Tormund Giantsbane: Poachee and Husband to She-Bears.

[Daendrew]

Tormund Giantsbane: Poachee and Husband to She-Bears.

EndGame of Thrones Part 10

In this post we build off of the great post by Kuryer on Tormund and Alysane Mormont being together.

I believe that Jorah worked with the poachers to capture wildings beyond The Wall and that is precisely why he is so angry at Ned. And one of those he poached was Tormund Giantsbane.

Slavery is illegal in the Seven Kingdoms, but in Jorahs mind he did not did not extend those laws beyond The Wall to lands not under the control of Kings Landing. If Jorah went to Essos and Slavers Bay to get his slaves, he would not have gone into conflict with Winterfell or Kingslanding. The only reason he would get in trouble with Ned and Robert is if he poached people from within Westeros.

But as his Grace, The R’hilor Preying Mannis reminds us, the continent of Westeros has but one king.

"Westeros has but one king,"

said Stannis. His voice rang harsh, with none of Melisandre's music. "With this sword I defend my subjects and destroy those who menace them. Bend the knee, and I promise you food, land, and justice. Kneel and live. Or go and die. The choice is yours."

Again, the crime was committed on the continent of Westeros, but Jorah thought he would get away with it on a jurisdictional loophole. And there is no indication he poached Northmen such as those of the Northern Mountains, Deepwood, Stony Shore etc we would certainly have heard about this affront to those lords as their smallfolk belonging to those surrounding lords, with those individual lords making claims against House Mormont. We hear none of that. Instead we get this:

“His crime had dishonored The North.” – Eddard Stark's thoughts

He dishonored the whole North. Not a specific Northern Lord.

Jorah enslaved The Freefolk. That may be why GRRM calls them The Freefolk, so it builds up to this reveal.

Lets take a look at Jorahs subtle perspective on Ned.

He has contempt for him him:

Eddard Stark …” He spat. “You hate this Lord Stark,” Dany said. “He took from me all I loved, for the sake of a few lice-ridden poachers and his precious honor,” Ser Jorah said bitterly.

“I did things it shames me to speak of. For gold. So Lynesse might keep her jewels, her harper, and her cook. In the end it costed me all . When I heard that Eddard Stark was coming to Bear Island, I was so lost to honor that rather than stay and face his judgment, I took her with me into exile. Nothing mattered but our love, I told myself. We fled to Lys, where I sold my ship for gold to keep us.”

Yet even though he has contempt for him, he still respects Ned. Even still, Jorah doesn't believe Ned was a traitor when he hears of his execution:

And the Hand has fallen, Lord Stark who was King Robert’s friend. He has been seized for treason.” “Ned Stark a traitor?” Ser Jorah snorted. “Not bloody likely. The Long Summer will come again before that one would besmirch his precious honor.”

Ned is Lord Paramount and Warden of The North, it is his job to look after his lords and protect The North. If he poached another lords smallfolk and tried to sell them into slavery, Jorah would not spit at his name yet still respect him. Jorah spat and respected Ned because of his honor. His honor stretching beyond the borders he controls.

So I believe his poachees included Tormund Giantsbane, who was brought back to Bear Islands before being returned Beyond The Wall. In the meantime he may have married Alysane Mormont, Lady Maege Mormont's second daughter. who has two children. It is currently unknown whether Alysane's children are trueborn, or bastardborn.

Both Tormund Giantsbane and women of House Mormont are the only two people in the series who are mentioned, repeatedly as having slept with bears.