Lies and Arbor Gold: Well Look What We Found

[History of Westeros]

ooh:

His back was to her as he filled two cups with sweet Arbor red. It was the easiest thing in the world to sprinkle a pinch of fine powder into hers. “To Stannis!” he said as he handed her the wine. Harmless when I’m alone, am I?

“To Renly!” she replied, laughing. “May they battle long and hard, and the Others take them both!”

[History of Westeros]

just before Battle of the Blackwater. This one appears to have no reference, just a mention of what is probably Arbor Gold:

Cersei beckoned to her page for another cup of wine, a golden vintage from the Arbor, fruity and rich. The queen was drinking heavily, but the wine only seemed to make her more beautiful; her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes had a bright, feverish heat to them as she looked down over the hall. Eyes of wildfire, Sansa thought.

here's another random one that might not fit anywhere:

The two brothers who captained the sister ships Quicksilver and Greyhound seemed sympathetic and invited them into the cabin for a glass of Arbor red. They were so courteous that Dany was hopeful for a time, but in the end the price they asked was far beyond her means, and might have been beyond Xaro’s.

[Tommens Cat]

Arbor Gold = Sign of Duplicity/Lies (h/t to co-conspirators and fellow Harpies butterbumps!, Dr. Pepper and Lady M)

Littlefinger uses the "lies and Arbor Gold" line and uses the wine to convince the Lords Declarant of the Vale to side with him, when in fact he's playing them against each other and being duplicious. (Sansa serves it to Nestor Royce.)

Tyrion is allowed to drink a bunch of the quality vintage stuff in Illyrio's house, in which he is most certainly being fed a load of BS.

Sansa pours Arbor Gold for Tyrion on their wedding night; most people assume they're consumating the marriage and they're not.

Manderly tells the people present for the Ramsay/"Arya" wedding feast to "wash it down" with Arbor Gold — right when he's serving Frey Pies disguised as pork pies.

Taena gives some Arbor Gold to Cersei — Taena who is obviously playing both sides and spying on her.

The Redwyne Olenna Tyrell seems to be lying or manipulating over a whole pantload of stuff.

Hizdahr develops a taste for it in Meereen — he's almost certainly not being truthful to Dany, or it could point to the misleading conclusion that he's the Harpy when he isn't.

If you expand this a little more broadly, Dany's would-be assassin offers her Arbor red wine, just not Arbor Gold.

It's used to toast Joffrey's health at a council meeting. *snickers*

Aegon — Aegon who is almost certainly not real — claims that Varys paid the switchling's father with a jug of wine ... Arbor Gold.

Great connection. I think it is true. A love symbolism, but I'm bad at picking it out :)

Thank you for this

[Tommens Cat]

just before Battle of the Blackwater. This one appears to have no reference, just a mention of what is probably Arbor Gold:

Cersei beckoned to her page for another cup of wine, a golden vintage from the Arbor, fruity and rich. The queen was drinking heavily, but the wine only seemed to make her more beautiful; her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes had a bright, feverish heat to them as she looked down over the hall. Eyes of wildfire, Sansa thought.

Was this before or after cersie told sansa the truth about why they were there

[History of Westeros]

Was this before or after cersie told sansa the truth about why they were there

Before. It's pretty much the beginning of that chapter.

I see what you're saying. The whole scenario with the women together, pretending to be brave and with this in mind:

“Of themselves the hens are nothing, but their cocks are important for one reason or another, and some may survive this battle. So it behooves me to give their women my protection. If my wretched dwarf of a brother should somehow manage to prevail, they will return to their husbands and fathers full of tales about how brave I was, how my courage inspired them and lifted their spirits, how I never doubted our victory even for a moment.”

it does seem like there's a lot of deception here.

and she is drinking in order to help herself appear brave, heh. But that's very standard.

[Tommens Cat]

Before. It's pretty much the beginning of that chapter.

