The Maiden of Tarth and the Kingslayer Fair

[TimJames]

In Asoiaf, there is a song called the Bear and the Maiden Fair. To see what it goes like, look below.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6VMSYIXCCY

There are MULTIPLE character relationships that this song is juxtaposed with or symbolic of. I am merely suggesting one more Bear-And-Maiden-Fair relationship. Specifically, Brienne and Jamie's relationship.

Let's start with personalities. Jamie has never been married, never been in a healthy romantic relationship, and never slept with anyone whom he is not related to. In these ways, he is a Maiden. Not only that, but Jamie is also physically attractive, witty, and intelligent. That means he is a Maiden Fair.

Of course, that would make Brienne the Bear. This is not just because she is difficult on the eyes: Brienne is really strong, really tall, vicious to those who attempt to cause her harm, and she has a lot of pent up anger (mostly at all the people who were mean to her). In these ways Brienne is kind of like a bear.

Now let's look at how the narrative of the song relates to Brienne and Jamie's relationship.

The song starts with three boys inviting a bear to come to the fair, and the bear asking if he's really allowed to come. This resembles Brienne being encouraged by her father and trained by her Master-At-Arms to be a Knight, resulting in her joining Renly's Army (which is as festive as a fair).

Next the song describes a maiden who was "sweet, pure, and fair" and who had "honey in her hair". The Kingsguard white to appear pure outwardly, and the honey could be either Jamie's blond hair or the stickiness of Jamie's (up to this point) messed up behavior.

Next the bear notices the maiden, who tells the bear to go away. The bear than lifts the maiden into the air. This reminds me of how Jamie is mean to Brienne when she is holding him prisoner, and how in response Brienne is judgmental of Jamie's fucked up past.

In the song, the Maiden says "I called for a knight but you're a bear". This has several layers. First it is stated at when Jamie was originally knighted he hoped to be chivalrous, so Jamie actually did call for a knight. Secondly, Brienne (the bear) is called for by Jamie to return Sansa safely to Catelyn. Thirdly, Brienne may not be a conventional image of a knight but she lives up the the ideas of a true knight better than Jamie has.

Next in the song, the bear licks the honey out of the Maiden's hair. This could be applied to Brienne cleaning the wickedness off of Jamie's head.

Finally, the Maiden says "by bear so fair". We see that after Brienne sets Jamie on the path to redemption he starts to see Brienne in a good light (to the point where he clocks Ronnet Connington in the mouth for calling Brienne a freak.

And then there is the last part of the song, "and off they went the Bear, the Bear and the Maiden Fair". I don't know if Jamie and Brienne will end up hooking up or starting a lasting relationship, but many seem to think they will.

This is not THE meaning of The Bear and the Maiden Fair. This might not even be intended by the author. This is just one case where the song is applicable.

[Two and a Halfhand]

Cool,i love the meaning behind ASOIAF songs.Can "Dornishman's Wife" be also symbolism for other characters?(Martells,most likely)

[denny717]

This is cool. I was reading the chapter when butterbumps sings this, and I felt like it was jorah and his Hightower wife. Jorah Obviously being the bear, and his his blonde maiden who he married after proving himself in a tourney (the fare). But your theory works well.

Also brienne and the bear in harrenhal. Both brienne and the bear were used for other people's amusement (renlys men and their jokes.)

[Visenya Stark]

I really like your interpretation of this song.

I remember reading somewhere that GRRM actually said he wrote this song for Jaime and Brienne.

[Visenya Stark]

Double post.

[Jaime4Brienne]

I absolutely loved this interpretation! (as a huge Jaime/Brienne shipper) but truthfully I think the song is just meant to be bawdy tavern song with no real meaning.

[DarkSister1001]

Nice Op! I like the parallels. I always thought that it being about Jorah and Dany was almost too easy. This adds some depth. Cool!

[Lost Melnibonean]

The song was written to underscore Sansa's emotions when she met the QOT. Sansa I, Storm.

[Maester Pangloss]

In regards to this point,

Next in the song, the bear licks the honey out of the Maiden's hair. This could be applied to Brienne cleaning the wickedness off of Jamie's head.

Honey could be referring to the color of his hair.

In AFFC, Cersei plucks a grey hair out of Jaime's beard, commenting about how he is going grey. The change in hair color began after he came back from spending time with Brienne. Maybe this color change symbolizes his change in attitude?

Hair color for the Lannister's might indicate more than is let on at first...

There is this line from Maggy the Frog's prophesy to Cersei:

"Gold shall be their crowns and gold their shrouds."

She takes shrouds to mean burial shrouds, but the word 'shroud' also means to conceal, i.e. to hide their true identity. If you believe A+J=J&C, their and their children's golden hair conceals their true Targaryen lineage.

So back to the original quote, maybe the bear "licking honey out of his hair" indicates that Brienne may come to reveal Jaime's true parentage.

Also, this transition from his Lannister identity to Targaryen identity coincides with his changes in attitudes and desire to be a better person and a true night. (Maybe similar to Rhaegar's character? Rhaegar is always described as chivalrous.)

(Note: Cersei may also be undergoing this same transition, but she takes after their father instead - the paranoid "Mad King".)

[Visenya Stark]

In regards to this point,

Honey could be referring to the color of his hair.

In AFFC, Cersei plucks a grey hair out of Jaime's beard, commenting about how he is going grey. The change in hair color began after he came back from spending time with Brienne. Maybe this color change symbolizes his change in attitude?

Hair color for the Lannister's might indicate more than is let on at first...

There is this line from Maggy the Frog's prophesy to Cersei:

"Gold shall be their crowns and gold their shrouds."

She takes shrouds to mean burial shrouds, but the word 'shroud' also means to conceal, i.e. to hide their true identity. If you believe A+J=J&C, their and their children's golden hair conceals their true Targaryen lineage.

So back to the original quote, maybe the bear "licking honey out of his hair" indicates that Brienne may come to reveal Jaime's true parentage.

Also, this transition from his Lannister identity to Targaryen identity coincides with his changes in attitudes and desire to be a better person and a true night. (Maybe similar to Rhaegar's character? Rhaegar is always described as chivalrous.)

(Note: Cersei may also be undergoing this same transition, but she takes after their father instead - the paranoid "Mad King".)

This is a very interesting take on the situation.

[Dorian Martell]

the song is a euphemism for a commoner bedding a highborn maiden. "Licking the honey from her hair" "She sighed and squealed and kicked the air"

[Nerevanin]

Very nice analysis of the song. I wish we got lyrics to all of the Westerosi songs so we can analyse them as well when compared to the characters in the story! :)