Post by stdaga on Apr 26, 2019 5:24:50 GMT
The wording is similar but I do get what you are saying. The toj and the MMD tent ritual do have some similar imagery and numbers as well as Ned and Jaime's fight in the streets of Kings Landing, and so does the prologue of Game, or at least I think so.
Another group of seven that I just thought about was Benjen Stark. He is said to have left the wall with six rangers. So far, two showed up near the wall, dead and wighted, Othor and Jafer, but we still don't know what might have happened to the other five, including Benjen Stark.
Ned dream has him riding to the toj with himself plus 6 riders, and we are told that only two lived to ride away. So, we have five dead plus two alive. This is the opposite of what might have happened to Benjen's group, although there might be more that are dead and we just don't know it yet.
I am more interested in the idea of a person in command with six people traveling with him. Ned and Benjen, and now I am wondering about Brandon Stark. How many men rode in to KL with him? Ethan Glover, Kyle Royce, Elbert Arryn and Jeffory Mallister are named as Brandon's companions. Was this all of them, or where there two more? Or this group doesn't fit the numbers with Ned and Benjen. Right now, I am more apt to believe that Brandon had two more companions, although that is pure speculation. We do know that GRRM likes to repeat themes and numbers in the story.
I believe that we are told that Rhaegar left Dragonstone with six companions, described as a half-dozen of his closet companions. Again, the same numbers. 6+1. 7.
Another one that is vague but might also be seven is the number of Other's in the prologue that Waymar Royce faces. There is one initially, then we get "They emerged silently from the shadows, twins to the first. Three of them … four … five …". This prologue has always teased me in the number department with it's similarities to the toj showdown. 3 v 7 (IF there are seven White Walker's in this scene, but I admit it's vague, there might only be six).
Anyway, I was rereading Jon descriptions of Othor and Jafer and trying to make connections to the Stark's and hoods, when it occurred to me that Benjin has a 1+6, or group of 7 connection, and thought I would try to circle back to that part of our previous discussion.