Calling all Direwolf / Dog Lovers / in ASoIaF

[Little Wing]

Hah, Alia, I can totally relate - have two dogs and two cats and one of the cats has actually learned to "come" and "get down" better than the dogs :laugh: the other cat just looks at me in a "Are you for real?" kinda way when I try the same with him :lol:

As for Rickon, I agree. There's a thread on the Rickon/Where the Wild Things Are comparison somewhere that I really liked.

[Alia of the knife]

Hah, Alia, I can totally relate - have two dogs and two cats and one of the cats has actually learned to "come" and "get down" better than the dogs :laugh: the other cat just looks at me in a "Are you for real?" kinda way when I try the same with him :lol:

As for Rickon, I agree. There's a thread on the Rickon/Where the Wild Things Are comparison somewhere that I really liked.

And Duncan will actually "fetch" the ball, lol.

The other cat is the run-of-the-mill couch potato.

I always thought how funny it would be if the families behaviors truly reflected their animal sigils. The Starks would be playing, the Lannisters would be sleeping, and the Targaryens would be basking in the sun, moving slowly. :D

Lots of projects to get involved with.

I will check out the Rickon/Where the Wild Things Are thread, and there is going to be an Arya re-read project as well.

[Little Wing]

Oh, my! I want in on the Arya re-read project for sure! :ph34r: :) looking forward to it!

[Dark Heart]

In Arya's Destiny thread Grizzabella and Alia of the knife made a good points about Nym's possible motherhood.

And about association of mothers, child rearing and wolfs.

So, I'm going to post more about it here.

Roman mythology : Lupa

According to the legend, when Numitor, grandfather of the twins Romulus and Remus, was overthrown by his brother Amulius, the usurper ordered the twins to be cast into the Tiber River. They were rescued by a she-wolf who cared for them until a herdsman, Faustulus, found and raised them.

Turkic mythology : Asena

The shamanic Turkic peoples even believed they were descendants of wolves. The legend of Asena is an old Turkic myth that tells of how the Turkic people were created. In Northern China a small Turkic village was raided by Chinese soldiers, but one small baby was left behind. An old she-wolf with a sky-blue mane named Asena found the baby and nursed him, then the she-wolf gave birth to half-wolf, half-human cubs, from whom the Turkic people were born.

Chechen mythology : "Wolf Mother"

In Chechen (and generally also Ingush) lore, wolves are almost always portrayed in a positive light, either as an equivalent for the nation, or as the loving "Wolf Mother". The Chechen people are symbolically said to be variously related to wolves (not in a serious way, but in an either symbolic or joking manner), probably in relation to the "Wolf Mother" legend.

The point of Chechens being "related" to wolves even goes to the point of the national founding myth- Turpalo-Noxchuo, the "founder" of the Chechen nation in legend, was raised by the Wolf Mother.

Japanese mythology

Talismans and charms adorned with images of wolves were thought to protect against fire, disease, and other calamities and brought fertility to agrarian communities and to couples hoping to have children.

We also have many factional wolves adopting children. For example; Mother Wolf from The Jungle Book.

[Alia of the knife]

And here is more:

Wolves in Native American

" Did you know?

The Navajo word for wolf, "mai-coh," also means witch, and a person could transform if he or she donned a wolf skin. So the Europeans were not the only ones with werewolf legends. However, the American tribes have an overwhelming tendency to look upon the wolf in a much more favorable light. The Navajo themselves have healing ceremonies which call upon Powers to restore peace and harmony to the ill, and the wolf is one such Power.

• 
  "The caribou feeds the wolf, but it is the wolf who keeps the caribou strong."
  
  -Keewatin Eskimo saying
  

Native American tribes recognized the wolf for its extreme devotion to its family, and many drew parallels between wolf pack members and the members of the tribe. Also, the wolf's superior and cooperative hunting skills made it the envy of many tribes. Finally, the wolf was known to defend its home against outsiders, a task with which each tribe had to contend as well.

