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Maester Aemon's 3 Tests


Mithras

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he did not, he was tested when he was older.

Aemon is quoted in the opening post as saying, “Three times the gods saw fit to test my vows. Once when I was a boy, once in the fullness of my manhood . . ."

So it is not just testing of Aemon, but a testing of vows that Aemon had presumably made. What vows? He was in his thirties when he declined to be made king and Egg was chosen, and nearly twice that age when the tragedy at Summerhall happened. Seemingly leaving either vows related to becoming/being a Maestar, or something else. And "boy" doesn't seem to last too long in Westeros, though I suppose it can be argued what Aemon (a 100 year old man, or close to it) would intend by using the word.

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Btw, Aemon was 19 when he finished forging his chain... Thus the test must have been related to his departure to the Citadel/vows as a maester, it is just pure logic at that point as he will have spent a significant part of his boy's life training in Oldtown


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Hmmm..... AA needed three attempts to forge LB. Could Jon's attempts to leave the NW but instead remain true to his vows and thus reminding the NW of their true purpose lend credence to the theory of the NW being Lightbringer?

I like this.....makes a lot of sense. Most believe NW is lightbringer. And stays in line with GRRM's sly foreshadowing.

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It's almost inevitable the first one is love. It comes when Aemon was "a boy", which means young. There's a time-honoured tendency among people IRL as well as characters in the books to be tempted by love. How they deal with it is a measure of them, so it is good general advice.

But IMO the clincher is another piece of advice Aemon gives Jon:

Maester Aemon: Jon, did you ever wonder why the men of the Night's Watch take no wives and father no children?

Jon Snow: No.
Maester Aemon: So they will not love, for love is the bane of honor, the death of duty.

The underline section smacks of actual experience and a hard lesson learned.

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So far the most reasonable explanation is about a love affair. And he was at the Oldtown most of this time. Aemon had two sisters, Rhae and Daella Targaryen. Daella was betrothed to Egg and Rhae slipped a love potion to Egg's drink so that he marries herself instead of Daella. Egg married for love and it somehow sorrowed the kingdom. As far as I know, we dont know who will be Egg's wife and what will happen to Rhae and Daella. Aemon is only a year older than Egg.



Is there any possibility that Aemon suffered a similar condition as his namesake the dragonknight?


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For all we know his first test could have been anything really. Maybe it was Shiera. I know she is much-much older, but according to the wiki, men did phenomenally stupid things for her and she maintained her beauty for quite a while.



Aemon was sent to Oldtown, because he was far too intelligent, bookish and meek (which people saw as something to be ashamed of), so it is likely he would be the type to fall head over heels with a random mysterious and unsuitable woman / enchantress.


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Very interesting topic, allow me to add a little thought of mine.



Aemon speaks about three tests and about how he always choose duty/honour/his vows.


The choice has always been hard and has brought him sorrow, but as far as the story goes the reader is bound to believe that Aemon is the only one to have ever always chosen duty insteaf of family.


It's a recurring test that, up until now, everyone has failed to pass at least once(at least during the following of the current events): Ned follows duty, but he lies for Lyanna and Sansa.


Robb kills Rickard Karstark, but betrays his marriage vows for Jeyne.


Jon keeps on following his votes, but at the end he chooses for Arya (and for Ygritte? Well, technically he broke a vow but in that case the situation is more complicated).


Stannis, the paradigm of duty, has chosen Robert instead of Aerys.


And so on.



Thus far it looks like Aemon is the only one to have always overcome this terrible test, but the destiny has something even more cruel for him: in fact he is tested FOUR times, the moment he learns of someone of his family.


Namely, Daenerys.


When in Braavos, he mentions that Daenerys needs help and that if only his badoy wasn't so frail he would go for her, while his duty would need him to go to Oldtown.


While Aemon wasn't in the good condition and most importantly died beforehand, I believe that I can assume that his actual intent was to go for Daenerys.


Be it for family love or for believing in a prophecy that could save the world, at the end he choose something else instead of his duty, but hadn't the means to currently stand for his choice.


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My guess would be during the Blackfrye Rebellion. But here is an interesting thought. Aemon had three, what if Jon has three times/trials to turn is back on the NW.

1) Ned's arrest/Robb riding off to war.

2) In aDwD; The Pink Letter and trying to save "Arya"

3) The Battle for the Dawn: What if the only way for him to save the people, is to turn his back once again and take up a crown. Aemon, was offered a crown once too.

I dunno.....im just rambling

As far as Jon is concerned, I would suggest to read those essays:

http://meereeneseblot.wordpress.com/2013/10/14/other-wars-part-i-jons-noble-heart-and-greater-duty/

http://meereeneseblot.wordpress.com/2013/10/14/other-wars-part-ii-jons-support-for-stannis/

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I think it was about love, too. Maybe he was in love with one of his sisters and/or she begged him to forsake his vows so that she doesn't end up with Aerion. We know that Rhae and Daella were trying everything they could to escape that faith. Poor girls.



