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Jon Snow at the Crossroads of Resurrection Mythology


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Everybody step back, I've gone through Confirmation.

Isaiah 14:12

"How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to earth, you who have weakened nations!"

In context, there's a lot about oppressing people, about elevating oneself above God, and references to the king of Babylon (Babylon being, in apocalyptic theology, the seat of the antichrist).

I'm all out of likes, but if I still had any I'd give you two! :cheers: Great memory!

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Doesn't the term appear in an account of an Israelite victory? The story calls the conquered king the morning star because he was so magnificent, and it also tells how he fell from a great height to defeat. So the elements of the Lucifer story were planted. I'm sorry I can't be more specific about the scripture but that's really not my field.

Both the Latin and the Greek term attempt to translate the phrase "Helel ben Sahar" from Isaiah. An English translation would be "Day Star, son of Dawn". See: http://books.google.gr/books?id=LTyDz6JUv28C&pg=PA67&lpg=PA67&dq=%22Helel+ben+Sahar%22&source=bl&ots=cvKcbRJ9SM&sig=VIUiWDmRMa36Y2XfJEbkojS5XgQ&hl=el&sa=X&ei=TkYaUOqBOvDN4QSEoYGoBg&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=%22Helel%20ben%20Sahar%22&f=false

The "Morning Star" is understood to be a name for the planet Venus when it appears in the east before sunrise, as though heralding the coming of the morning. The Babylonians called the planet Ishtar, after the same goddess that the Summerians called Inanna.

According to "Of Dead Kings and Dirges: Myth and Meaning in Isaiah 14:4b-21"

The planet Venus was associated in Mesopotamian astrology with predictions on the fates of kings. "Venus rises heliacally in its month; if this star rises early: the king of that land will have a long life. If this star rises late: the king of that land will die soon."

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Babylon being, in apocalyptic theology, the seat of the antichrist).

The Book of Isaiah was written between the 8th and 6th century BC and predates apocalyptic theology. It is considered probable that the author (or authors) intended the unnamed king to represent a historical figure reigning in Babylon or Assyria. Both enemies and tyrannical overlords from the Israelite and Judaic perspective

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Everybody step back, I've gone through Confirmation.

Isaiah 14:12

"How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to earth, you who have weakened nations!"

In context, there's a lot about oppressing people, about elevating oneself above God, and references to the king of Babylon (Babylon being, in apocalyptic theology, the seat of the antichrist).

Unless I'm sorely mistaken, this passage is about Nebuchadnezzar II, or some constructed figure based on him. "Morning Star" is a title that implies glory and power, and is here used in a mocking tone ("well, well, well, weren't you the Morning Star, lord of the heavens, conqueror of nations? Where are you now? Where's your crown, King Nothing?"). It's about the fall of a great king, but not fall in the sense of falling from Heaven, but falling from power.

Point is, my memory is fuzzy right now, but the only mention of an "rebellion in Heaven" in Jewish and early Christian tradition I can think of is that of Semjaza, who left Heaven to screw with human women, and the title "Morning Star isn't associated with him.

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Point is, my memory is fuzzy right now, but the only mention of an "rebellion in Heaven" in Jewish and early Christian tradition I can think of is that of Semjaza, who left Heaven to screw with human women, and the title "Morning Star isn't associated with him.

Semjaza/Samyaza and the rest of the Grigori (Watchers) derive from the Book of Enoch (3rd-1st century BC). It is considered to have been an influence in the shaping of the New Testament and a major influence in Christian concepts about angels. It probably helped shape the idea of Lucifer as a fallen angel, which isn't actually present in the Book of Isaiah. But I doubt we can pinpoint which was the first work which made this association.

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  • 5 months later...

Also there is the myth of Alexander the Great putting up the Wall against the Gog and Magog (who represent evil, telluric chaotic forces - vis. the Others). This actually taken from Surah 18 in the Quran.

For brevity, Wikipedia:

In Surat Al-Kahf ("The Cave", 18:83–98) of the Qur'an, a pious warrior king called Dhul-Qarnayn journeys to the place between the East and the West, and in the place between the two mountains he finds people who scarcely understood a word. "18:94 They said: "O Dhul-Qarnain! the Gog and Magog (People) do great mischief on earth: shall we then render thee tribute in order that thou mightest erect a barrier between us and them?" Dhu'l-Qarnayn doesn't take any tribute from them, and makes a wall made of iron between the mountains to keep Gog and Magog out, but warns that it will be broken at the time appointed by Allah (before the Day of Resurrection)

al-Mahdi is the redeemer of Islam:

Even if the entire duration of the world's existence has already been exhausted and only one day is left before the Day of Judgment, Allah will expand that day to such a length of time, as to accommodate the kingdom of a person out of Ahl al-Bayt who will be called by my name and my father's name. He will then fill the Earth with peace and justice as it will have been filled with injustice and tyranny before then

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  • 5 months later...

