Six Pups in the Snow: A Direwolves Reread

[Harlaw's Book the Sequel]

Sorry, I've been out of town. Julia, thank you again for the awesome work!

Observations

- Fire is used against the Starks.

- With the Winterfell library on fire, the barking of the Winterfell dogs joins the howling of the wolves.

- This is the chapter where one of the direwolves kills a human for the first time. By doing that, he saves the lives of two other people.

Not only is fire used against the Starks, but the dagger is dragonbone and Valyrian steel. My foreshadowing sense is tingling.

Saving the lives of two at the cost of one, are you hinting that this is another "only death can pay for life" situations?

The Attack

Yet, the attempt on the life of her son turns Catelyn into a true she-wolf: She fights and bites and tastes the blood of the attacker.

Bran's wolf coming to the rescue is described as a shadow slipping through the open door. The wolf kills the attacker and Catelyn thanks him. Then the wolf licks Catelyn's fingers, cleaning the blood off her hand. It strikes me as a friendly gesture, as the first example of (mutual) communication between Catelyn and a direwolf, perhaps as a symbolic acceptance of Catelyn into the wolf pack. Finally, the wolf jumps on Bran's bed and lies down beside the boy. The physical proximity between wolf and warg has been reestablished, and Catelyn does not need to be bothered by the howling any longer.

Robb would do well to remember this episode later on. :frown5:

"Blood on the hands" is a huge theme of the series. IIRC, butterbumps! and Ragnorak had some great posts on the subject. (If I can, I'll try to find the links to the posts). And I agree that having blood on your hands symbolizes taking responsibility for your actions. Summer licking the blood off may be akin to absolving Cat.

Howling Wolves

Once again the motif of howling comes up - together with the reaction of humans to it. Robb can distinguish the sounds of the various direwolves and he knows that Bran “needs to hear them sing”. Robb appears once more as a true Stark, who instinctively understands the nature of the Stark-direwolf relationship. Catelyn, however, is deeply disturbed by the howling. Of course, she is undergoing a nervous breakdown, but the contrast between her response to the wolves' sound and Robb's response to the same thing is still striking, especially if we remember how Tyrion was affected by the sound not long ago. We have learned that Catelyn begged Eddard not to leave, and when he did, she did not even see him out. Now in her grief, Catelyn rejects the Starks and Winterfell, and her hysterical reaction to the howling of the wolves is a sign of this rejection.

The emphasis in the previous chapter on Ghost's mute silence and the contrasting unbearable (to Catelyn) howling in this chapter has to be deliberate. What does the voice represent that GRRM would want to emphasize its absence in one wolf and its terrible noisiness in others? As you point out, though, Catelyn and Robb perceive the howling differently. Why is that?

I've been trying to think about how other voices are used in the stories to try to make connections and look for clues. Of course, singers use their voices. We will see later a couple of cases where major characters "silence" singers: Tyrion with Symon Silvertongue and Little Finger with Marillion. Joffrey has a singer's tongue cut out (or is it a hand cut off?) for singing a disrespectful song after Robert Baratheon's death. Lady Olenna orders her jester to sing loudly to prevent Sansa's words from being overheard at a dinner party.

Could Catelyn's reaction to the howling of the direwolves foreshadow the song that she should want to stop at the Frey wedding banquet? If that foreshadowing is intended, interesting that Robb's reaction to the howling is the opposite of Catelyn's.

I'm not completely sold on the idea that the wolves' howls are intended to be seen in the same light as the singing of professional singers. There is a lot of amateur song in the stories, and it doesn't have the same associations with death and betrayal and intrigue as the songs of professional performers. The wolves "song" may not be related to either type of music.

The wolves' howls seem both mournful and signs of alarm. Could they just be trying to signal that Bran's wolf needs to be at his side to protect him from harm? Could the wolves' howls be comparable to the warning blows of the horn that signal returning rangers, wildlings or whitewalkers for the Night's Watch?

Or are they like the sound of the horn of Joramun, that we have not yet heard?

Are there other significant sounds in the books? In my opinion, the relentless and repetitive voices of the Undying Ones might rank with aural torture Catelyn perceived in the howling of the wolves (and the Undying Ones' fate might be a better fit for Catelyn's "kill them all" directive).

Given the many instances of characters going mute (born that way; voluntarily - Silent Sisters; having their tongue cut out; being under some kind of spell - is that what happens to Arya, or is hers voluntary?; being killed, etc.) I imagine there is a meaningful message behind silence and speaking or otherwise making noise. Maybe also behind whispering - it always seems more meaningful when something is whispered instead of spoken out loud.

Perhaps this line of thinking doesn't help to explain wolf silence and wolf noise. I'd be curious if anyone else has clear ideas on this.

A lot of those singers Seams referenced are silenced to prevent them from telling the truth. At the same time Cat can't stand the howling, she also can't stand to hear the truth about Winterfell's vacancies, food stores, etc. I also think she can't stand it because she associates the howling with grief, so she thinks they're mourning Bran instead of willing him to live. Once again Cat may be associating the direwolves with death and destruction, and we have Robb thinking the opposite.

Robb knows that the direwolves are important. Robb the 14-year-old boy is able to accept his direwolf as an extension of himself. He looses this understanding later when he tries to fit in his position as grown man and king.

