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Knight of the Laughing Tree


Anvik

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is an expert rider, said to be more than half horse (we are told that jousting is 90% horsemanship or somethig similar...

Yes, and I find it rather telling that this point is reiterated by Roose Bolton, in the very same quote in which Lyanna's horsemanship skills are mentioned as well:

"Horses...the boy [Domeric] was mad for horses, Lady Dustin will tell you. Not even Lord Rickard's daughter could outrace him, and that one was half a horse herself. Redfort said he showed great promise in the lists. A great jouster must be a great horseman first."

Combine this quote with Jaime's comment about jousting being "three-quarters horsemanship", and it's almost as if Martin is beating us over the head with the hints.

Lyanna is the KotLT. It is known.

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Wild wolf, Brandon

quiet wolf, Ned

She wolf, Lyanna

Young Pup, Benjen

My question is who's the knight of skulls and kisses that the storm lord (robert baratheon) drinks down?

The only one I remember with a skull is The Manwoodys of Kingsgrave. Sounded similar anyway, from the end of steel and snow:

"The crowned skull of House Manwoody, bone and gold on black."

Unless it's another dead house.

EDIT: Answered above lol.

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@Anvik: There's no questioning that the crannogman that Meera refers to is Howland Reed. But just because Meera talks about him so much during that quote in your original post, it is not definitive proof that he and the KOTLT are one and the same. Lyanna could have been the KOTLT. There is evidence (Bran's tree vision in ADWD) that Lyanna was a skilled fighter. She beat Benjen at stick-sword fighting. Several people have referred to her as a very skilled equestrian (horse-rider), such as Barbrey Dustin and I think Eddard, and maybe even Cersei. There's every reason to believe that she could have learned how to joust as well. And maybe her voice just sounded loud and booming because it echoed around inside a metal bucket-like object....?

Also, other posters have surmised that Rhaegar did indeed find the KOTLT, discovered it was Lyanna, fell in love with her for the first time ever in that exact moment, did not want to betray her to his father, and for that reason said he only discovered a shield. Also, that's why he named her the Queen of Love and Beauty. At least, if this theory is correct.

Meera pretty much makes the point that crannogmen aren't jousters. And as powerful, magically, as crannogmen may be (greensight, greendreams, warging, descended from human and COTF interbreeding, whetever.....), there is no evidence to suggest that any of these magical abilities imporve their fighting/combat/jousting skills.

The KOTLT, IMVHO, was Lyanna. But I will wait for TWOW and Howland (meaning GRRM) to tell the real story, hopefully.

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Nice topic, it was really good to re-read the KotLT story just for it's own sake. Bran and Meera are certainly cagey about the knight's identity but obviously know who it is. And it's their thoughts that provide the best insight.

This is a really good point:

Howland Reed was not a warrior, and knew little of jousting, less of riding horses (see the note below about jousting and horsemanship). He is also made less possible by Jojen's very first statement, the "or not". And if he was the KotLT then there is much less reason from the Reeds to expect Bran to have heard the story before - it becomes a House Reed story, not a House Stark story.

Why else would Jojen say "Are you certain you never heard this tale before Bran? Your lord father never told it to you?" if he didn't consider it to be a Stark story?

More than anything else in the passage, this makes me think that Lyanna was the KotLT and not Howland. Especially when coupled with the fact that, altough Howland may have been an excellent warrior (ToJ), as others have said jousting is largely about horsemanship, which happens to be Lyanna's most famous talent.

Also, Howland seems pretty cool and I hope we meet him, but surely the story serves a greater purpose if it's subject becomes a major factor in the Targaryen downfall rather than just a Stark bannerman?

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I believe Lyanna was the KotLT and agree with everything that was said in support of this. I would like to add a key point that usually gets left out. Howland Reed is only known to leave Greywater Watch 2 times. Once to go to the Isle then stopping by the tourney. The next time was to get/save Lyanna. He did not participate in the rebellion so why would he be at the Tower of Joy? I think it is assumed he was one of Ned's best friends but I think he was there for Lyanna not Ned. HR felt close to her because she went so far as to be the KotLT. It had to be more than Lyanna chased away a few squires.

ETA HR may have fought in the rebellion, I'm not positive. I still believe Lyanna was important thus he wanted to rescue her.

I didn't want to write anything unfouded.

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It also could have been Benjen. He was small and trained at the knightly arts. He also would have used a booming voice to cover up the fact that he was young.

I think the least likely option is Howland Reed. Lyanna being more likely than Benjen, but Benjen possible as well.

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It also could have been Benjen. He was small and trained at the knightly arts. He also would have used a booming voice to cover up the fact that he was young.

I think the least likely option is Howland Reed. Lyanna being more likely than Benjen, but Benjen possible as well.

No way a ‘booming voice’ can possibly change a soprano into a bass. It makes no sense.

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No way a ‘booming voice’ can possibly change a soprano into a bass. It makes no sense.

We don't know if the voice was a soprano. Are you assuming that Lyanna had a high pitched voice? Some young ladies have deep voices and surprisingly, some young boys have deep voices as well. While a soprano might not be have the range to make bass, an alto most certainly could make tenor. Then again, booming might only mean loud.

