The Knight of the Laughing Tree

[Theonionknight53]

I am currently re-reading ASOS and found the knight of the laughing tree tale interesting and profound and have a theory that was something that I haven't seen proposed by anyone yet (even though I'm sure someone has thought it as well), the theory is that the mystery night is a child of the forrest that follows howland reed from the isle of faces to defend him, there are several points they I've found support this, what does everyone think of this theory ?

[Lord Asher Forrester]

Wow. Mind reading or trasmission of thougts powers do you have, young padawan.

I read this same tale last night and had thougt the exact same theory, only that i just found little indication that it could be, and with no strong clues i did not gave futher thougts on the case. Would you like to post the points you metioned that support this theory? (If there is any that i  don't mention here)

22 hours ago, Theonionknight53 said:

(even though I'm sure someone has thought it as well),

You hit the mark here lad.

 

Here are the quotes i caught that made me think so:

"Did he meet the green men?" "Yes," said Meera, "But that's another story, and not for me to tell. My prince asked for knights."

"Green men are good too." "They are..."

How do Meera knows that the green men are good? How much her father (that probabbly is the crannogman at the tale) had tell his son and daughter about them?  Why she can't tell that part of the story at that time? Would it spoil the mistery knight identity? Who is meant to tell this "other" story for Bran, and why?

 

"the mystery knight was short of stature" 

- It means it could also be the crannogman himself or one of the wolves, so this is nothing too interesting, but is seems to be important.

" And so the little crannogman's prayer was answered...by the green men, or the old gods, or the children of the forest, who can say? " This is the part that made me think this theory, it could be  that all of three ansered the prayer, a children of the forest could be a green men, serving as the old gods instrument. And then i wondered why would there be all the story about the lad going to the isle of faces 

The wolf maid saw them too, and pointed them out to her brothers. 'I could find you a horse, and some armor that might fit,' the pup offered. The little crannogman thanked him, but gave no answer. His heart was torn. Crannogmen are smaller than must, but just as proud. The lad was no knight, no more than any of his people.  This is not exactly in favor of the theory, but could mean that the crannogmen in fact could not defeat himself the knights in a joust as he was not skilled at it and even feared that he could put in shame his people.

"Sometimes the knights are the monsters, Bran. 

That caught my eye. Why to say that? Did she meant that this knight in particular is some kind of monster? Or she meant knights in general, wich may include also the squires as possible future knights.

The children have strange eyes and fingers, they could even be considered monsters by some. Altough it seems that she meant figurative monsters not literally.

 

What can go against this theory:

is that it would be a cheap trick from the author to present some characters and talk about them and at he end the misterious knight wouldn't be any of them.

The children in general may not be too good at justing, specially wearing metal armor. But one can be an exception, we know that Leaf lived among the men for a long time.

For what purpose would serve this tale if one of the presented characters wasn't the misterious knight?

Why wouldn't it be told in Meera's tale that someone acompannied the crannogmen out of the island?

The pact with the children was made and it is said that the greenmen still lives on the isalnd of faces, but we don't know if there is any children living there or if all of them moved to the north.

 

In general i would say this is a totally crackpot theory, and very probbably isn't going anywhere, i wouldn't even post this here, but as if found i'm not the only one to have this crazy thougts i had to share my version. And it is mehow interesting and the greenmen part of the tale seems to very important to the tale even if we can't decipher it yet.

 

Anyways we never know, and i had to answer you as that was a great coincidence we two had the same thought almost at the same time.

[HallowedMarcus]

It might have been Lysanna Stark. Rhaegar Targaryen was ordered by his father Aerys to find out the Mystery Knights identity. Some people believe that he did seek him and got him and uncovered him to discover it was her. If that is true then this might have increased his interest o n her and maybe he suspectd that her (ice) needed to mate him (fire) to get the prince who was promised, (regardless if John is him or not).

[Lrd Commander Midnight]

To many hints in the story point to this mystery knight to be the crannogman Howland Reed, Meera and Jojen's father.

 The she wolf howls, "that's my fathers man your kicking." This is certainly Lyanna Stark saying this to the three squires , before sending them all off running. The Reeds are banner men to the Starks and I'm sure(speculating) that the Stark children had meet a Reed at some point during their youth at Winterfell. Lyanna would of known the odd way the cragnnomen dress, as did the squires who picked on the lad which led to the meeting between the two(her comeing to his defense). 

Then, "There he met her pack brothers:the wild wolf(Brandon), the quiet wolf(Ned), and the pup who was youngest of the four(Benjen)." This is possibly Ned's first meeting with Howland and were the respect for him came from and them eventualy joining up in Roberts rebellion. Howland is there with Ned to save Lyanna because Holand Reed admires and respects her for sticking up for him, clothing him for the feast, "(he was of high birth,with as much right to a place on the bench as any other man)," and gave him the horse and armor to joust with.

Also told was that the quiet wolf(Ned) offered the little cragnnomen a place in his tent that night after the feast which he accepted. This would be were Nedsbond with Howland started and him never jousting before and defeating three Knights in a row I'm sure made a huge impression on Ned

 

Danny has a vision of Rhaegar in the warlocks palace, him on a harp telling Lyanna that he is the prince that was promised,she asks him to make their new son a song,he says, "he has a song, his is the song of ice and fire."

I agree but when he(Rhaegar) saw her(Lyanna) at the feast I think that's when this thought came to him: 

5 hours ago, HallowedMarcus said:

 maybe he suspectd that her (ice) needed him (fire) to get the prince who was promised, (regardless if John is him or not).

[Nevets]

I think the most widely held conclusion is that it is Lyanna, and that that is how she came to Rhaegar's notice.  Lyanna was an excellent rider, and Ned's description of her to Arya suggests that she could be reckless and adventuresome  The physical description fits as well.  If Reed had wanted to challenge the knights, he could have done so as himself.  Lyanna couldn't.

[HallowedMarcus]

On ‎12‎/‎07‎/‎2016 at 9:24 PM, Nevets said:

I think the most widely held conclusion is that it is Lyanna, and that that is how she came to Rhaegar's notice.  Lyanna was an excellent rider, and Ned's description of her to Arya suggests that she could be reckless and adventuresome  The physical description fits as well.  If Reed had wanted to challenge the knights, he could have done so as himself.  Lyanna couldn't.

I agree with you. Reed wouldn't need to masquerade himself. Not impossible though, but ilogical.