Green vs. Black

[Seams]

As I've continued listening to the audiobook of AFfC, I have noticed some (possibly) significant pairings of red and white, similar to the green / black pattern that led me to begin this thread. (I think someone mentioned red / white up the thread or maybe in the link provided by Lost Mel?)

Does anyone care to speculate whether there is a correspondence of

• green - Garth Greenhands
• black - the Storm King (or Storm god)
• red - Lann the Clever
• white - Brandon the Builder

I suspect there are some powerful alliances, marriages, sigils, etc. that combine certain pairs of colors. Sometimes characters seem to avoid certain combinations - I'm thinking of the unfulfilled promise to marry a Stark to a Targaryen back a few generations.

An interesting red / green comparison: I couldn't help but notice that Nimble Dick Crabb raises bloody red hands to beg for mercy from Shagwell, because Shagwell has already shattered Dick's knee with a morningstar. When Gregor Clegane's men discover Yoren's recruits in the woods, Lommy Greenhands, the dyer's apprentice who is part of Arya's entourage, raises his green hands to ask for help as he has suffered a leg injury. Both men are killed immediately. Are we supposed to compare these characters? Which characters have white and black hands? (Osha covered in flour at Winterfell? Victarion after he is wounded in battle?)

[Narsil4]

38 minutes ago, Seams said:

Nimble Dick Crabb raises bloody red hands to beg for mercy from Shagwell, because Shagwell has already shattered Dick's knee with a morningstar.

They might be symbolically representing events surrounding the weirwoods. 

Quote

The weirwood's bark was white as bone, its leaves dark red, like a thousand bloodstained hands.

The morningstar breaking bones could represent falling starstone impacts breaking tree limbs/roots. 
Perhaps related to Dawn or the Bloodstone Emperor. 

40 minutes ago, Seams said:

Which characters have white and black hands?

White/Green would seem to be symbolic of burning or flaming hands. 
Black/Red seems to have strong associations to cold iron and blood. 

Mel and Lem would also seem to suggest a Red(Blue?) vs Yellow opposition. 

[Gingin]

12 hours ago, Seams said:

Which characters have white and black hands? (Osha covered in flour at Winterfell? Victarion after he is wounded in battle?)

Coldhands has black hands:

Quote

"Who are you? Why are your hands black?"

The ranger studied his hands as if he had never noticed them before. "Once the heart has ceased to beat, a man's blood runs down into his extremities, where it thickens and congeals." His voice rattled in his throat, as thin and gaunt as he was. "His hands and feet swell up and turn as black as pudding. The rest of him becomes as white as milk."

In contrast, Sam’s hands (and he was saved by Coldhands) are described to be white:

Quote

"Jon said you all had wolves." Sam pulled off a glove. "I know Ghost." He held out a shaky hand, the fingers white and soft and fat as little sausages. Summer padded closer, sniffed them, and gave the hand a lick.

 

[Springwatch]

On 1/2/2020 at 6:50 PM, Seams said:

Catelyn is the most rainbow-linked character in the books. Her overview of the army follows several scenes where she prays in a sept and sees rainbows cast on the walls. In other words, I don't see this "army at dawn" scene as a unique green vs. black scene, although that could be part of it.

I keep coming back to this scene  - it has a victory followed by a dawn, plus other things I associate with foreshadowing: soldiers like trees, and mentions of shadows.

She sees a black castle, and a green castle. She sees a black army, and a grey army. She sees an army of lifeless, leafless trees. Surely we're seeing the battle for the dawn here - but it makes for a very strange picture. At the literal level, all these castles and armies belong to Renly. And I wasn't expecting dawn to come without the colour green.

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I love your observation that there is no green in Stannis' new army! This could be a key point. Trees and growing things are associated with green.

Highgarden and the Reach would have plenty of green banners, I should think. Maybe they all fled with Loras.

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Although Stannis married a Florent from the Reach, he does not seem to love her, avoids sleeping with her and his only child with her turns to stone. We also see Melisandre burning wooden figures of the new gods, relics that had been treasures of the newly-arrived Targaryens at Dragonstone (the wooden figures were carved from masts of the ships that brought them from Valyria). Tree haters = no green.

Like it!  I've not checked, but apparently Stannis cut down a grove of trees to build siege engines against Storm's End (before the showdown with Renly).