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sxpiosexualx · 7 years ago

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ASOIAF: TPTWP and the significance of Jenny’s song

Since your better at doing the do with meta I thought I'd ask: D&D are putting a serious significance on ensuring it is always a STARK who saves Jon (Ned with his lie, Sansa at BotB & Benjen beyond the wall). I think that when D finds out abt Js parentage, she will make an attempt on his life. If the Starks come to the rescue again, I have a feeling it will be Bran... bt next ass save could be Arya. I also believed the PtWP and Azor Ahai were seperate. How likely do you think Pwtp = Bran & AA=J

Hello anon! Thank you for the ask, I dwelled on the prospect of Bran being TPTWP when you first asked this months ago and apologise for not getting back to you sooner, I wanted to make sure I had a better understanding on the subject so as not to respond ill equipped. I’m also choosing to answer this as a post itself instead of responding via ask box because this post is going to be lengthy and my ask box doesn’t warn me before accidentally exiting the window(it’s happened before and I don’t want to have to retype everything).

Bran’s arc, with the exception of Dany(her dragons), has been most tied to the more magical fantasy elements missing throughout the other POV chapters, so trying to logically map out what he’ll achieve or how he’ll go about being a prominent factor in the story to unfold is difficult. We know of some of the Three-Eyed-Raven’s abilities, but there’s so much more we don’t. And the issue of the Others has yet to be made clear. We don’t know for certain if the extreme of Ice is necessarily evil, only that it has the ability to become a destructive force. That being said, his journey in becoming the Three-Eyed-Raven would no doubt have a big impact on the story, and I think we can both agree he’ll likely have a hand in the war of the dawn or a conflict in the future.

As for him being TPTWP, you could argue that Bran was reborn amidst smoke and salt when he crawled out of the ruins of Winterfell when Ramsay burnt it down after hiding in the crypts, as the red comet was above them, and you could even go so much as to speculate that he’ll metaphorically wake a dragon in Jon, by revealing his parentage to him. Then there’s also the fact that Meera and Jojen refer to him as a prince(the Prince of Winterfell, after Robb becomes the King in the North). But there’s the issue of blood relations, and the prince that was promised is prophesied to come from the line of Aerys and Rhaella. This post will touch on that in greater detail in a moment.

First I think we have to reexamine the issue of TPTWP and Azor Ahai being separate entities. There are multiple different interpretations of Azor Ahai spread across Westeros and Essos: the North tells of a tale of the Last Hero, while the Rhoynish and YiTish have their own versions of the story as well, and then of course there’s the Asshai’i who dub him Azor Ahai, and then comes the prophecy of TPTWP. However no one in the series has ever distinguished between the two, and there’s no good reason to think this, as Melisandre, Aemon and GRRM all use it interchangeably:

“Westeros must unite beneath her one true king, the prince that was promised, Lord of Dragonstone and chosen of R’hllor,” - Melisandre, Davos IV (ASOS).

“It is the war for the dawn you speak of, my lady. But where is the prince that was promised?”

“He stands before you,” Melisandre declared, “…Azor Ahai come again” - Melisandre & Aemon, Samwell V (ASOS).

“[Stannis] is discarding the gods that he has worshipped since childhood and accepting the Red God, and giving himself to the Lord of Light, and in return Melisandre sees that the Lord of Light gives him a token of his role as the prince that was promised by ancient prophecy, and that’s the sword Lightbringer,” - GRRM in Game of Thrones Season 2 Religions of Westeros.

So I apologise for disappointing you but I’m of the opinion that TPTWP and AA are the same person, or at least the same entity. With that made clear, we can now proceed to predict in this post, whom I believe TPTWP/AA reborn is, and in order to do that, we must first look at the criteria of what makes TPTWP.

(this meta will touch on the prophecy of TPTWP/AA, Jon&Dany & how they fit the criteria respectively, the Tragedy of Summerhall and how it involves Aegon V, Rhaegar and the Ghost of High Heart, as well as the significance of Jenny’s song, and Dany’s vision in the HoTU, so buckle up and grab a snack because it is lengthy! and under the cut)

The Prince that was Promised | Azor Ahai

Melisandre believes that AA is prophesied to be born under a bleeding star, as does Maester Aemon, and few others:

“When the red star bleeds and the darkness gathers, Azor Ahai shall be born again amidst smoke and salt,” - Melisandre, Davos III (ASOS)

“a prince that was promised… the bleeding star… the one, born amidst salt and smoke,” - Maester Aemon, Samwell IV (AFFC)

“Benerro has sent forth the word… the fulfilment of an ancient prophecy. From smoke and salt she was born to make the world anew. She is Azor Ahai returned.” - Haldon, Tyrion VI (ADWD)

“Born amidst salt and smoke, beneath a bleeding star. I know the prophecy.” - Marwyn, Samwell V (AFFC).