As much as I prefer the more mature versions of the characters, I do have to admit that it moments like these where I do remember there is a cost to growing up. And I think this idea of the child being wiser than the adult will become more important in the next Bran chapter.

Maybe this thread will interest you on the relation between the wolves and singing : http://asoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/topic/110263-those-who-sing/?p=5797558

Am I the only one who was really happy to learn in TWOIAF

the distinction between warg and skinchanger ? Warg is only used to call people who skinchange into wolves but skinchanger is for any person who have that kind of power with any animals.

Or was it already explained in the series and I missed it ?

Thank you for the reading!

[Seams]

Maybe this thread will interest you on the relation between the wolves and singing : http://asoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/topic/110263-those-who-sing/?p=5797558

I just finished reading through the eight pages of the "Those Who Sing" thread and felt it was worth sharing a Reader's Digest version of some of it on this thread. It answered my questions about why GRRM seemed to make a point in these early, expository chapters of Ghost being silent (yet able to communicate with Jon) and Catelyn and Robb's differing reactions to the howling of wolves as Bran lies unconscious. A lot of the "Those Who Sing" thread relates to dragons and the Children of the Forest (CofT) so it is not entirely relevant to our focus here on the direwolves re-read. There is also some interesting discussion of native American stories that might be known to GRRM and about bog bodies in Ireland and the way these bogs hold the memories of thousands of years. Comment #115 on that thread has an interesting discussion of Winterfell's crypt that we might want to examine when we get to some of the scenes in that special setting. The thread is definitely worth a read, but I think the following abridged version of the original post by Wolfmaid7 gets at the main point and focuses on the direwolf sounds I was trying to puzzle out earlier in this direwolf thread. (I kept in some of Wolfmaid7's discussion of the CotF because the larger, excellent notion of song and magic and sympathetic music is so strongly explained by the CotF self-identity.)

Those who sing

This is an observation of a reoccurring theme about "songs" in ASOIAF and the creatures that posses them. I will discuss why I feel it is important to the overall story and certain character development. ... Greek mathematician Pythagoras taught that planets rotating the Sun sang a song by vibrating. ... from these vibrations a certain harmony was achieved ... The symphony he called, 'the Music of the Spheres reverberated in everything and could be heard by those who had the gift to hear it. Pythagoras was not the first to put forth this notion though: ancient cultures spoke of creatures sharing a note that connects them in the larger scheme of the symphony. ... it is because of the correspondence of sound with the forces of nature that music and song are able to produce magical effects.

What I am proposing is that there is a similar principle in ASOIAF, whereby there is a shared song/note between certain creatures and humans that allow them to bond and communicate with each other. There seems to be the same going on in our story where the "shared notes" between creatures and individuals give rise to a magical manifestation in the form of mutual symbiosis.

Here is an example of how communication is viewed from the point of Jon/Ghost. This I believe is one of the most convincing examples of a shared note. The white wolf that never makes a sound not even when he walks but is somehow able to make a sound that only Jon could hear. It is also the first quote where we see a clear indication that this transcends distance.

Another example:

This is one of my favorite visuals as it is a strong example that there is a musically magic language that certain people can understand. The POV's in a lot of these cases shows that to the "untouched ear" the song comes across as noise but to certain people like the Stark kids and Dany it sounds like music. To Cat howling is what she got out of the wolves, but listen to Robbs description of the sound the wolves make, he is hearing them as "songs". His bond with Greywind is allowing him to perceive the language of the world that lies just below superficial perception of human view.

The Singers:

A closer look at who the Singers really are might shed a little more light on this topic.

"The Children of the Forest Old Nan would have called the Singers, but those who sing the songs of earth was their own name for themselves, in the true tongue no human man could speak. The Ravens could speak it,though. Their small black eyes, were full of secrets and they would caw at him when they heard the songs (ADWD, Bran, pg.397 electronic version)."

First the term "Singers" is a termed coined by Old Nan and Bran to refer to the Children, but "those who sing the song of earth" the name they call themselves may not apply only to them: The language of the earth is a symphony of varied songs and those songs are magical in nature. Connected intimately are the Old races that consists of the COTF, Giants, Crows, Direwolves, Weirwood trees and possibly the White Walkers. Anything that has a magical song.

The Importance of the Songs:

There are characters in this story that uses magical song as a means to communicate and bond to those who naturally share it with them. What we see here is a language linking the Old Races/Dragons to those sensitive enough in the realm of man to perceive the language. This is important because in a world heavily invested with nature the chance of creating "sympathetic" humans is increased via infiltration and influence through the shared song. We look at the relationships of how much Dany, or Jon or Bran have on their familiars, but have we ever stopped to consider that the familiars are no mere creatures and may have some level of influence on how the proxies view and interact with the world around them.

I hope I didn't go too far in my edits for clarity and some spelling. Wolfmaid7's ideas are powerful, but only a few of them are directly relevant to the questions we have been exploring here.

I've been trying to think about how other voices are used in the stories to try to make connections and look for clues. Of course, singers use their voices. We will see later a couple of cases where major characters "silence" singers: Tyrion with Symon Silvertongue and Little Finger with Marillion. Joffrey has a singer's tongue cut out (or is it a hand cut off?) for singing a disrespectful song after Robert Baratheon's death. Lady Olenna orders her jester to sing loudly to prevent Sansa's words from being overheard at a dinner party.

