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The allegory of the Last Hero


three-eyed monkey
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This post examines the tale of the Last Hero, as told to Bran by Old Nan.   

It's a tale from thousands of years past, a story of a hero on a quest to find the children of the forest in the hope that their magic could end the Long Night. Like any ancient tale that has been passed from mouth to ear through a hundred generations, we should perhaps be cautious about taking it too literally.

However, I believe Old Nan’s stories convey information that even Old Nan herself is not aware of, because the stories are allegorical. That is, there is a second narrative woven into the fabric of the tale. A narrative readers should recognise once we understand the symbolic language it is written in.

So, let’s get straight into the tale.

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"Now these were the days before the Andals came, and long before the women fled across the narrow sea from the cities of the Rhoyne, and the hundred kingdoms of those times were the kingdoms of the First Men, who had taken these lands from the children of the forest. Yet here and there in the fastness of the woods the children still lived in their wooden cities and hollow hills, and the faces in the trees kept watch.”

This first section provides the setting. An important point here is that the tale comes from a time when Westeros consisted of the hundred kingdoms of the First Men. We’ll return to this point later.

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“So as cold and death filled the earth, the last hero determined to seek out the children, in the hopes that their ancient magics could win back what the armies of men had lost. He set out into the dead lands with a sword, a horse, a dog, and a dozen companions. For years he searched, until he despaired of ever finding the children of the forest in their secret cities. One by one his friends died, and his horse, and finally even his dog, and his sword froze so hard the blade snapped when he tried to use it. And the Others smelled the hot blood in him, and came silent on his trail, stalking him with packs of pale white spiders big as hounds—"

In a recent OP - The cold, hard truth of the Others - I discuss what is meant by winning back what the armies of men had lost, and the Others smelling hot blood in him, but for now I’d like to focus on the Last Hero, his horse, his dog, his sword, and his dozen companions, as these are the symbolic elements that create the hidden narrative woven into the tale.

The Horse.

Let’s begin with the horse. We are told the Last Hero’s horse died. And what is his horse? We need only ask Jaime.

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"Your word of honor?" Ser Brynden raised an eyebrow. "Do you even know what honor is?"

A horse.

If Jaime’s wit is not enough then we need only cross to the Dothraki Sea for further support.

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Among the Dothraki, the man who does not ride was no man at all, the lowest of the low, without honor or pride.

A man without a horse is, symbolically at least, a man without honor. The Last Hero lost more than his horse; he lost his honor.

The Dog.

Next, his dog died. And what is his dog? Sandor provides the answer to this.

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“A hound will die for you, but never lie to you.”

Dogs are loyal and honest, but it’s more than that as Sansa recalls.

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A dog can smell a lie, you know, the Hound had told her once.

A dog can smell a lie. When the dog died, the Last Hero lost his ability to tell a lie from the truth.

The Sword.

And finally, the last hero’s sword snapped. And what is his sword? (No, not that! I mean another interpretation.)

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Ser Justin put one hand on his sword hilt. "On my honor as a knight, you have my word."

Justin Massey instinctively put his hand on his sword hilt when he swore to his king because when you swear your sword, you give your word. In literature, someone’s sword has long been used to symbolize their word, going all the way back to the Bible.

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"I know what I swore." Jon said the words. "I am the sword in the darkness.”

When the Last Hero broke his sword, he broke his word, meaning he forswore his oath.

The dozen companions.

The last hero set out with a dozen companions. It’s natural to assume these twelve were his friends or sworn swords, but that is too literal an interpretation. Jon gives us the key to the symbolism, when he remembers a lesson from Maester Luwin.

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Maester Luwin had taught him his stars as a boy in Winterfell; he had learned the names of the twelve houses of heaven and the rulers of each;

The dozen companions were twelve rulers of ancient houses. In the context of the time the tale was set, the rulers of the ancient houses were kings in the hundred kingdoms of the First Men.

Another clue to this comes from a conversation between Anguy and Lem.

