The Pink Letter is a forgery by Alliser Thorne

[WakeTheDragon]

Okay, all of the reasons why Ramsay is probably not the author:

• Not sealed with a hard button of pink wax, his father was not present for the others, so it does not indicate that Roose was bypassed, either
  
• The handwriting is not noted for being a large spikey hand, as Ramsay's is noted to be
  
• The ink was not described as brown and flakey, dried blood, as all of Ramsay's other letters were
  
• There was no trophy skin, since he claims to have flayed someone it seems that he usually provides the proof
  

[*] His father was not present before and he was castllian with full access to ink, seals whatever he needs and no need for secrecy since his father wasn't around.

[*] is the handwriting and ink described at all? I cant recall. Even if it is and does not fit his prior letter does every he letter he writes have to be the exact same?

[*] The flayed skin thing was already discussed apparently you missed it. Every single letter he writes regardless of circumstance MUST have a slab of flesh to go with it apparently?

Your reasons are all making the assumption that every letter someone writes are all 100% identical NO MATTER WHAT. Which is of course rediculous.

[redriver]

[*] His father was not present before and he was castllian with full access to ink, seals whatever he needs and no need for secrecy since his father wasn't around.

[*] is the handwriting and ink described at all? I cant recall. Even if it is and does not fit his prior letter does every he letter he writes have to be the exact same?

[*] The flayed skin thing was already discussed apparently you missed it. Every single letter he writes regardless of circumstance MUST have a slab of flesh to go with it apparently?

Your reasons are all making the assumption that every letter someone writes are all 100% identical NO MATTER WHAT. Which is of course rediculous.

The letter written to Jon announcing Ramsays marriage to Jon did not contain skin,though it was written in blood,so forget the Must part.Mountain Lion pointed out that where he boasted of having flayed someone,Asha's brother for example,he included some skin.

The point about the handwriting and the signatures is that it would give the reader evidence for comparison.If they are totally different from the last letter in hand,ink,tone and signature,one would have to wonder.

[MtnLion]

Your reasons are all making the assumption that every letter someone writes are all 100% identical NO MATTER WHAT. Which is of course rediculous.

Perhaps we cannot expect them to be 100% identical, as that would get very boring, reading the same sentences over and over again. But, even changing the wording of the letter we still have several anomalies to consider. The letter was signed by Ramsay, but that can be a forgery, especially when Jon does not note a large spikey hand, as he has noted in the past, or that the letter is not written in blood. In the letter it describes flaying some individuals and putting the skins on another, but when Ramsay has claimed flaying someone in the past he has provided proof in the letter. (We can't make the assumption that that previous letter was ruined by the enclosure, as it certainly seems that it was not.) Rather than claim the points I offered as ridiculous, perhaps you can offer textual evidence that they are not valid.

[By the Old Gods Not theNew]

the differences between the description of the letters is striking...for instance:

Asha received a letter from Ramsay while at Deepwood Motte

Asha Greyjoy was seated in Galbart Glover’s longhall drinking Galbart Glover’s wine when Galbart Glover’s maester brought the letter to her.

“My lady.” The maester’s voice was anxious, as it always was when he spoke to her. “A bird from Barrowton.” He thrust the parchment at her as if he could not wait to be rid of it. It was tightly rolled and sealed with a button of hard pink wax.

Barrowton. Asha tried to recall who ruled in Barrowton. Some northern lord, no friend of mine. And that seal ... the Boltons of the Dreadfort went into battle beneath pink banners spattered with little drops of blood. It only stood to reason that they would use pink sealing wax as well.

This is poison that I hold, she thought. I ought to burn it. Instead she cracked the seal. A scrap of leather fluttered down into her lap. When she read the dry brown words, her black mood grew blacker still. Dark wings, dark words. The ravens never brought glad tidings. The last message sent to Deepwood had been from Stannis Baratheon, demanding homage. This was worse. “The northmen have taken Moat Cailin.”

