Becoming No One: Rereading Arya III

[Daphne23]

@Daphne, Arya's given orders in this particular context are the opposite of having her "training as cannon fodder". She is ordered to stay behind in safety against her wish, which is to fight. She obeys, because she understands that if she interferes unexpectedly, it is very possible to undermine the desired outcome of the battle.

It doesn't matter what she's doing - she's ordered to obey, and understands she must do so without question, which is what common soldiers do, not a commander. In this chapter she is ordered to stay behind in safety, but in another situation, she may be ordered to fight. I'm not criticising Arya for obeying, or indeed, the principle of obedience - just expressing concern as to what this means for her current state of development. I think Pod the Impaler puts it very well here:

She is like a wolf in this respect - if you do not lead the pack, you must follow the one who does.

I guess it seems to me that, by being kept in this continual 'fight or flight' situation, like a wild animal, her choices are narrowing to obey or be obeyed, which works in battle, but not during the rest of life, and this concerns me when considering her wider development outside her role as a warrior and killer. I think we see this with her treatment of Gendry, as well, where she reduces a complex situation to a question of loyalty - does he want to remain part of her pack, or not? Again, this isn't a criticism of Arya - I think the scene where she lashes out at Gendry at the end of this chapter is actually very touching, and I felt great sympathy for her feelings of abandonment and loss, although I wished they could have parted as friends. Sadly, GRRM makes it clear that their paths are inevitably diverging.

[brashcandy]

Rapsie is unavailable this week, so I'll be presenting Arya VIII. A belated thank you to Milady of York for her great work on Arya VI and hopefully Lyanna Stark has met Jon Snow :)

ASOS - ARYA VIII

SUMMARY

The chapter opens with Arya and her BWB companions arriving back at High Heart. They make camp on the great hill with the circle of weirwood stumps, and Arya thinks of the place being haunted when she feels like the wind is a ghost tugging on her cloak. Thoros of Myr is peering into the fire, and we learn that he can sometimes see things in the flames. He begins to talk of how he came to Westeros to spread the word of the Lord of Light, but is interrupted by Beric Dondarrion:

"Fire consumes." Lord Beric stood behind them, and there was something in his voice that silenced Thoros at once. "It consumes, and when it is done there is nothing left. Nothing."

"Beric. Sweet friend." The priest touched the lightning lord on the forearm. "What are you saying?"

"Nothing I have not said before. Six times, Thoros? Six times is too many." He turned away abruptly.

That night, the Ghost of High Heart joins Lem, Thoros and Beric at the fire, referring to Beric as "His Grace the Lord of Corpses". He tells her that it is an "ill-omened name" and has asked her not to use it.

"Aye, you have. But the stink of death is fresh on you, my lord."

The old woman agrees to exchange news for some wine and a song, and proceeds to tell them what she has seen. In total, she delivers 6 dreams:

1. The King is dead... The wet one. The kraken king, m'lords. I dreamt him dead and he died, and the iron squids now turn on one another.

2. Lord Hoster Tully's died too, but you know that, don't you?

3. In the hall of kings, the goat sits alone and fevered as the great dog descends on him."

4. I dreamt of a wolf howling in the rain, but no one heard his grief. I dreamt such a clangor I thought my head might burst, drums and horns and pipes and screams, but the saddest sound was the little bells.

5. I dreamt of a maid at a feast with purple serpents in her hair, venom dripping from their fangs.

6. And later, I dreamt of that maid again, slaying a savage giant in a castle built of snow.

At this point, the old woman spies Arya and beckons her closer. Calling her wolf child and blood child, she tells Arya that is she, not Beric, who smelt of death:

She began to sob, her little body shaking. "You are cruel to come to my hill, child. I gorged on grief at Summerhall, I need none of yours. Begone, from here, dark heart. Begone!

Arya is startled, and Beric reassures the old woman that they are taking her with them with them to Riverrun to meet her mother. The crone tells them that Catelyn is not there, and to look for her at the Twins since there's to be a wedding. Thoros tells Arya that Beric will find her mother wherever she is.

They group resumes travelling in a torrential downpour, and Arya engages Ned in conversation as they make their way to an abandoned village for shelter. She can tell that Gendry doesn't like the boy by his gruff manner, but she thinks that Ned is pleasant and nice looking. She asks him if he's ever killed anyone, and when he replies that he's only twelve, it sparks Arya's rumination on her own violent acts:

Arya was remembering the stable boy at King's Landing. After him there'd been that guard whose throat she cut at at Harrenhal, and Ser Amory's men at that holdfast by the lake. She didn't know if Weese and Chiswyck counted, or the ones who died on account of the weasel soup.... all of a sudden, she felt very sad.

Ned goes on to make some surprising revelations to Arya about her family: first about Jon Snow's mother being a wetnurse named Wylla, and then concerning the tragic romance between her father and Ashara Dayne. In the course of the conversation Arya also learns that Ned is the Lord of Starfall, much to Gendry's chagrin. While she is pleased that she will be able to tell Jon his mother's identity, she becomes quite upset when she learns that Ashara killed herself in heartbreak over Ned, and insists that her mother is the only one her father ever loved.

Arya leaves the boy in anger, prompting Harwin to come to her and tell her that it's an old rumour which she shouldn't worry about, and that Ned had met Ashara whilst Catelyn was still betrothed to Brandon.

When they arrive at the abandoned village, Arya describes it as "only black stones and old bones." She asks if the Lannisters are the ones reponsible for the destruction, but learns that the truth hits closer to home:

"Hoster Tully... This was Lord Goodbrook's village. When Riverrun declared for Robert, Goodbrook stayed loyal to the King, so Lord Tully came down on him came down on him with fire and sword. After the Trident, Goodbrook's son made peace with Robert and Lord Hoster, but that didn't help the dead none."

Unlike his earlier failure to see anything in the fire at High Heart, Thoros is awarded with a vision when they make camp at the village. Their plan to take Arya to Riverrun is in jeopardy due to what the red priest has seen:

"...An island in a sea of fire , it seemed. The flames were leaping lions with long crimson claws. And how they roared! A sea of Lannisters, my lady. Riverrun will soon come under attack.

Arya doesn't want to believe it at first and insists that Robb will beat the Lannisters. But Throros tells he did not see her mother and brother in the flames and that they may have indeed gone to the wedding the GHH spoke of. They ask if the Blackfish would recognize her, but Arya cannot remember ever meeting her uncle. Beric states that their best move is to return to Lady Smallwood at Acorn Hall while they gather information on the armies, and Arya reaches her breaking point. She runs from the hall in despair only to be captured by Sandor Clegane.

