opinions on the sand snakes

[Lion of the West]

To be honest I don't think much of them yet as they haven't done all that much, but I figure that situation will change when we get winds of winter.

[JonCon's Red Beard]

The Sand Snakes aren't supposed to be great characters. They are like a greek chorus echoing Dorne's feelings about Doran. People consider them lame characters because they are expecting them something they are not: it's like complaining why Pod wasn't given his own army.

 

They are going to be our eyes and ears for the next book:

 

Obara: on her way to get Dayne, in Hight Hermitage. The Daynes are set up to be very important characters. She might even meet little Lord Edric.

Tyene: she will spy the High Septon, a character that is very interesting.

Nym: Having a seat on the Council, and considering Cersei's hate for the Tyrells, I wouldn't discard a future friendship between those.

Sarella: Sam is with her. There is a lot he can learn through her. And Sarella is now Dorne's only link with the Others so far.

Elia:

 

[spoiler]

If Elia doesn't end up having sex with Aegon, I'll eat my hat. All of them.

[/spoiler]

 

They have just been set up as character. There is a lot for them to do next. :dunno:

[purple-eyes]

The Sand Snakes aren't supposed to be great characters. They are like a greek chorus echoing Dorne's feelings about Doran. People consider them lame characters because they are expecting them something they are not: it's like complaining why Pod wasn't given his own army.
 
They are going to be our eyes and ears for the next book:
 
Obara: on her way to get Dayne, in Hight Hermitage. The Daynes are set up to be very important characters. She might even meet little Lord Edric.
Tyene: she will spy the High Septon, a character that is very interesting.
Nym: Having a seat on the Council, and considering Cersei's hate for the Tyrells, I wouldn't discard a future friendship between those.
Sarella: Sam is with her. There is a lot he can learn through her. And Sarella is now Dorne's only link with the Others so far.
Elia:
 
[spoiler]
If Elia doesn't end up having sex with Aegon, I'll eat my hat. All of them.
[/spoiler]
 
They have just been set up as character. There is a lot for them to do next. :dunno:

It is not a big deal to see aegon and elia sleep together.
But it will be more interesting to see if he will do something stupid due to this.
Hold on, will this prove he is real son of rhaegar? Same taste in woman?

[Daena the Defiant]

 

 

Tyene: she will spy the High Septon, a character that is very interesting.

Nym: Having a seat on the Council, and considering Cersei's hate for the Tyrells, I wouldn't discard a future friendship between those.

 

[spoiler]

If Elia doesn't end up having sex with Aegon, I'll eat my hat. All of them.

[/spoiler]

 

They have just been set up as character. There is a lot for them to do next. :dunno:

 

 

Somehow, I still suspect that Tyene will end up as one of the judges in Cersei/Margaery's trials - there is a throw away line that a trial conducted by the Faith with a woman standing accused had three women among the judges to embody the three female aspects. I wouldn't be surprised if Tyene is the representative of the Maiden, or something.

 

I personally think that Cersei and Nymeria will hate each onther on spec, especially is Nym dresses as provocatively as she seems to like to do. 

 

I do like your idea that Elia Sand will end up shagging "Aegon."

[Good Guy Garlan]

They suck

[purple-eyes]

Somehow, I still suspect that Tyene will end up as one of the judges in Cersei/Margaery's trials - there is a throw away line that a trial conducted by the Faith with a woman standing accused had three women among the judges to embody the three female aspects. I wouldn't be surprised if Tyene is the representative of the Maiden, or something.
 
I personally think that Cersei and Nymeria will hate each onther on spec, especially is Nym dresses as provocatively as she seems to like to do. 
 
I do like your idea that Elia Sand will end up shagging "Aegon."

Agree. Cersei would hate nym because she is a beautiful and sexy woman.
Nym can do a lot of things using her beauty like Arianne.
That is why she was set up as a beauty, not a plain woman like Obara.
She would seduce somebody in KL for her purpose.

[sagaz]

also, I hate it that Oberyn conveniently has only daughters, GRRM is better than this.

 

 

 

:agree: I find this a slight stretch of reality, I know it's fiction but even so... Then again, I did wonder about this, and maybe it's done deliberately to be weird? Like, maybe Oberyn has sons somewhere but just doesn't acknowledge them  :dunno:

 

:idea:maybe...

he was emulating Craster and giving the boys to the others....   :lmao:  

[ASOIAF_Ali]

 

 

 

:idea:maybe...

he was emulating Craster and giving the boys to the others....   :lmao:  

That would certainly be interesting  :uhoh:

[Cas Stark]

The Sand Snakes aren't supposed to be great characters. They are like a greek chorus echoing Dorne's feelings about Doran. People consider them lame characters because they are expecting them something they are not: it's like complaining why Pod wasn't given his own army.

 

They are going to be our eyes and ears for the next book:

 

Obara: on her way to get Dayne, in Hight Hermitage. The Daynes are set up to be very important characters. She might even meet little Lord Edric.

Tyene: she will spy the High Septon, a character that is very interesting.

Nym: Having a seat on the Council, and considering Cersei's hate for the Tyrells, I wouldn't discard a future friendship between those.

