Luwin's sacrifice to the heart tree and the safety of the Stark Boys

[Rahgh Neqaj]

I think maesters and The Citadel are followers of the Seven, so the fact that Maester Luwin somehow propelled himself into the godswood while mortally wounded is really quite significant. Instead of trying to get to the sept that Ned installed for Catelyn, where he would actually be closer to the site of his gods and was probably a shorter distance to travel to in the first place.

One thing that GRRM makes absolutely clear in his books is that no family, no religion and no order is made up of people with a completely homogenous world view, goals and morals. The maesters are drawn from all of Westeros so it's fairly certain that a lot of them follow the seven but that there are northmen and iron born as well; for example, in the Dunk & Egg tales Dunk is once reanimated by an ironborn maester after almost drowning in a river. I would also assume that a fair amount of maesters are agnostics or atheists as the maesters in general seem to prefer science over praying and magics. I can't remember anything in the books indicating that Maester Luwin is a religious person and would place him in the agnostic/atheist camp. Fact is we don't know how or why he ended up in the godswood in the first place. He might just as well have been hiding there or have been chased into the godswood. The book states quite clearly that

...but deeper in the damp soil and the green wood had defeated the flams/

Luwin, as a man of science, would probably have considered the godswood as a fairly safe shelter if the fire & fighting cut off his escape route.

A trail of blood twisted back through dirt and damp leaves where he had crawled.

That sounds to me as if he got wounded only after he entered the godswood, not as if he crawled into the godswood with a mortal wound.

[MidnightAurora]

Is there a reference in ADWD that Theon's squire hid out in the Weirwood tree while Maester lay dying and he saw Bran and Co appear and that is how Manderly knew Rickon was alive and sent Davos?

Thoros can not see in the flames when around Weirwoods showing they have power.

I forgot where I was going with so I will leave it at this for now and come back later.

Maester Aemon did make Osha promise something because he stated it out of ear shot and before she gave him mercy.

There was also a Arya chapter in ASOS where the ghost of Heart Hill said something to her.

[JJtheCrow]

Perhaps it was either sit up against a tree or lie flat on his back. Perhaps the tree itself in all it's symbolism gave him some comfort. Maybe he just opted to sit up comfortably against a weirwood and die. Why does it have to be any deeper than that?

[Buckthorn]

So he always believed in "magic" if he sacrificed himself in front of the Old Gods.

[Gurkhal]

So he always believed in "magic" if he sacrificed himself in front of the Old Gods.

It don't really have to be a conscious decisions to sacrifice himself. Could just as well be Brynden who somehow called to him or the maester hoped that he would find some sanctuary in a place that's considered sacred by the Northmen.

[Bael's Bastard]

Nah, I don't think so. I think he wanted to be put out of his misery and was, simple as that. I doubt there is anything more to it, and see nothing in the book to indicate so.

[Arya Havinfun]

Perhaps it was either sit up against a tree or lie flat on his back. Perhaps the tree itself in all it's symbolism gave him some comfort. Maybe he just opted to sit up comfortably against a weirwood and die. Why does it have to be any deeper than that?

It doesn't have to be any deeper than that.

But he wasn't just trying to be comfortable, because he dragged himself from the courtyard through the godswood and then for a bit more to get to the weirwood heart tree, which is located at some distance from the keep, and a very long distance when you can't walk and are seriously injured.

But this is ASOIAF, where the story has many, many, many layers. Some of those layers are simple everyday reality, and some layers are religious/supernatural, and some are just plain magic. And all the layers are operating simultaneously. That's what makes this story so wonderful, i.e., there's always something more to enjoy, even after many readings.

[Lord Damian]

Lewin became a believer when the boys visions and dreams came true. In the end he believed and he clearly loved that family.

[Dorian Martell]

Even if it wasn't an intentional sacrifice, he was killed in front of a heart tree with a face. The old gods love blood sacrifice.

[The Night's Prince]

Why would he ask to be killed if it wasn't for a reason? Osha didn't have time to sit there to slit his throat, she needed to lead the boys out. Luwin would have told her to leave him to die since he was already dying anyway to get the boys out as quickly as possible. But he didn't he asked her to"sacrifice" him for their safety. Love this OP.

[RainGhost]

I had never thought about this but I like this idea, even if it was just Maester Luwin trying it to see if it worked, he really did love those boys. We know from Bran that the Starks used to make blood sacrifices and, despite what they say, the north does not always remember - the Starks forgot about their warging powers, maybe they forgot the power of blood sacrifice? Or maybe they were wrong and the Old Gods never wanted blood sacrifices. I think we'll hear more about blood sacrifice in the next books though because of what Bran saw and other references to it, even if it just ends up that Bloodraven says it's not necessary.

