More Small Questions, Really?

[Lummel]

...But does that mean that Northerners were not using weirwood in furniture-building? Should the idea of Ned's bed being constructed of weirwood be tossed aside?...

I think so, I checked all the chapters in winterfell involving beds that I could think of and none of them mentioned a weirwood bed.

[Black Crow]

Just to throw a minor scare into this weirwood business, mention was made above of the "weirwood door" under the Nightfort.

It may not be weirwood at all.

When Bran sees it he thinks it looks like weirwood, but it has an odd glow and of course the mouth in what appeared to be a carved wooden door opens wide to let them through, and as he passes a salt tear lands on Bran.

It may be weirwood, but I wouldn't count on it.

[TheCrannogDweller]

Well, is it stated anywhere in the books that the weirwoods are immortal? Because if it isn't, then it stands to reason that when one of the trees die, it would be utilized in some manner. After all it's the North we are talking about here - I don't think it's in their culture to let anything go to waste.

[The Dornishman's Wife]

Well, is it stated anywhere in the books that the weirwoods are immortal? Because if it isn't, then it stands to reason that when one of the trees die, it would be utilized in some manner. After all it's the North we are talking about here - I don't think it's in their culture to let anything go to waste.

It actually is (at least if you mean 'immortal' as in 'doesn't die unless killed', cause obviously we have already seen that they can be cut down). Bloodraven, resident weirwood expert, tells Bran:

An oak may live three hundred years, a redwood tree three thousand. A weirwood will live forever if left undisturbed.

[Top Notch Balanter]

Hope this hasn't been asked already but i'm not reading through 22 pages but is Asshai only accessible from the sea?. I don't have LOIAF yet so i'm only judging from glimpses but the Shadow and the Ghost Grass don't look very passable to me.

[Fire Eater]

Hope this hasn't been asked already but i'm not reading through 22 pages but is Asshai only accessible from the sea?. I don't have LOIAF yet so i'm only judging from glimpses but the Shadow and the Ghost Grass don't look very passable to me.

I think it's part of mainland Essos.

[rohit39]

During my re-read of ACOK, i come across a line Luwin says, about the crannogmen, the COTF and something called the "hammer of the waters"

“The histories say the crannogmen grew close to the children of the forest in the days when the greenseers tried to bring the hammer of the waters down upon the Neck. It may be that they have secret knowledge.”

Thats the exact line. What exactly is Luwin referring to?

[The guy from the Vale]

The Hammer of the Waters was some kind of flood (possibly a tsunami or similar event) that destroyed the land connection between Dorne and Essos, resulting in the Stepstones and cutting off the Andals. Apparently, the Neck is the result of a similar attempt to divide the North from the rest of Westeros.

[rohit39]

Oh, at exactly what time frame did this happen?

[rohit39]

And where are details of these events mentioned in the books? I dont remember coming across them at all. The Dorne separation from Essos, and the attempt at separating the North and the South.

[Dr. Pepper]

And where are details of these events mentioned in the books? I dont remember coming across them at all. The Dorne separation from Essos, and the attempt at separating the North and the South.

Mentioned a couple of times in the books. Check out the wiki on the Children of the Forest to get an idea. The reference notations will point you towards some of the relevant chapters where it was mentioned.

[The Dornishman's Wife]

Oh, at exactly what time frame did this happen?

The land connection between Westeros & Essos severed? Difficult to say, because Westerosi prehistory is very sketchy and explicitely doubted in the books themselves. But I believe that maester Luwin tells Bran something like the immigration of the 1st men being 12k years ago. It was that immigration that supposedly prompted the CotF to do their bit of geoengineering... if you want to read it up, it's in Bran's 7th chapter of Game of Thrones.

[rohit39]

Dr Pepper and The Dornishman's Wife, thanks! I looked it all up. Quite amazing actually.