I'm not completely sold on the idea that the wolves' howls are intended to be seen in the same light as the singing of professional singers. There is a lot of amateur song in the stories, and it doesn't have the same associations with death and betrayal and intrigue as the songs of professional performers. The wolves "song" may not be related to either type of music.

A lot of those singers Seams referenced are silenced to prevent them from telling the truth.

Excellent point, Harlaw's Book the Sequel. Maybe this gets at a theory I was testing recently on a Sansa-related thread. It seemed to me that Sansa was thrown into a warped world of the New Gods when she went from Winterfell to King's Landing: Cersei was a horrible version of The Mother; Olenna Tyrell a manipulative Crone; Ser Dontos a lecherous parody of the Warrior, etc. If the religion of the New Gods has been twisted to allow for the amoral and exploitative behavior we find in the south (or maybe it has always lacked the moral substance of the Old Gods), perhaps the singing that represents harmony and insight in the north has also been twisted and perverted into a cynical tool of mockery, blackmail and a signal for assassins in the south. Your point about these songs telling truths still applies, I think. Joffrey, Tyrion and Littlefinger see music as a problem and a threat in these instances, and would like it to go away. Before Tyrion instructs Bronn in the best way to dispose of Symon Silvertongue, he has a long discussion with the singer about why there must be precisely seven singers at Joffrey and Margaery's wedding. He also tells Symon that the last thing his own Lady Sansa needs is more songs. Perhaps more evidence that Southron singing is either a threat or must be carefully molded to support the Seven.

This is getting far afield from our current wolf focus, but I thought I'd throw this idea in here because it may tie up a loose end I left earlier on this thread.

[Mother Of Dragon]

I disagree with your definition of warg vs skinchanger. Orell was referred to as a warg and he was bonded with his eagle not a wolf. Varamyr Sixskins was a called a warg and he was able to enter many animals ( 3 wolves, a shadow cat, bear and eventually a woman). However, he is referred many times as a warg not a skinchanger. I am guessing that stronger wargs that have the ability to skin-change (enter a human) and that is the difference. I need to do some more digging.

[The Wolves]

On being a warg and skinchanger

Every warg is a skinchanger but not every skinchanger is a warg

I forgot where this came from or who said this probably Jojen or GRRM but I know it's in the wiki.

[The Wolves]

On being a warg and skinchanger

Every warg is a skinchanger but not every skinchanger is a warg

I forgot where this came from or who said this probably Jojen or GRRM but I know it's in the wiki.

[Julia H.]

I disagree with your definition of warg vs skinchanger. Orell was referred to as a warg and he was bonded with his eagle not a wolf. Varamyr Sixskins was a called a warg and he was able to enter many animals ( 3 wolves, a shadow cat, bear and eventually a woman). However, he is referred many times as a warg not a skinchanger. I am guessing that stronger wargs that have the ability to skin-change (enter a human) and that is the difference. I need to do some more digging.

Well, the definition is in the Wiki:

A skinchanger able to enter the mind of a wolf or dog is known as a warg.

As a source, they refer to SSM - it says:

He also answered some questions regarding warging (the term only applies to those who can communicate with wolves/dogs) ...

I'm not an expert, but the idea is apparently not new. It is interesting if the term is used differently in the book though. But I think Varamyr perfectly fits the definition. He is able to communicate with wolves, after all.

[Julia H.]

Double post. Sorry.

[Half Of Tormunds Member]

Double double posts? HAR!

[Julia H.]

A lot of interesting posts here.

Seams, thank you for bringing in the song theme.

Personally, at this moment I don’t think the direwolves’ song foreshadows the Rains of Castamere or the Horn of Joramund. I find it more likely that the “song” is perceived as a song by those who are part of the pack (Robb can distinguish the individual voices, Bran actually becomes stronger due to the sound), while the people outside the pack perceive it as something frightening and sinister. Tyrion certainly felt that way, and now Catelyn feels alienated from the Starks. Perhaps she has not warmed to the direwolves yet or she simply feels resentment towards Winterfell, the Starks, the North now, because of her grief and despair.

The magical power and unifying force of songs is an amazing theory, thank you, Ellfoy, for the link! It was a fascinating read.

That Ghost cannot take part in the singing is an interesting touch in this respect, too, but we do see him communicate with the rest of the pack anyway, and, after all, the “song” may have more to it than just a series of actual sounds. (As we have seen, the effect of his silence on Tyrion is the same as that of the howling of the other wolves.)

Then again, if Jon’s true song is the Song of Ice and Fire, Ghost’s silence may also signify that Jon has not found his own song yet.

The direwolves’ song may be another motif worth watching out for.

Franziska, the appearance of the Lannister colours in this image of Summer is intriguing. If it were only the red (blood red), I would associate it with the weirwood, but the gold is definitely there, too… Actually, Blood and Gold is the title of the second part of ASoS, so the image may refer to more than the Lannisters.

Sorry, I've been out of town. Julia, thank you again for the awesome work!

Not only is fire used against the Starks, but the dagger is dragonbone and Valyrian steel. My foreshadowing sense is tingling.