“...Rhaegar was certain the bleeding star had to be a comet,” - Maester Aemon, Samwell IV (AFFC)

So it’s known so far that the (i) Bleeding Star, and the (ii) Salt and Smoke, are part of the criteria.

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Another sign is red or burning sword called Lightbringer:

“In ancient books of Asshai it is written that… a warrior shall draw from the fire a burning sword. And that sword shall be Lightbringer, the Red Sword of Heroes, and he who clasps it shall be Azor Ahai come again, and the darkness shall free before him,” Melisandre, Davos I (ACOK)

“a prince that was promised… The prophecy …[Stannis’] sword is wrong… light without heat… and empty glamor… [Stannis’] sword is wrong, and the false light can only lead us deeper into darkness,” - Aemon, Samwell IV (AFFC)

and in Sam’s readings, he also stumbles upon the fact that the last hero(the North’s rendition of AA) defeated the Others using Valyrian steel:

“I found one account of the Long Night that spoke of the last hero slaying Others with a blade of dragonsteel. Supposedly they could not stand against it”

“Dragonsteel?” Jon frowned. “Valyrian steel?”

“That was my first thought as well,” - Samwell I (AFFC)

One account of the legend suggests it has to be tempered from a sacrifice of Azor Ahai(his sacrifice was of his wife, Nissa Nissa):

“Azor Ahai… Lightbringer was his sword. Tempered with his wife’s blood if Votar can be believed,” - Jon III (ADWD)

Davos speculates that AA would have to make a similar sacrifice but it’s important to note that it’s never said to be part of any prophecy so a sacrifice might not actually be required.

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Both Maester Aemon and Melisandre speculate that dragons would be involved:

“a prince that was promised… the prophecy… Daenerys is the one, born amidst salt and smoke. The dragons prove it,” - Maester Aemon, Samwell IV (AFFC)

“Azor Ahai shall be born again amidst smoke and salt to wake the dragons out of smoke and stone.” - Melisandre, Jon X (ADWD)

but on waking the dragons out of stone, it’s important we take her word with a grain of salt, considering she admits herself she’s made errs in interpretation:

“sometimes I have mistaken a warning for a prophecy or a prophecy for a warning.” - Melisandre, Davos V (ASOS)

“Many a priest and priestess before her had been brought down by false visions, by seeing what they wished to see,” - Melisandre (ADWD)

“we all deceive ourselves, when we want to believe. Melisandre most of all, I think.” - Aemon, Samwell IV (AFFC)

With that in mind, it seems possible she’s wrong about the stone dragon, but all agree that the prophecy is at least associated with dragons.

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Lastly and possibly most important in distinguishing TPTWP, is that it’s prophesied by the Woods Witch that TPTWP would be born from the line of Aerys II(The Mad King) and Rhaella Targaryen. The significance of the Woods Witch will be explored further in a moment, but for now let’s acknowledge the final candidates that fit this criteria of TPTWP, because while most characters have instances that could be taken as signs of them being TPTWP/AA reborn, only two living characters fit this one: Jon and Daenerys.

Let’s recount the criterion so far:

a bleeding star

born amidst smoke and salt

a burning sword

an association with dragons

born from the line of Aerys II and Rhaella Targaryen

now let’s briefly(because I intend to expand certain things further and do not intend to drag this out longer than it already is, and Daenerys is one of the main and widely accepted candidates for AA already) explore how much either candidate fits this image.

The Case for Daenerys

she sees the red comet the day she burns Drogo’s funeral pire,

born on Dragonstone(amidst salt from the sea) and reborn as the Mother of Dragons(amidst smoke, and arguably also salt from the sweat and tears of Miri Maz Duur),

literally woke dragons out of stone(Dragon eggs),

is the child of Aerys II and Rhaella Targaryen, and,

her dragons could metaphorically be the flaming sword, as suggested by Xaro Xhoan Daxos’ description of them:

“your dragons [are] a flaming sword above the world” - Xaro Xhoan Daxos, Daenerys III (ADWD)

and now, let’s examine the points for Jon.

