Post by min on Aug 6, 2016 8:08:14 GMT
Here I am at 3:00 am with the power of the word ringing in my ears. I know there was a lot of discussion at Heresy years ago about hospitality rights and the gods not liking it when rights were given and then broken. In their essence, most oaths are forms of a pledge to protect. Hospitality rights, the oath of the Night's Watch, Brienne's oath to Renly when she joins his Queensguard and I assume the Kingsguard Oath is something similar; although we are never made party to it. There is an oath of allegiance which a Lord's vassal Houses reaffirm; essentially binding houses together for mutual defense and protection. Catelyn's oath of obedience to Ned is something of a standout since she is bound to silence. The pledge to protect is given when a ward is taken by another house for fostering. The ultimate reason why Jon Arryn went to war rather than give up Ned and Robert to Aerys. I think this probably even includes taking a hostage as a ward as in the case of Theon. Ned certainly treats him as a ward rather than a hostage extending a form of hospitality rights. The words go both ways in a form of a contract. We see this when Jojen and Meera arrive and give their words to Bran who then gives his word.
It never occurred to me that there was more to this than meets the ear; words are just wind after all; until Melisandre's POV in Dance with Dragons.
She was stronger at the Wall, stronger even than in Asshai. Her every word and gesture was more potent, and she could do things that she had never done before.
Melisandre touched the ruby at her neck and spoke a word.
The sound echoed queerly from the corners of the room and twisted like a worm inside their ears. The wildling heard one word, the crow another. Neither was the word that left her lips. The ruby on the wildling's wrist darkened, and the wisps of light and shadow around him writhed and faded.
This is the passage where Melisandre removes Mance's glamor with Jon in the room. She speaks a word that becomes a sound echoing queerly. Mance and Jon both hear it differently and I suspect they don't remember the word or hearing it at all. She uses it to remove the binding magic of the glamor but this almost sounds like a post-hypnotic suggestion has been given. Some kind of suggestive word the subject isn't aware of on a conscious level. But this being the World of Ice and Fire; it's a magical suggestion. LOL.
Twisting like a worm inside the ear... does that sound a bit like a key turning in a lock?
It isn't just the word that is more potent; it's her gestures and I wasn't sure what that meant until:
As they walked beneath the Wall, she slipped her arm through his. And then later in the passage Jon Snow wrenched his arm away. It's physical contact or the power of touch. This gets more specific with Dany and Quaithe who touches Dany on the wrist leaving a tingling sensation. Something Quaithe then uses to locate Dany with a glass candle.
The idea that a word can be locked into the ear comes up again with Jojen and Meera when they give their oath to Bran.
A Clash of Kings Bran III:
"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.
Bran groped for words. was he supposed to swear something back to them? The oath was not one he had been taught. "May your winters be short and your summers bountiful," he said. That was usually a good thing to say. "Rise. I'm Brandon Stark".
An old oath, one that is given three times. Once to the CotF, once to the first men and the last to the gods. (R'hllor and the God of Many Faces - I'll come back to this later.)
This is not an oath that Bran has heard before but it's likely that Ned has heard it at least once. Not to mention that he meets out the King's Justice at Winterfell and later at the Hand of the King.
Later in Bran V, Jojen asks Bran if he trusts his greendreams now that his fortelling of Big Walder and Little Walder' reaction to their uncle's death has come true and he says something a bit strange:
"Does my lord prince believe me now? Will he trust my words, no matter how queer they sound in his ears?"
Bran nodded.
...
Jojen sat on Bran's bed, "Tell me about your dream."
He was scared, even then, but he had sworn to trust them, and a Stark of Winterfell keeps his sworn word.
The kingsguard are sworn (s)words.
All of this brings me to Coldhands and Samwell Tarley's oath.
More to come....
It never occurred to me that there was more to this than meets the ear; words are just wind after all; until Melisandre's POV in Dance with Dragons.
She was stronger at the Wall, stronger even than in Asshai. Her every word and gesture was more potent, and she could do things that she had never done before.
Melisandre touched the ruby at her neck and spoke a word.
The sound echoed queerly from the corners of the room and twisted like a worm inside their ears. The wildling heard one word, the crow another. Neither was the word that left her lips. The ruby on the wildling's wrist darkened, and the wisps of light and shadow around him writhed and faded.
This is the passage where Melisandre removes Mance's glamor with Jon in the room. She speaks a word that becomes a sound echoing queerly. Mance and Jon both hear it differently and I suspect they don't remember the word or hearing it at all. She uses it to remove the binding magic of the glamor but this almost sounds like a post-hypnotic suggestion has been given. Some kind of suggestive word the subject isn't aware of on a conscious level. But this being the World of Ice and Fire; it's a magical suggestion. LOL.
Twisting like a worm inside the ear... does that sound a bit like a key turning in a lock?
It isn't just the word that is more potent; it's her gestures and I wasn't sure what that meant until:
As they walked beneath the Wall, she slipped her arm through his. And then later in the passage Jon Snow wrenched his arm away. It's physical contact or the power of touch. This gets more specific with Dany and Quaithe who touches Dany on the wrist leaving a tingling sensation. Something Quaithe then uses to locate Dany with a glass candle.
The idea that a word can be locked into the ear comes up again with Jojen and Meera when they give their oath to Bran.
A Clash of Kings Bran III:
"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.
Bran groped for words. was he supposed to swear something back to them? The oath was not one he had been taught. "May your winters be short and your summers bountiful," he said. That was usually a good thing to say. "Rise. I'm Brandon Stark".
An old oath, one that is given three times. Once to the CotF, once to the first men and the last to the gods. (R'hllor and the God of Many Faces - I'll come back to this later.)
This is not an oath that Bran has heard before but it's likely that Ned has heard it at least once. Not to mention that he meets out the King's Justice at Winterfell and later at the Hand of the King.
Later in Bran V, Jojen asks Bran if he trusts his greendreams now that his fortelling of Big Walder and Little Walder' reaction to their uncle's death has come true and he says something a bit strange:
"Does my lord prince believe me now? Will he trust my words, no matter how queer they sound in his ears?"
Bran nodded.
...
Jojen sat on Bran's bed, "Tell me about your dream."
He was scared, even then, but he had sworn to trust them, and a Stark of Winterfell keeps his sworn word.
The kingsguard are sworn (s)words.
All of this brings me to Coldhands and Samwell Tarley's oath.
More to come....