ANALYSIS

Returning

The journey back to High Heart that opens the chapter and Beric 's final consideration of returning to Acorn Hall establish the ultimate futility of the BWB's efforts with Arya, thwarted in their plans to make it to Riverrun and ransom her back to her family. The return to High Heart does give the group valuable information, and presents us with a chilling assessment of Arya's character. The landscape of the past is further referenced in the abandoned village which was destroyed by Lord Hoster, an action which recalls Varys's words to Ned on how innocents suffer when the high lords play their game of thrones, and highlights that the perspective of who is bad or good often depends on which side you're standing on. The "queer look" that Gendry gives to Arya seems to confirm his realisation of that fact. As much as these two were able to bond via their experiences in the Riverlands, there's the unmistakable fact that Arya belongs on the side of the "lords and ladies" and Gendry has chosen to belong to an organization that purports not to choose sides and wants to help the smallfolk.

Arya also has to confront the past in the revelation that her father may have had another love before her mother. She struggles with the idea that her father who was so honourable might have been involved in an affair that led to such a tragic ending. We see her thinking about how many persons she's killed right before the discussion on her family begins, and she grows sad. I think this deeper awarness of her own loss of innocence connects to her outburst over Ned's comments. She desperately wants to return to her family, and continues to hold her father in the highest esteem, refusing to tell Harwin of all she's done because it would be like telling Ned, and asking Thoros if he could resurrect a man with no head. If she is made to doubt her father's honour and the sanctity of the relationship he had with her mother, it would represent a terrible loss in faith of the one thing in her life that has remained a constant. For Arya, the ability to understand that her father might have had another love is a necessary part of her development.

Dark heart?

"I see you, wolf child. Blood child. I thought it was the lord who smelled of death..."

The Ghost of High Heart has been portrayed as an authority figure to be taken seriously, so her judgement here deserves consideration. She is also associated with the old gods, making her opinion even more weighty with respect to Arya. We've discussed her growing connection to death throughout these chapters in the Riverlands, and the GHH not only confirms this association, but focuses on how it has affected Arya's nature. Whilst she can be fairly jovial with Beric who has been resurrected six times, she is deadly serious with Arya. It's an indication of just how much Arya may have allowed herself to be consumed by thoughts of revenge and death to her enemies, to say nothing of the pain she is suffering due to her losses. Beric tells Thoros that six times is too many, and we see the toll that repeated resurrection is having on him. For Arya, her toll is in the form of her prayer list, and the men she's killed since leaving KL. We could see it as referencing Arya's future grief as well, with the Red Wedding soon about to take place, and her eventual involvement with the Faceless Men. Smelling of death and the label of wolf child/blood child could also be linked to her warg bond with Nymeria.

Dreams and Prophecies

The power of the Old Gods, and that of the Red God is in display in the chapter via the GHH and Thoros of Myr. With the latter we learn of the coming siege on Riverrun by the Lannister forces, while the former reveals an extensive set of prophecies/predictions:

1. "The King is dead... The wet one. The kraken king, m'lords. I dreamt him dead and he died, and the iron squids now turn on one another. - The death of Balon Greyjoy and the resulting fight for power among his family members.

2. Lord Hoster Tully's died too, but you know that, don't you?

3. In the hall of kings, the goat sits alone and fevered as the great dog descends on him." - Vargo Hoat's eventual torture and death by the Mountain at Harrenhal.

4. I dreamt of a wolf howling in the rain, but no one heard his grief. I dreamt such a clangor I thought my head might burst, drums and horns and pipes and screams, but the saddest sound was the little bells. - the Red Wedding (reference to Grey Wind and Jinglebells).

5. I dreamt of a maid at a feast with purple serpents in her hair, venom dripping from their fangs. - Sansa and the poisoned hairnet which is used to kill Joffrey.

6. And later, I dreamt of that maid again, slaying a savage giant in a castle built of snow. - Still unknown, but I believe it refers to Sansa's role in LF's death/demise. Given the gravity of the other dreams, it's hard to imagine that this is fulfilled when she rips the head off Sweetrobin's doll during the snow castle scene in the Eyrie.

　

[Mladen]

As always, great analysis of the chapter. Congratulations on wonderful work

Not long ago, we talked about importance of number 6 in Arya `s storyarc. Six times have been Beric ressurected, which means he had lived seven lives. GHH had told six prophecies before Arya appeared. But the words she told to Arya can also be interpreted as prophecy.

The dwarf woman studied her with dim red eyes.“I see you,” she whispered.“I see you, wolf child. Blood child. I thought it was the lord who smelled of death...” She began to sob, her little body shaking.“You are cruel to come to my hill, cruel. I gorged on grief at Summerhall, I need none of yours. Begone from here, dark heart. Begone!”

As we know from Barristan`s POV in DWD, GHH has been in Summerhall during the Tragedy, and he thinks she died with all others, but she somehow survived. The tragedy of Summerhall must have impacted her and done her a great sorrow, so in sight of Arya who will soon experience sorrow she did at Summerhall, she is so grief-stricken. Furthermore she called Arya `a wolf child, blood child who smells of death`. She is perhaps seeing what Arya had done with Jaqen, and the coin she received. Or this could be the seventh prophecy talking about Arya as a creature of death with great pain.

The interaction between Arya and Edric is so interesting. The both of them come from very old Houses, he is even Lord, and she is supposingly Princess, and yet in that world they are found, he is nothing more than a squire to a dead rebel lord as she is nothing more than a hostage. But, above all Arya`s experience, above all the killings, and everything she survived, she remains a child. A child who can`t percieve the truth her father loved another woman beside her mother. Here I have to make parallel between this conversation and the one Sansa had with LF. Unlike Arya who bursted out on poor Ned, Sansa accepts this much calmer. This childish behaviour of Arya proves us how strong personalities Stark children are. In some way, this is her innocence. Just like Sansa`s compassion to others, Arya`s childish realization of the world makes her beautifully sweet and naive.

If I was early to reply, then I am sorry. One more time, I really enjoyed reading this.

[WiDMNDBAMMD]

I think this chapter is should be called Past and Future Collide. A ton of things seem to be connected to Arya.

From here she could see a storm raging to the North, but High Heart stood above the rain.

Arya has been ultimately trying to get North, to her home to Winterfell and she can easily see it on top of High Heart. Real wolves were howling in the west.

She began to sob, her little body shaking. "You are cruel to come to my hill, child. I gorged on grief at Summerhall, I need none of yours. Begone, from here, dark heart. Begone!

The Ghost of High Heart can see what Arya has done, possibly, but she also sees what is going to happen to her. Arya is tied to the number six a lot, here again we see six visions given by the GoHH all of them are tied to Arya in a way. (Beric also mentions his six deaths again)

1. Balon is killed by a Faceless Man (unconfirmed but the last vision she saw supports it, some theorize Jaqen H'ghar himself, who knows, either way Arya is tied to the FM even at this point by her iron coin)

2. Her grandfather died.

3. The Mountain kills the Goat- weasel soup(This would've still happened but Arya did intervene so it's part of "her work")

4. Mother and Brother die.

5. Sansa at Purple Wedding( funny that Arya would've gladly killed Joffrey if she had the chance while she was escaping KL)

6 Sansa slaying Tyrion(called a giant by Aemon and Shae) or Littlefinger( grandson of a man from Braavos, Titan of Braavos = Giant)

Also as soon as the Ghost of High Heart disappears it begins to pour down rain for the rest of the chapter, it doesn't stop. Forshadowing a bit of the old gods bring the rain for Arya's future grief and possibly for a bit of her "cleansing"Arya reflects on the men she's killed and feels sad, even recalling that men died because of her actions of whispering names and weasel soup, she doesn't know if those "count" as her kills. She thinks about this right after Ned was talking about Beric dying in the battle. Let us not forget it was Arya's father that gave Beric the task to slay the mountain and Ned is talking about battle similarly to how her father would.

