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How many of the current Great Houses will make it to the end?


James Steller

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I’m not talking about your preferences, either. I mean more of an educated guess based on what’s happening so far in the story and what’s been hinted at in the previews of the next book (if you don’t want to have those preview chapters spoiled, consider this your warning to click away).

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1 hour ago, Bernie Mac said:

Stark, Lannister, Arryn, Tyrell, Martell and Greyjoy should all survive, even if it is a different branch in charge.

 

Baratheon and Tully are the ones most in trouble.

There's just one "Arryn" who is a sickly child who is one good cold away from dying.... And his heir is a hardyng who might take the Arryn name if he becomes lord of the vale......

So how is house Arryn not in trouble?

OP:Targs are definitely gonners if the show is any indication....

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1 hour ago, Orm said:

There's just one "Arryn" who is a sickly child who is one good cold away from dying.... And his heir is a hardyng who might take the Arryn name if he becomes lord of the vale......

So how is house Arryn not in trouble?

OP:Targs are definitely gonners if the show is any indication....

There are loads of Arryns knocking about the Vale.

The eldest married Ser Denys Arryn, a distant cousin to the Lords of the Eyrie. There are several branches of House Arryn scattered across the Vale, all as proud as they are penurious, save for the Gulltown Arryns, who had the rare good sense to marry merchants. They're rich, but less than couth, so no one talks about them. Ser Denys hailed from one of the poor, proud branches . . .

Harry will more than likely take on the Arryn name. Logically this will not be the first time in the Arryn's thousands of years history that the family of a daughter/sister/niece has inherited the title. Right now in Westeros there are multiple female rulers and heirs and yet these Houses are all centuries old with the same name. Common sense tells the reader that the name comes along with the title.

Harry's already gearing up to become an Arryn much to the chagrin of Robin.

It was only then that she took note of his heraldry. Though his surcoat and horse trappings were patterned in the red-and-white diamonds of House Hardyng, his shield was quartered. The arms of Hardyng and Waynwood were displayed in the first and third quarters, respectively, but in the second and fourth quarters he bore the moon-and-falcon of House Arryn, sky blue and cream. Sweetrobin will not like that.

 

 

 

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54 minutes ago, Bernie Mac said:

There are loads of Arryns knocking about the Vale.

If we consider all the cousins/blood relatives, then I don't think any house is going extinct anytime soon....

 

56 minutes ago, Bernie Mac said:

Harry will more than likely take on the Arryn name. Logically this will not be the first time in the Arryn's thousands of years history that the family of a daughter/sister/niece has inherited the title. Right now in Westeros there are multiple female rulers and heirs and yet these Houses are all centuries old with the same name. Common sense tells the reader that the name comes along with the title.

Honestly, Martin's over 8000 year old dynasties are over the top and very fantasy-esque.....

The closest real world equivalent we have is the Japanese Ceremonial monarchy.... Which is at best....drum-roll please.... 3000 years old.......

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8 minutes ago, Orm said:

If we consider all the cousins/blood relatives, then I don't think any house is going extinct anytime soon....

Topic is about Great Houses. I don't think the Tullys and Baratheons will still be Great Houses at the end. Nothing to do with them still not having members left in their family. I imagine Edmure will live a long and heatly life, may even regain some lands. But the Tullys are done as a Great House.

House Baratheon likely have some other branches around the Stormlands, but they too are likely done as a Great House.

8 minutes ago, Orm said:

 

Honestly, Martin's over 8000 year old dynasties are over the top and very fantasy-esque.....

Sure. So are Dragons, Others and magical shadow babies. I'm not sure your point?

8 minutes ago, Orm said:

The closest real world equivalent we have is the Japanese Ceremonial monarchy.... Which is at best....drum-roll please.... 3000 years old.......

And? 

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Targaryen - Because this is their story.  The additional materials are all about them.  Fire and Blood, Dunk and Egg, World of Ice and Fire.  This family will survive.  It may only be one or two (Daenerys T and Aegon Blackfyre) but they will live on.  The Targaryen family is Martin's best creation.  Even the family name is just too cool. 

