Small questions v.10004

[Silent Sparrow]

Question about Davos which I could find not answer on elsewhere:

We know Davos was a key associate of Stannis since Robert's Rebellion.

We know that in the Greyjoy Rebellion, Stannis smashed the Iron Fleet off Fair Isle in a naval battle.

With Davos being such an excellent sailor, was Davos involved? Did he lead a ship, or perhaps part of the fleet ? Did he do reconnaisance that made the victory possible ?

I have never seen or heard any refence to it, but I find it hard to imagine Stannis going into a naval battle without a brave and skilled captain like Davos being there too.

(BTW, if this should be its own thread, say so.)

Davos is a good captain, but especially at the time of the Greyjoy Rebellion he wouldn't have experience with a major naval ship or any sort of naval command. Remember, he was a great sailor and an excellent smuggler, but that requires a slightly different set of skills and a radically different type of ship than naval warfare does. So my guess would be no, he probably didn't lead a ship or anything, though it is possible that he could have done reconaissance. Depends on how much Stannis trusted him at that point, I guess.

[MisunderstoodFrey]

Did the Targs have a Valyrian steel sword?

[lady m]

As I was re-reading AFFC I read one of the Cersei passages where she plots to send 100 men to the Wall to "help" Jon Snow and I remembered that Kettlebacks were to be sent there.

Did those 100 men arrive by end of ADWD? Were they involved with Bowen Marsh's attack on Jon? Did the news of their coming even come to the wall?

This all got screwed up by her arrest and Osney's ongoing imprisonment by the Faith. I'm pretty sure it's currently shelved till Cersei's trial so over. Osney's is currently sentenced to die by the Faith. The other brothers were arrested by Kevan because they all were accused of sleeping with Cersei, I think he was planning on sending them to the Wall if they pled guilty.

Did the Targs have a Valyrian steel sword?

Yes, Blackfyre, which was wielded by all Targ kings till Aegon IV gave it to Daemon Waters who became Daemon Blackfyre. They also had Dark Sister, wielded by Visenya, last known in possession of Bloodraven. Dark Sister is a much smaller sword.

[TheCrannogDweller]

Dark Sister is a much smaller sword.

It isn't. The difference isn't that big. Dark Sister is a normal longsword, while Blackfyre is a bastard sword - meaning that it is just a little bit longer and heavier. But they are both big swords that can be wielded with one hand (as opposed to the greatswords, like Ice, for which you need two).

[RumHam]

As I was re-reading AFFC I read one of the Cersei passages where she plots to send 100 men to the Wall to "help" Jon Snow and I remembered that Kettlebacks were to be sent there.

Did those 100 men arrive by end of ADWD? Were they involved with Bowen Marsh's attack on Jon? Did the news of their coming even come to the wall?

It's Kettleblack. I point it out only because I always read it as Kettleback also until someone on here mentioned it. (pot/kettle/black.) I know Cersei planed to send Osney to the wall as "punishment" for confessing to banging Margery. Of course since the High Septon imprisoned him that plan went awry. I don't know if she ever actually sent the men Qyburn suggested, but I don't remember them appearing in any of Jon's chapters.

[Talleyrand]

Has GRRM ever said why he chose to give every noble the title Lord as opposed to Barons, Counts and Dukes?

[The Dornishman's Wife]

Has GRRM ever said why he chose to give every noble the title Lord as opposed to Barons, Counts and Dukes?

He has: Basically he mentioned that historically, the number of titles for different tiers of nobility wasn't always that big, and he preferred the way of the earlier days of feudalism where these distinctions didn't exist in detail. However, he concedes that it might have been better to use at least one more title to differentiate great lords from smaller lords.

[Keaver]

If Jon died and then is brought back to life is he no longer bound to the wall? He served his life there and died if he comes back he can do as he pleases and leave?

[The Dornishman's Wife]

If Jon died and then is brought back to life is he no longer bound to the wall? He served his life there and died if he comes back he can do as he pleases and leave?

That's being discussed controversely. One part of the vow looks that way ('it shall not end until my death'), another doesn't ('for this night and all the nights to come'). The fandom seems to be torn between seeing death and resurrection as 1) a full release, 2) a petty technicality or 3) meaningless and maybe so would Westeros be. Oh, and probably with a healthy dose of 4) "He's a zombie? Get the pitchforks!"

[Zupoleon]

If Jon died and then is brought back to life is he no longer bound to the wall? He served his life there and died if he comes back he can do as he pleases and leave?

In theory, yes that could be a loophole. However many / most believe that Jon is not dead...

[Ghost's Shadow]

It would be so fantastic if we could see the Wildlings/Val/his own Gods heal him... He really should be.