Some examples of the wolf appearing throughout Native American religion and mythology include the following. The Eskimos told of an old woman, Qisaruatsiaq, who was abandoned and forced to live by herself, and who eventually turned into a wolf. The Sioux called the wolf "shunk manitu tanka," or "animal that looks like a dog but is a powerful spirit." Cheyenne medicine men rubbed warrior arrows against wolf fur to bring better success in hunting. The Nootka celebrated spiritual ties to the wolf, in a ceremony whereby they pretended to bring back to life the chief's dead son, by wearing wolf clothing. The Cherokee would not kill a wolf, believing the dead wolf's siblings would enact revenge. They also imitated the wolf's walk to help ward off frostbite to their feet. The Crow dressed in wolf skins to hunt. The Mandan displayed on their moccasins wolf tails, signs of success in battle. Women of the Hidatsa tribe rubbed their bellies with wolf skin to alleviate difficult childbirth. The Cree believed divine wolves visited earth when the northern lights would shine during winter. The Ahtena would prop dead wolves up, sometimes feeding them ceremonial meals. Chippewa myths tell of wolves supplying humans with food and hides. The Delaware tribe thought a change in weather might be announced through a wolf's howl. The Hopis include Wolf as one of the Katchinas, the costumed dancers who represent the powers of the universe.

Indian creation mythology sometimes involves wolves, as in this example from the heritage of the Arikara tribe:

• 
  "In the beginning, they say, was water and sky. Here on high you could find Nesaru the sky spirit, and Wolf and Lucky-man. Below lay a watery vastness, empty, it seemed, with only two small ducks swimming about, making eternal, small ripples. Envisioning another kind of earth, with space and variety for myriad creatures, Wolf and Lucky-man asked the ducks to dive down for mud. Using his endless energy, Wolf took half of the mud to build a great prairie for hunting beasts like himself. Lucky-man, his partner in creation, built hills and valleys where the Indians could hunt and live. Last they pushed up the remaining mud into banks of a river, which you can still see, to divide their territories.
  
  Earth was ready. Wolf and Lucky-man understood that large creatures must emerge from the reproduction of smaller, humble ones. They enter deep into the earth to find two Spiders who are meant to begin propagating the world. Imagine their disgust when they find the Spiders to be not only ignorant of the business of reproduction, but so dirty and ugly that they aren't interested in each other. Wolf and Lucky-man scrub down their charges and explain the pleasures and responsibilities of fertilization. Clean and enlightened, the Spiders give birth to earth's many creatures - the eight-legged like themselves, the six, the four, and finally the two-legged ones."
  
  - Cottie Burland
  

Perhaps the tribe with the closest of all associations with the wolf is the Pawnee, in the lands now known as Nebraska and Kansas. The Pawnee felt such a close kinship that their hand-signal for wolf is the same as the hand-signal for Pawnee. They were known as the Wolf People even by neighboring tribes. The cyclical appearance and disappearance of Sirius, the Wolf Star, indicated the wolf coming and going from the spirit world, running down the trail of the Wolf Road, otherwise known as the Milky Way. The Blackfoot tribe also called our galaxy the Wolf Trail, or the Route to Heaven. The Pawnee, like the Hidatsa and Oto tribes, used wolf bundles, pouches of skins from wolves in which to keep and protect treasured implements used for ceremonies and magic." - Wolf Song of Alaska

As I said, this is not meant to say that the Starks embody all of these attributes as Martin likes to mix different cultures, (i.e. The Dornish are a hybrid of Welsh and Spanish- I got the Spanish part, but who knew the Welsh? This said in a recent interview), so the Starks are a Medieval Family, but perhaps mixed with the wolf imagry of Native American.

The Starks are descended from the First Men, and Native Americans refer to themselves as well as the First Nations, skin cnanging/shape shifters, etc.