Frey - Too numerous for every member to perish.  Not a Great House, but should be.  I don't think even the madness of Stoneheart and Arya can extinguish this family.

Lannister - Tyrion is Martin's favorite.  At least the little man will live to carry on the Lannister blood.  He might even reproduce and get one of the Stark girls pregnant.  I want to see a romantic rivalry involving Arya, Jon, and Tyrion.

Stark - Too numerous to perish.  There's still too many Starks left alive.  Martin needs to trim the Starks down to Bran.  Kill off Jon, Arya, Benjen, Rickon, and Sansa.

Tarly - Samwell is another Martin type.  Martin will want somebody like him to survive. 

 

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8 minutes ago, Bernie Mac said:

Topic is about Great Houses.

Yes it is..... And it's about either they will survive or not.... Not about their power-flux.... That's what I assumed from the topic......'How many of the current great houses will make it to the end"=survivability.....

 

12 minutes ago, Bernie Mac said:

Sure. So are Dragons, Others and magical shadow babies. I'm not sure your point?

The unrealistic longevity of the "great houses"..?

 

14 minutes ago, Bernie Mac said:

And

If Martin takes the high fantasy route, then it's quite possible all the great houses would stay as they are even by the end of the story.....

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6 minutes ago, Orm said:

Yes it is..... And it's about either they will survive or not....

I could be wrong, but I was guessing OP was talking about them surviving as a Great House. Are you 100% sure that is not what OP was asking?

6 minutes ago, Orm said:

 

Not about their power-flux.... That's what I assumed from the topic......'How many of the current great houses will make it to the end"=survivability.....

It could be. Well if that is the question then all of them will still have blood relatives by the end of the series unless the end is truly apocalyptic.

6 minutes ago, Orm said:

 

The unrealistic longevity of the "great houses"..?

Well it is a fantasy series.

The longevity of the Houses is actually pretty easy to explain if the female heirs take on the family name upon inheritance. Of all the things to quibble about, that is the one that takes the simplest explanation to set it right.

 

11 minutes ago, Orm said:

If Martin takes the high fantasy route, then it's quite possible all the great houses would stay as they are even by the end of the story.....

 

Also, quite possible. If you think that, then tell OP. Don't just try to shit on my answer with pointless remarks at every turn.

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3 minutes ago, Bernie Mac said:

I could be wrong, but I was guessing OP was talking about them surviving as a Great House. Are you 100% sure that is not what OP was asking?

It could be. Well if that is the question then all of them will still have blood relatives by the end of the series unless the end is truly apocalyptic.

Well it is a fantasy series.

The longevity of the Houses is actually pretty easy to explain if the female heirs take on the family name upon inheritance. Of all the things to quibble about, that is the one that takes the simplest explanation to set it right.

 

 

Also, quite possible. If you think that, then tell OP. Don't just try to shit on my answer with pointless remarks at every turn.

Then I guess we took different approaches in understanding the OP's question....

And you also didn't mention them surviving specifically as lord paramounts in your first post.... 

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1 minute ago, Orm said:

Then I guess we took different approaches in understanding the OP's question....

And you also didn't mention them surviving specifically as lord paramounts in your first post.... 

I thought OP's question was pretty straight forward. I was unaware that I'd need to explain my reasoning to you. Any more questions?

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1 minute ago, Bernie Mac said:

thought OP's question was pretty straight forward

Yes I thought it quite straightforward too..

How many of the current great houses is going to make it to the End....

My first thought went to their survival as a name, legacy and blood by the end of the novels.....

I didn't think of the power-shift at all....

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To be honest, I was talking about whether there would be any surviving members left, but the idea of a family member surviving without power is an intriguing one. I hadn’t considered it, but I’ll allow it. Either interpretation is fine with me.

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18 minutes ago, James Steller said:

To be honest, I was talking about whether there would be any surviving members left, but the idea of a family member surviving without power is an intriguing one. I hadn’t considered it, but I’ll allow it. Either interpretation is fine with me.