The Case for Jon

In the chapter where he gets betrayed and stabbed, he mentions a promised prince, and along with that, certain things are mentioned that could be taken as points toward him being TPTWP:

“A promised prince, born in smoke and salt.” - Jon XIII (ADWD)

“a bloody corpse… cloak… patterned with blue stars. Blood and bone were flying everywhere heralds was… distinctive.” - Jon XIII (ADWD)

“Bowen Marsh stood there before him, tears running down his cheeks,” - Jon XIII (ADWD)

“the wound was smoking,” - Jon XIII (ADWD)

So already present in that chapter is not only a reminder of the prophecy but of the criteria of smoke, salt and a bleeding star. Moreover, we know now that Jon was born in the Tower of Joy, and Arthur Dayne was amongst those that stood guard of that tower. Coincidentally(or not), the ancestral sword of House Dayne, ‘Dawn’, was forged from a fallen star. So that’s an extra bit of support in his birth as well.

So, assuming we take that to account for the star and smoke and salt:

Jon will be reborn amidst smoke and salt,

his rebirth will be under a bleeding star(though it could be interpretated that the bleeding star only heralds the coming of TPTWP, so the red comet could apply regardless),

he is one of the only characters to wield a Valyrian steel sword,

he is like to metaphorically “wake” a dragon in himself once he’s told of his parentage, and,

he is born of the line of Aerys II and Rhaella Targaryen

+ whenever Melisandre tries to see Azor Ahai in her visions:

“I pray for a glimpse of Azor Ahai and R’hllor shows me only Snow” - Melisandre (ADWD)

Additionally, Jon also has a dream he wields a burning red sword:

“That night he dream[ed] … He stood atop the Wall, alone. “Flame,” he cried … Jon was armoured in black ice, but his blade burned red in his first. As the dead men reached the top of the Wall he sent them down to die again. He slew … a girl with thick red hair. Too late he recognised Ygritte.” - Jon XII, (ADWD).

That’s some pretty damning evidence especially if we consider the sacrifice that mirrors the original tale of Azor Ahai.

So keeping in mind that both Jon and Daenerys fit the criteria of TPTWP the most of all the characters, what then further sets them apart? The significance of the Woods Witch and Jenny’s song. And to dive into that(stay with me!), we’ll have to examine three prominent figures to better dissect the Tragedy at Summerhall:

Aegon V,

Rhaegar Targaryen and,

The Ghost of High Heart.

1. Aegon V Targaryen

Now in the books, King Aegon V Targaryen was grandfather to King Aerys II(The Mad King), but in show!verse, he is the father of Aerys II instead of Jaeherys II -- the show skipped Jaeherys’ entire generation, but kept two of his siblings, Duncan and Daeron, making them Aerys II’s siblings instead.

Here’s are screencaps(the first is book!verse, the second is show!verse) for your comparison of how the Targaryen family tree was reduced for simplicity’s sake:

Let’s proceed.

Aegon V was prophecy obsessed, and this obsession with prophecy within the Targaryen household was brought upon since King Aerys I(noted to be well read) read something which prophesied the return of dragons. Like Aerys I, Aegon V believed that the only way people would fully submit to their rule is if they had dragons once again.

You’ll notice that Jaeherys II(or in show!verse, Aerys II Targaryen) succeeded the throne despite having an older brother, Duncan Targaryen(show!verse made him Aerys II’s brother). This is due to the tale of Duncan and Jenny, which if you aren’t familiar with, to put it simply: Aegon V’s son, Duncan Targaryen, married a lowborn maid, Jenny of Oldstones, forfeiting his rights to the throne and passing it to his brother, King Jaeherys II(show!verse, his brother would be Aerys II). This bit of information is important because when Jenny came to court in King’s Landing, she brings along the Woods Witch who prophesied TPTWP being born of Aerys II and Rhaella’s line along with her. Because of this, he commanded Aerys II and Rhaella to wed, and thus they did, although unhappily:

“Your grandsire commanded it. A woods witch had told him the prince that was promised would be born of their line.”