“The Bastard of Bolton?” asked Qarl, beside her. “Ramsay Bolton, Lord of Winterfell, he signs himself. But there are other names as well.” Lady Dustin, Lady Cerwyn, and four Ryswells had appended their own signatures beneath his. Beside them was drawn a crude giant, the mark of some Umber.

Those were done in maester’s ink, made of soot and coal tar, but the message above was scrawled in brown in a huge, spiky hand. It spoke of the fall of Moat Cailin, of the triumphant return of the Warden of the North to his domains, of a marriage soon to be made. The first words were, “I write this letter in the blood of ironmen,” the last, “I send you each a piece of prince. Linger in my lands, and share his fate.”

Asha had believed her little brother dead. Better dead than this. The scrap of skin had fallen into her lap. She held it to the candle and watched the smoke curl up, until the last of it had been consumed and the flame was licking at her fingers.

Jon received the same letter and read it aloud to the assembled NWmen and in front of Gla-Mance….

He turned to find Clydas standing beneath the broken archway, a parchment in his hand. “From Stannis?” Jon had been hoping for some word from the king. The Night’s Watch took no part, he knew, and it should not matter to him which king emerged triumphant. Somehow it did. “Is it Deepwood?” “No, my lord.” Clydas thrust the parchment forward. It was tightly rolled and sealed, with a button of hard pink wax. Only the Dreadfort uses pink sealing wax. Jon ripped off his gauntlet, took the letter, cracked the seal. When he saw the signature, he forgot the battering Rattleshirt had given him.

Ramsay Bolton, Lord of the Hornwood, it read, in a huge, spiky hand. The brown ink came away in flakes when Jon brushed it with his thumb. Beneath Bolton’s signature, Lord Dustin, Lady Cerwyn, and four Ryswells had appended their own marks and seals. A cruder hand had drawn the giant of House Umber. “Might we know what it says, my lord?” asked Iron Emmett.

Jon saw no reason not to tell him. “Moat Cailin is taken. The flayed corpses of the ironmen have been nailed to posts along the kingsroad. Roose Bolton summons all leal lords to Barrowton, to affirm their loyalty to the Iron Throne and celebrate his son’s wedding to ...” His heart seemed to stop for a moment. No, that is not possible. She died in King’s Landing, with Father.

“Lord Snow?” Clydas peered at him closely with his dim pink eyes. “Are you ... unwell? You seem ...”

“He’s to marry Arya Stark. My little sister.” Jon could almost see her in that moment, long-faced and gawky, all knobby knees and sharp elbows, with her dirty face and tangled hair. They would wash the one and comb the other, he did not doubt, but he could not imagine Arya in a wedding gown, nor Ramsay Bolton’s bed. No matter how afraid she is, she will not show it. If he tries to lay a hand on her, she’ll fight him.

“Your sister,” Iron Emmett said, “how old is ...”

By now she’d be eleven, Jon thought. Still a child. “I have no sister. Only brothers. Only you.” Lady Catelyn would have rejoiced to hear those words, he knew. That did not make them easier to say. His fingers closed around the parchment. Would that they could crush Ramsay Bolton’s throat as easily.

Clydas cleared his throat. “Will there be an answer?”

Jon shook his head and walked away.

And the Pink letter…

“I think that’s sufficient wisdom for the moment,” said Jon Snow. “Show Clydas in if you would be so good.”

Mully had not been wrong; the old steward was trembling, his face as pale as the snows outside. “I am being foolish, Lord Commander, but ... this letter frightens me. See here?”

Bastard, was the only word written outside the scroll. No Lord Snow or Jon Snow or Lord Commander. Simply Bastard. And the letter was sealed with a smear of hard pink wax. “You were right to come at once,” Jon said. You were right to be afraid. He cracked the seal, flattened the parchment, and read.

Your false king is dead, bastard. He and all his host were smashed in seven days of battle. I have his magic sword. Tell his red whore.

Your false king’s friends are dead. Their heads upon the walls of Winterfell. Come see them, bastard. Your false king lied, and so did you. You told the world you burned the King-Beyond-the-Wall. Instead you sent him to Winterfell to steal my bride from me.