[Light a wight tonight]

Another hypothesis: the wolves are sent by Bloodraven as a means to protect and exercise a measure of control over the Stark children. Think tree-fi hotspots. Jon and Robb are temporarily separated from their wolves and suffer grievous harm/death. Lady is killed and Sansa is no longer protected or controlled: she's on her own, sink or swim. Arya loses direct contact with Nymeria and leaves Westeros, but the bond is still there; she uses the Faceless Man training but doesn't buy into the foundation of the faith. Rickon has and needs Shaggydog. Bran? Hmmm. He's with Bloodraven, but will he remain there or leave and need Summer again?

Hope this doesn't sound too wack.

[evita mgfs]

What follows is a post I made in Arya / Water Motif, but it applies to the Direwolves of House Stark, not only Arya, although I focus on her.

I checked out the Symbol Compendium to gain insight into Arya’s counterpoint to the direwolf, or wolf, as well as Arya’s connection to water. Here are the results of my findings:

WOLF

The WOLF figure is recognized as part of fairy tales, where he symbolizes the “enemy,” a menacing animal that hunts, stalks, and devours his prey. In psychology, the WOLF represents an “untamed energy”.

Well, the direwolves of House Stark definitely fit the bill for being an enemy to some, and definitely they are “menacing” when they attack the Frey ward, Maester Luwin, and others, but they are also protective of their Stark masters, respectively. The direwolves also hunt, stalk, and devour their prey, which Martin evidences on numerous occasions. Their prey is not necessarily confined to helpless grandmothers. They seek prey in the wild and like the hunt, kill, and the feast, as many animals in the wild do demonstrate, not just wolves. However, the danger factor of the direwolves is a given, especially when they react to the emotions of their Masters.

Speaking specifically to Arya and Nymeria, they do represent “the enemy” for some. For example, Arya makes herself the enemy of her pack of “would be brothers” on their sojourn to the Wall, although Arya eventually wises up and plays nice. Specifically in ACoK, Arya viciously beats Hot Pie with her wooden sword, which results in Hot Pie receiving a broken nose and Arya receiving a beating from Yoren. She also challenges Gendry to one-on-one combat with swords, and she even “menaces”, if you will, the three captives caged and chained, smacking Biter and drawing blood. When Jaqen asks for more beer, she denies him.

Likewise, Nymeria is leading a pack of wolves that, according to rumors at the ivy covered inn, has caused many deaths in the Riverlands. One patron even says Nymeria stole a babe from its mother’s arms for dinner. She is even referred to as “a she-wolf bitch from the seventh hell” (85) leading a pack of hundreds, all “mankillers” (85). Supposedly they even killed a pack of wolfhounds on her trail back to her lair, killing every hound – not one survived (85).

Does Arya mirror Nymeria as a “mankiller”? Well, to some extent, yes. She kills a stable hand while escaping from King’s Landing, and a guard while escaping Harrenhall. As a servant of Him of Many Faces, she takes a life as well. On her own, she executes Dareon as a deserter of the Night’s Watch.

Arya, like her counterpoint Nymeria, does what she does in order to survive, or she seeks justice on behalf of her bastard brother Jon Snow. The death she takes on behalf of Him of Many Faces is not her choice to make. She follows orders from the Faceless Men.

Arya does have the psychological component of the symbol of wolf in that she represents “untamed energy,” as does Nymeria. For Arya, it is her Stark blood that makes her “wolf”, and her warging gift that allows her to become one with Nymeria. She inherits her gifts, for the Starks have the blood of the First Men flowing in their veins. Moreover, the old gods sent the direwolves to the Stark children to protect and assist them in their challenging futures.

Nymeria’s “untamed spirit” is part of natural instinct inherent in the breed, which could also be said of the Stark children, who all have the power to warg, according to Martin.

Little Wing responded to this with a complementary mythology. I am posting it here:

“Okay, this is from an article on a wolfish Slavic deity: That the wolf is associated with the underworld as well reminds me of the weird connection/attraction some Starks have to the crypts. But then Theon also dreamed about them... hm...”