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Well, here's to His Grace," Anguy the Archer called out cheerfully, lifting a toast. "Seven save the king!"

"All twelve o' them," Lem Lemoncloak muttered.

The dozen companions were twelve rulers of ancient houses, kings of the kingdoms of First Men, who all died, one by one. The fact that they are described as companions suggests that they were counterparts or peers of the Last Hero, meaning that he too must have been a king.

In summary, the Others came, the kings died one-by-one. Then the last hero lost his honor. Next, he lost his ability to tell a lie from the truth. And finally, he broke his oath.

Parallel with Jon Snow.

When we compare the symbolic narrative in the tale of the Last Hero with the tale of Jon Snow, we find a striking parallel.

To begin with, the Others have returned after thousands of years. Meanwhile, in the Seven Kingdoms there is the War of Five Kings, or perhaps more accurately a war of twelve kings, as Lem put it. In Jon’s time there have been a dozen men or women who have claimed to be kings or indeed queens. Robert, Joffrey, Tommen, Stannis, Renly, Robb, Viserys, Dany, Aegon, Balon, Euron, and Mance.

What this suggests to me is that the Last Hero’s companions, who died one by one, did not die at the hands of the Others but rather by the hands of each other, just as Euron killed Balon or Stannis killed Renly. As Maester Aemon said:

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They came from a hundred quarrelsome kingdoms, and they knew times may change, but men do not.

Times have changed but men have not. The kings of the First Men were no different than the kings of today. They lusted for power and thirsted for revenge every bit as much as characters like Euron or Stannis. The high lords and kings played the game of thrones long before there was an Iron Throne to play for.

Jon can be considered a companion of these kings because he too is a king, even if he does not know it, as he is Robb’s legitimized heir to the independent North.

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"Bear Island knows no king but the King in the North, whose name is STARK.”

Like the companions in the time of the Last Hero, the kings of Westeros in the time of Jon have been dying one by one. Robert, Viserys, Balon, Renly, Robb, Joffrey. It does not bode well for the rest.

Then, Jon’s symbolic horse died when he lost his honor.

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"You as well," Ygritte said as she yanked down her sheepskin breeches. "If you want to look you have to show. You know nothing, Jon Snow."

"I know I want you," he heard himself say, all his vows and all his honor forgotten.

Next, Jon’s dog died when he lost his ability to tell a lie from the truth. When Jon received the Pink Letter, he turned from his duties at the Wall and set himself to march on Ramsay Bolton at Winterfell, drawn by his emotions into the game of thrones when he was unable to smell the lies in the letter.

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"Might be all a skin o' lies." Tormund scratched under his beard. "If I had me a nice goose quill and a pot o' maester's ink, I could write down that me member was long and thick as me arm, wouldn't make it so."

"He has Lightbringer. He talks of heads upon the walls of Winterfell. He knows about the spearwives and their number." He knows about Mance Rayder. "No. There is truth in there."

 

A little truth, maybe, but not much. Jon fell for the lies in the letter and broke his sword in the process.

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"The Night's Watch takes no part in the wars of the Seven Kingdoms," Jon reminded them when some semblance of quiet had returned. "It is not for us to oppose the Bastard of Bolton, to avenge Stannis Baratheon, to defend his widow and his daughter. This creature who makes cloaks from the skins of women has sworn to cut my heart out, and I mean to make him answer for those words … but I will not ask my brothers to forswear their vows.”

So, in several thousand years time, if they still tell the story of Jon Snow, then they might tell of a hero whose companions died, one by one, followed by his horse, and then his dog, until finally his sword broke. And while the details of what happened with Ygritte or with the letter brought by a raven in a storm, and the names of people like Balon Greyjoy or Renly Baratheon will be lost to the mists of time, the point of the story will be preserved in the symbolism.

Thanks for reading.

