Post by Melifeather on May 20, 2019 21:56:19 GMT
There was a short period of time where I thought Edric might be the real Aegon. He fit all the right parallels to be Rhaegar's son...except for his age. When Edric met Arya he told her he was twelve years old - much too young to be Aegon, but just about the right number of years since a certain lord visited Starfall.
My attention was drawn to Edric when I was sorting through the parallels between Ashara and Sansa. My first impression led me to jump to the conclusion that he was the real Aegon, but like I said, he was too young. I then focused on Sam, Gilly, and Aemon Steelsong versus Petyr, Sansa, and Robyn, and the lens began to focus. I now believe Edric "Ned" Dayne is the southern version of the Bastard O'Winterfell, and Ned Stark was the 'Bael'. Lemme explain by way of going over the parallels:
Gilly is raising Mance's son (Aemon Steelsong) as Sam's at his ancestral home, because her sister (his aunt) Dalla died. Jon forced Gilly to take Aemon and pretend that he's her son, while her real son Monster is being raised by the men of the Nights Watch at the Wall.
Sansa is hiding her true identity by pretending to be Petyr's daughter Alayne. Her aunt Lysa wanted to kill her, but Petyr stepped in and pushed her out the Moon Door instead. Alayne has become foster mother to her fake father's ward who is also secretly her nephew Robyn.
Ashara is hiding her true identity by pretending to be Wylla, even though she lives at her ancestral home. Ned forced Ashara to leave Jon with him at Winterfell, and sent her back home to Starfall. Jon was raised by his real father at their ancestral home, and is currently residing (or laying in an ice storage room) at the Wall, where he's about to turn into a Monster. Ashara is pretending that her second born son is her nephew, but at the same time hiding her identity as his real mother. Edric thinks Wylla is only his nursemaid, while also not knowing that his father is actually his uncle.
Ned Stark went to Starfall at the end of the rebellion to return Arthur's sword and ended up giving Ashara his own "sword" as well
. Together they pushed a dead body dressed in her clothes - most likely it was the corpse of the late Lord Dayne, who as the last Lord of Starfall, had recently died without an heir. This is a near exact parallel to Lord Rodwell Stark of Winterfell who also died without a male heir. Ashara and her sister (with Ned's help) created the suicide story to cover it up.
According to the wiki, The She-Wolves of Winterfell is a story about an ailing Lord Beron Stark who died without issue, so the parallel to Lord Dayne could also be Beron rather than Rodwell, but no matter, what is important is that there was an ailing Lord of a great house without a male heir. Furthermore, many readers suspect that the She-Wolves tale is the origin of the Bael the Bard story where a wildling is blamed/credited with providing the heir on a daughter of Winterfell hiding in the crypts.
I'm not addressing in full detail why I think Ned and Ashara are Jon Snow's parents. I'll abbreviate my theory by saying that Ned found Robert trying to force himself upon Ashara at the Harrenhal Tourney. This is what Barristan is referring to when he said Ashara was dishonored and turned to Stark, and likely why Lyanna was so upset that Robert wouldn't keep to one bed. Out of that encounter, Ned and Ashara became star-crossed lovers, er rather lighting-struck lovers. Ned was her hero, and Jon was born nine months later. I think Ned fully intended to marry Ashara for love like Robb did Jeyne, but unlike Robb, Ned did what was politically expedient and married Catelyn Tully in order to secure a Tully alliance to help Robert.
Edric's nickname is 'Ned' in honor of his father, and the role Edric is mirroring is the southern version of the bastard of Winterfell. Ashara is the mirror of the daughter of Winterfell hiding in the crypts. She's pretending to be dead - thus the "crypts" part that the role entails. The Daynes didn't have an heir with Arthur and his brother dead - just the two sisters Ashara and Allyria were left. Arthur's older brother makes a tidy inverted parallel to Lysa Arryn, leaving Edric thinking his uncle is his father, while Sansa has to hide that Robyn's mother was her aunt.
