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What the hell is the Thing That Came in the Night?


Mithras

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There is significant water imagery surrounding Sam, who represents the ‘thing in the night’ in the story. He ascends through a well, is caught with the help of a net and his size reminds us of a whale. In this quote he seems to be struggling like a fish out of water. Meera's weapons are specifically designed to catch aquatic creatures.

Hmm, I can get behind this notion. I think you are on to something.

The Deep Ones are described to be a race of queer and misshapen half-men. Their terrible fathers are the truth behind the Drowned God. The illustrations about these creatures are lavish, detailed and somewhat disturbing.

What is more interesting is that Hodor did the famous Boromir/Pippin folly to that well.

“Hodor, don’t!” said Bran, but too late. Hodor tossed the slate over the edge. “You shouldn’t have done that. You don’t know what’s down there. You might have hurt something, or . . . or woken something up.”

Hodor looked at him innocently. “Hodor?”

Far, far, far below, they heard the sound as the stone found water. It wasn’t a splash, not truly. It was more a gulp, as if whatever was below had opened a quivering gelid mouth to swallow Hodor’s stone. Faint echoes traveled up the well, and for a moment Bran thought he heard something moving, thrashing about in the water.

There was definitely something in that well. Perhaps that is the misshapen Thing.

ETA: Sam is likened to a leviathan and leviathans are said to be the oldest and largest living creatures by Yandel. We also know that leviathans have a deadly enemy: the krakens.

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The Nightfort is said to be twice as old as Castle Black. But the interesting thing is that 7 miles east of it, there is a beautiful green lake where the Wall makes a curve. The NW built the castle Deep Lake there when Queen Alysanne came and donated the necessary funds. Deep Lake looks like a perfect site to build a castle.



That yields a simple question:



WHY ON EARTH NIGHTFORT WAS BUILT ON ITS CURRENT SITE INSTEAD OF THAT GOOD SITE BY THE BEAUTIFUL LAKE IN THE VICINITY?



Sometimes the temples of a new religion are constructed right above the old ones (lol, possible pun intended). In the last episode of the TV show, the High Sparrow talked about the ancient altar of unknown origin under the Great Sept of Baelor. In some old churches of Europe, you can find a hidden Mithraeum beneath.



So, the site of Nightfort might have a built-in significance. And considering its bloody history, yes, there seems to be some source of magic there. It is like Pet Sematary or the Overlook Hotel all over. Another place with such a long, bloody history is the Wolf’s Den, which seems tamed after the Manderlys settled in.


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Hmm, I can get behind this notion. I think you are on to something.

The Deep Ones are described to be a race of queer and misshapen half-men. Their terrible fathers are the truth behind the Drowned God. The illustrations about these creatures are lavish, detailed and somewhat disturbing.

So we have a connection to Tyrion again, the most prominent Half-Man we know.

WHY ON EARTH NIGHTFORT WAS BUILT ON ITS CURRENT SITE INSTEAD OF THAT GOOD SITE BY THE BEAUTIFUL LAKE IN THE VICINITY?

The following is something I've noticed regarding weirwood trees and which may be connected to this:

Most weirwoods we see are near water - they are found in the vicinity of lakes, ponds, streams and even alone on islands. The God's Eye itself is an island in the middle of a very large lake. I have this personal theory that weirwoods not only record events taking place in their vicinity, they are also there to watch for what might come out of the water (Deep Ones). There's more to the word weirwood than appears - a weir is an enclosure of stakes set in a stream as a trap for fish. Also, in the German version, weirwood is translated to wehrholz - wehr means defence (as in Bundeswehr - the German Army for instance).

If I'm right, then it's indeed strange that the Nightfort was built at its current site instead of at the lake nearby. The Nightfort has no ancient weirwood, though there is a young crooked sapling sprouting through the slate in the kitchen. But we have the apparently dead weirwood door at the bottom of a dry well - a place that may be used to breach the wall - with the aid of a black brother - hehe. Maybe we should start thinking about the role of the NW in ernest. :devil:

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Great thread and comments, Mithras and Evolett. Loving all this stuff. I'll just point out leviathans have two possible interpretations - classically, leviathan is a sea dragon with seven heads. But whales are also called grey leviathans in the Shivering Sea section, and Sam resembles a whale more than a sea dragon. However, sea dragons are said to war with krakens by the Ironborn, and in mythology, the sea dragon leviathan doies indeed battle with the vampire squid. The sea dragon leviathan is aided by the cancer crab, just as the Targs have the Celtigars as allies. Anyway, I have more thoughts but little time, I'll drop in later and contribute some things. Cheers and great thread :)

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Weirwoods guarding against deep ones reminds me of the idea of sacrificing Ironborn to trees. Theon to that weirwood potentially, plus Urron Redhand killing 13 kings and 50 priests inside the petrified weirwood grove on Old Wyck.

