Runes of the First Men, Bronze Yohn and the Crown of Winter

[MinotaurWarrior]

Bronze Yohn and his armor are first introduced to us in a tournament, where it is remarked upon that his armor 'protects him from harm' and yet he loses. Again and again, we are told of Yohn Royce entering tournaments wearing his magic armor, and then not winning those tournaments. The magic doesn't seem to be protecting him from sword blows. So then, what harm does it protect him from?

Quite frankly, we don't know. We haven't actually seen it do anything yet.

But I think there's a potential clue in the fate of another rune-laden bronze object - the Crown of Winter. Of the three kings who bent the knee, we only hear of one having to literally surrender their crown. Torrhen Stark, the King who Knelt. Why did he have to do this? Maybe it was purely a symbolic gesture, but maybe Aegon actually cared about the crown's properties. Maybe they were a threat to him. Maybe, the crown is what emboldened Bran Snow to believe he could win a three on one fight against dragons.

Why would Westerosi First Men Kings have magical wards against dragonfire in a continent without dragons? Maybe the reason there are no dragons native to Westeros is because Kings of the First Men had magical protection against dragons. Aside from dragon hunting, the Old Gods would have a vested interest in ensuring that their mortal servants have sufficient protection to fight fires, and Brandon the Builder built his castle over a volcanic hotspot and made works to channel hot, dangerous steam.

What would this mean? Well, first of all, it would provide an opportunity for Bronze Yohn to really matter beyond the Game of Thrones and into the Dance of Dragons and Long Night. He (or whoever had his armor) could go toe-to-toe with Drogon. The way his sons where collars of rune-carved bronze could also be important, with the potential to mass-produce a lesser version of his protection.

It would also likely make the Crown of Winter into a McGuffin that could effectively drag the supernatural plot south. Say, the Others might rush through the North as fast as they could on their way south to King's Landing, trying to capture the crown so one of them can stand up to dragonfire.

Does anyone have any other thoughts on this topic? Other hints at what these objects might do?

[StarkofWinterfell]

My guess is that since it was a tournament, no actual harm is coming to him.

Losing a tourney is not causing physical harm. The runes protect against some sort of actual harm, and do not guarantee its user to automatically win tourneys.

[MinotaurWarrior]

5 minutes ago, StarkofWinterfell said:

My guess is that since it was a tournament, no actual harm is coming to him.

Losing a tourney is not causing physical harm. The runes protect against some sort of actual harm, and do not guarantee its user to automatically win tourneys.

Except that in the very same scene he and his armor are introduced, that's proved false. Jousting lances can kill. Falling from a horse can leave you bloodied (as happens to Loras twice). A morningstar and many other weapons used in the melee are just as deadly "blunted" for tourneys as they are on the field. Now, certainly Yohn has never actually suffered a lethal or maiming blow in a tourney, and perhaps his armor is protecting him from those, but then that simply negates  the whole device of mentioning Yohn in his armor losing tourneys. If it means protection from swords, except in tourneys, than what's the point? He might as well have been introduced in the court or the audience of the tourney.

[StarkofWinterfell]

41 minutes ago, MinotaurWarrior said:

Except that in the very same scene he and his armor are introduced, that's proved false. Jousting lances can kill. Falling from a horse can leave you bloodied (as happens to Loras twice). A morningstar and many other weapons used in the melee are just as deadly "blunted" for tourneys as they are on the field. Now, certainly Yohn has never actually suffered a lethal or maiming blow in a tourney, and perhaps his armor is protecting him from those, but then that simply negates  the whole device of mentioning Yohn in his armor losing tourneys. If it means protection from swords, except in tourneys, than what's the point? He might as well have been introduced in the court or the audience of the tourney.

Seeing as how he survived, it looks like he was protected from any lasting harm.

[Rise]

They will protect from Others ice blades.

[CJ McLannister]

They don't do anything.  It's superstition.  

[Seams]

I like this. I think runes are going to be more significant in the last two books. I expect there will be a rune expert at the Citadel or, at least, we will learn more about the purpose and meaning of runes as we learn more about the studies required of a maester.

For another thread, I used the search function to figure out which items in the books so far are inscribed with runes. It's a pretty short list, which makes me think each item is significant.

In addition to the rune-inscribed items I listed in that post, there is also an important conversation between Robb and Catelyn at the tomb of the ancient King Tristifer at Oldstones. Catelyn says the runes on Tristifer's crumbling stone warhammer have been worn away. This imagery could support your theory: Tristifer won 99 battles but lost his 100th battle. I realize the tomb was built long after he lost the battle, but the symbolism of the worn out runes on his defensive weapon, described in the same conversation that we learn about his loss of the battle and, essentially, his kingdom, could hint that strong runes are necessary for certain kinds of success in battle. GRRM juxtaposes the worn out runes and the lost battle for some deliberate reason, I think.

Tywin also advises that both words (sent by ravens) and swords are useful for winning battles or governing or something like that. So runes on weapons or armor seem like they would cover both bases.

It might also be worth considering who besides the Royces has armor that "carries a message." Renly has red armor, right? Jaime has gold. Rhaegar had rubies on this armor. We assume these are just team colors, but do these added decorations carry additional meaning? (I've been pondering Ser Garlan Tyrell wearing Renly's armor after Renly died, and what that might mean beyond the immediate motive, which was to rally Renly's bannermen to fight against Stannis.)