“A woods witch?” Dany was astonished.

“She came to court with Jenny of Oldstones. A stunted thing, grotesque to look upon. A dwarf, most people said, though dear to Lady Jenny, who always claimed that she was one of the children of the forest.” - Barristan Selmy, Daenerys (ADWD)

Aegon V’s final years were dominated in search of ancient lore and text in dragon breeding, he even commissioned journeys all over the world to search for hidden knowledge on the matter. He ends up devising a ritual in an attempt to hatch some dragon eggs, and this takes place at Summerhall. He summoned his family and friends to celebrate the birth of Rhaegar, while performing the ritual. The ritual backfires however, and Aegon V loses his life along with Prince Duncan, his son, and Jenny of Oldstones, in what goes onto be known as the Tragedy at Summerhall.

With that bit of lore about the Tragedy at Summerhall in mind, let’s dive into what we know of Rhaegar Targaryen.

Rhaegar Targaryen

Rhaegar was noted to be bookish to a fault:

“the Prince of Dragonstone was bookish to a fault. he was reading so early that men said Queen Rhaella must have swallowed some books and a candle whilst he was in her womb.” - Barrister Selmy to Daenerys (ASOS)

and what little we know of him suggests he was prophecy obsessed. But he also has a strange obsession with the Tragedy at Summerhall:

“Viserys had spoken of Rhaegar’s birth only once. Perhaps the tale saddened him too much. It was the shadow of Summerhall that haunted him, was it not?”

“Yes. And yet Summerhall was the place the prince loved best. He would go there from time to time, with only his harp for company. Even the knights of the Kingsguard did not attend him there. He liked to sleep in the ruined hall, beneath the moon and stars, and whenever he came back he would bring a song. When you heard him play his high harp with the silver strings and sing of twilights and tears and the death of kings, you could not but feel that he was singing of himself and those he loved.” - Ser Barristan, Daenerys (ASOS).

But there is textual evidence that is reason enough to believe that his obsession with the tragedy and in visiting Summerhall has to do with his obsession with the prophecy of TPTWP.

Still with me?

We know from Maester Aemon that Rhaegar had once assumed he was TPTWP, and that something changed that made him realise his son would be:

“No one ever looked for a girl,” he said. “It was the prince that was promised, not princess. Rhaegar, I thought… the smoke was from the fire that devoured Summerhall on the day of his birth, the salt from the tears shed from those who died.” - Maester Aemon, Samwell (AFFC).

“He shared my belief when he was young, but later became persuaded that it was his own son who fulfilled the prophecy, for a comet had been seen above King’s Landing on the night Aegon was conceived, and Rhaegar was certain the bleeding star had to be a comet. - Maester Aemon, Samwell (AFFC).

“Until one day Prince Rhaegar found something in his scrolls that changed him. No one knows what it might have been, only that the boy suddenly appeared early one morning in the yard as the knights were donning their steel. he walked up to Ser Willem Darry, master-at-arms, and said, “I will require a sword and armor. It seems I must be a warrior.” - Barrister Selmy, Daenerys (ASOS).

So the question is, what led to this change? Or rather, who let him in on it? I have reason to believe that it could have to do with the Ghost of High Heart.

The Ghost of High Heart

Now, many people believe that the Woods Witch Jenny of Oldstones brought with her to court had died in the fire along with Jenny, Aegon V, Duncan and everyone else at the Tragedy of Summerhall. But there’s textual evidence which suggests she went on to live as the Ghost of High Heart.

The Ghost of High Heart(excluded from the show) is an old, stooped, short woman who lives at High Heart in the Riverlands, and had white long hair with pale flesh and eyes that bleed red. Her appearance is similar to that of the Woods Witch that Jenny brings to court, but more importantly, she too has visions of both the future and the past:

“The old gods stir and will not let me sleep. I dreamt a shadow with a burning heart butchering a golden stag(Stannis killing Renly), aye. I dreamt of a man without a face, waiting on a bridge that swayed and swung. On his shoulder perched a drowned crow with seaweed hanging from his wings(Euron’s murder of Balon Greyjoy). I dreamt of a roaring river and a woman that was a fish. Dead she drifted with red tears on her cheeks(Lady Stoneheart), but when her eyes did open, oh, I woke from terror. All this I dreamt, and more.” - The Ghost of High Heart to the Brotherhood, Arya (ASOS).