I will have my bride back. If you want Mance Rayder back, come and get him. I have him in a cage for all the north to see, proof of your lies. The cage is cold, but I have made him a warm cloak from the skins of the six whores who came with him to Winterfell.

I want my bride back. I want the false king’s queen. I want his daughter and his red witch. I want his wildling princess.

I want his little prince, the wildling babe. And I want my Reek. Send them to me, bastard, and I will not trouble you or your black crows. Keep them from me, and I will cut out your bastard’s heart and eat it.

It was signed,

Ramsay Bolton,

Trueborn Lord of Winterfell.

“Snow?” said Tormund Giantsbane. “You look like your father’s bloody head just rolled out o’ that paper.”

Jon Snow did not answer at once. “Mully, help Clydas back to his chambers. The night is dark, and the paths will be slippery with snow. Satin, go with them.” He handed Tormund Giantsbane the letter. “Here, see for yourself.”The wildling gave the letter a dubious look and handed it right back. “Feels nasty ... but Tormund Thunderfist had better things to do than learn to make papers talk at him. They never have any good to say, now do they?”

“Not often,” Jon Snow admitted. Dark wings, dark words. Perhaps there was more truth to those wise old sayings than he’d known. “It was sent by Ramsay Snow. I’ll read you what he wrote.”

When he was done, Tormund whistled. “Har. That’s buggered, and no mistake. What was that about Mance? Has him in a cage, does he? How, when hundreds saw your red witch burn the man?”

That was Rattleshirt, Jon almost said. That was sorcery. A glamor, she called it. “Melisandre ... look to the skies, she said.” He set the letter down. “A raven in a storm. She saw this coming.” When you have your answers, send to me.

“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.”

“I won’t say you’re wrong. What do you mean to do, crow?”

Jon flexed the fingers of his sword hand. The Night’s Watch takes no part. He closed his fist and opened it again. What you propose is nothing less than treason. He thought of Robb, with snowflakes melting in his hair. Kill the boy and let the man be born. He thought of Bran, clambering up a tower wall, agile as a monkey. Of Rickon’s breathless laughter. Of Sansa, brushing out Lady’s coat and singing to herself. You know nothing, Jon Snow. He thought of Arya, her hair as tangled as a bird’s nest. I made him a warm cloak from the skins of the six whores who came with him to Winterfell ... I want my bride back ... I want my bride back ... I want my bride back ...

“I think we had best change the plan,” Jon Snow said.

They talked for the best part of two hours.

the first two are strikingly similar the last one is strikingly different.

[bemused]

The handwriting and ink are not described directly, but after looking at the letter ,Tormund says , " If I had me a nice goose quill and a pot o' maester's ink..." ..so you could argue that as an illiterate , Tormund might not have seen too many letters.. but he's familiar with the implements that would be used and may have seen enough examples to know the look of ink... Regardless , Tormund would certainly know the look of dried blood , so I think it's reasonable to assume that the letter's written in ink.

ETA: By the Old Gods beat me to it ;)

[Buried Treasure]

the differences between the description of the letters is striking...

“Not often,” Jon Snow admitted. Dark wings, dark words. Perhaps there was more truth to those wise old sayings than he’d known. “It was sent by Ramsay Snow. I’ll read you what he wrote.”

When he was done, Tormund whistled. “Har. That’s buggered, and no mistake. What was that about Mance? Has him in a cage, does he? How, when hundreds saw your red witch burn the man?”

That was Rattleshirt, Jon almost said. That was sorcery. A glamor, she called it. “Melisandre ... look to the skies, she said.” He set the letter down. “A raven in a storm. She saw this coming.” When you have your answers, send to me.

“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,, 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.”

“I won’t say you’re wrong. What do you mean to do, crow?”