We also know that he served in Daeron's keep. So it is possible it was some other woman that tempted him.



So he has three tests- about love, about power (or gold), about blood (or family and vengeance).


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Im guessing the first had something to do with either the great spring sickness wiping out a lot of his family or maybe going off on adventures with Dunk and Egg when they stopped there to get visit on the way back from Dorne.

Edit- Actually, I think only 3 Targs died in the spring so not really a lot of the family.

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Though Aemon was sent off because there were too many heirs, by the time he was 11 or 12 Daeron II, Baelor Breakspear, Valarr, and Matarys were all dead, Aerion was known to be unstable, who knows how Rhaegal was viewed. Aemon might have actually been in the top 5 or 5 by the time he was 11 or 12. Perhaps an attempt was made by Aerys or Maekar to get him out of his vows before the the much later Great Council that we are aware of?


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Though Aemon was sent off because there were too many heirs, by the time he was 11 or 12 Daeron II, Baelor Breakspear, Valarr, and Matarys were all dead, Aerion was known to be unstable, who knows how Rhaegal was viewed. Aemon might have actually been in the top 5 or 5 by the time he was 11 or 12. Perhaps an attempt was made by Aerys or Maekar to get him out of his vows before the the much later Great Council that we are aware of?

Right after the Great Spring Sickness, Aemon was only 11/12/13, and would not have taken his full vows as a maester. (We know you can leave early, because Oberyn left only having forged a few links.

Are there incremental vows at the lower levels of being a maester?

Two other possibilities:

1) Someone higher up in theTargaryen family might have asked Aemon to do something against the Citadel while he was a student there.

2) The leadership at the Citadel might have asked Aemon to do something against the Targaryen family while he was a student there.

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When in Braavos, he mentions that Daenerys needs help and that if only his badoy wasn't so frail he would go for her, while his duty would need him to go to Oldtown.

While Aemon wasn't in the good condition and most importantly died beforehand, I believe that I can assume that his actual intent was to go for Daenerys.

Be it for family love or for believing in a prophecy that could save the world, at the end he choose something else instead of his duty, but hadn't the means to currently stand for his choice.

He believes Dany is TPTWP/AAR, he believes she is needed to save the world from the Others. He would be doing his duty to go to her and help her.

Yes, he had a duty to go to Oldtown, but he also had a conflicting duty to go to Dany, a duty he could have thought was more important

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Very interesting topic, allow me to add a little thought of mine.

Aemon speaks about three tests and about how he always choose duty/honour/his vows.

The choice has always been hard and has brought him sorrow, but as far as the story goes the reader is bound to believe that Aemon is the only one to have ever always chosen duty insteaf of family.

It's a recurring test that, up until now, everyone has failed to pass at least once(at least during the following of the current events): Ned follows duty, but he lies for Lyanna and Sansa.

Robb kills Rickard Karstark, but betrays his marriage vows for Jeyne.

Jon keeps on following his votes, but at the end he chooses for Arya (and for Ygritte? Well, technically he broke a vow but in that case the situation is more complicated).

Stannis, the paradigm of duty, has chosen Robert instead of Aerys.

And so on.

<Snip>

Actually, in an early chapter of AGoT, Benjen warns Jon that if he joins the NW he will have to give up on love, having a family, etc. I suspect Benjen actually passed the test, though he may not be happy about it.

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Actually, in an early chapter of AGoT, Benjen warns Jon that if he joins the NW he will have to give up on love, having a family, etc. I suspect Benjen actually passed the test, though he may not be happy about it.

I have never thought about Benjen.

True that there's still Mole Town, but no hint about Benjen has ever been given (while usually whoremongers are always evidenced - Tywin, Edmure, Tyrion, Bronn etc.).

Good catch, didn't consider him... any other character that comes to your mind?

Serve Obey Protect

He believes Dany is TPTWP/AAR, he believes she is needed to save the world from the Others. He would be doing his duty to go to her and help her.

Yes, he had a duty to go to Oldtown, but he also had a conflicting duty to go to Dany, a duty he could have thought was more important

I think that citadel vows ties him more to obey to the NW's Lord Commander, and surely aren't about helping dragons ^^

But I get your overall point, and given that Aemon is a very atypical maester (he rigs the Lord Commander's elections, insults Tyrion and generally act not exactly totally-into-serving like) it seems plausible that his "breaking the vow" comes because of a broader perspective.

I wonder if that's all or a sort of familiar bound was involved... (I mean, Dany is his last and only known relative :))

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