Parallels & Inversions: MMD's Tent Ritual and the TOJ
May 11, 2016 23:57:33 GMT
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Post by Some Pig No Doubt on May 11, 2016 23:57:33 GMT
For those who haven't seen this before.
Some of you may recall that I harbor a longtime crackpot about blood magic being part of the TOJ experience. For those that don’t recall that, I harbor a longtime crackpot about blood magic being part of the TOJ experience. Now, we’re all caught up.
This crackpot was seeded in the realization that there’s some shared imagery between the TOJ/Lyanna recollections in Ned’s POV, and the MMD ritual in Drogo’s tent per Dany’s POV. During my last reread of the latter , something completely mundane jumped out at me that added to that shared imagery – and diving into that further led me to an exciting discovery that probably no less than 1000 people realized before me, but haven’t shared online so I’m staking my claim.
With the MMD /Tent ritual, I believe GRRM has crafted a parallel-but-inverse scenario to the Lyanna/TOJ mystery. I further believe that we could take a fair guess at the unknown circumstances surrounding Lyanna/TOJ by creating inversions of the known MMD/Tent events.
NOTE: Everything that follows comes directly from AGOT – I do not “source” from anything but the supreme canon of the book.
To begin, let’s look at some information that is present in BOTH situations. For brevity, I will refer to the events as “TOJ” and “Tent”, even though there will be some comingling with other related info in the books not specifically in these chapters/scenes.
PART I
The Stage
TOJ: At (presumably) an old abandoned watchtower in remote area, no one else around.
Tent: In a suddenly-populated camp in a remote area, full khalasar present.
TOJ: "... the red mountains of Dorne at their backs, their white cloaks blowing in the wind." Implies cool, breezy.
Tent: "The sun was high and pitiless. Heat shimmered in waves off the stony outcrops of low hills. The land was brown and sere, inhospitable. The slaves erected Khal Drogo's tent beneath a jagged outcrop of black rock whose shadow gave some relief from the heat of the afternoon sun." States hot and miserable.
TOJ: 7 Northmen on horseback approach a round tower, where they encounter 3 Kingsguard (KG). They were “seven facing three”.
Tent: 3 of Drogo’s bloodriders (BR) on horseback approach a tent, where they encounter 7 “pro-Dany” people: Dany, MMD, Jorah, Quaro, Jhogo, Aggo, Rakharo. They are three facing seven.
(Bonus inverse here: the tower would obviously be a permanent structure in place a long time. Drogo’s tent is a temporary structure that was erected in haste.)
TOJ: The 3 KG are blocking entry to the tower.
Tent: The 3 BR are trying to gain entry to the tent.
The Players
TOJ: Ned is the POV. He voluntarily participates in the fight. He is attributed with killing Arthur Dayne.
Tent: Dany is the POV. She does not voluntarily participate in the fight and does not kill anyone.
TOJ: Of the 7 Northmen, one is versed in the old magics of the West/North/Ice.
Tent: Of the 7 Pro-Dany, one is versed in the old magics of the East/South/Fire.
TOJ: Of the 7 Northmen, all but one are skilled in the fighting style of Westerosi knights.
Tent: Of the 7 Pro-Dany, only one is skilled in the fighting style of Westerosi knights.
TOJ: Of the 3 KG, Arthur Dayne is the most revered knight, the “shining example to the world”. Gerold Hightower is the oldest, and has been LC of the KG since Summerhall (when Rhaegar was born).
Tent: Of the 3 BR, Qotho is the cruelest and most sadistic. Cohollo is the oldest, and has been sworn to Drogo from the day of Drogo’s birth.
TOJ: Lord Dustin’s great red stallion survives (though its rider dies) to be returned to Lady Barbrey.
Tent: Drogo’s great red stallion dies in sacrifice to save Drogo from death, and its body is burned on site.
TOJ: Of the 7 Northmen, only one of non-POV characters survives the confrontation(Howland).
Tent: Of the 7 pro-Dany, only one of the non-POV characters dies in the confrontation (Quaro).
TOJ: All 3 KG are slain.
Tent: All 3 BRs are slain.
The Scenery
(Now this is interesting, because here we have a mix of inversion/opposition as well as direct parallels. And yes, some of these connections may be reaching on my part, I will not lie.)
TOJ: The action begins as NedCo ride up to the tower on horseback. Whent is down on one knee, Dayne and Hightower are standing.
Tent: The action begins as Drogo falls from his horse. Cohollo dismounts and drops to his knees, Qotho and Haggo remain mounted.
TOJ: “…in a room that smelled of blood and roses.”
Tent: “ foul, sweet smell rose from the wound, so thick it almost choked her.”
TOJ: “…the rose petals spilling from her palm, dead and black.”
Tent: “…scraped away black leaves and dried blue mud from Drogo’s chest.”; “…Drogo’s breast black and glistening with corruption…”; “…black blood ran slow and thick from his open wound.”