The Ghosts of the Past and Future

The wind Arya feels is compared to Ghosts

She recalls Syrio's words when she feels the fear creep up her back

She compares the GoHH to Jon's direwolf called Ghost

Thoros mentions he sees in the past and future in the flamesBeric mentions his past deaths.

Thoros explains his past to Gendry

The GoHH talks about her past grief compared to Arya's future/past grief

Thoros sees the future in the flames of what will happen to Riverrun.

Arya recalls not knowing her mother's uncle even if they'd met.

Eddard's Ghost comes back to tell Harwin not to talk about Ashara to Catelyn.

After Catelyn confronted Ned with the name and told her where she heard it, the name Ashara was heard by Catelyn in Winterfell again. Harwin was around Arya's age when this happened, but now he begs Arya not to speak any of this to Catelyn. Even with Ned dead Harwin doesn't give Arya any more information than what Edric has told her.

Ned/Arya/Gendry connections

Edric Dayne's uncle was one of the three Knights at the Tower of Joy, Arya's aunt was at the Tower of Joy, Gendry's unknown father was betrothed to Arya's aunt. Edric Storm and Jon Snow are milk brothers according to what Edric has heard at Starfall also Arya's father and Edric's aunt fell in love at Harrenhall, almost every known relative of the three of them were there. Arya is upset about the story about Ashara and her father because the memory of her father matters to her.

What is a bit interesting is Gendry brings up the obvious stain that is against Eddard Stark's honor the bastard that he fathered during the war with Edric's wet nurse. Harwin tries to put Ashara to rest by explaining that the tourney was before Brandon died, so he was suppose to marry Catelyn not her father at that point.

She takes away the information that she wants to know, Jon Snow's mother's name.

It's interesting that Ned uses the term "base-born" and Arya calls Jon "bastard-born". He's very polite in all this, a gentleman compared to a "lady" that is throwing crab apples at people and calling herself "the bad kind"

Then we get more explanation of the Gendry picture. He tells Arya at least Eddard took care of his bastard, Gendry's father never did anything for him. He didn't even know his name. He talks about how he'd beat him bloody if he was around, mocking his dead mother's words. Once again GRRM making fun of the fact that Gendry doesn't know his dad.

He does make a correct assumption that both their father's are dead so what does it matter who they bedded while they were alive?We get more of Gendry's mocking attitude about Lords and Ladies. He sees Ned complaining about the rain in his hair and then sees Arya's attitude change once she realizes who he is. This chapter we also see him clearly upset at seeing what her grandfather did to "loyalists" in the rebellion. More Harrenhall evidence, small folk suffer while high lords play their game of thrones.

One final thing we see early on in the chapter is Gendry talking about the past with Thoros. Clearly he has thoughts about Thoros being "a fake" because of how he was in the past. Gendry's trying to work out his reservations against Thoros because of his past "tricks" where clearly he's recently witnessed him bringing a man back to life and using a flaming sword that isn't dipped in wildphyre.

Double H

Harren Hall

High Heart

Hallow Hill

Acorn Hall ~ could kinda sound like Hawcorn Hall...

Escape all for not

Arya gets frustrated and impatient with the BwB and how they said they'd take her to Riverrun, but now they were doubling back to all these other places and just going around in circles. She runs off and thinks it's everyone else's fault that she hasn't made it back to her family. She doesn't own up to her mistake of not giving mercy to Lommy or not revealing herself to Harwin.

In the end she ends up with someone with the same idea as the BwB but not with all their "side quests"

[Pod The Impaler]

ASOS - ARYA VIII

SUMMARY

They group resumes travelling in a torrential downpour, and Arya engages Ned in conversation as they make their way to an abandoned village for shelter. She can tell that Gendry doesn't like the boy by his gruff manner, but she thinks that Ned is pleasant and nice looking. She asks him if he's ever killed anyone, and when he replies that he's only twelve, it sparks Arya's rumination on her own violent acts:

Arya was remembering the stable boy at King's Landing. After him there'd been that guard whose throat she cut at at Harrenhal, and Ser Amory's men at that holdfast by the lake. She didn't know if Weese and Chiswyck counted, or the ones who died on account of the weasel soup.... all of a sudden, she felt very sad.

Ned goes on to make some surprising revelations to Arya about her family: first about Jon Snow's mother being a wetnurse named Wylla, and then concerning the tragic romance between her father and Ashara Dayne. In the course of the conversation Arya also learns that Ned is the Lord of Starfall, much to Gendry's chagrin. While she is pleased that she will be able to tell Jon his mother's identity, she becomes quite upset when she learns that Ashara killed herself in heartbreak over Ned, and insists that her mother is the only one her father ever loved.

Arya leaves the boy in anger, prompting Harwin to come to her and tell her that it's an old rumour which she shouldn't worry about, and that Ned had met Ashara whilst Catelyn was still betrothed to Brandon.

When they arrive at the abandoned village, Arya describes it as "only black stones and old bones." She asks if the Lannisters are the ones reponsible for the destruction, but learns that the truth hits closer to home:

"Hoster Tully... This was Lord Goodbrook's village. When Riverrun declared for Robert, Goodbrook stayed loyal to the King, so Lord Tully came down on him came down on him with fire and sword. After the Trident, Goodbrook's son made peace with Robert and Lord Hoster, but that didn't help the dead none."

ANALYSIS

Returning

The landscape of the past is further referenced in the abandoned village which was destroyed by Lord Hoster, an action which recalls Varys's words to Ned on how innocents suffer when the high lords play their game of thrones, and highlights that the perspective of who is bad or good often depends on which side you're standing on. The "queer look" that Gendry gives to Arya seems to confirm his realisation of that fact. As much as these two were able to bond via their experiences in the Riverlands, there's the unmistakable fact that Arya belongs on the side of the "lords and ladies" and Gendry has chosen to belong to an organization that purports not to choose sides and wants to help the smallfolk.

Arya also has to confront the past in the revelation that her father may have had another love before her mother. She struggles with the idea that her father who was so honourable might have been involved in an affair that led to such a tragic ending. We see her thinking about how many persons she's killed right before the discussion on her family begins, and she grows sad. I think this deeper awarness of her own loss of innocence connects to her outburst over Ned's comments. She desperately wants to return to her family, and continues to hold her father in the highest esteem, refusing to tell Harwin of all she's done because it would be like telling Ned, and asking Thoros if he could resurrect a man with no head. If she is made to doubt her father's honour and the sanctity of the relationship he had with her mother, it would represent a terrible loss in faith of the one thing in her life that has remained a constant. For Arya, the ability to understand that her father might have had another love is a necessary part of her development.