[evita mgfs]

Another hypothesis: the wolves are sent by Bloodraven as a means to protect and exercise a measure of control over the Stark children. Think tree-fi hotspots. Jon and Robb are temporarily separated from their wolves and suffer grievous harm/death. Lady is killed and Sansa is no longer protected or controlled: she's on her own, sink or swim. Arya loses direct contact with Nymeria and leaves Westeros, but the bond is still there; she uses the Faceless Man training but doesn't buy into the foundation of the faith. Rickon has and needs Shaggydog. Bran? Hmmm. He's with Bloodraven, but will he remain there or leave and need Summer again?

Hope this doesn't sound too wack.

:agree: I agree - :bowdown: and you are not WACK at all :eek: . Bloodraven is, after all, one with the old gods, who the children and Maester Luwin and Jojen and Meera that the weirwoods are the old gods - and BR is sitting on his weirwood thronem, married to a tree. So is Bran. So are all those greenseers Bran sees when he wargs Hodor.

Tehcnicall, and I hope no one is offended or thinks this blasphemous in any way, but Bran is now one with the godhood, as is BR, so Bran is a GOD, yes? His face actually becomes the face on the weirwood tree in WF's godswood during the wedding of Ramsay and Fake Arya. He knows what is going on!

Now, I do not necessarily think Bran is omnipotent, for the old gods sound very much like the Olympian gods who punish trespassers with a vengeance, and the punishmet usually fts the crime. So I look forward to where this leads Bran on his spiritual journey in the hearts of trees, in the birds of air, and in the fish of water.

:bowdown: Great post and most relevant observations. :bowdown:

[evita mgfs]

And here is more:

Wolves in Native American

" Did you know?

The Navajo word for wolf, "mai-coh," also means witch, and a person could transform if he or she donned a wolf skin. So the Europeans were not the only ones with werewolf legends. However, the American tribes have an overwhelming tendency to look upon the wolf in a much more favorable light. The Navajo themselves have healing ceremonies which call upon Powers to restore peace and harmony to the ill, and the wolf is one such Power.

"The caribou feeds the wolf, but it is the wolf who keeps the caribou strong."

snip

As I said, this is not meant to say that the Starks embody all of these attributes as Martin likes to mix different cultures, (i.e. The Dornish are a hybrid of Welsh and Spanish- I got the Spanish part, but who knew the Welsh? This said in a recent interview), so the Starks are a Medieval Family, but perhaps mixed with the wolf imagry of Native American.

The Starks are descended from the First Men, and Native Americans refer to themselves as well as the First Nations, skin cnanging/shape shifters, etc.

:bowdown: :bowdown: ALIA THE KNIFE: Nice to meet you, and I did immensely enjoy your post! :wub: It was awesome! Good job and way to go - you and so many other posters have put sooo much thought into your posts, and I enjoy immensely anything with mythologies, and several of my students in the past were Native American, and I was even invited to attend a Pow Wow, an event they held in PA, but I cannot remember where now. I enjoyed this very much.

I also had a friend who raised a wolf, and this was fascinating. Although her wolf did not get as big as my fat golden retriever Moses who went from 75 pounds to 150 after he was fixed, poor baby. He loves to eat, he does. And he goes to camp to sleep - not to chase squirrels and rabbits and follow deer and elk tracks and swim in the lake like my other goldens. :crying:

I also look upon the wolf favorably, as you say other cultures do, but that may be because I love dogs, and I have been around a wolf. [My other friend had a Great Dane the size of a small pony, and I would have thought a wolf might be bigger than he was.] .

Qisaruatsiaq reminds me of what could be Arya's fate, but I do not think this is happening in the future, for she already is wolf. I tend to think she, as well as other Stark children, may warg a wolf for their last liofe, just like V6S takes One-Eye, although he lusts for Ghost

I also think many of your obvservations do apply to the Starks and their direwolves. I looked up "wolf" as a generalized literary symbol, so the definition I found gave a blanket definition, but nothing especially favorable, which upset me - I did not really want to go there in my post because I love Arya and do not wish to paint her in a dark light. She is not deserving of such. She is still a little girl, as far as I am concerned, and she has had to survive without much of an assist from some folk. The more I write about her, the more I love her and truly see a well-drawn, defined, and consistent personality in fiction who evokes my feelings of sympathy. Maybe this is why I am not as stressed as others about her dark arc.

