Small Questions v. 10106

[Ckram]

On 7/23/2019 at 9:58 PM, namesarehard said:

Why do they sometimes say "twenty-five" and sometimes "five-and-twenty"?

Martin once said he tried to "suggest accent with syntax and taglines". Maybe this is why.

[Lord Varys]

On 7/25/2019 at 7:50 AM, Corvo the Crow said:

@Ran

What happened to the Karstark pikemen?

I daresay here you reach the point where dissecting the text breaks down. There is no true world such lines do hint at. They are just opaque references to give the setting, especially when we look at references from AGoT. Later George may have/did sit down and did some more world-building and stuff, but he doesn't really care about keeping background details consistent.

6 hours ago, Corvo the Crow said:

@Ran

Wyman Manderly tells Davos that he has a dozen lesser lords and a hundred landed knights, among other thinga such as having more heavy cavalry than anyone else. I believe he Is conveying information about his strength. As Davos is no mere smuggler captain but is a lord and has been a landed knight in Stannis’ council for a very long time, he’ll have some idea on what these numbers mean that we the readers don’t have. 

My question is, is there some range on where the power of the average lord, “lesser lord” and landed knight falls in to so that Davos gets an idea on how much strength Manderly has in numbers of soldiers?

Here George would likely tell you that we cannot take Wyman Manderly's claims at face value when he is talking to a smuggler turned lord he tries to recruit for a dangerous mission. Manderly wants to appear strong here, so he throws out some numbers to look strong. Manderly also knows who Davos Seaworth actually is - a smuggler who got a knighthood. He would have at best a rather sketchy impression of the lands and men the Manderlys control and is thus not exactly capable of double-checking any claims Manderly makes - especially not from within Lord Manderly's prison. Even Stannis has no clue about the whereabouts and strength of the Northern clansmen.

Davos knows White Harbor the city because he has visited the harbor in the past. But he doesn't know the hinterlands, etc.

Manderly could be accurate here - or he could be exaggerating. He could also mistakenly describe himself as too weak. We have no way of knowing.

[Loose Bolt]

12 hours ago, Lord Varys said:

I daresay here you reach the point where dissecting the text breaks down. There is no true world such lines do hint at. They are just opaque references to give the setting, especially when we look at references from AGoT. Later George may have/did sit down and did some more world-building and stuff, but he doesn't really care about keeping background details consistent.

Pikes are long and clumsy weapons and so pikemen would have moved slower during long night march. So there is a chance that Karstarks simply did not have time to wait those. Another chance is that those pikemen were sent to engage with that heavy cavalry fist commanded by Marbrand.

[Corvo the Crow]

.

Edited July 30 by Corvo the Crow

[Ran]

On 7/25/2019 at 7:50 AM, Corvo the Crow said:

@Ran

 

When the Battle of GF happens though, we see Karstark spearman, and not the pikemen trying to hold off the charge.

I think George sometimes just uses spears and pikes interchangably. Pikes are mentioned among the northmen when Tyrion refers to the northerners cresting the hill and he sees a wall of pikes and shields.

 

On 7/27/2019 at 9:27 AM, Corvo the Crow said:

@Ran

My question is, is there some range on where the power of the average lord, “lesser lord” and landed knight falls in to so that Davos gets an idea on how much strength Manderly has in numbers of soldiers?

I expect this would convey something to Davos, namely that Manderly has resources left and is claiming to be ready to commit them to Stannis. I don't think Davos could derive a precise figure for Manderly's military strength based on the description, but within the context he'd understand that Manderly claimed relatively substantial strength in relation to what little military power remained in the North.

Edited July 28, 2019 by Ran

[Ser Leftwich]

How often (in your own head when you read a post) do you ask?: "Has this person read the books?"

[LadyOfCastamere]

A question from a non-native English speaker that read the books in English: Martin describes Sandor Clegane as a man with a 'heavy brow'. What does that mean? That he has thick eyebrows or a large forehead? Thanks for clarifying!

[Ran]

1 minute ago, LadyOfCastamere said:

A question from a non-native English speaker that read the books in English: Martin describes Sandor Clegane as a man with a 'heavy brow'. What does that mean? That he has thick eyebrows or a large forehead? Thanks for clarifying!

A heavy brow in this case means a heavy brow ridge.

[Ckram]

1 hour ago, LadyOfCastamere said:

A question from a non-native English speaker that read the books in English: Martin describes Sandor Clegane as a man with a 'heavy brow'. What does that mean? That he has thick eyebrows or a large forehead? Thanks for clarifying!

Pronounced/prominent supraorbital ridge.

[Lost Melnibonean]

Queen Rhaena's dragon Dreamfyre produced a clutch of eggs on Fair Isle. Do we know which dragon was the father, or do we suspect asexual reproduction? 

[Corvo the Crow]

.

Edited July 30 by Corvo the Crow

[Lord Varys]

8 hours ago, Lost Melnibonean said:

Queen Rhaena's dragon Dreamfyre produced a clutch of eggs on Fair Isle. Do we know which dragon was the father, or do we suspect asexual reproduction? 