I see what you're saying. The whole scenario with the women together, pretending to be brave and with this in mind:

“Of themselves the hens are nothing, but their cocks are important for one reason or another, and some may survive this battle. So it behooves me to give their women my protection. If my wretched dwarf of a brother should somehow manage to prevail, they will return to their husbands and fathers full of tales about how brave I was, how my courage inspired them and lifted their spirits, how I never doubted our victory even for a moment.”

it does seem like there's a lot of deception here.

and she is drinking in order to help herself appear brave, heh. But that's very standard.

But also cersie is basically lying to sansa. Later she tells her they are there so if they lose Mr Payne can take their heads before stannis

[Lykos]

What´s the meaning of plum wine then?

The queen took a flagon of sweet plum wine from a passing serving girl and filled Sansa's cup. "Drink," she commanded coldly. "Perhaps it will give you the courage to deal with truth for a change."

Sansa lifted the cup to her lips and took a sip. The wine was cloyingly sweet, but very strong.

"You can do better than that," Cersei said. "Drain the cup, Sansa. Your queen commands you." it almost gagged her, but Sansa emptied the cup, gulping down the thick sweet wine until her head was swimming.

"More?" Cersei asked.

"No. Please."

The queen looked displeased. "When you asked about Ser Ilyn earlier, I lied to you. Would you like to hear the truth, Sansa? Would you like to know why he's really here?"

Clash, Sansa.

[Ragnorak]

No ideas about the potential symbolism yet but I grabbed all the spiced wine references I could find as well.

“I must be excused,” he said with the last of his dignity. He whirled and bolted before they could see him cry. He must have drunk more wine than he had realized. His feet got tangled under him as he tried to leave, and he lurched sideways into a serving girl and sent a flagon of spiced wine crashing to the floor. Laughter boomed all around him, and Jon felt hot tears on his cheeks. Someone tried to steady him. He wrenched free of their grip and ran, half-blind, for the door. Ghost followed close at his heels, out into the night.

“Yes, my lord.” Jon built a cookfire, claimed a small cask of Mormont’s favorite robust red from stores, and poured it into a kettle. He hung the kettle above the flames while he gathered the rest of his ingredients. The Old Bear was particular about his hot spiced wine. So much cinnamon and so much nutmeg and so much honey, not a drop more. Raisins and nuts and dried berries, but no lemon, that was the rankest sort of southron heresy—which was queer, since he always took lemon in his morning beer. The drink must be hot to warm a man properly, the Lord Commander insisted, but the wine must never be allowed to come to a boil. Jon kept a careful eye on the kettle.

The wind was blowing briskly when he left. By morning, frost would cover the ground, and the tent ropes would be stiff and frozen. A few fingers of spiced wine sloshed in the bottom of the kettle. Jon fed fresh wood to the fire and put the kettle over the flames to reheat. He flexed his fingers as he waited, squeezing and spreading until the hand tingled. The first watch had taken up their stations around the perimeter of the camp. Torches flickered all along the ringwall. The night was moonless, but a thousand stars shone overhead.

“Four brothers dead. A dozen wounded. A third as many as the foe. And we took captives. One died quickly from his wounds, but the other lived long enough to be questioned.”

“Best talk of this inside. Jon will fetch you a horn of ale. Or would you prefer hot spiced wine?”

“Boiled water will suffice. An egg and a bite of bacon.”

“As you wish.” Mormont lifted the flap of the tent and Qhorin Halfhand stooped and stepped through.

But when she cracked the first egg and found a bloody half-formed chick inside, her stomach roiled. “Take this away and bring me hot spiced wine,” she told Senelle. The chill in the air was settling in her bones, and she had a long nasty day ahead of her.

Her mouth tightened. She had been drinking hot spiced wine and smelled of nutmeg. “You presume to dicker with me? Need I remind you, you are sworn to obey.”

Jon watched her stride away. She is wrong. She must be wrong. Greyscale is not so deadly as she claims, not in children.

Ghost was gone again. The sun was low in the west. A cup of hot spiced wine would serve me well just now. Two cups would serve me even better. But that would have to wait. He had foes to face. Foes of the worst sort: brothers.

Before her walk she would have flaunted her baldness beneath a golden crown. “Come, sit,” she said. “Will you have wine?”

“A cup.” He sat, still wary.