Ned played the role of Bael the Bard, gave Ashara a bastard son, and now Starfall has an heir. Edric grew up believing that his parents were dead, and that Wylla was only his nursemaid. Edric's age seems to fit with the timing of Ned's visit after the war, so that's my new theory and I'm sticking to it!
My attention was drawn to Edric when I was sorting through the parallels between Ashara and Sansa. My first impression led me to jump to the conclusion that he was the real Aegon, but like I said, he was too young. I then focused on Sam, Gilly, and Aemon Steelsong versus Petyr, Sansa, and Robyn, and the lens began to focus. I now believe Edric "Ned" Dayne is the southern version of the Bastard O'Winterfell, and Ned Stark was the 'Bael'. Lemme explain by way of going over the parallels:
Gilly is raising Mance's son (Aemon Steelsong) as Sam's at his ancestral home, because her sister (his aunt) Dalla died. Jon forced Gilly to take Aemon and pretend that he's her son, while her real son Monster is being raised by the men of the Nights Watch at the Wall.
Sansa is hiding her true identity by pretending to be Petyr's daughter Alayne. Her aunt Lysa wanted to kill her, but Petyr stepped in and pushed her out the Moon Door instead. Alayne has become foster mother to her fake father's ward who is also secretly her nephew Robyn.
Ashara is hiding her true identity by pretending to be Wylla, even though she lives at her ancestral home. Ned forced Ashara to leave Jon with him at Winterfell, and sent her back home to Starfall. Jon was raised by his real father at their ancestral home, and is currently residing (or laying in an ice storage room) at the Wall, where he's about to turn into a Monster. Ashara is pretending that her second born son is her nephew, but at the same time hiding her identity as his real mother. Edric thinks Wylla is only his nursemaid, while also not knowing that his father is actually his uncle.
Ned Stark went to Starfall at the end of the rebellion to return Arthur's sword and ended up giving Ashara his own "sword" as well
. Together they pushed a dead body dressed in her clothes - most likely it was the corpse of the late Lord Dayne, who as the last Lord of Starfall, had recently died without an heir. This is a near exact parallel to Lord Rodwell Stark of Winterfell who also died without a male heir. Ashara and her sister (with Ned's help) created the suicide story to cover it up. According to the wiki, The She-Wolves of Winterfell is a story about an ailing Lord Beron Stark who died without issue, so the parallel to Lord Dayne could also be Beron rather than Rodwell, but no matter, what is important is that there was an ailing Lord of a great house without a male heir. Furthermore, many readers suspect that the She-Wolves tale is the origin of the Bael the Bard story where a wildling is blamed/credited with providing the heir on a daughter of Winterfell hiding in the crypts.
I'm not addressing in full detail why I think Ned and Ashara are Jon Snow's parents. I'll abbreviate my theory by saying that Ned found Robert trying to force himself upon Ashara at the Harrenhal Tourney. This is what Barristan is referring to when he said Ashara was dishonored and turned to Stark, and likely why Lyanna was so upset that Robert wouldn't keep to one bed. Out of that encounter, Ned and Ashara became star-crossed lovers, er rather lighting-struck lovers. Ned was her hero, and Jon was born nine months later. I think Ned fully intended to marry Ashara for love like Robb did Jeyne, but unlike Robb, Ned did what was politically expedient and married Catelyn Tully in order to secure a Tully alliance to help Robert.
Edric's nickname is 'Ned' in honor of his father, and the role Edric is mirroring is the southern version of the bastard of Winterfell. Ashara is the mirror of the daughter of Winterfell hiding in the crypts. She's pretending to be dead - thus the "crypts" part that the role entails. The Daynes didn't have an heir with Arthur and his brother dead - just the two sisters Ashara and Allyria were left. Arthur's older brother makes a tidy inverted parallel to Lysa Arryn, leaving Edric thinking his uncle is his father, while Sansa has to hide that Robyn's mother was her aunt.
Ned played the role of Bael the Bard, gave Ashara a bastard son, and now Starfall has an heir. Edric grew up believing that his parents were dead, and that Wylla was only his nursemaid. Edric's age seems to fit with the timing of Ned's visit after the war, so that's my new theory and I'm sticking to it!