Jon flexed the fingers of his sword hand. The Night’s Watch takes no part. He closed his fist and opened it again. What you propose is nothing less than treason. He thought of Robb, with snowflakes melting in his hair. Kill the boy and let the man be born. He thought of Bran, clambering up a tower wall, agile as a monkey. Of Rickon’s breathless laughter. Of Sansa, brushing out Lady’s coat and singing to herself. You know nothing, Jon Snow. He thought of Arya, her hair as tangled as a bird’s nest. I made him a warm cloak from the skins of the six whores who came with him to Winterfell ... I want my bride back ... I want my bride back ... I want my bride back ...

“I think we had best change the plan,” Jon Snow said.

They talked for the best part of two hours.

the first two are strikingly similar the last one is strikingly different.

What is striking to me is that Jon, who does not have to read descriptions of the letters because he has read the actual letters themselves has concluded this letter is from Ramsay.

People must think Jon is absolute idiot to think that the handwriting or ink choice offer conclusive proof the letter was not from Ramsay and that he somehow failed to pick up on it.

[MtnLion]

What is striking to me is that Jon, who does not have to read descriptions of the letters because he has read the actual letters themselves has concluded this letter is from Ramsay.

People must think Jon is absolute idiot to think that the handwriting or ink choice offer conclusive proof the letter was not from Ramsay and that he somehow failed to pick up on it.

He says Ramsay Snow, yet the letter purports to be from Ramsay Bolton. That does not mean that he has gone any further in thinking about the source than reading the signature, or the sealing wax's color. It is a leap to say that Jon has absolutely determined that it came from Ramsay, given that he can be mistaken, and he is obviously agitated by the letter.

[Buried Treasure]

He says Ramsay Snow, yet the letter purports to be from Ramsay Bolton. That does not mean that he has gone any further in thinking about the source than reading the signature, or the sealing wax's color. It is a leap to say that Jon has absolutely determined that it came from Ramsay, given that he can be mistaken, and he is obviously agitated by the letter.

He is still talking about the same person, surnames don't matter if both people (Jon and Tormund) know who he has talking about.

Yeah Jon could be wrong, but he is not wondering about who it came from - he definitely thinks it is from Ramsay. I do think the letter was from Ramsay, but if I wanted to argue the other way and say it was not from him I would pick my arguments;

Jon thinks the letter is by Ramsay, so on the basis of the information available to him (handwriting etc) it must seem like a letter from Ramsay. The reader has some information not known to Jon (Theon's POV) so conceivably the reader could know some information that would hint that what in the letter is incorrect or could have not been known by Ramsay.

[redriver]

I think the truths in the letter are what made Jon believe it was from Ramsay initially.And whoever wrote the letter wanted Jon to believe it was from Ramsay.

Differences from previous letters could be ignored in the face of the truths and the threats in the letter.The former can be explained by it being dictated to a maester,etc.

The line,"No.There is truth in there.",suggests Jon is conflicted by the unspoken "there are lies in there too".

But the truths and the threats prevail.Jon does what the author wanted,getting himself stabbed aside.

[Buried Treasure]

It's the other way round, he reacts to the medium of the letter before he reads the contents. Before he has even cracked the seal he agrees with Clydas' assessment that the letter is a bad thing - does any one doubt that he at least suspected the letter of being from Ramsay at this point? When the earlier two letters were read the handwriting and ink were noted before the contents read because that is how people react to information - initial impression then focusing in on the words. Jon would have had the opprortunity to get the initial impresion of the letter and notice any glaringly obvious signifiers that the letter was not from Ramsay before he started actually reading it.

[MtnLion]

Sorry, this is GRRM, and if he doesn't describe a thing in detail, there is nothing notable about it, or he is keeping a secret.

[redriver]

It's the other way round, he reacts to the medium of the letter before he reads the contents. Before he has even cracked the seal he agrees with Clydas' assessment that the letter is a bad thing - does any one doubt that he at least suspected the letter of being from Ramsay at this point? When the earlier two letters were read the handwriting and ink were noted before the contents read because that is how people react to information - initial impression then focusing in on the words. Jon would have had the opprortunity to get the initial impresion of the letter and notice any glaringly obvious signifiers that the letter was not from Ramsay before he started actually reading it.