One would assume that Quicksilver is the only candidate to be 'the father' here - if we assume that there is a father at all. At least if we assume that a dragon needs to mate a reasonably short time before it produces a clutch of eggs. Quicksilver would only be labeled as female because 'she' would have produced eggs in the past, possibly during the reign of the Conqueror.

In fact, I think we speculated in the past that Vermithor, Silverwing, and possibly Dreamfyre herself are offspring of Quicksilver.

It might also be that they only have to mate once a twice per life and still have enough fertilized eggs/semen in their body to pop out many eggs before they die a natural death.

The idea that they do their mating clandestinely and not all that often could sort of help to explain why people are not aware whether a dragon is male or female.

[LynnS]

I have a vague recollection that Martin said the Dawn Sword was not valyrian steel?  Is that correct or do I misremember?

[Megorova]

4 hours ago, LynnS said:

I have a vague recollection that Martin said the Dawn Sword was not valyrian steel?  Is that correct or do I misremember?

Dawn was forged from the heart of a fallen star, so it was made from some sort of extraterrestrial metal, not iron. While the base for Valyrian steel is iron. And Dawn was supposedly forged 10.000 years ago, while Valyrians had tamed dragons approximately 5.000 years ago, and that's when Valyrian steel was "invented". Thus, Dawn is not a Valyrian steel blade. Different material, and different technology.

[LynnS]

2 hours ago, Megorova said:

Dawn was forged from the heart of a fallen star, so it was made from some sort of extraterrestrial metal, not iron. While the base for Valyrian steel is iron. And Dawn was supposedly forged 10.000 years ago, while Valyrians had tamed dragons approximately 5.000 years ago, and that's when Valyrian steel was "invented". Thus, Dawn is not a Valyrian steel blade. Different material, and different technology.

Specifically. I'm asking if Martin ever said anything about it.

[JNR]

4 hours ago, LynnS said:

Specifically. I'm asking if Martin ever said anything about it.

Not in an SSM, no. 

He is however very clear that Valyrian steel is made with spells and has not made that remark about Dawn, to my knowledge. 

About Dawn's origin, he has only said it goes back at least a couple thousand years.

[kissdbyfire]

5 hours ago, LynnS said:

Specifically. I'm asking if Martin ever said anything about it.

 

12 minutes ago, JNR said:

Not in an SSM, no. 

He is however very clear that Valyrian steel is made with spells and has not made that remark about Dawn, to my knowledge. 

About Dawn's origin, he has only said it goes back at least a couple thousand years.

@LynnS, I was going to say, “I seem to recall a remark from Martin saying something like that... and then I read @JNR‘s reply above.

 

ETA: I suppose I’m seconding your question, has Martin ever said anything irt Dawn not being VS? 

Edited August 3, 2019 by kissdbyfire

[Ckram]

15 hours ago, kissdbyfire said:

ETA: I suppose I’m seconding your question, has Martin ever said anything irt Dawn not being VS? 

On 8/3/2019 at 8:13 AM, LynnS said:

I have a vague recollection that Martin said the Dawn Sword was not valyrian steel?  Is that correct or do I misremember?

Have you guys already took this in consideration? (honest question)

• TWOIAF, Dorne: The andals arrive

Those who have had the honor of examining it say it looks like no Valyrian steel they know, being pale as milkglass but in all other respects it seems to share the properties of Valyrian blades, being incredibly strong and sharp.

 

[LynnS]

31 minutes ago, Ckram said:

Have you guys already took this in consideration? (honest question)

• TWOIAF, Dorne: The andals arrive

Those who have had the honor of examining it say it looks like no Valyrian steel they know, being pale as milkglass but in all other respects it seems to share the properties of Valyrian blades, being incredibly strong and sharp.

 

No, I didn't see that.  Thanks.

[Thomaerys Velaryon]

Quote

The white knight did drink, as was only courteous. His companions likewise. So did the Princess Arianne, Lady Jordayne, the Lord of Godsgrace, the Knight of Lemonwood, the Lady of Ghost Hill … even Ellaria Sand, Prince Oberyn's beloved paramour, who had been with him in King's Landing when he died. Hotah paid more note to those who did not drink: Ser Daemon Sand, Lord Tremond Gargalen, the Fowler twins, Dagos Manwoody, the Ullers of the Hellholt, the Wyls of the Boneway. If there is trouble, it could start with one of them.

ADWD, The Watcher

The appendix in ADWD states that the ruler of Godsgrace is Lady Delonne Allyrion, so who is this Lord of Godsgrace ?

Is it a mistake on George's part ? Is he her husband ? Did Delonne die off page during the span of ADWD and Ser Ryon Allyrion, Delonne's son and heir, became the new Lord of Godsgrace ?

I don't know if George has ever clarified how the husbands of ruling ladies in Dorne are called. Are they called "Lord", "Consort" or something else ?

 

Edited August 4, 2019 by Thomaerys Velaryon