Yes, the pomegrenade connection is really quite stunning; and I had quite a "d'oh!" moment when I read your thoughts about it, simply because I couldn't believe I didn't get that one before.

Again a tidbit about Ragnarök: There's the leader of the fire giants, Surtr, who wields a flaming sword (Azor Ahai, anyone?). The ultimate destruction of the world arrives with these fire giants, who proceed to kill almost all the gods. I find it really interesting that while Ragnarok is associated with Winter, the actual destruction is brought forth by fire.

Edit: spelling

woah thats really cool. I love Surtr.

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  • 2 months later...

I am so glad to have found a link to this in another post. Excellent conversations. I saw mentioned on some page, what does Azor Ahai mean?

Possibilities:

Azor is in Tel Aviv, named from Azur or Yzur (something like that)

Azur is an Israeli name (I have a friend named Azur) that means "to assist"

Azor is also a blood pressure med brand name

If we break it down the prefix Az- refers to a compound containing nitrogen (block of life)

The suffix -or refers to a person

Ahai is name of a famous Jewish rabbi from the Babylonian times. I can't remember why.

In Asian nomenclature the prefix Ah- is used diminutively, like we westerners would use a suffix like -ie

The suffix -ai is used to express ownership like his or hers (or its)

Maybe GRRM named Azor Ahai after his blood pressure meds from all the stress he is under ;)

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  • 4 weeks later...
Hello, I'm afraid this thread is half dead, but I'd like to try resuscitation with new information ;). Look what I've found:


From Egyptian Book of the Dead:

It came to the knowledge of Set that Ra would consult with Horus, and it seemed to him that an opportunity was at hand to injure Horus, so he took upon himself the form of a Black Pig. Fierce was his aspect, long and sharp his tushes, and his colour was the blackness of the thundercloud; savage and evil was his look, and struck fear into the hearts of men.


Then came the Majesty of Ra to Horus and spoke to him saying, "Let me look in thine eyes and behold what is to come." And he gazed into the eyes of Horus, and their colour was that of the Great Green Waters when the summer sky shines upon them. And while he gazed, the Black Pig passed by.

Ra knew not that it was the Evil God, and he cried out to Horus and said, "Look at that Black Pig! Never have I seen one so huge and so fierce." And Horus looked; neither did he know Set in this strange form, and thought it was a wild boar from the thickets of the North Country. Thus he was off his guard and unprotected against his enemy.


Then Set aimed a blow of fire at the eye of Horus, and Horus shouted aloud with the pain of the fire, and raged furiously, and cried, "It is Set, and he has smitten me with fire on the eyes." [in other version I found: Thereupon Horus swallowed his heart before him [lost consciousness]. Then Re said: "Put him upon his bed until he has recovered." - I think we are safe to say that Horus figuratively dies here].


But Set was no longer there, for he had conveyed himself away, and the Black Pig was seen no more. And Ra cursed the pig because of Set, and said, "Let the pig be an abomination to Horus." And to this day men sacrifice the pig when the Moon is at the full, because Set, the enemy of Horus, and the murderer of Osiris, took its form in order to injure the blue-eyed God.



Compare Jon XII, ADWD:

Amongst the raiders came one man afoot, with some big beast trotting at his heels. A boar, Jon saw. A monstrous boar. Twice the size of Ghost, the creature was covered with coarse black hair, with tusks as long as a man's arm. Jon had never seen a boar so huge and ugly. The man beside him was no beauty either; hulking, black browed, he had a flat nose, heavy jowls dark with stubble, small black close-set eyes. [...]

The skinchanger stopped ten yards away. His monster pawed at the mud, snuffing. A light powdering of snow covered the boar's humped black back. He gave a snort and lowered his head, and for half a heartbeat Jon thought he was about to charge.




Jon gets assassinated not long after that. If we assume this parallel is not purely coincidental, it may hint at Borroq and his boar playing some important role in the queer events of Jon XIII.

Now why would we assume that? Isn't it only the strange pig similarity we've got here? Well, not really.