Jon was feeding from Clydas' obvious unease and the word Bastard on the outside.And yes, I agree Jon would have thought the letter was from Ramsay at this point.From then on we're splitting hairs on what fully convinces Jon.

He may have thought,this doesn't look or sound like a Ramsay letter,but then had his initial impressions reinforced by the contents.Not every thought of a POV character can be articulated,otherwise the series would take 40 years to write and we would all be anxiously awaiting A Storm of Swords now!

Besides if Martin didn't want this to be a head banging mystery,he could easily just have described the hand writing and the ink,as he did with every other letter.

I would be a bit annoyed if it was from Ramsay.It would feel like a piss take.

[Buried Treasure]

That is precisely what I am saying, there is nothing noticable about the handwriting or ink that would indicate the letter in not from Ramsay. Jon has already figured the letter as probably from Ramsay before he opens it, so the narration doesn't have to make a big song and dance about the handwriting being spiky as its not notable because it conforms to Jons expectations.

[By the Old Gods Not theNew]

i never said the lack of hard pink button, or blood, or skin, or handwriting were conclusive signs of anything... i said the description of the first two letters is strikingly different from the description of the pink letter...the fact that Jon on first glance takes the signature for granted and states that the letter was from Ramsay doesn't mean the letter was from Ramsay...Jon can be wrong...and there are a number of signs that the letter may not be from Ramsay...one of which is the difference between his wedding invitations and the pink letter...and obviously the inverse is also true, nothing about the letter's description conclusively establishes Ramsay as the author...in fact the smear of pink wax, the lack of skin, the lack of blood and reference to maester's ink, the disregard for the hand...all of the descriptive signifiers of past letters are notably absent or altered...and thus the speculation.

I think it's interesting Ramsay proclaimed himself Lord of Winterfell to Asha before he was married and officially granted the title Lord of Winterfell, while at the same time he addressed his letter to Jon as the Lord of Hornwood. Was he worried claiming Winterfell might get Jon mad?...it's not like he was hiding it from the north w/ all the additional signatures below his, Ryswell, Cerwyn, Umber, etc.

[redriver]

We don't know that there is nothing notable about the handwriting or the ink that would indicate the letter is not from Ramsay,because they are not described to us.

That there is nothing in Jon's reaction to indicate this, may be a deliberate omission by the author to perpetuate the kind of debate we're having now.

[bloody_mummer]

The big question in my mind is that if the letter is a fogery, who else knows that Theon is Reek? The reference to Reek is what makes me think it is genuine.

[fassreiter]

i never said the lack of hard pink button, or blood, or skin, or handwriting were conclusive signs of anything... i said the description of the first two letters is strikingly different from the description of the pink letter...the fact that Jon on first glance takes the signature for granted and states that the letter was from Ramsay doesn't mean the letter was from Ramsay...Jon can be wrong...and there are a number of signs that the letter may not be from Ramsay...one of which is the difference between his wedding invitations and the pink letter...and obviously the inverse is also true, nothing about the letter's description conclusively establishes Ramsay as the author...in fact the smear of pink wax, the lack of skin, the lack of blood and reference to maester's ink, the disregard for the hand...all of the descriptive signifiers of past letters are notably absent or altered...and thus the speculation.

I think it's interesting Ramsay proclaimed himself Lord of Winterfell to Asha before he was married and officially granted the title Lord of Winterfell, while at the same time he addressed his letter to Jon as the Lord of Hornwood. Was he worried claiming Winterfell might get Jon mad?...it's not like he was hiding it from the north w/ all the additional signatures below his, Ryswell, Cerwyn, Umber, etc.