Saving the lives of two at the cost of one, are you hinting that this is another "only death can pay for life" situations?

"Blood on the hands" is a huge theme of the series. IIRC, butterbumps! and Ragnorak had some great posts on the subject. (If I can, I'll try to find the links to the posts). And I agree that having blood on your hands symbolizes taking responsibility for your actions. Summer licking the blood off may be akin to absolving Cat.

A lot of those singers Seams referenced are silenced to prevent them from telling the truth. At the same time Cat can't stand the howling, she also can't stand to hear the truth about Winterfell's vacancies, food stores, etc. I also think she can't stand it because she associates the howling with grief, so she thinks they're mourning Bran instead of willing him to live. Once again Cat may be associating the direwolves with death and destruction, and we have Robb thinking the opposite.

As much as I prefer the more mature versions of the characters, I do have to admit that it moments like these where I do remember there is a cost to growing up. And I think this idea of the child being wiser than the adult will become more important in the next Bran chapter.

Thank you for the reading!

Thank you for the kind words.

Excellent observation about the Valyrian steel and the dragonbone!

I didn’t think of the “only death can pay for life” principle, but I guess it does apply to any “fight or die” situation. What I meant to point out was simply that Summer’s first killing happened in defence of (human) life, in defence of the pack.

I have read a lot about the "blood on one’s hands” symbolism (some of those posts are among my top favourite ones). I like the idea of Summer absolving Cat (though Cat did not kill the man), but Cat will have to take responsibility for some very decisive actions quite soon (she will not be shielded by Ned and Ned’s responsibility any more), and the blood on her hands may also symbolize her initiation into the group of responsible leaders – as well as into the “wolf-pack”.

Double double posts? HAR!

It was an attack of the grumkins and the snarks.

[Harlaw's Book the Sequel]

Everyone, please accept my apologies for the delay, but I hope to have Sansa I up in a few days.

[Julia H.]

No problem. :) Post Sansa I whenever you are ready.

I'm waiting eagerly but patiently.

[Franziska]

No problem. :) Post Sansa I whenever you are ready.

I'm waiting eagerly but patiently.

dito

[Harlaw's Book the Sequel]

Thank you for your patience!

Sansa I

Summary

Sansa and Arya argue over the Queen. Sansa meets some more members of the King’s court, spends time with Joffrey, and finds Arya practicing sword fighting with Mycah, the butcher’s boy.

Observations

• The direwolf-dog distinction is brought up again.
  
• Disparaging remarks about the direwolves and their influence on the Starks may contain more truth in them than the speakers realize.
  
• The chapter shows Sansa’s relationship with Lady is just a deep as her siblings with their direwolves.
  

Analysis

“…Sansa said, feeding a piece of bacon to Lady under the table. The direwolf took it from her hand, as delicate as a queen.

Septa Mordane sniffed in disapproval. ‘A noble lady does not feed her dogs at the table…

‘She’s not a dog, she’s a direwolf,’ Sansa pointed out as Lady licked her fingers with a rough tongue. ‘Anyway, Father said we could keep them with us if we want. ‘

The Septa was not appeased. ‘You’re a good girl, Sansa, but I do vow, when it comes to that creature you’re as willful as you’re sister Arya.'”

• This exchange between Sansa and Septa Mordane provides a nice “not so different” moment between Sansa and Arya.
  
• Comparing Lady to a queen opens up a lot of interpretations for Sansa’s future. Will Sansa be queen? Given Lady’s fate, does it mean Sansa won’t become queen? Or will Sansa become a de facto queen like the Queen of Thorns? Also I think Sansa comparing Lady to the role Sansa wants to become demonstrates that at this stage the direwolves are more mature than their humans. The queen comparison furthers the similarity between Arya and Sansa in that both of them see their direwolves as queens. Finally, describing Lady as a queen may seen innocuous, but we’ve already seen how dangerous direwolves and queens can be, and they’ll only become more dangerous in the future.
  
• This is probably as much confirmation that we’ll ever get that Septa Mordane was the one who considered Nymeria’s name a scandal.
  

“She found Arya on the banks of the Trident, trying to hold Nymeria still while she brushed mud from her fur. The direwolf was not enjoying the process… Arya shrugged. “Hold still,” she snapped at Nymeria, I’m not hurting you…The wolf wriggled in her grasph and Arya scolded her. ‘Stop that, I have to do the other side, you’re all muddy…Arya ignored her. She gave a hard yank with the brush. Nymeria growled and spun away, affronted. ‘Come back here!'”

• Lady makes Sansa more willful, but here we have Nymeria kind of having the opposite effect on Arya because now Arya is caring about hygiene and trying to rein in Nymeria. (It’s a shame Cat and Septa Mordane aren’t around to witness this). Nymeria’s resistance to the brushing seems symbolic of refusing to change her identity.
  
• Arya’s tangled hair is an important part of her character. Later when Jon and Cat think of Arya, they’ll remember her tangled hair. While Arya will have several haircuts, Nymeria’s tangled hair is another way of safeguarding as well as reflecting Arya’s identity.
  

“’I don’t like the queen,’ Arya said casually…She won’t even let me bring Nymeria…

‘A royal wheelhouse is no place for a wolf,’ Sansa said…

‘They won’t let you bring Lady either.’

