Andalos

[Lost Melnibonean]

Why Martin write this in Tyrion II of Dance? Is there some foreshadowing going on? Just setting up Serra? Is he just underscoring the respective relationships with Tysha and Serra? Is he just providing back story? Just developing Tyrion's character?

The Faith taught that the Seven themselves had once walked the hills of Andalos in human form. "The Father reached his hand into the heavens and pulled down seven stars," Tyrion recited from memory, "and one by one he set them on the brow of Hugor of the Hill to make a glowing crown."

Magister Illyrio gave him a curious look. "I did not dream my little friend was so devout."

The dwarf shrugged. "A relic of my boyhood. I knew I would not make a knight, so I decided to be High Septon. That crystal crown adds a foot to a man's height. I studied the holy books and prayed until I had scabs on both my knees, but my quest came to a tragic end. I reached that certain age and fell in love."

"A maiden? I know the way of that." Illyrio thrust his right hand up his left sleeve and drew out a silver locket. Inside was a painted likeness of a woman with big blue eyes and pale golden hair streaked by silver. "Serra. I found her in a Lysene pillow house and brought her home to warm my bed, but in the end I wed her. Me, whose first wife had been a cousin of the Prince of Pentos. The palace gates were closed to me thereafter, but I did not care. The price was small enough, for Serra."

"How did she die?" Tyrion knew that she was dead; no man spoke so fondly of a woman who had abandoned him.

"A Braavosi trading galley called at Pentos on her way back from the Jade Sea. The Treasure carried cloves and saffron, jet and jade, scarlet samite, green silk … and the grey death. We slew her oarsmen as they came ashore and burned the ship at anchor, but the rats crept down the oars and paddled to the quay on cold stone feet. The plague took two thousand before it ran its course." Magister Illyrio closed the locket. "I keep her hands in my bedchamber. Her hands that were so soft …"Tyrion thought of Tysha. He glanced out at the fields where once the gods had walked. "What sort of gods make rats and plagues and dwarfs?

"Another passage from The Seven-Pointed Star came back to him. "The Maid brought him forth a girl as supple as a willow with eyes like deep blue pools, and Hugor declared that he would have her for his bride. So the Mother made her fertile, and the Crone foretold that she would bear the king four-and-forty mighty sons. The Warrior gave strength to their arms, whilst the Smith wrought for each a suit of iron plates."

"Your Smith must have been Rhoynish," Illyrio quipped. "The Andals learned the art of working iron from the Rhoynar who dwelt along the river. This is known."

"Not by our septons."

[Frozentree]

Worldbuilding, I'd say

[The Dornishman's Wife]

I think it might just be that GRRM decided to flesh out the Faith of the 7 a bit, now that they move from the background into the foreground in the KL storyline. So Tyrion (& Lemore) give a bit of info about the Faith's creation myths. Worldbuilding, as Frozentree says.

If there is a special meaning why Serra's introduction is bracketed by Tyrion's Genesis tales, I'm not smart enough to discern it.

By the way, why 44 mighty sons? You'd think that if that's the ballpark we're talking about, the gods would have chosen 49.

[Irelands Gemstone]

Its Georges way of telling us the Faith is a totally unfounded and false religion (not relevant, but he based it on Christianity) he tells us in the creation myths the Smith created a suit of Iron Plate for each son, when Iron Plate had not been adopted by the Westerosi until long after, the Faith were just a way for humans to cope with the inevitability of death one assumes

[Light a wight tonight]

The Faith seems to be based on Roman Catholicism, and Martin was raised Catholic, so it may be a little reminiscing through his favorite character.

It also may be a hint at how Tyrion picks the alias "Hugor Hill".

[Irelands Gemstone]

Roman Catholicism is the far right of Christianity, one goes hand in hand, albeit with crazier practitioners with the other.

[AtomixIGN]

I'd like to see Tyrion recommend to the new High Septon make a Pilgrimage to Andalos has he had. Good way to get rid of him and 44 of the most fervent sparrows.