Syrio = Kindly Man?

[The Chequered Raven]

Syrio is neither a faceles man nor a living man...

[King Duncan]

I'm confused as to why GRRM would be surprised when asked about Syrio. Is he surprised at the connection readers had to the minor character or to the question of his fate?

Think of the turn-off it would be if in every situation GRRM provided us all with full catharsis concerning every character, major and minor. I'm sure it was a choice for him to not provide a death-breath eyes closed "...good-bye Arya I'm dead..." departure for Syrio, and I'd argue that one of the reasons he made that choice was so we'd be discussing the departure right now. Syrio was Fonz cool for the few chapters we knew him and the choice to omit his death both spares us the incident of his defeat and provides the reader with the "What if?..."

What makes it even more interesting when choosing to kill a character ambiguously is how GRRM and this genre’s "What if?..." moments are way more important than in other fiction. Beric/Thoros/Cat, Others/Wights, JonCon/Aegon all show that no one is 100% gone in this series. Since Cat and Aegon's return were all shocking and awesome events (especially given how we believed them to be goner than gone) perhaps the choice to ambiguously kill a character is more proof in GRRM’s world that he is actually dead?

[TheGreyKraken]

Welcome to the forum Joshua, congrats on your first post as you scored 10/10 in the crackpot scale. :drunk:

[The Broke Howard Hughes]

maybe I'm on the short list but i'm a firm believer that Syrio is dead. With a capital D. Just because we didn't see him die doesn't mean he didn't and if he somehow escaped it kind of ruins his badassery (Sure that's a word, and if not it should be) for me.

[TheGreyKraken]

maybe I'm on the short list but i'm a firm believer that Syrio is dead. With a capital D. Just because we didn't see him die doesn't mean he didn't and if he somehow escaped it kind of ruins his badassery (Sure that's a word, and if not it should be) for me.

He is pretty much dead, there is too much evidence contradicting his survival.

[Veltigar]

The way I read it, GRRM disbelief has more to do with the crazy theories (Jaqen H'qar = Syrio) about his survival, than about the actual possibility of Syrio being alive.

Personally, I tend to agree with Miltos Yerolomou (the actor who portrays Syrio) at the end of this interview he talks about how great it would be for Arya to reunite with Syrio (

).

Now, I am a believer of Syrio's survival. Why? Not because there is any evidence towards it (the people who think he's dead have a stronger case IMO), but simply because it would be benificial to the story.

This is my own little crackpottheory/prediction:

So, we all know Arya isn't going to stay with the FM forever. Just like Dany has to get to Westeros sooner or later, Arya has to cross the Narrow Sea once more to get some closure. The problem however is that - for now - Arya seems to be pretty much content with living her life out as 'no one' and becoming a FM (or rather woman). But she still has a little spark of rebellion in her, some part of her wants to be Arya Stark, and nothing else. This side of her is what made her hide Needle instead of discarding it, like she was told to do.

Now, to get her back to Westeros, something has to happen which makes her realise that she's destined to be Arya Stark of Winterfell instead of a FM. And who better to provide this moment of catharsis than her old dancing master Syrio Forell? I'm not saying that this is going to be a typical fantasy reunion, my money is on a bittersweet one (with Syrio dieing afterwards).

I think there are two possibilities (with two being the most likely)

1) Arya finds Syrio in the House of Black and White after he has drunk from the water. They talk and Arya realises she is needed in Westeros so she decides to head back ASAP.

2) Arya is send out to dispatch someone to the other life. For some reason, she won't have much time like she had with the old man and therefore she has to tack immediate action. To make a long story short, she mortally wounds her target and that target will turn out to be our beloved Syrio (or alternative: Syrio is a bodyguard to her target and before she realises who he is she'll take him down, in order to get to her target). Syrio, with his final breath, will compliment Arya on her fightingstyle and tell her how much he missed her. This experience will make Arya realise what she has become and what the FM are really about. She'll collect Needle and book passage to Westeros, to search for her revenge (before she goes to Westeros she might have a sort of Anakinmompent in which she starts killing everyone in the house of Black and White).

Note: Syrio doesn't need to be mortally wounded, if he dies immidiatley, than he would still provide catharsis but I would like them sharing some final words.

Note: Another possibility that might prompt Arya's return to Westeros might be her getting to know about Jons "accident" at the end of ADWD, but that would be less strong IMO.

[Seriel D'Jinn]

I just read the whole Syrio thread and this theory never came up. But it makes a lot more sense than the Jaqen H'Ghar theory. It only makes sense that he would continue his training and protection back in Braavos.

personally i think that Syrio was if not the kindly man, another faceless man and possibly Jaqen. now the question is..who was he sent to kill in kings landing? but the evidence is this:

1: obviously he is not seen dying and so the fate of his character is not solid.

