It was still daylight at the beginning of the prologue, right? At least it was day when Will came upon the wildlings. Too shiNY for the Others: They do not like to sparkle.
Indeed it was. Twilight has only now fallen. And no, I don't think the Others can sparkle, unless it be their eyes. In this way, they seem far more vampiric than TeamEdward.
"I can see it. You have more of the north in you than your brothers."
The camp is two miles farther on, over that ridge, hard beside a stream,”Will said. “I got close as I dared. There’s eight of them, men and women both.
Eight. Eight sets of legs. Eight sets of eyes. :::
Eight people, men and women both, and no children? Entirely possible there never were any, I suppose. Or, it could be that the children were harvested to incubate some ice spider cocoons. :::
They put up a lean-to against the rock. The snow’s pretty well covered it now, but I could still make it out. No fire burning, but the firepit was still plain as day.
If the snow covered the lean-to pretty well, but the firepit was still plain as day, that tells me they had a fire going long enough for it to not be covered in snow. I wonder if Gared was wrong about fire. Mayhaps it doesn't keep away "otherthings".
No one moving. I watched a long time. No living man ever lay so still.
Wights can lay as still as the dead. Mayhaps because they are? I tend to think of them as dead meat puppets, controlled by the ranking lord(s) of the Others.
It was still daylight at the beginning of the prologue, right? At least it was day when Will came upon the wildlings. Too shiNY for the Others: They do not like to sparkle.
Indeed it was. Twilight fell as Ser Waymar was contemplating the meaning of life. We haven't seen either the WW or the wights sparkling in the sun as of yet if I recall correctly. :::
Why must I always be the isle of crazy alone in an ocean of sensibility? The should to everybody else’s shouldn’t? The I-will to their better-nots?
Here are the next couple paragraphs for when everyone is ready.
“Did you see any weapons?”“Some swords, a few bows. One man had an axe. Heavy-looking, double-bladed, a cruel piece of iron. It was on the ground beside him, right by his hand.”
“Did you make note of the position of the bodies?” Will shrugged. “A couple are sitting up against the rock. Most of them on the ground. Fallen, like.”“Or sleeping,” Royce suggested. “Fallen,” Will insisted. “There’s one woman up an ironwood, half-hid in the branches. A far-eyes.” He smiled thinly. “I took care she never saw me. When I got closer, I saw that she wasn’t moving neither.” Despite himself, he shivered.
“You have a chill?” Royce asked. “Some,” Will muttered. “The wind, m’lord.” The young knight turned back to his grizzled man-at-arms. Frost-fallen leaves whispered past them, and Royce’s destrier moved restlessly. “What do you think might have killed these men, Gared?” Ser Waymar asked casually. He adjusted the drape of his long sable cloak.
Last Edit: Aug 22, 2015 4:44:16 GMT by Lady Dyanna
Why must I always be the isle of crazy alone in an ocean of sensibility? The should to everybody else’s shouldn’t? The I-will to their better-nots?
It was still daylight at the beginning of the prologue, right? At least it was day when Will came upon the wildlings. Too shiNY for the Others: They do not like to sparkle.
Yup--that's where I was going.
They are intruding both in time and space--twilight and land.
But it seems as though enforcement of this territory has been lax--now the Others are back . . . ranging. punishing poachers/trespassers.
Wights can lay as still as the dead. Mayhaps because they are? I tend to think of them as dead meat puppets, controlled by the ranking lord(s) of the Others.
At the risk of going off topic again--in the Varamyr prologue, he never sees himself/his body rise as a wight, correct? Though he does see Thistle with glowing "eyes."
So--even in mass raisings--seems like some people aren't wighted. . . .perhaps because he's a warg?
All art is at once surface and symbol. Those who go beneath the surface do so at their peril. Those who read the symbol do so at their peril. It is the spectator, and not life, that art really mirrors. Oscar Wilde.
“Did you make note of the position of the bodies?” Will shrugged. “A couple are sitting up against the rock. Most of them on the ground. Fallen, like.”“Or sleeping,” Royce suggested. “Fallen,” Will insisted. “There’s one woman up an ironwood, half-hid in the branches. A far-eyes.” He smiled thinly. “I took care she never saw me. When I got closer, I saw that she wasn’t moving neither.” Despite himself, he shivered.
The bodies could be posed, yes? With some up against the rocks.
But the "far-eyes"--am assuming she doesn't actually have a telescope. Just a look out. Still--she's in an ironwood. Those are in godswoods--do they have black bark? I've been assuming the black door of the FM's black and white doors was from the black trees with blue leaves from the House of the Undying--but could it be ironwood?
“You have a chill?” Royce asked. “Some,” Will muttered. “The wind, m’lord.” The young knight turned back to his grizzled man-at-arms. Frost-fallen leaves whispered past them, and Royce’s destrier moved restlessly. “What do you think might have killed these men, Gared?” Ser Waymar asked casually. He adjusted the drape of his long sable cloak.
