Assassination attempt on Bran in GOT

[Monster_Under_the_Bed]

I started rereading the books and I came to the part where Petyr Baelish reveals to Catelyn that the dagger that was used in attempt to kill Bran was his, until he lost it in a bet to Tyrion Lannister. This is obviously an attempt to implicate Tyrion, but I am wondering why would anyone fall for it. It's extremely unlikely that someone would equip a simpleton assassin with a very unique dagger that can be traced back to its owner. Many people knew about the bet where Petyr lost the dagger to Tyrion. Given that Tyrion is not an idiot, anyone who interacted with him could attest to the opposite, it's not logical to conclude that he was behind the attempt on Bran's life. It would be logical to deduce that someone tried to frame him though. I don't remember if anyone suggests that explanation in the book. I guess I'll find out soon.

[BRANDON GREYSTARK]

7 minutes ago, Monster_Under_the_Bed said:

I started rereading the books and I came to the part where Petyr Baelish reveals to Catelyn that the dagger that was used in attempt to kill Bran was his, until he lost it in a bet to Tyrion Lannister. This is obviously an attempt to implicate Tyrion, but I am wondering why would anyone fall for it. It's extremely unlikely that someone would equip a simpleton assassin with a very unique dagger that can be traced back to its owner. Many people knew about the bet where Petyr lost the dagger to Tyrion. Given that Tyrion is not an idiot, anyone who interacted with him could attest to the opposite, it's not logical to conclude that he was behind the attempt on Bran's life. It would be logical to deduce that someone tried to frame him though. I don't remember if anyone suggests that explanation in the book. I guess I'll find out soon.

Catelyn is seeing Petyr Baelish through rose colored glasses .. The young boy who use to play kissing games with her and Lysa . Not  the one who violated guest rights by challenging Brandon Stark  . 

[Fool Stands On Giant’s Toe]

Was it an assassination attempt? It could read like he was there to meet No one. Make a delivery? The possession of the dagger may have been the point. A signifier of agency. 
 

A special Blade to break the chains fettered around a wolf?

Or it was not intended for the holder of the dagger to be killed or captured.

[Pontius Pilate]

6 hours ago, Monster_Under_the_Bed said:

I started rereading the books and I came to the part where Petyr Baelish reveals to Catelyn that the dagger that was used in attempt to kill Bran was his, until he lost it in a bet to Tyrion Lannister. This is obviously an attempt to implicate Tyrion, but I am wondering why would anyone fall for it. It's extremely unlikely that someone would equip a simpleton assassin with a very unique dagger that can be traced back to its owner. Many people knew about the bet where Petyr lost the dagger to Tyrion. Given that Tyrion is not an idiot, anyone who interacted with him could attest to the opposite, it's not logical to conclude that he was behind the attempt on Bran's life. It would be logical to deduce that someone tried to frame him though. I don't remember if anyone suggests that explanation in the book. I guess I'll find out soon.

A lot of dumbness from the characters involved made that plot appear comical.  Why give up a valuable item to a lowly assassin?  A dull kitchen knife could have done the job. 

[LynnS]

You haven't read far enough to get Tyrion's explanation about this bet.  Do you want me to tell you?

[Mithras]

It was bad plot device right from the start.

[John Suburbs]

The Starks are gullible. They are not accustomed to the level of intrigue that inhabits the Red Keep. They already suspect that the Lannisters are behind it, so they were probably thinking, "why would Petyr want to implicate Tyrion if it wasn't true?"

[Muffin King]

This was possibly the dumbest thing in the series, it could have quite easily have been done better. 

Even something as simple as a drunken Lannister killing/being killed by a Stark during Roberts procession to the North would have been a better trigger for the WO5K then Catelyn somehow being daft enough to think someone would give an assassin their own Valyrian steel dagger to kill a 9 year old comatose cripple.

[Alyn Oakenfist]

It was Arya and the Faceless men seeking vengeance for Jon's death

[TheLastWolf]

11 minutes ago, Alyn Oakenfist said:

It was Arya and the Faceless men seeking vengeance for Jon's death

Be fair mate. Include all the Starks. And Jon Snow too. This is not how a proper Stark Snow hate post must be. Learn from the best. They'll pop in inevitably in a thread or three 

[Alyn Oakenfist]

19 minutes ago, TheLastWolf said:

Be fair mate. Include all the Starks. And Jon Snow too. This is not how a proper Stark Snow hate post must be. Learn from the best. They'll pop in inevitably in a thread or three 

Now I think about it I think it was Stannis and Aegon too. Stannis started the fire with his R'hllor magic gained by selling his soul while Aegon provided the Valyrian Steel from his Blackfyre treasure horde.

Trust me, I have proof

[Mourning Star]

Quote

"We found where he'd been sleeping," Robb put in. "He had ninety silver stags in a leather bag buried beneath the straw."