TOJ: “The fever had taken her strength and her voice had been faint as a whisper…”
Tent: “His skin burned beneath her fingers.” "He was a fire in human skin.” “"No," he muttered in the Common Tongue. "No, no." It was all he said, all he seemed capable of saying. "No," Khal Drogo groaned, struggling in Dany's arms. "Must ride. Ride. No."
TOJ: Arthur Dayne – “And now it begins.” Ned – “No, now it ends.”
Tent: Qotho – “This must not be.” Dany – “This will be.”
TOJ: Arthur issues covert challenge to Ned; fight escalates slowly. Ned’s wraiths move up beside him. AD “unsheathed Dawn and held it with both hands. The blade was as pale as milkglass, alive with light.”
Tent: Jorah issues overt challenge to Qotho; fight escalates quickly. Jorah charges from the group. Qotho’s arakh “whirling around his head in a shining blur, flickering out like lightning as the knight came on in a rush.”
TOJ: (Before Ned awakes from the dream) “A storm of rose petals blew across a blood-streaked sky, as blue as the eyes of death.”
Tent: (Before Dany passes out from labor) “Her eyes opened to gaze up at a flat dead sky, black and bleak and starless.”
TOJ: “As they came together in a rush of steel and shadow, he could hear Lyanna screaming.”
Tent: “No", she shouted, or perhaps she only thought it, for no whisper of sound escaped her lips. Please, no. The shapes! she screamed. The dancers!”
TOJ: The stones of the tower are bloody when it all ends.
Tent: The silk walls of the tent are bloody when it all begins.
Now, this next one involves some speculation on my part, but I’m going to go ahead and dump it here because 1) we already have a good bit of textual support for my assumptions, and 2) the juxtaposition is just so awesome that I don’t even care if some of it is still “unknown”.
Tent: Jorah, a knight, fights Qotho, the fiercest of the 3 BRs, first. They have opposite fighting styles – Jorah in plate & mail, wielding a sword, and Qotho, in spare Dothraki garb, wielding an arakh. Despite Qotho’s skill with the arakh and his whirling like a dervish, he is slain by “The Andal.” Next, Rakharo (Team Dany) fights Haggo (Team BR) and kills him. Finally, Cohollo, the oldest BR and in service to Drogo the longest, attacks Dany and is killed by Aggo.
TOJ: If we follow the pattern….Hightower is killed first, after some kind of struggle with Ned. Whent’s death follows. Lastly, we get to Arthur Dayne, the greatest of the KG, a knight armored in the garb of the KG – to preserve the inversion, he would fight a northman with unconventional skills… meaning HOWLAND MOTHER-GRABBING REED. The knight falls to these skills and is slain by “The Crannogman.” “..and he would have killed me but for Howland Reed.”
Some of you may recall that I harbor a longtime crackpot about blood magic being part of the TOJ experience. For those that don’t recall that, I harbor a longtime crackpot about blood magic being part of the TOJ experience. Now, we’re all caught up.
This crackpot was seeded in the realization that there’s some shared imagery between the TOJ/Lyanna recollections in Ned’s POV, and the MMD ritual in Drogo’s tent per Dany’s POV. During my last reread of the latter , something completely mundane jumped out at me that added to that shared imagery – and diving into that further led me to an exciting discovery that probably no less than 1000 people realized before me, but haven’t shared online so I’m staking my claim.
With the MMD /Tent ritual, I believe GRRM has crafted a parallel-but-inverse scenario to the Lyanna/TOJ mystery. I further believe that we could take a fair guess at the unknown circumstances surrounding Lyanna/TOJ by creating inversions of the known MMD/Tent events.
NOTE: Everything that follows comes directly from AGOT – I do not “source” from anything but the supreme canon of the book.
To begin, let’s look at some information that is present in BOTH situations. For brevity, I will refer to the events as “TOJ” and “Tent”, even though there will be some comingling with other related info in the books not specifically in these chapters/scenes.
PART I
The Stage
TOJ: At (presumably) an old abandoned watchtower in remote area, no one else around.
Tent: In a suddenly-populated camp in a remote area, full khalasar present.
TOJ: "... the red mountains of Dorne at their backs, their white cloaks blowing in the wind." Implies cool, breezy.
Tent: "The sun was high and pitiless. Heat shimmered in waves off the stony outcrops of low hills. The land was brown and sere, inhospitable. The slaves erected Khal Drogo's tent beneath a jagged outcrop of black rock whose shadow gave some relief from the heat of the afternoon sun." States hot and miserable.
TOJ: 7 Northmen on horseback approach a round tower, where they encounter 3 Kingsguard (KG). They were “seven facing three”.
Tent: 3 of Drogo’s bloodriders (BR) on horseback approach a tent, where they encounter 7 “pro-Dany” people: Dany, MMD, Jorah, Quaro, Jhogo, Aggo, Rakharo. They are three facing seven.
(Bonus inverse here: the tower would obviously be a permanent structure in place a long time. Drogo’s tent is a temporary structure that was erected in haste.)
TOJ: The 3 KG are blocking entry to the tower.
Tent: The 3 BR are trying to gain entry to the tent.
The Players
TOJ: Ned is the POV. He voluntarily participates in the fight. He is attributed with killing Arthur Dayne.