In my opinion the way the letters are made up show that Ramsay is, in a very creepy way, talented at making his point in a symbolic way. He uses letters not just to communicate a message, he performs their contents. Take, for example, the peace offer he had Theon deliver to his fellow ironmen. He knew they wouldn't read it. His letter and seal was enought to make the letter work, though, and this is why he had the letter included into the tableau he made out of the flayed prisoners after they had given up. Roose says his son has a "singer's soul" - ironically, of course, but it's true in a twisted way. Ramsay makes use of rituals and symbolics even in his killings: This is why he names the dogs after his victims. It also shows in the way Theon was mistreated, by destroying the two defining traits: his laughter and his sexual confidence. Ramsay is such a sick bastard, he probably thinks of himself as an artist or something. And just look at the wording of the letters:

I send you each a piece of prince. Linger in my lands, and share his fate.

He is doing alliterations. This is supposed to sound like a poem. The dried skin is part of the letter's 'poetic' nature. It is not true that Ramsay always sends pieces of skin, or that their function would be to prove that he flayed someone. In my opinion, the skin is not to be 'read' as proof, but as part of an imaginary tableau. Each letter is a tablau in a way. Look at the letter to Asha: he signs with a reference to Winterfell because this is where Asha left her brother behind. The skin works all the better on a psychological level because Asha is bound emotionally to Theon. The letter, however, doesn't claim that Ramsay flayed Theon. It merely states how to read the piece of skin. Asha was left to figure out the rest. A good poem leaves the main contents unsaid. It's pretty sick, but I bet Ramsay enjoys composing those letters as much as the rest.

The letter to Jon about the marriage with his sister was written in blood, and had a reference to Lady Hornwood - his former 'bride'. Again: Definitely pushing buttons here, but leaving the main contents unsaid.

Now the pink letter: It is also written in a poetic way. It makes use of the same stylistic devices used for Asha: alliterations, staccato style (parataxis, deliberate use of iterations), imperative, use of coded language (piece of prince, my bride, his red whore). Ramsay paints a vivid image with his words, so there is no need to include any skin. What would that prove, anyway? It could be the skin of anyone. And on a psychological level, there is no emotional bound between Mance/spearwives and Jon (sorry, Jomancers!), so the tableau works well enough without tactile proof. The main information the letter communicates is not the fact that he caught and tortured the wildlings, it's the knowledge he gained from it. Jon grasps that early on: "He knows about the spearwives and their number. He knows about Mance Rayder." This is what the letter is all about. The accuracy of the knowledge conveys the message, as did the skin in Asha's letter. The letter is not a statement, it is a performance. It is to be 'read' correctly, not just by the mere words, but by what is left unsaid. Poetry again. And again, this is met by a change of signature: Ramsay assumes that Jon knows by now that he never married his sister, so he switches from the Hornwood-reference to stressing the 'trueborn'-part. This makes sense because the letter is based on the assumption that Jon, as a bastard, will be taken for a liar because of his bastard blood. The word 'lies' and 'false' are endlessly repeated throughout the letter. It even explicitly threatens to expose Jon's lies.

In my opinion, the pink letter is only too consistent with the sick way Ramsay thinks, acts, and communicates. And I am a little scared of GRRM right now.

[Myk Lonmouth]

BOOOOOM! Well done. :bowdown:

[PsychoticLyn]

I had always assumed that Ramsay wrote the pink letter.

I know there are many theorys suggesting someone else wrote it in order to get Jon to act in one form or another and they are all great ideas but, in my mind, I still think it was written by Ramsay.

I assumed that Ramsay captured the spear wife that posed as the fake Arya (considering her plan of escape was to go out the windows but the windows were iced shut when Theon made note of them on first entering the room) and while torturing/flaying her, she spilled the beans on everything. I do not think Mance was actually caputred (though he might have) but I do believe the chick who posed as fake Arya had been captured and that is where he got all of the information he put in the letter.