“She has her own ways of knowing things, that one. The weir woods whisper in her ear when she sleeps.” - Thoros, Arya (ASOS).

The Brotherhood visits her to hear of her prophetic dreams, and in return she always asks for a song as payment, Jenny’s song.

Jenny’s Song

Jenny’s song, as aforementioned, is always requested by the Ghost of High Heart as payment in exchange for telling the Brotherhood Without Banners of her prophetic dreams. Tom of Sevenstreams sings it for her, accompanying the words with his woodharp, and the song is soft and sad in nature:

“She always makes me sing the same bloody song.” - Tom of Sevenstremas to Arya, Arya (ASOS)

“Let her savour her song in peace. It is all she has left.” - Thoros of Myr, Arya (ASOS)

“Oh, aye. My Jenny’s song. Is there any other?” - TGoHH, Arya (ASOS)

When sung, the Ghost of High Heart sings along quietly and sobs for her Jenny. The only known lyric to us suggests a connection to the tragedy of Summerhall:

“High in the halls of the kings who are gone, Jenny would dance with her ghosts…” - Arya (ASOS)

Jenny’s song, is clearly about none other than Jenny of Oldstones(who brought the Woods Witch to court). “...the halls” suggest the court of King’s Landing, tied by “of the kings who were gone” that clearly references the Targaryens who once lived and reigned in King’s Landing. “...Jenny would dance with her ghosts...” alludes to the people Jenny loved, her friends and family, that are now ghosts that have died with her at Summerhall. It explains why the Ghost of High Heart cries, because the song is a tragic memory.

Her encounter with Arya(recreated in show!verse with Melisandre instead) supports this as well. When she meets Arya, she becomes extremely frightened by her presence:

“I see you. I see you, wolf child. blood child. I thought it was the lord who smelled of death… You are cruel to come to my hill, cruel. I gorged on grief at Summerhall, I need none of yours. begone from here, dark heart. Begone!” - Arya (ASOS).

she mentions that she “gorged on grief at Summerhall.” So both the Woods Witch and the Ghost of High Heart are similar in appearance, have a dear friend named Jenny, was present at Summerhall, and have prophetic dreams. That’s evidence enough to assume that the Woods Witch survived the Tragedy at Summerhall, and went on to live as the Ghost of High Heart. This could explain why Rhaegar was constantly visiting Summerhall in his early years.

While there is no concrete evidence of Rhaegar ever meeting the Ghost of High Heart, there are subtle clues that suggest as much. Firstly, when Daenerys asks Ser Barrsitan:

“It was the shadow of Summerhall that haunted him, was it not?” - Daenerys (ASOS).

considering that the Ghost of High Heart gorged on tragedy(suggesting she dwelled there for awhile), the wording choice of “haunted” could therefore hint at the Ghost of High Heart, and her ““haunting”” could just as well mean her meetings with Rhaegar whenever he visited. In other words, the Woods Witch can therefore be viewed as the Ghost haunting the halls of Summerhall.

Secondly, we know that Rhaegar would visit only with his harp and would return with a sad song, singing of tragedy and kings who died. The one line we know of Jenny’s song references the tragedy of house Targaryen and we know it’s a sad song evident by the Ghost crying for her Jenny every time. It’s then very possible to assume that Rhaegar wrote Jenny’s song. He was known as a skilled musician especially with his harp. Moreover, we know his songs and playing have brought tears to people before, Lyanna for example.

Jenny’s song is known as a tragic and sad song, just the type of song he would sing to bring people to tears. Who else would know of these events so well? The song being accompanied with a woodharp also connects Rhaegar to it because it’s the instrument we know he plays.

So, similar to the Brotherhood, you could assume Rhaegar visited Summerhall often to meet the Woods Witch, and he rewards her with a song: Jenny’s song. Rhaegar initially believed that he was TPTWP, but you could further accredit this to the fact that for years he was the only child(Rhaella suffered still births and infant mortalities) until Viserys. His change of heart is still a mystery but maybe the Woods Witch/the Ghost of High Heart expanded on his prophesy. With Rhaenys and Aegon(his children with Elia Martell) gone, Jon Snow is the only contender. Perhaps the Woods Witch told him that TPTWP has to be born of not only the Targaryen line but also the Stark line, thus prompting Rhaegar to pursue Lyanna Stark.