Arya serves a god, as does Bran; well,no, Bran IS the god, sorry. Arya acts on the behest of Him of Many Faces, the last god All men will meet. So, like her brother Jon Snow, Arya serves [Him of Many Faces], and I think defying a god is not a good thing in Martin's world, yes? :dunno:

IMO, Bran will be killing in the name of the old gods soon enough. Too many follk to mention have violated the Laws of Hospitality :bawl:

• 
  
  

[evita mgfs]

In Arya's Destiny thread Grizzabella and Alia of the knife made a good points about Nym's possible motherhood.

And about association of mothers, child rearing and wolfs.

So, I'm going to post more about it here.

snip

Japanese mythology

We also have many factional wolves adopting children. For example; Mother Wolf from The Jungle Book.

:bowdown: :bowdown: DARK HEART: super observations, and I am a mythology buff. I had sooo many links to check out today, I did not get to make any responses, so I apologize to you and all. I have also been jumpig with joy at how much our thread has uncovered. I personally have learned a great deal from the posters who have graciously shared their knowledge and their love of the direwolves and dogs in general.

I am plotting with a few others a thread on Direwolves, Dragons, Mormont's Raven, and Cats for a reread, and I hope you and others will consider being a part. Everyone on this thread has been sooo supportive of everyone else, but still forcefull in their opinions. So it is a good mix.

I like the whole idea of Arya/Nymeria as Wolf mother, and when I read your post, the first person who came to mind is Brienne, who "adopts" Pod on her journey and teaches him to be all that he can be - and she is teaching him self-confidence and how to fight. Tyrion, whom I like as well, did not attend t Pod in the same way Brienne does. Brienne reminds me of the over-protective mother, and I am sooo happy she finally has someone who loves and appreciates her.

:bowdown: Again, amazing post, and I hope to hear from you soon! :cheers:

[Dark Heart]

Arya as a "Wolf Mother" :

As they were running toward the barn, Arya spied the crying girl sitting in the middle of the chaos, surrounded by smoke and slaughter. She grabbed her by the hand and pulled her to her feet as the others raced ahead. The girl wouldn't walk, even when slapped. Arya dragged her with her right hand while she held Needle in the left.

Hot Pie stepped out of the barn. "Arry, come on! Lommy’s gone, leave her if she won’t come!"

Stubbornly, Arya dragged all the harder, pulling the crying girl along.

The girl is uncooperative and won't save herself or allow herself to be saved.

They are in horrible danger. Armed man are coming to kill them and fire is coming close.

But Arya ignores the danger and drags the girl to safety.

Hop Pie tells her to leave her (to die) but she tries all the harder.

"I'm sick of carrying him, and I'm sick of all his talk about yielding too. If he could stand up, I'd knock his teeth in. Lommy's no use to anyone. That crying girl's no use either."

"You leave Weasel alone, she’s just scared and hungry is all." Arya glanced back, but the girl was not following for once.

Again she protect the girl and explain why is acting the way she do.

Two things of interest here;

- The "crying girl" is now called Weasel.

A wolf girl "adopts" a girl and the little girl is renamed into a animal too.

Also, wolverines are weasels. Fierce as a wolverine.

- Arya looks down on "cravens" but she accepts that Weasel is scared and doesn't take it badly.

And Arya thought, Run, Weasel, run as far as you can, run and hide and never come back.

She is caught but is happy the girl escaped.

Btw, I wonder what happened with her.

[Dark Heart]

I like the whole idea of Arya/Nymeria as Wolf mother, and when I read your post, the first person who came to mind is Brienne, who "adopts" Pod on her journey and teaches him to be all that he can be - and she is teaching him self-confidence and how to fight. Tyrion, whom I like as well, did not attend t Pod in the same way Brienne does. Brienne reminds me of the over-protective mother, and I am sooo happy she finally has someone who loves and appreciates her.

