asoiaf the number 7 seven game of thrones

[TheAegonBEFOREAegonI]

Im trying figure out how many charaters in game of thrones and more specifically clash of kings (pov character presumably) have seen the red comet, and also who was the 7th person to see it.

... as well as any thoughts you have on the number 7 in asoiaf.

Like Storms End, Rhaegar's Rubies, Berric Dondarrion, Number of Blackfyre rebellions, Number of kingdoms, number of kids Eleana Targaryan, Number of wive Aegon IV had, Trial of 7, and my favorite is the number of Aegons on the iron throne, 

[evita mgfs]

Welcome to the Forum.  I found an important number 7, and I wrote a rather long essay about it, but I will only share the first part as it details the concept of 7 out of 13 chapters, or the middle, hence Martin's nod to Twain.

George RR Martin’s Nod to Mark Twain’s  The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in Jon Snow’s Seventh POV from A Dance with Dragons

American satirist and novelist Samuel Clemens assumes the pen name Mark Twain, which he takes from his experiences as a young man when he became a “cub” steamboat pilot.  “Mark Twain”, or “mark number two”, is “a Mississippi River term” that refers to “the secondmark on the line” that measured a depth signified by two fathoms, or twelve feet, or a “safe depth for the steamboat” [https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=mark+twain+meaning].

Twain incorporates his pseudo-identity in thematic elements that feature twos, halves, middles, and dualities, all of which are evident in his classic novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.  In a similar fashion, George RR Martin pays homage to Twain’s whimsical incorporation of “twain”, or elements of “twos”,  most notably in Jon Snow’s seventh POV, the middle of thirteen such POV narratives, in A Dance with Dragons.

In Huck, Twain strategically halves his novel, placing its technical climax, or turning point, at its center and marking it with Huck’s pivotal words: “All right then, I’ll go to hell”.  Huck’s moral decision has grave consequences, or so he believes, because he must weigh the value of his friendship with Jim against what society has taught him about slavery.  [Apparently, Twain scholars have counted the words from the beginning and from the end of the novel to ascertain an equal divide before and after Huck’s memorable words – I, however, never counted words myself to confirm these claims.]  Twain writes:

“I [Huck]  was a-trembling, because I’d got to decide, forever, betwixt two things, and I knowed it”.

Huck opts to help Jim escape slavery even if it means eternal damnation rather than going to what others view as heaven.  Moreover, Huck’s experiences on the Mississippi  River with Jim teaches him that Jim is a man no matter the color of his skin and that the “sivilized” world from which they come is cruel and hypocritical.  So Huck chooses “freedom” for him and his pal.

In a similar fashion, Jon decides to permit two wildlings, Leathers and Jax, to wear a black cloak after saying their vows, thus becoming SBs of the Night’s Watch. Moreover, Jon’s choice is a prelude to his later resolve of allowing the wildlings to pass the Wall to save them from the supernatural forces threatening them.  Neither of Jon’s decrees is popular with a majority of his black brothers whose hatred for the free folk is “bone deep” [ADwD 465].

[krackensbane]

On 4/2/2016 at 6:42 AM, TheAegonBEFOREAegonI said:

as well as any thoughts you have on the number 7 in asoiaf.

We know that GRRM likes to play about with religions/faith systems in his work, on that note you might find it useful to know that the number 7 in the Bible is the number for completeness. Similarly in ASOIAF the faith of the seven equate to one whole. 

likewise the number 49 is used to mean all (as 7x7) for example when the Bible mentions the 49 churches of Israel it actually just means all of them not that there were literally 49. i wonder if that is in there somewhere to?