[redriver]

In my opinion the way the letters are made up show that Ramsay is, in a very creepy way, talented at making his point in a symbolic way. He uses letters not just to communicate a message, he performs their contents. Take, for example, the peace offer he had Theon deliver to his fellow ironmen. He knew they wouldn't read it. His letter and seal was enought to make the letter work, though, and this is why he had the letter included into the tableau he made out of the flayed prisoners after they had given up. Roose says his son has a "singer's soul" - ironically, of course, but it's true in a twisted way. Ramsay makes use of rituals and symbolics even in his killings: This is why he names the dogs after his victims. It also shows in the way Theon was mistreated, by destroying the two defining traits: his laughter and his sexual confidence. Ramsay is such a sick bastard, he probably thinks of himself as an artist or something. And just look at the wording of the letters:

He is doing alliterations. This is supposed to sound like a poem. The dried skin is part of the letter's 'poetic' nature. It is not true that Ramsay always sends pieces of skin, or that their function would be to prove that he flayed someone. In my opinion, the skin is not to be 'read' as proof, but as part of an imaginary tableau. Each letter is a tablau in a way. Look at the letter to Asha: he signs with a reference to Winterfell because this is where Asha left her brother behind. The skin works all the better on a psychological level because Asha is bound emotionally to Theon. The letter, however, doesn't claim that Ramsay flayed Theon. It merely states how to read the piece of skin. Asha was left to figure out the rest. A good poem leaves the main contents unsaid. It's pretty sick, but I bet Ramsay enjoys composing those letters as much as the rest.

The letter to Jon about the marriage with his sister was written in blood, and had a reference to Lady Hornwood - his former 'bride'. Again: Definitely pushing buttons here, but leaving the main contents unsaid.

Now the pink letter: It is also written in a poetic way. It makes use of the same stylistic devices used for Asha: alliterations, staccato style (parataxis, deliberate use of iterations), imperative, use of coded language (piece of prince, my bride, his red whore). Ramsay paints a vivid image with his words, so there is no need to include any skin. What would that prove, anyway? It could be the skin of anyone. And on a psychological level, there is no emotional bound between Mance/spearwives and Jon (sorry, Jomancers!), so the tableau works well enough without tactile proof. The main information the letter communicates is not the fact that he caught and tortured the wildlings, it's the knowledge he gained from it. Jon grasps that early on: "He knows about the spearwives and their number. He knows about Mance Rayder." This is what the letter is all about. The accuracy of the knowledge conveys the message, as did the skin in Asha's letter. The letter is not a statement, it is a performance. It is to be 'read' correctly, not just by the mere words, but by what is left unsaid. Poetry again. And again, this is met by a change of signature: Ramsay assumes that Jon knows by now that he never married his sister, so he switches from the Hornwood-reference to stressing the 'trueborn'-part. This makes sense because the letter is based on the assumption that Jon, as a bastard, will be taken for a liar because of his bastard blood. The word 'lies' and 'false' are endlessly repeated throughout the letter. It even explicitly threatens to expose Jon's lies.

In my opinion, the pink letter is only too consistent with the sick way Ramsay thinks, acts, and communicates. And I am a little scared of GRRM right now.

This is such a well written and convincing piece that I'm loathe to say anything to contradict it.But there are one or two niggling questions in my head about Ramsay.

There are parts of the books where the Ramsay,as presented,shows little of the cunning and foresight shown in the letters.

When Roose and Ramsay are having their little chat after taking Moat Cailin,Roose has to correct Ramsay several times.

Ramsay threatens to make a pair of boots out of Lady Dustin.Roose has to point out that Lady D is their staunchest ally.

Ramsay threatens to kill the Stark boys "again" should they turn up.Roose has to point out that it was Theon who killed the boys and that Ramsay must maintain this lie.

And when Ramsay questions why the wedding has to take place in Winterfell,he has to point out the political significance of doing so,to the extent that he questions aloud whether Ramsay is truly his seed.

I have no doubt Ramsay has a certain amount of genius in the area of psychological torture,and knows which areas to target when "breaking" someone.But his political acumen is sadly lacking,to the extent that I highly doubt Roose would allow Ramsay to write and send official political letters unsupervised.

They seem more Roose to me,and I would suggest the letters prior to the PL were written by Ramsay but dictated by Roose.

I'm sticking with Mance and Stannis for the PL though!

But kudos for a great analysis of those letters.