[Dorian Martell]

Why would he ask to be killed if it wasn't for a reason? Osha didn't have time to sit there to slit his throat, she needed to lead the boys out. Luwin would have told her to leave him to die since he was already dying anyway to get the boys out as quickly as possible. But he didn't he asked her to"sacrifice" him for their safety. Love this OP.

he wanted a merciful and quick death, not one where he lay dying and in pain for days as carrion feeders slowly picked at his flesh

[HexMachina]

Why would he ask to be killed if it wasn't for a reason? Osha didn't have time to sit there to slit his throat, she needed to lead the boys out. Luwin would have told her to leave him to die since he was already dying anyway to get the boys out as quickly as possible. But he didn't he asked her to"sacrifice" him for their safety. Love this OP.

It would take mere seconds for Osha to give the gift of mercy to an old man dying painfully. And it was hardly urgent for them to leave that very instant. Is it really so hard to believe Luwin just wanted the pain to end?

[bemused]

It would take mere seconds for Osha to give the gift of mercy to an old man dying painfully. And it was hardly urgent for them to leave that very instant. Is it really so hard to believe Luwin just wanted the pain to end?

Indeed.

Besides, there's no evidence that the old gods require or even like blood sacrifice (some men do) . The view that everything becomes one with the gods / nature after death , anyway , doesn't fit well with the idea of blood sacrifice as punishment or gift to the gods . I do believe the CoTF could work magic. Magic exists and blood magic is just one form.

But I think Luwin was quite faithful and committed to the Starks and Winterfell and with so many references to the godswood being the heart of WF ( even Tyrion felt it ) that would be a better place to die than surrounded by bodies and rubble outside.

The gift of mercy would merely be a gift to Luwin.

[Tyrus Martell]

I think Luwin simply wanted to spend his last moments in the presence of the Old Gods of the family he served so faithfully for years. I think he knew something special was happening with the two boys, who he helped raised and loved very much (probably as his own sons).

[Galaxian]

I don't know if "sacrifice" would be the right word, it kind of has a bad connotation in ASOIAF by now. But I do like to think that in his finally moments he asked the Old Gods to protect the two.

Either way, it's nice to think that he's still watching over Bran and Rickon.

[gregg22]

I agree with the OP that this is VERY likely.

I think we can differentiate a "gift of mercy" from sacrifice. Keep in mind Luwin never asks Osha for mercy. He ask for " a....a...drink of water...and...another boon."

Boon is a careful choice of words because it has two meanings. In this context a boon is a favor. But a boon is also synonymous with a boost or advantage. Mercy is a term used frequently by GRRM, but he chose not to use it here. I didn't get the feeling Luwin was asking for mercy.

Then there is this..Luwin's requests are in response to this:

"Osha gazed up at the weirwood, at the red face carved in the pale trunk. 'And leave you for the gods?' "

The connection seems pretty clear. Don't leave me to the gods, send me to them, and maybe boost these boys chances.

[Lady Woodland]

I agree with the OP that this is VERY likely.

I think we can differentiate a "gift of mercy" from sacrifice. Keep in mind Luwin never asks Osha for mercy. He ask for " a....a...drink of water...and...another boon."

Boon is a careful choice of words because it has two meanings. In this context a boon is a favor. But a boon is also synonymous with a boost or advantage. Mercy is a term used frequently by GRRM, but he chose not to use it here. I didn't get the feeling Luwin was asking for mercy.

Then there is this..Luwin's requests are in response to this:

"Osha gazed up at the weirwood, at the red face carved in the pale trunk. 'And leave you for the gods?' "

The connection seems pretty clear. Don't leave me to the gods, send me to them, and maybe boost these boys chances.

@ Prince Dragon Fly, well done very nice pick up,

I think gregg22 sums it up very well here for both sides of the argument, I'm uncomfortable with the IDEA that a blood sacrifice would be a "thing" in these books, but as another poster or two has suggested it is a part of our human history in some regions at some time. Even druid worship (which I find has similarities) is believed to have involved human sacrifice. If he was healthy - rationally he wouldn't have done this - he would have gone with the boys to protect them but he was dying anyway & I believe after Bran's last vision about WF being flooded (IB & Theon) sacking WF he must have come around to the idea that magic & in particular the OG magic was returning to the world he would gladly have done this in the hope it might be worth a try to give Bran & Rickon a chance.

[direwolves_and_dragons]

Really nice catch! Got to say I missed it but makes sense. I think Luwin was probably battling with what he saw and heard from Bran versus his teachings or possibly even with the agenda of the Citadel as many have said which is why he is so dismissive of the dreams but slightly curious at the same time. As he's dying, his request for the blade, I used to see as him wanting a quick death but also perhaps embracing the customs of the North/Starks. Now I think there's a strong chance he may know or have been convinced by what he's seen of Bran, of him offering a blood sacrifice when he asks Osha for the blade. Again great find!

