Moments of Foreshadowing

[queenofthewatch]

The morning benjin left the wall for his ranging (got) John watch his uncle leave and thought "in his minds eye he saw ben stark lying dead blood running red in the snow.the thought made him sick.what am I becoming?"I believe that's a foreshadowing of the future of benjin and also Johns warging/greenseer powers coming from being at the wall

[Brienne Tarly]

In the prologue of AGoT:

“Will saw them,” Gared said. “If he says they are dead, that’s proof enough for me.” Will had known they would drag him into the quarrel sooner or later. He wished it had been later rather than sooner. “My mother told me that dead men sing no songs,” he put in. “My wet nurse said the same thing, Will,” Royce replied. “Never believe anything you hear at a woman’s tit. There are things to be learned even from the dead.”

Then, Ser Waymar Royce goes and gets himself killed by the Others.

Likely because he doesn't listen to Gared's advice to light a fire - he thinks it's stupid to light a fire because they would alert any wildlings of their presence. Gared is in no position to argue, firstly because of his position, and secondly, he can't insist a fire would protect them against "other things", because those "other things" he fears instinctively, are supposedly no more than the stuff of nursery tales, which Sherlock Waymar just declared ignorant BS.

As it turns out during the course of ASoIaF, however, Old Nan's (former wet nurse, our main source on snarks-and-grumpkin tales) often appears to a more helpful source of wisdom in fighting the Others. She does actually know what she's talking about, sort of.

So when re-reading, I thought this chain of event foreshadowed the whole mess on the Wall: They're in big trouble because knowledge about the Others and the true purpose of the Wall / the NIght's Watch had been allowed to be forgotten to the point it only appeared to be old women's tales, which "serious" people didn't believe anymore.

[Devaki Khanna]

LF takes a mockingbird for his personal sigil.

Robert Arryn is called Sweet Robin. :devil:

Sansa is called Little Bird and hides in the Vale of Arryn as Littlefinger's bastard daughter. The Arryn sigil--Falcon and Crescent Moon.

[Devaki Khanna]

LF takes a mockingbird for his personal sigil.

Robert Arryn is called Sweet Robin. :devil:

Sansa is called Little Bird and hides in the Vale of Arryn as Littlefinger's bastard daughter. The Arryn sigil--Falcon and Crescent Moon.

[BOSTONBOI]

Cat and Theon (GoT)

"Winterfell may have need of all its swords soon, and they best not be made of wood."

Theon Greyjoy put a hand on the hilt of his blade and said, "My lady if it comes to that, my house owes yours a great debt."

:leer:

[Silver Spearwife]

The last of these was a really great moment, but I'll be honest, I was scared shitless when it happened.

He lifted the greatsword high above his head.

Bran's bastard brother Jon Snow moved closer. "Keep the pony well in hand, he whispered. "And don't look away. Father will know if you do."

Bran kept his pony well in hand, and did not look away.

His father took off the man's head with a single sure stroke. Blood sprayed out across the snow, as red as summerwine.

By the end of the book, he's dead.

"Rickard Karstark, Lord of Karhold." Robb lifted the heavy axe with both hands. Here in sight of gods and men, I judge you guilty of murder and high treason. In mine own name I condemn you. With mine own hand I take your life. Would you speak a final word?"

"Kill me, and be cursed. You are no king of mine."

The axe crashed down. Heavy and well-honed, it killed at a single blow, but it took three to sever the man's head from his body, and by the time it was done both living and dead were drenched in blood.

By the end of the book, he's dead.

Emmett kicked his legs out from under him. Dolorous Edd planted a foot on his back to keep him on his knees as Emmett shoved the block beneath his head. “This will go easier if you stay still,” Jon Snow promised him. “Move to avoid the cut, and you will still die, but your dying will be uglier. Stretch out your neck, my lord.” The pale morning sunlight ran up and down his blade as Jon clasped the hilt of the bastard sword with both hands and raised it high. “If you have any last words, now is the time to speak them,” he said, expecting one last curse. Janos Slynt twisted his neck around to stare up at him. “Please, my lord. Mercy. I’ll … I’ll go, I will, I …”

No, thought Jon. You closed that door. Longclaw descended.

By the end of the book...

Honestly, you can just open up to a random page in Game and I bet a good one in five times, the page you read will have concrete foreshadowing on it, and the odds are probably at least twice that for potential foreshadowing/something that could be considered foreshadowing in the right light. Here's something from my second try at a random page.

She went back to the window, Needle in hand, and looked down into the courtyard below. If only she could climb like Bran, she thought; she would go out the window and down the tower, run away from this horrible place, away from Sansa and Septa Mordane and Prince Joffrey, from all of them. Steal some food from the kitchens, take Needle and her good boots and a warm cloak. She could find Nymeria in the wild woods below the Trident, and together they'd return to Winterfell, or run to Jon on the Wall. She found herself wishing that Jon was here with her now. Then maybe she wouldn't feel so alone.