(I'll split my comments into two part - first about what Edric Dayne and the BWB tell her about the past.)

Arya being told that her father was in love with another girl, prior to her mother hurts her. Unlike how some others interpret it, I'm not sure it is entirely to do with how she perceives his honour. This is what is said in the text, when Harwin assures her it was before her father and mother got together. Arya is told that her mother was betrothed to Brandon Stark first (and maybe have already known this anyway), but if she is told that and is still upset, I don't think honour is the issue.

Arya is still a child, and we know from the rest of her story that things to do with love or mating are still a bit over her head - she sees them the way a child does. By comparison, Sansa is already at an age where she understands such things better.

It is not a total shock to Arya that her father may have had some passing thing with another woman - after all, she knows Jon Snow is a bastard born to someone else besides her mother. Eddard kept his child and kept his honour. However, getting some random girl pregnant is not the same as feeling love, and the idea that her father might have felt love for another woman hurts Arya's feelings of family.

Edric's story touches a raw nerve - Arya's views on love might (strange as this may seem) be just as all-or-nothing / black & white as Sansa's. To Arya, her father and mother loved each other, period. That love for each other was also the basis for their love of their children, and their entire home life in Winterfell. Jon Snow was in a way the flaw in this gem on her mother's side, since Arya's sharp enough to know her mother didn't love him as a son (because he wasn't), but Jon was still loved by the rest because he was a Stark. Love and loyalty mean the same thing to her.

The story of Wylla is nothing much to her - she is even glad she might one day be able to give Jon the name he has sought his whole life. The story of Ashara Dayne and her father in love strikes deep at those feelings of loyalty and security. (I doubt Arya realized her father always had a shade of resentment over Catelyn having been meant for Brandon Stark originally - that would have stung Arya too if she knew it.)

Suddenly now, Arya is her mother's daughter - unsure that her father was 100% committed to her mother and feeling hurt and angry about it. Despite all the horrors she's gone through, inside her head, her family life, her identity as a Stark, was an unassailable fortress - it is what Winterfell means in her heart. In Arya's entire life experience, the one constant was that her father and mother loved each other completely. To introduce doubts or complexities regarding her parents' emotional history strikes at her Winterfell. She is a child, so this Ashara situation that is "no big deal" to Harwin is catastrophic to her.

Of course, this is a bit of contradiction of Arya's part, maybe even wilful blindness. She knows her father was not a carouser like Robert or Theon. Her father still had a bastard child - Jon Snow - whose mother is unknown. Having heard the Wylla story and the Ashara story, if Arya was using the "true seeing" when considering it, she'd see that the Wylla story makes little sense, and Edric is probably wrong about that. Then again, perhaps she does not want to see - because the alternative is more painful and guilt-inducing. If Edric is wrong about Wylla, then the odds go way up that Ashara Dayne is Jon's mother, and that means Jon's mother threw herself in the sea because she and Eddard could not be a family together ---> Arya's happy family life exists because Jon Snow's does not.

Now, as this is messing with Arya's head, she gets to add some additional guilt over who / what she is: highborn, a "wolf" (in war terms), and a killer.

Arya and Gendry like each other, as we know, and Gendry has a big chip on his shoulder about the highborn. There is tension between them over it, and the addition of the BWB over time causes even more. Edric Dayne is a nice guy but unwittingly drives a wedge between her and Gendry, because he's a reminder that Arya and Edric are from one world, and Gendry another. (At least this is how Gendry sees it.) Arya may be able to live like the smallfolk, but she is not really one of them. Gendry has one path to take, and she another.

Arya also likes the Brotherhood, despite the situation - I'd say she'd even considering joining their "pack" if she did not have other places to go. After all, they strike down evil-doers and protect the smallfolk, and she has no problems living rough like them (and she'd join them in battle if they'd let her). They were once the King's men, loyally continuing the mission given by her father.

The big snag is that as the war has dragged on, even the "wolves" have begun to turn on the smallfolk with malice as well. The BWB are not really on the "wolf" side (at least not anymore). Some of these "wolves" have done some very nasty things, and she knows it. Previously we see some Karstark men put to death by the Brotherhood for attacks on the smallfolk, and it makes Arya ashamed that "her" people would do such things. Then she finds out about Lord Goodbrook's village, that its destruction was her grandfather's work. Arya has never met him, but that's still someone of her blood - her highborn blood, her guilty blood. People like her ride down and kill the Mycah's of the world, or else order it done. It's not just in this war, but all wars, maybe even all the time. Does that mean the Hound is right, then? Are they all unjust killers, putting on airs with their grand titles and lineages ? What is she then?

This is when we see the first of Arya contemplating what she is in any sort of negative light. Arya is a killer- a wolf, a ghost of Harrenhal, a water dancer, a daughter of Winterfell. She is proud of that, in some ways quite rightly so, because she has survived on her own strength and cunning for a long while already. Still, even discounting what the BWB and Gendry might have to say, what about her own family? She killed a stableboy; she fought and slew some people at the holdfast; she wished for people to die and by naming them, killed some; she unleashed the weasel soup; she slit a guard's throat. She is 9 or 10 years old, and is a hardened killer; the squire next to her is trained to arms and has seen battles but still never killed anyone, and that is what is normal. Arya never really held "normal" in high esteem, but the contrast shows she's gone so far from a normal childhood there is no coming back. Truthfully, she thinks her childhood is dead and gone. (Another example later, when she's stopped with the Hound in that village, and she tears the head off that child's soldier doll.) Her mother and brother only know the little girl who left Winterfell - how could they want the feral thing that she's become ? As stated earlier - Arya's a child still, these are mostly her childish fears. But one does feel for her, that she's lost the innocent and joyful life a child would normally have. Once the RW happens, it becomes permanent. Arya the hardened killer may have survived, but Arya the little girl cannot exist anymore.

[Pod The Impaler]

Rapsie is unavailable this week, so I'll be presenting Arya VIII. A belated thank you to Milady of York for her great work on Arya VI and hopefully Lyanna Stark has met Jon Snow :)

ASOS - ARYA VIII

SUMMARY

The chapter opens with Arya and her BWB companions arriving back at High Heart. They make camp on the great hill with the circle of weirwood stumps, and Arya thinks of the place being haunted when she feels like the wind is a ghost tugging on her cloak. ... That night, the Ghost of High Heart joins Lem, Thoros and Beric at the fire, referring to Beric as "His Grace the Lord of Corpses". He tells her that it is an "ill-omened name" and has asked her not to use it.

The old woman agrees to exchange news for some wine and a song, and proceeds to tell them what she has seen. In total, she delivers 6 dreams:

1. The King is dead... The wet one. The kraken king, m'lords. I dreamt him dead and he died, and the iron squids now turn on one another.

