Last Edit: Jul 22, 2016 0:05:16 GMT by Lady Dyanna
“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
I just read the chapter, but I will read it again since I'm starting an all Bran reread.
Bran, for me, was by far the most interesting POV-reread. His story really feels like a stand-alone story, or would... if he could stand alone. (kidding! lol)
"I can see it. You have more of the north in you than your brothers."
I'm in Weasel Pie. Was just thumbing through the prologue today... again... LOL
But Yeah! Prologue/Bran I... whatever... Both warrant a dissertation.
You keep saying you aren't making it to Clash because you start over each time.
“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
The morning had dawned clear and cold, with a crispness that hinted at the end of summer. They set forth at daybreak to see a man beheaded, twenty in all, and Bran rode among them, nervous with excitement. This was the first time he had been deemed old enough to go with his lord father and his brothers to see the king's justice done. It was the ninth year of summer, and the seventh of Bran's life.
second paragraph
The man had been taken outside a small holdfast in the hills. Robb thought he was a wildling, his sword sworn to Mance Rayder, the King-beyond-the-Wall. It made Bran's skin prickle to think of it. He remembered the hearth tales Old Nan told them. The wildlings were cruel men, she said, slavers and slayers and thieves. They consorted with giants and ghouls, stole girl children in the dead of night, and drank blood from polished horns. And their women lay with the Others in the Long Night to sire terrible half-human children.
Well, I might as well stick with the long version of the first paragraph breakdown.
A Game of Thrones - Bran I
Paragraph 1
The morning had dawned1 clear and cold2, with a crispness3 that hinted at the end of summer4. They set forth at daybreak5 to see a man beheaded6, twenty in all7, and Bran rode among them8, nervous with excitement. This was the first time he had been deemed old enough to go with his lord father and his brothers to see the king's justice9 done. It was the ninth year of summer10, and the seventh of Bran's life11.
1. Morning and Dawn
The end of Night, the Bringer of Light. I can't help but recall Dawn, and the Sword of the Morning.
2. Clear and Cold
What else is clear and cold?
A cold, hard truth:
A Game of Thrones - Prologue
"And how did you find the Wall?"
"Weeping," Will said, frowning. He saw it clear enough, now that the lordling had pointed it out. "They couldn't have froze. Not if the Wall was weeping. It wasn't cold enough."
Ice, Water:
A Game of Thrones - Tyrion II
He found a comfortable spot just beyond the noise of the camp, beside a swift-running stream with waters clear and cold as ice.
The night sky when stars (the Others?) are visible:
A Game of Thrones - Tyrion VI
"Myrish. 'The Seasons of My Love.' Sweet and sad, if you understand the words. The first girl I ever bedded used to sing it, and I've never been able to put it out of my head." Tyrion gazed up at the sky. It was a clear cold night and the stars shone down upon the mountains as bright and merciless as truth.
The frozen dead lands of true winter, cleared of life, cold with winds:
A Game of Thrones - Bran IV
Her voice had dropped very low, almost to a whisper, and Bran found himself leaning forward to listen.
"Now these were the days before the Andals came, and long before the women fled across the narrow sea from the cities of the Rhoyne, and the hundred kingdoms of those times were the kingdoms of the First Men, who had taken these lands from the children of the forest. Yet here and there in the fastness of the woods the children still lived in their wooden cities and hollow hills, and the faces in the trees kept watch. So as cold and death filled the earth, the last hero determined to seek out the children, in the hopes that their ancient magics could win back what the armies of men had lost. He set out into the dead lands with a sword, a horse, a dog, and a dozen companions.
The rising sun (son?), cold with the memory of night, clearing the landscape of darkness:
A Game of Thrones - Tyrion I
Outside, Tyrion swallowed a lungful of the cold morning air and began his laborious descent of the steep stone steps that corkscrewed around the exterior of the library tower. It was slow going; the steps were cut high and narrow, while his legs were short and twisted. The rising sun had not yet cleared the walls of Winterfell, but the men were already hard at it in the yard below.
3. Mmm crispy
Starks often enjoy this crispiness. It braces them. Refreshes them. Sansa felt it when she built her snow castle. Jon felt it north of the Wall. The list goes on.
For others, that edge in the air is not as reassuring:
A Game of Thrones - Prologue
Will shared his unease. He had been four years on the Wall. The first time he had been sent beyond, all the old stories had come rushing back, and his bowels had turned to water. He had laughed about it afterward. He was a veteran of a hundred rangings by now, and the endless dark wilderness that the southron called the haunted forest had no more terrors for him.
Until tonight. Something was different tonight. There was an edge to this darkness that made his hackles rise. Nine days they had been riding, north and northwest and then north again, farther and farther from the Wall, hard on the track of a band of Wildling raiders. Each day had been worse than the day that had come before it. Today was the worst of all. A cold wind was blowing out of the north, and it made the trees rustle like living things.All day, Will had felt as though something were watching him, something cold and implacable that loved him not. Gared had felt it too. Will wanted nothing so much as to ride hellbent for the safety of the Wall, but that was not a feeling to share with your commander.