[Newstar]

My favourite was mentioned upthread: Sansa wishing that "some hero" would cut off Janos Slynt's head, and Jon doing just that in ADWD. (I'm not sure if it was intentional or not, since wasn't Janos Slynt hanged instead in an earlier version? Oh, well.)

In the "I hope it's not foreshadowing" category, there are some pretty ominous ones for Arya: her telling Elmar Frey "I hope your princess dies" (when the princess he's crying over is her) and Jon's warning to Arya about how she would be found with a needle between her frozen fingers. Sansa's recurring dreams about Ser Ilyn--which take place even after she escapes from King's Landing--could also be foreshadowing either her imprisonment and potential execution in King's Landing (assuming she's dragged back there for a trial, as some have speculated) or her death.

As for ADWD, it's very interesting that during Cersei's walk she imagines people she knows in the crowd: Tywin, Joffrey, Melara, Ned, Sansa (who's with Lady), and Tyrion. They're all "gone" from her--either dead or missing--but of all of them, Sansa and Tyrion are the only two who are still alive. I wonder if this is a hint that they're going to get the chance to confront her for everything she's done to them.

[The Red Hand]

Cersei telling Ned you either win or you die when you play the GoT, Ned dies later. Cersei is losing the game now so maybe she dies soon.

[tze]

When Margaery and Sansa are out hawking together in ASOS:

But the waterfowl teemed in the marshes along the bay, and Sansa's merlin brought down three ducks while Margaery's peregrine took a heron in full flight.

Re: Sansa, it might be relevant that her bird takes down three "ducks", and in ADWD we discovered that Aegon's first Kingsguard is Ser Rolly Duckfield, who literally took his name from a field of ducks. (There's been a lot of speculation in the past that Littlefinger will switch plans and try to marry Sansa to Aegon instead of Harry, so some sort of future interaction between Sansa and Aegon's Kingsguard isn't necessarily an odd idea.) It's also interesting that she specifically uses a "merlin", given the magical associations found in the word "merlin" (Merlin being probably the most famous magician of the British Isles), which might be a hint toward a sorcerous future for Sansa.

Re: Margaery, the only reference to herons I can find in ASOIAF is House Erenford, who are bannermen to House Frey. Walder Frey's current wife, Joyeuse, is an Erenford. Unless there are other heron references I've missed (entirely possible) I choose to believe this is a sign that, upon Tommen's somewhat inevitable death, Margaery will somehow end up married to Walder Frey in Joyeuse Erenford's place. I fully admit that a good portion of this speculation derives from the fact that I strongly dislike Margaery. :)

[tze]

Interestingly, the songs played during the Purple Wedding can be seen as foreshadowing future events.

1) "Lord Renly's Ride": A song about a man coming back from the dead to save the realm----well, that sounds quite a bit like what many have speculated will actually happen to Jon.

2) "The Dance of the Dragons": GRRM has heavily implied, if not outright stated, that we'll have a second Dance of the Dragons (almost certainly between Aegon and Dany). At the Purple Wedding, the song is sung in High Valyrian, and Tyrion notes that practically nobody in the hall speaks that language (and thus the song, which could have been very interesting, ends up boring the Westerosi nobility)---this could foreshadow the Aegon/Dany Dance not being particularly "relevant" to the interests of the native Westerosi.

3) "Bessa the Barmaid": This is a really tricky one. "Bessa" is also the name of the girl Chett murdered, and her murder is what got Chett sent to the Wall, where he ultimately conspired to murder his Lord Commander. (It's kind of hard to stretch that to see it foreshadowing Jon being attacked by a conspiracy in ADWD, but hey, who knows.) The song comes right after "The Dance of the Dragons", and is explicitly the more culturally Westerosi-friendly (i.e., "ribald") tune of the two. This could foreshadow what happens after Dany/Aegon clash in their Dance---we don't know the lyrics of "Bessa the Barmaid", other than it being "ribald", but the story of Chett and "his" Bessa involves Chett murdering Bessa. A vision in the HOTU that was seemingly about kings warring over the realm showed Westeros as a woman being brutally ripped apart, rather like what Chett did to "his" Bessa, so the juxtaposition between the song "The Dance with the Dragons" and "Bessa the Barmaid" could also indicate what the second Dance will do to Westeros (i.e., "murder" it). But again, "Bessa the Barmaid" could simply symbolize the fact that nobody in Westeros wants a new Dance of the Dragons (and that they care more about Westerosi culture than Valyrian culture).

4) "The Rains of Castamere": It was played at the Red Wedding, and it was the signal to murder Robb Stark. It was played again at Joffrey's wedding, and because of its placement at the Red Wedding, actually foreshadowed Joffrey himself being murdered at the Purple Wedding.