:bowdown: Again, amazing post, and I hope to hear from you soon! :cheers:

Thank you.

And yes Brienne would be a good "Wolf Mother" too.

Arya is young but she still "adopts" Weasel and tries to take care of her.

I wonder will we see something similar when she is older too.

[Alia of the knife]

Arya as a "Wolf Mother" :

The girl is uncooperative and won't save herself or allow herself to be saved.

They are in horrible danger. Armed man are coming to kill them and fire is coming close.

But Arya ignores the danger and drags the girl to safety.

Hop Pie tells her to leave her (to die) but she tries all the harder.

Again she protect the girl and explain why is acting the way she do.

Two things of interest here;

- The "crying girl" is now called Weasel.

A wolf girl "adopts" a girl and the little girl is renamed into a animal too.

Also, wolverines are weasels. Fierce as a wolverine.

- Arya looks down on "cravens" but she accepts that Weasel is scared and doesn't take it badly.

She is caught but is happy the girl escaped.

Btw, I wonder what happened with her.

Awesome call-outs.

Hopefully the girl will remember Arya one day.

:bowdown: :bowdown: ALIA THE KNIFE: Nice to meet you, and I did immensely enjoy your post! :wub: It was awesome! Good job and way to go - you and so many other posters have put sooo much thought into your posts, and I enjoy immensely anything with mythologies, and several of my students in the past were Native American, and I was even invited to attend a Pow Wow, an event they held in PA, but I cannot remember where now. I enjoyed this very much.

I also had a friend who raised a wolf, and this was fascinating. Although her wolf did not get as big as my fat golden retriever Moses who went from 75 pounds to 150 after he was fixed, poor baby. He loves to eat, he does. And he goes to camp to sleep - not to chase squirrels and rabbits and follow deer and elk tracks and swim in the lake like my other goldens. :crying:

I also look upon the wolf favorably, as you say other cultures do, but that may be because I love dogs, and I have been around a wolf. [My other friend had a Great Dane the size of a small pony, and I would have thought a wolf might be bigger than he was.] .

Qisaruatsiaq reminds me of what could be Arya's fate, but I do not think this is happening in the future, for she already is wolf. I tend to think she, as well as other Stark children, may warg a wolf for their last liofe, just like V6S takes One-Eye, although he lusts for Ghost

I also think many of your obvservations do apply to the Starks and their direwolves. I looked up "wolf" as a generalized literary symbol, so the definition I found gave a blanket definition, but nothing especially favorable, which upset me - I did not really want to go there in my post because I love Arya and do not wish to paint her in a dark light. She is not deserving of such. She is still a little girl, as far as I am concerned, and she has had to survive without much of an assist from some folk. The more I write about her, the more I love her and truly see a well-drawn, defined, and consistent personality in fiction who evokes my feelings of sympathy. Maybe this is why I am not as stressed as others about her dark arc.

Arya serves a god, as does Bran; well,no, Bran IS the god, sorry. Arya acts on the behest of Him of Many Faces, the last god All men will meet. So, like her brother Jon Snow, Arya serves [Him of Many Faces], and I think defying a god is not a good thing in Martin's world, yes? :dunno:

IMO, Bran will be killing in the name of the old gods soon enough. Too many follk to mention have violated the Laws of Hospitality :bawl:

• 
  
  

Thank you Evita, :wub: your posts have been really insightful as well- a lot of great information.

And though I currently have cats, I love dogs too. I just don't have the best schedule for them.

I don't know if I'll be on here for a couple of days, because we're prepping for Hurricane Sandy, but let me know when the Arya re-read schedule begins and what the itinerary is.

