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Why the Sealord chose Syrio to guard him


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16 hours ago, ravenous reader said:

Your idea makes good sense symbolically.  Consider the following:

This is an example of what @LmL has termed GRRM’s characteristic “fractal symbolism”: Thus, the cat sees Cat who then sees through the cat’s eyes!

As a Faceless Man (FM) trainee, Arya has changed the appearance of her face (to ‘Blind Beth’), yet nevertheless the cat can ‘see through’ the guise to recognise her underlying, former identity as ‘Cat.’  Animals generally seem more capable naturally than humans of the ‘True seeing’, as evidenced by the fact that Casso, King of Seals (See-ls?), is also not taken in by FM tricks. 

This is an allegory for the parable of the Sealord’s cat, making Syrio not only the one to see the cat’s true identity, but from which it also follows from a certain perspective that Syrio can be seen as the Sealord’s cat himself.  In other words, Syrio (See-rio?) facilitates the Sealord’s seeing (pun on See-Lord), analogously to how the cat enables blind Arya/Beth to see via skinchanging. 

This convoluted, ‘fractal’ role-exchange demonstrates a key theme of the author’s whereby “the hunters become the hunted,” and vice versa.  Paradoxically, in order to overcome the antagonist, one must ‘become’ the antagonist, thereby no longer really ‘antagonising’ them, but rather neutralising them, utilising their own element against them, a la the Knight of the Mirror Shield.  Fighting fire with fire, ice with ice (this would involve being an ice wight like Coldhands or skinchanging an Other/ice dragon, etc.), or catching cats by taking on the characteristics, even slipping into the skin, of a cat oneself. 

Hence, Syrio’s first lesson of catching cats — foreshadowing that in order to outwit Lannisters (lions), the Stark girl (wolf) must learn to think/see/move like a cat:

This is amazing

 

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Spot on!  One of my pet peeves is the pretentious application of ‘Occam’s Razor’, ‘Chekhov’s Gun’, and, worst of all, Science, to fantasy literary analysis.

For the purposes of ASOIAF, the only thing that matters is a coherent symbolic reading. 

And while I agree on the Occam's Razor part, George cares about science and it's a relevant topic for analysis of at least this series.

Chekhov's Gun applies to any and most dramatic writing, it's just set up and pay of, and George does lots of that. 

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  • 1 month later...

The Sealord is not a faceless man.  There is no need for secrecy and assassinations if the leader of Braavos is a member of the club.  The house of black and white is a religion.  A strangely fucked up one but a religion of psychos for sure.  A psycho could never be chosen to lead Braavos.  Syrio was hired because the Sealord was worried about this club of weirdos.  Syrio doesn't fall for their tricks.  

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On 11/24/2020 at 11:14 AM, Mourning Star said:

Jaquen's place provided a logical way out of the city for a faceless man who wanted to stay close to Ned.

I like it. (But I’ll add more tin foil :D.)You mean for Ned to exit the cells as Jaquen? Because he couldn’t walk with that wounded leg? He needed to ride out on a sled? If Jaquen can take any face, and murders like a terminator ninja, he’d be better off disguised as a crow or guard. Yea?

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On 11/24/2020 at 3:22 PM, CamiloRP said:

the cells are smaller and the doors are wood. The black cells, men call them.

One does not choose his companions in the black cells
 

"I trust you realize that you are a dead man, Lord Eddard?"

What if the black cells are coffins? 
Most likely just Lord Stark is dead. 
...father was wearing his Lord Stark face.

Promise me Ned

Promise me Lord 
 Lyannas dream calls him Ned then Lord. She may be talking to two people or asking one to wear/share the Lordship mantle-face.

Yoren has access to all the cells probably comes like a crow in the night. Takes and does whatever he wants in the dungeon. Yoren was traveling with other NW guys I think previously. Just have another wear the face to be executed?

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