Edited by three-eyed monkey
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Chances are the Last Hero and the Targaryen Prince Who Was Promised are two different people.  Each individual fulfilling the hero role for his/her people.  The Targaryen Prince(ss) is also known in the East as Azor Ahai and woke dragons from stone.  A prophecy which has been fulfilled by Daenerys Targaryen.  The Last Hero, the parallel for Ice, is Bran Stark.  Bran went to look for the Children and found them.  Bran's ticks off the check boxes for the LH.  Just as Jon Snow ticks the checklists for the Night's King.

I have an article coming for Bran.  He's not getting enough attention.  

Edited by Rondo
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30 minutes ago, Craving Peaches said:

Also funny that the tale seems to be conflicting with what Ned says about the lone wolf dying while the pack survives. Here everyone in the 'pack' dies despite sticking together until only the lone wolf is left...

That depends how you see it. Kings that divide the realm for their own gain are lone wolves and not members of the pack. They put their own rights ahead of their duty to protect the realm or the pack. So the companions dying are the lone wolves. The Last Hero was the one who protected the realm.

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5 minutes ago, Rondo said:

Chances are the Last Hero and the Targaryen Prince Who Was Promised are two different people. 

I agree. But I believe the Last Hero and Azor Ahai are the same person, the one who forged the dragonsteel sword known as Lightbringer. The Prince that was Promised is someone else.

10 minutes ago, Rondo said:

The Targaryen Prince(ss) is also known in the East as Azor Ahai and woke dragons from stone.  A prophecy which has been fulfilled by Daenerys Targaryen. 

Careful. Prophecy will bite your prick off. There's more to it than the conclusion Aemon reached. When GRRM spoon-feeds such a conclusion to the reader, we should be cautious, especially when the revelation comes too early in the story.

15 minutes ago, Rondo said:

The Last Hero, the parallel for Ice, is Bran Stark.  Bran went to look for the Children and found them.  Bran's ticks off the check boxes for the LH. 

Bran will be the conduit between the children and Jon. Weirwood to Ghost, as has already been set up.

18 minutes ago, Rondo said:

Just as Jon Snow ticks the checklists for the Night's King.

The way I see it Jon will have a choice of paths. On one hand he could become the Night's King or on the other hand he could become the Last Hero. The difference is that the Night's King made himself a king when darkness filled the earth, while the Last Hero gave up his kingdom to save the realm and bring back the light. I believe Jon will choose the latter.

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Another thing that caught my eye reading through, and it is a very good read, should have mentioned that in the 1st post, is an old idea that Bran was already the Last Hero.  Again, I have to credit @Lost Melnibonean with that idea.  Geez, he sure has influenced my thinking a lot.  Not to take anything away from the OP, but to add perhaps dimension to this conversation, the old idea went something along the lines that Bran has already encountered most of his companions.  He's lost Osha and Rickon and the Liddle, I think.  Jojen doesn't look long for the world (of course this is the guy who helped developed Jojen Paste).  Summer appears to have joined another pack.  Perhaps he will be kind enough to drop the archived piece in here as the explanation is much better than I can do it justice.  The point in conjunction with this Last Hero conversation is that the story may not be epic in the way we understand it to be.  Bran's companions all appear to be Northern whereas like the OP, I do expect the original hero companions were from all over the entire realm.  We understand TLH's companions to have died where we see Bran's companions have not all died but gone elsewhere for...reasons.  The OP proposes TLH and his companions were kings where on the surface no one in Bran's tale is a king--yet.   TLH is a very complicated tale not to be diminished by it's simplified telling.  You have to understand that going in as the OP has done in uncovering some lovely arcane connections.  

I didn't throw Bran in here to muddy waters.  As stated, he's only brought in to add dimension to the existing conversation which is fascinating.  I'm not arguing Bran over Jon or the identity of TLH vs AA vs TPTWP.  The OP wants Jon and I can fly with that conversationally.  My interest lies far more in the hero companions and their swords than in the identity of TLH.  Jon's got a sword.  One down, 10 to go.  (Brienne has a sword, too.)

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Bran as the Last Hero is a common trope and it's one that never set well with me really.  Not sure I agree with Jon being the Last Hero either.   The legends in this story aren't' to be repeated I hope, but stories of what happened last time.  How close could or should a character's arc match these legends remains to be seen.