• Besides the usual reasons of disliking the direwolves, I think Cersei’s dislike also stems from fear that Maggy the Frog’s prophecy could apply to the Stark girls. Like Cat, I do think Cersei sees the direwolves as a sign.
  
• Linking this back to Arya and Sansa seeing their direwolves as queens, Cersei refusing the direwolves into the wheelhouse shows how Cersei wants no other queens around.
  

“…but Sansa could not take eyes off the third man [ser Ilyn Payne]…Slowly he turned his head. Lady growled. A terror as overwhelming as anything Sansa Stark ever felt filled her suddenly. She stepped backward and bumped into someone…Sansa wrenched away from him, and the Hound laughed, and Lady moved between them, rumbling a warning. Sansa dropped to her knees to wrap her arms around the wolf.”

• Why such a strong reaction to Ser Illyn? Is Lady feeling Sansa’s fear or is it the other way around? Either I know there is a lot of speculation over Lady’s reaction. Is it because Ser Illyn would’ve been the one to carry out Lady’s sentence if Ned hadn’t stepped in? Is it because of the role Illyn plays in Ned’s death? Is it about something that happens in a future book? Either way, Illyn is going to remain a looming specter for Sansa.
  
• As to the Hound, while his treatment of Sansa will be better than most, I think it’s fair to say the Hound’s behavior will never let Sansa be one hundred percent at ease with him. Even when the Hound is kind, he’s dangerous. Also at this point in the story, the Hound is not a friend to her. And of course, we've already established the unfriendly relationship between direwolves and dogs.
  

“’A wolf,’ a man said, and someone else said, “Seven hells, that’s a direwolf, and the first man said, ‘What’s it doing in camp?’ And the Hound’s rasping voice replied, ‘The Starks use them for wet nurses,’ and Sansa realized the two stranger knights [barristan and Renly] were looking down on her and Lady, swords in their hands…’

• Barristan and Renly pulling out swords at the sight of Lady reminds me the reactions of Jory and the other non-Stark inhabitants of Winterfell towards the direwolves. It shows that whether they’re from the north or the south, peoples’ attitudes toward direwolves are basically the same. That it’s Barristan and Renly pulling out the swords…well, it catches my attention because of how they’ll behave in the next chapter.
  
• The wet nurse comment is meant as an insult, but I think there is truth to it because the direwolves do act as wetnurses in that they enable the Starks’ warging ability to thrive and do care and protect them. Also with a wetnurse’s stories proven true in the prologue and admirable characters such as Old Nan and Gilly being wetnurses, I think the insult should be taken as an compliment.
  

“Someone’s there,” Sansa said anxiously. She found herself thinking of Lady, wishing the direwolf was with her."

Not only is this another instance of a Stark wanting a direwolf’s protection, but Sansa wants Lady to protect her instead of thinking of a knight, her father, or someone else coming to her aid. It might be an indication that even at this point Sansa’s faith in knights isn’t as strong as she thinks it is. Likewise her not thinking Joffrey is enough protection shows lack of faith in him despite of how enamored she is.

"Then a grey blur flashed past her, and suddenly Nymeria was there, leaping, jaws closing around Joffrey’s sword arm…Arya’s voice cracked like a whip. ‘Nymeria!’ The direwolf let go of Joffrey and moved to Arya’s side."

The question I’ve had with this scene for a while is why does Nymeria wait for so long to protect Arya from Joffrey? We saw Summer warn Bran some time before Bran encounters Cersei and Jaime. Perhaps Nymeria was waiting for Arya to be in physical danger, but we do know the direwolves react to the Starks’ emotional distress as well, and Joffrey caused Arya emotional distress from the moment he and Sansa came on the scene.

[Franziska]

Thanks Harlaw's Book for your interpretation. Great stuff.

I had yesterday a little bit time to think about this chapter. So here are my thoughts.

First of all, I really liked to read this chapter from the direwolf POV. It is the only chapter we see Lady in action and she’s a busy little wolf. On the baseline of this chapter is always the she-wolf-theme.

“I’ve never seen an aurochs,” Sansa said, feeding a piece of bacon to Lady under the table. The direwolf took it from her hand, as delicate as a queen.

Septa Mordane sniffed in disapproval. “A noble lady does not feed dogs at her table,” she said breaking off another piece of comb and letting the honey drip onto her bread.

“She’s not a dog, she’s a direwolf,” Sansa pointed out as Lady licked her fingers with a rough tongue. “Anyway, Father said we could keep them with us if we want.”

The septa was not appeased. “You’re a good girl, Sansa, but I do vow, when it comes to that creature you’re as willful as your sister Arya.”

Sansa has a strong and intimate relationship with Lady. It seems it has become her habit to feed Lady from the table. The septa tries to chastise her and compares Lady to a dog but Sansa immediately points out, that there’s a difference between a dog and a direwolf – the direwolf is stronger and so is Sansa.

Also, with Lady at her side Sansa becomes bolder and dares to defy her teacher. She will feed Lady from the table and no one will stop her from that.

She scowled. “And where is Arya this morning?”

