Rickon's Role

[LadyOfCastamere]

Hey guys!  

I was thinking about GRRM's hint that 'History repeats itself' and so I tried to figure out which character could fit a character within the Asoiaf history. I read ideas that compared Aegon's bastard to the Stark children and found a lot of the thoughts very worthy of reading.

What I somehow missed in all the analysis was Rickon's role. So far it seemed to me that Rickon was nothing but the 5th wheel at the car, his story didn't further the cause of the story. In the Got-series he was more or less killed off because they didn't know what else to do with him (or so it seemed). However, I doubt that GRRM would invent a character like him just to kill him off since he can't think of anything to do with him. I'm aware that it's difficult to include a Rickon POV due to his young age, but Osha could still fill that spot. I refuse to believe that Rickon is just there to show what happens when a warg-child isn't being taken care of.

What do you think?

[Gerg Sknab]

I hope you read my answer post to your subject POV's you'd like to see and those your wearied of. There is a potential POV arc for Rickon 

[BlackLightning]

44 minutes ago, LadyOfCastamere said:

Hey guys!  

I was thinking about GRRM's hint that 'History repeats itself' and so I tried to figure out which character could fit a character within the Asoiaf history. I read ideas that compared Aegon's bastard to the Stark children and found a lot of the thoughts very worthy of reading.

What I somehow missed in all the analysis was Rickon's role. So far it seemed to me that Rickon was nothing but the 5th wheel at the car, his story didn't further the cause of the story. In the Got-series he was more or less killed off because they didn't know what else to do with him (or so it seemed). However, I doubt that GRRM would invent a character like him just to kill him off since he can't think of anything to do with him. I'm aware that it's difficult to include a Rickon POV due to his young age, but Osha could still fill that spot. I refuse to believe that Rickon is just there to show what happens when a warg-child isn't being taken care of.

What do you think?

Well, there aren't that many fighting men in the North anymore. And there are going to less after this whole Baratheon vs. Bolton throwdown is all said and done.

The North is so militarily weak right now, they couldn't even face the Others down in the open field or on the Wall if they wanted to. They are going to have to hold up in their castles and get ready to endure beyond nightmarish siege conditions.

That said, I think Rickon is going to help bring fresh fighters -- male and female -- to the mainland to help in the fight against the Others. It's not going to help that much because the North is going to be overrun. That's the whole point of the Stark family. The Starks, as both Wardens of the North and Kings of Winter, protect Westeros from the Others. There must always be a Stark in Winterfell and we haven't had a Stark in Winterfell since the end of A Clash of Kings. Notice how aggressive the Others became in the following books?

The stupidity and wickedness of people like the Lannisters, Littlefinger and the Boltons have doomed them all. The Others will rain terror on all of Westeros and maybe even a little bit of Essos because the Starks (and maybe the Targaryens) were removed from the equation.

Speaking of the Boltons, I don't think GRRM likes tying things up with neat little illogical bows like Dumb&Dumber do. The Boltons aren't going to become a non-entity after Stannis wins and Sansa returns. Ramsay probably will die at Winterfell but Roose Bolton is far too quick and cunning to die, much less at the hands of the son he patently distrusts. Roose distrusts Ramsay so much he regularly talks to Theon about his distrust.

I think Roose will flee for the Dreadfort. Davos doesn't know that Jon convinced Stannis to change his target from the Dreadfort to Winterfell. It'll take Davos a while but he'll take Osha and Rickon to the Dreadfort. Or maybe he and Osha get separated from Rickon. But yeah...

I think that A Dream of Spring will see all of the North rallying behind the Starks against the Others and the Boltons. I think it's boring to only have the North face off against the Others and not have any human villains to contend with too. Why would southern Westeros get to have all the fun? Why would GRRM make northern politics a thing?

Plus, there truly is something really odd and really wrong with Roose Bolton and his family. Yeah, they probably are genetically predisposed to a whole slew of antisocial and personality disorders. A lot has been said about how the Night's King (book version) was either a Bolton or he was the father of the first Lord Bolton with the female Other being the mother.

