Greyscale / Stone-men

[Volantene Republican Army]

I was wondering if anyone had any theories on what is up with greyscale and stone-men. So far what we know about greyscale is that it acts like some sort of disease, calcifying the flesh until you turn into a stone-man. Almost like the opposite of leprosy. People far along into the course of the disease turn into insane berserker types, as seen in ADWD. Also, the Wildlings see Greyscale as something loathsome, killing those who have it. Also, as people with leprosy often were.

I wonder if greyscale might extend beyond a mere disease however, and in fact be magical. The first clue might be how the wildlings treat the disease, viewing it as something that must be eradicated. As we’ve seen before the wildlings are generally more knowledgeable about how to deal with magic (i.e. burn the dead so they don’t rise as wights). The second clue might be how the attack of the stone men is treated by the characters in ADWD. The other people on Tyrion’s ship seem to see the stone men as something supernatural, with the Shrouded Lord ruling over them. The Shrouded Lord himself having risen from a water grave according to myth, playing into the dead-rising motif seen throughout the books. Finally, the attack on Tyrion’s boat has a supernatural element to it, with the boat going under the same bridge twice.

Any thoughts, additions, comments, theories?

[Clan O'Raghallaigh]

Completely crackpot but from reading Tyrion chapter when they are attacked by the Stone-men, I could not help myself seeing similarities between the Stone-men and the Others.

First this caught my attention according to Duck "The one that says he's not like t'other stone men, that he started as a statue till a grey woman came out of the fog and kissed him with lips as cold as ice"

That sounds pretty otherish to me

Also flames are effective against them.

They do not feel anything when you chop a hand of.

The place itself is very magical, Given that they past that bridge twice.

Not saying that the others are Stone-men, but the Others are ICE-perhaps the Stone-men represent Water?

[Young Nan]

I thought it was sort of based on chicken pox, the way it is ok to get it as a child, but fatal as an adult.

the whole wierdness in the sorrows makes me think there is maybe some kind of magical element to it.

[yolkboy]

I think we'll see a dragon get greyscale at some point.

[Darkest_Knight_Watch]

I think we'll see a dragon get greyscale at some point.

hmmm... interesting... a literal stone dragon.