Theory - Lyanna got pregnant in Harrenhal?

[Melifeather]

1 hour ago, The Ned's Little Girl said:

Yes, it does. In general, if someone is going to make an argument for something, it should be expected that they demonstrate support for that argument using the text.

To be sure, it doesn't need to be a scene of Luwin saying, "Y'know, Lady Catelyn, bastards grow up faster than other children", with her nodding sagely. But there should be something - and there simply isn't. Catelyn doesn't express that idea at all, either in words or in her thoughts. If Luwin did say that to her, off-screen so to speak, then it didn't make any impression on her at all. So as an argument for that particular interpretation of Luwin's words, it's pretty weak.

What's more plausible, to me, about that saying is that Luwin did say it - but only to Jon, for the purpose of preparing him and toughening him up to face the inevitable adversities that await all bastard-born in his culture. My textual support for this plausibility, is that the only times the idea comes up is with Jon: when he repeats it from Luwin and when he thinks it, including the contexts in which he repeats and especially the occasion when he remembers it later. (It's of a piece with "kill the boy and let the man be born", now that I think about it.)

“Maester Luwin said“ has the same connotation and weight as “momma says (insert saying)”.

My momma always said life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get! 

Momma says alligators are ornery, because they got all them teeth and no toothbrush.

Momma say that happiness is from magic rays of sunshine that come down when you’re feelin’ blue.

Maester Luwin said bastards grow up faster. See how that could sound like he said it all the time? Jon is repeating the equivalent of a “momma said” and quoting a Maester Luwin aphorism.

 

 

[Ygrain]

4 hours ago, Melifeather said:

Maester Luwin said bastards grow up faster. See how that could sound like he said it all the time? Jon is repeating the equivalent of a “momma said” and quoting a Maester Luwin aphorism.

Then it's peculiar that it never rubbed off on anyone else, and particularly on Cat for whose comfort you claim it was devised. Also, note that when Jon actually thinks about those instances when she was apparently miffed with him besting Robb, the "aphorism" is not mentioned. Jon only resorts to it when maturity is concerned.

[Melifeather]

8 hours ago, Ygrain said:

Then it's peculiar that it never rubbed off on anyone else, and particularly on Cat for whose comfort you claim it was devised. Also, note that when Jon actually thinks about those instances when she was apparently miffed with him besting Robb, the "aphorism" is not mentioned. Jon only resorts to it when maturity is concerned.

We can only guess at which times Maester Luwin spouted this aphorism, but we do know he said it about Jon. Apparently Jon was more advanced than Robb growing up. It's only natural that Jon would be the one to recall the saying. It's really a phrase intended to dismiss his abilities. Can you imagine two children of roughly the same age and one of them learns to read and the other cannot? Rather than praise the child that can read they're dismissed with "bastards grow up faster".