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Post by Melifeather on Jan 1, 2017 20:17:58 GMT
Just a refresher, Morna White Mask is a warrior witch of some renown. She is among the wildlings who agree to Jon Snow's price for refuge behind the Wall. She removes her mask to kiss his hand, and offers to be his man or woman until the spring, and gives over one or more sons to be hostage to the Watch. Jon gives her Queensgate in return.
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Post by Weasel Pie on Jan 1, 2017 20:27:58 GMT
TY Melifeather, I knew there was something I forgot to include. Layers upon layers.
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Post by Weasel Pie on Jan 1, 2017 23:03:47 GMT
One of our pal Finn's most famous adventures surrounds the Salmon of Wisdom.
The Salmon himself has an interesting history, having had Noah's granddaughter Cessair as one of his sixteen wives. They fled to Ireland before the flood, but Fintan mac Bochra (as he was named) was the only survivor of the eventual deluge. He survived as a Salmon, living in an underwater cave.
He eventually became an eagle, and then a hawk, and then again a human who advised Irish Kings for 5,000 years, and ultimately became the repository of all human knowledge. Shapeshifting and skinchanging and unnaturally long life and advanced knowledge, all good basic mythological stuff that we find in droves in ASoIAF.
His alternate story is that an ordinary salmon ate some magic nuts, and whoever ate the salmon would become the wisest man in the world.
"Eating" the salmon was purely an accident. An important poet/Bard named Finegas (who dwelt by the River Boyne) spent many years trying to catch the fish.
This version of the story supports the Salmon as an Immortal named Finntan.
Now I know there are no salmon in ASoIAF but there is weirwood paste. The salmon almost acts as an apple from the tree of Wisdom in Genesis. Another similar substance in the books is the Shade of the Evening that Dany drinks to cause her visions at the HoTU.
Also of note is the belief in prophecy. The poet Finegas was not meant to be the one to catch and eat the salmon, and he realizes that.
So Finn became a poet, among other things.
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Post by Weasel Pie on Jan 1, 2017 23:16:30 GMT
I have to say, though, the first place my brain went with that was unexpected, though related. Part of this was influenced by the talk of skinchanging & second life in Heresy, btw. Deer, dog, skinchanging, being brought home to rest. Weird leap warning, bear with me. Ned brought home Lyanna's bones to be buried in Winterfell's crypts...but he also made point to return William Dustin's big red horse. Why in the world would Ned have gone to all that trouble to bring back a horse, particularly when he couldn't bring back the rider? Why couldn't he have left that horse in Dorne, at Starfall, or sold it for return passage or something? Why was it important to drag that damn horse all the way back to Barrowton? What if...the horse was no longer just a horse? by the way I really like this. Something else may come along as I dig through the rest of the stories.
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Post by Some Pig No Doubt on Jan 1, 2017 23:33:26 GMT
by the way I really like this. Something else may come along as I dig through the rest of the stories Further discussion of it probably doesn't belong in this thread, but I was sparked by the idea of the woman being "forced" to take on her deer form - like someone being "forced" into their second life by an untimely human death.
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Post by Weasel Pie on Jan 1, 2017 23:44:27 GMT
OK now that we've established Finn as not only an exemplary warrior but also the wisest man in the world, here is how he fulfilled one of the prophecies to become the leader of the Fianna as his father Cumhal was.
When the Tuatha Dé Danann - a supernatural race - came to Ireland, they travelled in black clouds that darkened the sun for three days. They are ultimately the Aos Si (fairies) of later folklore. They brought four treasures with them, one of which is called Claíomh Solais - the Sword of Light, which I'll cover in another post.
One of the Tuatha De Danann named Aillen came from the Underworld once a year to make all the inhabitants of the city of Tara fall asleep by playing his harp. He would then breathe fire and destroy the city. He was essentially a dragon-fairie. Finn stuck his thumb in his mouth to figure out what to do. Then he inhaled poison (from his own spear) so he would stay awake and wouldn't succumb to Aillen's harp, and he slew the dragon-fairie.
And was so rewarded by being made the leader (Lord Commander) of the Fianna.
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Post by Weasel Pie on Jan 1, 2017 23:52:01 GMT
I'm going to make a separate thread on this, but I want to include this basic information on the Sword of Light. What is shockingly familiar (in an ASOIAF kind of way) is the essential connection between the Sword of Light, and creatures who are shapeshifters/skinchangers. The "soul" or "vulnerable part" of the enemy is hidden behind layers of animal disguises, and only the Sword of Light can defeat the soul of such a creature.
Pasted directly from wiki
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