Here are further details connecting Jon to Horus (assuming R+L=J):

Horus was occasionally shown in art as a naked boy with a finger in his mouth sitting on a lotus with his mother. - Egyptian blue lotus: Nymphaea caerulea, also known as the Blue Egyptian water lily or sacred blue lily. It is frequently depicted in connection with significant spiritual / magical rites such as the rite of passage into the afterlife.

It's also interesting that Once Isis knew she was pregnant with Horus, she fled to the Nile Delta marshlands to hide from her brother Set who jealously killed Osiris and who she knew would want to kill their son. Also, when later she got assimilated into Roman pantheon, rose was used in her worship. It's hard not to think of Lyanna.

Horus is also invocated as "Him, who came out of lotus flower on a high hill and sheds light from his eyes on both lands.". It can be argued that both Egyptian sacred hill and Tower of Joy are forms of axis mundi. Both lands here mean Upper and Lower Egypt, but Jon is also standing between two lands: Beyond the Wall and South of the Wall.

Horus is often depicted as a great falcon with outstretched wings whose right eye was the sun and the left one was the moon. In this form, he was sometimes given the title Kemwer, meaning (the) great black (one). Real falcons majestatically flying high over the earth appeared as if they protected the land with their wings, thus giving Horus title protector - as in the shield that guards the realms of men.

Also the wording in one version of the story: Thereupon Horus swallowed his heart before him seems to resonate with Ramsay's (?) letter: Keep them from me, and I will cut out your bastard's heart and eat it.


One aspect of Horus seems to tie more subtly here.His eyes are different - one solar and one lunar. This reminds me of Euron The Crow's Eye, who has one "smiling eye" and one "black, shining with malice". Now it seems Euron had a dream similar to Bran's:

"He wore the sable cloak he took from Blacktyde, his red leather eye patch, and nothing else. “When I was a boy, I dreamt that I could fly,” he announced. “When I woke, I couldn’t... or so the maester said. But what if he lied?”

“What do you mean?”

Euron turned to face him, his bruised blue lips curled in a half smile. “Perhaps we can fly. All of us. How will we ever know unless we leap from some tall tower?” The wind came gusting through the window and stirred his sable cloak. There was something obscene and disturbing about his nakedness. “No man ever truly knows what he can do unless he dares to leap.”




This connects him to the three-eyed crow, which may be in some way involved with Jon's "death" and/or "resurrection". Perhaps the hidden eye is "the crow's eye", and it does not belong (in some way) to him but to some other entity, thus giving us situation similar to Ra looking through Horus's eye. The lunar eye is also connected to magic via Thoth: when Set gouged out the lunar eye of Horus and cut it into pieces, it was healed and replaced by god of magic Thoth. Thoth is depicted as man with head of ibis of baboon. Ibis obviously doesn't belong to Westeros, how about making it a crow? Three eyed one, because one of his titles was "Three times great" (reflected later in Hermes Trismegistos). Baboon provides connection to monkeys stalking Victarion - perhaps agents of Euron (or power that stays behind him). I think it's also worth noting that Thoth's wife Ma'at is said to include the basic equilibrium of the universe, the relationship between constituent parts, the cycle of the seasons.


What does it all mean? It's hard to say. Egyptian mythology is complex and sometimes contradictory in itself, and I don't know what to make of some parallels (for example Set is god of storm, and Euron is said to be a storm himself (by Aeron), there might also be a link to Storm God of Ironborn; there is also some Jon - Anubis connection).


Or am I making too much of it? What do you think?




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  • 4 weeks later...

And, I suppose, the very obvious allusions to the assassination of Julius Caesar. No resurrection there, but it might indicate what will become of the Watch afterwards - the ostracisation and eventual punishment of Marsh and others, the dissolving of the Watch into factions and perhaps the formation or strengthening of the institution under a new (perhaps temporary) leadership of an Octavian Caesar. Until, one hopes, Jon returns.

the Ragnarok scenario is most reminiscent in the whole asoiaf arc, especially with the introduction of Bloodraven, the zombie end of days etc.. Love the reference of Val = Valkryies in your analysis. Read that and mouth went :o

Great post. Need to chew over it more before a more formulated response.

Ooh I like this. I like this very much, especially the dissolution of the Watch into factions and the possible formation of a new institution.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I find it interesting that in the English version of this Corn King myth, its called "The Ballad of John Barleycorn." Coincidence King's name is John/Jon???http://thepaganandthepen.wordpress.com/2010/07/31/lammas-corn-king/ very interesting this myth, complete with "light bringer" references.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Just want to add this:

From ASoS, when Jon is elected.