“She wasn’t hungry,” Sansa said, knowing full well that her sister had probably stolen down to the kitchen hours ago…

Little side note. I never realized before, that Sansa is backing Arya here. She keeps to her pack, even if she doesn’t agree with Arya.

Lady followed at her heels as she ran from the inn’s common room.

And Lady is always close by.

She found Arya on the banks of the Trident, trying to hold Nymeria still while she brushed dried mud from her fur. The direwolf was not enjoying the process. Arya was wearing the same riding leathers she had worn yesterday and the day before.

…

The wolf wriggled in her grasp and Arya scolded her. “Stop that, I have to do the other side, you’re all muddy.”

…

Arya ignored her (Sansa). She gave a hard yank with the brush. Nymeria growled and spun away, affronted. “Come back here!”

…

“Myrcella is a little baby.” Arya grabbed Nymeria around her neck, but the moment she pulled out the brush again the direwolf wriggled free and bounded off. Frustrated, Arya threw down the brush. “Bad wolf!” she shouted.

So the girl, who cakes herself in mud, tries to clean her direwolf… I like that picture. As we see her efforts are not very successful. The whole talk of the sisters while Arya tries to catch Nymeria is hilarious :laugh:

As Harlaw's book said. Too bad that neither Cat nor the Septa see this scene.

“There’s going to be lemon cakes and tea,” Sansa went on, all adult and reasonable. Lady brushed against her leg. Sansa scratched her ears the way she liked, and Lady sat beside her on her haunches, watching Arya chase Nymeria.

This brushing against Sansa’s leg reminds me somehow of Ghosts behavior in ADWD.

“A royal wheelhouse is no place for a wolf,” Sansa said. “And Princess Myrcella is afraid of them, you know that.”

You’re a wolf yourself Sansa. :frown5:

“Myrcella is a little baby.” Arya grabbed Nymeria around her neck, but the moment she pulled out the brush again the direwolf wriggled free and bounded off. Frustrated, Arya threw down the brush. “Bad wolf!” she shouted.

Sansa couldn’t help but smile a little. The kennelmaster once told her that an animal takes after its master. She gave Lady a quick little hug. Lady licked her cheek. Sansa giggled. Arya heard and whirled around, glaring. “I don’t care what you say, I’m going out riding.” Her long horsey face got the stubborn look that meant she was going to do something willful.

Sansa really loves her direwolf; their relationship is so sweet.

Anxious to see, Sansa let Lady clear a path through the crowd. People moved aside hastily for the direwolf.

This is the second time we see Sansa using Lady to have her way. We know Sansa is in her early teens, and a teenager in puberty with a direwolf gets a lot of things. This would have become really interesting, had Lady lived longer.

… Sansa could not take her eyes of the third man (Payne). He seemed to feel the weight of her gaze. Slowly, he turned his head. Lady growled. A terror as overwhelming as anything Sansa Stark had ever felt filled her suddenly. She stepped backward and bumped into someone.

Lady is growling before Sansa is able to feel the terror. So Lady is not growling because of Sansa’s feelings; there is something on Payne Lady personally doesn’t like. Payne is the headsman so maybe Lady smells death on him (remember Ghost also dislikes the smell of death later in ACOK) or he actually means danger for Sansa.

Strong hands grasped her by the shoulders, and for a moment Sansa thought it was her father, but when she turned, it was the burned face of Sandor Clegane looking down at her, his mouth twisted in a terrible mockery of a smile. “You are shaking, girl,” he said, his voice rasping. “Do I frighten you so much?”

He did, and had since she had first laid eyes on the ruin that fire had made of his face, though it seemed to her now that he was not half so terrifying as the other. Still, Sansa wrenched away from him, and the Hound laughed, and Lady moved between them, rumbling a warning. Sansa dropped to her knees to wrap her arms around the wolf. They were al gathered around gaping, she could feel their eyes on her, and here and there she heard muttered comments and titters of laughter.

Here it is the opposite. Sansa is afraid and I think Lady is driven by Sansa’s emotions. And then Sansa wraps her arms around the wolf. Lady gives her strength in the same way Ghost did with Jon in a previous chapter.

“A wolf,” a man said, and someone else said, “Seven hells, that’s a direwolf,” and the first man said, “Seven hells, that’s a direwolf,” and the first man said, “What’s it doing in camp?” and the Hound’s rasping voice replied, “The Starks use them for wet nurses,” and Sansa realized that the two stranger knights were looking down on her and Lady, swords in their hands, and then she was frightened again, and ashamed. Tears filled her eyes.

Who’s protecting whom? Is it Sansa who’s protecting Lady from the knights or does Lady protect Sansa?

And the two knights, whom do they fear more? The direwolf or the young girl, who commands the wolf?

This moment contains so many possibilities, how this scene could have ended. Too bad Cersei interrupts.

…Sansa was beginning to feel comfortable… until Ser Ilyn Payne shouldered two men aside, and stood before her, unsmiling. He did not say a word. Lady bared her teeth and began to growl, a low rumble full of menace, but this time Sansa silenced the wolf with a gentle hand to the head.

And again Lady acts hostile against Ilyn Payne. Something is wrong about this guy and I wonder what happens, if he’s going to meet one of the other direwolves in TWOW or ADOS.

