Post by Melifeather on Mar 1, 2018 5:38:20 GMT
The Pact and the Reed’s Creed
“To Winterfell we pledge the faith of Greywater,” they said together. “Hearth and heart and harvest we yield up to you, my lord. Our swords and spears and arrows are yours to command. Grant mercy to our weak, help to our helpless, and justice to all, and we shall never fail you.”
“I swear it by earth and water,” said the boy in green.
“I swear it by bronze and iron,” his sister said.
“We swear it by ice and fire,” they finished together.
The opening passage of this essay is what is commonly referred to as the “Reed’s Creed”. Most readers suspect that it’s swearing refers to The Pact of the Isle of Faces which was a treaty that ended the war of the First Men and the Children of the Forest. Not to be confused with the Pact of Ice and Fire which was an alliance between Houses Stark and Targaryen arranged during the Dance of the Dragons. In any case “ice” and “fire” is the major theme of the Song of Ice and Fire story. A single story that is separated into seven books - we hope. This is a story of opposites. White and black. Sun and moon. Two sides of the same coin. The opposing side is a mirrored reflection of the other. As the Fattest Leach said to me:
As far as mirrors are concerned, GRRM uses them A LOT in many stories. So many that I cannot quote them all. Sometimes just as that innocuous "checked herself in a mirror before leaving" type of way, but when they mean something to the character's arc, they really mean something, and it is not always pleasant. This very much goes hand in hand with the reflection of one's self, including being caught on a darkling plain/stream. Right now our main players in the story are all caught in some sort of darkling plain/stream- Dany in the dark along the Skahazadan, Bran in the cave/sunless sea with the possible escape river nearby, and Jon will most likely take a trip there in the next book as he heals from his attack. These are all "kill the child and let the adult be born" moments- and many are "be careful of what you wish for" moments. The thing is we already see how Dany comes out on the other side. She has accepted her family words of "fire and blood" and eats with her dragon. Jon and Bran are next for us to read about.
Mirrored Opposites
Speaking of mirrors, the dragons are not the parallel to direwolves! They are fire made flesh, so their parallel are the white walkers that are made of ice. White walkers are created using blood sacrifice, while dragons are hatched through fire sacrifice. Direwolves are neither ice made flesh, nor are they created via sacrifice. I know it's tempting to talk about bonds, because direwolves bond with humans, but I don't believe dragons can be bonded to living humans. Presumably they can be controlled by dragonhorns, but that remains to be seen. Likewise we're told there's a horn of Joramun, which we presume can control white walkers. IMO we need to view dragons very differently than direwolves. We need to keep in mind that they are opposite white walkers and therefore living shadows of the people that were sacrificed to give them life.
Greenseers and Fire Seers
Lets talk about greenseers and the ability to enter human dreams. The 3EC came to Bran in a dream (or was it a raven?), and Bran came to Jon in a dream while Jon was dreaming about being Ghost, therefore I think there must be an equivalent "dream traveler" on the fire side speaking to Dany while she sleeps. Everything and everyone has a mirrored opposite. That means there must be a greenseer equivalent on the fire side, and for the sake of having a name I am going to call this person a “fire seer”. Also, if greenseers are under weirwoods then I would expect the fire seer to be above ground. Which begs the question: what is the opposite of a weirwood? Greenseers use weirwoods to "see" the past, present, and future, therefore the fire seer would be using fire or a glass candle, because both are used to see.
According to the Dothraki when humans die their spirits rise up into the air and ride across the sky into the “heavenly godhead” so to speak, which fits nicely as the mirrored opposite to the Children's spirits joining their godhead. The Children work their magics by drawing power from this godhead of earth, water, and stone, while humans work magic by drawing from their godhead of sky, air, and storm.
Lets review the elements again from the Reed’s Creed now that we’ve sorted out their differences:
Ice and fire - These are the two sides - humans versus Children. The humans work ice magic to create the white walkers, and the Children work fire magic to create dragons. Both types of magic require blood sacrifice.
Earth and water - Earth and water are the elements that hold the Children’s godhead. This is where their dead’s spirits go into and where they draw their magic from.