2. Lord Hoster Tully's died too, but you know that, don't you?

3. In the hall of kings, the goat sits alone and fevered as the great dog descends on him."

4. I dreamt of a wolf howling in the rain, but no one heard his grief. I dreamt such a clangor I thought my head might burst, drums and horns and pipes and screams, but the saddest sound was the little bells.

5. I dreamt of a maid at a feast with purple serpents in her hair, venom dripping from their fangs.

6. And later, I dreamt of that maid again, slaying a savage giant in a castle built of snow.

At this point, the old woman spies Arya and beckons her closer. Calling her wolf child and blood child, she tells Arya that is she, not Beric, who smelt of death:

"I see you, wolf child. Blood child. I thought it was the lord who smelled of death...". She began to sob, her little body shaking. "You are cruel to come to my hill, child. I gorged on grief at Summerhall, I need none of yours. Begone, from here, dark heart. Begone!"

ANALYSIS

Returning

The journey back to High Heart that opens the chapter and Beric 's final consideration of returning to Acorn Hall establish the ultimate futility of the BWB's efforts with Arya, thwarted in their plans to make it to Riverrun and ransom her back to her family. The return to High Heart does give the group valuable information, and presents us with a chilling assessment of Arya's character.

Dark heart?

The Ghost of High Heart has been portrayed as an authority figure to be taken seriously, so her judgement here deserves consideration. She is also associated with the old gods, making her opinion even more weighty with respect to Arya. We've discussed her growing connection to death throughout these chapters in the Riverlands, and the GHH not only confirms this association, but focuses on how it has affected Arya's nature. Whilst she can be fairly jovial with Beric who has been resurrected six times, she is deadly serious with Arya. It's an indication of just how much Arya may have allowed herself to be consumed by thoughts of revenge and death to her enemies, to say nothing of the pain she is suffering due to her losses. Beric tells Thoros that six times is too many, and we see the toll that repeated resurrection is having on him. For Arya, her toll is in the form of her prayer list, and the men she's killed since leaving KL. We could see it as referencing Arya's future grief as well, with the Red Wedding soon about to take place, and her eventual involvement with the Faceless Men. Smelling of death and the label of wolf child/blood child could also be linked to her warg bond with Nymeria.

This is one of the most impotant of all Arya moments - when the "Night Wolf" / the "Ghost of Harrenhal" meets the Ghost of High Heart. I think of it as a fairly character-defining point in her story, at least as important to Arya as her interactions with Jaqen. Maybe of an order of magnitude as Bran's first green dream in his coma, or Dany's visions in the House Of The Undying. There are few seers whose prophecies are of the highest order, and the GOHH seems to be one. (Fair warning: I have read zero of the Dunk & Egg tales, and tried to avoid spoilers of it, so whatever this GOHH has to say about Summerhall and days past is largely a mystery to me.)

These GOHH prophecies have been well gone over, and only the 6th one seems to have any sort of ambiguity to it (in hindsight). However, I am struck by two things: first, the fact that she turns directly to Arya, as if the rest of the BWB and such do not matter, stresses how big a deal it is to the GOHH that Arya's there at all and that perhaps this always was meant to take place; second, the fact that the GOHH fears Arya's presence like some dire omen indicates there is something about Arya which is above and beyond the mundane sorrows that surround the Riverlands.

Yes, much of what the GOHH said could simply refer to the grief Arya has already seen, the vows of revenge she's sworn, and the bloodshed she's already been involved in.

Yes, much of what the GOHH said can also be interpreted to mean the grief that is still to come, the atrocity of the Red Wedding which shocks all of Westeros, and violates the most ancient and sacred laws.

And yet, I think the statements the GOHH makes are evidence of more than just this. What is it that makes Arya "smell of death"? The aura of death coming off Arya is able to overshadow Beric's own - that which allowed him to rise from death six times, and later pass on this condition to Lady Stoneheart. Arya is pracitically radioactive with it.

"WOLF CHILD. BLOOD CHILD." ?! Arya's connection with death is strong enough and on enough levels that ... well, that there's an entire thread on this board just about that fact alone.

Arya is a warg, clearly enough a wolf child. She calls herself one, the GOHH seems in agreement. She is a "blood child" - blood as in bloodshed, but possibly also blood as in blood magic, which if you refer back to Mirri Maaz Duur, you will know is magic of extreme potency. "Only death may pay for life" and so on.

As Arya reflects later on herself, when compared with Edric Dayne, compared with Gendry and Hot Pie, compared with The Hound - compared with anyone really - she is clearly not normal. At her young age, she is already a prodigy at fighting and killing. In addition, death seems to just spontaneously precede her and follow her, and flow from her in general. Even the person Arya is most like (Lyanna) is someone dead, someone whose life shattered a royal dynasty and may have been key to the fulfillment of a great prophecy.

This is why I tend towards the notion that Arya is not just a child witnessing war, or a warrior child, but perhaps someone supernaturally powerful and bound up in some greater destiny that is shaping her journey. Is it by accident that she's so good at killing? Is it by accident that she sees every horror imaginable before she's even past 10? Is it by accident that so many die simply by her being around? Is it by accident she is drawn to the House of Black and White? Arya's destiny may be powerful and terrifying, and perhaps the GOHH senses it.

That's why for me "wolf child, blood child" is one of the most powerful sections of one of the most ominous chapters in the whole series.

(After all, it was only partly in jest that I made the sig I am currently using.)

[The Sleeper]

Awsome posts Pod the Impaler!

Reading the chapter with your second post in mind, certain elements stuck out to me as stages of a ceremony, a christening. The group makes an arduous ascent through trying conditions to a holy place as a storm comes in from the North. The wind is so strong and temperamental it makes Arya think there are presences there. ...the gusts were blowing so strongly that it felt like someone was behind her... Ghosts, she remembered. High Heart is haunted.

High heart it self is very iconic as a ruin, thirty one weirwood stumps in a circle, a place where old and forgotten powers reside as the ghost confirms herself. Compare with the weirwood grove beyond the wall where Jon took his oath and the hill Bran is currently under.

The group preceds to make a fire, a prayer in Thoros' case, for favor and knowledge. At which point while ..the wind was howling almost like a wolf and there were some real wolves to the west giving it lessons the oracle appears. The group gives offerings of song and wine and receives prophecy.

After the prophecies are made the Ghost of high Heart acknowledges Arya and beckons her closer. She turned her head sharply and smiled through the gloom, right at Arya. "You cannot hide from me, child. Come closer, now. Your nature is known to me, so step forward. This must come to pass.

Arya approaches with trepidation. "I see you", she whispered. "I see you wolf child. Blood child". The seer knows Arya and names her attributes and so bestows them upon her. Child of the wolf, child of the blood(?) The associations of the first are obvious and in many ways already known. The possible implications of the latter are too numerous to mention.

I thought it was the lord that smelled of death ..." this can be seen as comparison, particularly as it is accompanied by convulsions and terror.

The task is done though it has been arduous and a heavy burden for this old and weary seer and she tries expell what has come in to her presence with a curse, though Arya meant her no harm.