[Jeragon Stark]

Finally my own question. How did Jon know that Lady and Nymeria were not with Arya and Sansa in AGoT? Here is the specific excerpt I am talking about:

This doesn't seem like the kind of relevant information that would be passed along by raven, so how does Jon know this? Is this evidence that he was warging early on without realizing it? In a "wolf-dream" Ghost thinks about the sisters that he lost and how he could "no longer smell their scent", so had Jon learned of this via warging in his sleep and never realized he shouldn't know this? Or is it a slip up by GRRM?

Yes, that is exactly it, Jon had multiple 'warging' or 'green/wolf-dreams' without even really knowing it. It is similar to when Arya is running away from Harrenhal and has that dream of a wolf kiling/ hurting some of Vargo's men. And again when she saw her mother's dead body when she was kidnapped by Sandor Clegan and protects her mother's body from her '1/2 brothers and family'. The only Stark who really knows that he is a warg is Brandon, Jon suspects it and so do all the men and women around him. Arya has no clue and Ricken only has some glimplses, like 'he doens't like being chained up.... he wants to run free mommy.' Of course Sansa will never experiance anything like this, because Lady is dead.

[The guy from the Vale]

It would be so fantastic if we could see the Wildlings/Val/his own Gods heal him... He really should be.

I think fire, the unacknowledged, suppressed side of his identity, healing him might have interesting implications, too.

[WhiteWolf26]

Yes, that is exactly it, Jon had multiple 'warging' or 'green/wolf-dreams' without even really knowing it. It is similar to when Arya is running away from Harrenhal and has that dream of a wolf kiling/ hurting some of Vargo's men. And again when she saw her mother's dead body when she was kidnapped by Sandor Clegan and protects her mother's body from her '1/2 brothers and family'. The only Stark who really knows that he is a warg is Brandon, Jon suspects it and so do all the men and women around him. Arya has no clue and Ricken only has some glimplses, like 'he doens't like being chained up.... he wants to run free mommy.' Of course Sansa will never experiance anything like this, because Lady is dead.

Arya knows something is up, she was warging cats to see when she went blind. Rickon could have tapped into it now as well. Dont spit speculation and opinions as facts.

[Smartfox]

Hey everyone first time poster long time lurker. Was rereading AGoT looking for things ive missed. Just reading the part where Ghost finds Flowers and Othor's dead bodies and someone says "burn them"

"Burn them," someone whispered. One of the rangers; Jon could not have said who.

The way GRRM describes who says it is very vague yet oddly descripitive. With Bran able to say Theons name through the weirwoods we know its possible for greenseers to have some communication through weirwoods. I was wondering if Bloodraven or Bran was behind it. Ive done a search and havent found any topics on it, was wondering what you all think on it or if im just reading to much into it.

[Ordos]

How is age measured in ASOIAF? Are they like the Chinese where Zero does not exist and the day you are born in your first name day. So a thirteen year old is actually a twelve year old by our measurement. Or is your first name day a year after you are born and other name days are anniversarys of your name day.

Your name day is the day you are given your name and a party or ceremony is done. But does tradition dictate that it must be exactly a year after the day you are born? If not we could say person x it 'more or less fifteen years old'. Fourteen years and six months plus the days since your last name day. I know it's confusing!

[Fire Eater]

How is age measured in ASOIAF? Are they like the Chinese where Zero does not exist and the day you are born in your first name day. So a thirteen year old is actually a twelve year old by our measurement. Or is your first name day a year after you are born and other name days are anniversarys of your name day.

Your name day is the day you are given your name and a party or ceremony is done. But does tradition dictate that it must be exactly a year after the day you are born? If not we could say person x it 'more or less fifteen years old'. Fourteen years and six months plus the days since your last name day. I know it's confusing!

I think the namedays are their birthdays as they are usually named the day they are born. The first anniversary of their birth is their first nameday.

[Ordos]

I think the namedays are their birthdays as they are usually named the day they are born. The first anniversary of their birth is their first nameday.

So zero does not exist? Person x is 14 but really 13? That is if your first name day is the day you are born. Next year you will be saying you are two name days old instead of One year old (one year since I was born).

[old_wolf]

do we know, if the ironborn are of the first men or the andals?

because they seem just so different.

could it be that they came over the sunset sea?

relating to this and quaithe's words, i think that victarion could bring dany the same way back to westeros

[The guy from the Vale]

The Ironborn are culturally First Men (more so than the North, who adopted the religion of the CotF) but had a large number of Andal immigrants during the Andal Conquest, so they are genetically mixed (just as everyone in the South)