Sarella: Sam is with her. There is a lot he can learn through her. And Sarella is now Dorne's only link with the Others so far.

Elia:

 

[spoiler]

If Elia doesn't end up having sex with Aegon, I'll eat my hat. All of them.

[/spoiler]

 

They have just been set up as character. There is a lot for them to do next. :dunno:

 

You're making excuses.  GRRM has created better tertiary characters who we only saw for a couple of chapters, like Syrio.

 

They suck.  They are contrived, with their weapons specialities, and there are too many of them,  They are 

[ASOIAF_Ali]

 

You're making excuses.  GRRM has created better tertiary characters who we only saw for a couple of chapters, like Syrio.

 

They suck.  They are contrived, with their weapons specialities, and there are too many of them,  They are 

:agree: GRRM has created so many great minor characters that the sand snakes just feel so out of place

[Good Guy Garlan]

You're making excuses.  GRRM has created better tertiary characters who we only saw for a couple of chapters, like Syrio.
 
They suck.  They are contrived, with their weapons specialities, and there are too many of them,  They are

This

[Cladinator]

I'm really bored by what's going on in Dorne.
With the exception of Sarella (because there is something mysterious going on with her (Alleras)) I am bored to death, quite possibly annoyed, by the Sand Snakes. I can do without.

[larastone]

they're GRRM's worst creations. awful, cliche, cartoon characters

[JonCon's Red Beard]

You're making excuses.  GRRM has created better tertiary characters who we only saw for a couple of chapters, like Syrio.
 
They suck.  They are contrived, with their weapons specialities, and there are too many of them,  They are

Why are they excuses? They are characters that fulfil their roles. If people want more of them, that's their thing. They do the things they are meant to be doing. Nothing more.

And they might suck for you. They definitely don't suck for me and many people in this board. I like the fact they represent the voice of Dorne and the legacy of Oberyn. I like the fact that, just because they are the girls of their beloved Prince, they have a voice Dorne wants to hear and follow. If anything, they make a good parallel for Cersei. She also lost her father and no one cares. The Westerlands aren't organizing massive search hunts for Tyrion. They' are bastards and they matter. Cersei is the legitimate daughter of Tywin and the Queen and no one cares for her.

Also, they aren't that many. Walder Frey has more family we have to put up with around the story. They are only four of them. Five if you count Elia who has been featured in the Arianna chapters of Winds and we've not yet technically meet her.

[Lady Blizzardborn]

I remember when I was still reading the books (it took me so long to get through them) I heard about the sand snakes here and there and was actually realy excited about meeting them but when I got to a feast for crows I was really dissapointed even now I barely know their separate names because they just feel like a hivemind of "I want revenge" to me. I feel like they're one dimensional characters but then again I haven't really spend a lot of time trying to change that so I was wondering if there's people out there who really love the sand snakes and can give their opinions on why and change my mind about them?

I don't "really love" the Sand Snakes but I do sort of like them and can tell them apart.

 

Obara is not particularly good-looking, flat-chested, and is perhaps most dedicated to being a fighter by virtue of not being as able to use seduction as her sisters are.  She's the one I see as the most militant and the biggest proponent of revenge. As she is the oldest, naturally her younger sisters will tend to be influenced by her views, or at least used to seeing her as somehow above them in the chain of command.  Obara has Oberyn's widow's peak.  Her mother was a whore in Oldtown. Obara is a spearwoman.

 

Nymeria is overtly seductive, and her figure is at minimum voluptuous.  If Taena Merryweather is a walking seduction, Nym is a breathing one.  She does things like wear sheer clothing to distract men (which should be interesting in Small Council meetings).  Areo thinks that she's less dangerous when she's nearly naked because at least that way he knows she's not hiding any weapons.  Nym has more intelligence and guile than Obara who is more straight-forward in general.  Her mother was a noble woman of Volanits.  Her weapon of choice, aside from her body, is daggers.

 

Tyene stands out due to her appearance. Where her sisters are dark and exotic in comparison she is light, fair, and cultivates an aura of innocence and purity.  Her mother was a septa and sang/read her The Seven-Pointed Star while she was in her cradle. She can easily project an image of piety, humility, and sweetness.  Tyene's hair is blonde, and her eyes blue, a stark contrast to her sisters.  If Obara is forthright, and Nym is cunning, Tyene is downright devious, allowing people to be fooled by her appearance and manner while plotting when to strike.  Despite the general difference in appearance, and the color of her eyes, Areo notes that somehow they are Oberyn's eyes--the eyes of a viper.   Her weapon is poison, which in a way makes her more like her father than any of her sisters. 

 

Sarella is not in Dorne.  Presumably because she is pretending to be a boy named Alleras in order to study at the Citadel, as her father did before her.  Her mother was a Summer Islander (a ship's captain I believe) and Sarella has darker coloring than her sisters, black, curly hair with a widow's peak.  If she really is Alleras, that explains why "he" has a bow made of goldenheart wood--which is native to the Summer Isles.  Arrows and intelligence seem to be Sarella's main weapons, but she seems rather more mellow than her older sisters, or at least better able to hide her feelings which is a very good thing if you're pretending to be somebody you're not.

