[TWOW Spoilers] March 2014 Chapter Part III

[The Weirwoods Eyes]

Is the Swyft sigil supposed to be a chicken, or is a badly wrought swift?

Its a Cock Bird Isn't it?

[aryagonnakill#2]

What I'm interested in is Arya's line about wanting to see a Dragon - people have speculated before that she may be sent to Dany as a mission, or encounter Dany coincidentally at some point. I'm starting to lean towards one of these now, especially with all the hints of green around Braavos in this chapter(Arya is Braavos - it is a city of stone - Arya is a stone cold killer, Braavos is crooked - Arya's stitching was always crooked, etc). If the Dance 2.0 is coming, Dany may be the stand-in for the greens. The reverse is also possible with a mission to Aegon, and him being the greens, etc. I wonder if any other characters have already been set up as blacks or greens... Or we may begin to see them form in Winds.

I feel pretty confident that Aegon has been set up as the green. He is the fraud Dany is real, his name is Aegon, he will likely have KL when they meet, he will have the Hightowers and Dany will have a fleet+ more dragons.

[laguna80]

Its a Cock Bird Isn't it?

cockatrice maybe?

[Beeswop]

Just read this chapter (sorry, haven’t read the whole massive thread). It all seems deeply Freudian to me.

Am I alone in reading something very phallic in the following paragraph (emphasis mine):

Gooseprickles covered her legs. Her coverlet had twisted around her like a snake. She unwound it, threw the blanket to the bare plank floor and padded naked to the window. Braavos was lost in fog. She could see the green water of the little canal below, the cobbled stone street that ran beneath her building, two arches of the mossy bridge… but the far end of the bridge vanished in greyness, and of the buildings across the canal only a few vague lights remained. She heard a soft splash as a serpent boat emerged beneath the bridge’s central arch. “What hour?” Mercy called down to the man who stood by the snake’s uplifted tail, pushing her onward with his pole.

If this sounds far-fetched, you only have to read on. The snake / phallus imagery is sustained throughout the chapter:

• From the bridge of eyes (riff on the real Venetian Bridge of Sighs?) she sees:
  

the green copper domes of the Hall of Truth, the masts rising like a forest from the Purple Harbor, the tall towers of the mighty, the golden thunderbolt turning on its spire atop the Sealord’s Palace

• Soon after we have:
  

“Mercy,” the Stranger called, “bring the bloody paste, my horn is coming loose.”

• And then (in case there was any doubt) the clincher:
  

“Mercy,” squeaked the dwarf Bobono, “Mercy, something’s amiss with my laces, my cock keeps flopping out.”

The comedy grotesque reaches its apogee shortly afterwards:

And Bobono’s cock was indeed flopping out. It was made to flop out, for the rape. What a hideous thing, Mercy thought as she knelt before the dwarf to fix him. The cock was a foot long and as thick as her arm, big enough to be seen from the highest balcony. The dyer had done a poor job with the leather, though; the thing was a mottled pink and white, with a bulbous head the color of a plum.

And remember this is all in the context of an impending rape (or rather two impending rapes, both mere performances – one in the play – one in Mercy’s ‘private show’ for Raff)

From here on in the imagery shifts. We begin with phallic symbols clustering all around Mercy – culminating in the comedy dwarf cock – and then we are given a series of castration images. This happens in reverse order to the phallic imagery (i.e. starting literally and moving on into metaphor). The literal beginning is:

“Mercy,” he sang as she tied him tight, “Mercy, Mercy, come to my room tonight and make a man of me.”

“I’ll make a eunuch of you if you keep unlacing yourself just so I’ll fiddle with your crotch.”

We are then given a metaphor (nose instead of penis):

She caught his nose between her thumb and forefinger and twisted. “You’ll have no nose until you get your hands off me.”

“Owwwww,” the dwarf squealed, releasing her.

“I’ll grow titties in a year or two.” Mercy rose, to tower over the little man. “But you’ll never grow another nose. You think of that, before you touch me there.”