Bronze and iron - These are the two main groups of First Men that obtained the ability to work magic. The spirits of their dead rise up into the heavens, and they draw their power from the gods of sky, wind, and storm. The element of bronze may help the wearer create magic, and iron wards against it. The ancient history of how Durran Godsgrief married Elenei is likely a symbolic story of how they obtained the ability to work magic. Elenei was once a diety herself and the daughter of two gods: the god of the sea (the Drowned God) and the goddess of the air (the Storm God).
Blood Sacrifice
If you've followed Heresy for awhile you may recall a discussion of Craster and how he's a "red herring", salted kippers and all that. If anyone has a link to that discussion, please post it. Anyways...Craster IS a "red herring", because it's not HIS children, but "Children" as in Children of the Forest that were sacrificed to create white walkers. This is also why the Children's cave is warded. It's not to keep Bran in, but to keep out any humans trying to abduct one of the Children to be sacrificed to make a white walker.
Ice Magic = magic worked by humans, creating white walkers by sacrificing Children, and drawing on powers of sky, wind, and storm.
Fire Magic = magic worked by Children, creating dragons by sacrificing humans, and drawing on powers of earth, water, and stone.
Weirwoods = a tool used by the Children of the Forest to see past, present, and future.
Glass Candles = a tool used by humans to see past, present, and future. Flames are just a type of candle.
3-eyed Raven = Bloodraven. Up next: Bran. Can manipulate people by coming to them in dreams. Will try to control the human-made white walkers.
3-eyed Crow = Euron Crow's Eye. Others: perhaps Marwyn and/or Quaithe. Can manipulate people by coming to them in dreams. Will try to control the Children-made dragons.
Lets put this all together now:
Ice = Humans-White Walkers-Glass Candles-Bronze and Iron
Fire = Children of the Forest-Dragons-Weirwoods-Earth and Water
Each side is trying to intervene or control the opposing side. The fire seers are trying to control the dragons, and the Children brought Bran in so that he can try to control the white walkers. Is Bran’s story a repeat of the Last Hero? It’s beginning to look like the Last Hero was a Stark and his direwolf, but what could a skinchanger do to help defeat the Others? I have ideas, but lets save it for another thread!
“To Winterfell we pledge the faith of Greywater,” they said together. “Hearth and heart and harvest we yield up to you, my lord. Our swords and spears and arrows are yours to command. Grant mercy to our weak, help to our helpless, and justice to all, and we shall never fail you.”
“I swear it by earth and water,” said the boy in green.
“I swear it by bronze and iron,” his sister said.
“We swear it by ice and fire,” they finished together.
The opening passage of this essay is what is commonly referred to as the “Reed’s Creed”. Most readers suspect that it’s swearing refers to The Pact of the Isle of Faces which was a treaty that ended the war of the First Men and the Children of the Forest. Not to be confused with the Pact of Ice and Fire which was an alliance between Houses Stark and Targaryen arranged during the Dance of the Dragons. In any case “ice” and “fire” is the major theme of the Song of Ice and Fire story. A single story that is separated into seven books - we hope. This is a story of opposites. White and black. Sun and moon. Two sides of the same coin. The opposing side is a mirrored reflection of the other. As the Fattest Leach said to me:
As far as mirrors are concerned, GRRM uses them A LOT in many stories. So many that I cannot quote them all. Sometimes just as that innocuous "checked herself in a mirror before leaving" type of way, but when they mean something to the character's arc, they really mean something, and it is not always pleasant. This very much goes hand in hand with the reflection of one's self, including being caught on a darkling plain/stream. Right now our main players in the story are all caught in some sort of darkling plain/stream- Dany in the dark along the Skahazadan, Bran in the cave/sunless sea with the possible escape river nearby, and Jon will most likely take a trip there in the next book as he heals from his attack. These are all "kill the child and let the adult be born" moments- and many are "be careful of what you wish for" moments. The thing is we already see how Dany comes out on the other side. She has accepted her family words of "fire and blood" and eats with her dragon. Jon and Bran are next for us to read about.