[Christy_McKenna]

Trying to figure out the why is probably a fruitless effort. Secret Targaryen threads pop up every week and I still don't really understand why it's such a beloved topic. Obviously, there are plenty of people and families running around with Targaryen blood (the Martells and Baratheons specifically; Aegon the Unworthy's many bastard heirs, Aerion Brightflame's descendants, etc) but these secret Targ threads seem to ignore these facts and try to find secret Targaryens in the most convoluted way without actually fleshing out a theory that would add to the story. It's not like the Targaryen bloodline is truly dead. It would make more sense to devote time to seeking out secret Starks considering that is a truly dying blood line from what we know so far.

I honestly think the Cersei/Jamie=Targaryen is pretty ridiculous. The evidence is very flimsy and relies on the idea that Aerys crushed on Joanna and took liberties at the wedding and somehow...had sex with Joanna with everyone around and no one suspecting that her pregnancy could be due to him?

Exactly. Honestly I think they are all a little crazy but the cersei/jamie one shocks me the most out of the semi-accepted theories. That's why I was wondering if I was missing some essential information regarding the Targaryens, since a lot of the theories seem to appear out of thin air, at least in my opinion.

Thanks for the help. :D

[Lady Kelsey]

Okay so I don't know if that has been discussed but in a chapter of ADwD, Jon finds out

Mance was "glamored" to look like Rattleshirt. As Melisandre is explaining it to Jon the ways that cause the glamor to work more easily, this popped out at me:

""The bones help, Melisandre said. "The bones remember. The strongest glamors are built of such things. A dead man's boots, a hank of hair, a bag of finger bones . ""

Davos lost his finger bones on the Blackwater.. Is it nothing? Just an example off the top of her head?

[Dr. Pepper]

Okay so I don't know if that has been discussed but in a chapter of ADwD, Jon finds out

Mance was "glamored" to look like Rattleshirt. As Melisandre is explaining it to Jon the ways that cause the glamor to work more easily, this popped out at me:

""The bones help, Melisandre said. "The bones remember. The strongest glamors are built of such things. A dead man's boots, a hank of hair, a bag of finger bones . ""

Davos lost his finger bones on the Blackwater.. Is it nothing? Just an example off the top of her head?

I think it's just an example off the top of her head. There's really very little way that Mel could have gotten hold of Davos fingerbones since he lost them in the Blackwater. Not sure if the currents would have carried them to straight to Dragonstone, and into the hands of Melisandre. Just to random and lucky.

I think the pair of dead man's boots is the clue. Arya took Daeron's boots.

[Black Wolf Smith]

Okay so I don't know if that has been discussed but in a chapter of ADwD, Jon finds out

Mance was "glamored" to look like Rattleshirt. As Melisandre is explaining it to Jon the ways that cause the glamor to work more easily, this popped out at me:

""The bones help, Melisandre said. "The bones remember. The strongest glamors are built of such things. A dead man's boots, a hank of hair, a bag of finger bones . ""

Davos lost his finger bones on the Blackwater.. Is it nothing? Just an example off the top of her head?

That isn't a small question, and IMO there isn't an answer to it yet. There are threads about it. the first I pulled up.

http://asoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/topic/62658-a-bag-of-fingerbones/

[Lady Kelsey]

I think it's just an example off the top of her head. There's really very little way that Mel could have gotten hold of Davos fingerbones since he lost them in the Blackwater. Not sure if the currents would have carried them to straight to Dragonstone, and into the hands of Melisandre. Just to random and lucky.

I think the pair of dead man's boots is the clue. Arya took Daeron's boots.

Well, I just thought it was queer that she'd say that out of all things.

[Dragonfish]

I think it's just an example off the top of her head. There's really very little way that Mel could have gotten hold of Davos fingerbones since he lost them in the Blackwater. Not sure if the currents would have carried them to straight to Dragonstone, and into the hands of Melisandre. Just to random and lucky.

Well, it's possible she had someone (maybe Davos' son) switch Davos' bag out for a fake one right before the battle.

[SimonSez]

Was Vargo Hoat fed to the prisoners at Harrenhaul?