Then we are shown Harrys Swyft, who has a “cock” but only in the form of his silly little “siggle”, sewn onto his doublet. It is remarked how old he is to be wearing his finery (i.e. he is not man enough to live up to his sigil) and his description completes the picture of impotence:

slight and balding, with a funny grey wisp of a beard growing from his chin.

It seems inappropriate for an old duffer like him to be accompanied by a beauty like the black pearl.

When we get onto his guards (including good old Raff) we are back temporarily to classic Freudian phallic imagery:

There were four guards; big, hard-looking men in ringmail, with heavy Westerosi longswords sheathed at their hips.

Then we get the snake imagery recurring again, too, with Rafford’s tongue being “slimy, like an eel” (yuck).

But Raff is going to be punished for his attempt at penetration: this is by now a vulnerable phallicism, liable to be chopped off. So that by the time we get this:

She slipped her hand between his legs, and felt how hard he was through the wool of his breeches.

… we know he is in big trouble.

And sure enough, the first attack is very much to the groin area:

The red stain spread across his thigh, soaking the heavy fabric.

And it ends with Arya producing her own “weapon”, her Needle: cold hard steel – to finish off the bastard who killed Lommy Greenhands so callously (by driving a spear through his throat):

Raff the Sweetling looked up sharply as the long thin blade came sliding from her sleeve. She slipped it through his throat beneath the chin, twisted, and ripped it back out sideways with a single smooth slash.

(NB. The reference to her poor sewing skills is a nice touch too).

[Syrio the Dancer]

Few of my thoughts - first the keyholders - for me it seems that they are people who elect a new Sealord. there is nice parallel to papal election in middle ages and renaissance - many times after the death of the pope knives did come out - and don't forget that the word conclave coms from latin words meaning "with a key".

As someone stated - the fact that Arya's wish to kill Raff is worded in almost sexual terms is for me much more disturbing than her use of seduction... in fact I am disturbed at how many people find it more disturbing for her to use seduction than being a stone cold killer. Also, I rember GRRM comparing Arya to african child soldiers in one Interview - and some of these have made it back to normal or at least "normalish" live - so maybe there is still hope for her.

Also /i do find Mercy's resemblence to Sansa more striking and more important than wether she actually plays Sansa in the play. Also I'd second that if Phario is Syrios relative - for some reason I think of him as Syrio's brother he may have wrot the play to piss off the envoy, regardless of Izembaro's intention.

Oh and quick reread of AGOT chapters with Syrio (Arya II, III, and IV) doesn't show any mention of Playwrite relative - but as I work only on Translation I can't be sure.

A side not - I always thought that "Iron bank always get it's due" and "Lannister always pays his debts" form an nice symmetry. Mybe they'll end up supporting Dany and Tyrion as well

[bemused]

I haven't read through all of these threads.. but some thoughts that spring to mind...

Who are the keyholders , and what sort of things do they vote on in the hall of Truth ? What is the key in Mercy's pocket ?

Don't forget the Sealord is dying ( then the knives will come out ). Past Sealords have already been involved in the politics of Westeros ( witnessing marriage compact for Viserys ). I've always thought Viserys and Dany's ouster from Braavos probably had to do with a change of Sealord.( And Braavos has involved a Targaryen in Essosi politics in the more distant past )...

I've often wondered which Sealord Syrio served...

Phario ( the bloodiest quill ) may or may not be closely related to Syrio .. but regardless, could be inspired by a well-known relative and his exploits both martial and political.. I'm betting he would know Syrio's history well , and whether he might still be alive ... or whether he died years ago.

As Shakespeare was a favourite of Elizabeth, Phario may be ( or come to be ) a favourite of the Sealord ... but perhaps whoever is angling to become the new one , rather than the one who is dying.

The Third Sword is in the house , entertaining a half dozen friends , and the Black Pearl is entertaining Swyft... hmmmm..