Gotta love that Royce's very expensive destrier is uneasy--but Royce is still casual. And the class difference--he's warm in the sables while the rest "have a chill"--his wealth and stays and distance from the Wall protect him from the initial cold and fear. It's backwards--what should be an advantage is a liability.
All art is at once surface and symbol. Those who go beneath the surface do so at their peril. Those who read the symbol do so at their peril. It is the spectator, and not life, that art really mirrors. Oscar Wilde.
Here are the next couple paragraphs for when everyone is ready.
:::
“Did you see any weapons?”“Some swords, a few bows. One man had an axe. Heavy-looking, double-bladed, a cruel piece of iron. It was on the ground beside him, right by his hand.”
Here, Will finds iron "cruel". Soon, he won't.
“Did you make note of the position of the bodies?” Will shrugged. “A couple are sitting up against the rock. Most of them on the ground. Fallen, like.”“Or sleeping,” Royce suggested. “Fallen,” Will insisted. “There’s one woman up an ironwood, half-hid in the branches. A far-eyes.” He smiled thinly. “I took care she never saw me. When I got closer, I saw that she wasn’t moving neither.” Despite himself, he shivered."
Why wasn't Will attacked? This is particularly suspicious if the Others were guarding the location itself.
Perhaps not though, considering darkness had not yet fallen when he gave this report. If Will found them while there was still some daylight, this could also explain why the eight bodies were dormant. Othor and Jafer were found in a similar state I recall, fallen like, with weaponry near to hand. As still as death. Then, once night fell, they moved rather quickly.
“You have a chill?” Royce asked. “Some,” Will muttered. “The wind, m’lord.” The young knight turned back to his grizzled man-at-arms. Frost-fallen leaves whispered past them, and Royce’s destrier moved restlessly. “What do you think might have killed these men, Gared?” Ser Waymar asked casually. He adjusted the drape of his long sable cloak.
This entire exchange is about the Winds of Winter.
“You have a chill?” Royce asked.
Caused by wind...
“Some,” Will muttered. “The wind, m’lord.” The young knight turned back to his grizzled man-at-arms.
Grizzled by winters. Gared has "had the cold in him," unlike Royce.
Frost-fallen leaves whispered past them, and Royce’s destrier moved restlessly.
The frost has whispered leaves from trees. The horse knows it.
We saw frost cover trees in V6's prologue as well. Weaponized Cold.
These leaves are frosted in spite of the weeping Wall. I can't help but imagine they are the remnants of the Others' attack on the wildlings. The light snows may also be ripples of their doings.
“What do you think might have killed these men, Gared?” Ser Waymar asked casually.
The wind has been whispering the answer to Waymar's question all this time. Gared knows it. Will knows it. The horses know it.
He adjusted the drape of his long sable cloak.
“The wind, m’lord.”
"I can see it. You have more of the north in you than your brothers."
The wind is awaiting its command from the missing magic horn!
Did the dead wildlings end up being wights? I can't remember if they disappeared or not when they went back to investigate. I want to say they did, but not sure if that was the show, or the book. Because if so, sounds like those tricksy bitches like to set traps.
also, I have a feeling the prologue discussion will get so long, it'll be the never ending GOT thread. You might never finish the series!
“Never forget what you are, for surely the world will not. Make it your strength. Then it can never be your weakness. Armour yourself in it, and it will never be used to hurt you.” ― George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones
Interesting about the woman in the ironwood tree. I had a crackpot that ironwood was like "base" when you play tag, as it seems to show up in godswoods, along with sentinel pines that "guard". But this lady just punked me ????
At this point, it is summer, and yet they've come. Who knows how many rangers have been lost to them. Ned mentions to Cat in the next chapter that Benjen has said they have been losing rangers to what he assumes is Mance Rayder. I would agree that the King beyond the Wall is ultimately responsible, I just don't think Mance was ever that King.
Correct, but Westeros has known other winters, and supposedly, wws haven't been seen around town since the Long Night. Wildlings, Craster, Halfhand, Benjen, and even Mormont seem to know they exist, but they haven't been pushing this far south, otherwise the realm would know about it.
why now?? I know, million dollar question we're all waiting for the answer.
“Never forget what you are, for surely the world will not. Make it your strength. Then it can never be your weakness. Armour yourself in it, and it will never be used to hurt you.” ― George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones
It was not a derail yet, but it was beginning to head that way with talk of things not related to the epilogue. I was not asking anyone to delete their posts or even move them; only to start a thread (or post in another thread in use) to focus on other topics from other parts of the Song.
Anyway, I don't want to drag the thread down with boring blah blah blah so...