[Lyse Stark]

Regarding the blood trail as a symbolic motif, which Martin begins in AGoT and continues in the following novels, the prose definitely suggests that there are supernatural, if not magical, associations attached to blood. A few textual examples follow: Khaleesi eats a stallion’s heart to make her son “strong and swift and fearless” (489). Maester Aemon compares ravens to men: “Most ravens will eat grain, but they prefer flesh. It makes them strong, and I fear they relish the taste of blood. In that they are like men . . . “ (661). Mormont tells Jon: “All I know is that the blood of the First Men flows in the veins of the Starks. The First Men built the Wall, and it’s said they remember things otherwise forgotten”.Martin deliberately situates Maester Luwin beneath the heart tree in the godswood because it represents the mystical forces of the old gods and it represents the ancestry of the Starks, as Catelyn reveals in her first POV: “They were old, those eyes; older than Winterfell itself. They had seen Brandon the Builder set the first stone, if the tales were true; they had watched the castle's granite walls rise around them. It was said that the children of the forest had carved the faces in the trees during the dawn centuries before the coming of the First Men across the narrow sea”.The maester receives an answer from the old gods whether or not his blood is of value to the tree.I suspect the old gods send a wind to whisper through the weirwood’s leaves, guiding Maester Luwin to his salvation. The old gods answer ML’s prayers by gifting him the vision of Bran and Rickon “alive” before he dies. The maester does not know for sure that the little lords escaped Theon, and he is given proof before he expires. Also, through Osha, Maester Luwin will be gifted a quick death, the “boon” he requests. So, the old gods “may” in some “symbolic” way derive power from the blood, especially since blood is often the substance that nourishes supernatural beings, and the heart tree is definitely supernatural – if not magical. Martin does enlist figurative language to humanize the godswood and heart tree, and examples follow: As Lady Catelyn steps upon the deep humus covering the godswood floor, the sound of her footsteps is “swallowed” up by a buffer: “A thousand years of humus lay thick upon the godswood floor, swallowing the sound of her feet . . .” “Swallow” is a word associated with eating or drinking as well as the mouth, teeth, breath, and lips. In this instance, Martin personifies the godswood floor by attributing to it the ability to swallow. Yet if the floor “swallows” sound, it can swallow blood as well to feed the roots buried deep within the earth.The spilling of blood accompanies Lord Eddard Stark’s first appearance in the novel A Game of Thrones as he assumes the roles of Lord of Winterfell, Warden of the North, and executioner: he administers the King’s justice by wielding his Valyrian steel greatsword Ice to decapitate a deserter from the Night’s Watch. Martin employs figurative language by using a simile to depict the blood splatter resulting from Stark’s stroke of his blade:“Blood sprayed out across the snow, as red as summerwine” (15).Comparing the blood to summerwine holds much significance in the scope of what is to come in this POV and others early in AGoT as well as insinuating what may come in later novels of the series. For example, at the feast held in honor of King Robert’s visit to Winterfell, the Starks serve summerwine to their guests and the Stark family enjoy imbibing as well, with Ned allowing his children a glass to commemorate such a momentous occasion. So, the summerwine symbolically represents “blood”, and the fact that the Starks are the hosts responsible for offering the beverage to the Baratheons and Lannisters, it might be an intimation that the Starks “eventually” [in subsequent novels] will serve “blood” to their enemies, with the blood symbology suggesting “revenge” and “death”. Moreover, the “blood” and the “summerwine” certainly allude to the Starks themselves “symbolically” drinking the blood, maybe through their direwolves or through the weirwood. Bran “tastes” the blood through the roots of the weirwood tree after a white haired woman beheads a “human sacrifice” with a sickle. Does this intimate a way to awaken the collective spirits of the Starks [and others] in the weirwood? Will Bran need to nourish his powers by tasting the blood of those who are sacrificed in the future? The “blood connection” between Summer and Bran is more developed in Bran’s journey than the other Stark siblings. Summer is the force that sings beneath the open window of Bran’s sick room, causing his heart to beat stronger. But if the window is closed, Bran visibly weakens. It is after Summer kills the would-be-assassin, a bloody business, followed by Summer licking clean Catelyn’s defensive wound on her hand, that Summer finally is permitted to sleep at Bran’s side. This, along with Summer tasting human blood, definitely “strengthens” Bran and brings on the mystical appearance of the Three-Eyed Crow who demands that Bran decide to “die” or “fly”. Bran chooses to “fly”, and he awakens from his coma, the name of his direwolf on his lips: Summer.Ned cleans Ice beneath the heart tree, a regular activity after Ned takes a life. Ned feels the presence of the old gods in the godswood, and Ned’s devotion to these nameless, faceless gods, along with his attention to honor, likely contribute to his offspring being chosen by the old gods to receive the direwolves that are a means for the children to awaken their warg spirits. After all, they already possess the blood of the First Men in their genetic profile, which appears to be a component in the process of opening the third eye and warging a direwolf.Last, in AGoT, Maester Luwin’s blood is also shed in the crypts when Shaggydog ravages his arm. Even more suggestive is that Rickon licks the maester’s blood from his fingers: “Rickon patted Shaggydog’s muzzle, damp with blood. “I let him loose. He doesn’t like chains.” He licked at his fingers” (734). What could this mean? But I also find it telling that Bran describes Rickon as “wild as a winter storm” and Shaggydog as “wild as Rickon” (573).I think blood means much and more in Martin’s series.

And don't forget Jon's execution of Janos Slynt; a foreshadow of things to come?