In any case, yeah...I think that Sansa (who I think will be our chief POV in Winterfell and probably the best POV in Dream) will have her hands full. She has to worry about holding Winterfell together amidst a siege they can't really win, save Rickon, prevent her Arryn marriage from disintegrating and stop Littlefinger from ruining everything.

Arya will likely play a big role in this too:

• has a established connection with Roose Bolton and his Frey allies
• has a claim to the Dreadfort via Ramsay (it'd be hilariously ironic if the situation wasn't so dire) 

I can see Sansa sending Arya to the Dreadfort where Arya will have to fight wights, Others and Bolton soldiers.

Considering the circumstances, Rickon is unlikely to survive but I think he will be an important plot device moving forward. Lady Stoneheart is obviously going to come for the Boltons after she is done with the Lannisters and the Freys in the south. How much more so if she finds out that they have her baby boy as a hostage? 

It may also take a while for Bran to become BranBot9000. Maybe he might try to do something to the Boltons via the heart tree in their godswood.

4 minutes ago, Gerg Sknab said:

I hope you read my answer post to your subject POV's you'd like to see and those your wearied of. There is a potential POV arc for Rickon 

Agreed.

But I tend to think that Davos will be the POV for Rickon's story....just like how Catelyn was the POV for Robb

[Shara]

Narratively, I think Rickon was a necessity. We know that Catelyn is still of child-bearing age at the start of our story and indeed, she even contemplates the possibility of another pregnancy, so it would have made no sense whatsoever for Bran to have been her last child. Sure, GRRM could have filled the gap between Bran's birth and the start of GoT with a miscarriage or stillbirth (they're common enough in Westeros) but Catelyn's fertility and brood of healthy children are key factors in the relationship dynamic between her and Lysa.

On that basis, it's not implausible that Rickon's tale is simply a shaggy-dog story and a loose end that GRRM needs to tidy away early in the next book. It does beg the question "if Rickon was just there to fill a gap in the Stark line of succession, why not kill him off sooner?" Well, he needed to live long enough to play his role in Theon's character development and to be fair, there hasn't been much opportunity to drop back into his story since then.

On the other hand, perhaps GRRM has been holding back his death (on or off page) to use as a catalyst to push another character arc forward or he may indeed have a bigger role planned out for Rickon - I'm just struggling to see what it may be at the moment.

[namesarehard]

I have a theory that the Starks represent the seven.

Ned is the Father

Catelyn is the Mother

Robb is the Warrior

Sansa is the Maiden

Arya is the Stranger

Bran is the Crone(learning the ancient wisdom)

That makes Rickon the Smith. So I think he'll turn out to be the new Bran the Builder.

[Bronn Urgandy]

To zig zag

[James Steller]

I think it would be very interesting if Rickon became another Hungry Wolf, and the first savage Stark we’ve had in a long time. Eddard was raised in the Vale and was overhyped with honour, and that’s also how he raised his own kids. Robb is shown to be his father’s son when he marries Jeyne, and this draws him away from Grey Wind, his wolf side. Bran is a crippled wolf who will become the three eyed crow instead. Arya will waiver between being a wolf and being Nobody. Rickon not only still has his wolf, but is basically being raised on Skagos by wildlings. He will raised on the true north and the first men. And he’s also been traumatized after losing his family members one by one. Rickon will be a vicious wolf when he returns, and just as vengeful as his sister Arya. Except he’ll be at the head of a Skagosi army riding unicorns (hopefully).

[Lost Melnibonean]

I see two possibilities...

https://asoiaf.westeros.org/index.php?/topic/90950-the-last-hero-tale-by-old-nan-foreshadows-the-deaths-of/

Or

https://asoiaf.westeros.org/index.php?/topic/145020-lyra-and-jory-are-with-our-mother-and-the-great-northern-conspiracy/

Or maybe a little of both?

[GloubieBoulga]

On 6/11/2019 at 4:19 PM, LadyOfCastamere said:

I was thinking about GRRM's hint that 'History repeats itself' and so I tried to figure out which character could fit a character within the Asoiaf history. I read ideas that compared Aegon's bastard to the Stark children and found a lot of the thoughts very worthy of reading.