Joffrey glanced back at Lady, who was following at their heels. “Your wolf is liable to frighten the horses, and my dog seems to frighten you. Let us leave them both behind and set off on our own, what do you say?”

I read several times over this scene. There is no horse around, which could act nervous about Lady. It could be, that the wolf roused them during the travel but more likely it is just Joffrey, who looks for a reason to get rid of Lady. We already saw his animosity against the wolves after Bran’s fall and I guess he actually is afraid of them.

Sansa hesitated. “If you like,” she said uncertainly. “I suppose I could tie Lady up.”

Sansa hesitates to leave Lady behind. Like Robb she feels somehow, that this wolf is important to her. To separate themselves from their wolves can be dangerous for the Stark siblings. When Robb does he dies and Jon was in great danger at Queenscrown when Styr attacks him. Sansa’s instincts say “Keep the wolf with you” while the part that wants to be adult says “Tie the wolf up.”

“Someone’s there,” Sansa said anxiously. She found herself thinking of Lady, wishing the direwolf was with her.

If Lady would have been with Sansa, she would have now touched the wolfs head to strengthen herself. Instead she’s left alone and so Sansa does not know what to do with the coming fight.

Joffrey slashed at Arya with his sword, screaming obscenities, terrible words, filthy words. Arya darted back, frightened now, but Joffrey followed hounding her toward the woods, backing her up against a tree. Sansa didn’t know what to do. She watched helplessly, almost blind from her tears.

Then a grey blur flashed past her, and suddenly Nymeria was there, leaping, jaws closing around Joffrey’s sword arm. The steel fell from his fingers as the wolf knocked him of his feet, and they rolled in the grass, the wolf snarling and ripping at him, the prince shrieking in pain. “Get it off,” he screamed. “Get it off!”

Arya’s voice cracked like a whip. “Nymeria!”

The direwolf let go of Joffrey and moved to Arya’s side.

The fight between Arya and Joffrey is hard stuff. Joffrey attacks her with sharp steel; unlike Arya he has learned how to fight and the girl has no shield to protect herself from a swordblow. I’m sure that Arya would have faced a grievous wound if Nymeria had not interrupted. Like Summer the she-wolf protects her owner to the last but she’s never out of control. One word and the wolf is at Arya’s side.

Well, maybe it was more than just a little bit. :laugh:

[Manderly's Rat Cook]

I read something on the first page of this thread that really caught my eye. Someone mentioned that Jon thought about Ghost crawling away from his siblings opening his eyes, while the others were drinking cold milk from their dead mother. In other words the five Stark kids were nurtured by death. (Later on someone also mentioned that Ghost seems to be the only wolf not eating human flesh/ nurturing himself on dead humans). Interesting is that the personality of the Stark kids is strongly formed by death:

Robb: Establishes his personality as King of the North with the death of his father.

Sansa: Loses her weapon/defense when Lady dies, after Ned's death she grows into a person who learns that the best way to survive is keeping your mouth shut, and behaving the way people want you to. Eventually the death of Lysa is the tipping point where she seems to decide that being cunning like LF, and lying (not just to save her own skin, but also to keep her cards to herself) is a weapon she's willing to use. It's the first time she doesn't just lie out of fear, but out of cunning.
Arya: The first time Arya was nurtured by death was when her hatred towards the Lannisters and the Hound was fueled when Micah and Lady were killed. Her personality is shaped by a quest for vengeance, with loads of deaths fueling it. This becomes clear even before she witnesses her father's death when she already kills a person when she's escaping the Red Keep. I don't think Arya needs much more explanation on this matter.

Bran: Bran is a bit harder to define, but part of his personality is shaped by his love for stories about the... erm... walking dead so to say. The first time his personality changes is after his coma, when his own personality as a 'climber' dies. After that he establishes his personality as a warg after Rickon and him were "murdered" by Theon, whilst spending time between the dead in the crypts.

Rickon: Although we don't know much about him, Ned's death definitely made him (like his wolf) turn in to a slightly wild and savage child.

On the other hand is Jon, whose wolf crawled away from the others and didn't nurture on the dead. Jon actively decides to go back to Castle Black, instead of joining Robb on the quest to avenge Ned. You could say he chose a personality that is the opposite of what his 'instinct' tells him to do.

EDIT: Here's the quote from the first page I'm referring to:

"Once they had been six, five whimpering blind in the snow beside their dead mother, sucking cool milk from her hard dead nipples whilst he crawled off alone."

[Franziska]

• Comparing Lady to a queen opens up a lot of interpretations for Sansa’s future. Will Sansa be queen? Given Lady’s fate, does it mean Sansa won’t become queen? Or will Sansa become a de facto queen like the Queen of Thorns?

Nice catch. I never gave much attention about the fact that Lady is compared to a queen.

Yes I think Lady's fate has a meaning to Sansa’s future, but not wrt Sansa’s state in society. I’ll take that point up again when Lady’s actually killed.

[the conquering bastard 25]

Arya when talking with Ned I told tells her fate he mentions marriage and he children being Princes and she says no thats Sansa fate. Then Jamie said bout Sans a wedding and innkeep or blacksmith that's Aryas fate he mentioning

[Julia H.]

Harlaw’s Book the Sequel, great post! It was definitely worth the waiting. :)

• The chapter shows Sansa’s relationship with Lady is just a deep as her siblings with their direwolves.
  