There is a long standing feud between Deep Ones and Green men, antler people and walrus people. This was explored thoroughly on Crowfood's Daughter's thread Selkies and the Origin of the Wildlings. Garth sews and plants, Ironborn are reapers who do not sew. It's a natural opposition.

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Great thread and comments, Mithras and Evolett. Loving all this stuff. I'll just point out leviathans have two possible interpretations - classically, leviathan is a sea dragon with seven heads. But whales are also called grey leviathans in the Shivering Sea section, and Sam resembles a whale more than a sea dragon. However, sea dragons are said to war with krakens by the Ironborn, and in mythology, the sea dragon leviathan doies indeed battle with the vampire squid. The sea dragon leviathan is aided by the cancer crab, just as the Targs have the Celtigars as allies. Anyway, I have more thoughts but little time, I'll drop in later and contribute some things. Cheers and great thread :)

whats ironic is that the one sea dragon we do have, is dead and bones.

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me and an old buddy were trying to get into King Sheritt and what his "Curse" was that he proclaimed to the Andals. But what you just read just now, in this very comment, is the extent to which the book gets into it lmao


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me and an old buddy were trying to get into King Sheritt and what his "Curse" was that he proclaimed to the Andals. But what you just read just now, in this very comment, is the extent to which the book gets into it lmao

I haven't a clue what King Sherrit's curse might have been but looking at the list of horror stories again, one get's the impression that some of the stories involve the breaking of oaths while others seem to involve vengeance or punishment:

The Nightfort had figured in some of Old Nan’s scariest stories. It was here that Night’s King had reigned, before his name was wiped from the memory of man. This was where the Rat Cook had served the Andal king his prince-and-bacon pie, where the seventy-nine sentinels stood their watch, where brave young Danny Flint had been raped and murdered.

This was the castle where King Sherrit had called down his curse on the Andals of old, where the ’prentice boys had faced the thing that came in the night, where blind Symeon Star-Eyes had seen the hellhounds fighting. Mad Axe had once walked these yards and climbed these towers, butchering his brothers in the dark.

The Night's King, Rat Cook and 79 sentinels broke oaths or tabooes. The NW oath was broken when Danny Flint was raped.

Then we have a curse and a vengeful 'thing' that spiritually enslaves apprentice boys and Mad Axe acting as if he has an Axe to grind. Symeon does not fit in, have my own thoughts on him but those don't fit in here.

I'll just point out leviathans have two possible interpretations - classically, leviathan is a sea dragon with seven heads. But whales are also called grey leviathans in the Shivering Sea section, and Sam resembles a whale more than a sea dragon. However, sea dragons are said to war with krakens by the Ironborn, and in mythology, the sea dragon leviathan doies indeed battle with the vampire squid. The sea dragon leviathan is aided by the cancer crab, just as the Targs have the Celtigars as allies. Anyway, I have more thoughts but little time, I'll drop in later and contribute some things. Cheers and great thread :)

The bolded is an interesting tit-bit - the Celtigars are rumored to have a horn that can calls krakens from the sea.

Another thing I noticed in the chapter regarding Sam again: His breathing is described in terms of a blacksmith's bellows:

The breathing was as loud as a blacksmith’s bellows

The fat man was still breathing like a bellows

Prior to that, the remnants of the armoury are touched on. And of course we have the 'prentice boys. Does this place 'the thing that came in the night' as a blacksmith?

That's where I get kind of stuck. But maybe mythology is helpful here - if we consider Hephaestus, the smithing God and the story of Prometheus, who stole the fire that he gave to man from Hephaestus's forge, we end up with the Ironborn legend / possible Deep One connection again.

