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Jon as the Great Stone Beast


Lollygag

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The HOTU seems focused on dragons, fire, and magic. They show visions of the political climate of Westeros, but mostly about how messed up it is at this point—hence the necessity of a savior. The IT itself doesn’t seem to concern them. Why would Dany need to slay the lies of the well-meaning Stannis, Aegon (I assume) and Jon? They’ll be competing for resources. The kingdom will be irreconcilably split following the savior of their choice rather than pooling everything under a single savior.

All of the lies to be slain seem to show the moment in time that these 3 people are set on the path to become a threat to Dany as Mother of Dragons, gatekeeper of fire/light, and savior. When Jon is set on his path—becoming the official chosen successor to Jeor—all of the components of the stone beast vision are present.

The moments in time that we see in the visions:

1. Stannis is no threat to Dany’s destiny until he hooks up with Mel and R’hllor resulting in his claim to being AA and a savior.

2. Aegon is no threat to Dany’s destiny until people believe and accept him as the rightful Targ so the vision shows people accepting him as Rhaegar’s son. No doubt he’ll also claim to be some sort of savior. Kind of given when your opponent is Cersei.

3. Jon and the NW are no threat to Dany’s destiny as savior until he’s set on his path to being LC. Jon is just Ned’s bastard kid, but it’s through his rise as LC that the North begins to see him a leader. Through Alys Karstark and other Northerners who seem to be gravitating to the Wall under the Bolton’s rule, Jon’s role as LC and head Stark are beginning to merge. The NW seems to not be a threat in itself, but the triple threat of Jon’s being in the Watch and swearing to its mission, being recognized as “head Stark”/KITN, and a later reveal as a Targ are enough to make him a threat to Dany’s claim of being the savior.

“From a smoking tower, a great stone beast took wing, breathing shadow fire…”

The moment in question for Jon is when he defeats Othor.  Jon sets Othor on fire which in turn sets the Lord Commander’s tower on fire.  The next morning, Jon is granted Longclaw (the stone beast) which publicly recognizes Jon as Jeor’s chosen successor which leads to him becoming LC.

From a smoking tower…

Pyp grinned. "The Night's Watch is thousands of years old," he said, "but I'll wager Lord Snow's the first brother ever honored for burning down the Lord Commander's Tower."

The others laughed, and even Jon had to smile. The fire he'd started had not, in truth, burned down that formidable stone tower, but it had done a fair job of gutting the interior of the top two floors, where the Old Bear had his chambers.

The tower may still be smoking at the moment Jon receives Longclaw.

...a great stone beast...

The pommel was a hunk of pale stone weighted with lead to balance the long blade. It had been carved into the likeness of a snarling wolf's head, with chips of garnet set into the eyes. The grip was virgin leather, soft and black, as yet unstained by sweat or blood.

A direwolf is a great beast.

 

...took wing, ...

The Night’s Watch are Crows, hence “take wing”.  Jon also “took wing” as the chosen successor of Jeor.

 

...breathing shadow fire...

The Night’s Watch also breaths shadow fire, or false fire.

Night gathers, and now my watch begins. It shall not end until my death. I shall take no wife, hold no lands, father no children. I shall wear no crowns and win no glory. I shall live and die at my post. I am the sword in the darkness. I am the watcher on the walls. I am the fire that burns against the cold, the light that brings the dawn, the horn that wakes the sleepers, the shield that guards the realms of men. I pledge my life and honor to the Night's Watch, for this night and all the nights to come.

Shadow fire and taking flight might have a double meaning: not only does it point to Jon and the NW, it could also be recognizing the threat of his Targiness. One who doesn’t hatch dragons.

This moment where Jon is set on his path becomes even more significant if we look at what happened right before burning the Tower and killing Othor. Earlier that evening, it sounds like Jeor has decided against Jon being his designated successor. The text makes clear that Jon has been on trial since being named as the LC’s steward—and he’s failed.

Later, much later, after they had marched him back to his sleeping cell, Mormont came down to see him, raven on his shoulder. "I told you not to do anything stupid, boy," the Old Bear said. "Boy," the bird chorused. Mormont shook his head, disgusted. "And to think I had high hopes for you."

Like the visions with Stannis and Aegon, for Jon it all turns on a few moments: his killing Othor, the subsequent burning of the LC’s tower and being granted Longclaw and all that implies, setting him on the path of competing with Dany.

 

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I think Jon will be one of the betrayals and he will be burned for his sin.  The first execution due to betrayal, of Mirri Maz Duur, resulted in the birth of the dragons.  What will be birthed by the second and third betrayals remain to be seen.  A kraken?  A firewyrm?  

A direwolf is just a wolf on steroids.  I would not call one "great" as it is less than a lion.  There was a post that claim the stone beast is actually Leyton Hightower.  He has greyscale and has remained hidden for years to keep it secret.  He will emerge when the Iron Born sets his tower on fire.  His coming out may cause an outbreak of greyscale in Oldtown.  

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Well argued, but I just don't see it.  Most indications are that Jon and Dany will be allied, probably married.  Also, while you've done a good job of finding textual evidence, it still seems much more strained to me than house Lannister, represented by Robert Strong, as the Stone Beast.  The burnt tower wasn't nearly as severe or as big a plot point as with Cersei in the Tower of the Hand (and especially since I suspect she will burn even more towers).  The great stone beast relating to Longclaw is much more strained as representative of a "great stone beast" than a headless giant in stone armor.  The other two, "takes wing" and "breathes shadow fire" are about equal to Lannister textual evidence.  I doubt Jon will still be a "crow" when his claim to the throne or as the prince that was promised is revealed, and the relation of their vows, talking about fire, not shadow, and not in the context of breathing, aren't very close either.  But, very little textual evidence at the moment for team Lannister for "taking wing", and zombie Mountain "breathing shadow fire" is logical but speculative.

 

For me, the "Great Stone Beast" prophecy relates to either 1. whoever the Lannister monarch is at the time or 2. Euron Greyjoy.  Jon Snow would be a distant third. 

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I would be inclined to go for Greyscale 

Great Stone Beast

Great as in epidemic proportions

Stone Beast is what everyone will become.

Took wing obviously it's been around for years, but will spread quickly

breath shadow fire

shadow implies secret, not a literal fire but one that consumes the infected person from within.

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3 hours ago, Ponzi Scheme said:

What I am reading seems to predict that fire and ice will oppose.

I consider Jon ice and fire already. Anyway as for Jon and Daenerys getting married, well there may be some obscure hints that you could argue point towards it (matching the sweet smell of the wall  being Jon to the mount Dany will ride for love) but I personally don't think they are very strong. I definitely don't think most indications point that way.

 

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