When Arya was the Ugly Girl, she was told the memories and pain of the girl would pass. I wondered at the time if the personality and experiences of the "mask" could be held onto, to aid in the FM's impersonation (in cases less severe ) ...if the FM wanted it. Mercy seems to lean in that direction , to me.

[The Weirwoods Eyes]

I meant to reply to this.

It sounds like a great dream. :)

We know she has already used an animal for purposes-seeing and spying with the cat but hopefully she does too with Nymeria and Bran guides her.

On another note if she learns glamor next and leads a wolf pack she'll be like BR rumor wise and reality wise. He had rumors of having a wolf pack and we know he used glamor.

:wub:

Please

I really hope so. I think there is a genuine hint in the text that it may be so too. Mirijam spotted it too.

Mercy dreams of wolves again she wakes confused about who she is the dream had her running through a dark pine forest She tells us her name and that all anyone ever calls her is Mercy except in her dreams she thinks on the dream and says a tree was watching her.

my interpretation. She is partially lost in the persona of Mercy, but she still dreams her wolf dreams, it seems frequently as she says Again in regards to the wolf dream, she describes a dark pine forest, the forests in the North are described like this, not the riverlands. This sounds more like the wolfs wood that the few godswoods and copses scattered through the Riverlands. It sounds like a thick deep forest and the wolfswood is described as having sentinal pines.

She tells us that in her dreams she is called another name, and a tree was watching her in this dream.

I think Bran is the tree watching her, as many others have said too, I think he is calling her by her true name, arya..and by the way Nymeria is apparently going north, Bran might well be calling his sister to him or to Jon even as he needs help. I think when she dreams again with her own face she'll hear his message proper.

At least I ruddy hope so. Away lass git thee back t'North.

[The Weirwoods Eyes]

cockatrice maybe?

Oh LOL ,sorry no its what we call a cockerel "oop north".. Americans would say Rooster I believe.

[Mark Antony]

At least I ruddy hope so. Away lass git thee back t'North.

I really like it.

[Le Cygne]

<snip>

I like all the phallic symbols, GRRM does, too, it's all over the books so it's intentional for sure.

Just wanted to add to what you were saying, the eels in the end are what finish Raff (forcing his tongue into her, which felt like an eel) off:

I should have helped him down the steps before I killed him. Now I’ll need to drag him all the way to the canal and roll him in. The eels would do the rest.

[Beeswop]

I like all the phallic symbols, GRRM does, too, it's all over the books so it's intentional for sure.

Just wanted to add to what you were saying, the eels in the end are what finish Raff (forcing his tongue into her, which felt like an eel) off:

Nice!

[The Weirwoods Eyes]

I really like it.

We can but hope. :cheers:

[The Weirwoods Eyes]

I like all the phallic symbols, GRRM does, too, it's all over the books so it's intentional for sure.

Just wanted to add to what you were saying, the eels in the end are what finish Raff (forcing his tongue into her, which felt like an eel) off:

Ewwwwww Le Cygne, I like it!

[bemused]

I also tend to think we've found Arya in mid-operation.. Has she already relieved a keyholder of his key? If they vote for a new Sealord , do the keyholders only vote for a new Sealord ? ...The keys appear to be held by families ? ...The Reyaan whose barge sank as he was going to vote...did he survive ? .. Do the knives come out for keyholders during times of succession ?

I tend to think the other guard is a marked man. Could the "official" version in the aftermath turn out to be - Raff killed Mercy and the other guard , then disappeared ?

Swyft could be in deep doo-doo.

Yes, it seems Nymeria is headed north... but weirwoods have begun popping up in odd places , so she might not be too far north, yet.

[Lord Jennings]

for those of you wondering if Mercy's character is either Shae or Sansa the wiki has a short cut to Sansa's page

[Kienn]

for those of you wondering if Mercy's character is either Shae or Sansa the wiki has a short cut to Sansa's page

So basically someone who read it as Sansa got to the wiki page... doesn't really mean anything!

