Post by voice on Jul 5, 2016 1:22:17 GMT
DISCLAIMER! The following essay is by new member redriver . He gave me permission to submit it on his behalf. I told him I'd wait for him to do it, but he's taken too long and I'm not the most patient of men. LOL Enjoy!
Winter Fell?
by redriver
It seems to me there's something odd about the weather in Westeros in the latter half of ADWD.Yes,a harsh winter has been heralded since the series began in AGOT, mainly because of the unusually long summer.But in the natural course of events you might expect winter to descend from the north,from the Land of Always Winter.
But that doesn't appear to be the case in Dance.The winter weather seems to have started at Winterfell,the worst of it is at Winterfell and it's radiating outwards from there.
Of course,in the real world a winter storm can strike in southerly latitudes whilst more northerly ones enjoy relatively good weather.But this is a fantasy series in which we know the seasons are out of kilter for fantasy reasons.From SSM;
Someone asked why the seasons are so messed up. Martin said he couldn't give an answer necause that would be telling! He did say that there would eventually be an answer in one of the books, and the answer would be a fantasy (as opposed to a science fiction/science based) answer.
So I suppose the author can put the weather where he wants!But has he chosen to center the storm over Winterfell and if so has he done this for narrative reasons?
The first mention of serious snowfall comes in the Theon chapter "The Turncloak".
The first flakes came drifting down as the sun was setting in the west.By nightfall snow was coming down so heavily that the moon rose behind a white curtain,unseen.
This is shortly after Ramsay's marriage to "Arya",which I think is significant in itself.But more on that later.
It continues through the rest of the Winterfell chapters including the final one in which Theon makes this observation as he and the spearwives rescue "Arya".
The yard was a white wilderness,full of half-heard sounds that echoed strangely amidst the storm.The icy trenches rose around them,knee high,then waist high,then higher than their heads.They were in the heart of Winterfell with the castle all around them,but no sign of it could be seen.They might have easily been lost amidst the Land of Always Winter,a thousand leagues beyond the Wall.
We can reason that this storm rages over the course of about seven weeks from Asha's POV's, which trace the journey of Stannis and his host from Deepwood Motte towards Winterfell.The march of 300 miles was predicted to take 15 days by the troops.After three days of good progress the snows start falling and hinders the progress of the army;-
By the ninth day of the storm,every camp saw the captains and commanders entering the king's tent wet and weary...and report their losses for the day.
The fifteenth day of the march came and went,and they had crossed less than half the distance.
On the twenty-sixth day...the last of the vegetables was consumed...On the thirty-second day,the last of the grain and fodder.
The fifteenth day of the march came and went,and they had crossed less than half the distance.
On the twenty-sixth day...the last of the vegetables was consumed...On the thirty-second day,the last of the grain and fodder.
Two days later they are forced to pull up at the Crofter's village where after 19 more days,Tycho Nestoris turns up with Theon and Jeyne.
Meanwhile,what's happening at the Wall?In short,we can say it's been variable weather wise throughout most of Dance until the storm arrives from the south in Jon's last chapter.
The snow was following heavily outside."Wind's from the south," Yarwick observed.It's blowing the snow right up against the Wall.See?
He was right.The switchback stair was buried almost to the first landing,Jon saw,and the wooden doors of the ice cells and storerooms had vanished behind a wall of white
He was right.The switchback stair was buried almost to the first landing,Jon saw,and the wooden doors of the ice cells and storerooms had vanished behind a wall of white
From other POV's and locations.
Arya confirms that it's snowing in the Riverlands in The Blind Little Girl.
It's snowing in Jaime's last chapter of AFFC at Riverrun though in his only ADWD chapter,,slightly to the north,Blackwood Vale is"bare and muddy,dotted here and there with drifts of melting snow."I don't think there's a huge time differential between those two chapters.
In Sansa's last POV in AFFC the Eyrie is being vacated for the winter due to snow and frost but the vale floor is snow free and autumnal.The Eyrie is at altitude.
And in the epilogue it's snowing in Kings Landing and the white raven arrives there from the Citadel to herald the official arrival of winter.
The Starks are absent.
The snows arrive in Winterfell in the days after the wedding of Ramsay Bolton to a fake,though publicly acknowledged as genuine, Arya Stark.This ceremony conducted before the heart tree serves to seal Ramsay as the Lord of Winterfell in law.Roose blames the blizzard on Stannis-
"The gods of the north have unleashed their wroth on Lord Stannis.He is a stranger here and the old gods will not suffer him to live.
Though surely the Boltons are the real intruders here?This is the first time in known history that the Starks are not officially in charge of Winterfell,which brings to mind the family motto;
There must always be a Stark in Winterfell.
The phrase is oft repeated throughout the novels,though we are never told why.It seems common sense,in a way.Have a Stark around to keep up morale and deter intruders.But perhaps it has a more esoteric significance that's been forgotten over the ages.
The Starks are a truly ancient family who trace their lineage back to Bran the Builder who raised Winterfell and the Wall.If the motto is as old as the family,perhaps it goes back as far as the Pact between the COTF and the First Men.This Pact,as we know from Luwin divided the lands between the parties in exchange for an end to hostilities.
This is the headline agreement of the Pact,but perhaps there were other terms and conditions,such as a supervisory role for the Starks in enforcing the Pact?The Starks were Kings in the North from the Age of Heroes until Torrhen bent the knee to Aegon,but they were also widely known as the Kings of Winter.Again,we get no real explanation as to what the title means.Maybe it acknowledges that the Starks have been granted lands and honours,but also duties and responsibilities as well?
In this light,"There must always be a Stark in Winterfell" could seem like a condition,clause or even curse imposed upon them.And the penalty for breaking this taboo?There may be a hint in the Stark words....
Winter is coming.
Catelyn reflects on the house words early in AGOT,-
The words gave her a chill,as they always did.The Stark words.Every noble house had its words.Family mottoes,touchstones,prayers of sorts,they boasted of honour and glory,promised loyalty and truth,swore faith and courage.All but the Starks.Winter is coming said the Stark words.Not for the first time,she reflected on what a strange people these northerners were.
Strange indeed.On one level the words seem pragmatic,get your harvest in,prepare for the worst,maybe even carpe diem to an extent.But maybe it can be seen as a warning of sorts,-keep up your end of the bargain or Winter is coming.The words are spoken by a non Stark character in Bran's coma dream,-
North and north and north he looked,to the curtain of light at the end of the world,and then beyond that curtain.He looked deep into the heart of winter,and then he cried out,afraid,and the heat of his tears burned on his cheeks.
Now you know,the crow whispered,as it sat on his shoulder.Now you know why you must live.
"Why?"Bran said,not understanding,falling,falling.
Because Winter is coming.
Now you know,the crow whispered,as it sat on his shoulder.Now you know why you must live.
"Why?"Bran said,not understanding,falling,falling.
Because Winter is coming.
I don't think the crow is warning of any old winter but Winter itself,the kind Old Nan spoke of.If the crow can be seen as connected to the Old Gods perhaps this can be seen as foretelling the arrival of Winter at Winterfell?