SlyWren - Waymar, Will, and Gared are hunting wildlings nine days from the Wall on the north side. Possibly on the last day of their ranging/mission they had entered the danger zone but they ignored the warnings just as the wildling band did. And they got dead.
Good stuff Flagons. We're not trying to micromanage threads, folks. New threads and theories will form on their own. Feel free to compare the chapter with other chapters and analyze them with the benefit of the canon as a whole. Personally, I'd even appreciate esoteric comparisons to Martin's other works, other non-Martin fantasy & lit, and mythology, like we do in Heresy (as long as it isn't Joseph Conrad LOL).
To the latter, Flagons, are you suggesting the camp location itself is the reason for the Other attack?
::: I have tried so hard to get through that book, if for nothing else, but to understand the draw of it with regards to using it as a parallel to BR, etc, etc. I just can't do it.
Last Edit: Aug 23, 2015 4:01:39 GMT by Lady Dyanna
Why must I always be the isle of crazy alone in an ocean of sensibility? The should to everybody else’s shouldn’t? The I-will to their better-nots?
Flagons, are you suggesting the camp location itself is the reason for the Other attack?
I am suggesting that as a possibility. That last day is when things got spooky and Will found the wildlings dead. Maybe they entered the Other's Keep.
This is a very interesting point. Are there areas that the Others see as "home," or that have significant meaning to them? Are these areas marked in some way. Is there a boundary line out there somewhere that has been forgotten???
Why must I always be the isle of crazy alone in an ocean of sensibility? The should to everybody else’s shouldn’t? The I-will to their better-nots?
I am suggesting that as a possibility. That last day is when things got spooky and Will found the wildlings dead. Maybe they entered the Other's Keep.
I was driving home from class this evening and listened to the prologue again...
Forgive me for skipping ahead a few paragraphs, need to get a few thoughts out before I fall asleep and forget them.
Isn't it strange that Will was not attacked when he first found the "dead" wildling raiders? He stayed there a while before returning to Waymar and Gared. Yet, was not confronted.
Then, within mere minutes of returning to the place, before Will can even get all the way up the tree, Will sees something, and freezes.
I also noticed the "partially frozen river" adjacent to the wildling camp... and wanted to mention that sounded out of place considering the Wall has been weeping, and since they've only had a few light snows. I'm thinking that river is thawing out from the attack that killed the wildlings.
Until the morrow folks!
Wow. That partially frozen stream is mentioned so quickly that I never would have noticed it if you hadn't pointed it out. Definitely interesting. Especially since running water takes so much longer to freeze than still and even the surrounding ground isn't frozen. It's wet and muddy under the thin snow cover beneath the trees.
Why must I always be the isle of crazy alone in an ocean of sensibility? The should to everybody else’s shouldn’t? The I-will to their better-nots?
::: I have tried so hard to get through that book, if for nothing else, but to understand the draw of it with regards to using it as a parallel to BE, etc, etc. I just can't do it.
I only read it in high school because I had too. However, I can just help you skip the boring parts, this is the only thing you need to know:
"Anything approaching the change that came over his features I have never seen before, and hope never to see again. Oh, I wasn't touched. I was fascinated. It was as though a veil had been rent. I saw on that ivory face the expression of somber pride, of ruthless power, of craven terror — of an intense and hopeless despair. Did he live his life again in every detail of desire, temptation, and surrender during that supreme moment of complete knowledge? He cried in a whisper at some image, at some vision, — he cried out twice, a cry that was no more than a breath — 'The horror! The horror!'"
Mistah Kurtz — he got dead. (Right, @danceswithflagons?)
“Never forget what you are, for surely the world will not. Make it your strength. Then it can never be your weakness. Armour yourself in it, and it will never be used to hurt you.” ― George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones
Good stuff Flagons. We're not trying to micromanage threads, folks. New threads and theories will form on their own. Feel free to compare the chapter with other chapters and analyze them with the benefit of the canon as a whole. Personally, I'd even appreciate esoteric comparisons to Martin's other works, other non-Martin fantasy & lit, and mythology, like we do in Heresy (as long as it isn't Joseph Conrad LOL).
To the latter, Flagons, are you suggesting the camp location itself is the reason for the Other attack?
::: I have tried so hard to get through that book, if for nothing else, but to understand the draw of it with regards to using it as a parallel to BE, etc, etc. I just can't do it.
Could be way off here, but I think the smug superior colonial viewpoint is how BC reads the Starks, the man who has "gone native" is BloodRaven and/or Mance Rayder, and the natives themselves are denizens of Beyond the Wall. The Colonial representative gets a glimpse of a different type of Power, rejects the native power and goes back to "civilization ", and the natives try to kill him.
Last Edit: Aug 23, 2015 3:14:38 GMT by Deleted: only read it because it was free for Kindle.