"When the count was done, Jon found himself surrounded. Some clapped him on the back, whilst others bent the knee to him as if he were a lord in truth. Satin, Owen the Oaf, Halder, Toad, Spare Boot, Giant, Mully, Ulmer of the Kingswood, Sweet Donnel Hill, and half a hundred more pressed around him."

Named characters around him? Nine. Probably the people he knows best and can easily name, oh, but wait, his three best friends are conspicuously absent. Sam, Grenn, and Pyp.

Who was that really important guy from 2000 years ago with twelve friends? Oh that's right, Jesus.

This also leads me to believe someone in that group had a hand in his betrayal, and with those Mully theories floating around...A man must stop and think.

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  • 1 month later...

Here is the thing, i know that theory, it is actually called the Monomyth and affected a lot of stories/movies etc like Star Wars , Lotr etc.
But reading all of it and trying to apply it in Daenerys it seems much more fitting to her.
Boon=dragons, belly of the whale and a changing trip reminded me a lot of her journey in the river when she was alone before Drogon finds her, talking with the ghost of her brother Viserys (he is dead=underworld stuff)
Could be of course that the monomyth itself is fullfilled by 2 people not 1. Another explanation is that GRRM could have been applying parts of the monomyth that he liked in his AsoiaF series not the whole thing.

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  • 4 months later...

Most of these ideas have been loosely thrown around here before. This is a curation of them, and a way to look at aspects of resurrection instances in various mythologies. I believe that, considering all of them, we can find portions of each one in Jon's story.

ETA: And yes this assumes that Jon is probably the ultimate hero or one of the ultimate heroes, so if you're on the Dany-is-it train, I doubt you'll find much here that you'll like.

In the Belly of the Whale

This is a very old trope, so named for the Biblical story of Jonah. According to Joseph Campbell, this development marks a turning point for the hero, who is sent into the "unknown." It can correspond to death and entering the Underworld. Typically, the hero will face something in the abyss and return with a boon — literal or figurative — necessary to complete his overall mission. It is also what causes the hero to accept the inevitability of his overall mission — the "event horizon," "crossing the Rubicon" portion of his quest. There is no going back.

Jon's speech in the Shield Hall, with its wooden beams resembling (whale) ribs, marks the beginning of his "belly of the whale" sequence, wherein it is assumed he will die (or else otherwise enter an abyss, possibly a coma) and return with his "boon," and continue on with his mission.

The road beneath the Wall was as dark and cold as the belly of an ice dragon and as twisty as a serpent.

As they did their count, Jon peeled the glove off his left hand and touched the nearest haunch of venison. He could feel his fingers sticking, and when he pulled them back he lost a bit of skin. His fingertips were numb. What did you expect? There’s a mountain of ice above your head, more tons than even Bowen Marsh could count. Even so, the room felt colder than it should.

Carved from the base of the Wall and closed with heavy wooden doors, the ice cells ranged from small to smaller. Some were big enough to allow a man to pace, others so small that prisoners were forced to sit; the smallest were too cramped to allow even that.

Jon Snow could see his own reflection dimly inside the icy walls.

In think these are quotes for the belly of the whale dragon stage of Jon. The road beneath the Wall is dark and cold like a crypt and Jon equates it to the belly of an ice dragon. He feels colder than he should under the Wall where they keep their meat free from rotting. He sees his own reflection in the ice cells. The smallest ice cells do not even allow sitting. It is a place like morgue, fit to keep a corpse.

The Corn King

This is a figure in Celtic mythology who must be sacrificed in winter in order to usher in spring. When spring arrives, he is resurrected in turn. It's a pretty straightforward allusion, made more so in that Mormont's warged raven repeatedly caws "king" and "corn" to Jon in varying combinations and at various times. In this sense, Jon is the Corn King who must be sacrificed in order to bring spring, and who will eventually be resurrected.

He rose and dressed in darkness, as Mormont’s raven muttered across the room. “Corn,” the bird said, and, “King,” and, “Snow, Jon Snow, Jon Snow.” That was queer. The bird had never said his full name before, as best Jon could recall.

And this is where GRRM calls Jon as “Corn King”.

Christian mythology

Sorry, you knew it was coming.