Mirrored Opposites
Speaking of mirrors, the dragons are not the parallel to direwolves! They are fire made flesh, so their parallel are the white walkers that are made of ice. White walkers are created using blood sacrifice, while dragons are hatched through fire sacrifice. Direwolves are neither ice made flesh, nor are they created via sacrifice. I know it's tempting to talk about bonds, because direwolves bond with humans, but I don't believe dragons can be bonded to living humans. Presumably they can be controlled by dragonhorns, but that remains to be seen. Likewise we're told there's a horn of Joramun, which we presume can control white walkers. IMO we need to view dragons very differently than direwolves. We need to keep in mind that they are opposite white walkers and therefore living shadows of the people that were sacrificed to give them life.
Greenseers and Fire Seers
Lets talk about greenseers and the ability to enter human dreams. The 3EC came to Bran in a dream (or was it a raven?), and Bran came to Jon in a dream while Jon was dreaming about being Ghost, therefore I think there must be an equivalent "dream traveler" on the fire side speaking to Dany while she sleeps. Everything and everyone has a mirrored opposite. That means there must be a greenseer equivalent on the fire side, and for the sake of having a name I am going to call this person a “fire seer”. Also, if greenseers are under weirwoods then I would expect the fire seer to be above ground. Which begs the question: what is the opposite of a weirwood? Greenseers use weirwoods to "see" the past, present, and future, therefore the fire seer would be using fire or a glass candle, because both are used to see.
According to the Dothraki when humans die their spirits rise up into the air and ride across the sky into the “heavenly godhead” so to speak, which fits nicely as the mirrored opposite to the Children's spirits joining their godhead. The Children work their magics by drawing power from this godhead of earth, water, and stone, while humans work magic by drawing from their godhead of sky, air, and storm.
Lets review the elements again from the Reed’s Creed now that we’ve sorted out their differences:
Ice and fire - These are the two sides - humans versus Children. The humans work ice magic to create the white walkers, and the Children work fire magic to create dragons. Both types of magic require blood sacrifice.
Earth and water - Earth and water are the elements that hold the Children’s godhead. This is where their dead’s spirits go into and where they draw their magic from.
Bronze and iron - These are the two main groups of First Men that obtained the ability to work magic. The spirits of their dead rise up into the heavens, and they draw their power from the gods of sky, wind, and storm. The element of bronze may help the wearer create magic, and iron wards against it. The ancient history of how Durran Godsgrief married Elenei is likely a symbolic story of how they obtained the ability to work magic. Elenei was once a diety herself and the daughter of two gods: the god of the sea (the Drowned God) and the goddess of the air (the Storm God).
Blood Sacrifice
If you've followed Heresy for awhile you may recall a discussion of Craster and how he's a "red herring", salted kippers and all that. If anyone has a link to that discussion, please post it. Anyways...Craster IS a "red herring", because it's not HIS children, but "Children" as in Children of the Forest that were sacrificed to create white walkers. This is also why the Children's cave is warded. It's not to keep Bran in, but to keep out any humans trying to abduct one of the Children to be sacrificed to make a white walker.
Ice Magic = magic worked by humans, creating white walkers by sacrificing Children, and drawing on powers of sky, wind, and storm.
Fire Magic = magic worked by Children, creating dragons by sacrificing humans, and drawing on powers of earth, water, and stone.
Weirwoods = a tool used by the Children of the Forest to see past, present, and future.
Glass Candles = a tool used by humans to see past, present, and future. Flames are just a type of candle.
3-eyed Raven = Bloodraven. Up next: Bran. Can manipulate people by coming to them in dreams. Will try to control the human-made white walkers.
3-eyed Crow = Euron Crow's Eye. Others: perhaps Marwyn and/or Quaithe. Can manipulate people by coming to them in dreams. Will try to control the Children-made dragons.
Lets put this all together now:
Ice = Humans-White Walkers-Glass Candles-Bronze and Iron
Fire = Children of the Forest-Dragons-Weirwoods-Earth and Water
Each side is trying to intervene or control the opposing side. The fire seers are trying to control the dragons, and the Children brought Bran in so that he can try to control the white walkers. Is Bran’s story a repeat of the Last Hero? It’s beginning to look like the Last Hero was a Stark and his direwolf, but what could a skinchanger do to help defeat the Others? I have ideas, but lets save it for another thread!