A freckled novice filled their cups with hot spiced wine. “Tommen tells me that Lord Tyrell intends to rebuild the Tower of the Hand,” Cersei said.

Ser Kevan nodded. “The new tower will be twice as tall as the one you burned, he says.”

Cersei gave a throaty laugh. “Long lances, tall towers … is Lord Tyrell hinting at something?”

[Tommens Cat]

What´s the meaning of plum wine then?

Clash, Sansa.

Gives weight to the theory. Wines change when cersie speaks of truth.

[A Crow Come Over]

No ideas about the potential symbolism yet but I grabbed all the spiced wine references I could find as well.

“I must be excused,” he said with the last of his dignity. He whirled and bolted before they could see him cry. He must have drunk more wine than he had realized. His feet got tangled under him as he tried to leave, and he lurched sideways into a serving girl and sent a flagon of spiced wine crashing to the floor. Laughter boomed all around him, and Jon felt hot tears on his cheeks. Someone tried to steady him. He wrenched free of their grip and ran, half-blind, for the door. Ghost followed close at his heels, out into the night.

“Yes, my lord.” Jon built a cookfire, claimed a small cask of Mormont’s favorite robust red from stores, and poured it into a kettle. He hung the kettle above the flames while he gathered the rest of his ingredients. The Old Bear was particular about his hot spiced wine. So much cinnamon and so much nutmeg and so much honey, not a drop more. Raisins and nuts and dried berries, but no lemon, that was the rankest sort of southron heresy—which was queer, since he always took lemon in his morning beer. The drink must be hot to warm a man properly, the Lord Commander insisted, but the wine must never be allowed to come to a boil. Jon kept a careful eye on the kettle.

The wind was blowing briskly when he left. By morning, frost would cover the ground, and the tent ropes would be stiff and frozen. A few fingers of spiced wine sloshed in the bottom of the kettle. Jon fed fresh wood to the fire and put the kettle over the flames to reheat. He flexed his fingers as he waited, squeezing and spreading until the hand tingled. The first watch had taken up their stations around the perimeter of the camp. Torches flickered all along the ringwall. The night was moonless, but a thousand stars shone overhead.

“Four brothers dead. A dozen wounded. A third as many as the foe. And we took captives. One died quickly from his wounds, but the other lived long enough to be questioned.”

“Best talk of this inside. Jon will fetch you a horn of ale. Or would you prefer hot spiced wine?”

“Boiled water will suffice. An egg and a bite of bacon.”

“As you wish.” Mormont lifted the flap of the tent and Qhorin Halfhand stooped and stepped through.

But when she cracked the first egg and found a bloody half-formed chick inside, her stomach roiled. “Take this away and bring me hot spiced wine,” she told Senelle. The chill in the air was settling in her bones, and she had a long nasty day ahead of her.

Her mouth tightened. She had been drinking hot spiced wine and smelled of nutmeg. “You presume to dicker with me? Need I remind you, you are sworn to obey.”

Jon watched her stride away. She is wrong. She must be wrong. Greyscale is not so deadly as she claims, not in children.

Ghost was gone again. The sun was low in the west. A cup of hot spiced wine would serve me well just now. Two cups would serve me even better. But that would have to wait. He had foes to face. Foes of the worst sort: brothers.

Before her walk she would have flaunted her baldness beneath a golden crown. “Come, sit,” she said. “Will you have wine?”

“A cup.” He sat, still wary.

A freckled novice filled their cups with hot spiced wine. “Tommen tells me that Lord Tyrell intends to rebuild the Tower of the Hand,” Cersei said.

Ser Kevan nodded. “The new tower will be twice as tall as the one you burned, he says.”

Cersei gave a throaty laugh. “Long lances, tall towers … is Lord Tyrell hinting at something?”

Interesting, the 2 that stick out are:

Jon knocking over the flagon of spiced wine and Halfhand turning down the offer of spiced wine

Also isnt spiced wine just Arbor Red with spices in it?

[Dr. Pepper]

No ideas about the potential symbolism yet but I grabbed all the spiced wine references I could find as well.

