Who fathered Ashara Dayne's child ?

[The_Crannogman]

If it was Howland Reed you've got to respect him, turns up not knowing that there's a tourney on, he then proceeds to knock up the apparently most beautiful women there who happens to have a deadly brother, all this whilst chumming up to his liege lords, massive respect Mr Reed.

[Sam Huxley]

Where has the thought that the father is Aerys come from? Has there been anything to suggest that they spoke at all? Surely the KG (Barristan especially) would mention knowing of any involvement between the two...

[Gerg Sknab]

I'm coming in way late and haven't bothered going thru 36 pages of posts...so go ahead and tell me to pound salt....however the timeline makes no sense

Tourney at Harrenhall late 281...Ashara deflowered?

Raeghar kidnaps Lyanna a year later? sometime 282 (really doesn't make a difference whether its 3 months or a year it doesn't change my conclusion)

Sack Of KL 12 months into the war sometime 283

Ned at Storm's End add a month

Ned at Tower of Joy add a month

Ned at Starfall add another month..Ashara just had her stillborn and jumped shortly before Ned arrives off the Palestone Sword...

With all that time added together either Ashara had the longest pregnancy in the Seven Kindgom's history or people's recollections are faulty....In any case it takes the Stark brothers off the board as father to Ashara's child

[starklinson]

Saying Ned had a thing for Ashara doesn't really prove anything. Ashara was supposed to have this otherworldly beauty and pretty much every guy had a thing for her. I have a feeling it was Brandon as opposed to Ned, because he was lady's man. It's more in character of Brandon.

[NoneofYourBiz]

Yes I would agree it was Brandon. It fits his reputation and Barristan says she leapt from the tower out of grief for her child and perhaps the man who had dishonored her at Harrenhall, which implies he is dead.

[Autumn is Arriving]

I've always thought it was Brandon. I don't see honorable Ned dishonoring her like that. As for Aerys? Nah, no way.

Gerb Sknab made a good point about the timeline though. Selmy says that she threw herself off a tower soon after the birth of her stillborn child . . . well, 1+ years isn't soon. But he also says a man dishonored her at Harrenhal, so either he was wrong and she didn't get pregnant at Harrenhal or he was wrong about her throwing herself off soon after the stillborn birth (or he has a very different definition of soon).

[corbon]

Gerb Sknab made a good point about the timeline though. Selmy says that she threw herself off a tower soon after the birth of her stillborn child . . . well, 1+ years isn't soon. But he also says a man dishonored her at Harrenhal, so either he was wrong and she didn't get pregnant at Harrenhal or he was wrong about her throwing herself off soon after the stillborn birth (or he has a very different definition of soon).

Isn't it? Soon that is?

Don't forget, these are events 20 years ago that Barristan didn't actually experience himself. You not only have his unknown and therefore potentially unreliable source for the data he bases his thoughts on (he was present for neither the birth of the child nor the supposed suicide, and indeed probably most of a coninent away, finding out from 3rd parties weeks or months afterward), you also have the stretching and clouding of time acting on his personal view of things.

I went to university 'soon after' high school. A bit more than 20 years ago. That 'soon after' covers effectively a gap year.

Heck, quite a lot of us are rather dubious there was any suicide at all. So what Barristan is guessing towards the motivations of a woman he probably hadn't seen for over a year, about events he's only heard about, is more or less worthless, except to tell us that they are at least possibilities in his mind.

[joluoto2]

If we're to believe this board ashara slept with almost every male in Westeros, so the list of candidates of people that could have been her child's father is ridiculously long.

[Autumn is Arriving]

Isn't it? Soon that is?Don't forget, these are events 20 years ago that Barristan didn't actually experience himself. You not only have his unknown and therefore potentially unreliable source for the data he bases his thoughts on (he was present for neither the birth of the child nor the supposed suicide, and indeed probably most of a coninent away, finding out from 3rd parties weeks or months afterward), you also have the stretching and clouding of time acting on his personal view of things.I went to university 'soon after' high school. A bit more than 20 years ago. That 'soon after' covers effectively a gap year.Heck, quite a lot of us are rather dubious there was any suicide at all. So what Barristan is guessing towards the motivations of a woman he probably hadn't seen for over a year, about events he's only heard about, is more or less worthless, except to tell us that they are at least possibilities in his mind.

You make a good point. Soon is relative to its reference point. I was thinking more about . . . how can I explain this? I've never had a child but I imagine if I had a stillborn and I was depressed enough about it to throw myself off a tower, I would probably do it much sooner than 1+ years later because the pain is so much stronger at first. Granted, there were other events that took place so, assuming she did throw herself off the tower, it could have been not only because of the combined events of her baby, her brother's death, and the death of the baby daddy, which would explain why it happened with that time gap.

[jet199]

People need to try to fit candidates to the facts rather than trying to fit the facts to their favourite candidate.

Yes, "soon" can be stretched but if it needs to be stretched to a year or more then it is probably because you have the wrong guy. Writing the facts off as characters misremembering when we have so few of them basically means it could have been anyone.