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1 hour ago, Craving Peaches said:

If Bran is the last hero then Summer likely has to die. I don't want that to happen and I am not sure if Summer needs to die anyway because we already have multiple other Summer (season) affiliated characters die.

That's is sort of the point of what I was trying to say.  The original tale has all this dying in it.  If you take the current story of Bran as an allegory then it's not all the companions, dog and horse dying.  They simply go elsewhere away from Bran's story.  Hodor has Bran's sword.  He hacks at trees with this old thing and it will likely eventually break from Hodor's misuse of it.  Ah ha!  Not really ah ha, you know?  There is a good chance the real magical sword is right there in the cave with Bran and that old sword won't be needed.  In the cave where the Children are actually intercessing with all of the company.  Ring any bells?   

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Just now, Craving Peaches said:

...The sword BR had with him when he went to the NW?

Yes that sword, Darksister, but that's not the bells I meant.  The intercession of the Children which is what they did for TLH.  We think they helped or did spells or talked to the Others.  These COTF are actually talking to humans.  I think that's quite a clever spin by the author.

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The Last Hero was looking for the Children of the Forest, Bran was looking for the Three Eyed Crow.  They are not the same, but does that matter?  Also, Bloodraven denies that he is the three eyed crow.  Not sure what's going on in the cave.  

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I think it's an interesting topic and you touch on some nice points, although I'm not sure I agree with all of it.

My first question would be, if this is an allegory, what is the lesson?

Two of the most famous allegories in real life are from Plato, the ship and the cave.

The allegory of the ship is basically an argument against democracy and in favor of tyranny, which was taken as wisdom for something like 2000 years, and the people would point to the fall of Athens and the Roman Republic as proof of how democracy was always doomed to failure much in the same way people now point to the USSR as proof that communism is always doomed to failure. But, I digress.

The cave is particularly interesting to ASoIaF, because it is about truth, and the shadows on the walls are lies (cast by a "false sun", the fire in the cave) used to manipulate people who have never known the truth (the sun). This is not incompatible with Varys's allegory of the three powerful men, and power being a shadow on the wall. Honestly, I think this connection was intentional, and should cause the reader to pause before accepting Varys's explanation.

Back to the Last Hero, why was he called the last hero? Was the Long Night the end of the Age of Heroes? Were he and his companions all heroes, and he was the last? Given that there are tales of heroes from Essos from the time of the Long Night, were the thirteen, the last hero and his companions, even from Westeros?

I would also suggest that the idea that the Last Hero was the Night's King carries some extra weight in my mind, since they both go by titles and not names (unlike many from the age of heroes). We are told the Night's King had his name wiped from the memory of man. I would even wonder if the thirteen were heroes, led by the Last Hero, were the others, the original Others? If the Last Hero, and his sword of dragonsteel and broken sword, was Azhor Ahai, and Lightbringer and the broken swords preceding it, was Nissa Nissa the corpse queen?

Edited by Mourning Star
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6 minutes ago, LongRider said:

The Last Hero was looking for the Children of the Forest, Bran was looking for the Three Eyed Crow.  They are not the same, but does that matter?  Also, Bloodraven denies that he is the three eyed crow.  Not sure what's going on in the cave.  

The legend says TLH was looking for the COTF.  Bran was looking for the 3EC.  What says they are not the same thing?  I have a notification saying Mourning Star has posted a reply, saves me having to @ her.  She mentioned recently that there are factions of the COTF, some good intended, some ill intended.  Perhaps this 3EC is how they were able to manifest themselves to a little greenseer?  I think all that's going on in the cave is this faction's idea of intercession, training, what ever you want to call it.  I don't know that this makes Bran TLH.  It makes him important to these COTF and I think, important to the forces for good.  What do I know?  I think Bloodraven, as the Last Greenseer, is a good guy.  