I’m wrapping up, promise...

Daenerys’ vision in the HoTU

Textual evidence suggests that Rhaegar may have hid the prophecy in Jenny’s song: something that could never be destroyed. The best evidence we have of this is in Daenerys’ vision in which Rhaegar appears in an apparent flashback:

“Viserys was her first thought the next time she paused, but a second glance told her otherwise. The man had her brother’s hair, but he was taller, and his eyes were dark indigo rather than lilac. “Aegon,” he said to a woman nursing a newborn babe in a great wooden bed. “What better name for a king?”

“Will you make a song for him?” the woman asked.

“He has a song,” the man replied. “He is the prince that was promised, and his is the song of ice and fire.” He looked up when he said it and his eyes met Dany’s, and it seemed as if he saw her standing there beyond the door. “There must be one more,” he said, though whether he was speaking to her or the woman in the bed she could not say. “The dragon has three heads.” - Daenerys (ACOK)

presumably, the woman is Elia Martell with the first Aegon, and it looks like a vision of the past but visions in ASOIAF as we know, are tricky and seem to span into almost an alternate timeline. So let’s assume instead that it’s a glimpse into the future that never was, just like Daenerys’ vision of her dead son:

“A tall lord with copper skin and silver-gold hair stood beneath the banner of a fiery stallion, a burning city behind.” - Daenerys (ACOK).

it’s also important to note that there is no physical description of the woman, so it could just well be Lyanna Stark. Show!verse has already confirmed Jon’s true name as Aegon, and that he’s the true heir to the Iron Throne - this coincides with the vision of Rhaegar naming him Aegon, a name fit for a king. It also makes sense then why he says his song is the song of ice and fire. Rhaegar would represent fire and Lyanna, ice.

He looked up when he said it and his eyes met Dany’s, and it seemed as if he saw her standing there beyond the door. “There must be one more,” he said, though whether he was speaking to her or the woman in the bed she could not say. - Daenerys (ACOK)

Seeing as Jon is a few months older than Daenerys, this statement makes sense continuity wise as well. But as to why the dragon must have three heads or what it could possibly mean(I’m of the opinion that the two other people are meant to aid TPTWP) is another issue for another day.

Rhaegar then plays the harp and a sweet sadness fills the room:

“He went to his window seat, picked up a harp, and ran his fingers lightly over its silvery strings. Sweet sadness filled the room as man and wife and babe faded like the morning mist, only the music lingering behind to speed her way.” - Daenerys (ACOK).

They all fade away but the song lingers on suggesting the idea that while we all eventually die, songs live forever. This would be why Rhaegar hid the prophecy in Jenny’s song. Where scrolls and old texts can be destroyed and damaged with age, songs live forever and are passed down - immortalising our heroes and celebrating our triumphs.

Finally, both Jenny’s song and the song of ice and fire have no official names. While every song mentioned in the novels or show has names, they are the only two songs without. So when Rhaegar tells Lyanna that he(Aegon) already has a song, the song of ice and fire, he could be referring to Jenny’s song - the song that conceals and protects the Woods Witch’s prophecy.

We know that ASOIAF/GoT is at its base, an anti-war story. Both Ice and Fire have the means of absolute destruction. This is why I’m of the belief that TPTWP/AA reborn, must not only be born to the Targaryen line, but of the Stark line too. He must have the blood of Old Valyria and the First Men, it adds a layer of depth to the importance and significance of Jon Snow’s parentage. Where Daenerys represents the extreme of Fire and the Others represent the extreme of Ice, Jon Snow is the son of ice and fire. He has that something extra that distinguishes him from Daenerys as a contender for the title of TPTWP.

Rhaegar hid the prophecy where it can be heard, yet can never be destroyed. He hid it within the song of ice and fire.

Thank you for the ask! I apologise for the length but there’s no way around that without missing out crucial points to consider. Very sorry for the delay though, I hope you didn’t think I was avoiding it on purpose! Also if there are typos or grammar errors just know I didn’t proof read this, thanks for putting up with me!