Some of the aspects of Jon's stabbing and the events immediately preceding it tie into the betrayal and death of Christ, often in the same way they tie into Ragnorak. Three roosters signal the beginning of Ragnorak. Crowing roosters also play into the betrayal of Christ, namely where Peter's denials of him are concerned.

When Jon arrives in the Shield Hall, the men are there eating. This is, for all intents and purposes, our Last Supper. Wyk's stunned disbelief when he backs away from Jon echoes the statement, "Forgive them, they know not what they do." Christ spent three days in hell before his resurrection, and it is a cornerstone of the Christian faith that Christ died for the sins of mankind. God's intent for Christ to die could tie into an eventually epiphany that Melisandre or Bloodraven were behind Jon's own assassination.

Certain Christian denominations also believe in an eventual literal Armageddon, a Christian variation of Ragnorak. This is, basically, the final battle between Christ and his followers and the forces of Satan. While I doubt that the final showdown in ASOIAF is that clean cut (Jesus good, Satan bad), it does align nicely with Ragnorak. There is also a belief that the souls of dead Christians will rise again (like the fallen soldiers of Valhalla) and participate in the final battle against evil, so again, this ties into the scattered phrases about the resurrection of followers we've seen.

These are the major mythological allusions that I've seen in Jon's story. Some aspects of one are used, and some aspects of another, and some aspects are used simultaneously. The overarching point is that Jon's arc seems to borrow so heavily from these mythological tropes, particularly where death, sacrifice and resurrection are concerned, that I would be surprised if at least one of them didn't fully play out to the conclusion.

Jon will most probably put to an ice cell for slow death (like crucifixion). If there are supposed to be two thieves with him, we already have Cregan Karstark in the ice cells, who tried to steal the birthright of Alys (and Harrion if he is still alive).

I wonder who might be the second thief.

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About the Red wedding,it has a parallel in greek mythology:the murder of Agamemnon,and his soldiers during a feast that they were ghests (and he was killed by Aegistus, one of his underlords).

I agree with the comparassion between Ned and Hector,both of them share honor,duty,and also the love of his family.

But mythological Achilles was very different from Jaimie. He was quick to anger, and was very resentfull but in general was a fair person.

Tyrion being Odysseus is a hit and mis.Both are very cunning,know the art of lies and deceit,but Odysseus like Ned was also a pridefull person.

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  • 1 month later...

I am not sure about the inevitability of the mission, as much as "the hero" accepting said mission in the first place. In the introduction of the story, "the Lord" commands Jonah to go to Nineveh. That is the capital of the Neo Assyrian Empire, in the vicinity of modern Mosul, Iraq. Jonah has no intention of accepting this mission. He flees towards Joppa (Jaffa) in modern Israel. From there he boards a ship heading for the city of "Tarshish". Which, depending on the interpretation, is either Tarsisi/Tarsus in Cilicia (modern Mersin, Turkey) or Tartessos/Tartessus (in modern Andalusia, Spain). The guy is fleeing.

The fish, whale, whatever, is "the Lord"'s way of bullying Jonah into accepting the mission. Jonah is unique as the prophet who hates this mission, and continues to have arguments with his deity throught the narrative of his book.

Do you think Jon is resisting a mission?

The Homeric Hymn to Demeter (7-6th century BC) implies that accepting any food offered by Hades would have the same effect. The pomegranate itself might not have special significance. See: http://www.theoi.com...ersephone1.html

"But he on his part secretly gave her sweet pomegranate seed to eat, taking care for himself that she might not remain continually with grave, dark-robed Demeter. ... But while Demeter was still holding her dear child in her arms, her heart suddenly misgave her for some snare, so that she feared greatly and ceased fondling her daughter and asked of her at once : `My child, tell me, surely you have not tasted any food while you were below? Speak out and hide nothing, but let us both know. For if you have not, you shall come back from loathly Aidao [Hades] and live with me and your father, [Zeus] the dark-clouded Son of Kronos and be honoured by all the deathless gods; but if you have tasted food, you must go back again beneath the secret places of the earth"

It is essentially a poisoned gift. Whoever accepts it is bound to the Underworld.

Do you think Jon has been irrevocably been bound to a person, object, or cause?