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I haven't a clue what King Sherrit's curse might have been but looking at the list of horror stories again, one get's the impression that some of the stories involve the breaking of oaths while others seem to involve vengeance or punishment:

The Night's King, Rat Cook and 79 sentinels broke oaths or tabooes. The NW oath was broken when Danny Flint was raped.

Then we have a curse and a vengeful 'thing' that spiritually enslaves apprentice boys and Mad Axe acting as if he has an Axe to grind. Symeon does not fit in, have my own thoughts on him but those don't fit in here.

The bolded is an interesting tit-bit - the Celtigars are rumored to have a horn that can calls krakens from the sea.

Another thing I noticed in the chapter regarding Sam again: His breathing is described in terms of a blacksmith's bellows:

Prior to that, the remnants of the armoury are touched on. And of course we have the 'prentice boys. Does this place 'the thing that came in the night' as a blacksmith?

That's where I get kind of stuck. But maybe mythology is helpful here - if we consider Hephaestus, the smithing God and the story of Prometheus, who stole the fire that he gave to man from Hephaestus's forge, we end up with the Ironborn legend / possible Deep One connection again.

The Night's King "allegedly" broke his oath. And even that, is in question (I would say he never did at all).

regarding king sherritt and his curse, If i recall, my friend had stated that amongst the barrow kings, that their numbers would grow pale and gaunt, looking like the dead (but still living). The extent of our debate ended because there simply isnt a lot of information on the subject, but we suggested possible blood magic, perhaps this condition with the barrow king's' peoples too.

..anyone else hope after this series is over there will be a companion TWOIAF-style confirmation of all of ASOIAF mysteries? id pay for confirmed answers haha

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Maesters who served at the Nightfort whilst it was still in use made it plain that the castle had been expanded upon many times over the centuries and that little remained of its original structure save for some of the deepest vaults chiseled out of the rock beneath the castle’s feet.



So, it seems that the Nightfort was built upon a dwelling carved deep into the rock. Who built that dwelling?


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It's so obvious! The Thing That Came in the Night is obviously Azor Ahar Reborn and the Prince That Was Promised!!

The long ranks of man and horse were armored in darkness, as black as if the Smith had hammered night itself into steel. (ACOK, Catelyn)

“The colors are strange,” he commented as he turned the blade in the sunlight. Most Valyrian steel was a grey so dark it looked almost black, as was true here as well. But blended into the folds was a red as deep as the grey. The two colors lapped over one another without ever touching, each ripple distinct, like waves of night and blood upon some steely shore. (ASOS, Tyrion)

Arya got to her feet, moving warily. The heads were all around her. She touched one, curious, wondering if it was real. Her fingertips brushed a massive jaw. It felt real enough. The bone was smooth beneath her hand, cold and hard to the touch. She ran her fingers down a tooth, black and sharp, a dagger made of darkness. It made her shiver. (AGOT, Arya)

This darkness dagger can be found north of the wall:

Until tonight. Something was different tonight. There was an edge to this darkness that made his hackles rise. Nine days they had been riding, north and northwest and then north again, farther and farther from the Wall, hard on the track of a band of wildling raiders. Each day had been worse than the day that had come before it. Today was the worst of all. A cold wind was blowing out of the north, and it made the trees rustle like living things. All day, Will had felt as though something were watching him, something cold and implacable that loved him not. Gared had felt it too. Will wanted nothing so much as to ride hellbent for the safety of the Wall, but that was not a feeling to share with your commander.

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The point being, Azor Ahai may have become the Night's King. The thing that came in the night may be an allusion to the Night's King. AA was a warrior without fear and a Smith, the NK was a warrior without fear, and if the thing that comes in the night that is undead and takes prentice boys is a smith... well you see the connection there.


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Maesters who served at the Nightfort whilst it was still in use made it plain that the castle had been expanded upon many times over the centuries and that little remained of its original structure save for some of the deepest vaults chiseled out of the rock beneath the castle’s feet.

So, it seems that the Nightfort was built upon a dwelling carved deep into the rock. Who built that dwelling?

Ahh sheeeet we who dat is!

