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Wow, I never noticed that. Vol. 19


Seams
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50 minutes ago, Corvo the Crow said:

A weirwood connection was what I thought as well, considering how ancient old nan is, perhaps she developed an affinity to the tree or that affinity may be the reason she was able to grow so old. The really old characters we see have some connection to places of magic, Maester Aemon for example is at the wall which is full of magical wards, Ghost of High Heart is another example.

This is a good explanation.  I wonder if Old Nan is the three-eyed crone. :D

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43 minutes ago, Corvo the Crow said:

A snake shark? A sea monster then? Another name for a sea dragon perhaps? Or is the snark itself is not important but is there to make a connection to Lewis Caroll poem?

Euron Greyjoy strikes me as both a snake and a shark. Or Victarion.

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19 hours ago, LynnS said:

Grumkin is a combination of the words grum meaning glum and grim and kin. grum-kin.  But what of the Snark?  It's taken from the poem by Lewis Caroll's The Hunting of the Snark, a terrifying creature named after the boojum tree. 

A snark turns out to be a combination of the words shark and snake. 

I took a swipe at explaining grumkins in 2016, but it's just a theory. No one came up with a solid explanation for snarks in the brief discussion that followed.

On this second glance at grumkins, I am struck by the fact that grumkins can make things. This would put them in the category of smiths. Before he dies, Donal Noye "gives" Jon Snow the Wall:

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"Jon, you have the Wall till I return."

For a moment Jon thought he had misheard. It had sounded as if Noye were leaving him in command. "My lord?"

"Lord? I'm a blacksmith. I said, the Wall is yours."

(ASoS, Jon VIII)

 

22 hours ago, LynnS said:

I wonder why Old Nan can smell magic besides the obvious that the blind have other senses that become heightened as a result of blindness.  How does she identify the smell of magic or dragons.  I wonder if she can breach the veil between the worlds or does the weirwood of Winterfell remember the smell of dragons? 

We might gain insights into Old Nan's sense of smell by examining characters such as Gared, whose ears were lost to frostbite (but were apparently surgically removed by Maester Aemon); Dywen, who can smell cold; Tyrion's nose being cut off by Ser Mandon Moore; Arya's interlude as Blind Beth; Chella of the Black Ears mountain clan and Timmet son of Timmet who puts out his own eye. The Hound has also lost an ear as part of the wounds from being burned by his brother.

I'm particularly intrigued by the clues in Gared's story, though, as the frostbite injuries to his hand and foot are similar to the ways that Ramsay maimed Theon's hands. There is a memorable moment in Theon's recollections of life at Winterfell where he runs into Old Nan - from a literary analysis perspective, symbolically, Theon and Old Nan may be united as one entity during this collision. So I'm curious to ponder parallels in the heightened and sacrificed senses that might tell us how Gared, Theon and Old Nan perceive the world. 

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"I've had the cold in me too, lordling." Gared pulled back his hood, giving Ser Waymar a good long look at the stumps where his ears had been. "Two ears, three toes, and the little finger off my left hand. I got off light. We found my brother frozen at his watch, with a smile on his face."

Ser Waymar shrugged. "You ought dress more warmly, Gared."

Gared glared at the lordling, the scars around his ear holes flushed red with anger where Maester Aemon had cut the ears away. "We'll see how warm you can dress when the winter comes." He pulled up his hood and hunched over his garron, silent and sullen.

 

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23 hours ago, Seams said:

On this second glance at grumkins, I am struck by the fact that grumkins can make things. This would put them in the category of smiths.

I'm starting to thinks that snarks and grumkins are generic terms.  A grumkin seems to be someone who is a magic user or sorcerer who can either make magical objects or use magical objects.  Mel certainly tops my list with her rubies.  She does magic up Stannis' sword,  which Catelyn observes as having a great square-cut ruby in it's hilt.  We also see a great square-cut ruby in Mance's manacle and these are slaved to Mel's own ruby.  So when Mormont ask if Jon has a grumkin in his pocket to magic up his sword; this seems to refer to both the magical object and the services of one who can use it.

I think the source of Mel's magic is her fiery heart since the ruby at her throat is often described as pulsing like a heart beat.  That may be confirmed with Mance describing the burning sensation he feels from the ruby at his wrist.

So I also wonder about the source of Mel's power or how she renews her own life force since fire consumes.  I'm guessing that her fiery sacrifices have less to do with pleasing R'hllor and more to do with maintaining her own life force.  She could be the real soul-eater.  The more power or life-force she expends with her magic, the more she has to consume.  The younger the sacrifice, the greater the life-force.  As Gilly says, newborns stink of life.

Snarks are a little harder to define.  They are terrifying, imaginary beasts that one can hunt.  I suspect snark is a generic term for wargs and skinchangers.

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30 minutes ago, Corvo the Crow said:

That's why she doesn't eat or dress warmer clothes at the wall. Nice observation.

Well it's -18 centigrade today where I live and not a dragon to be had.  So I'll be making chili this afternoon.

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On 1/2/2022 at 12:38 PM, Seams said:

So I'm curious to ponder parallels in the heightened and sacrificed senses that might tell us how Gared, Theon and Old Nan perceive the world. 

I like Corvo's idea that the longer you live in a place with powerful magics, the more affected or changed you are by it. That would be a more passive use of magic than what Mel proposes.  Her magic is increasing just by proxomity to the Wall, but tells Jon he can actually use it.

Theon is so mentally and physically damaged that the veil between worlds has become very thin.  His senses are heightened in other ways beyond the physical senses.

Edited by LynnS
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3 hours ago, Corvo the Crow said:

That's why she doesn't eat or dress warmer clothes at the wall. Nice observation.

I'm also reminded of the Fiery Hands of R'hllor:

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A Dance with Dragons - Tyrion VII

Benerro's high voice carried well. Tall and thin, he had a drawn face and skin white as milk. Flames had been tattooed across his cheeks and chin and shaven head to make a bright red mask that crackled about his eyes and coiled down and around his lipless mouth. "Is that a slave tattoo?" asked Tyrion.

The knight nodded. "The red temple buys them as children and makes them priests or temple prostitutes or warriors. Look there." He pointed at the steps, where a line of men in ornate armor and orange cloaks stood before the temple's doors, clasping spears with points like writhing flames. "The Fiery Hand. The Lord of Light's sacred soldiers, defenders of the temple."

Fire knights. "And how many fingers does this hand have, pray?

"One thousand. Never more, and never less. A new flame is kindled for every one that gutters out."

 

So these fiery hands burn out like candles and have to be replaced.

The spears with points like writhing flames reminds me of glass candles and what could be done with obsidian spear points.

Quaithe knows the trick of it and I'm betting that Mel does too.

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A Storm of Swords - Samwell V

The king gave that a curt nod, as if to say he knew and did not care. "You slew this creature with an obsidian dagger, I am told," he said to Sam.

"Y-yes, Your Grace. Jon Snow gave it to me."

"Dragonglass." The red woman's laugh was music. "Frozen fire, in the tongue of old Valyria. Small wonder it is anathema to these cold children of the Other

 

Edited by LynnS
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