[MtnLion]

Just to point out an old world reference to a wolf:

Romulus and Remus are the twin brothers and central characters of Rome's foundation myth. Their mother was Rhea Silvia, daughter to Numitor, king of Alba Longa. Before their conception, Numitor's brother Amulius had seized power, killed Numitor's male heirs and forced Rhea Silvia to become a Vestal Virgin, sworn to chastity. Rhea Silvia conceived the twins by the god Mars, or by the demi-god Hercules; once the twins were born, Amulius had them abandoned to die in the river Tiber. They were saved by a series of miraculous interventions: the river carried them to safety, a she-wolf found and suckled them, and a woodpecker fed them. A shepherd and his wife found and fostered them to manhood, as simple shepherds. The twins, still ignorant of their true origins, were natural leaders. Each acquired many followers. When they discovered the truth of their birth, they killed Amulius and restored Numitor to his throne. Rather than wait to inherit Alba Longa they chose to found a new city.

[Alia of the knife]

Just to point out an old world reference to a wolf:

Romulus and Remus are the twin brothers and central characters of Rome's foundation myth. Their mother was Rhea Silvia, daughter to Numitor, king of Alba Longa. Before their conception, Numitor's brother Amulius had seized power, killed Numitor's male heirs and forced Rhea Silvia to become a Vestal Virgin, sworn to chastity. Rhea Silvia conceived the twins by the god Mars, or by the demi-god Hercules; once the twins were born, Amulius had them abandoned to die in the river Tiber. They were saved by a series of miraculous interventions: the river carried them to safety, a she-wolf found and suckled them, and a woodpecker fed them. A shepherd and his wife found and fostered them to manhood, as simple shepherds. The twins, still ignorant of their true origins, were natural leaders. Each acquired many followers. When they discovered the truth of their birth, they killed Amulius and restored Numitor to his throne. Rather than wait to inherit Alba Longa they chose to found a new city.

I did not know the full legend, very interesting.

[evita mgfs]

No one has mentioned DOG yet! We are leaving Dog out, and he does so many dog like things. I posted what the Wiki of Ice and Fire says about Dog, for he gets top billing as if he is one of the primary characters.

I am sorry to find some of this amusing - because Dog "barks" and likes to "wag his tail". Don't most dogs? :dunno: :laugh:

Anyways, enjoy the wealth of information about Dog!

Dog is a dog [as opposed to a wolf?] that walks [he keeps pace, does not run ahead as the Stark wolves do] with Septon Meribald through the Riverlands. He keeps Septon Meribald safe upon the roads he traverses, even in trying times^. [Direwolves do this too].

Neither wolf nor outlaw dare molest him when Dog is by his side. Dog has killed a dozen wolves. [That's not good, is it? I hope none of Nymeria's pack?]

Meribald calls Dog his faithful servant [most dogs are, and so are the direwolves] and packs salt mutton [ he gives Dog this instead of a bone] for Dog on his donkey .

According to Septon Meribald Dog must have a name [reminds me of Jaqen H'ghar, who says to Arya a man must have a name] , but he hasn’t told him what it is so he calls him Dog. When spoken to Dog oft barks back. Dog likes to wag his tail [Dog seems just an average dog]

Sometimes Dog strays or bounds ahead and leads the way [direwolf behavior]; he seems to know the road as well as Meribald. However on the mudflats on the way to the Quiet Isle Dog stays near to Meribald’s heels sniffing at every rock, shell, and clump of seaweed [ Dog is checking to mark his spot, yes? My dogs sniff everything if I let them on a walk] as Meribald probes the way ahead with his quarterstaff.

The brothers on the Quiet Isle always have a bone to spare for Dog ^[6]. The gravedigger Brienne espies on the Quiet Isle drops his spade and scratches Dog behind his ear when he goes to sniff him ^[7]. At the Inn at the Crossroads Septon Meribald feeds two morsels of food to Dog for every one he eats himself [i do this with my dogs. It is my form of being on a diet].

Brienne hears Dog barking during her fight with Biter.

The fate of Dog is currently unknown. :frown5: :bawl:

Okay? Where is Dog, and Dog is capitalized - it is a proper noun. [tee hee] :laugh:

Any ideas?

