But if you agree with this, how could a blue flower that blooms in winter not be linked to deceit?
In Bitterblooms, they grow, but are far from natural.
Given that this is Lyanna's favorite flower, I can't help but think that she is either a retelling of Shawn or Morgan.
Then, we have the horticultural/historical/literary baggage of blue roses:
But that's the thing- the flowers in Bitterblooms are natural. They are simply not in their home habitat, an ice planet reminiscent of the Lands of Always Winter. But they are not fake, not a lie. Only misplaced. An invasive species.
ETA: Look what I found in The Stone City just now (and I wasn't even looking for it, just doing a random reread!)
Even as a child, Holt had loved the stars. He used to walk at night, during the years of high cold when the iceforests bloomed on Ymir. Straight out he would go, for kilometers, crunching the snow beneath until the lights of town were lost behind him and he stood alone in the glistening blue-white wonderland of frost-flowers and icewebs and bitterblooms. Then he would look up. WinterYear nights on Ymir are clear and still and very black. There is no moon. The stars and the silence are everything.
Last Edit: Jan 19, 2017 0:32:56 GMT by Maester Sam
“In Qohor he is the Black Goat, in Yi Ti the Lion of Night, in Westeros the Stranger. All men must bow to him in the end, no matter if they worship the Seven or the Lord of Light, the Moon Mother or the Drowned God or the Great Shepherd. All mankind belongs to him... else somewhere in the world would be a folk who lived forever. Do you know of any folk who live forever?”
But that's the thing- the flowers in Bitterblooms are natural. They are simply not in their home habitat, an ice planet reminiscent of the Lands of Always Winter. But they are not fake, not a lie. Only misplaced. An invasive species.
An alien species of flower growing around a spaceship, that lures northern women into captivity...
ETA: Look what I found in The Stone City just now (and I wasn't even looking for it, just doing a random reread!)
Even as a child, Holt had loved the stars. He used to walk at night, during the years of high cold when the iceforests bloomed on Ymir. Straight out he would go, for kilometers, crunching the snow beneath until the lights of town were lost behind him and he stood alone in the glistening blue-white wonderland of frost-flowers and icewebs and bitterblooms. Then he would look up. WinterYear nights on Ymir are clear and still and very black. There is no moon. The stars and the silence are everything.
This passage is simply beautiful!
"I can see it. You have more of the north in you than your brothers."
An alien species of flower growing around a spaceship, that lures northern women into captivity...
You could say it that way... but it would also be accurate to say that finding the spaceship saved Shawn from certain death. Before she found the ship, Shawn was out of food and alone, 2 weeks from home in deepwinter. Yes the spaceship is a lie, but it is also a refuge in a hostile world.
I thought you would enjoy the ice webs, especially
“In Qohor he is the Black Goat, in Yi Ti the Lion of Night, in Westeros the Stranger. All men must bow to him in the end, no matter if they worship the Seven or the Lord of Light, the Moon Mother or the Drowned God or the Great Shepherd. All mankind belongs to him... else somewhere in the world would be a folk who lived forever. Do you know of any folk who live forever?”
This is my first step into 1000 Worlds and it's blowing my mind.
Welcome!!
Yes, these stories are amazing, aren't they?
“In Qohor he is the Black Goat, in Yi Ti the Lion of Night, in Westeros the Stranger. All men must bow to him in the end, no matter if they worship the Seven or the Lord of Light, the Moon Mother or the Drowned God or the Great Shepherd. All mankind belongs to him... else somewhere in the world would be a folk who lived forever. Do you know of any folk who live forever?”
Yes, how much?? Which ones? Try "And Seven Times Never Kill Man", paying special attention to the ending. Another recent favorite was "In the House of the Worm" - actually, read that one first! Any of them! Keep reading!!!
“In Qohor he is the Black Goat, in Yi Ti the Lion of Night, in Westeros the Stranger. All men must bow to him in the end, no matter if they worship the Seven or the Lord of Light, the Moon Mother or the Drowned God or the Great Shepherd. All mankind belongs to him... else somewhere in the world would be a folk who lived forever. Do you know of any folk who live forever?”
Yes, how much?? Which ones? Try "And Seven Times Never Kill Man", paying special attention to the ending. Another recent favorite was "In the House of the Worm" - actually, read that one first! Any of them! Keep reading!!!
Oo' Oo' and "A Song for Lya!" And "Tuf Voyaging: Guardians!" And "The Way of Cross and Dragon!" And "The Glass Flower!"
"I can see it. You have more of the north in you than your brothers."
Oo' Oo' and "A Song for Lya!" And "Tuf Voyaging: Guardians!" And "The Way of Cross and Dragon!" And "The Glass Flower!"
We need to discuss The Glass Flower. That one is amazing. Some interesting implications for Bran, and what happens to a human who tries to access centuries/millennia of someone else's memories. Also, I just reread The Stone City, and I LOVED it. On these rereads, I am starting to see connections between the stories that I never noticed before (i.e. in TSC, Holt's home world Ymir is where the Bitterblooms come from, and one of his traveling companions comes from Darkdawn, the world that built Kryne Lamiya on Worlorn, and as a child he visited the Festival of the Fringe!). Also, just as an incentive for everyone to (re)read The Stone City right away - the city is older than time, nobody knows who built it, and its walls are made of fused stone...
I wasn't terribly impressed by Way of Cross and Dragon, but I haven't reread that one yet, and most of them have turned out to be Much better the second time around. So I may have to do that.
“In Qohor he is the Black Goat, in Yi Ti the Lion of Night, in Westeros the Stranger. All men must bow to him in the end, no matter if they worship the Seven or the Lord of Light, the Moon Mother or the Drowned God or the Great Shepherd. All mankind belongs to him... else somewhere in the world would be a folk who lived forever. Do you know of any folk who live forever?”
Yes, how much?? Which ones? Try "And Seven Times Never Kill Man", paying special attention to the ending. Another recent favorite was "In the House of the Worm" - actually, read that one first! Any of them! Keep reading!!!
I'm trying, I'm trying!
I've read Bitterblooms through a few times and made some notes that I'm trying to put in order lol
It should be noted that this star, the eye of the "Ice Wagon's driver" ("Ice Dragon's rider" in asoiaf), seems to be the Westerosi Polaris.
The Ice Wagon/Dragon's driver/rider is akin to Ursa Minor, but with his head in the position of the tip of Ursa's tail.
Anyhoo, GRRM's version of this constellation makes a lot of sense, as the bear's head, body, and legs can be used as the driver/rider's legs and arms when his head is located at the tip of the bear's tail.
The Ice Wagon/Dragon itself is akin to Draco, the dragon, which wraps around it.
Thus in Bitterblooms, Draco is the "Ice Wagon," and in ASOIAF, Draco is the "Ice Dragon." Ursa Minor is quite beautiful, if you are fond of stargazing. Here's another pic. The rider/driver is right where you would expect him to be.