Tent: Dany is the POV. She does not voluntarily participate in the fight and does not kill anyone.
TOJ: Of the 7 Northmen, one is versed in the old magics of the West/North/Ice.
Tent: Of the 7 Pro-Dany, one is versed in the old magics of the East/South/Fire.
TOJ: Of the 7 Northmen, all but one are skilled in the fighting style of Westerosi knights.
Tent: Of the 7 Pro-Dany, only one is skilled in the fighting style of Westerosi knights.
TOJ: Of the 3 KG, Arthur Dayne is the most revered knight, the “shining example to the world”. Gerold Hightower is the oldest, and has been LC of the KG since Summerhall (when Rhaegar was born).
Tent: Of the 3 BR, Qotho is the cruelest and most sadistic. Cohollo is the oldest, and has been sworn to Drogo from the day of Drogo’s birth.
TOJ: Lord Dustin’s great red stallion survives (though its rider dies) to be returned to Lady Barbrey.
Tent: Drogo’s great red stallion dies in sacrifice to save Drogo from death, and its body is burned on site.
TOJ: Of the 7 Northmen, only one of non-POV characters survives the confrontation(Howland).
Tent: Of the 7 pro-Dany, only one of the non-POV characters dies in the confrontation (Quaro).
TOJ: All 3 KG are slain.
Tent: All 3 BRs are slain.
The Scenery
(Now this is interesting, because here we have a mix of inversion/opposition as well as direct parallels. And yes, some of these connections may be reaching on my part, I will not lie.)
TOJ: The action begins as NedCo ride up to the tower on horseback. Whent is down on one knee, Dayne and Hightower are standing.
Tent: The action begins as Drogo falls from his horse. Cohollo dismounts and drops to his knees, Qotho and Haggo remain mounted.
TOJ: “…in a room that smelled of blood and roses.”
Tent: “ foul, sweet smell rose from the wound, so thick it almost choked her.”
TOJ: “…the rose petals spilling from her palm, dead and black.”
Tent: “…scraped away black leaves and dried blue mud from Drogo’s chest.”; “…Drogo’s breast black and glistening with corruption…”; “…black blood ran slow and thick from his open wound.”
TOJ: “The fever had taken her strength and her voice had been faint as a whisper…”
Tent: “His skin burned beneath her fingers.” "He was a fire in human skin.” “"No," he muttered in the Common Tongue. "No, no." It was all he said, all he seemed capable of saying. "No," Khal Drogo groaned, struggling in Dany's arms. "Must ride. Ride. No."
TOJ: Arthur Dayne – “And now it begins.” Ned – “No, now it ends.”
Tent: Qotho – “This must not be.” Dany – “This will be.”
TOJ: Arthur issues covert challenge to Ned; fight escalates slowly. Ned’s wraiths move up beside him. AD “unsheathed Dawn and held it with both hands. The blade was as pale as milkglass, alive with light.”
Tent: Jorah issues overt challenge to Qotho; fight escalates quickly. Jorah charges from the group. Qotho’s arakh “whirling around his head in a shining blur, flickering out like lightning as the knight came on in a rush.”
TOJ: (Before Ned awakes from the dream) “A storm of rose petals blew across a blood-streaked sky, as blue as the eyes of death.”
Tent: (Before Dany passes out from labor) “Her eyes opened to gaze up at a flat dead sky, black and bleak and starless.”
TOJ: “As they came together in a rush of steel and shadow, he could hear Lyanna screaming.”
Tent: “No", she shouted, or perhaps she only thought it, for no whisper of sound escaped her lips. Please, no. The shapes! she screamed. The dancers!”
TOJ: The stones of the tower are bloody when it all ends.
Tent: The silk walls of the tent are bloody when it all begins.
Now, this next one involves some speculation on my part, but I’m going to go ahead and dump it here because 1) we already have a good bit of textual support for my assumptions, and 2) the juxtaposition is just so awesome that I don’t even care if some of it is still “unknown”.
Tent: Jorah, a knight, fights Qotho, the fiercest of the 3 BRs, first. They have opposite fighting styles – Jorah in plate & mail, wielding a sword, and Qotho, in spare Dothraki garb, wielding an arakh. Despite Qotho’s skill with the arakh and his whirling like a dervish, he is slain by “The Andal.” Next, Rakharo (Team Dany) fights Haggo (Team BR) and kills him. Finally, Cohollo, the oldest BR and in service to Drogo the longest, attacks Dany and is killed by Aggo.
TOJ: If we follow the pattern….Hightower is killed first, after some kind of struggle with Ned. Whent’s death follows. Lastly, we get to Arthur Dayne, the greatest of the KG, a knight armored in the garb of the KG – to preserve the inversion, he would fight a northman with unconventional skills… meaning HOWLAND MOTHER-GRABBING REED. The knight falls to these skills and is slain by “The Crannogman.” “..and he would have killed me but for Howland Reed.”
there is so much here I want to comment on, I'm paralysed with too much choice. Like a kid in a confectioners with all the coin he wants. Let me reread this and do it piece by piece. 