“I must be excused,” he said with the last of his dignity. He whirled and bolted before they could see him cry. He must have drunk more wine than he had realized. His feet got tangled under him as he tried to leave, and he lurched sideways into a serving girl and sent a flagon of spiced wine crashing to the floor. Laughter boomed all around him, and Jon felt hot tears on his cheeks. Someone tried to steady him. He wrenched free of their grip and ran, half-blind, for the door. Ghost followed close at his heels, out into the night.

“Yes, my lord.” Jon built a cookfire, claimed a small cask of Mormont’s favorite robust red from stores, and poured it into a kettle. He hung the kettle above the flames while he gathered the rest of his ingredients. The Old Bear was particular about his hot spiced wine. So much cinnamon and so much nutmeg and so much honey, not a drop more. Raisins and nuts and dried berries, but no lemon, that was the rankest sort of southron heresy—which was queer, since he always took lemon in his morning beer. The drink must be hot to warm a man properly, the Lord Commander insisted, but the wine must never be allowed to come to a boil. Jon kept a careful eye on the kettle.

The wind was blowing briskly when he left. By morning, frost would cover the ground, and the tent ropes would be stiff and frozen. A few fingers of spiced wine sloshed in the bottom of the kettle. Jon fed fresh wood to the fire and put the kettle over the flames to reheat. He flexed his fingers as he waited, squeezing and spreading until the hand tingled. The first watch had taken up their stations around the perimeter of the camp. Torches flickered all along the ringwall. The night was moonless, but a thousand stars shone overhead.

“Four brothers dead. A dozen wounded. A third as many as the foe. And we took captives. One died quickly from his wounds, but the other lived long enough to be questioned.”

“Best talk of this inside. Jon will fetch you a horn of ale. Or would you prefer hot spiced wine?”

“Boiled water will suffice. An egg and a bite of bacon.”

“As you wish.” Mormont lifted the flap of the tent and Qhorin Halfhand stooped and stepped through.

But when she cracked the first egg and found a bloody half-formed chick inside, her stomach roiled. “Take this away and bring me hot spiced wine,” she told Senelle. The chill in the air was settling in her bones, and she had a long nasty day ahead of her.

Her mouth tightened. She had been drinking hot spiced wine and smelled of nutmeg. “You presume to dicker with me? Need I remind you, you are sworn to obey.”

Jon watched her stride away. She is wrong. She must be wrong. Greyscale is not so deadly as she claims, not in children.

Ghost was gone again. The sun was low in the west. A cup of hot spiced wine would serve me well just now. Two cups would serve me even better. But that would have to wait. He had foes to face. Foes of the worst sort: brothers.

Before her walk she would have flaunted her baldness beneath a golden crown. “Come, sit,” she said. “Will you have wine?”

“A cup.” He sat, still wary.

A freckled novice filled their cups with hot spiced wine. “Tommen tells me that Lord Tyrell intends to rebuild the Tower of the Hand,” Cersei said.

Ser Kevan nodded. “The new tower will be twice as tall as the one you burned, he says.”

Cersei gave a throaty laugh. “Long lances, tall towers … is Lord Tyrell hinting at something?”

Cool, thanks for the list!

This might be forcing it but a lot of these seem to be instances of revelation, even self-revelation or a moment of rejecting revelation. Jon sends the spiced wine to the floor when Benjen suggests he might be too young to make a decision as huge as joining the Night's Watch, something Jon doesn't really want to except. Some of the other mentions may follow that pattern as well.

ETA: Perhaps moments of hearing hard truths?

[WinterKing]

Another great thread.Very interesting correlation, I don't know how someone can say that this is not true or just coincidence.

[FuriousGeorge]

Another great thread.Very interesting correlation, I don't know how someone can say that this is not true or just coincidence.

I think people just too easily forget that even though reading can be a passive process, writing can't. As if when we see Arbor Gold it's not intentionally been written into the story by GRRM, and instead we have just happened to stumble across a scene where Arbor Gold is being drunk

[lady m]

I got distracted by someone's mention of hippocras, which doesn't have nearly as many references. Because that's where I am in my kindle I started with ADWD and then searched the first four. It comes up first in ASOS, incidentally.

If it has an exegetical point then I think it could be stupidity or hubris, but I'm open to suggestions, because I'm not sure that's how I'd interpret Roose Bolton's preference for the drink.

This happens at the Dreadfort, when Roose is talking to Ramsay about where the Freys are and who of the Northern houses is on their side. It's a long conversation, so I'll just give the mention, and the rest of it can be found on page 424 of the Kindle edition.

"Forty wanes of foodstuffs. Casks of wine and hippocras, barrels f fresh-caught lampreys, a herd of goats, a hundred pigs, crates of crabs and oysters and a monstrous codfish...Lord Wyman likes to eat. You may have noticed."

ASOS:

"Elmar, the red for Ser Jaime, water for the Lady Brienne, and hippocras for myself." Bolton waved a hand at their escort...

At the Red Wedding, Roose:

He sipped hippocras in preference to wine or mead, and ate but little.

AFFC:

A man may prefer the taste of hippocras, yet I'd you set a tankard of ale before him he will quaff it quick enough. (Cersei thinking about men.)

Dornish red and Arbor gold, and a fine sweet hippocras from Highgarden. (This is where Cersei lets be known that Ser Balon will have a secondary mission outside of delivering Ser Gregor's head to the Martells.)

They had made a good start on the hippocras, Lady Falyse not only looks like a fish, she drinks like one she reflected...(This is when Cersei is trying to have Bronn killed, as are the next four.)

"Will you have another cup,of hippocras, Falyse? You were always so fond of it, I seem to recall."

Cersei filled the goblets with hippocras. "My friends...you are my friends I hope?

The rest was hippocras and buttered beets, hot-baked bread, herb-crusted pike, and ribs of wild boar. Cersei had become very fond of boar since Robert's death.

I could have hired a Faceless Man to kill Bronn for half of what I've spent on hippocras...

The last two have to do with Cersei reinstating the faith militant:

"Shall we broach a flagon of hippocras and drink to the fervor of the Warrior's Sons on our way home?"

"To the fervor if the Warrior's Sons and the brilliance if the Queen Regent. To Cersei, the First of Her Name!"

The hippocras was as sweet and savory as Cersei's triumph, and the queen's litter seemed almost to float back across the city.

[lady m]

I think people just too easily forget that even though reading can be a passive process, writing can't. As if when we see Arbor Gold it's not intentionally been written into the story by GRRM, and instead we have just happened to stumble across a scene where Arbor Gold is being drunk

I also think it's always good to remember this is a constructed narrative, so everything is included by the intention of the author. And, also, that said author likes to use symbolism, word tricks and other literary devices.

[The Mother of The Others]

wasn't this out in the open, though? it was stated that the beverage aids in the swallowing of lies, and you've got lots of lying drinkers lying and drinking. (i got it when sansa did because it had previously been said outright.) (this may be a function of slow-reading) It's of course sad to hear how illyrio wasn't able to level with us yet in his chapter. you'd think that someone as deeply anti-establishment as Tyrion would be deemed ready for the truth. oi.

[Fire Eater]

13. Cersei is awoken to deal with the issue of Greyjoy attacks in the Reach. She's annoyed, and is seeking her councillors to give her "yes man" answers (she is extremely pleased by Taena's pandering). She thinks how she wants Arbor Gold specifically: The little queen is making excuses for her brother. Cersei’s mouth was dry. I need a cup of Arbor gold.

I like this, Cersei wants to listen to the lies Taena tells her in saying she wants Arbor gold.

As for Manderly saying Bolton should wash the Frey pie down with Arbor gold, he is having them swallow the lie that he is a craven man who has been cowed into submission to the Boltons.

[bbstark]

Excellent post.

I'd like to contribute to the gold color aspect of it, rather than consumed beverage. (Ha! Literally 'consuming or feeding [someone] a lie')

There appear to be several instances of gold symbolism associated with duplicity, or deception even. Particularly with the Lannisters, the color gold is used to hide or cover multiple truths.