The ceremony concludes as... the sky opened. Lightning cracked and thunder rolled across the hills, and the rain fell in blinding sheets. The rain would persist long enough to flood the land and accompany Arya all the way to the Twins taken there by the Hound.

[Uncat]

Great posts.

Now that all is said and done, a dog leads her to the reign of Death. All the way to the Twins and beyond all the way to Saltpans.

Yes, it is a culmination of her journey. The seer calls her out and names her. It is a moment like Sansas holy communion with Winter, when she recives that single snowflake on the Eiry.

[Ice Turtle]

There is some parallel between Dany in THoTU, and especially Cersei with Maggy the Frog and Arya meeting GoTHH. Arya isn't the one seeking prophecies, though she clearly believes in them. Arya also doesn't get any clearly formulated prophecy about herself and doesn't become paranoid about it like Cesrsei and Dany.

[ShadowCat Rivers]

Great posts Pod the Impaler, nothing much left to be said, really!

This chapter is loaded with forshadowing, with the prophesies of the Ghost of High Heart standing out. A smaller one that may go unnoticed concerns Jon and his parentage:

She wondered if he would still call her "little sister." I'm not so little anymore. He'd have to call me something else.

In general, there is a lot of Jon references in this chapter. A "candidate" for his mother's identity that points to Dorne as his place of birth and a Dayne connection.

On Arya-Jon relationship, this quote is really important, I think:

Maybe I should go to the Wall instead of Riverrun. Jon wouldn't care who I killed or whether I brushed my hair...

Arya has doubts that her family would want her back because of what she has become. Childish insecurities in reality, but the fear of rejection is real enough in her mind (also fueled, I think, by the feeling of abandonment caused by Gendry and HotPie).

Jon represents the one constant in her life. Their relationship leaves no place for any doubts, he is the one person that she is sure will want her unconditionally.

Also, this is the third time if I remember correctly, that she has to deal with the fact that someone related to her (Hoster Tully here) has commited crimes against the smallfolk and she has to endure that she is -indirectly- blamed for it. She takes it without a word of complain and never doubts the truth of the story. She's only ten years old. No one ever felt she should be spared of the ugly details and she responds as a mature person, way beyond her years. A sharp contrast with Daenerys' reaction to any notion that she should learn some unpleasant facts...

*typos again...

[1234567]

BrashCandy fantastic write up! But from you I would expect nothing less. :)

This is a fantastic chapter for seeing Arya's view of the world and how it conflicts with others.

There are a lot of parallels between Arya and Cat in this chapter. The discussion about Jon's bastard status reminds us of Cat's memories of asking Ned about Ashara and also her comments to Lynette Mormont, about her once feeling she would never fit in the North. Arya has always felt to some degree an outsider and I think it is clear that Cat did too. She was we'd to a man she met once, who she didn't love initially, taken to a different kingdom with a different religion and where she had to get used to their way of life. Then her new husband defies convention by bringing up his bastard along side her son. He undermines her, (edit: because of treating Jon as an equal to her children and refusing to share any info about him with her) and by making everyone shut up about the gossip it doesn't solve the problem, because she still knew that there had been gossip and that her situation was not what she expected it to be. She had to get used to somewhere where she did not feel she was part of it. She was used to being part of a shoal of fish, not a pack of wolves. The feeling of being a fish out of water must have been really hard for her. Similarly Arya has the same feelings to a degree. Her beliefs about what her family and people were and represent are being shattered. She feels out of place in much the same way Cat may have done.

Arya's realisation that her father may have had a love before her mother is something she has never been faced with. Because of her age, she has never been faced with the realities of how marriage works in Westeros: Jon is almost an abstract concept, because no one ever spoke about his mother, it is became something that would never have occurred to her beyond the fact he was her half-brother. His bastard status was just a fact about him with the how's and whys of it separated from his existence because he was treated as a full family member. This is a very sad chapter for Arya as her life has been in turmoil and even her memories of her family are now under question from others.

I used to think the Ghost of High Heart's prophecy about her being the blood child boded ill and pointed towards the FM, but the ore I think about the comparison to Summerhall, the more it strikes me that it alludes mainly to the RW.

The Gendry / Edric divide again highlights that while Arya takes folk at face value, the culture of Westeros for both the high and low does not work that way. Both Gendry and Edric are aware of who they are and who Arya is. Whether she likes it or not, she will be treated differently from others. She is not a Mycah or Hot Pie: she has a value to others and will be used by them because of it and cannot in a way chose her own fate and still be Arya Stark.

Edit: sorry about the terrible puns. Sometimes a girl can't help it.

[Ragnorak]

Wonderful work, Brash. This is quite a dense chapter.

Rapsie, you're just putting in those puns to tease Lummel. It is interesting that you note the links between Arya and Cat here. After Ned is dead Arya learns that her father had a love before her mother while surrounded with connections to her mother. Later after Cat's death Sansa will "learn" that her mother had a love before her father while surrounded by connections to her father-- particularly LF pretending to be her father. Cat loving LF is a lie, while Ned and Ashara are still an unknown. Hmm.. the truth in each case seems to involve a pregnant sister. Also both Arya and Sansa are being pursued while they hear these tales-- Arya by Gendry and Sansa by LF (and maybe Marillion.) We also get elements of the past repeating itself with Arya/Gendry as a Rober/Lyanna and Sansa/LF as a Cat/LF replay.

I have always looked at these prophesies as relating to the death of Kings which they in fact do. They can also be viewed as very Stark/North/Old Gods centric. Sansa's venomous hair is what kills Joffrey but paying particular attention to the words Joffrey isn't mentioned at all like Balon is. Balon's death results in the Kingsmoot that pulls the Ironborn forces away from Moat Cailin. The infighting is what sets Asha up to get captured by Stannis and marched to Winterfell. That event also leads to the invasion of Highgarden by the Ironborn but we get no mention of squids in the rivers or squids attacking shields. It was Balon who had the somewhat irrational desire to invade the North and the North is the only area that benefits from the infighting after his death. Sansa is mentioned in the setting of Joffrey's death but only Sansa and her hair are referenced. For Sansa this was her escape and she is again spoken of regarding death of the giant. The Red Wedding elements are about Robb's wolf and Cat's death and the fall of Harrenhal was part of the Red Wedding and is about Bolton's betrayal. The Goat's fever is about Brienne's bite and she will be sent to look for the Stark girls. The Stark centric visions fits with the Ghost of Highheart being related to the Old Gods and also supports Rapsie's idea that Arya's death smell is about the Red Wedding as a parallel to Summerhall rather than her being the Grim Reaper about to hit puberty.

[WiDMNDBAMMD]

Excellent job everyone, just noticed something maybe.

I dreamt a wolf howling in the rain, but no one heard his grief.

Let me tell you something about wolves child. When the snows falls and the white wind blows the lone wolf dies but the pack survives.

[Blisscraft]

Brashcandy - Love the point about returning. It reminds me of some lines from Eliot's Four Quartets, Little Gidding:

We shall not cease from exploration

And at the end of our exploring

Will be to arrive where we started

And know the place for the first time.

