body [rather selfishly, I might add] to attain a level of battle that he might have if he had not been crippled.

As far as Bran restoring Theon's identity, I agree.  As far as Theon not being anyone's puppet, I hope this proves true in the future.  He certainly needed the spearwives to assist him, and I did not mean to discount their contribution to the saving of Jeyne Poole.

Earlier, I said that Bran has a tendency to want to enable "broken things", like himself.  This is part of his gift of empathy.

I also do not think that Bran needs to warg Nymeria to reach Arya.  Instead, Bran utilizes a "dream platform" while Arya is warged in her night wolf guise to reach her across the Narrow Sea.  The warg relationship that the Starks share by virtue of their blood is the conduit by which Bran can achieve his telepathic and empathetic communications.

I also read in a Martin interview that "Mercy" was to appear in ADwD, not in TWoW.  I cannot find my source - but I will keep looking.  The theme of "mercy" in Theon's POVs relates strongly to a similar theme in "Mercy", albeit Arya denies her victim that which Bran so generously bestows upon Theon, when Theon asks for such in his prayers.

The "Name": theme resonates in Arya's POVs as well - as it does in Sansa's and other POVs.  Very good point, Longrider!

[evita mgfs]

4 hours ago, Wizz-The-Smith said:

Hey Evita!  More great work, this is very interesting.  I love what you unravel regards Weese, ''words are wind' indeed.    And the breakdown of the senses in Arya's arc are awesome, as are all the examples showing the face and its ruin.  On that note, I think I may have another one for you.  After reading Arya IV ASOS the other day looking for wind around HH, I remembered a face eating, so checked it out again.  It's a bit different, see what you think.  Here's the text..........

''The Mountain lost half his men at the Stone Mill, we hear.  Might be this Tickler's floating down the Red Fork even now, with fish biting at his face.''  

Arya of course kills the Tickler herself a few chapters later, not long before she uses Jaqen's faceless man coin to get to Braavos.  I thought this worth a post anyway. 

As a side note, I don't have a great deal of time tonight, but I saw some other things after reading your post that grabbed me as well.  Text with insinuations around the senses. 

Thoros says 'just so' at the beginning of the chapter, and later we get 'Well, Arya could watch as well. Syrio Forel had taught her how.'

She smells the 'stinky sweet stuff' in the bath.  And we get the flirty, touchy roll around the smithy between Gendry an Arya, it starts with..................... ''Nice though. A nice oak tree.''  He stepped closer, and sniffed at her. ''You even smell nice for a change.''.......................... ''You don't.  You stink.''  Arya pushed him back...........

There's talk of food and then as they arrive we get.......''though she gave them a 'tongue' lashing for dragging a young girl through the war.

Talk of eyes.........''And the eyes, the eyes were jet and lapis and mother-of-pearl, they pried them out with their knives.  May the Mother have mercy on them all.''

Ears.........''Such talk is not for ears, milady.''

As I mentioned, a had a once over quick look and am probably missing loads of stuff.  But thought all this interesting after reading your post.  Anyway, thanks again for the post I loved it.     

WIZZ-THE-SMITH:  You stop that "I . . . am probably missing loads of stuff".  You have an eagle eye, and you contribute awesome finds that I have missed.  I have been backtracking, and although I have read everything, I have not been able to justly comment on your worthy evidences in full yet.  It is coming - late, maybe, but coming.

I do want to clarify a remark you made about Ned and Arya's conversation, where he tells her "the pack survives".  Even though they may be far from a weirwood, Ned still meets Cersei in the make-shift godswood in King's Landing so that his old gods can hear and witness all he has to say to her and more importantly, what she has to say in reply to his accusations and his merciful offer to give her time to flee with her children.

It does not seem to matter if a weirwood is near because "WORDS ARE WIND!"  The old gods hear no matter what - once words are uttered into the universe, they cannot be taken back.

As readers have witnessed, Cersei's suffering has begun for all her cruel transgressions, and HER SUFFERING  will continue, no matter if she has a giant FrankenGregor to protect her.

GREAT WORK AGAIN!

[LongRider]

13 hours ago, evita mgfs said:

I absolutely agree!  My commentary was that Bran exercises knightly behavior in his inspiration of Theon, not that he wants to knight Theon.  Because Bran is crippled, at this time, anyway, [and not in the HBO series where he is pictured in screen caps mounted on horseback], he can not achieve his dream of becoming a knight. 

Ahhh!  Thanks for clarifying, I didn't understand your point before.  Yes, Bran is acting with the knightly values towards Theon.  

 

[evita mgfs]

3 hours ago, LongRider said:

Ahhh!  Thanks for clarifying, I didn't understand your point before.  Yes, Bran is acting with the knightly values towards Theon.  

 

LONGRIDER:  Sometimes my prose lacks clarity, and PLEASE KEEP ON CHALLENGING ME!  

It would be no fun discussing theories if we all agreed on every single point.  I need, and I very much appreciate, everyone's worthwhile and thoughtful contributions.