At first sight, Rickon is playing on the same theme than young Griff : the hidden heir escaped from the death and the doom of his family who will claim the throne for "him" - in fact for the desire of power/revenge of other people (Varys/Illyrio for Young Griff, and Manderly for Rickon). The difference is that young Griff is probably a false heir and has good chances to gain the IT (but will he be able to keep it ?), but Rickon without the wolf has no sense and could have very few supporters in the North (= people who just don't want the Manderlys as biggest power in the North). Rickon could have a very bad and tragic end if he can't escape this game of throne.

[teej6]

13 minutes ago, GloubieBoulga said:

...but Rickon without the wolf has no sense and could have very few supporters in the North (= people who just don't want the Manderlys as biggest power in the North). Rickon could have a very bad and tragic end if he can't escape this game of throne.

Why do you think Rickon does not have his wolf? We don’t have any information that Shaggydog is dead. 

To the OP, more and more I think Rickon will end up ruling the North in the end. Whether he does it by himself or with the help of a regent will depend on how much time will elapse before we get to the very end. Rickon cannot rule while the North is battling the Others or whoever else because of his age but when the dust settles, I think it will be Rickon the Wild Wolf who will be declared Lord of WF or King in the North (if the North does end up seceding).  

[teej6]

On 6/11/2019 at 11:29 AM, Shara said:

Well, he needed to live long enough to play his role in Theon's character development and to be fair, there hasn't been much opportunity to drop back into his story since then.

Sorry, but how is Rickon relevant to Theon’s character development?

[GloubieBoulga]

19 minutes ago, teej6 said:

Why do you think Rickon does not have his wolf? We don’t have any information that Shaggydog is dead. 

I was a bit short when writing : I wanted to say whithout the wolf there is no Rickon Stark (Manderly insists on the wolf as a identity's proof), but with the wolf and the "identity's proof", the game to gain the lordship in the North could be difficult as well for Rickon Stark. The narrative schema could be the exact opposit of Young Griff, pretending being Aegon Targaryen without dragons and possibly gaining easy the IT. I find the perspective interesting. 

 

28 minutes ago, teej6 said:

Sorry, but how is Rickon relevant to Theon’s character development?

Probably because Theon was the one who executed "Rickon" (and "Bran"). If a living Rickon reappears, Theon can't be guilty for his death. 

[Lady Fevre Dream]

I'm thinking Rickon's role could be providing proof of The Skagosi Unicorn Calvary.  George did say something about the next book having unicorns, iirc.  I can't remember if it was in an interview or on his blog. 

Here's a link:  https://www.newsweek.com/winds-winter-george-rr-martin-unicorn-skagos-davos-seaworth-rickon-stark-1401384

I do think this may provide a bit of a vehicle for Rickon to show up in the North with some allies behind him, from Skagos, as well as help to introduce Davos further into the Northern story lines. 

[Ghost+Nymeria4Eva]

I always thought that in the end, Rickon would be the one to lead House Stark. Robb is dead, Sansa ends up in the Vale, Bran is the three-eyed crow, and Arya is a faceless man. Like with Egg, the unlikeliest candidate could end up at Winterfell. 

Alternatively, Rickon's relationship with Shaggydog might reveal something interesting about wargs. As someone else mentioned earlier, Rickon is probably going to be a fierce wolf, full of rage because of what happened. Shaggy, too, has always been angry and impatient. Rickon could even end up being the new warg king. 

[kissdbyfire]

On 6/20/2019 at 2:58 PM, GloubieBoulga said:

Probably because Theon was the one who executed "Rickon" (and "Bran"). If a living Rickon reappears, Theon can't be guilty for his death. 

Theon was certainly complicit in the killing of the miller’s boys, but he didn’t “execute” anyone. That was Ramsay. 

[Rachel of Oldstones]

I think I may have misunderstood the topic so sorry if so... But if we're referring to his use of our real world history....

Prince (s) in the tower babe maybe?