The return to High Heart and its circle of weirwoods stumps is not only a return to Arya's past, but also, as noted above by Rapsie, a return to her family's past as well. Arya's return is as much of a circle as the weirwood stumps which were once a weirwood grove.

The circle is such a potent symbol. It represents the psyche in all of its varous aspects, including the relationship between humanity and nature. It is a spatial orientation, especially here, where the circle is atop the hill and "above the rain." Arya may observe all directions without impediment or obstruction.

However, there are several differences between Arya's first visit to High Heart and this one. First, Arya comes the the hill without Beric Dondarrion and Thoros. The BwB are looking for them, but he they not there. On her return to High Heart, Beric, is now with them and he is, according to the old woman, "his Grace the Lord of Corpses." That the "Lord of Corpses" now accompanies Arya to this place perhaps suggests that Arya is now psychically a part of the circle of life and death.

Another difference between this visit and the last is that when Arya arrives the first time, she walks the weirwood circle with Gendry. On her return, she walks the circle with Ned. This is an indication of what was discussed above with regard to Arya's status as a "lady" and who is truly a part of "her pack."

Lastly, (but not the only other difference), in her first visit to High Heart, she spies upon Tom, Lem, and Greenbeard talking to the old woman. She eavesdrops to hear the old woman's dreams. One of her dreams is of a "fish woman." The old woman, "dreams of a roaring river (a reference to the Lannister's lion) and a woman that was a fish (Tully). Dead she drifted, with red tears on her cheeks, but when her eyes did open, oh, I woke from terror." This is a reference to the death and "rebirth" of Cat.

With Arya's return to High Heart, she no longer simply spies, she is "called out" after the old woman has shared her dreams. The old woman says to Arya, "I see you." Arya cannot hide from the old woman now. She cannot hide from her physically or spiritually, as the old woman is a "seer" and sees beyond the physical world and into the spiritual, into the realm of the soul (oddly enough, generally represented by a circle, as in a halo). Also, the company around the fire is different at the old woman's second appearance. The second time seated at the dying fire are Lem, again, Thoros and Beric. (Tom joins the group a little later to sing the old woman her song as payment for her dreams). Finally, in this second visit, the old woman mentions Cat again. She advises to BwB to go to the Twins instead of Riverrun to find, "the mother" as there is to be a "wedding."

This "wedding" is a reference to the Red Wedding, but it could be, in light of the prior prophecy about the "fish woman" a reference to the union of Beric and Cat. Cat receives the kiss from Beric, as she would as a bride.

There is so much in this chapter. There is the return of the "kiss" and "kisses," (what the old woman wants as "payment" for her dreams), all of the wolf references, as noted above, and the wind pulling Arya's cloak, as it did the first time to wake her to the presence of the old woman. The cloak, as Ragnorak noted when we discussed the first High Heart chapter is symbolic of the change of house in the marriage ceremony of the Seven. Also, in light of this, (and my disjointed ideas) we again have the "mishmash," (according to Lummel) of religions that Lyanna Stark noted in the previous Arya chapter. However, it seems that in spite of all of the "mashing," High Heart, still, belongs soley or soully (for Rapsie) to the old gods. The old woman says to Thoros as he stares into the flames, his god won't appear because of the old gods, "linger here as I do, shrunken and feeble but not yet dead."

On last thing that has to do with the connection between the other prophecies noted by Ice Turtle, and the present prophecies is that when Dany is solo in the Dothraki Sea, she hears a wolf howl before she falls asleep and dreams of the prophecies by Quaithe.

[fantasmas]

Great points. I love reading these posts even if I don't always have much to add. I've currently been rereading AFFC and I thought there might be a similarity between the prophecies received by Arya from the Ghost of High Heart and the ones Cersei received from Maggy the Frog.

Both Maggy and the Ghost of High Heart are described as being woodswitches. Arya and Cersei would be around the same age to receive these prophecies that foretold the fates of kings and death.

I was largely caught by these quotes.

"Worms will have your maidenhead. Your death is here tonight, little one. Can you smell her breath? She is very close."

Maggy is speaking to Melara, likely referring to Cersei as death.

"I see you," she whispered. "I see you, wolf child. Blood child. I thought it was the lord who smelled of death . . .

The Ghost of High Heart to Arya

She dreamt an old dream, of three girls in brown cloaks, a wattled crone, and a tent that smelled of death.

Cersei's recollection of wearing a brown cloak. Arya also wears a brown cloak during her time as Cat of the Canals despite the fact that most Braavosi wear bright colors except for those of high rank who opt for more somber colors.

They rode through woods and fields, fording swollen streams where the rushing water came up to the bellies of their horses. Arya pulled up the hood of her cloak and hunched down, sodden and shivering but determined not to falter.

Arya wearing her own cloak.

[ladyinblack]

Great posts on one of my favorite POV'S ----

Arya acts for survivals sake and what she knows about the Stark's sense of honor. i feel that her worries about what if her father or mother knew of her killiings is a good thing. If she should have thought twice about it, she would have been dead.

[Mladen]

Brashcandy - Love the point about returning. It reminds me of some lines from Eliot's Four Quartets, Little Gidding:

We shall not cease from exploration

And at the end of our exploring

Will be to arrive where we started

And know the place for the first time.

The return to High Heart and its circle of weirwoods stumps is not only a return to Arya's past, but also, as noted above by Rapsie, a return to her family's past as well. Arya's return is as much of a circle as the weirwood stumps which were once a weirwood grove.

The circle is such a potent symbol. It represents the psyche in all of its varous aspects, including the relationship between humanity and nature. It is a spatial orientation, especially here, where the circle is atop the hill and "above the rain." Arya may observe all directions without impediment or obstruction.

However, there are several differences between Arya's first visit to High Heart and this one. First, Arya comes the the hill without Beric Dondarrion and Thoros. The BwB are looking for them, but he they not there. On her return to High Heart, Beric, is now with them and he is, according to the old woman, "his Grace the Lord of Corpses." That the "Lord of Corpses" now accompanies Arya to this place perhaps suggests that Arya is now psychically a part of the circle of life and death.

Another difference between this visit and the last is that when Arya arrives the first time, she walks the weirwood circle with Gendry. On her return, she walks the circle with Ned. This is an indication of what was discussed above with regard to Arya's status as a "lady" and who is truly a part of "her pack."

Lastly, (but not the only other difference), in her first visit to High Heart, she spies upon Tom, Lem, and Greenbeard talking to the old woman. She eavesdrops to hear the old woman's dreams. One of her dreams is of a "fish woman." The old woman, "dreams of a roaring river (a reference to the Lannister's lion) and a woman that was a fish (Tully). Dead she drifted, with red tears on her cheeks, but when her eyes did open, oh, I woke from terror." This is a reference to the death and "rebirth" of Cat.