2: he refers to himself in the 3rd person always. when a faceless man talks about themselves..they do not identify themselves with words like "i" or "me" or "mine" as they have given up all of themselves to the god of many faces so they have no id. (now it is possible that all bravosie folk speak in much the same manner..but all the people in bravos dont seem to have that trait.)

3: he say's "syrio forel WAS first sword in bravos" and maybe he was..but we dont know WHEN that was. it could have been 100 years ago when the real Syrio Forel was alive and it could have been that he was killed by a many faced man and his face was added to the collection of faces to choose from like the ugly girl Arya chooses. and why is the first sword of bravos off in westeros to be a mere sword teacher? he is the first sword of bravos. he does not run. he woudnt run from his duty in bravos

4: the kindly man has a few speech manners that remind Arya of Syrio. "just so" and the like. could be just a bravos thing but it is a NOTED coincidence

5: the kindly man speaks about cats. "yes. there are many cats in bravos." now this could be that once again it is just common knowladge..but Syrio got his position as first sword by knowing about the cats of bravos. and the kindly man knows the information of all the faces and aliases that the faceless men have so....this could fit if Syrio is indeed a face on their walls.

anyways. thats what i put together and even if GRRM didnt plan it like that..stories happen very organicly. he admited he didnt know weather or not he would use him again. and his story books are not finished so even GRRM doesnt know exactly how it will all fit until he writes it and edits its. to me this would actually be a very cool link up.

[Humble Maester]

People building around theories around what they want to be true instead of what is implied in the books is just the reason why Syrio can't stay dead. Well he's dead but anyways.

[IRON BANK]

I love Syrio to death and back, possibly my favorite minor character in all 5 books. But I definitely think he's dead. Is that not why Ser Meryn is on Arya's list? The fact that he can fight a bunch of knights off with a fucking stick makes him badass enough as it is, to have him somehow survive is just a bit much.

The fact that Meryn Trant obviously makes it out of the encounter unscathed and we never hear anything about Syrio again makes it even more certain to me that Syrio was felled. Plus from a story standpoint, I can't imagine any sort of comeback he could possibly make. A true blue, unambiguous hero like him has no place in a post-Ned Stark world. Honestly, if he were to appear in The Winds of Winter, it would feel for me as if a character from Star Trek or The Hunger Games had suddenly appeared. I just feel like, as truly fantastic as he was, his time came to an end.

I agree let the man die a true hero. fighting til the end going out in blaze of glory to save young Arya who will be his instrument of justice.

[Kahl Trollo]

All I can say is:

Shrodingers Bravosi.

[Black Mike Secret]

Guys, guys, guys....

...he's dead. Deal with it.

[Where Boars Glow]

^{Dead DEAD DEAD DEAD NED NED DEAD DEAD}

[Whitering]

The thing that confuses me is how GRRM could be surprised anyone thinks he is still alive in a series where people are coming back from the dead like all the time lol. I mean, we have Beric, Cat, even Davos kind of, I am sure there may be one or two more.

Maybe he never saw Star Wars or understood the Boba Fett phenom.

[King Robert's Warhammer]

Syrio Forel RIP

[KOM]

If Syrio isn't dead then everyone lives on forever and ever and the god are always merciful and all your children are healthy, and war never visits, neither famine, nor plague, and to every chlid their very own warg puppy.

[The Dornishman's Wife]

If Syrio isn't dead then everyone lives on forever and ever and the god are always merciful and all your children are healthy, and war never visits, neither famine, nor plague, and to every chlid their very own warg puppy.

:agree: ...on a stick. :agree:

[Where Boars Glow]

If Syrio isn't dead then everyone lives on forever and ever and the god are always merciful and all your children are healthy, and war never visits, neither famine, nor plague, and to every chlid their very own warg puppy.

What about the unsullied children? Uh OH :)

[WinterKing]

Syrio fought valiantly, Syrio fought nobly, Syrio fought honorably. And Syrio died.

From another thread.

[The Dornishman's Wife]

Syrio fought valiantly, Syrio fought nobly, Syrio fought honorably. And Syrio died.

Lol yeah, that's probably the best (and most concise) description of Syrio's fate I've read so far.

[daario's man]

I just read the whole Syrio thread and this theory never came up. But it makes a lot more sense than the Jaqen H'Ghar theory. It only makes sense that he would continue his training and protection back in Braavos.

NO.