[The Weirwoods Eyes]

I also tend to think we've found Arya in mid-operation.. Has she already relieved a keyholder of his key? If they vote for a new Sealord , do the keyholders only vote for a new Sealord ? ...The keys appear to be held by families ? ...The Reyaan whose barge sank as he was going to vote...did he survive ? .. Do the knives come out for keyholders during times of succession ?

I tend to think the other guard is a marked man. Could the "official" version in the aftermath turn out to be - Raff killed Mercy and the other guard , then disappeared ?

Swyft could be in deep doo-doo.

Yes, it seems Nymeria is headed north... but weirwoods have begun popping up in odd places , so she might not be too far north, yet.

Ah, of course! the super fat man was not nicknamed The Father, he was the Father of the present super fat guy! the Reyaan refers to their family name' Of course!

I think what you just said makes a lot of sense.

but the forest described sounds very much like the thick dark dense woods of the north. Weirwoods have been propping up further south its true but the tree watches her suggesting it has a face and eyes. only tree's around people who worship the oldgods have faces. The only other explanation is a godswood such as raventree but it seems that godswoods are not that big and the heart tree is the only carved one and is usually in a grove, not deep in the dark dense woodland.

[Gwydden]

I just read it, and I must say that probably the best about this chapter is that Arya actually sounds older. As in her PoV no longer reads as a little girl's now. I guess it's kind of hard, with everything going on. Maybe it comes from how incredibly dull I find children as fictional characters, but if her other chapters continue this trend, I might actually begin to like her.

[Veltigar]

I'll just repeat an age old theory of mine:

"Whenever a new Sealord is elected the knives come out" Stated by Syrio in AGOT.

Imo if the FM really did control everything, like some people here believe, there would be no need for those knives. The FM would just put a candidate forward and he would get chosen.

There must be some organization that pushes against the FM. Not to say that they are in open war with the FM, but more that they don't just lay down in awe before the FM.

The only organization powerful enough to be this adversary is the Iron Bank of Braavos. When the cuurent Sealord dies, knives will come out again and Arya will get embroideld in the conflict.

As to Brusco and Izembaro. There is no way that they are (retired) FM. You don't retire with the FM. I personally think that the FM civilian network is made up of people who didn't complete their training (Arya was given a choice remember), people who were given to the FM as prize (they can't all turn out to be. Like the waif), people who were once customers of the FM and people that associate themself with the FM political faction (the existence of which is not yet confirmed, but I believe it will be).

[Lady Fevre Dream]

Few of my thoughts - first the keyholders - for me it seems that they are people who elect a new Sealord. there is nice parallel to papal election in middle ages and renaissance - many times after the death of the pope knives did come out - and don't forget that the word conclave coms from latin words meaning "with a key".

As someone stated - the fact that Arya's wish to kill Raff is worded in almost sexual terms is for me much more disturbing than her use of seduction... in fact I am disturbed at how many people find it more disturbing for her to use seduction than being a stone cold killer. Also, I rember GRRM comparing Arya to african child soldiers in one Interview - and some of these have made it back to normal or at least "normalish" live - so maybe there is still hope for her.

Also /i do find Mercy's resemblence to Sansa more striking and more important than wether she actually plays Sansa in the play. Also I'd second that if Phario is Syrios relative - for some reason I think of him as Syrio's brother he may have wrot the play to piss off the envoy, regardless of Izembaro's intention.

Oh and quick reread of AGOT chapters with Syrio (Arya II, III, and IV) doesn't show any mention of Playwrite relative - but as I work only on Translation I can't be sure.

A side not - I always thought that "Iron bank always get it's due" and "Lannister always pays his debts" form an nice symmetry. Mybe they'll end up supporting Dany and Tyrion as well

Oh, I like that, that is an interesting take, with the keys not only belonging to powerful people, but perhaps the key to the next most powerful person in Braavos.