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8 minutes ago, Mourning Star said:

I would also suggest that the idea that the Last Hero was the Night's King carries some extra weight in my mind, since they both go by titles and not names (unlike many from the age of heroes). We are told the Night's King had his name wiped from the memory of man. I would even wonder if the thirteen were heroes, led by the Last Hero, were the others, the original Others? If the Last Hero, and his sword of dragonsteel and broken sword, was Azhor Ahai, and Lightbringer and the broken swords preceding it, was Nissa Nissa the corpse queen?

Or perhaps Brandon the Builder?  Sword of the Morning?  (Take a look above, I was going to tag you)

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14 minutes ago, Curled Finger said:

The legend says TLH was looking for the COTF.  Bran was looking for the 3EC.  What says they are not the same thing?  I have a notification saying Mourning Star has posted a reply, saves me having to @ her.  She mentioned recently that there are factions of the COTF, some good intended, some ill intended.  Perhaps this 3EC is how they were able to manifest themselves to a little greenseer?  I think all that's going on in the cave is this faction's idea of intercession, training, what ever you want to call it.  I don't know that this makes Bran TLH.  It makes him important to these COTF and I think, important to the forces for good.  What do I know?  I think Bloodraven, as the Last Greenseer, is a good guy.  

Not that it matters at all, but I'm a he.

I would point out that Howland Reed also sought magic, but he looked to the Isle of Faces, not North of the Wall.

"The lad knew the magics of the crannogs," she continued, "but he wanted more. Our people seldom travel far from home, you know. We're a small folk, and our ways seem queer to some, so the big people do not always treat us kindly. But this lad was bolder than most, and one day when he had grown to manhood he decided he would leave the crannogs and visit the Isle of Faces."
"No one visits the Isle of Faces," objected Bran. "That's where the green men live."
"It was the green men he meant to find. So he donned a shirt sewn with bronze scales, like mine, took up a leathern shield and a three-pronged spear, like mine, and paddled a little skin boat down the Green Fork."

I do think that like men, the Children also had (and maybe have) factions.

Regardless, the children of the forest fought as fiercely as the First Men to defend their lives. Inexorably, the war ground on across generations, until at last the children understood that they could not win. The First Men, perhaps tired of war, also wished to see an end to the fighting. The wisest of both races prevailed, and the chief heroes and rulers of both sides met upon the isle in the Gods Eye to form the Pact. Giving up all the lands of Westeros save for the deep forests, the children won from the First Men the promise that they would no longer cut down the weirwoods. All the weirwoods of the isle on which the Pact was forged were then carved with faces so that the gods could witness the Pact, and the order of green men was made afterward to tend to the weirwoods and protect the isle.

And that the allegory of the wood we are told by Leaf, seems to me an argument in favor of culling humanity, not helping them.

"Into the stones, into the trees. Before the First Men came all this land that you call Westeros was home to us, yet even in those days we were few. The gods gave us long lives but not great numbers, lest we overrun the world as deer will overrun a wood where there are no wolves to hunt them. That was in the dawn of days, when our sun was rising. Now it sinks, and this is our long dwindling. The giants are almost gone as well, they who were our bane and our brothers. The great lions of the western hills have been slain, the unicorns are all but gone, the mammoths down to a few hundred. The direwolves will outlast us all, but their time will come as well. In the world that men have made, there is no room for them, or us."
She seemed sad when she said it, and that made Bran sad as well. It was only later that he thought, Men would not be sad. Men would be wroth. Men would hate and swear a bloody vengeance. The singers sing sad songs, where men would fight and kill.

Men are the deer overrunning a wood, because there are no predators to keep the population down. This allegory would tell us that's a bad thing, and something like, I don't know, dragons or Others should be reintroduced to reduce the population.

As one can see from the quote above, the Children are not inherently peaceful or against war, they fought the First Men in the Dawn Age. I would suggest that those Children who kept to the pact might be found on the Gods Eye, where those that did not would live beyond the Wall. I do not think Bloodraven is the Three Eyed Crow.

Edited by Mourning Star
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