4. the end of summer
Bran's Summer? Well that's unfortunate for his pup.
Mankind's Summer? Well, that's unfortunate for the living.
5. They set forth at daybreak
Some others set forth at break of night. 6. to see a man beheaded
A grim family outing. These Starks are not like other men (or are they?)...
7. twenty in all
Bran
Eddard Stark
Jon Snow
Robb Stark
Theon Greyjoy
Jory Cassel
Hullen, master of horse
Harwin, Hullen's son
Desmond
And 11 other unnamed men. Ser Rodrik is mentioned, but may not actually have been present.
8. Bran rode among them His first mount: a pony. We know he's about to find his next one.
9. to see the king's justice
Which king? Does Robert Baratheon give a damn about Gared? I think not. Gared has broken the laws of a far elder "king". So much elder, in fact, that the law predates the word "king" in Westeros. That law would have belonged to a Magnar. [where's my devil smiley when I need it! haha] 10. ninth year of summer
Means a long winter, eh? 11. the seventh of Bran's life
I don't think it forebodes well that Bran's life should be mentioned as being shorter than Summer's, when Summer has just been hinted at being near its end.
The man had been taken outside a small holdfast in the hills. Robb thought he was a wildling, his sword sworn to Mance Rayder, the King-beyond-the-Wall. It made Bran's skin prickle to think of it. He remembered the hearth tales Old Nan told them. The wildlings were cruel men, she said, slavers and slayers and thieves. They consorted with giants and ghouls, stole girl children in the dead of night, and drank blood from polished horns. And their women lay with the Others in the Long Night to sire terrible half-human children.
Lots of good stuff here, but it's all fairly basic. A few things that stand out to me are:
King-beyond-the-Wall = Night's King, not the Manse Raider.
And the infamous, "And their women lay with the Others in the Long Night to sire terrible half-human children." That doesn't sound like something Ygritte would do, but mayhaps some wildling women have been kissed by ice?
Maybe. But given that the Watch has been turned part penal colony vs. an honor to guard the realms of men, seems like the king's justice and the death sentence could also be a perversion of the original watch. I need to look at the "original oath" again in the Black Gate scene with Sam, but at least in this opening scene with all the Starks, I don't get the impression that anyone thinks this death sentence is applied by anyone's authority but the King's.
Given that the Watch is supposed to be neutral, supposed to not interfere in the kingdoms, seems odd that the authority for execution is in the hands of King's Landing. Am assuming the shift happened with the Targaryens. But am also assuming that the original Kings of Winter may have done this, too. If so, why? Leftover from Night's King? Seems like desertions should have been left with the Watch for them to decide punishments.
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.
Bran sees it as the king's justice so I assume this is what has been told to him by Ned. Why does Ned see it as doing the kings work when the Watch is older than the iron throne? This makes me wonder how long the Watch has been under a death penalty for abandonment. Maybe the current oath is much newer than I thought; about 200 years old?
Agreed. I think they were carrying out the king's justice, but I don't think it was Robert's...
Which king? Does Robert Baratheon give a damn about Gared? I think not. Gared has broken the laws of a far elder "king". So much elder, in fact, that the law predates the word "king" in Westeros. That law would have belonged to a Magnar. [where's my devil smiley when I need it! haha]
"I can see it. You have more of the north in you than your brothers."
to go with his lord father and his brothers to see the king's justice done.
Bran sees it as the king's justice so I assume this is what has been told to him by Ned. Why does Ned see it as doing the kings work when the Watch is older than the iron throne? This makes me wonder how long the Watch has been under a death penalty for abandonment. Maybe the current oath is much newer than I thought; about 200 years old?
But do they actually know for sure that the justice is for a deserter? I know that Bran often gets caught up in Nan's stories, but it was Robb who told him it was a wilding. Where did Robb get this information? From Ned? Rumors? How much did they know about the prisoner before arriving at scene?
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?
But that's not what Ned is about, is it. That's not what Bran understands it to be. Ned is upholding the law of the Seven Kingdoms and the Night's Watch. WP makes a good point about the cleansing of the sword in an old ritualistic way. But that's the after. Ned does his lawful duty then gives the old gods their due.
Sure, they see it in modern terms. But there's no way that law developed recently. Knowing what we know of the Others, we can see how dangerous it would be for the realms of Men to abandon their post, particularly after the Night's King turned his cloak.
"I can see it. You have more of the north in you than your brothers."
But do they actually know for sure that the justice is for a deserter? I know that Bran often gets caught up in Nan's stories, but it was Robb who told him it was a wilding. Where did Robb get this information? From Ned? Rumors? How much did they know about the prisoner before arriving at scene?
They must have known he was a deserter. Else, why summon the Lord of Winterfell? Robb wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed. And people deal with wildling raiders regularly. A deserter of the Watch would warrant judgement and execution by the Warden of the North. Just my two coppers worth...
"I can see it. You have more of the north in you than your brothers."