Symbolism of the Others: the Kingsguard
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- Опубликовано: 10 ноя 2024
- Want to know the deep secrets of the Others? Well, we have to look at the Kingsguard then, because our author has dressed in identical symbolic language as the Others! Some of the best and most clear symbolism in the books, and a great example of why symbolism is the key to ripping open the deeper mysteries of ASOIAF.
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I like the interpretation of Patchface's "the shadows come to dance my lord" to be a reference to the Others based off of Waymar's "let's dance" invitation to the one he fought.
The Night's Watch are described as black shadows. Coming to dance with the White.
@@jonhauge-evaldsson783 Even more perfect!
It appears plausible/likely (to me, at least) that the Others are the "kingsguard" to the weirwood network, having been former children of the forest who weaponized themselves with magic to fight men. Unlike D&D's inability to adapt and write for magical characters, I think Martin intends to have the others triumph at Winterfell and make it to the God's eye, the central hub of the weirwood network. I think part of the resolution that men, the others and the children came to in order to end the long night is to have a weirwood tree in every godswood, so that the children/others could watch if man were being faithful to the resolution. I think mankind has done something to betray that resolution recently, and now the others have seen that and are coming to reclaim their sacred site. So, it's likely we'll learn something new at the God's eye about the origin of the others, the importance of the weirwoods, how the long night ended, and what the others truly want. In GoT, D&D made the others into the stereotypical zombie-like, semi-mindless, pure evil fantasy monster that Martin goes to great lengths to avoid. I'm looking forward to it (hopefully) in Winds of Winter.
I also like the idea that they are just a rave of magic humanoids, not good, but not necessarily evil either. They want their race to survive, and only have limited ways to reproduce and thrive, thus they want a "Long Night," as that cold endless winter would allow their race to survive and expand, repopulating what was taken from them in forgotten ages
I think its pretty clear what this all means... there will be a dance off between the Others and the kingsguard.
You got SERVED
I don't know how I haven't seen it the whole time.
Whoa that would be actual so cool. This is one of the few things I 200% wanna see
Lucifer means Lightbringer don’t break my hearth, my ache ache heart, I just don’t think you’ll understand
@ you mean my icy icy heart
LML: "if I tried to tell you what it all means, we would need another 20 minutes of video"
Me: "Yes please"
Oh well guess I'll re-watch the Moons of Ice and Fire videos while I wait.
One idea I haven't seen mentioned yet has to do with the degradation of the KG, with them starting out as a noble "band of brothers" sworn to protect the king while slowly over time becoming lazy, weak and self-interested. Maybe the Others originally served a noble purpose as well, protecting something (or someone) valuable which ensured the order of the world remain stable (much like the king is supposed to ensure the safety of his people and the realm), but over time they lost sight of that original purpose. Also I wonder if there is an intended parallel between the KG starting out as people who were picked based on their loyalty to the king but over time became more of a mechanism of nepotism (like the Lannister's appointing Sandor to the KG) and the Others having to rely on Craster for their offspring. Maybe the two things thing I mentioned, degradation of purpose and selection process of its members are somehow linked.
Well, the show says the White Walkers started off as vicious guards for the Children of the Forest, and eventually became all-devouring vampire terminators.
@@JoshSweetvale but they aren’t talking about the show. Bc the show WW were ice zombie making silent monsters of the snow... so show lore doesn’t really apply whatsoever to this discussion...
The show logic doesn’t really apply anywhere. . Not even an 8th grade book report wants to touch the lore from GoT...
It is funny how much they focused on the WW but all other magics seem to disappear completely even before season 8. ...
Is it possible that the King's guard are described so similar to the Others so that the reader would begin to recognize the Others as being King's guards in their own right? A Night/Night's King has yet to be revealed, if ever but it would be fair to assume that someone is leading them. At the very least it could be suggesting that there is a hierarchy to the White Walkers and not just some evil entity without structure or culture.
Throwing this out there, probably won't happen, but what if the final duel against the Others or even the not-Night-King leader of the Others mirrors the fight at the Tower of Joy? Jon plays the role of Ned. The Others are the Kingsguard with their leader filling in for Arthur Dayne. Lastly, Arya acts as Howland Reed, sneaking up and saving Jon by killing the Others with the Cat's Paw. Again, probably baseless nonsense, but it's a thought I had while watching this.
I definitely think we will see a ToJ mirror at the end :)
For sure. We don't know about it for nothing. How many times does Bran "see" it? Giant "wolf pack on the wall" theory and all that. Also, Vladimir Furdik didn't play Arthur Dayne (in the sword fight part) AND the NK for no reason. Ok, it really was for no reason in the end, but I think the original intent had a reason. A good reason.
This is actually one of the coolest theories about Asoiaf I’ve heard! They represent the kings guard so they must be guarding a king. I think there will be some greater meaning in who the others are trying to protect and your use of calling back to the tower of joy sounds just like a GRRM move!
Emily Broderick WAIT!!! This explains a very specific thing about season 8. Let’s assume that this theory is true and that Martin planned this out. Well then it could easily be one of the things he told D and D about for the ending of his story. So the inclusion of Arya killing the night king could easily be their shitty version of the original idea!
You are my favorite - the perfect example of a person who is intelligent, organized, driven, creative and still a pot head. 🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤
haha how'd the word "organized" sneak in there... I'm organized in some ways and chaotic in others (ADHD). But yeah I know what you mean... I'm a workaholic stoner, ain't no lazy pothead here
I love how obvious the comparisons seem after you explain it but its all things I never picked up on during either of my read through. Mad analytical skill props!!!
That’s one of the cool things about a song of ice and fire being so large, with so many points of you. You can hide stuff like this, even as clear as it is, because there’s so much going on. You really have to read through the story a couple of times and internalize the main plot, and then you begin to notice, and turns of phrase like “white shadow” or whatever. It’s a fun sort of treasure hunt :)
My conclusion: The Others have a King/Queen, and they are his/her elite guard. Is it the Night's King? His Corpse Queen? The important part is that the Great Other is real!
Yeah I thinks that’s one of the big ones! Going further... who does the KG usually guard? Who made them? ;)
They seek to protect their promised prince.
Wow if Targaryens descend from the Great Empire of the Dawn then the Others could be sworn to guard or even accompany them after death! They have come back because the fall of house Targ! The error crept in in the translation!
Maybe they lost their old one and are looking for a replacement.
But the night's king and his wife were humanm...
Hell yeah, so glad you put this out! Every time I re-read the books and come across these passages, it’s so cool to know GrrM is dropping clues about the Others. They are the Kingsguard of the Weirwoods! 🥶
Why would they guard the weirtrees?. I believe they were curse by the blood stone emperor. To protect the black oil stone.
Could the Others be a 'kingsguard' themselves? Maybe they killed Waymar because he wasn't the king they are looking for ::cough::jon::cough:: . Kingsguard aren't supposed to marry or have children, so if the WW are a kingsguard, it would explain why they need Craster's sons.
These are all good thoughts. I love the Jon as temporary NK idea.
Sooo the others were created as a type of guard to serve the gemstone emperors?
+
😲❤
@The Program not really Robert Could have been married to a Targaryen Wife. If all the other Targs males were dead. The Baratheon's came from the Old Empire as well
You continue to produce the most interesting, thought-provoking content in the whole ASOIAF community (along with Quinn). Keep up the amazing work
I just discovered your channel and am so late in responding, but I’m fully enjoying your content. Since I just finished watching your 3 part Bran ( return of the summer king), my guess is that Bran will do what he was warned not to do and resurrect the old Kings Guard to fight the Others.
Before watching: YES I’ve been waiting for this. Time to grab a beer and dig in. After watching: mind blown. I’ve never considered these parallels but it makes perfect sense. Lovely breakdown LML. As to what it all MEANS.... something something ice and fire. I really don’t know, but I’ll definitely be contemplating it for a while.
Ser Barristan and THE SERIOUS MOONLIGHT.❤
Respect to Waymar Royce backing up his talk
Great video LML. Probably one of the best regarding the problem of solving the puzzle that is asoiaf. I'm your recent fan.
I had made the same connection while obsessing over the Others. Note that there were six of them in the prologue, maybe looking for the seventh - Lord Commander of the Godsguard?
But more likely they were looking for the Nights King, and the seventh is some character we already know?
Also, Mandon Moore... Maybe the seventh? There is almost certainly something more than him being ordered to kill Tyrion by Cercei. He seems to me like an Other somehow in human form, influencing Joffrey to make decisions that he made.
"Mandon has pale grey eyes, oddly flat and lifeless" - sounds like someone else we know. Roose Bolton, my favorite vampire :)
There is so much I wanna write right now, but so little time.
But, as a conclusion, a Targaryen king (with two sisters preferably), with the seven of the Kingsguard - a frozen fire - OBSIDIAN.
Also, a seven-pointed star is a regular heptagram {7/3} (Blue Star Wicca) - seven points with lines connecting every third. Seven against three.
Keep up the great work my man.
I really enjoyed this, I took English literature in college and it’s so enjoyable seeing that analytical style being applied to my favourite literary work of all time. Thank you and keep doing what you’re doing!
I like to imagine the white walkers cold as dry ice, it would kind of explain why characters see them shimmering even in the cold north.
The way I feel about Waymar Royce is pretty much the very definition of grudging respect. He was a dick, but when the time came, he invited an ice demon to "dance with him". Pretty gangster.
I think the Others are a group of “kings guards” but it is a Queen they serve. She is the Nights Queen of the old tales. They bring her babies to raise in her ice palace because she is so old and cannot have children of her own anymore. The Night King is being kept prisoner at the ancient prison that is now Winterfell. She is perhaps waiting for him to escape, planning a rescue herself come winter or maybe even waiting for a prophetic prince to join her and be her new King. This could be why GRRM shows such parallels with the kings guards of Westeros and especially why Dany’s Queens guard Barriston is shown to symbolically become a skeleton garbed in Ice that is 100% loyal and devoted to her. Edit : remember the idea that the Night Queen was from BARROWTON ... well look at SER Barriston name. It has the beginning “BARR” in it.
RocketMan does Jon kill Dany in the books?
The Night Queen was Dany Flint. She was killed and rape by members of Night Watch. Before he turn into Night's King he was lover of Dany Flint. Piss off he took the body of his dead lover and made a deal with the Others. Bring back my girlfriend and I will serve you for life and give you any children that we might have. Then he went back killed the members who rape her and 👑 himself as the King of Night Watch. Now that book version. Everyone is talking about the Night King of Others in show version. These are two different versions and the Night King was going be called the Master of the Others or Master of the White Walkers. But the fans started to call him the Night King and it stuck.
I was too caught up with Barristan the Gandalf while reading his sample TWOW (how could I not? The siege of Meereen is very purposefully GRRM's own siege of Minas Tirith) so it's good to pay attention to some of the other semiotics associated to Selmy for a change. Good video!
Hey lml. Just recently read the books for the first time, and dove in to your channel, and I have a question:
You've talked a lot about the symbolism surrounding the lightbringer monomyth in GRRM's world, and their connection to real world lightbringer myths about deities associated with "The Morning Star", (venus as it appears in the morning in December, signaling that winter is ending.) You've also shown the significance of the symbolism around House Dayne, their sword Dawn, and title "Sword of the Morning".
The counterpart to The Morning Star is The Evening Star, which is also Venus, as it appears in the sky in June to signal, well, that winter is coming. Or I guess more accurately, that summer is ending.
In some cultures the Morning Star and Evening Star are two separate deities who are opposite reflections, and in some it is a single deity of a dualistic nature. GRRM has created different Archetypal versions of Azor Ahai that reflect all of these different versions of real world Morning Star myths, as well as characters who embody all of these Archetypes.
So, finally, my question:
Have you already thought of House Tarth's symbolism as an opposite reflection of House Dayne, and Brienne as an embodiment of an Evening Star Archetype?
Yes, definitely. She seems an eveningstar figure, exactly. Her hero, Galladon of Morne, is morning associated, but Oathkeeper is more darkness and evenstar symbolism. It’s probably best to look at her as a Venus figure (“Brienne the Beauty”) who does morning and evening stuff at various times. In many ways her symbolism parallels Jon Snow.
If you've already posted content about it, sorry for asking you to reiterate. If you already have a video or essay exploring Tarth symbolism point me to it please. Or if you haven't yet, I'd love to see it in the future.
I really appreciate your channel! And your reply! Thanks!
Thank you! The symbolism of the "Other King's Guard" implies many ideas simultaneously. To name a few, there's foreshadowing the the king-of-the-moment's death, the idea of sovereignty and control, the baby prince that was promised, the mirrored and chess-like kingships of life and death, etc. etc. etc. So rich.
Not only is the content top tier (as always), but the editing made this so enjoyable to watch! I really appreciate your insight and knowledge paired with this unique editing style. Wishing you good health!
And the 70s porn music.
That's me on bass and my cousin on keys, it's the GoT theme if you listen :)
@@DavidLightbringer that's cool as hell!
Excitedddd. Been waiting since he said this was coming
I'm amazed by the depth and breadth of knowledge that Lightbringer, and others, possess on this subject. I, myself, have read all of the books, but it's abundantly clear that he actually studies them in minute detail, poring over their pages like a Maester of the Citadel.
This was a video I was skirting around watching because for some reason I was thinking it would be far fetched, but the descriptive parallels you've shown are actually some of the most convincing work you've put out in my opinion. I've been completing the series for the first time using audio versions and these videos have convinced me I'll need physical copies quite soon so I can pour back over the words themselves.
I would have liked the White Walkers to be depicted as having a frozen elven appearance, like having a fair cold deadly beauty like how frozen landscapes can have a certain fair beauty
Best channel on youtube ! Wish we could smoke a bowl and theorize about A Dream of Spring.
Your Thin White Duke - 'serious moonlight' line is much appreciated my good man 💜
I mean the fighting part could just be Georges style and taste of describing extremely good fighters...but that just takes care of one aspect of these parallels. Great content LmL.
Honestly, why isn't this channel bigger? Thanks for the great content Lml
The Others are the warriors and creatures of The Great Other, the symbolic Oblivion in ASOIAF. Against The Great Other stands R'hllor, The Lord of Light, horrific in its own right, but ultimately a force for order, even if its servants burn children alive. Another level of Ice and Fire metaphor, beyond that of House Targaryen vs House Stark. But also the metaphoric battle that has been playing out in Westeros and Planetos back to The Bloodstone Emperor and The Dawn Age, if not earlier. Ice (stasis) must battle Fire (motion), and Fire must win or life dies. It echoes Nietzsche's Eternal Return and the religious mantra of Battlestar Galactica 2003 - "All of this has happened before, and all of this will happen again." The Metaphysical battle reenacts every aeon or so, that life may earn the right to continue.
In being mirrors of the Others, assuming Martin ever finishes his saga, which I doubt, the Kingsguard would stand as warriors for Ice - for entropy, permanent coldness, and death eternal. They would stand against the champion of Fire and Light reborn, Azor Ahai and his Merry Band.
Benioff and Weiss TRIED to portray a version of this in the atrocity called "Season 8," they had Martin's notes and overall plot intent. I'm quite certain "Mad Dany" was Martin's original intent, though that probably must be changed now. But damn are D&D bad writers and storyrunners once their minds have moved on and the source material has run out.
I am so scared we won't get A dream of Spring ☹❤ Asoiaf is a masterpiece and my favourite series ever
2nd comment: I always thought Jaime's kingsguard/others dream would've been an awesome season 8 promo trailer. Especially since it implies Jaime and Brienne will both fight the Others, but Jaime would die defending Jon in the process. An end most fans predicted for him I believe, even if they hadn't read the books. And it would've been a nice nod to the source material for the final season. But I suppose D&D chose to forego the opportunity because they knew the bricks were coming🤷♀️.
Ashley of Naath I’ve always thought that Jamie would sacrifice himself to save Bran. Karma
@@tracymetherell8744 I suspected that as well going strictly off of the show. But in the books, this dream seems to indicate Jon because there's specific emphasis from multiple KG (including Rhaegar himself), that Jaime was supposed to protect Rhaegar's children.
jamie wont die to protect fucking jon. he will die with cersei. and dany is cerseis valonqar. thx to tyrion that monster.
@@ashleyofnaath only little rhaenys and baby aegon. NOT JON.
God that Loros artwork is so beautiful. I think it just him having poetic fun with prose or maybe implying the others are the ‘kings guard’ of the great other or a higher being , but I think it just him having fun poetic prose
Has anyone thought about the significance of Waymar ROYCE being the first man to confront the Others? I mean GRRM could have made it anyone else, a northerner even, but he chose a Royce - who are a very old house of First Men descent. And their house words are “We Remember”. There’s some irony in that - like everyone has forgotten about the Others, even the Night’s Watch has forgotten their purpose. And suddenly they are forced to remember. The past has come again.
I love everything you put out.
Great new feel to the visuals in this vid!! Excellent theory too, of course 🌛🌜
I had this old suspicion that the faith of the seven was connected to the the white walkers. This reminded me of it.
Oh, beyond a doubt
The Faith of the Seven and the Werewood worship of the North are in service to the Great Other. We gotta get on the Lord of Light train!
@@colinsanders9397 And when you think that the first men took up worshipping in front of a weirwood from the CotF! The species that dwells in the dark and the underground caves with weirwoods *X files music*
@@hypatiakovalevskayasklodow9195 The children of the forest are demonic servants of their tree-gods. The night is dark and full of terrors!
Love the tiny bit of shade at the beginning. It IS your theory. Delicious.
If The Others are representative of the Kingsguard, we can look at the Tower of Joy to consider what they represent. What is a Kingsguard with no king to guard? With Rhaegar dead, they chose to stay and guard baby Jon Snow, the prince that was promised. Perhaps the "king" they serve may be more abstract, but is similarly gone, leaving them a grim duty that will play into their lost "king's" will. Bran's in there somewhere, maybe their king is the Weirdwood itself.
Or maybe they're in a pyramid scheme, and each Other needs to get 3 babies to make 3 Others, who themselves must recruit 3 more each... This is symbolized by Dani's pyramid where we see Selmy. It's no wonder the First Men were so desperate to keep them out. This parallel's the Great Wall of China, as it also served to keep the Huns away.
I like that the idea that the Others are an extremely advanced shadow cast by Lightbringer, just like Melisandre's but so much more powerful - after all, the brightest light casts the brightest shadows, or so she says, and we have plenty of hints that Lightbringer is as terrible as it is bright
Thanks for all your hard work, enjoying the activity of the channel after such a long night when winterfell i missed u , love the short vids n the live streaming thank you
I love your videos the Most, Scarecrow. ❤️
It takes me awhile to get through them because I am forever rewinding to gaze at the images and pausing to laugh at the jokes. Throughout, I have goosebumps as you peel back the layers to show the beauty and the secrets in the symbols, giving us a glimpse of the future and the past in the story. As much as I want the next book, I am so grateful to have this time to enjoy your content before I have Winds in my hand. My experience of the story is much enriched by your work. 🌳♥️🌳
Awww Treegirl that is so nice of you. ❤️❤️❤️
Yeeeah buddy I've been waiting!
This. THIS is why George's writing is so far beyond anything that most people can comprehend. You can read his books and enjoy them. Then you start reading the subtext and the true sense of dread starts creeping into you in a way it didn't before. And this is also why I extend a middle finger to anyone who's like "jUst fiNIsH tHe boOkS AlReadY"
Also you are kinda like the asoiaf fandom's rafiki. Very clever and wise but also a massive goofball
My questions , since I’ve kind of considered this before myself, are things like: will their king also have a direwolf? I imagine the white walkers are the 12 who died going in search of the COTF (according to the stories), but even his dog died. Was it a direwolf? Was this their king? Is Jon his successor?
No. Jon is not their successor. he shouldnt even exist.
Targaryen Loyalist what do you mean?
@@ohhhmindy4380 jon fucking snow is not their successor. the pact of ice and fire is completly nonsense. especially stark-nonsense. with other words. its a big lie.
Targaryen Loyalist ok, boomer.
what a great video to wake up to. Cheers LML!
The opening of these videos are awesome!
hello my man! i am reading the books in english rn, my second book is almost finished. and reading it in its authors original language is so much better
"Like milk-glass" is such an interesting description. I imagine glass suspended in glass like a fog so dense that it is opaque. On the other hand, wtf is milk-glass. George uses the term like we all grew up with it. The cool thing is that it doesn't matter if one has no idea. The description works regardless. That is expertise.
Milk-glass is a thing, google it :)
@@personofnoimportance5590 I know it's a thing. My point is that even if one doesn't, it's still effective.
I love your channel is growing stronger LML, you definetly have unique theories and some of the deepest analisys on ASOIAF.
Boo Tyrell
I'll never get over grrm naming a kings guard Mandy Moore
Think I’ve watched this video about 3 times now 😆 Such a clever and an amazing parallel LML, thanks !
I ended up here because I was watching a Netflix documentary about Free Masons. It reminded me that Lucifer meant the bringer of light. I'm glad I came back to this channel.
Awesome as always
Just when I thought I’d discovered all the fascinating speculation in these books, I came across this video! The kings guard guards the king, so maybe the night’s king is directing these guys in the books. We have to look at important instances of kingsguard events and try and draw comparison there, I feel. Maybe it’ll be another tower of joy like someone else mentioned. So much to look forward to in these books!!
I think they guarding the blood emperor not the night king.
Great use of art. Thanks
I like the idea that Dawn (with all its fiery sun imagery) is a sword made from ice magic steel and Ice was a sword made from Valerian/fire-magic steel
Dawn is made the by the metal of comet. I think you talking about the sword Ice.
@@sophiawilson8696 did you listen to the whole thing?
he talked about Dawn being described similarly to the others swords
@@Margatatials oh ok then
Great work, LML!
Whenever I read about and consider the Kingsguard of Westeros, I am frequently reminded of the American Green Berets and their relationship with John F. Kennedy. Kennedy had a historically unique relationship with the Special Forces, and he effectively contributed to give them a status of 'mythical heroes' in our own world. To quote an academic paper that address this: "Kennedy portrayed the Special Forces as contemporary reincarnations of the mythic frontier hero (Gustainis 2009)". This seems quite similar to the status that the Kingsguard enjoy in Westeros, especially the old guard of Rhaegar. Also, the role of Barristan in Meereen on behalf of Daenerys is basically that of a SF operator traning and organising people to depose tyrannical rule .
According to the myths surrounding the Green Berets, a few select of these soldiers supposedly swore to Kennedy that the Green Berets would aid the people in rising up against the American government if it went against the US Rule of Law. Perhaps George has drawn from more recent American mythology when creating the Kingsguard and symbolically link them with the Others? From LML's theory, it does indeed seem like the Kingsguard serves as metaphorical stand-ins of old heroes - namely the Others. What makes the Others heroes? Their role in protecting the Pact of the Isles of Faces.
I think they (The Others) were Kingsguard of Gem Stones Emperors.
Excellent video!
@Lucifer means Lightbringer - Reading again through all the books, whilst writing a 'cheats guide' to Song, came across this, on his first night away from Harrenhal, returning to Kings Landing - Jamie dreams vividly, seeing the Kingsguard 'armored all in snow, it seemed to him, and ribbons of mist swirled back from their shoulders. The visors of their helms were closed, but Jaime Lannister did not need to look upon their faces to know them. Five had been his brothers, Oswell Whent and Jon Darry. Lewyn Martell, a prince of Dorne. The White Bull, Gerold Hightower. Ser Arthur Dayne, Sword of the Morning. And beside them, crowned in mist and grief with his long hair streaming behind him, rode Rhaegar Targaryen, Prince of Dragonstone and rightful heir to the Iron Throne...The shades dismounted from their ghostly horses...Prince Rhaegar burned with a cold light, now white, now red, now dark.' (From SOS part two, Jamie VI). Seems to be describing the Others, meeting Waymar..
Yeah I agree strong parallels huh? And the Others do kind of make Waymar a brother, like Jaime is a brother to the KG. Love this scene in any case. It’s so freaking Otherish
Your references were on point in this video. The mooninites have a direct line to my funny bone.
takes me back.
wow - one of your best videos
✊✊✊Some of those that work forces .... Are the same who burn crosses ✊✊✊ love ur content lml...I’ve been an avid lurker since ur early work with history of Westeros ur essays are thoroughly inciting Nd are great to captivate the very best of GRRMs gardner style o’ writing ...(also fun fact I think it’s neat ur last name is beers mine too is ,but spelled Bier (singular not plural lol however it’s commonly mistakenly said Bier’s so I guess hats 🎩 off to us lol ) keep up the great content
The frickin title made my head go boom...please...go on...
Getting burnt out in the COVID-19 ward
Bless you for putting this out
Wishing you good health my friend
Nice, groovy baseline on the outro.
"Milky-white sword people who wield pale swords."
Love it.
Nice thing to pop up and looking forward to listening it. Been listening to all the Sacred Order of Green Zombies stuff, really cool. The Green Knight from Arthurian legend pops in my head now with all the green men and nights watch. Seems so plausible to me that the last hero and his companions are zombies and work with children or green men . Also makes sense the children of forest and green men involvement because skin changers be such great scouts.
Love the symbolism going on here.
*symbolism intensifies*
I will laugh if the Others are actually the heroes this whole time. I'm beginning to highly suspect GRRM to have been messing with us, and for him to flip the script in the last two books.
Damnnnnn LML coming THU with the content this week 🙌
Yeah
Ur watching him for a longtime?
The parallels of the Others and Kingsguard are very intriguing.
Since both are described as “white shadows” and “white swords”, it begs question whether the Others are destined to clash with “black shadows” or “black swords”. Men of the Night’s Watch (not the institution at the Wall, but people who set aside everything in their life to fight for the humanity).
I think these “black swords” or “crows” are thematically former “white swords” themselves. Fight steel with steel, as they say. Three Eyed Crow Bran Stark’s very own crow Kingsguard thematically, so to speak, dedicated to protect Winterfell and the people from the icy invasion.
There are seven “crows”, seven protectors who will heavily engage in sword fight against the Others with Valyrian Steel, “black swords”.
These candidates need to be major characters of our story, and given their “Kingsguard/Queensguard” arcs and eventual joining in the War for the Dawn, I think these characters fit well as “former white sword turned black”:
Jaime Lannister - unlike the show, I think in the books the Kingslayer will be instrumental in commanding troops that battle the undead and become Jon’s right hand man on the battlefield (right hand, get it?). He is a white sword of King Tommen that will probably be stripped of his position once fAegon takes the capital. Ned already suggested that Jaime swaps his white cloak for black one.
Brienne of Tarth - former white sword of King Renly and Lady Catelyn who will become Sansa’s sworn sword, and by extension, of House Stark. Her transformation into a black cloak will gradually happen once Starks prepare for the invasion of the Others. Plus, in the show, Brienne becomes Bran’s Lord Commander and has a “crow” sigil on her breastplate.
Sandor Clegane - a former “white sword” of King Joffrey who will be eventually brought back to story to ally with Starks and go battle the undead in the North. Not sure if he gets Valyrian Steel weapon, but I hope so.
Jorah Mormont - a former “white sword” of Queen Dany whose father was Lord Commander of the crows. It does not get any better than that. Also, Jeor told Sam to pass his last wish - Jorah to take the black.
Tormund Giantsbane - a wildling leader who was a close companion of “King” Mance Rayder (a former crow btw). In some sense, he was Mance’s Kingsguard and friend. I think once the situation in the North settles down (once Starks retake Winterfell), he and the wildlings will go to the Wall and defend it like in the show, becoming “black swords” thematically.
Theon Greyjoy - he swore his sword to King Robb and was one of his close companions and protectors before his fateful departure to Pyke. He also saved Bran’s life from Osha and the wildlings kinda like a white sword. At Winterfell Luwin told him to take the black. If the show ending is the same for him, I definitely see him as “black sword” protecting Bran Stark till the end.
These six will be thematically “the crow Kingsguard” led by their commander Jon Snow in the battle against the White Walkers. Maybe 7 vs 7 combat, “white swords” clashing against “black swords”?
All of these guys are disfigured, injured or maimed in one way or another. Might be the connection too. Except maybe Tormund, who MIGHT get injured in the upcoming battles?
Let me know what you think.
Agree on the Black Brothers as counterparts to the Others, for sure. They are swords in the darkness and black shadows as well, so they are “black swords” to the KG’s white swords, exactly.
I like the people you picked for Jons crew, though I hunger for a last hero’s dozen. Still, Ned had 6 grey wraiths with him at the ToJ, which is major foreshadowing.
Lucifer means Lightbringer I do believe the Last Hero parallel will occur in these events, hell, even the show had butchered version with wight hunt.
Most of the characters I have mentioned above will be part of this Last Hero mission in the books. The context will be much different, however.
And Ghost! With no budget restrictions, he can tag along with Jon beyond the Wall.
Watching this, it reminded me of the Roman Praetorian Guard, something surprisingly not brought up. The Praetorian Guard were originally to protect the Emperor, but there were times when they would kill the Emperor and choose a new one, effectively making the Praetorians rulers of the Empire. With the Ice Others, they may very well be like a Kingsguar/Praetorian seeking out a king/emperor to elect and then rule over them.
Good video, LML!
The art of Selmy in the thumbnail is so handsome, my gosh! Kinda looks like a grizzly Henry Cavill
Great Stuff Guys! I would just add, that they pledge for Life, just like the Nights watch. No Wives, No Families. The Others are protecting someone or something, for life? Maybe?
I love your video i love you my friend lml his the best of the best
GRRM does nothing by accident
Except giving us dates 😂 the one thing he admitted is whacky in his writing.
In the latest post from GRRM he mentioned writing a barristan chapter. We might get even more info regarding this but ofcourse hes such an important charscter regardless
Here we go again with another great video I can get stone and learn from
Great content
The show nailed the kingsguard armor.
This episode is really good at giving subliminal messages. Now, I just really want to drink some milk.
Jokes aside, I never noticed all of these resemblances on their description. Although, I think Martin didn't try to connect them. Mostly, there is a pattern of contradicting descriptions between the Night's Watch and the Kingsguard. Then again, the Night's Watch is also described also as 180 degrees different, when compared to the Others. Suspicious.
LML, you have a keen eye for parallels and symbolism. The David Bowie reference clinched it.
Unrelated, but, it would appear you're a Bowie fan, as all with good taste in music are.
Check out a little project called Princess Visits The Butterfly Museum. Long name, I know... Of further interest is their frontman, the actor who played a beloved morally gray serial killer for HBO, whose name was eponymous with the show. Wonder who that could be... But he had worked some with Bowie in life, and, after he died, wanted to make some similar music. It's good stuff, and even though Michael C. Hall is American, he even does the British accent well.
I haven’t read all 300 comments so maybe someone has said this already BUT I think maybe the original sin weirwood tree is being protected as the most important thing to the others. Maybe the night king or Nissa Nissa are inside. Parallel to how the kings furs protect the king.
Yeah, great breakdown!
I think all these similarities means... beyond the unconscious voice of the author working with simbols and themes ... that he is giving us already the answer of what the white walkers are: they are guards of something ... that something is what we need to know and i think it has to do with the island of faces pact.
Speaking of White Shadows, the 1978 tv show "The White Shadow" starred Timothy Van Patten, who went on to direct shows for HBO, including the first two episodes of a certain fantasy series...
The others were and are kings guards full of pride and skill just as their counterparts. “Good and bad” is mostly just a matter of perspective and circumstances.
Hmmmm....The King's Guard was created to protect & basically be the personal army of a certain Targ King right? Um, I wonder what ancient historical figure with dark magical powers might have created The Others as his? 🤔
The COTF created them, but Night’s King became their king.
That blood stone emperor.
@@Da_Homie12 No that stupid show version. The Children never made the Others.
You’re stupid Sophia
@@Da_Homie12 whatever guy you are a jerk.
Tha splashing bit made me LOL 😂
You have me trusting GRRM totaly, I've been listening to you for the better part of the past 3 years and I tend, agaisnt my better judgemeent to take what you present as definite facts...
So I damn hope GRRM won't desapoint ! xD
Awesome video btw, I had picked up on several of the things you talk about, but not as deeply as you have. But the Kings guards and the others similarity, I had not seen at all !
Correct me if I'm missing something, but isn't the Kingsguard only as old as the crown of Westeros is? Or did each of the pre-Targaryen kings have a kingsguard?
You're not missing anything. The official "Kingsguard" (seven oath-bound, one-uniform-wearing warriors sworn to protect the king) are Visenya's creation, during the reign of Aegon l.
Madeline Sartori thanks for the clarification. Then a theory of the Kingsguard being an equivalent of the Others would have interesting implications... could the early Targaryens have had some notion about what lies beyond The Wall and how both worlds relate to one another? In other words: did the Conquest happen not just because of greed and thirst for glory, but out of a deeper understanding of the history of Planetos?
Damn I love the ASOIAF saga
@@josue.ortega Haha I'm so engrossed in this saga it's ridiculous. That's definitely what I've wondered too, even more so after having now watched this video. I'm not 100% percent on this, though I think In Deep Geek did a short video on why Aegon and his sisters conquered Westeros, and this idea came up. I like it ☆_☆
3:25 - I *finally* now understand the sheer terror of those who believe in the White Walkers and believe them to be coming back for yet another walk.
**shakes like leaf**