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What do you think the Skagosi will actually be like?


Floki of the Ironborn

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Well, one thing's for sure: they'll definitely be bearded.

And they'll definitely be Skagosi, so that's two things we can be sure of. 

I'm actually hoping we'll get something unexpected there. I've had my fill of the gruff northern types in the vein of the Flints and Liddles and the rest of the clans. It'd be cool if the Skagosi turn out to be like a matriarcal society, or just a crazy hermit on a lighthouse waving a unicorn rag doll, or Benjen is there for some reason or something. 

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I'm going with 'unexpected' too.It would be a shame if they were just Karstarks or Umbers with different clothes.

 

My one worry about them not being rough Karstark-like warriors is the question as to who would they be to have been able to slaughter thousands of Northmen before the Starks finally put down their uprising. And then be derisively hated by the North as little more than wildlings.

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They are going to be like all the other people of the north, only even harder because they live on a small island made of rock. And Rickon is gonna be a tough little dude with his hardcore direwolf. They do not seem to like Westeros much, but they do respect the Starks and I bet they took what could be the last male of the line into some solid protection. The surprise may be in Davos not being able to take him back like he wants. 

I bet unicorns are going to be different then we are used to. Maybe it's like direwolves:wolves is unicorns:horses. 

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And they'll definitely be Skagosi, so that's two things we can be sure of. 

I'm actually hoping we'll get something unexpected there. I've had my fill of the gruff northern types in the vein of the Flints and Liddles and the rest of the clans. It'd be cool if the Skagosi turn out to be like a matriarcal society, or just a crazy hermit on a lighthouse waving a unicorn rag doll, or Benjen is there for some reason or something. 

Perhaps Benjen took the black because his love of unicorns was just unacceptable for a son a of House Stark. Where oh where do all the unicorn lovers go? Skagos! 

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It would be fantastic if they weren't at all what we might expect (savage, violent, but honorable barbarians like the mountain clans or other Northern families), but in fact rather advanced, at least as far as their society goes.

For starters, it would be nice if they didn't have the standard patriarchal, feudal system. They're supposed to be similar to wildlings, so they may have a more democratic system, in which women may play a far greater political role. Also, their Ibbenese blood may mean they have something like a Shadow Council, or a council of elders.

Let's look at the wiki:

The people of Skagos are known as Skagosi (or Skagossons), which means "stoneborn" in the Old Tongue. They are an isolated people descended from the First Men. Some maesters believe Skagosi have a strong admixture of Ibbenese blood, whereas others even suggest they may be partially descended from giants. [...]

They are considered a backward folk, rumored to still perform human sacrifices to weirwoods, lure passing ships to destruction with false lights and engage in cannibalism during winter. When they do consent to trade with outsiders instead of murdering them, they offer pelts, obsidian blades and arrowheads and "unicorn" horns.

A few random thoughts:

- I doubt Martin will introduce actual unicorns. I expect those horns come from walruses or narwhals.
- They may be partially descended from giants, and they held their own against the Starks: they may be very tall and strong men (and thus have a powerful army).
- They are believed to perform human sacrifices to weirwoods. They still worship the Old Gods then. They may also be knowledgeable about ancient magics and traditions. Best case scenario, they still use ice magic and have ice priest/priestesses.
- They have obsidian blades. Given the location of Skagos, they may remember how to fight Others and/or what the Others actually are.

The two "negative" attributes I see are:
- Their Ibbenese blood might mean they are squat. I hope not (I don't want a proto-dwarf race in ASOAIF). I'd rather these meant they are hairy.
- They are supposedly cannibals.

At any rate, the obsidian blades are an intriguing detail, one which I hadn't noticed before. This opens the possibility of having an army of Skagosi well-equiped to fight the Others in WoW.
 

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I forgot to point out that their name "stoneborn" is intriguing as well. Of course, it could just mean that Skagos is a very rocky island. But since they have survived in -relative- isolation for centuries -if not millenia- this may mean something else.
Some kind of religion? Some kind of magic? "Stoneborn" reminds me of "ironborn", so does this mean they have as alien a culture as that of the ironborn? Or does this point to something else entirely, like greyscale?

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I forgot to point out that their name "stoneborn" is intriguing as well. Of course, it could just mean that Skagos is a very rocky island. But since they have survived in -relative- isolation for centuries -if not millenia- this may mean something else.
Some kind of religion? Some kind of magic? "Stoneborn" reminds me of "ironborn", so does this mean they have as alien a culture as that of the ironborn? Or does this point to something else entirely, like greyscale?

I think it might mean there are parallels between the Skagosi and the ironmen.

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I expect that they'll be very like Free Folk, but grittier and more angry. The reasonable, guffawing types like Tormund won't be very common among them; they'll be familiar with cannibalism, having practiced it during very harsh winters, and give human sacrifices to the weirwoods in the same way that Bran saw the Stark lords do in his visions, but still be very hostile and hard to control. They're less "Hail Rickon the Wild Wolf!" and more, "Take us with you or you're our next meal."

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I see them as being a more Naval version of the Mountain clan(you know, being on an island and such).

Like the Mountain Clans, they are Northeners, but live a life akin to Wildlings. Their economy more focused on individual hunting and gathering, but with a clear chain of command & laws. This foundation allows basic infrastructure (small ships and iron weapons/tools), but few/no heavy cavalry.

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I'm more interested in how many men they can yield since it's quite obvious IMO they will join Rickon and thus either the Northern Army or king Stannis and the Northerners, to be able to hold there ground for a while  against the Starks of WF they must have at LEAST 5k troops.

They live on a rocky island, isolated, in the far north, with small amounts of food, and harshest winters. I don't think they can provide more than 800-1,000 fighting men. 

 

I see them as being a more Naval version of the Mountain clan(you know, being on an island and such).

Like the Mountain Clans, they are Northeners, but live a life akin to Wildlings. Their economy more focused on individual hunting and gathering, but with a clear chain of command & laws. This foundation allows basic infrastructure (small ships and iron weapons/tools), but few/no heavy cavalry.

I agree with you, but I would rather say they are an islander version of mountain clans. Maybe once they were naval-focused, but if I remember correctly, the last time they rebelled, Winterfell burnt their ships and forbade them to construct any serious naval force ever again.

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