[Light a wight tonight]

I also had a friend who raised a wolf, and this was fascinating. Although her wolf did not get as big as my fat golden retriever Moses who went from 75 pounds to 150 after he was fixed, poor baby. He loves to eat, he does. And he goes to camp to sleep - not to chase squirrels and rabbits and follow deer and elk tracks and swim in the lake like my other goldens. :crying:

Just a friendly hint: obesity is as bad for dogs as for humans. Maybe worse because they don't live as long. Too much weight stresses the skeleton, especially the hips and can lead to arthritis or a form of displasia. Our friend has a Golden who had extremely decreased mobility, and after much weight loss he now walks miles without problems.

[Florina Laufeyson]

Dog is just a dog, but hes a pretty insightful beast. I dont think anyone is warging Dog. (I always imagined him as a labrador type because dem smarts..) He acts almost like a seeing eye dog or guide. He can sniff out things and tends to alert the good septon of roving marauders and just path pitfalls. Dog also appears to answer him occasionally.

[evita mgfs]

Just a friendly hint: obesity is as bad for dogs as for humans. Maybe worse because they don't live as long. Too much weight stresses the skeleton, especially the hips and can lead to arthritis or a form of displasia. Our friend has a Golden who had extremely decreased mobility, and after much weight loss he now walks miles without problems.

:bowdown: :bowdown: Thanks for the advice. Now, as I say when someone calls me fat, "I am big-boned!" So, "Moses is big-boned!" All joking aside, he is BIG as in he is as tall as an end table, but as wide as a coffee table. [My littlest female Bella likes to use him as a stepping stool. She puts her paws on his back, and gives herself a boost to reach the far back counter for the cake or donuts we push back so "they" can't reach them!] It is a conspiracy! They work as a team. I have to lock up people food. Moses can open doors. He even gets the fridge open somehow, but they are sneeky. They wait until I am asleep or busy on the computer, then they attack covertly. :dunce:

Now, we know Moses needs to lose weight, and we have been trying. He is like Jed Clampit's bloodhound - he finds a spot and likes to sleep, even while they have so many critters to chase, and can go through the dog door.

I took him on a walk, and he just refused to continue. He laid down in the middle of the trail and rolled his eyes at me, I swear! :lmao:

So - we are doing the best we can. :dunno: He is actually graceful and can leap through the air like a small pony all four feet off the floor and his big self in the air! It is a sight to see.

Anyways, I am laughing pretty hard, because of my post about Dog - who barks and wags his tail, and my silly fat direwolf who is on a diet, but he covets food and steals behind my back. :frown5: :rofl:

[evita mgfs]

Dog is just a dog, but hes a pretty insightful beast. I dont think anyone is warging Dog. (I always imagined him as a labrador type because dem smarts..) He acts almost like a seeing eye dog or guide. He can sniff out things and tends to alert the good septon of roving marauders and just path pitfalls. Dog also appears to answer him occasionally.

:agree: Poor Dog. No one wants to warg him, pun intended! :rofl:

Dog seems a happy sort. He is not complicated, is he? :dunno: He is merely ordinary, not like a Ghost with all kinds of hints in his coloring to the old gods.

He just barks - and wags his tail. Such profound literary significance in his actions. :lol: He barks like Casso King of Seals, yes? Maybe somehow Arya will warg Casso and learn to bark in seal tongue, and then she will warg Dog to spy on Sandor Clegane, who is not digging the graves big enough. Arya will bark at him in both seal, dog, and Braavosi, and Sandor will realize it is Arya because she wags her tail and barks. Erudite thinking on my part.

:D Now you try to top that analysis, FLORINA STARK. I am gifting you Dog, :P like I gifted The Pack Survives That Needle.

Keep in mind I am laughing as I type this. Because truly, I do NOT think anyone will warg Dog. He seems just a regular "dog" - no hidden agenda there. All though he could be what I have heard some people refer to as a "blind". I call them red herrings . . . :rofl: