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


Lost Melnibonean

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I wonder if this passage from The Dragontamer, part of the conversation between Drink & Quent before the roasting, relates back to the partial tale by Old Nan...

"Men die on grand adventures."

He was not wrong. That was in the stories too. The hero sets out with his friends and companions, faces dangers, comes home triumphant. Only some of his companions don't return at all. The hero never dies, though. ...

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If Old Nan's story of the Last Hero is foreshadowing of what is to come in the story (and I do say if), then we need to look at the story a bit to understand what it is foreshadowing. The Last Hero is the last hero because he is the one left standing. All of the Last Hero's companions were heroes, they simply did not survive. The next thing we know about the Last Hero is that he was helped by the CotF. We know that if another Last Hero in this time frame seeks out the CotF, he won't get any help from them because they are weak and dying. This means Bran is not the Last Hero since he needs to fulfill the role of the CotF this time around. So greenseer Bran=CotF.



To figure out who the Last Hero would be this time around, we need to figure out who all will be in the party that goes to defeat the enemy in the north. While I am doubtful this is how the story will play out, I have entertained myself thinking about who would be in the party of heroes. These are the people I see as possibly comprising this party.



Jon, Dany, Tyrion, Sam: These are the four people who I definitely see going north. I feel sure they will all survive and all will definitely volunteer to go north.



Stannis, Melisandre, Jorah, Victarion, Barristan, Jaime, Brienne, Blackfish, Marwyn, Moqorro: I can see any of these people volunteering to go north, however I am not certain they will live long enough to volunteer.



I really am not advocating that this is how the story will play out (maybe because I want everyone to live), but this is how it could go if the story of the Last Hero is meant to be foreshadowing. Also, the list of heroes other than Jon, Dany, Tyrion and Sam is always changing for me since I don't feel confident that any particular person will survive that long.

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I believe Jojen is all ready dead. That he was sacrificed to the old gods. And his blood sacrifice was added to the Weirwood paste Bran ate. Jojen was acting odd and he knew he was going to die soon.



The COTF existed for thousands and thousands of years before the First Men even crossed into Westeros. The First Men adopted the Children's religion. And there practices. We see first hand First Men performing sacrifices to the Weirdwood in Winterfell. This must be a tradition they picked up from the Children.



My point is if the children can go thousands and thousands of years keeping there traditions. Its not farfetched to think they continue these same traditions till the current time in the story.


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I believe Jojen is all ready dead. That he was sacrificed to the old gods. And his blood sacrifice was added to the Weirwood paste Bran ate. Jojen was acting odd and he knew he was going to die soon.

The COTF existed for thousands and thousands of years before the First Men even crossed into Westeros. The First Men adopted the Children's religion. And there practices. We see first hand First Men performing sacrifices to the Weirdwood in Winterfell. This must be a tradition they picked up from the Children.

My point is if the children can go thousands and thousands of years keeping there traditions. Its not farfetched to think they continue these same traditions till the current time in the story.

Me too. Meera and Hodor may be in an even tighter spot than is readily apparent.
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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.

If Hodor dies I'm throwing the book across the room and I'm going to cry for a while. :crying: :crying:

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  • 1 month later...

Sorry for bumping this, just followed a link from another thread.

I think it might be possible to disregard some of the "companions" mentioned by LM, at the very least Maester Luwin and perhaps even another 2 or 3. My reasons for this, I think Bran will leave the Cave, or at least travel down the tunnels, further to the North. I believe he will meet Benjen along the way (As i dont hold that he is Coldhands) and potentially have at least one CotF with him, most likely Leaf as she speaks the Common Tongue and perhaps another one or two. But even if you follow that, you are able to disregard Maester Luwin and the Liddle (I dont think he is a companion, because he never travelled with Bran, whereas Sam at least travelled to the Weirwood door and beyond with him.) I do think that hiscompanions will die though, and Summer too :(

Summary; generally agree with OP, but replace Maester Luwin as a companion with Benjen, and the Liddle with Leaf. Also to the poster who said Bran has reached his destination; I feel his story will take him further North, as GRRM has said about the next novels taking us further North

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I believe Danny and Bran will have equal roles,saving the world (the old story about Fire,Ice,Ice +Fire).But clearly Bran is the one with more parallels with "the last hero",and with Campbell hero's journey....also,he reminds me of Frodo somehow.It's funny,because we have a Sam and a "Gollum" (Reek),but they are not part of his adventure anymore.


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  • 4 weeks later...
  • 3 weeks later...

If Hodor dies I'm throwing the book across the room and I'm going to cry for a while. :crying: :crying:

Hodor was nearly seven feet tall. It was hard to believe that he was the same blood as Old Nan. Bran wondered if he would shrivel up as small as his great-grandmother when he was old. It did not seem likely, even if Hodor lived to be a thousand.
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This thread is depressing. Sam, Hodor, Shaggy Dog, Rickon, Osha all dead. I think Tyrion will get greyscale too. I didn't expect a happy ending. But at least keep someone alive.

In Ragnarok, on which this series is heavy influences/based IIRC only two people are left to repopulate the world.

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A similar thought occurred to me on rereading that bit.



I'm not sure it foreshadows any death per se, but it certainly foreshadows the quest for the CotF itself.



I think perhaps the most important part is that we never hear the end of the story. I think that might mean the end is still to be written by Bran, or by whoever is the "new Last Hero".


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A similar thought occurred to me on rereading that bit.

I'm not sure it foreshadows any death per se, but it certainly foreshadows the quest for the CotF itself.

I think perhaps the most important part is that we never hear the end of the story. I think that might mean the end is still to be written by Bran, or by whoever is the "new Last Hero".

The Children may be the ultimate enemy Bran will face off with. That may be controlling or allied with the Wights/Others. They may be trying to take their revenge on both the First Men and Andals for taking their home.

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Good thread but please don't talk about Shaggydog dying. He is the best direwolf.

Nope, that's Ghost...he is the direwolf incarnation of the old gods! :bowdown:

Or

Nymeria because she is the alpha of her own pack! :cool4:

Or

GreyWind because he went down fighting....and joined his master in his fate (literally!) :crying:

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