A Round World of Ice and Fire (Everything's connected)

[FoyeTwenty Boston]

So I know I'm not first to present this theory, but I can't find any threads on this site presenting a fleshed out theory and discussion. I am by no means a scholar of the text, I'm only on my second read now just finishing ACOK so any contributions to this topic is appreciated. I began to develop this theory on my own, but have since found only a couple other resources speculating along the same lines of reasoning. Youtuber, IdeasOfIceAndFire has been the only resource of substance I have found, you can see below. This seems to be the most logical place to discuss this topic, so here it goes...  

 

The Known World is round, GRRM has confirmed this. So going further into this revelation and by examining the maps it would seem plausible "The Lands of Always Winter" (LOAW) and "The Grey Waste" could be linked together just beyond where the maps cut off into unexplored territory. Or at one time were connected either by land that has since shifted or by frozen glaciers brought on by the Long Night and the Others, which recedes in the summer years. (You would have to abstractly envision a world with a different equator and axis than how we would want to envision it from current maps, but it is plausible)   

There are many clues into this being true:

1. I think the biggest clue from the context of the current narrative of ASOIAF is most definitely Quaithe when she speaks to Daenerys,

"To go north, you must journey south, to reach the west you must go east. To go forward you must go back and to touch the light you must pass beneath the shadow" 

2. In AWOIAF it is made clear that the Long Night was a global event, affecting both sides of the world. With small regional differences to the Azor Ahai/Last Hero story (Huzhor Amai, Yin Tar, Hyrkoon the Hero, Eldric Shadowchaser, etc.)     

3. The Five Forts seem to be the Essos solution of a Wall to the Grey Waste/LOAW.

 

So this all seems plausible, no less than any other of the tin foil theories out there (I may be watching too much Preston Jacobs lol) but my real question is how would this revelation, if true, actually affect the current narrative in ASOIAF?

I could see a couple things happening.

First, it could explain how Euron can travel so fast. He definitely gets around pretty quickly.

Second, it could be the route Daenerys takes when she eventually invades Westeros.

Furthermore, if this is all true that this was something that affects both sides of the world, perhaps Dany never goes to Westeros at all and fights the Others from the Essos side.

I really want to just discuss this and flesh it out because ever since I started thinking about it, I can't stop thinking about it. I know GRRM has said we will never go to Asshai and that the continents are not connected but he's not going to spoil anything that directly comes into play of the narrative. I keep thinking how plausible it is. But how it will all come into play towards end game of ASOIAF is the real question.

  

 

 

 

[Lady Blizzardborn]

Well he said he is going to explain the wonky seasons, and that there's a magical reason for them. And I think he said we might see Asshai but not necessarily in real time, or Asshai as it is now. Unless I'm mixing that up with Valyria or another such location.

I've always taken Quaithe's statement that you quoted as more of being that what Dany thinks she needs to do and what she really needs to do are going to end up being opposites. For example: she thinks she needs to reconquer Westeros for her family, but she needs to save Westeros for her people; she thinks she needs to stay in Meereen to learn how to rule, but she needs to get to the Wall and find out what's going on.

[Yaya]

On 2017-02-18 at 1:51 PM, FoyeTwenty Boston said:

The Known World is round, GRRM has confirmed this.

(is that a SSM quote?)
i have often thought about this too FTBoston ... the round world would explain much and more.
but, unlike you, i haven't found any supporting theories on this - but i don't read around often enough.

the World Of book, at least how i read it, seems to indicate that a lot of weird stuff comes from the east side of Essos.
... i'm going to reread and i'll post up some supporting text

[Lady Blizzardborn]

@Yaya I think it is in an SSM, but couldn't tell you which one. 

[Yaya]

yaaaay!  it is a SSM quote:

http://www.westeros.org/Citadel/SSM/Entry/Euron_and_the_Globe

and this is the quote:
"3) Is your world round. I mean if Dany traveled far enough east couldnt she come to the other side of westeros?
Yes, the world is round. Might be a little larger than ours, though. I was thinking more like Vance's Big Planet.... but don't hold me to that."

so here we go - i believe that this is a great ticket

 

 

[Lady Blizzardborn]

On 2/18/2017 at 2:51 PM, FoyeTwenty Boston said:

<snip

I really want to just discuss this and flesh it out because ever since I started thinking about it, I can't stop thinking about it. I know GRRM has said we will never go to Asshai and that the continents are not connected but he's not going to spoil anything that directly comes into play of the narrative. I keep thinking how plausible it is. But how it will all come into play towards end game of ASOIAF is the real question.

  <snip

Here's a problem. GRRM has never once been caught lying to his fans. He can be extremely evasive and is very careful with his words but if he's actually said the continents aren't connected, then it's a pretty good bet that they aren't.

However, that doesn't rule out things like Dany approaching Westeros from the north, as long as the seas aren't frozen. Though I suppose that if they're frozen enough she could take the Dothraki right across the ice and not have to bother with ships. That would be pretty convenient, and could have the Others caught in the middle between two armies of men. She needs to learn about them and how to kill them first before this could happen.

[Bran's Legs]

Probably GRRM is going to want bring the story's two main characters into conflict with one another. Doesn't backdooring Dany into Westeros across the Bering Land Bridge sound pretty boring?