In some interpretetions, the Corn King is another aspect of the deity Lugh, the "fierce striker". There have been several interpretations of his name, such as that he was a solar deity, or a storm god. The name itself might derive from a Celtic term for binding oaths and contracts. See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lugh

He was supposed to be a deity of mixed origins. His father a Tuatha De Danann (People of the goddess Danu), his mother a Fomorian. He was fostered with the Fir Bolg.He managed to join the Tuatha De Danann by offering his services as a wright, a smith, a champion, a swordsman, a harpist, a hero, a poet and historian, a sorcerer, and a craftsman. His legend has him leading them into the Second Battle of Mag Tuireadh. He personally killed his maternal grandfather Balor of the Evil Eye. He also Bres alive. Bres bought his life by teaching the Tuatha De Danann proper methods of agriculture. Lugh eventually poisoned Bres.

Lugh himself ruled Ireland for forty years. He payed with his life for killing Cermait, after the guy slept with one of his wives. Cermait's brothers avengerd him by drowning Lugh in a lake. His most famous weapon was his spear. He is probably a version of Gaulish deity Lugus, also depicted as a spearman. The raven was one of Lugus' symbols.

The warriors of Valhalla are specifically called Einherjar (lone warriors). They are destined to fight and fall for the final time in Ragnarok. They are specifically warriors who have fallen in battle, so presumably chosen for courage.

Men who died of sickness or of old age were sent to Niflheim, joining the goddess Hel.

Do you think Jon qualifies as a "lone warrior"?

The stag is Eikthyrnir (oak-thorny), the goat Heithrún (Bright Rune, Bright Mystery). Both feed on the tree Lærad. Eikthyrnir is associated with "thunderclouds" and "raging firestorm" sby some modern interpretations. See: http://books.google....thyrnir&f=false

The image of the goat could be associated with the Black Goat of Qohor.

These denomination seem to take a brief reference in the "Apocalypse of John" and turn it to an epic.

"12 The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the East. 13 Then I saw three evil[a] spirits that looked like frogs; they came out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 14 They are demonic spirits that perform signs, and they go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them for the battle on the great day of God Almighty.

15 Look, I come like a thief! Blessed are those who stay awake and keep their clothes on, so that they may not go naked and be shamefully exposed.

16 Then they gathered the kings together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon."

The kings mentioned seem to gather, but their purpose is unclear. One interpretation is that they actually "gather" in a battlefield, preparing to fight against each other. See: http://books.google....redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=ar

The inspiration would be the historical Battle of Megiddo (609 BC), where Necho II,Pharaoh of Egypt faced Josiah, King of Judah. Josiah, one of the great monotheist reformers of the Bible, thought he had God on his side. He was killed by the Egyptian archers, his defeated army suffering high casualties. This is considered the beginning of the end for the Kingdom of Judah, which survived him by 23 years.

The Battle is lamented in Jewish religious texts, Josiah often described as a hero or a messiah. His actions elsewhere paint his a religious fanatic. "Josiah had living pagan priests executed and even had the bones of the dead priests of Bethel exhumed from their graves and burned on their altars, which was viewed as an extreme act of desecration."

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Christian mythology

Sorry, you knew it was coming.

Some of the aspects of Jon's stabbing and the events immediately preceding it tie into the betrayal and death of Christ, often in the same way they tie into Ragnorak. Three roosters signal the beginning of Ragnorak. Crowing roosters also play into the betrayal of Christ, namely where Peter's denials of him are concerned.

When Jon arrives in the Shield Hall, the men are there eating. This is, for all intents and purposes, our Last Supper. Wyk's stunned disbelief when he backs away from Jon echoes the statement, "Forgive them, they know not what they do." Christ spent three days in hell before his resurrection, and it is a cornerstone of the Christian faith that Christ died for the sins of mankind. God's intent for Christ to die could tie into an eventually epiphany that Melisandre or Bloodraven were behind Jon's own assassination.

Certain Christian denominations also believe in an eventual literal Armageddon, a Christian variation of Ragnorak. This is, basically, the final battle between Christ and his followers and the forces of Satan. While I doubt that the final showdown in ASOIAF is that clean cut (Jesus good, Satan bad), it does align nicely with Ragnorak. There is also a belief that the souls of dead Christians will rise again (like the fallen soldiers of Valhalla) and participate in the final battle against evil, so again, this ties into the scattered phrases about the resurrection of followers we've seen.

These are the major mythological allusions that I've seen in Jon's story. Some aspects of one are used, and some aspects of another, and some aspects are used simultaneously. The overarching point is that Jon's arc seems to borrow so heavily from these mythological tropes, particularly where death, sacrifice and resurrection are concerned, that I would be surprised if at least one of them didn't fully play out to the conclusion.

Why do you say "sorry"?

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  • 7 months later...

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