With Arya's return to High Heart, she no longer simply spies, she is "called out" after the old woman has shared her dreams. The old woman says to Arya, "I see you." Arya cannot hide from the old woman now. She cannot hide from her physically or spiritually, as the old woman is a "seer" and sees beyond the physical world and into the spiritual, into the realm of the soul (oddly enough, generally represented by a circle, as in a halo). Also, the company around the fire is different at the old woman's second appearance. The second time seated at the dying fire are Lem, again, Thoros and Beric. (Tom joins the group a little later to sing the old woman her song as payment for her dreams). Finally, in this second visit, the old woman mentions Cat again. She advises to BwB to go to the Twins instead of Riverrun to find, "the mother" as there is to be a "wedding."

This "wedding" is a reference to the Red Wedding, but it could be, in light of the prior prophecy about the "fish woman" a reference to the union of Beric and Cat. Cat receives the kiss from Beric, as she would as a bride.

There is so much in this chapter. There is the return of the "kiss" and "kisses," (what the old woman wants as "payment" for her dreams), all of the wolf references, as noted above, and the wind pulling Arya's cloak, as it did the first time to wake her to the presence of the old woman. The cloak, as Ragnorak noted when we discussed the first High Heart chapter is symbolic of the change of house in the marriage ceremony of the Seven. Also, in light of this, (and my disjointed ideas) we again have the "mishmash," (according to Lummel) of religions that Lyanna Stark noted in the previous Arya chapter. However, it seems that in spite of all of the "mashing," High Heart, still, belongs soley or soully (for Rapsie) to the old gods. The old woman says to Thoros as he stares into the flames, his god won't appear because of the old gods, "linger here as I do, shrunken and feeble but not yet dead."

On last thing that has to do with the connection between the other prophecies noted by Ice Turtle, and the present prophecies is that when Dany is solo in the Dothraki Sea, she hears a wolf howl before she falls asleep and dreams of the prophecies by Quaithe.

I love this post, Blisscraft. As always, you give us a lot to think about.

Now, I agree that Arya`s story symbolizes the circle. Going forward and going back, wandering through Riverlands, Hound`s killing Mycah and her leaving hi behind. But, I also like to think, that Arya`s story has a bit more complex structure - a chain structure.

`Chain structure` was introduced in Serbian literature by Nobel prize winner Ivo Andric in his novel `The bridge on Drina`(whether it is used in any foreign literature I couldn`t tell, but if it is, please be free to tell me). Basically, it`s about countless inor stories who are basically circles, and one theme that connects all of them into a chain. Like in `Bridge on Drina`, you have so many different stories that occur throughout 5 centuries, and the only thing that connects them is that bridge.

Now, Arya`s two great motifs are vengeance and returning home to her family. And while you have so many different stories that go in circles (has its natural end and beginning) - Syrio Forell, Yoren, Harrenhall, Jaqen, HotPie and Gendry, Brotherhood, and now Ghost of High Heart, all is so wonderfully connected with her desire for vengeance and returning home. That`s where of course GoHH fits beautifully when she calls her `wolf child, blood child`. defining Arya`s story with so few words : family and vengeance.

In a very beautiful, poetic way, GRRM has given us the evolution of Arya`s story, where people come and go, live and die, castles changed their lords, but she always remains in a way obsessed with vengeance and family. And that`s her beginning and her end, her only constant, the one unchangable thing in this turbulent world of ASOIAF.

[The Sleeper]

On Arya and home.

Arya during her travels has witnessed many things and absorbed a lot of information which she lacks the faculties to articulate and process consciously due to her age. As such, we the readers are left in the dark as to whether and how much these things affect her. Arya's feelings in reagrd's to her home make me think that she is extremely aware and profoundly affected on a visceral level by waht is going on around her. Let me elaborate:

The idea of home for Arya is a source for great stress and sadness. She even sees Winterfell in nightmares. It is the perennial destination she cannot reach and she fears that her family will not want her and no wonder. She has been turned back time and time again and still carries her fear for her mother's rejection ties in relation of being a failure in her mother's eyes for not being ladylike. While we know of course that her mother would give anything to have her back and her brother as well, on another level these fears are anything but childish.

Home is not just the place and/or the people who represent it. It is also, who Arya was how these people and herself viewed her. Home for Arya is the state of being a child, innocent, safe, loved unconditionally and her family's absolute priority. Arya is no longer innocent; she has taken a life willingly and with full knowledge of the circumstances and the consequences and has accepted responsibility for it. Arya has seen enough to conclude that there is no absolute safety for anyone, anywhere. While her mother and brother would be overjoyed to have her back, they would undoubtedly be shocked and horrified by the things she has seen and done. The choice is between keeping her nature a secret or having them look at her differently from now on. Either will place a wall between them that will be difficult to break through. Lastly, she understands that her mother and brother have responsiblities that transcend their personal feelings, a reality that she seems more able to accept than either Robb or Catelyn.

In conclusion, I think that the source of her feelings for home are the result of her profound understanding of how and why it is a state that is irrevocably lost to her. In those terms this chapter marks a turning point as by the end of the chapter she is no longer heading home.

[Ice Turtle]

snip

Home isn't restricted to childhood.

You may be right in some things, but I think there is one aspect that you are missing - Jon. Even before Cat dies Arya wishes to reach him. Jon is no longer part of her old home, he took the black and as far as Arya knows this can't be undone they can't go and live at Winterfell together, yet there is something very real in her quest to reach him, she is not trying to return to her past. She is trying to reach something that exists in present. When Jon thinks of Mance stealing Arya from Winterfell, he thinks: Mance brings her home. Some burned castle and bittersweet memories are not her home, a (hopefully) living person is. Ironically Wall is no place for highborn girl Arya was, but it can be place for woman is is becoming.

[The Sleeper]

Home isn't restricted to childhood.

You may be right in some things, but I think there is one aspect that you are missing - Jon. Even before Cat dies Arya wishes to reach him. Jon is no longer part of her old home, he took the black and as far as Arya knows this can't be undone they can't go and live at Winterfell together, yet there is something very real in her quest to reach him, she is not trying to return to her past. She is trying to reach something that exists in present. When Jon thinks of Mance stealing Arya from Winterfell, he thinks: Mance brings her home. Some burned castle and bittersweet memories are not her home, a (hopefully) living person is. Ironically Wall is no place for highborn girl Arya was, but it can be place for woman is is becoming.

I think Jon is a separate issue. Even at Winterfell Jon was her refuge from her everyday frustrations. He was the person she went to step outside her life and calm and collect herself, as Jon is someone who like herself was part of Winterfell and an outsider at the same time (though in Arya's case this was imagined rather than the actual case). Which is why the memory of Jon does not cause her stress or sadness, but thinks of him as someone who she identifies with and loves. That is because, however, she has no obligations to Jon and Jon has no obligations to her. Whatever the case Jon is and has always been a temporary refuge. She belongs with her family. And while she doesn't necessarily want to go back to her past, she grieves as she anticipates that things will never be the way they used to.

ETA Jon is the person with which she is free to be who she is, which is not the case with the rest of her family much as she loves them and they love her. Jon still represents the chance to get away from it all.