Important correction: Arya's desire to kill people on her list is explicitly not a trait desired by the Faceless Men. The Kindly Man (something of a high ranking Faceless Man) very clearly tells her that their power is not to judge who may live or die, but to deliver death as a mercy to everybody equally when their time comes. Arya takes this to heart so much that she stops speaking her death list aloud, instead confining it to her inner thoughts.
@@maikuusa Yeah, and I'd say Jaqen himself is perhaps the most obvious example of an unorthodox Faceless Man. Talking about the "red god" needing its due, and using his power to kill seemingly anybody he thinks he needs to without concern. I'm not sure if it is a "not practice what you preach" sort of thing, or if the rules are so open to interpretation that Jaqen's behavior doesn't represent breaking the ruels.
@@daniell1483 Like Melisandre, they both know the rules of their factions, but don't always follow them and often *Using those rules to validate their own actions/desires.
Yes and no. Praying for someone's death, your own or someone else's, is how the faceless men started in the first place. She is doing exactly what the faceless men do. Now is the next step to teach her, that, once one of the names on her list has to be served death, she must stay back and say: I cannot do that thing, since I know that person. I don't see any conflict on the side of the faceless men there, only that Arya is clearly not ready. Yet. And it is a thing from the show, not the books. While they set Arya on killing the insurance broker, it is only a test, an easy task to train her and to assess her progress. Arya does kill the nightswatch derserter, but her tutors very much frown on that. Anyone she kills or not kills after that, only happens in the show.
@@rumpelstilzz A few points of correction. The Kindly Man tells Arya both in word and in deed that Faceless Men are not supposed to kill people they know. This is why the sailors on the Titan's Daughter teach Arya their names; they are future-proofing themselves against Arya as a Faceless Man. We see this again when other Faceless men decline targets because they know the person in question. Simply put: if a FM agent knows a target, that FM isn't to target that individual. Next, the insurance broker is a test to ensure Arya execute her orders. She succeeds, which leads to her becoming an official FM priest. Lastly, Arya killing Dareon is what leads to her blindness training. Because she killed Dareon, Arya's training is accelerated. The FM see her kill not as something to "frown upon", but something that deserves a reward. Based on what we know of magic in the world, this seems to be the penultimate step before fully learning how to change her face, the greatest secret of the House of Black and White.
Huh, I always assumed the opposite, they're just letting her think that because they want to bring the power out through things like taking her sight, instead of instructing her. I'd have to re-read but I feel like Gendry or even Hot Pie comment on Arya making weird noises in her sleep when she wargs Nymeria, so I assumed Jaqen would have noticed too. It makes total sense that the Faceless Men would want wargs, and I think this is a crucial reason Jaqen recruits her.
@@mankytoes right, just like Brayden rivers tells bran darkness is his friend. They make Arya blind. Seems like that might help awaken the ability faster maybe?
I didn't notice that Arya was actually so much like the slave in the orgin story of Jaquen's faith. He must've thought that she was clearly pointed/Guided to him by the Many Faced God. She fit the role to the point of it being uncanny, now that I think about in from Jaquen's point of view.
You captured it in a nutshell at the end - "she is the most promising faceless man imaginable", apart from her rebellious nature making it impossible for her to follow their rules.
It's not just her rebellious nature; it's her warg link with Nymeria which makes it impossible for them to remove Arya Stark from their new recruit. Without that, Arya would have been lost, and a girl would have become a loyal disciple.
Her rebellious nature doesn't count against her. If you think on the waif and her dedication to becoming a faceless man, she had swung to hard to the other side to stay in line with the rules. She was not "being nobody," but rather, she was trying to be a faceless man. Arya was already much better at being nobody than the waif straight from the beginning. The popular interpretation is the surface level idea of a person giving up their hopes and dreams tied to their old life, and that revenge can't be a part of the culture of the faceless men, but the birth of the faceless men was born out of desires for revenge. They even act as the hand of revenge for people that seek their services. Her being rebellious insures she's not going to be some indoctrinated pawn.
I'll add that any sensible organization that needs operators would gladly recruit Arya Stark. She's intelligent, self-possessed, and adaptable, and she's shown even at this age that she can face the world as it is, rather than laboring under fantasies about how she wants it to be.
It's not just that Jaqen is testing Arya; if he is a true believer, she is a test for him. As you point out, she reflects the Faceless Mens's origins perfectly: to a religious man, she might well be an avatar of their god, a command they cannot disobey. The fact that she also could be a recruit seems a bonus, seen from that perspective.
I think this is a really important point in context of Arya's prayer of death yeah. Could the nobody that is Jaqen remain true to the Faceless Men if he did not answer this fervent prayer that he hears at the very moment he goes to visit the girl?
I very much like this perspective. It also explains a lot of things that other theories do not. The fact that in the end, Jaquen accepts her for what she is and lets her go back to Winterfell, is in fact a testament not only that he is proud of her, heck even inspired by her, to let her go her own way, but also seeing her as his equal if not something more. In his eyes maybe she is indeed the embodiment of what it means to be a faceless Man. It basically proves that he sees in her, something much more than a simple servant of Death. Much much more.
I wonder if Jaqen received a "message" from his "many faced God of death"... and the only reason he was in Westeros at all was to recruit Arya? Could be that the Man In The Tree - the one Bran took over for and who has spent millenia whispering and guiding people to fulfill their roles in defeating the Night King... 🤔 🤷🏼♀️
I discovered your channel very recently and have essentially been binging your GOT content. First, it's truly brilliant stuff. But because most are years old, I didn't realize you were still doing this for that universe. What a wonderful surprise! 🙏 Second, I have been a long time fan of the books but you have *completely* revolutionized how I think of weirwoods and the old gods, the events that began Robert's rebellion, the Tower of Joy, and the nature of death in the series. Immensely grateful to have found your work.
It took me just about a year and a half to watch every single video he's released since the beginning. Enjoy that journey and then on to his 2nd channel "the well told tale!"
I've been following this channel for a long time now, and I just have to say, you're lucky to be watching it all for the first time! And you're in for a treat, depending on how much more you've got to go, and whether or not you're digging into the Tolkien videos too. (I highly recommend them - they're just as interesting and insightful as the GOT series!)
Right! I wondered what brought Jaqen to then point he was arrested and taken prison. Was Joffrey his target? What wealth or price was paid for a faceless man? If the faceless men call Braavos home then I guess the Iron Bank is always perfectly capable of bankrolling the faceless men. If there no longer appears to be a Stark in the north this seems worthy to deliver that news to the Isle of Faces.
@porungadaddy9053 All part of his plan. As Serio Forell when Aria was ready, he would have recruited her. He knew that the nightswatch had scooped her up to get her out of the city, So he took the identity of one of the more "nasty" recruits and bided his time.
I think magic also plays a bit too. While he doesn’t particularly care she is a noble, but her Stark blood is old and entwined with magic that is older than even the faceless men. Magic she was starting to awaken too. Put simple, as a user of magic he probably felt an aura about her. That plus the way death seemed to circle around her might have made appear more than just a perfect deciple, but a down right devine gift from the man faced god.
The fact he let her go with their secrets I think it's because he knows her destiny in some way and he knows she has to fulfill it and their training was vital to do that.
Jaqen doesn't need to know her destiny so much as believe he knows it, or at best believe she has a destiny he cannot know. Regardless, I do wonder if the Faceless Men will ever let her out of their sight. Frankly, I doubt it.
Perhaps Jaqen could somehow foresee the future! When Arya kills Waif and comes back to him, he says: 'Finally the girl is no one' and she replies: 'The girl is Arya Stark from Winterfell and I'm going home!' leaving a content smile on his face. Why that smile? He knew about her list, but Faceless Men are not allowed to kill upon their own wishes, so it must be something else. Perhaps he knew she was destined to kill a man who not only lived for millennia, but prevented or risen many others from their deaths. By doing so she would have satisfied Many Faced God the most!
...it does seem that Jaqin's comment that "a girl finally has no name" is an acknowledgement to the audience that he has already realized that his gods have a plan for Arya that transcends his pay grade. Otherwise, it was trite on his part he's proven himself not trite.
I wonder if Jaqen received a "message" from his "many faced God of death"... and the only reason he was in Westeros at all was to recruit Arya? Could be that the Man In The Tree - the one Bran took over for and who has spent millenia whispering and guiding people to fulfill their roles in defeating the Night King, interfered and sent the msg to Jaqen? Bringing him to Westeros to begin with? In search for Arya specifically? So she could fulfill her role in defeating the might king? 🤔 🤷🏼♀️
@inthelandofmorethansmall7582 that's what I thought. Her destiny was to kill the Night King. The Faceless Men don't have an army to help to save the world from the deadwalkers but they contribute by training Arya.
I always thought it was a greater plan from the God of Death, and that Jaqen may have been an incarnation but he was probably just an equivalent of Melisandre and trying to determine the will of his God. Arya kills the Night King, Jaqen gave her training she needed to accomplish that. Surely the God of Death has a response to an army of the undead..
Robert, our video narrator, only analyzes the books. He only looks at the show when the scene is the same but helps shed light on the book. Arya killing the NK is TV and not yet part of this discussion.
@@HOTD108_ Do you think GRRM intended to introduce the NK in the later books (which aren't written)? I think GRRM originally planned for showdown between the NK and the Westeros (who ever is still around). Without a NK, why is Bran north of the wall? Why is Bran important at all? I believe in the books there would have a NK. At the beginning of the show GRRM had influence and D&D followed his plan. I don't think D&D would have invent ed the NK without GRRM's approval and guidance.
I think Jaqen was her masquerading as Arya's flamboyant Bravossi sword trainer Syrio Forel, hired by Ned Stark, in Kings Landing - that's how Jaqen is in Kings Landing to be captive in the caravan - he'd have been found to have killed the goldcloaks sent to kill him/Syrio; it's how he knows her and her potential. We also didn't see Arya's sword trainer being killed, all we know is that Syrio Forel's motto was "what do we say to the god of death - Not today".
Even as a faceless assassin, Arya stuck to her father's rule: The one who speaks the death sentence must be the one to carry it out ("to swing the sword," as Ned Stark put it).
Great vid as always. As the vid shows Arya is an ideal candidate for the FM for sure. She experienced a lot of loss , trauma and death and is a bit of a floating spec at the time isolated without familial connections or otherwise. Already juggling multiple identities , willing to kill and open to much more in that respect at such a young age , revenge prominent in her mind and literally praying for deaths. Ideal candidate without a doubt ; i do think being high-born factors in as well given the circles the FM will envision her eventually moving in , her decorum familiarity and the access that comes with her station. That high-born aspect / its access could factor in to the FM’s plans later on with their overarching aims in Westeros. Also, being magical / a skin-changer which the FM become aware later on ; though another seeming magic user like Jaqen likely noticed that much earlier. I am assuming there is a hierarchy of sorts with the FM assassins based on abilities , Jaqen seems quite adept at certain magic , we are told other FM have talent more in line with contorting their face , makeup , acting , disguise etc. I believe most of the top echelon assassins like Jaqen emerge from magic user recruits; which Arya is one of. On top of her current state / ideal factors for a FM recruit ; AS’ magical ability / skin-changing likely enhances Arya’s viability even more with high potential to become a top level assassin from the FM's perspective.
Being a high born come with his own benefits too, for example she already know how to read and some basic math which they need to teach a low borns reqruits
Along with being educated, although she prefers not to use them, being highborn also means that Arya knows the manners and behaviours necessary to move in higher society, something that would doubtless be useful as a Faceless assassin.
@@neuralmute I agree, i did very briefly mention the decorum aspect but yes strongly agree. Whether as herself knowingly or unknowingly part of the FM's plans , dealing with high-born people as targets or for intelligence etc or even in disguise trying to convince as as a high-born character ; that decorum knowledge and familiarity could be a massive help.
Sometimes someone says something that makes you think “What a mind!” I thought that when you described the parallel between Arya’s prayer and the prayer that launched the Faceless Men’s origin story.
Here's another consideration: It might be valuable for the Faceless Men to have the face of Arya Stark in their vault. Who knows to what use it might be put?
If I remember right, there is a theory her "Dance Instructor" was Jaqen and the faceless men arranged for her to be in the caravan so she could be recruited.
And yet (based on the show only), I do think Jaqen made a serious misjudgment of Arya: he did not realize that Arya wished death on her enemies and those who had caused pain and death to her family and loved ones. In other words, to those she thought deserved death. He did not understand the influence of Ned Stark on her, honor. She was appalled at the death of innocents, and she failed at being a Faceless Man because she could not simply kill someone who she thought was innocent simply because they paid her to. I also think that since the House of Black and White is in Bravos, Jaquen definitely noticed that Arya fought like a Bravosi, and thus may have believed that Bravos may be a place where she would also feel comfortable in
I think the mistake was something subtler - and not so much a mistake as ignorance of something he had no way of knowing - that Arya had an anchor to her past that couldn't be removed (or at least not easily) - her bond with Nymeria
I’m starting to think there is more actually. After Arya’s training as a faceless man she had an exchange with Jaqen before sailing back to Westeros, Arya once again proclaimed herself as Arya Stark. Jaqen, (in the show anyway) seem pleased as if now her training was complete. Like he knew Arya had a greater destiny yet needed this grueling training to achieve this. I could be wrong, I just happened to recently watch this again and thought I picked up on it. Does this make sense to anyone? And of course it’s possible I read into this wrong.
Anything that deep in the lore, that happens in the 2nd half of the show, should be taken with a grain of salt tbh. The showrunners were pretty removed from the books at that point, and we don't know yet what GRRM intents her farewell to the House of Black and White to be like.
I totally agree. Also in the context of this being an antiwar narrative, you could see Jaqen as a sort of army recruiter and Arya as a young impressionable recruit who is slowly molded into a weapon and her humanity stripped from her before being sent off to war. Not that I think Arya will fully become a faceless man given she stashed needle and still has her prayer list of people to kill, hopefully a better storyline (if we ever get it) than the show.
I think Arya's highborn status would've been highly desireable for the faceless men. To take a commoner and train them to pass unnoticed in high society wouldve been difficult. Considering most of their targets would be nobles etc. that was probably an important attribute for a recruit to have.
I think she just intrigued him. As you said he noticed that in a way she was already wearing a different face from the day he first met her, as she was pretending to be a boy. So she was already becoming a master of disguise and blending in. I think from that moment on he saw potential in her and the rest as they say is history.
Of all the character arcs in GoT I find Arya's arc to be the most intriguing. Being a DM in Forgotten Realms (a religion-heavy fantasy world) its the religious aspects of Martin's world that fascinates me. Hopefully we'll get to see more religious arcs in GoT series in the future.
Another fantastic video, Robert, displaying your deep understanding for the underlying themes and rich law of this universe. I thoroughly enjoy every video you put it out as you answer questions I never thought to question. By doing this, it makes me love this universe, more than I thought I could.
There are a couple of things that I really wished you had touched on in this video.. One is the fact that Rorge was definitely intently spying on her from the moment she got to the caravan, that's a minor one though. The second one is the one that I can't quite piece together, but the fact that Arya actually runs into a ship from Bravos at Saltpan just cannot be an accident. It's incredibly "lucky" for her, esp with Rorge and Bitter searching desperately for her, committing atrocities at Saltpans to find her. But what reason would Rorge be looking for her (unless for Gold) and why did he wait to go look for her until he was forced to abandon Harrenhall??.. There's so many questions surrounding this entire part of the story. I sure hope it gets answered one day.
The way I saw Game of Thrones, is that the whole story can be seen through the eyes of "A" main character - choose your hero kind of adventure. If you watch the story through the eyes of Arya, you see that her role in the story is to allow the North and their allies to band together to defeat the threat of the Night King. If the North doesn't rally then all life is lost, the Night King and his minions of the undead win, and the Children of Men die off. In order to preserve life (and thus the balance between life and death), The Faceless God (also the only god to have been shown as real in the entire series) had to choose a hero to act on 'his' behalf. Arya was perfect for this, because her heart was true, her reasons for revenge were pure and just, and her list was loooong. If not for Arya, the entire story would have ended with the death of the human race at the hands of the Night king. SHE is the true hero; the unsung hero.
Maybe the many face god that can understand death foresaw that Arya had the potential to end the White walkers that were dead but not and as his apprentices were instructed to train her to help her in ending the threat to them that the white walkers maintained.
Another minor thing, when Jaqen met Arya, she was in disguise, and as a member of a trade where disguise is a primary skill, she was effectively auditioning unintentionally.
Do you think Jaqen was going to teach Arya himself, or was he really going to take her to Braavos and then come back to Oldtown? I think he was going to teach her if she decided to go with him. At least until he finished his mission in Oldtown. Just my little theory
His recruitment was certainly a change/adjustment of plans if we assume Jaqen was in King's Landing for a different (and previously theorized reason :) ). I agree, that he saw promise in Arya once given time to observe her.
I always looked at her recruitment into the Faceless Men through the lenses of modern cults. You make a great point about her being in a vulnerable position. She has gone through a very traumatic period. She will like you said also not be missed if she goes with Jaqan. Both of those things are things modern cults look for in members. They also look for people who are seeking answers in life. I think Jaqan is offering Arya an answer to her prayer in multiple ways. Jaqan has an answer for why her father died through the “all men must die” theology. Arya is many ways a prime target for cults. The one thing she has that cults dont like is a strong sense of self. Even when she is portraying other people, she keeps that sense of self. Thats ultimately why she is able to leave the Face Less Men.
Took a week hiatus to catch up on some other interest and i gotta say, maaaaan i missed your narrations, your voice and inflection is relaxing and easy on the ears, i drift and still retain what im hearing.
I have said since I first started to read this series that I believe Jaqan is "THE" Many Faced god or the very first faceless man. Thus he can say "these are the rules", but he doesn't have follow them unless he wants to because he makes the rules.
We never see any other Faceless Men. The elderly man who opened the door at the House of Black and White was just one of Jaquen's Faces, as we saw when he was flipping from one to another. It could be that he is the only one left.
I had a thought that Jaqen WAS the Many Faced God posing as a disciple so he could interact with them and influence their actions. Either way, he certainly had an agenda for Aria, showing her to be a Faceless Man and how to move around unseen by her enemies. Valuable skills when going up against the Night King.
I think Jaquen noticed her because of the reasons Robert stated. But I think once he got to know her realized she did have some training , who she likely was, and figured out her desire for bringing death. And once he figured out about her warging ability (I'm guessing here), he realized she was the perfect recruit based on ability (though he underestimated her strong sense of self, which made het the WORST recruit he could have picked).
I don't think Jaqen ever intended for Arya to become a full member of the faceless men. It's clear the gods were very involved in shaping events at this point in the story and I believe he was answering the will of the Red God to prepare Arya for what was ahead of her. She never became no one, and though he stressed this was necessary to become a faceless man, he never prevented her from turning away from that path when she ultimately did. My theory on this was much more developed when I was fully immersed in the story and so I know there are more elements in the story that support this idea, even if I can't articulate them now. It does help to explain why he was there among the prisoners when he met her, why he showed interest in her, and why his invitation to train in the ways of the faceless mess was so open ended. He didn't happen upon her by accident, he was there to find her because he was given that mission by the red god.
This was my thoughts exactly. His smile when she left to go home told me a lot. I think he was preparing her for her biggest role in saving humanity from the undead. The God of Death surely was against the undead as it was unnatural. Life has to exist for death to.
I go with the conspiracy of the gods too. The First Sword of Bravos has nothing better to do than teach introductory fencing to a precocious preteen girl? Really?
The red god's people, maybe,and it was not to find Arya or anyone - so who would the red priests want killed in Westeros? The red god is an ASPECT of Jaquan's god, the one that almost claimed him and two others - the red god maybe being just plain old fire in Jaquen's case. He was burning. Arya changed fate. There did need to be Balance.
This video has made me see that, Arya's journey was so very much worth reading. I really enjoy getting to see their relationship form because like literally all her teachers are badasses!!! This has to be my favorite video of In Deep Geek. I am reading through a dance with dragons. I hope A dance with dragons touches on the root history of the faceless men.
Having gotten through this part of the book for the 10th or 11th time, i think this is analysis is spot on, her trying to find her mom then aunt and realizing death had already come for both, she realizes maybe she can do the same for people who deserve it. And many people deserve it in this universe.
I think the Many Faced God sent him to Westeros specifically to recruit Arya, because she was the one destined to kill the Night King. The MFG must have been waiting a long time for him to die.
Jaquen is a trained...no one...he saw potential In someone who had lost almost everything and had become...no one...and after his interest was piqued he gave her the three deaths "test" as you say..but.. what finally made him decide she was worthy was when she outsmarted him, he wasn't scared of her naming Jaquen, that person was already dead, all he had to do was change faces to get out of that contract, whoever he was before he became a faceless man played a part in his interest in Arya I'm willing to bet, a girl from a noble house with the potential to rally family and sworn vassals is not someone who'd easily give up their identity, theres more to it...
She did not want to have others kill people on her list. She wanted to kill them herself because it gave her pleasure. She was in fact saddened when someone beat her to it, like in the case of Joffrey
I am really looking forward to the next books. I wonder if Arya will get the cruelest test to prove if she really became nobody; in Westeros, there are two deaths owed to the Many Faced God in the form of Lady Stoneheart (in the Riverlands, where her Direwolf chills) and the probably soon to be ressurected Jon Snow. Will she be able to truly leave her past behind by slaying her undead mother and brother, who are essentially zombies of R'hllor at that point? Arya witnessed the ressurection of Beric Dondarrion, so she knows the Lord of Light has the power to steal deaths from the Many Faced God, and the toll it takes on the returned, with Beric coming back less and less true to himself. Sooo looking forward to Martins continuation of this plot. Aryas identity crysis is one of my favourite character arcs period.
I've always thought Jaqen H'ghar was at least an incarnation of Syrio Forel, the moment I knew he was from Bravos. After that, I just kept looking for easter eggs whenever I saw Jagen and I kept finding plenty of them! Given aspects like Bran being a Three Eyed Crow, it's possible that Arya was someone or something's 'solution' to the imbalance caused by the Children of the Forest creating the Night King and put Arya together with the Faceless Men to prepare her for her ultimate purpose.
I know that the book and the show differ greatly, but one thing I think we'll learn from HOTD is that the offspring of Jacaerys Velaryon and Sara Snow married into House Stark. Whether Jaqen and the other Faceless Men knew this or not remains to be seen. So buckle up for this theory: Aegon the Conqueror's prophesy ("From my blood comes the Prince or Princess that was Promised, and theirs shall be the Song of Ice and Fire"), is a song or a common chorus from the song, or more to the point, a common refrain from a song with many stanzas. In other words, there may be multiple Princes/Princesses that were promised, with Arya being one of them (after all, she did kill the Night King with the catspaw dagger with the song infused in the Valyrian steel part of the dagger). Daenerys and Jon Snow may be part of the Prince/Princess prophesy as well, and the three children secretly sired by Aerys II and Joanna Lannister (Cersei, Jaime, and Tyrion) could be as well. Viserys I did state that his someone from his bloodline would have to sit on the Iron Throne during the Long Night, and Cersei was sitting on the throne when it happened.
The sword is a thing that always bothered me about Arya. I get why she kept it in the show, but it was shown off so many times. There is no chance in this world it wouldn't be stolen, or the moment it's seen she is accused of stealing it. It's like living among homeless people dressing like them, and you got a Porsche parked around the corner you occassionaly walk to and drive in
Just finished. Good insights. I agree that their meeting is likely chance, but Jaqen, as you pointed out is an opportunitst. Working out who she was, he saw what she could accomplish.. While feeling if not indebted, at least gratitude for the save, he invests effort into her survival and provides guidance. We can assume he sent word to the Bravos temple, because the 2 seemed to expect and know her. I reiterate that the temple knew she stashed the sword. Seems like the penalty for dessertion from a group of assassin's would be a swift death, but she is not pursued. They knew her intentions. It's feasible if not likely that some of her prayer coincided with their own hit list. How better to accomplish a high profile assassination than to have someone do it for you of their own volition? They may have even expected her to die, evidenced by them lettering her leave not fully indoctrinated into their religion. I'm not convinced that the temple priest wasn't Jaqen with a new face.
It really is like Arya had been preparing for this before she even knew about the FM. I can't believe I missed the way Jaquen is answering her prayers, though.
0:02 read the books 4 times now. So let me take a crack at this before I hear your thoughts. Discounting the HBO version, Jaqen knew who she was. Her blood line consistently produces heros. He knew her resolve to kill the people in her list. Her goals aligned with the faceless assassin's. He gave her the means to to realize her ambition. With everything they know, you can't tell me they didn't know she stashed her sword, Needle and planned to flee when it suited her. She was a carefully aimed arrow.
Arya would have been the best faceless man because she had what none of the faceless men ever had the mannerisms of a wealthy high born lady all the others it was an act by which they only seen from a distance. She saw and learned how the rich and powerful was like in private. Knowing this would make her be able to get in closer to the wealthy powerful and not only kill them but replace them if needed.
In another video you state that Jaqen was in King's Landing because he was hired to kill Ned Stark. Ned's execution frustrated this. So I think he is recruiting Arya to fulfill the contract by still getting a Stark.
I always got the very strong impression that Jaqen has a personality beyond 'Faceless Man' and isn't operating robotically on religious principles - his motivation looked a lot like personal gratitude at not being burned alive 😂 Save this mysterious NPC, turns out he's a magical assassin and chooses to give you a big favour... because he can, and he has feelings and a personality.
He recognized her talent, her inner strength, and her 'moral flexibility'. He failed to understand that she would never give up her Stark identity and motivation for revenge.
I had always maintained a head canon that Jaqen was Rhagar Targaryen. He allowed himself to be captured to be sent to the wall because he wanted to reunite with his son Jon Snow. The Prince that was Promised was a play on words. The deal brokered with the Night King centuries ago was that the role of the Night King was to control the White Walkers & eventually there would be one who would take his place; a Prince was promised. When that never happened (because of the war & Ned lied about Jon’s parentage) the Night King decided to march. Jaqen/Rhagar was going to the wall to fulfill that promise since Rhagar was convinced his heir was that Prince. Upon seeing Arya, however, everything changed. It was known that Arya resembled and had similar personality traits of Lyanna. For reference, Rhagar’s body was never recovered at the Trident. His armor was well known to have rubies embedded in the breastplate. Rubies were established to have the ability to glamour someone’s appearance and Rhagar may have been the greatest fighter but loathed it. Jaqen had been in exile since learning of Lyanna’s death and assumed Jon died too. When the White Walkers were spotted and an up & coming Man in Black joined the Wall it was a revelation to him and got himself captured. At least that is what the story is in my mind
0:48 it certainly wasn't to get close to Arya But why wasn't it? He does seem to have mystical skills, if not powers; the deities definitely are able to bestow insight in the future and guide fate, so why would Jaqen not have prior knowledge that she would come to him? The Three-Eyed Raven seemed confident enough that his successor would come to him
I am still of the belief that Jaqen is Syrio and many others that came across her path. It makes sense that Ned hired Syrio not only to teach her to fight but to protect her. And so he did.
I'm not so sure on this - and there is a different explanation. I'm not so sure because Jaqen seems to take a very quick interest in her, without having reason yet. It also gives no reason why a faceless man would be in the black cells, and why he terrifies his companions. At Harrenhal her ability to change identties, blend in and bravoosi "roots" might catch notice, but he's already shown interest before that, and seems to linger at Harrenhal for no other explored reason. The three deaths also don't seem the biggest of tests, and her picks and her kill list are utterly against what an FM should be. There is a second explanation. We are told that Ned wasn't supposed to die. A deal had been made that he would take his vows and join the Watch, in exchange for peace. Joffrey, most likely due to Littlefinger's meddling, prevented that. It's likely why Yoren was in the crowd when he found Arya: he was supposed to take Ned. We might assume Varys had arranged that - he seems to have put Gendry on the convoy. Arya took Ned's place (whether or not Varys was aware of that). There is, then, another explanation. Assume Jaqen was hired to extract Ned from the convoy - with Varys being the prime suspect of who would know (Cersei or Littlefinger might have wanted him to not reach the wall, but there's no indication of a hit mission). He would certainly be a valuable pawn. But Joffrey messes that up. Instead, a "boy" suddenly joins last-minute. Jaqen would have been briefed on the Starks, explaining why a foreigner would realize her real identity when no one else does. His original mission cancelled, it's reasonable that he would do the next best thing, getting close to her, ingratiating himself with the three "wishes". Once she's securely in Northern hands (supposedly) he considers his primary mission fulfilled, kills his alias, and offers her a ride to Braavos - respecting her choice to stay, notably, but giving her every reason to travel there later, should she continue to survive. There are just two problems with that. First, why the FM would accept such a mission. They're killers... right? Well, Arya's training is very little killing, and perfect for spying. Jaqen's next mission meanwhile seems to be infiltrating the Citadel... without hints that he's set to kill anyone (except to get a new face). All men must serve, first. It's silly to demand they merely do euthanasia and murder and nothing else. The bigger issue is that he lets her go. Given that around this time she becomes, de facto, the heir to Winterfell? I'm not sure why they'd throw that away. But the reasons may be simple enough: his replacement mission is complete. Sure, he'd like the recruit/asset, but it's just as good if she returns to her family with a lingering 'debt' to Braavos. That makes her an asset anyway. In the end, I just don't buy the pure recruitment angle. She's just too valuable. And even in Braavos, when she kills Dareon out of Stark principles, she gets a promotion. Which supports the previous point: I think they have something else going. And a link with Varys? Similar methods...
When Jacqen asked Arya to name three men, he didn’t ask her to see if she would kill people, he wanted to see if there were people she wanted to kill. Because the first step in becoming a faceless man is becoming no one and thus forgetting about vendettas against others because “valar morgules” all men must die. He was testing her resolve into becoming someone who could let go of vendettas and identity
Two questions for those who have read the books and watched the show. Which did you enjoy the most? And is it worth the time for a big fan of the tv series to go back and read the books?
It is worth it to read the books,I enjoyed the series & loved the books.I will be reading the books a second time as soon as I finish watching the series for the third time .
Jaqen seemed to know a lot more than just these things. It’s as if he knew she would kill the other girl before it happened. So with that I think he could sense the future and he knew she would be crucial in saving everyone from the knight king. I think this was her training to kill the knight king and save everyone.
Arya is amazing, far and away the best character in GOT. The most underrated character ever and most powerful next to Bran. I loved how she got her revenge on the Freys for the red wedding. She can single handily do anything, even kill the king of the white walkers!
Arya's desire to kill her enemies worked against what the Faceless Men wanted. That was made pretty clear in the stories. I think a lot of this is a plot device by GRRM to move the story along in the way it did, which was a great plot line. Might be overthinking on this one, Robert. BUT, enjoying your analysis, anyway :)
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Important correction: Arya's desire to kill people on her list is explicitly not a trait desired by the Faceless Men. The Kindly Man (something of a high ranking Faceless Man) very clearly tells her that their power is not to judge who may live or die, but to deliver death as a mercy to everybody equally when their time comes. Arya takes this to heart so much that she stops speaking her death list aloud, instead confining it to her inner thoughts.
For many religions what they do and what they say can be different.
@@maikuusa Yeah, and I'd say Jaqen himself is perhaps the most obvious example of an unorthodox Faceless Man. Talking about the "red god" needing its due, and using his power to kill seemingly anybody he thinks he needs to without concern. I'm not sure if it is a "not practice what you preach" sort of thing, or if the rules are so open to interpretation that Jaqen's behavior doesn't represent breaking the ruels.
@@daniell1483 Like Melisandre, they both know the rules of their factions, but don't always follow them and often *Using those rules to validate their own actions/desires.
Yes and no. Praying for someone's death, your own or someone else's, is how the faceless men started in the first place. She is doing exactly what the faceless men do. Now is the next step to teach her, that, once one of the names on her list has to be served death, she must stay back and say: I cannot do that thing, since I know that person. I don't see any conflict on the side of the faceless men there, only that Arya is clearly not ready. Yet.
And it is a thing from the show, not the books. While they set Arya on killing the insurance broker, it is only a test, an easy task to train her and to assess her progress. Arya does kill the nightswatch derserter, but her tutors very much frown on that.
Anyone she kills or not kills after that, only happens in the show.
@@rumpelstilzz A few points of correction.
The Kindly Man tells Arya both in word and in deed that Faceless Men are not supposed to kill people they know. This is why the sailors on the Titan's Daughter teach Arya their names; they are future-proofing themselves against Arya as a Faceless Man. We see this again when other Faceless men decline targets because they know the person in question. Simply put: if a FM agent knows a target, that FM isn't to target that individual.
Next, the insurance broker is a test to ensure Arya execute her orders. She succeeds, which leads to her becoming an official FM priest.
Lastly, Arya killing Dareon is what leads to her blindness training. Because she killed Dareon, Arya's training is accelerated. The FM see her kill not as something to "frown upon", but something that deserves a reward. Based on what we know of magic in the world, this seems to be the penultimate step before fully learning how to change her face, the greatest secret of the House of Black and White.
The warg thing is her secret talent. She uses a cat to spy for her when she is temporarily blind and nobody knows.
However, it makes them suspect since she revealed she can do something that should be beyond her abilities which is reveal who was hitting her daily.
Never fucking caught that, holy shit
It certainly seems like the faceless men can't detect the warging. It's a weird blind spot since they seem to know everything
Huh, I always assumed the opposite, they're just letting her think that because they want to bring the power out through things like taking her sight, instead of instructing her. I'd have to re-read but I feel like Gendry or even Hot Pie comment on Arya making weird noises in her sleep when she wargs Nymeria, so I assumed Jaqen would have noticed too.
It makes total sense that the Faceless Men would want wargs, and I think this is a crucial reason Jaqen recruits her.
@@mankytoes right, just like Brayden rivers tells bran darkness is his friend. They make Arya blind. Seems like that might help awaken the ability faster maybe?
I didn't notice that Arya was actually so much like the slave in the orgin story of Jaquen's faith. He must've thought that she was clearly pointed/Guided to him by the Many Faced God. She fit the role to the point of it being uncanny, now that I think about in from Jaquen's point of view.
You captured it in a nutshell at the end - "she is the most promising faceless man imaginable", apart from her rebellious nature making it impossible for her to follow their rules.
It's not just her rebellious nature; it's her warg link with Nymeria which makes it impossible for them to remove Arya Stark from their new recruit. Without that, Arya would have been lost, and a girl would have become a loyal disciple.
It's a pretty big exception...while she certainly has potential, her identity is based on vengeance and she is quite attached to that.
book Arya is who he is talking about, not the cartoon ninja on tv.
Her rebellious nature doesn't count against her. If you think on the waif and her dedication to becoming a faceless man, she had swung to hard to the other side to stay in line with the rules. She was not "being nobody," but rather, she was trying to be a faceless man. Arya was already much better at being nobody than the waif straight from the beginning. The popular interpretation is the surface level idea of a person giving up their hopes and dreams tied to their old life, and that revenge can't be a part of the culture of the faceless men, but the birth of the faceless men was born out of desires for revenge. They even act as the hand of revenge for people that seek their services.
Her being rebellious insures she's not going to be some indoctrinated pawn.
I don’t think she will be faceless but will offer a lot to the god of many faces
I'll add that any sensible organization that needs operators would gladly recruit Arya Stark. She's intelligent, self-possessed, and adaptable, and she's shown even at this age that she can face the world as it is, rather than laboring under fantasies about how she wants it to be.
It's not just that Jaqen is testing Arya; if he is a true believer, she is a test for him. As you point out, she reflects the Faceless Mens's origins perfectly: to a religious man, she might well be an avatar of their god, a command they cannot disobey. The fact that she also could be a recruit seems a bonus, seen from that perspective.
I think this is a really important point in context of Arya's prayer of death yeah. Could the nobody that is Jaqen remain true to the Faceless Men if he did not answer this fervent prayer that he hears at the very moment he goes to visit the girl?
I very much like this perspective. It also explains a lot of things that other theories do not. The fact that in the end, Jaquen accepts her for what she is and lets her go back to Winterfell, is in fact a testament not only that he is proud of her, heck even inspired by her, to let her go her own way, but also seeing her as his equal if not something more. In his eyes maybe she is indeed the embodiment of what it means to be a faceless Man. It basically proves that he sees in her, something much more than a simple servant of Death. Much much more.
I wonder if Jaqen received a "message" from his "many faced God of death"... and the only reason he was in Westeros at all was to recruit Arya?
Could be that the Man In The Tree - the one Bran took over for and who has spent millenia whispering and guiding people to fulfill their roles in defeating the Night King...
🤔 🤷🏼♀️
I discovered your channel very recently and have essentially been binging your GOT content. First, it's truly brilliant stuff. But because most are years old, I didn't realize you were still doing this for that universe. What a wonderful surprise! 🙏
Second, I have been a long time fan of the books but you have *completely* revolutionized how I think of weirwoods and the old gods, the events that began Robert's rebellion, the Tower of Joy, and the nature of death in the series. Immensely grateful to have found your work.
It took me just about a year and a half to watch every single video he's released since the beginning. Enjoy that journey and then on to his 2nd channel "the well told tale!"
I've been following this channel for a long time now, and I just have to say, you're lucky to be watching it all for the first time! And you're in for a treat, depending on how much more you've got to go, and whether or not you're digging into the Tolkien videos too. (I highly recommend them - they're just as interesting and insightful as the GOT series!)
Dude you have an incredible voice, you’d be an amazing reader for audiobooks, and of course these videos.
He is using ai.
@@thatgirl3960 jokes on me!
And keeping in mind how expensive a facelessman hit is, it is even crazier to think Jaqen offers 3 deaths to Arya
He must place a very high value on his life, that's all, and perhaps other Faceless Men
@@LifelongLearnermumlywell it’s more because Arya saved three lives when she rescued jaquen, rorge and biter.
Right! I wondered what brought Jaqen to then point he was arrested and taken prison. Was Joffrey his target? What wealth or price was paid for a faceless man? If the faceless men call Braavos home then I guess the Iron Bank is always perfectly capable of bankrolling the faceless men. If there no longer appears to be a Stark in the north this seems worthy to deliver that news to the Isle of Faces.
@jacobsaunders1092
A girl took 3 lives from the many faced God.
A girl must give A man 3 names to pay that debt.
@porungadaddy9053
All part of his plan.
As Serio Forell when Aria was ready, he would have recruited her.
He knew that the nightswatch had scooped her up to get her out of the city,
So he took the identity of one of the more "nasty" recruits and bided his time.
he saw the same thing the red witch saw "You will close many eyes..."
7:52 - "no one would miss Arya... no one even knew where she was" and Jaqen says "I am no one" 😉
I think magic also plays a bit too.
While he doesn’t particularly care she is a noble, but her Stark blood is old and entwined with magic that is older than even the faceless men. Magic she was starting to awaken too. Put simple, as a user of magic he probably felt an aura about her. That plus the way death seemed to circle around her might have made appear more than just a perfect deciple, but a down right devine gift from the man faced god.
The fact he let her go with their secrets I think it's because he knows her destiny in some way and he knows she has to fulfill it and their training was vital to do that.
Jaqen doesn't need to know her destiny so much as believe he knows it, or at best believe she has a destiny he cannot know. Regardless, I do wonder if the Faceless Men will ever let her out of their sight. Frankly, I doubt it.
Perhaps Jaqen could somehow foresee the future! When Arya kills Waif and comes back to him, he says: 'Finally the girl is no one' and she replies: 'The girl is Arya Stark from Winterfell and I'm going home!' leaving a content smile on his face. Why that smile? He knew about her list, but Faceless Men are not allowed to kill upon their own wishes, so it must be something else. Perhaps he knew she was destined to kill a man who not only lived for millennia, but prevented or risen many others from their deaths. By doing so she would have satisfied Many Faced God the most!
Indeed, she is not a recruit for the FM, she is being trained for something.
...it does seem that Jaqin's comment that "a girl finally has no name" is an acknowledgement to the audience that he has already realized that his gods have a plan for Arya that transcends his pay grade. Otherwise, it was trite on his part he's proven himself not trite.
I wonder if Jaqen received a "message" from his "many faced God of death"... and the only reason he was in Westeros at all was to recruit Arya?
Could be that the Man In The Tree - the one Bran took over for and who has spent millenia whispering and guiding people to fulfill their roles in defeating the Night King, interfered and sent the msg to Jaqen? Bringing him to Westeros to begin with? In search for Arya specifically?
So she could fulfill her role in defeating the might king?
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@inthelandofmorethansmall7582 that's what I thought. Her destiny was to kill the Night King. The Faceless Men don't have an army to help to save the world from the deadwalkers but they contribute by training Arya.
@@danielaelzaki4518the waif killed Arya and took her face. Look up that theory on “what’s anti logic” channel
I always thought it was a greater plan from the God of Death, and that Jaqen may have been an incarnation but he was probably just an equivalent of Melisandre and trying to determine the will of his God. Arya kills the Night King, Jaqen gave her training she needed to accomplish that. Surely the God of Death has a response to an army of the undead..
Robert, our video narrator, only analyzes the books. He only looks at the show when the scene is the same but helps shed light on the book. Arya killing the NK is TV and not yet part of this discussion.
@@michaelbayer5094The NK literally doesn't exist in the books lol. Arya can't kill a character that doesn't exist.
@@HOTD108_ Do you think GRRM intended to introduce the NK in the later books (which aren't written)?
I think GRRM originally planned for showdown between the NK and the Westeros (who ever is still around). Without a NK, why is Bran north of the wall? Why is Bran important at all?
I believe in the books there would have a NK. At the beginning of the show GRRM had influence and D&D followed his plan. I don't think D&D would have invent ed the NK without GRRM's approval and guidance.
I think Jaqen was her masquerading as Arya's flamboyant Bravossi sword trainer Syrio Forel, hired by Ned Stark, in Kings Landing - that's how Jaqen is in Kings Landing to be captive in the caravan - he'd have been found to have killed the goldcloaks sent to kill him/Syrio; it's how he knows her and her potential. We also didn't see Arya's sword trainer being killed, all we know is that Syrio Forel's motto was "what do we say to the god of death - Not today".
The faceless men are from bravos. So is Forel.
They would have killed him if they knew he killed them. Not sent him away!
I fully read the title as "Why did Japan recruit Arya?"
Revenge for Hiroshima.
The East remembers!!
😂😂😂
Hahaha
The mention of Japan once in the series is a mystery. 😅
Lol
I don’t think nobody else could’ve played this character as well as the young lady did she was absolutely amazing
Even as a faceless assassin, Arya stuck to her father's rule: The one who speaks the death sentence must be the one to carry it out ("to swing the sword," as Ned Stark put it).
Great vid as always. As the vid shows Arya is an ideal candidate for the FM for sure. She experienced a lot of loss , trauma and death and is a bit of a floating spec at the time isolated without familial connections or otherwise. Already juggling multiple identities , willing to kill and open to much more in that respect at such a young age , revenge prominent in her mind and literally praying for deaths.
Ideal candidate without a doubt ; i do think being high-born factors in as well given the circles the FM will envision her eventually moving in , her decorum familiarity and the access that comes with her station. That high-born aspect / its access could factor in to the FM’s plans later on with their overarching aims in Westeros. Also, being magical / a skin-changer which the FM become aware later on ; though another seeming magic user like Jaqen likely noticed that much earlier. I am assuming there is a hierarchy of sorts with the FM assassins based on abilities , Jaqen seems quite adept at certain magic , we are told other FM have talent more in line with contorting their face , makeup , acting , disguise etc. I believe most of the top echelon assassins like Jaqen emerge from magic user recruits; which Arya is one of. On top of her current state / ideal factors for a FM recruit ; AS’ magical ability / skin-changing likely enhances Arya’s viability even more with high potential to become a top level assassin from the FM's perspective.
Being a high born come with his own benefits too, for example she already know how to read and some basic math which they need to teach a low borns reqruits
@@bluelemon243 100% , Arya is quite clever as it is which seemed to be noticed by Jaqen but a high-born education def takes that up another level.
Along with being educated, although she prefers not to use them, being highborn also means that Arya knows the manners and behaviours necessary to move in higher society, something that would doubtless be useful as a Faceless assassin.
@@neuralmute I agree, i did very briefly mention the decorum aspect but yes strongly agree. Whether as herself knowingly or unknowingly part of the FM's plans , dealing with high-born people as targets or for intelligence etc or even in disguise trying to convince as as a high-born character ; that decorum knowledge and familiarity could be a massive help.
Sometimes someone says something that makes you think “What a mind!” I thought that when you described the parallel between Arya’s prayer and the prayer that launched the Faceless Men’s origin story.
Here's another consideration: It might be valuable for the Faceless Men to have the face of Arya Stark in their vault. Who knows to what use it might be put?
If I remember right, there is a theory her "Dance Instructor" was Jaqen and the faceless men arranged for her to be in the caravan so she could be recruited.
And yet (based on the show only), I do think Jaqen made a serious misjudgment of Arya: he did not realize that Arya wished death on her enemies and those who had caused pain and death to her family and loved ones. In other words, to those she thought deserved death. He did not understand the influence of Ned Stark on her, honor. She was appalled at the death of innocents, and she failed at being a Faceless Man because she could not simply kill someone who she thought was innocent simply because they paid her to. I also think that since the House of Black and White is in Bravos, Jaquen definitely noticed that Arya fought like a Bravosi, and thus may have believed that Bravos may be a place where she would also feel comfortable in
I think the mistake was something subtler - and not so much a mistake as ignorance of something he had no way of knowing - that Arya had an anchor to her past that couldn't be removed (or at least not easily) - her bond with Nymeria
I'm looking forward to the next part. I always thought the parts with the faceless man were the most intruiging. But also the most complicated ☺
I’m starting to think there is more actually. After Arya’s training as a faceless man she had an exchange with Jaqen before sailing back to Westeros, Arya once again proclaimed herself as Arya Stark. Jaqen, (in the show anyway) seem pleased as if now her training was complete. Like he knew Arya had a greater destiny yet needed this grueling training to achieve this.
I could be wrong, I just happened to recently watch this again and thought I picked up on it.
Does this make sense to anyone? And of course it’s possible I read into this wrong.
Anything that deep in the lore, that happens in the 2nd half of the show, should be taken with a grain of salt tbh. The showrunners were pretty removed from the books at that point, and we don't know yet what GRRM intents her farewell to the House of Black and White to be like.
I totally agree. Also in the context of this being an antiwar narrative, you could see Jaqen as a sort of army recruiter and Arya as a young impressionable recruit who is slowly molded into a weapon and her humanity stripped from her before being sent off to war. Not that I think Arya will fully become a faceless man given she stashed needle and still has her prayer list of people to kill, hopefully a better storyline (if we ever get it) than the show.
I think Arya's highborn status would've been highly desireable for the faceless men. To take a commoner and train them to pass unnoticed in high society wouldve been difficult. Considering most of their targets would be nobles etc. that was probably an important attribute for a recruit to have.
I think she just intrigued him. As you said he noticed that in a way she was already wearing a different face from the day he first met her, as she was pretending to be a boy. So she was already becoming a master of disguise and blending in. I think from that moment on he saw potential in her and the rest as they say is history.
Of all the character arcs in GoT I find Arya's arc to be the most intriguing.
Being a DM in Forgotten Realms (a religion-heavy fantasy world) its the religious aspects of Martin's world that fascinates me.
Hopefully we'll get to see more religious arcs in GoT series in the future.
Amazing as always Robert! Arya and the faceless men are my favorite chapters ❤
Another fantastic video, Robert, displaying your deep understanding for the underlying themes and rich law of this universe. I thoroughly enjoy every video you put it out as you answer questions I never thought to question. By doing this, it makes me love this universe, more than I thought I could.
There are a couple of things that I really wished you had touched on in this video..
One is the fact that Rorge was definitely intently spying on her from the moment she got to the caravan, that's a minor one though.
The second one is the one that I can't quite piece together, but the fact that Arya actually runs into a ship from Bravos at Saltpan just cannot be an accident.
It's incredibly "lucky" for her, esp with Rorge and Bitter searching desperately for her, committing atrocities at Saltpans to find her. But what reason would Rorge be looking for her (unless for Gold) and why did he wait to go look for her until he was forced to abandon Harrenhall??..
There's so many questions surrounding this entire part of the story. I sure hope it gets answered one day.
Because he knew she had the potential to kill the ice king and he wanted to help her learn the skills she needed to do it.
You know what I just realized, if Arya went ahead had him kill Tywin, the whole story would've ended after book2
The way I saw Game of Thrones, is that the whole story can be seen through the eyes of "A" main character - choose your hero kind of adventure. If you watch the story through the eyes of Arya, you see that her role in the story is to allow the North and their allies to band together to defeat the threat of the Night King. If the North doesn't rally then all life is lost, the Night King and his minions of the undead win, and the Children of Men die off. In order to preserve life (and thus the balance between life and death), The Faceless God (also the only god to have been shown as real in the entire series) had to choose a hero to act on 'his' behalf. Arya was perfect for this, because her heart was true, her reasons for revenge were pure and just, and her list was loooong. If not for Arya, the entire story would have ended with the death of the human race at the hands of the Night king. SHE is the true hero; the unsung hero.
These two need their own show
Maybe the many face god that can understand death foresaw that Arya had the potential to end the White walkers that were dead but not and as his apprentices were instructed to train her to help her in ending the threat to them that the white walkers maintained.
Another minor thing, when Jaqen met Arya, she was in disguise, and as a member of a trade where disguise is a primary skill, she was effectively auditioning unintentionally.
Throughout Arya Faceless man was also able to deal even with the Night King. That is a dope theory.
Do you think Jaqen was going to teach Arya himself, or was he really going to take her to Braavos and then come back to Oldtown? I think he was going to teach her if she decided to go with him. At least until he finished his mission in Oldtown. Just my little theory
His recruitment was certainly a change/adjustment of plans if we assume Jaqen was in King's Landing for a different (and previously theorized reason :) ). I agree, that he saw promise in Arya once given time to observe her.
I always looked at her recruitment into the Faceless Men through the lenses of modern cults. You make a great point about her being in a vulnerable position. She has gone through a very traumatic period. She will like you said also not be missed if she goes with Jaqan. Both of those things are things modern cults look for in members. They also look for people who are seeking answers in life. I think Jaqan is offering Arya an answer to her prayer in multiple ways. Jaqan has an answer for why her father died through the “all men must die” theology. Arya is many ways a prime target for cults. The one thing she has that cults dont like is a strong sense of self. Even when she is portraying other people, she keeps that sense of self. Thats ultimately why she is able to leave the Face Less Men.
Just now finishing a dance with dragons and loving the way there's a channel pumping out game of thrones content by the day. Keep it up! 👌🏻
Took a week hiatus to catch up on some other interest and i gotta say, maaaaan i missed your narrations, your voice and inflection is relaxing and easy on the ears, i drift and still retain what im hearing.
I have said since I first started to read this series that I believe Jaqan is "THE" Many Faced god or the very first faceless man. Thus he can say "these are the rules", but he doesn't have follow them unless he wants to because he makes the rules.
We never see any other Faceless Men. The elderly man who opened the door at the House of Black and White was just one of Jaquen's Faces, as we saw when he was flipping from one to another. It could be that he is the only one left.
Amazing Robert, as always! Keep it on!!
I had a thought that Jaqen WAS the Many Faced God posing as a disciple so he could interact with them and influence their actions. Either way, he certainly had an agenda for Aria, showing her to be a Faceless Man and how to move around unseen by her enemies. Valuable skills when going up against the Night King.
As always, amazing analysis! Thank you Robert
Tremendous! Well done, Robert.
I think Jaquen noticed her because of the reasons Robert stated. But I think once he got to know her realized she did have some training , who she likely was, and figured out her desire for bringing death. And once he figured out about her warging ability (I'm guessing here), he realized she was the perfect recruit based on ability (though he underestimated her strong sense of self, which made het the WORST recruit he could have picked).
I don't think Jaqen ever intended for Arya to become a full member of the faceless men. It's clear the gods were very involved in shaping events at this point in the story and I believe he was answering the will of the Red God to prepare Arya for what was ahead of her. She never became no one, and though he stressed this was necessary to become a faceless man, he never prevented her from turning away from that path when she ultimately did. My theory on this was much more developed when I was fully immersed in the story and so I know there are more elements in the story that support this idea, even if I can't articulate them now. It does help to explain why he was there among the prisoners when he met her, why he showed interest in her, and why his invitation to train in the ways of the faceless mess was so open ended. He didn't happen upon her by accident, he was there to find her because he was given that mission by the red god.
This was my thoughts exactly. His smile when she left to go home told me a lot. I think he was preparing her for her biggest role in saving humanity from the undead. The God of Death surely was against the undead as it was unnatural. Life has to exist for death to.
I go with the conspiracy of the gods too. The First Sword of Bravos has nothing better to do than teach introductory fencing to a precocious preteen girl? Really?
Not to mention she's been praying to Jaqen's god for months every night before sleeping without knowing it.
Jaqen was in the dungeons to kill Ned for littlefinger
The red god's people, maybe,and it was not to find Arya or anyone - so who would the red priests want killed in Westeros?
The red god is an ASPECT of Jaquan's god, the one that almost claimed him and two others - the red god maybe being just plain old fire in Jaquen's case. He was burning. Arya changed fate. There did need to be Balance.
This video has made me see that, Arya's journey was so very much worth reading. I really enjoy getting to see their relationship form because like literally all her teachers are badasses!!! This has to be my favorite video of In Deep Geek. I am reading through a dance with dragons. I hope A dance with dragons touches on the root history of the faceless men.
Show-only possible additional factor: The God of Death may have also told Jaqen to take her in.
Having gotten through this part of the book for the 10th or 11th time, i think this is analysis is spot on, her trying to find her mom then aunt and realizing death had already come for both, she realizes maybe she can do the same for people who deserve it. And many people deserve it in this universe.
You've read this unfinished story that many times? That's sad. Get help
This video got me so hyped for where Aryas story is going!
Being obsessed with the death of her enemies was in impediment, not a favorable trait.
Great video as always.
9:25 That is a very good point.
The way you say warg always gets me 😂 love it!
I think the Many Faced God sent him to Westeros specifically to recruit Arya, because she was the one destined to kill the Night King. The MFG must have been waiting a long time for him to die.
You crushed that analysis brother!
Your videos are great, Thank you for the content.
Jaquen is a trained...no one...he saw potential In someone who had lost almost everything and had become...no one...and after his interest was piqued he gave her the three deaths "test" as you say..but.. what finally made him decide she was worthy was when she outsmarted him, he wasn't scared of her naming Jaquen, that person was already dead, all he had to do was change faces to get out of that contract, whoever he was before he became a faceless man played a part in his interest in Arya I'm willing to bet, a girl from a noble house with the potential to rally family and sworn vassals is not someone who'd easily give up their identity, theres more to it...
She did not want to have others kill people on her list. She wanted to kill them herself because it gave her pleasure. She was in fact saddened when someone beat her to it, like in the case of Joffrey
Great summary. I agree, not sure if it’s correct, but it makes you think.
I am really looking forward to the next books. I wonder if Arya will get the cruelest test to prove if she really became nobody; in Westeros, there are two deaths owed to the Many Faced God in the form of Lady Stoneheart (in the Riverlands, where her Direwolf chills) and the probably soon to be ressurected Jon Snow. Will she be able to truly leave her past behind by slaying her undead mother and brother, who are essentially zombies of R'hllor at that point? Arya witnessed the ressurection of Beric Dondarrion, so she knows the Lord of Light has the power to steal deaths from the Many Faced God, and the toll it takes on the returned, with Beric coming back less and less true to himself. Sooo looking forward to Martins continuation of this plot. Aryas identity crysis is one of my favourite character arcs period.
It will be a warm day in winter when GRRM gives us another book.
Jaqen was just providing a free trial to see if Arya would want to suscribe.
The Night King doesn't care about balance or Gods. It benefits the Faceless Men to train her to help fight against the Long Winter
I've always thought Jaqen H'ghar was at least an incarnation of Syrio Forel, the moment I knew he was from Bravos. After that, I just kept looking for easter eggs whenever I saw Jagen and I kept finding plenty of them! Given aspects like Bran being a Three Eyed Crow, it's possible that Arya was someone or something's 'solution' to the imbalance caused by the Children of the Forest creating the Night King and put Arya together with the Faceless Men to prepare her for her ultimate purpose.
I know that the book and the show differ greatly, but one thing I think we'll learn from HOTD is that the offspring of Jacaerys Velaryon and Sara Snow married into House Stark. Whether Jaqen and the other Faceless Men knew this or not remains to be seen.
So buckle up for this theory: Aegon the Conqueror's prophesy ("From my blood comes the Prince or Princess that was Promised, and theirs shall be the Song of Ice and Fire"), is a song or a common chorus from the song, or more to the point, a common refrain from a song with many stanzas. In other words, there may be multiple Princes/Princesses that were promised, with Arya being one of them (after all, she did kill the Night King with the catspaw dagger with the song infused in the Valyrian steel part of the dagger). Daenerys and Jon Snow may be part of the Prince/Princess prophesy as well, and the three children secretly sired by Aerys II and Joanna Lannister (Cersei, Jaime, and Tyrion) could be as well. Viserys I did state that his someone from his bloodline would have to sit on the Iron Throne during the Long Night, and Cersei was sitting on the throne when it happened.
I hope you make an hour+ video compilation of everything Arya!
Love these videos! Keep them coming!
The sword is a thing that always bothered me about Arya. I get why she kept it in the show, but it was shown off so many times. There is no chance in this world it wouldn't be stolen, or the moment it's seen she is accused of stealing it. It's like living among homeless people dressing like them, and you got a Porsche parked around the corner you occassionaly walk to and drive in
Great work bro and consistently good too
Great break down!!
Hell yeah I was opening RUclips to find something great to watch and here it is, first suggestion. ❤
Just finished. Good insights. I agree that their meeting is likely chance, but Jaqen, as you pointed out is an opportunitst. Working out who she was, he saw what she could accomplish.. While feeling if not indebted, at least gratitude for the save, he invests effort into her survival and provides guidance. We can assume he sent word to the Bravos temple, because the 2 seemed to expect and know her. I reiterate that the temple knew she stashed the sword. Seems like the penalty for dessertion from a group of assassin's would be a swift death, but she is not pursued. They knew her intentions. It's feasible if not likely that some of her prayer coincided with their own hit list. How better to accomplish a high profile assassination than to have someone do it for you of their own volition? They may have even expected her to die, evidenced by them lettering her leave not fully indoctrinated into their religion.
I'm not convinced that the temple priest wasn't Jaqen with a new face.
It really is like Arya had been preparing for this before she even knew about the FM. I can't believe I missed the way Jaquen is answering her prayers, though.
0:02 read the books 4 times now. So let me take a crack at this before I hear your thoughts.
Discounting the HBO version, Jaqen knew who she was. Her blood line consistently produces heros. He knew her resolve to kill the people in her list. Her goals aligned with the faceless assassin's. He gave her the means to to realize her ambition.
With everything they know, you can't tell me they didn't know she stashed her sword, Needle and planned to flee when it suited her. She was a carefully aimed arrow.
One does have to wonder: Are the faceless men aware of The Others? If so, that might be an important factor.
This analysis was very interesting.
Arya would have been the best faceless man because she had what none of the faceless men ever had the mannerisms of a wealthy high born lady all the others it was an act by which they only seen from a distance. She saw and learned how the rich and powerful was like in private. Knowing this would make her be able to get in closer to the wealthy powerful and not only kill them but replace them if needed.
In another video you state that Jaqen was in King's Landing because he was hired to kill Ned Stark. Ned's execution frustrated this. So I think he is recruiting Arya to fulfill the contract by still getting a Stark.
Arya could’ve won the war with those 3 deaths. Tywin, Joffrey, Tommen. Or Tywin, Joffrey, and Margaery. Something.
I always got the very strong impression that Jaqen has a personality beyond 'Faceless Man' and isn't operating robotically on religious principles - his motivation looked a lot like personal gratitude at not being burned alive 😂
Save this mysterious NPC, turns out he's a magical assassin and chooses to give you a big favour... because he can, and he has feelings and a personality.
He recognized her talent, her inner strength, and her 'moral flexibility'.
He failed to understand that she would never give up her Stark identity and motivation for revenge.
I had always maintained a head canon that Jaqen was Rhagar Targaryen. He allowed himself to be captured to be sent to the wall because he wanted to reunite with his son Jon Snow. The Prince that was Promised was a play on words. The deal brokered with the Night King centuries ago was that the role of the Night King was to control the White Walkers & eventually there would be one who would take his place; a Prince was promised. When that never happened (because of the war & Ned lied about Jon’s parentage) the Night King decided to march. Jaqen/Rhagar was going to the wall to fulfill that promise since Rhagar was convinced his heir was that Prince. Upon seeing Arya, however, everything changed. It was known that Arya resembled and had similar personality traits of Lyanna. For reference, Rhagar’s body was never recovered at the Trident. His armor was well known to have rubies embedded in the breastplate. Rubies were established to have the ability to glamour someone’s appearance and Rhagar may have been the greatest fighter but loathed it. Jaqen had been in exile since learning of Lyanna’s death and assumed Jon died too. When the White Walkers were spotted and an up & coming Man in Black joined the Wall it was a revelation to him and got himself captured. At least that is what the story is in my mind
0:48 it certainly wasn't to get close to Arya
But why wasn't it? He does seem to have mystical skills, if not powers; the deities definitely are able to bestow insight in the future and guide fate, so why would Jaqen not have prior knowledge that she would come to him? The Three-Eyed Raven seemed confident enough that his successor would come to him
Another banger episode. thank you very much
I am still of the belief that Jaqen is Syrio and many others that came across her path. It makes sense that Ned hired Syrio not only to teach her to fight but to protect her. And so he did.
I'm not so sure on this - and there is a different explanation.
I'm not so sure because Jaqen seems to take a very quick interest in her, without having reason yet. It also gives no reason why a faceless man would be in the black cells, and why he terrifies his companions. At Harrenhal her ability to change identties, blend in and bravoosi "roots" might catch notice, but he's already shown interest before that, and seems to linger at Harrenhal for no other explored reason. The three deaths also don't seem the biggest of tests, and her picks and her kill list are utterly against what an FM should be.
There is a second explanation. We are told that Ned wasn't supposed to die. A deal had been made that he would take his vows and join the Watch, in exchange for peace. Joffrey, most likely due to Littlefinger's meddling, prevented that. It's likely why Yoren was in the crowd when he found Arya: he was supposed to take Ned. We might assume Varys had arranged that - he seems to have put Gendry on the convoy. Arya took Ned's place (whether or not Varys was aware of that).
There is, then, another explanation. Assume Jaqen was hired to extract Ned from the convoy - with Varys being the prime suspect of who would know (Cersei or Littlefinger might have wanted him to not reach the wall, but there's no indication of a hit mission). He would certainly be a valuable pawn. But Joffrey messes that up. Instead, a "boy" suddenly joins last-minute. Jaqen would have been briefed on the Starks, explaining why a foreigner would realize her real identity when no one else does. His original mission cancelled, it's reasonable that he would do the next best thing, getting close to her, ingratiating himself with the three "wishes". Once she's securely in Northern hands (supposedly) he considers his primary mission fulfilled, kills his alias, and offers her a ride to Braavos - respecting her choice to stay, notably, but giving her every reason to travel there later, should she continue to survive.
There are just two problems with that. First, why the FM would accept such a mission. They're killers... right? Well, Arya's training is very little killing, and perfect for spying. Jaqen's next mission meanwhile seems to be infiltrating the Citadel... without hints that he's set to kill anyone (except to get a new face). All men must serve, first. It's silly to demand they merely do euthanasia and murder and nothing else.
The bigger issue is that he lets her go. Given that around this time she becomes, de facto, the heir to Winterfell? I'm not sure why they'd throw that away. But the reasons may be simple enough: his replacement mission is complete. Sure, he'd like the recruit/asset, but it's just as good if she returns to her family with a lingering 'debt' to Braavos. That makes her an asset anyway.
In the end, I just don't buy the pure recruitment angle. She's just too valuable. And even in Braavos, when she kills Dareon out of Stark principles, she gets a promotion. Which supports the previous point: I think they have something else going. And a link with Varys? Similar methods...
The North remembers. It fits beautifully.
We'll have to see what happens in the books. Right now, she's still learning from them. Very good video though!
When Jacqen asked Arya to name three men, he didn’t ask her to see if she would kill people, he wanted to see if there were people she wanted to kill. Because the first step in becoming a faceless man is becoming no one and thus forgetting about vendettas against others because “valar morgules” all men must die. He was testing her resolve into becoming someone who could let go of vendettas and identity
Two questions for those who have read the books and watched the show. Which did you enjoy the most? And is it worth the time for a big fan of the tv series to go back and read the books?
It is worth it to read the books,I enjoyed the series & loved the books.I will be reading the books a second time as soon as I finish watching the series for the third time .
She treated him kindly, but had a vengeful heart.
Jaqen seemed to know a lot more than just these things. It’s as if he knew she would kill the other girl before it happened. So with that I think he could sense the future and he knew she would be crucial in saving everyone from the knight king. I think this was her training to kill the knight king and save everyone.
Masterful! Thank you.
Arya is amazing, far and away the best character in GOT. The most underrated character ever and most powerful next to Bran. I loved how she got her revenge on the Freys for the red wedding. She can single handily do anything, even kill the king of the white walkers!
Incredible video you have masterd this
Arya's desire to kill her enemies worked against what the Faceless Men wanted. That was made pretty clear in the stories. I think a lot of this is a plot device by GRRM to move the story along in the way it did, which was a great plot line. Might be overthinking on this one, Robert. BUT, enjoying your analysis, anyway :)