Thanks dude..... For a second I thought Bernie Mac is gonna be successful in making me look like an idiot.....

English isn't my first language you see....

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24 minutes ago, Orm said:

Thanks dude..... For a second I thought Bernie Mac is gonna be successful in making me look like an idiot.....

English isn't my first language you see....

Nah, you're fine. You're not the one that came out of that exchange looking bad.

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5 hours ago, Son of Man said:

Targaryen - Because this is their story.  The additional materials are all about them.  Fire and Blood, Dunk and Egg, World of Ice and Fire.  This family will survive.  It may only be one or two (Daenerys T and Aegon Blackfyre) but they will live on.  The Targaryen family is Martin's best creation.  Even the family name is just too cool. 

 

I disagree. I think the books will end with the death of House Targaryen once and for all. It's the only logical conclusion to this epic saga. As you say, it's all been about House Targaryen, so ASOIAF can only end with them dying out. After all, the War of the Roses ended with the death of the Plantagenet dynasty.

As for the other Great Houses, I don't think any of them will die out, nor will they lose their power. The only thing that will change is that House Targaryen is out of the picture.

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30 minutes ago, Floki of the Ironborn said:

I disagree. I think the books will end with the death of House Targaryen once and for all. It's the only logical conclusion to this epic saga. As you say, it's all been about House Targaryen, so ASOIAF can only end with them dying out. After all, the War of the Roses ended with the death of the Plantagenet dynasty.

As for the other Great Houses, I don't think any of them will die out, nor will they lose their power. The only thing that will change is that House Targaryen is out of the picture.

That's ridiculous. The Plantagenets survived beyond their power, so the Targaryens don't have to die out for the conclusion to work. GRRM doesn't go for finite resolutions, after all. I agree that their dynasty will probably end, but I don't think GRRM will kill off anyone with Targaryen DNA in them. Surely Jon Snow won't be resurrected just to die again a book and a half later (or else GRRM's writing quality will sink all the way down to the level of the Matrix sequels :ack:). 

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I don't see a way for the great houses to continue.  The nobles will lose their power when the peasants realize those in power cannot stop the white walkers.  Their bellies will start growling and then they have no reason to share their food with the lords and the ladies.  So none of the great houses will survive in Westeros.  At least not as great houses.  They will become gatherers and scavengers like the peasants.  And those like Sansa will be the least able to adapt to scavenging.  She should and will die.  Planetos/Earthos will be reset and the coming dawn will bring a new order.  Those who once claimed descent from a great house will be no better than the peasants in status.  In some ways, yes there will be people descended from the nobles but they will no longer be lords and ladies. 

The royal family of old Westeros, House Targaryen, will continue to live on in Essos.  Daenerys Targaryen will build her own empire in the east.  This will be the beginning of a new empire of the new dawn.  Made up of freed slaves, Westerosi refugees, reformed Ghiscari, the Dothraki, and many others. 

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10 minutes ago, Mon ami said:

I don't see a way for the great houses to continue.  The nobles will lose their power when the peasants realize those in power cannot stop the white walkers.  Their bellies will start growling and then they have no reason to share their food with the lords and the ladies.  So none of the great houses will survive in Westeros.  At least not as great houses.  They will become gatherers and scavengers like the peasants.  And those like Sansa will be the least able to adapt to scavenging.  She should and will die.  Planetos/Earthos will be reset and the coming dawn will bring a new order.  Those who once claimed descent from a great house will be no better than the peasants in status.  In some ways, yes there will be people descended from the nobles but they will no longer be lords and ladies. 

The royal family of old Westeros, House Targaryen, will continue to live on in Essos.  Daenerys Targaryen will build her own empire in the east.  This will be the beginning of a new empire of the new dawn.  Made up of freed slaves, Westerosi refugees, reformed Ghiscari, the Dothraki, and many others. 

If GRRM doesn't finish the series, this is how I'll envision the ending. I love it! A Marxist ending like nothing we've ever had before in mainstream fiction.

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