A Game of Thrones - Catelyn III

Then in A Storm of Swords we get told who was in Winterfell with a bag of silver:

Quote

"The Wall can stop an army, but not a man alone. I took a lute and a bag of silver, scaled the ice near Long Barrow, walked a few leagues south of the New Gift, and bought a horse. All in all I made much better time than Robert, who was traveling with a ponderous great wheelhouse to keep his queen in comfort. A day south of Winterfell I came up on him and fell in with his company. Freeriders and hedge knights are always attaching themselves to royal processions, in hopes of finding service with the king, and my lute gained me easy acceptance." He laughed. "I know every bawdy song that's ever been made, north or south of the Wall. So there you are. The night your father feasted Robert, I sat in the back of his hall on a bench with the other freeriders, listening to Orland of Oldtown play the high harp and sing of dead kings beneath the sea. I betook of your lord father's meat and mead, had a look at Kingslayer and Imp . . . and made passing note of Lord Eddard's children and the wolf pups that ran at their heels."
"Bael the Bard," said Jon, remembering the tale that Ygritte had told him in the Frostfangs, the night he'd almost killed her.
"Would that I were. I will not deny that Bael's exploit inspired mine own . . . but I did not steal either of your sisters that I recall. Bael wrote his own songs, and lived them. I only sing the songs that better men have made. More mead?"

A Storm of Swords - Jon I

Mance Rayder might not have stolen a Stark daughter but he did return North with a bride, and seemingly began to gather the Free Folk in the Frostfangs to dig looking for something.

My guess is that whatever Mance found in the Winterfell Library before he lit it on fire was what led him to do the digging.

Quote

"He was the best of us," said the Halfhand, "and the worst as well. Only fools like Thoren Smallwood despise the wildlings. They are as brave as we are, Jon. As strong, as quick, as clever. But they have no discipline. They name themselves the free folk, and each one thinks himself as good as a king and wiser than a maester. Mance was the same. He never learned how to obey."

A Clash of Kings - Jon VII

The Wildlings might see killing a cripple as a mercy, in fact Val says she would have killed Shireen and seen it as a mercy:

Quote

"It is not always mortal in children."
"North of the Wall it is. Hemlock is a sure cure, but a pillow or a blade will work as well. If I had given birth to that poor child, I would have given her the gift of mercy long ago."
This was a Val that Jon had never seen before. "Princess Shireen is the queen's only child."

A Dance with Dragons - Jon XI

And finally, the assassin who tried to kill Bran shares Val's coloring, pale eyes and blonde hair.

If I had to make another guess, Mance met Dalla and Val when stopping to inform them that their relative (the assassin) had died.

For those that still believe the nonsense theory Tyrion came up with, I would point out that there are so many holes in the idea it's hard to even know where to begin. Jof lacks motive, would have no reason to give an assassin a unique dagger, is misquoted by Tyrion in his memory, and is obviously familiar with Valyrian steel from Ned's execution.

[KingintheNorth4]

It's easy to see why Catelyn would fall for it. She still viewed Petyr as the little boy who was fostered at Riverrun.

[Monster_Under_the_Bed]

3 hours ago, John Suburbs said:

The Starks are gullible. They are not accustomed to the level of intrigue that inhabits the Red Keep. They already suspect that the Lannisters are behind it, so they were probably thinking, "why would Petyr want to implicate Tyrion if it wasn't true?"

Gullible they are. Well, Ned certainly appears to be. Varys tells him point blank that Lannisters are trying to kill Robert and Ned keeps dropping his monocle in shock. Is it REALLY so difficult for him to believe that or is he playing up his own virtues? I am not sure.

[Monster_Under_the_Bed]

42 minutes ago, KingintheNorth4 said:

It's easy to see why Catelyn would fall for it. She still viewed Petyr as the little boy who was fostered at Riverrun.

I am not saying that Baelish would certainly be the one who set everything up. He would be one suspect, but there could be many others who knew about the dagger as they made the bet over it publically at a great tourney.

[TheLastWolf]

10 hours ago, Alyn Oakenfist said:

Now I think about it I think it was Stannis and Aegon too. Stannis started the fire with his R'hllor magic gained by selling his soul while Aegon provided the Valyrian Steel from his Blackfyre treasure horde.

Trust me, I have proof

Oh we can't forget the Baratheon Usurpers at any cost or we'll have to face the wrath of the Stormborn, Khaleesi, Mother of blah blah blah Daenerys of House Targaryen, Fairy Godmother.... or rather her worshippers 

[Rondo]

One thing is for sure.  There is a strong bias against imps.  It was so easy to believe the accusation against Tyrion.  Tyrion's personality doesn't do him any favors.  

[John Suburbs]

20 hours ago, Monster_Under_the_Bed said:

I am not saying that Baelish would certainly be the one who set everything up. He would be one suspect, but there could be many others who knew about the dagger as they made the bet over it publically at a great tourney.

Pus, Renly straight up confirmed that Petyr was lying about the dagger right in front of Ned, and he missed it.

[dbergkvist]

Baelish had already poisoned the Starks against the Lannisters by having Lysa send the encrypted message that the Lannisters were behind the murder of Jon Arryn. Once she believed that the Lannisters had murdered Jon Arryn, it made it easy for her to believe anything bad about them without questioning the evidence.

[Monster_Under_the_Bed]

19 minutes ago, dbergkvist said:

Baelish had already poisoned the Starks against the Lannisters by having Lysa send the encrypted message that the Lannisters were behind the murder of Jon Arryn. Once she believed that the Lannisters had murdered Jon Arryn, it made it easy for her to believe anything bad about them without questioning the evidence.

I read further now and yes he did:

Quote

“A pity the Imp is not here with us,” Lord Renly said. “I should have won twice as much.”

Meaning that Tyrion had bet on Jaime in the joust, not on Loras Tyrell. Tyrion also confirms this when he talks to Catelyn. He said that he would never bet against his family and also brings out the reasonable point that he would not arm an assassin with an ornate dagger. The Starks were fools