James Fenimore Cooper XXII

As violent as his world, ours is arguably more destructive to the planet and other forms of life. Perhaps that should be his message, human population gone too large is the bigger sin. But maybe the story is not that deep.

Population reduction happens in nature during winter. But humans are persistent. It takes a very long and dark winter to reduce the humans.

Powered by the soul of the dead Lady Ashara. Was it a pale tower she jumped from or was it the pale sword she impaled herself upon? I don't think so but it's a cute theory.

Planetos will have the same environmental problems we have if some natural mechanism is not at work to keep population growth under control. Their way of life is actually more sustainable than ours.

Less than half will survive. Our author is very aware of the problems coming from overpopulation. Nature needs a way to keep the numbers in check.

The ending is not going to be a pure apocalypse where everybody dies. But it will be catastrophic enough to cut the population down to a percentage. The humans will rebuild. Another age will dawn. Future historians will look back on this a great empire of the dawn. History repeats in cycles if not exactly the same way.

A new civilization will rise as the snows melt away. It will be another dawn civilization. It might start out as a keep and grow into a city. And I have a hunch it will start in the west this time. Daenerys will choose to go back home and leave Essos. Essos will fall to the creatures of the dark. So the Sun will rise in the west and set in the east.

Dawn, even the name fits.

GM was inspired by Tolkien but JRR he isn't. Elements were not a part of the Rings plot like it is here. I still like the idea. The Others are seeking this "sword" and it may be hidden in the crypts. The "sword" may give them power to bring darkness. Parallels require a second sword, the red sword, to light the darkness. I am thinking there are two very important "swords".

Purple is blue and red. It is close enough to blue.

George may shock us with a big surprise and reveal what life forms exists on the other side of the 5 Forts. Giant bats. Werewolves with armor. It can get interesting very soon when the book comes out.

Or that

To save them from starvation. Lords in their castles starved as badly as the poor in their hovels according to Nan. Dany spared Drogo from the misery and indignity of his vegetative life. Those men would have done the same. They killed their families to spare them from prolonged suffering.

I very much look forward to learn what type of threat is on the other side of those fortresses. I expect Essos to have its own version of the White Walkers.

It is a very nice way to repeat history with some modifications. The man is the moon this time around and he danced with the sun and got burned for his troubles. Then came the three dragons.

I too believe Dawn has great significance even if it is not Lightbringer. House Dayne has an important role to play and one of the family could end up being a savior of Westeros. One of many saviors. The main idea is the requirement of many great sacrifices to save humanity. Azor Ahai will not be the only person to sacrifice a loved one in order to do what needs to get done. Head of the house Edric may have to sacrifice a future girlfriend. Which I hope will be Arya Stark. If not, and Jon Snow comes back to life, it is my hope that he has to sacrifice Arya, the person he loves the most. Or vice-versa, Arya has to stab Jon in the heart.

The conflict over religion is one more way the author mimic the real world. Religion divides people. It is this division which prevent the humans from effectively dealing with a potential threat to survival. I don't think George has the answers. Religions do serve their purpose in comforting the people but it also creates a problem when different beliefs come into contact. That is exactly what is happening with Mel and the followers of the Old Gods. It was not long after they crossed the wall and the free folk are already carving faces on trees. I see conflict coming up.

Indeed. Qarth gave knowledge to Daenerys through the Undying Ones. Perhaps those pieces are clues to something of import.

I pulled up an old topic from long ago. I thought it worth the effort to widen the scope of this discussion. We started off talking about the "ghosts" in the hallway and their swords. I want to bring in additional materials that may help in the discussion, for those who would care to talk about this old topic. From Pate: There are at least four of these "candles." Valyria is the accepted origin. From Armen: Why would a candle have sharp edges? Only weapons have sharp edges. Knowledge can be dangerous but not as dangerous as ignorance. I don't agree with this part of Armen's opinion. From Leo: The source of light is obviously not a flame. From Armen: No it does not. Marwyn thinks it's obsidian though. From Samwell: So what kind of light makes whites look like that? Something that has ultra-violet. The perfect light to use against creatures who live at night. They burn instead of getting a sun tan. From Will: So once again, we have swords that glow in the dark. This one gives off blue light. From Ned: Arthur's sword glows in the dark? It is described as glass-like. From Daenerys: We assumed in the first discussion that these men were not the Targaryen kings of Westeros. The Targaryens do not name themselves or their reign in terms of gem stones. These men were older, from a long time ago. These men were Azor Ahai of his time. Their clothes were ragged because they were living through the long night. So why is Daenerys important to them? I believe it is because she is Azor Ahai for this time. She is the one who can "wake the dragon." The dragon represents fire and light. From Quaithe: It is my opinion that the death of Khal Drogo lit the candles. Khal Drogo is Nissa Nissa. From The World of Ice & Fire: So it is believed the Blood Betrayal caused the Long Night. I'm doubtful, but let's continue. It is obvious to me, Maiden-Made-of-Light is the Sun. Lion of Night is the Moon. From Old Nan: This looks like a climate change to me. Change the environment and it favors another species. The definition of who is fittest can change. Darkness and cold favor the white walkers. From The World of Ice & Fire: This is clear evidence. The threat existed long before the blood betrayal took place. Why else would the effort to build and guard these fortresses be sensible. The size of the defense is equal to the seriousness of the threat. The blood betrayal did not create the threat. From The World of Ice & Fire: The "ghosts" must have failed. They are hailed as heroes in the records but I think the climate changed on its own. The long night ended but the empire remained broken. I believe this is important, but more on this later. Parts of the old ruling families still exists and rule fractions of what was the old empire. From The World of Ice & Fire: Amethyst is a purple-blue color. This guy, Bu Gai, must have descended from the Amethyst Empress (family) of old. From George Martin: (not an exact quote) From Quaithe: From Daenerys and Quaithe: From The World of Ice & Fire: No people in their right mind would build with this stone in a place like this. Unless it wasn't like this when it was built. Asshai must have been normal in the past. Something happened to corrupt the very stone of the city itself and contaminate the land around it. Perhaps this is the after effects of the long night. I know. Whew that was long. But I hope you will agree with me. It is important for Daenerys Targaryen to learn this truth to avoid a repeat of what happened in this part of the world. The Amethyst Empress was not an individual but a political faction and family branch. The Red was also a political faction. Much like the Tigers and the Elephants in the free cities today. The blood betrayal caused a political and social divide. The empire could no longer properly defend its borders because they were divided. Daenerys assumed Asshai but Quaithe probably meant Yin. Lightbringer's role is to restore and to rebuild after the end of the long night. It is easier to accept Lightbringer being glass lanterns to light the world through the long night. It may even be a weapon because it is sharp. At least some enable communication. I don't rule out that there is an actual sword called Lightbringer but an object with multiple uses, weapon, lantern, and telephone, is much more useful. The Valyrians perhaps didn't know what it was and repurposed the glass objects into communication devices. The phrase "to touch the light you must pass beneath the shadow" mean the long night cannot be stopped nor avoided. Daenerys will have to live through the darkness before she can again enjoy light and warmth. Which is fitting because the last title will be A Dream of Spring. Knowing this truth will help her prepare herself and her people to live through the long night and rebuild afterwards. The last part is something the previous Azor Ahai was never able to do.