I agree, and it makes Lady’s fate even sadder. This is the chapter where we really get to know her, and she is presented like everyone’s favourite little pup.

… as delicate as a queen

I suppose the comparison is ironic – or else it reflects Sansa’s naivety. The only real queen Sansa has seen so far is not particularly delicate.

Lady being compared to a queen in Sansa’s POV probably also reflects the fact that Sansa has already started to regard herself as a future queen.

This chapter includes some grim foreshadowing. (The description of Ser Ilyn reminds me of Death itself.) As far as I can tell, Lady starts growling at the same moment when Sansa is overwhelmed by terror, but Sansa notices Payne earlier than that. We have seen with Summer that a direwolf can sense danger in advance, but here this presentiment is felt equally strongly by Sansa. Which of them feels the primary emotion?

The scene with Joffrey: Nymeria demonstrates what Ned said about direwolves in the first chapter:

“And the gods help you if you neglect them, or brutalize them, or train them badly. These are not dogs to beg for treats and slink off at a kick. A direwolf will rip a man's arm off his shoulder as easily as a dog will kill a rat.”

We get all sorts of animal symbolism is in this chapter: wolf, dog, stag, lion… Joffrey is revealed to be a lion by his sword. The wolf-girl robs the lion of its tooth though. .

Franziska and Manderly’s Rat Cook, very interesting observations.

[Manderly's Rat Cook]

This chapter includes some grim foreshadowing. (The description of Ser Ilyn reminds me of Death itself.) As far as I can tell, Lady starts growling at the same moment when Sansa is overwhelmed by terror, but Sansa notices Payne earlier than that. We have seen with Summer that a direwolf can sense danger in advance, but here this presentiment is felt equally strongly by Sansa. Which of them feels the primary emotion?

The scene with Joffrey: Nymeria demonstrates what Ned said about direwolves in the first chapter:

“And the gods help you if you neglect them, or brutalize them, or train them badly. These are not dogs to beg for treats and slink off at a kick. A direwolf will rip a man's arm off his shoulder as easily as a dog will kill a rat.”

We get all sorts of animal symbolism is in this chapter: wolf, dog, stag, lion… Joffrey is revealed to be a lion by his sword. The wolf-girl robs the lion of its tooth though. .

Franziska and Manderly’s Rat Cook, very interesting observations.

Interesting observation about Sansa. Perhaps her warging abilities had developed enough to be able to already sense what Lady instinctively knew, or she (and in that case probably the other Stark kids as well) is extremely intuitive herself, which might be why wargs are capable of cennecting with their animals in such a deep way.

The sentence in blue might be foreshadowing of the Hound killing Mycah. In that case Mycah would be a rat :P

Thanks :) In the light of being nurtured by death I also wonder if/how UnCat will influence the personalities of the Stark siblings. Bran will definitely see her through the world-wide-weirwoodweb, but I'm curious about Sansa ans Arya... And Rickon of course, we don't even have a clue what kind of abilities he might have!

[Seams]

but Sansa could not take eyes off the third man [ser Ilyn Payne]Slowly he turned his head. Lady growled. A terror as overwhelming as anything Sansa Stark ever felt filled her suddenly. She stepped backward and bumped into someoneSansa wrenched away from him, and the Hound laughed, and Lady moved between them, rumbling a warning. Sansa dropped to her knees to wrap her arms around the wolf.

• Why such a strong reaction to Ser Illyn? Is Lady feeling Sansas fear or is it the other way around? Either I know there is a lot of speculation over Ladys reaction. Is it because Ser Illyn wouldve been the one to carry out Ladys sentence if Ned hadnt stepped in? Is it because of the role Illyn plays in Neds death? Is it about something that happens in a future book? Either way, Illyn is going to remain a looming specter for Sansa.
• As to the Hound, while his treatment of Sansa will be better than most, I think its fair to say the Hounds behavior will never let Sansa be one hundred percent at ease with him. Even when the Hound is kind, hes dangerous. Also at this point in the story, the Hound is not a friend to her. And of course, we've already established the unfriendly relationship between direwolves and dogs.

The reaction to Ser Illyn is probably largely foreshadowing: he is the one who will execute her father. But he is also kind of scary: with his tongue cut out, he is definitely a grim reaper figure.

I hadn't thought, until reading your nice summary here, about the deliberate juxtaposition of Ser Illyn and The Hound in this scene. Having read the books once already, we know that Ser Illyn will be the last one to use the sword Ice, and that he will use it in a way that is tragic and painful for Sansa. The Hound will become something of a protector for Sansa (and, in a different way, for Arya). The Hound is strongly associated with fire (although he has been a victim of it) and Ser Illyn comes to be associated with Ice (the sword). In this scene, Sansa is caught between them, but has her wolf for comfort and protection. Maybe GRRM is dropping a hint about Sansa's future, where she will be caught between fire and ice but will have no wolf to protect her? Or will her own "ladylike" behavior be her best protection?

Both Ser Illyn and The Hound may represent different forms of The Stranger (of the seven gods). They are both largely unknown to Sansa at this point, so they are literal strangers. They are both associated with death as the stories continue. Eventually we will learn that The Hound's horse is named Stranger.