 

Elia is the first of Ellaria's girls.  She too has the widow's peak if I'm not mistaken.  She is lithe and graceful.  Elia is charming, outgoing, and wild.  She is a natural horsewoman and is known as Lady Lance.  Of all Oberyn's daughters I think her the most likely to cause trouble without even meaning to.  Whether or not she has any respect for authority is unknown but she is spontaneous and doesn't seem to heed warnings in general.  She follows where her sisters lead.  Elia has no particular weapon that I remember, but she seems like a loose canon to a degree.

 

The younger three, Obella, Loreza, and Dorea, have not come into the story, but they seem to follow Elia's lead.  Can't tell those three apart because we know very little about them.  One of them I think is proficient with a whip, or was it a crossbow?

 

Other differences...wardrobe!  Obara dresses for fighting or hard work, Nym is in silks and such, Tyene cultivates her image by dressing modestly with lace.  Sarella wears what the other acolytes wear at this point.  Elia I don't recall but obviously something that is easy to ride in.

[The Holy Goat]

I can't say I like or root for all of them as individual characters, but I do look forward to seeing what roles they will play in the future books. Obara hunting down Darkstar, Nymaria at the Small Council, Tyene with the Faith Militant, Sarella in Oldtown, Elia with Arianne... there's lot of room for interesting development, even if they turn out to be ohirroble people.

 

That said, I really do like Sarella. Highly intelligent, mysterious, kind, good-looking, skilled with a bow, and far removed from the Martell plots and her fellow Snakes desire for vengeance she has really made an impression on me.

 

Elia has potential but seem very bratty for now. Let's hope she gets the opportunity to grow before dying in the upcoming wars.

 

Obara, Nymeria and Tyene are far more bloodthirsty and shortsighted, and can be quite unpleasant, but they don't actually seem incompetent so I still look forward tos eeing what they can accomplish for Doran's cause.

 

Other than that Lady Blizzardborn summed them up quite neatly.

[purple-eyes]

 

Elia is the first of Ellaria's girls.  She too has the widow's peak if I'm not mistaken.  She is lithe and graceful.  Elia is charming, outgoing, and wild.  She is a natural horsewoman and is known as Lady Lance.  Of all Oberyn's daughters I think her the most likely to cause trouble without even meaning to.  Whether or not she has any respect for authority is unknown but she is spontaneous and doesn't seem to heed warnings in general.  She follows where her sisters lead.  Elia has no particular weapon that I remember, but she seems like a loose canon to a degree.

 

 

 

where do we have this? do you have quote?

I thought she just "had a long braid of black hair", something like that, do we have anything else about her look?

lithe, graceful, charming? where?

[Ser Arthur Hightower]

Opinion of the Sand Snakes; negative. Let's just say that the best part about them was Ellaria telling them how stupid they were.

 

I agree with ASOAIF ali that Obara and Nym are really too similar, Martin probably could have just had 3 adult SS and 2 Ellaria SS without losing anything (I don't even really know the names of Ellaria's younger kids). I can't help but wonder if he included so many to balance out the genders after making nearly every other family in ASOIAF ridiculously male heavy.

[JonCon's Red Beard]

Obara is not particularly good-looking, flat-chested, and is perhaps most dedicated to being a fighter by virtue of not being as able to use seduction as her sisters are.  She's the one I see as the most militant and the biggest proponent of revenge. As she is the oldest, naturally her younger sisters will tend to be influenced by her views, or at least used to seeing her as somehow above them in the chain of command.  Obara has Oberyn's widow's peak.  Her mother was a whore in Oldtown. Obara is a spearwoman.

Obara being daughter of a whore seems to have affected her deeply. She even says that to Doran. Sarella and Nym have important women as mothers, Tyene's is a septa. The younger four are Ellaria's girl, and we know she was pretty much Oberyn's wife in everything but in paper. It's not coincidence he named the first one he had with Ellaria Elia. Obara's mother was someone Oberyn simply paid to have sex with. The others one, looks like he was at least a biiit involved with.

That doesn't mean he loves her less. He named her after his own name.

About Elia

[spoiler]
Girl's hormones are raging. And she's about to meet the cutest virgin ever. That won't end up well.

Poor Jon: "my baby is sexing a combo of Elia and Lyanna... can Greyscale take me faster, please???".

[/spoiler]

[ASOIAF_Ali]

Opinion of the Sand Snakes; negative. Let's just say that the best part about them was Ellaria telling them how stupid they were.

 

I agree with ASOAIF ali that Obara and Nym are really too similar, Martin probably could have just had 3 adult SS and 2 Ellaria SS without losing anything (I don't even really know the names of Ellaria's younger kids). I can't help but wonder if he included so many to balance out the genders after making nearly every other family in ASOIAF ridiculously male heavy.

Agreed. Why do there need to be eight of them? Especially since two of them are going to be going to kings landing (Nym just doesn't really need to exist in my mind), and three of them (the youngest ones) are just non-entities (also don't need to exist). I agree with gender imbalance as a plausible reason, but having eight daughters and no sons seems a bit inconceivable to me  :dunno: