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The Last Hero tale by Old Nan foreshadows the deaths of ...


Lost Melnibonean

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You're assuming Bran is the Last Hero. I suspect it's Sam. Which would mean Bran dies, too, were there to be a one-to-one transposition of events from Old Nan's tale to the present. But I don't think we're going to actually see the story play out as it was told. But I do think Sam is the Last Hero!

But Sam is not wandering in search of something lost. Unless this is a very abstract interpretation.

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But Sam is not wandering in search of something lost. Unless this is a very abstract interpretation.

Well, like I said above, I don't expect a one-for-one transcription of the story of the Last Hero in present days. But the present circumstances are similar to the story of the Last Hero: the arrival of winter and the Others, the apparent inadequacy of human weapons against them. Sam's not looking for the children, it's true, perhaps because Jon didn't listen to Old Nan's tales! But he is, basically, off in search of "ancient magics to win back what the armies of men had lost," recognizing that the only hope may be in rediscovering some currently lost information.

Plus he's got that horn, you know.

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You're assuming Bran is the Last Hero. I suspect it's Sam. Which would mean Bran dies, too, were there to be a one-to-one transposition of events from Old Nan's tale to the present. But I don't think we're going to actually see the story play out as it was told. But I do think Sam is the Last Hero!

I'm sorry can you please explain why Sam is the LH? Obviously he's not since the LH lived thousands of years ago. Do you mean he's the reincarnation of the LH like AA reborn?
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You're assuming Bran is the Last Hero. I suspect it's Sam. Which would mean Bran dies, too, were there to be a one-to-one transposition of events from Old Nan's tale to the present. But I don't think we're going to actually see the story play out as it was told. But I do think Sam is the Last Hero!

Twist!

I agree with you that it doesn't have to play out the same way (companions dying), but I still believe Bran to be the New Last Hero. Sam's a good second choice though! Big Samwell fan.

:cheers:

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I like Ssm too. He's one of the only guys wearing a white hat. But he's nothing more than Jon's sidekick. And it seems now that he's separated from Jon he's probably just a plot device that needs to be killed off.

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I'm sorry can you please explain why Sam is the LH? Obviously he's not since the LH lived thousands of years ago. Do you mean he's the reincarnation of the LH like AA reborn?

No, I'm definitely not into any reincarnation theory, nor do I think Sam is a secret [insert significant bloodline here]. I tried to explain above the parallels between the context of the story of the Last Hero, and the current situation, and how Sam is the one on the quest for lost knowledge that will bring the end of the Long Winter. I should also say up front that I'm a heretic, and disinclined to believe that the Children are the "good guys" or that the White Walkers are mindless ghouls out to suck the life from everything. But I think that Sam has a certain openness that will make him figure out the big picture from what he learns at the Citadel, as well as what might be done to restore some sort of balance in the world of ice and fire. Or even to be mistaken in his knowledge but to fumble into the solution out of his fundamental decency.
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An interesting parallel. I don't think the number of travel companions matters (and I don't think that a brief encounter would automatically qualify the person as a companion) but I do agree that the parallel may not bode well for Jojen, Meera, Hodor and Summer.

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An interesting parallel. I don't think the number of travel companions matters (and I don't think that a brief encounter would automatically qualify the person as a companion) but I do agree that the parallel may not bode well for Jojen, Meera, Hodor and Summer.

I think the Liddle is the key thst brings the number of "companions" to 12.
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It sounds very plausible and I certainly agree on the 12 people part, which I encountered in previous threads.

But if Sam or Hodor dies I'd cry my eyes out.

I'm sure GRRM will write it in a way that most of will cry our eyes out.
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Isn't it more likely that Hodor is the horse?

Didn't Luwin say Hodor is a man not a beast when the Walders were bugging him?

Found the quote (if anyone cares) Hodor is a man, not a mule to be beaten." He told this to Bran when Bran couldn't get Hodor to go into the crypts.

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Remember, too, that Old Nan never had the opportunity to finish telling the story because she was interrupted. There is more to it and we don't know how it all ends up.

In this case, I'm really hoping that history (if it indeed is history and not just a legendary folk tale) does NOT repeat itself.

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Remember, too, that Old Nan never had the opportunity to finish telling the story because she was interrupted. There is more to it and we don't know how it all ends up.

In this case, I'm really hoping that history (if it indeed is history and not just a legendary folk tale) does NOT repeat itself.

That's why I suggested asking yourself why GRRM had her tell that story and ONLY THAT PART of the story. (Sorry for the caps, I don't know how to bold with this device.)
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  • 5 months later...

The Liddle that helped Bran in the mountains could have been the man murdered at Queenscrown or he could be killed among Stanniss host. ...

Well, he's definitely not the man murdered at QC. That man was old, 50-60. He was also on the Gift and Jon told Stannis that the Norreys were closest to the Gift and good friends of the NW, suggesting the murdered man may have been a Norrey.

I think Bran's Liddle is marching with Stannis's host though. The Liddle encountered by Bran was not personally described. But as far as we know old characters are described as old in ASOIAF. That probably means Bran's Liddle was not THE Liddle since THE Liddle had three sons, at least two of which were grown. Bran knew him for a Liddle because he wrapped some food for them in a green & white cloth and he wore a clasp of gold and bronze wrought in the shape of a pinecone. That the Liddle's clasp was gold and bronze clearly suggests that he was relatively affluent. I think it implies that he was one of the Liddle's sons. We know from the Appendix to Dance that the Liddle has three sons. The Big Liddle seems to be one of Jon's preferred brothers in the NW. We don't know anything about Little Liddle other than he's the youngest. But we do know that Morgan "Middle" Liddle was the northman who took down Asha at DW and continued on with Stannis to WF. Since he was wearing a byrnie of mail Asha assumed right away that he was a chief. Unfortunately she never notices a gold and bronze clasp. She noticed he was big, bald & bearded and fought with an axe. Unfortunately, none of those things are noted by Bran. But I did see these two similarities:

From Bran II, Storm --The Liddle took out a knife and whittled at a stick.

From The Wayward Bride, Dance --His axe was shivering her shield, cracking the wood on the downswing, tearing off long pale splinters when he wrenched it back.

I am thinking Middle Liddle will not survive the Siege of Winterfell.

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