5) Galyeon of Cuy's song of Stannis: ""The dark lord brooded high in his tower," Galyeon began, "in a castle as black

as the night." This foreshadows Stannis's future arrival at Castle Black.

[assjfjgjsgjljljglgjfjsduar]

Tze, you truly are a goddess among peasants when it comes to this type of thing. I'm glad that, more often than not, we're on the same side. :bowdown:

[Snow_Shrike]

The Direwolf choked on a Stag's antler - The House of Baratheon will cause the destruction of the House Stark. King Robert arrived soon after, to set events in train. Obvious foreshadowing of what will happen to Ned and his family.

Sansa's direwolf being killed at Joffrey and Cersei's request - Portent of Ned's death at the hands of the same people.

Arya's direwolf escapes, just as she will later escape King's Landing.

Stories of how unlucky Harrenhal is point to later the unfortunate fates of all who possess the Castle - Tywin, killed by his son, Vargo Hoat, tortured to death by Clegane, Clegane poisoned by Oberyn Martell. So far only Roose Bolton has escaped. But who what will happen Winds of Winter? Each story, when told, adds to the ill luck of the place.

And of course, the tournament of Harrenhal is the start of everything.

*Spoiler Alert* Don't read any further if you haven't read ADWD.

One of the Lannisters, either Tywin's Sister, Genna Frey, or Kevan Lannister, I can't remember which, giving the story of how Tywin made his father's concubine walk through Lannisport naked. Cersei would get the same treatment later on.

[Snow_Shrike]

The last of these was a really great moment, but I'll be honest, I was scared shitless when it happened. By the end of the book, he's dead. By the end of the book, he's dead. By the end of the book... Honestly, you can just open up to a random page in Game and I bet a good one in five times, the page you read will have concrete foreshadowing on it, and the odds are probably at least twice that for potential foreshadowing/something that could be considered foreshadowing in the right light. Here's something from my second try at a random page.

You're right, I never thought of it like that. Joffrey took Ned Stark's Head and was poisoned at his wedding. This really does bode Ill for Jon Snow…My sister just finished ADWD and she got all kinds of theories for how Jon's not really dead. She will not like to read this thread. I'll show it to her any way.

[Jolene Brown]

There's also Cercei's dream near the beginning of AFFC, I think, where she is sitting on the Iron Throne and then realizes she is naked after Tyrion appears and points at her and all the lords and ladies start to laugh at her. She tries to "cover her shame," but the Throne begins to cut and "consume" her and she sees Tyrion below laughing. The Tyrion part, no, but the rest seems like clear foreshadowing for her walk of shame, in retrospect. In a way, you could maybe even see the Tyrion part as relevant, since it is her insane paranoia over the valonquar prophecy that helps prompt her to try to set-up Margaery, and in doing so, seal her own fate with the High Septon.

[assjfjgjsgjljljglgjfjsduar]

You're right, I never thought of it like that. Joffrey took Ned Stark's Head and was poisoned at his wedding. This really does bode Ill for Jon Snow…My sister just finished ADWD and she got all kinds of theories for how Jon's not really dead. She will not like to read this thread. I'll show it to her any way.

Can you explain what Joffrey taking Ned's head and ending up dead has to do with Jon?

[chrisdaw]

Her hair had burned away in Drogo's pyre, so her handmaids garbed her in the skin of the hakkar Drogo had slain, the white lion of the Dothraki sea. Its fearsome head made a hood to cover her naked scalp, its pelt a cloak that flowed across her shoulders and down her back. The cream-colored dragon (Viserion) sunk sharp black claws into the lion's mane and coiled its tail around her arm, while Ser Jorah took his accustomed place by her side.

The dragon (Viserion) came down between the Dornishmen and the door with a roar that would have sent a hundred lions running.

Viserion and Lannisters/Jaime will be doing battle.

[Jolene Brown]

Viserion and Lannisters/Jaime will be doing battle.

Tyrion is closer!

[chrisdaw]

The hakkar (white lion and Lannister in the Kingsguard) is Jaime, as is the commonly accepted interpretation of the House of the Undying vision. In this instance though Lancel may be an outside possibility given the specific reference to the mane and Lancel's new white hair.

[assjfjgjsgjljljglgjfjsduar]

The hakkar (white lion and Lannister in the Kingsguard) is Jaime, as is the commonly accepted interpretation of the House of the Undying vision.

Is it that commonly accepted? I'm not so sure.

[Valmorfëa]

1) "Lord Renly's Ride": A song about a man coming back from the dead to save the realm----well, that sounds quite a bit like what many have speculated will actually happen to Jon.

Wow.

This could also be Aegon... he did "come back from the dead" in a way. (Even if he is a Blackfyre :P)