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  • 1 month later...
Crannogmen are smaller than must, but just as proud. The lad was no knight, no more than any of his people.

We sit a boat more offtent then a horse, and our hands are made for oars, not lances.

Much as he wished to have his vengeance, he freared he would only make a fool of himself and shame his people.

Heh, interesting how the line which is the best evidence that TKOTLT wasn't Howland didn't get put in bold in the OP. ;)

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Didn't Howland fight beside Ned during Robert's Rebellion,which was,what,about a year later?

Ned must have taught him in fighting skill and horsemanship in that time.

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Didn't Howland fight beside Ned during Robert's Rebellion,which was,what,about a year later?

Ned must have taught him in fighting skill and horsemanship in that time.

Depends. He might never have touched a horse for all we know. He might've been a 'lead from the back' commander instead of a frontal one.

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i know its not likely but could it have been Benjen?

he seems very friendly with Howland in the story plus he was young so he might not have been very tall at this point

i do agree the evidence is more in favour of it being Lyanna but just a thought

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How is Howland Reed the only possible person it could be? Bran guesses that it's him a couple of times, but each time Meera tells him that nobody knew who it was. Although, the Reeds definitely know.

"the she-wolf insisted that the lad attend. He was of high birth, with as much a right to a place on the bench as any other man.

He is the only highborn crannogman mentioned... he doesn't appear to have any siblings

i know its not likely but could it have been Benjen?

he seems very friendly with Howland in the story plus he was young so he might not have been very tall at this point

i do agree the evidence is more in favour of it being Lyanna but just a thought

Thats a worthy suggestion. :)

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"

  • The Knight is short of stature, as a woman would appear when compared to men.
  • The Knight has an "illl-fitting armor made up of bits and pieces". If he were a regular knight, he'd have his own armor, while Lyanna would have to improvise her equipment.
  • The Knight "spoke with a booming voice through his helm", which might be the way how Lyanna hide her woman's voice.
  • The Knight's sigil is a weirwood tree, a sign of the Old Gods, thus limiting the suspects to people from the North.
  • In AGOT it is said that Lyanna was a great rider, and in ADWD we learn that she used to train fighting with her brothers.
  • Lyanna being TKOTLT justifies why Rhaegar (precisely the one who was entrusted by Aerys to discover the identity of the knight) eventually became infatuated with her."

crannogman are all small

crannogman don't ussually where armour from what I've seen.

the crannogman are part of the north

The only possible person it could be is Howland Reed. assuming of course that the "gods" did 'give strength to his arm.' if there wasn't magic involved than you might have a point.

The Hairy Bear:

All but the last 2 points also fit The crannogman (Howland Reed by my reckoning) and the story is central to the crannogman, so it would be kinda silly for it not to be him IMHO. Plus unless Rhaegar pulls a Jory style rescue of Arya with the Knight, then how would he have discovered that it was Lyanna, if in fact I get proven wrong and you right?

Yeah It could easily be Howland Reed. The only problem is that its so obvious that knight is Howland Reed, that it's probably not him.

As for the knight of the laughing tree being Lyanna. Most of the evidence comes from ADWD

“You knew him,” Theon said.

The lantern light in her eyes made them seem as if they were afire. “Brandon was fostered

at Barrowton with old Lord Dustin, the father of the one I’d later wed, but he spent most of his

time riding the Rills. He loved to ride. His little sister took after him in that. A pair of centaurs,

those two. And my lord father was always pleased to play host to the heir to Winterfell."

“For the moment. I had another, once. Domeric. A quiet boy, but most accomplished. He

served four years as Lady Dustin’s page, and three in the Vale as a squire to Lord Redfort. He

played the high harp, read histories, and rode like the wind. Horses … the boy was mad for

horses, Lady Dustin will tell you. Not even Lord Rickard’s daughter could outrace him, and that

one was half a horse herself. Redfort"

"The rest of his father’s words were drowned out by a sudden clatter of wood on wood.

Eddard Stark dissolved, like mist in a morning sun. Now two children danced across the

godswood, hooting at one another as they dueled with broken branches. The girl was the older

and taller of the two. Arya! Bran thought eagerly, as he watched her leap up onto a rock and

cut at the boy. But that couldn’t be right. If the girl was Arya, the boy was Bran himself, and he

had never worn his hair so long. And Arya never beat me playing swords, the way that girl is

beating him. She slashed the boy across his thigh, so hard that his leg went out from under

him and he fell into the pool and began to splash and shout. “You be quiet, stupid,” the girl

said, tossing her own branch aside. “It’s just water. Do you want Old Nan to hear and run tell

Father?” She knelt and pulled her brother from the pool, but before she got him out again, the

two of them were gone."

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  • 1 month later...

Wow, I never considered this theory before. I always thought the knight was Howland Reed, but reading the story all over again after knowing it could have been Lyanna made me see Jojen and Meera's words in a new light. And it might even explain how Rhaegar came to notice Lyanna.

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