Good points all. The connections you mentioned are much deeper then mine. Though I wasn't trying to imply that Tormund was a direct reference more of just a nice artistic touch and a small shout out to Thorin. But now that I am presented with the evidence I would say there is a much stronger connection with Tyrion and Thorin. It's fairly safe to assume that what I mentioned is just a coincidence. I mean Oakenshield is a pretty bitching name and lots of shields are made from oak so its got to be common in worlds that feature medieval fantasy.
