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[TWOIAF Spoilers] Inconsistency or Intentional?


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Sure. But how many ladies could this guy juggle with breaking his vows at the same time without anyone knowing about the second one? Arianne speaks of his paramour while he was a KG, describing her as an old lady. Where does Ashara fit? I can't believe she was the lady the KGs knew about. Barristan seems to like and respect Lewyn despite having a lady. Her being Barristan's own crush would spoil the thing a little.

This is the stumbling block to the theory. Everything else seems to fit really well, as far as I can tell. So, I'd say it's either a case of tricky wording on GRRM's part, or the refutation of the theory. :)

Or maybe Barristan didn't know who Lewyn's paramour was.

But Ashara’s daughter had been stillborn, and his fair lady had thrown herself from a tower soon after, mad with grief for the child she had lost, and perhaps for the man who had dishonored her at Harrenhal as well. She died never knowing that Ser Barristan had loved her. How could she? He was a knight of the Kingsguard, sworn to celibacy. No good could have come from telling her his feelings. No good came from silence either. If I had unhorsed Rhaegar and crowned Ashara queen of love and beauty, might she have looked to me instead of Stark?
- ADwD, The Kingbreaker (Ser Barristan)

Oh, the (potential) irony. ;)

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This is the stumbling block to the theory. Everything else seems to fit really well, as far as I can tell. So, I'd say it's either a case of tricky wording on GRRM's part, or the refutation of the theory. :)

Or maybe Barristan didn't know who Lewyn's paramour was.

- ADwD, The Kingbreaker (Ser Barristan)

Oh, the (potential) irony. ;)

Arianne used the word paramour, didn't she? That would indicate a loving, lasting relationship. Maybe something that had started before he even entered the KG, if he indeed went to court with Elia and not before. If so, the KG vow would be enough of a nuisance without adding another woman into the mix. Unless, of course, the woman stayed in Dorne the entire time and Lewyn only saw her when visiting. But if so, there would be no reason for Barristan to know.

Still, the irony would be delicious.

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Perhaps a clarification on Tywin's date of birth? I recall the Westerland reading specifying 242AC, yet the World book doesn't give a specific year. However,






I'm not sure if this has been changed meanwhile, but Tywin is named Hand in 262AC at the age of 20, according to page 203, first edition.


Yet page 201 mentions that in 254AC, Genna is betrothed, and according to the main series (Feast?) Tywin was 10 years old at this event..



So was he born in 242AC or in 244AC?



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On that Rogers thing from the Stark family tree:



I guess this means now that Catelyn was mistaken about the younger branch of House Royce match? Or did those Stark women marry into a female cadet branch of House Royce - named after some guy named Rogers?


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In the Roberts Rebellion section, it states that Robert had not met Jon Connington in the Battle of the Bells, yet Jon Connington himself remembers being defeated by Robert on the steps of the sept.

Was this intentional, or did they not actually fight each other?

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On that Rogers thing from the Stark family tree:

I guess this means now that Catelyn was mistaken about the younger branch of House Royce match? Or did those Stark women marry into a female cadet branch of House Royce - named after some guy named Rogers?

Ran said it is a mistake and should be Royce. I'll try find the quote.

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Thanks! I'll take care of that.



Ran,



if you are reading that:



Is this the case with both Rogers in the family tree, or merely with Benedict Rogers? We have also a Harrold Rogers marrying Branda Stark, the younger daughter of the Wandering Wolf. I guess so, but those things should be known for sure...


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My copy has the "Jamie" spelling but doesn't misspell Joffrey (in the Lannister tree). It does have a "Myielle" which I assume to be "Myrielle".



There are these conflicting quotes about Lomas Longstrider, but I assume this is an intentional inconsistency:



Lomas Longstrider reports that, even in far Asshai-by-the-Shadow, there were merchants who asked him if it was true that the “Lion Lord” lived in a palace of solid gold and that crofters collected a wealth of gold simply by plowing their fields.



Is there any truth to these grim fables brought back from the end of the earth by singers and sailors and dabblers in sorcery? Who can say? Lomas Longstrider never saw Asshai-by-the-Shadow.


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First edition, on page 82, it is stated that the winter that we've seen starting in TPATQ, which starts in 130AC, will last for 6 years. Thus, the winter would have ended in 136AC.

Yet on page 107, the winter is dated as having lasted from 130AC until 135AC.

Which one is correct?

130AC, 131AC, 132AC, 133AC, 134AC, 135AC = 6 years :)

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In The Sworn Sword, it is stated that the Redgrass Field was 15 years ago. In The Mystery Knight, it is stated that the Redgrass Field was 16 years ago. The World book confirms that the Redgrass Field took place in 196AC.



So that would mean that TSS took place in 211AC and TMK in 212AC, right?



Yet the World Book places The Mystery Knight (second Blackfyre Rebellion) in 211AC...


Is this unchanged in later prints?







130AC, 131AC, 132AC, 133AC, 134AC, 135AC = 6 years :)




But the winter would only start halfway in 130AC... say it ends halfwya through 131AC, then it won't have lasted 2 years, but only 1..



So I figured it was supposed to be 130 - 131 = 1, 131 - 132 = 2 etc.?


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In need of a clarification from the authors, perhaps. In the entry for Jaehaerys I, it's said that where "Aegon had left the laws of the Seven Kingdoms to the vagaries of local tradition and custom, Jaehaerys created the first unified code, so that from the North to the Dornish Marches, the realm shared a single rule of law." (p.60)



What is the meaning of the term rule of law here? Is it used euphemistically? Am I correct in thinking that the term merely describes a ruling house's attempt to create and promote some uniformity of customs and traditions, rather than setting more objective legal principles? Did Jaehaerys create the Master of Laws office? I've interpreted the MoL as a cataloger of sorts maintaining a clearinghouse for the realms traditions and customs, but lacking any real enforcement/law-making decisions as a paid employee of the king.



I'd been hoping that TWOW would give more insight into how law functions in-universe, as this is often a highly-contested issue on the forums, especially in regards to succession topics.

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The Small Council as a body of governance was created by Jaehaerys, that is stated somewhere. Aegon, Aenys, and Maegor had Hands and advisers bearing the same titles as the later guys, but all would have been much vaguer. For instance, Aegon's queens - and others, too, I imagine, especially Alyssa as Queen Regent, and Alysanne - sat on the Iron Throne and ruled the Realm in Aegon's absence. That practice was later conferred to the Hand only.


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The Small Council as a body of governance was created by Jaehaerys, that is stated somewhere. Aegon, Aenys, and Maegor had Hands and advisers bearing the same titles as the later guys, but all would have been much vaguer. For instance, Aegon's queens - and others, too, I imagine, especially Alyssa as Queen Regent, and Alysanne - sat on the Iron Throne and ruled the Realm in Aegon's absence. That practice was later conferred to the Hand only.

While still a long way from what we understand as the rule of law to be (hence my issue with using the term in TWOW), Jaehaerys' reign, under the guidance of septon/Hand Barth, installed more sophisticated, slightly more collaborative forms of governance.

Septon Barth has emerged as on of the more interesting figures here. Not only did write a definitive work on the dragons but he was a progressive as well, add to this a mystique not all that unlike Bryden Rivers.

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