Other Crap, August of 2014 predictions about Game of Thrones.
I hate to say I told you so, but ...
No, wait a minute. I just realized that I LIKE to say I told you so.
I did, however, miss one prediction. I didn't think that Jon Snow would fail to honor his permanent oath to the Night's Watch.
Although I guess there is always the possibility that he could return to the Crows after all of his enemies have been defeated, leaving the Iron Throne to his Auntie Dany and the North to his stepsister Sansa. It would certainly be in character for him to recognize that such a thing would be the only way to honor his oath. He was, after all, raised by Ned Stark, and is also Ned's nephew.
Remember the speech he made in the season seven finale:
"I’m not going to swear an oath I can’t uphold. Talk about my father if you want, tell me that’s the attitude that got him killed. But when enough people make false promises, words stop meaning anything."
That sure makes it sound like he'll return to the Black. There is a strong precedent for this. A character named Aemon Targaryen was once the rightful king, but abdicated to take the black. You met him as the elderly, blind man who was the master of the Night's Watch when Jon Snow arrived.
That seems to be Jon's only option if Dany lives, because he has already bent the knee to her, meaning he would presumably not now elevate himself above her to sit on the Iron Throne, even though his claim is better than hers. And I think the only way a rightful king can avoid the throne is by joining the Night's Watch. (I'm not completely sure on this point.)
OK, I've nerded out enough. Back to our regularly scheduled naked chicks.
(For my fellow nerds, the discussion continues in the comments section.)
From my understanding, the oath is until you die. Jon died at the end of season 5. Yes, he was brought back in episode 2 of season 6, but he still DIED. In episode 3 of season 6, after he kills the men who killed him, he walks away and says "My watch has ended," and he is correct. He no longer has to uphold that oath.
ReplyDeleteThat's more of a possibility if he thought like Littlefinger, but the son of Ned Stark would not be one to seek loopholes and technicalities in his sworn oath.
DeletePlus, the scenario I laid out is the only one that would leave Jon, Sansa and Dany all holding power. The Iron Throne is not a two-seater, and he has the claim over Daenerys, so even if they were to marry, he would have to sit on the throne with her as his queen in a position of secondary importance. Would he do that after having bent the knee to her?
http://www.westeros.org/Citadel/Prophecies/Entry/II_511_512_The_Dragon_Has_Three_Heads/
ReplyDeleteWho is the third dragon? Jon, Dany and who? My money is on Tyrion. Maybe he'll be the only one left standing.
In the books there is a third remaining Targaryen, another Aegon (aka young Griff), who may have a better claim to the Iron Throne than either Jon or Dany. He is Jon's elder half-brother. Like Jon, he is also a son of Rhaegar, but was born before Jon. (Varys smuggled him safely out of Westeros.)
DeleteApparently Rhaegar was the George Foreman of his own time, having named both of his sons Aegon.
But we now suspect that there would be a hitch in the elder Aegon's claim. Remember that Rhaegar's marriage to Elia Martell was annulled.
It is not clear whether the annulment of Rhaegar's marriage would disinherit their offspring. They had a son (the aforementioned Young Griff aka Aegon) and a daughter. That discussion has not come up because the TV show has now run ahead of the books, which have not yet revealed Jon Snow's parentage, let alone the fact that those parents were legally married after the annulment.
As of the end of the published books, Aegon seems to have a better claim to the throne than Dany, and Jon is not yet revealed to be a Targaryen.
AegonGriff is referred to as the Mummer's Dragon. Is that because he was concealed by Varys or is he a fake created by Varys?
DeleteTyrion in the books has hair so blonde its almost white and one of his eye's is almost purple in colour. Its been suggested that he's the illegitimate son of Aerys and Joanna Lannister. Its why Tywin always hated him.
Tyrion in the show didn't get eaten by Viserys and Rhaegal when he unchained them. That's gotta mean something.
If they defeat the white walkers they won't need to guard the walk
ReplyDeleteWall
ReplyDeleteI am assuming that they cannot completely eradicate the white walkers, because according to legend the first men and the children of the forest already defeated them, but here they are again. They needed the wall's help after the first time they defeated them, so ...
DeleteAnyway, the creation of the Night King is still something of a mystery, so I guess all of that will have to come out in the wash.
But your point is right. If the Army of the Dead can be completely eradicated and the Wildlings are integrated into the North, then the wall is superfluous.