Consider for instance when people wonder if Tywin shits gold. The implication is firstly that money comes easily to him. However rather than a neutral and harmless metaphor like money that "comes out of thin air", the skill to acquire money easily is juxtaposed to a vulgar bodily function. The meaning could be that Tywin's money is somehow dirty and dishonestly begotten, or perhaps that the objective value of money is held by a man of questionable value. There is duplicity to Tywin's value: he has plenty of money, but does not appear to have earned respect as a valuable (honorable? decent?) man. I say this because Tywin hasn't earned respect, people respect him because they fear him.

Likewise Cersei's hair is often described as golden locks, and it's well known how Cersei uses her looks to advance and manipulate her way through the game. Her golden locks effectively hide the cruel and narcissistic person underneath.

Interestingly during her WoS, they cut off her hair, presumably to humiliate her, but what it also does is rob her of the face she shows the world that has given her so much power.

I do think this is different than using Arbor gold as an indicator of feeding someone a lie and see if they gobble it up. That is literally consuming a lie, whereas Cersei's golden locks are hiding her true face, and Tywin's gold are hiding his true value. However crudely it appears that GRRM's usage of gold as a descriptor is a curtain hiding duplicity. (I don't have the books right now, so I can't find further examples)

In conclusion, it seems as no surprise that of all the wines in Westeros, the one thematically associated with deceit is a 'gold' color.

[mcb]

Of 20 citations involving "Arbor Gold," 14 are in direct connection to treachery/ deceit (Jizrag the Lorax, Manderley, Aegon, LF + Sansa in the Eyrie, Taena + Cersei being the most over duplicitous connections).

Just for fun, and because I have no life, I tried to make a similar list for "wine". Not complete, of course, because I'm also lazy. Just a fragment. So, I opened ACOK and started looking for wine.

Out of the fifteen first scenes where that beverage appears or at least is mentioned, duplicity, lies, treachery are absent from three. The first appearance is Maester Cressen trying to poison Melisandre with the strangler in the prologue, then it's the Dontos situation, where Joffrey is played by Sansa with unexpected help from the Hound.

Further, there's dialogue between Cersei and Tyrion, when she said she'd prefer him on the field of battle, and Tyrion answers he'd rather hold a goblet than a battleaxe. The next mention of wine is... the strongwine that helped Bob end his life. The next one - Varys, Tyrion and Shae, duplicity galore.

The next mention is Lord Hoster's illness and maesters giving him dreamwine. This one seems to be an exception.

Then we have Tyrion and Janos, two drinking buddies (drinking explicitly Dornish wine, not Arbor). 'Nuff said.

Varys appears again and gives the acting Hand a report of what's going on in the city. A wineseller's son is mentioned - funny enough, he cheated at dice and got caught. Another report - nobles joking about needing three cups to drink King's health. Probably should count that one, as well, as I have a hard time believing that Varys wasn't playing Tyrion, or testing him, or a mix of both.

The vessel that carried Theon Greyjoy to Pyke carried, among other things, wine. The way Theon seduced and dropped the captain's daughter was hardly upstanding. Not counting this one as exception.

Another appearance of wine, this time in Theon's memory, about some innocent dialogue between him and his big brother. Second exception.

Dany's khalasar is in dire needs of food and water, wine gave out first. Third exception.

Jorah's account of his ill-fated marriage. Started with Jorah drunk on glory and wine, ended with him a slave trader and a criminal on the run, and a cuckold to boot.

Next: Cersei is vivid because of Stannis' vile "lies" about her and demands that Tyrion somehow unring that bell. He phlegmatically answers "...the wine is spilled...". We're talking here about Cersei keeping her infidelity under the rug. A few paragraphs later, the lie about Patchface and Shireen is invented. Sweet Cersei is suddenly elated: "Stannis will be laughed at in every winesink this side of the narrow sea".

And that's where I finished, feel free to continue. Anyway, in my opinion generic wine is just as good as Arbor Gold, when it comes to exposing liars, cheats and backstabbers.

[Wisenan69]

Fantastic post. It's sending me to re-read all 5 books. Don't remember if it is my 5th or 6th re-reading. Thanks to post like this one, every time a read the books I approach them with more understanding. I love these forums!