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An ongoing theme in Lovecraft's work is the complete irrelevance of mankind in the face of the cosmic horrors that apparently exist in the universe, with Lovecraft constantly referring to the "Great Old Ones": a loose pantheon of ancient, powerful deities from space (God Emperor) who once ruled the Earth and who have since fallen into a deathlike sleep.[3]

Lovecraft named several of these deities, including Azathoth, Cthulhu, Ghatanothoa, Shub-Niggurath, Yog-Sothoth, Nyarlathotep and Yig. (the demon tree slain by the grey king) With a few exceptions, Cthulhu, Ghatanothoa, et al., this loose pantheon apparently exists 'outside' of normal space-time. Though worshipped by deranged human (and inhuman) cults, (COSW, greenseers) these beings are generally imprisoned (inside of bleeding trees or bloody stones) or restricted in their ability to interact with most people (beneath the sea, inside the Earth, in other dimensions, and so on), at least until the hapless protagonist is unwittingly exposed to them. ("Hello, I'm the Three-Eyed Raven / Quaithe of the Shadow") Lovecraft visited this premise in many of his stories, notably his 1928 short story, The Call of Cthulhu, with reference to the eponymous creature. However, it was Derleth who applied the notion to all of the Great Old Ones.

Yig Father of Serpents A giant snake with human arms covered in scales. Son of the Mappo's Dragon, children of his are Ayi'ig and Voltiyig, whereas Rokon is regarded as the brother of Yig.

Whats interesting is that the Ironborn call Ygg (which is also a Yggdrasil reference) a demon tree that eats people - this clearly seems to reference a weirwood. The Grey King slew "the sea dragon," which in mythology is a seven headed fire breathing leviathan, a sea dragon for true. But the "Nagga's bones" are really weirwoods, the demon tree Ygg. So, Yig = sea dragon, and Ygg = sea dragon. :cool4:

This conduction of norse mythology and Lovecraftian mythology was surely not missed by George.

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Ahh sheeeet we who dat is!

The CotF did not use chisels to carve their caves that we know of. Both they and the giants live in natural caves.

The First Men made carvings on the cave walls with their chisels. The only castles carved into the rock that I can remember are the ones in Westerlands, chiefly the Casterly Rock. The crypts of Winterfell consist of cavernous vaults supported by granite pillars. I do not know whether those vaults were natural caves or chiseled into the rock.

Some wildlings worship the dark gods living beneath the ground in the Frostfangs. Old Ones live in vast underground cities.

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The Old Ones of Leng might be the bloodstone version of the cotf, hence they build in stone and like darkness. The Yig dragon to the cotf's Ygg tree.


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“There’s nothing here to hurt us, Your Grace.”

Bran wasn’t so certain. The Nightfort had figured in some of Old Nan’s scariest stories. It was here that Night’s King had reigned, before his name was wiped from the memory of man. This was where the Rat Cook had served the Andal king his prince-and-bacon pie, where the seventy-nine sentinels stood their watch, where brave young Danny Flint had been raped and murdered. This was the castle where King Sherrit had called down his curse on the Andals of old, where the ’prentice boys had faced the thing that came in the night, where blind Symeon Star-Eyes had seen the hellhounds fighting. Mad Axe had once walked these yards and climbed these towers, butchering his brothers in the dark.

Or maybe it wasn’t Mad Axe at all, maybe it was the thing that came in the night. The ’prentice boys all saw it, Old Nan said, but afterward when they told their Lord Commander every description had been different. And three died within the year, and the fourth went mad, and a hundred years later when the thing had come again, the ’prentice boys were seen shambling along behind it, all in chains.

The footfalls sounded heavy to Bran, slow, ponderous, scraping against the stone. It must be huge. Mad Axe had been a big man in Old Nan's story, and the thing that came in the night had been monstrous.

This is one of those scary Nightfort stories.

The thing that had been Catelyn Stark took hold of her throat again, fingers pinching at the ghastly long slash in her neck, and choked out more sounds.

The things below moved, but did not live. One by one, they raised their heads toward the three wolves on the hill. The last to look was the thing that had been Thistle.

There are worse ways to die than drowning. And if truth be told, he had perished long ago, back in King's Landing. It was only his revenant who remained, the small vengeful ghost who throttled Shae and put a crossbow bolt through the great Lord Tywin's bowels. No man would mourn the thing that he'd become. I'll haunt the Seven Kingdoms, he thought, sinking deeper. They would not love me living, so let them dread me dead.

All three of these quotes refer to the undead or in Tyrion’s case, a person deprived of humanity.

So, what the hell is this?

Don't you go mad in the late stages of Greyscale?

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