#the prince that was promised #rhaegar targaryen #jon snow #daenerys targaryen #azor ahai

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topfygad · 5 years ago

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The Cotswolds — Thatched Kingdom of Quaint – Rick Steves’ Journey Blog

There are spots in Europe where I go to do what I get in touch with “convalesce” — places that, when I’m burned out or feeling put in, I can go to be quiet and recharge. England’s Cotswolds is one particular of these sites. As a travel writer, I test not to use the term “quaint.” But in the Cotswolds, I just just can’t support myself.

With so quite a few of us stuck at household for the foreseeable long run, I believe that a every day dose of vacation dreaming can actually be good medicine. Here’s another 1 of my favourite journey recollections — a reminder of what’s ready for you in Europe at the other stop of this disaster.

The Cotswolds are crisscrossed with hedgerows, strewn with storybook villages, and sprinkled with sheep. All the things about them — the meadows, thatched roofs, churches, pubs, B&Bs, and even the tourist workplaces — is quaint.

The Cotswolds are also walkers’ place. The English really like to walk the tranquil footpaths shepherds walked back again when “polyester” only meant two girls. Hikers vigorously defend their age-old appropriate to totally free passage. Once a year, the Ramblers, Britain’s greatest walking club, organizes a “Mass Trespass,” when each of England’s 50,000 miles of community footpaths is walked. By assuring every path is utilised at least at the time a calendar year, they quit landlords from placing up fences. Most of the land is privately owned, but you are legally entitled to go as a result of, using the numerous sheep-halting actions, gates, and turnstiles delivered at each individual stone wall.

As with quite a few fairy-tale areas of Europe, the existing-day attractiveness of the Cotswolds was the consequence of an financial catastrophe. Wool was a huge industry in medieval England and the Cotswold sheep grew it most effective. Wool money developed wonderful cities and palatial houses. Nearby “wool” church buildings are called “cathedrals” for their scale and wealth. Stained-glass slogans say items like “I thank my God and ever shall, it is the sheep hath paid for all.”

Then came the rise of cotton and the Industrial Revolution. The wool field collapsed, mothballing the Cotswold cities into a frustrated time warp. Nowadays, this most pristine English countryside is embellished with time-passed villages, gracefully dilapidated residences of an impoverished nobility, explain to-me-a-story stone fences, and “kissing gates” no a person need to knowledge by itself. Throngs of 21st-century romantics take pleasure in a harmonious blend of humanity and nature…and the Cotswolds are savoring new prosperity.

In these compact towns, all people appears to be to know all people. They are all ever so polite. Chatty inhabitants generally rescue themselves from a gossipy tangent by indicating, “It’s all very…ummm…yaaah.”

I use Chipping Campden as my house base. Just a handful of miles from the teach station at Moreton-in-Marsh, it was after the household of the richest Cotswold wool merchants.

The good British historian G. M. Trevelyan calls Chipping Campden’s Superior Street the greatest in England. Strolling its full duration, I concur. As in most industry cities, the street is wide adequate to have hosted loads of sheep small business on market times. On a single conclusion are the major-finish households with, it seems, competing thatched roofs. I pass the 17th-century Current market Hall, the wavy slate roofline of the initial excellent wool mansion, a fantastic and free memorial backyard garden, and, eventually, the town’s famous 15th-century Perpendicular Gothic “wool” church.

Nearby, Snowshill, Stanway, and Stanton are my nominations for the cutest Cotswold villages. Like marshmallows in hot chocolate, they nestle aspect by facet.

Snowshill, a approximately edible minimal bundle of cuteness, has a photogenic triangular city middle and a good pub. I love observing the hikers, young and outdated, wandering via, significantly like the wayfarers from centuries earlier. And, as if standing by for the more mature hikers, the classic crimson phone booth no for a longer period presents a telephone…but a defibrillator.

Stanway is noteworthy for its manor home. The Earl of Wemyss, whose spouse and children tree charts relatives back to 1202, opens his melancholy residence — after so elegant and now wistful for occasions absent by — to people two times a 7 days in the summer season. His 14th-century Tithe Barn was wherever the peasants of the manor would give a single-tenth of whatsoever they generated to their landlord. Although motley peasants no for a longer time assemble right here to spend their feudal “rents,” the lord however gets hire from his vast landholdings and hosts neighborhood fêtes in his barn.

Stepping into the of course incredibly lived-in palace feels like stepping into a previous century. I see a demonstration of the spinning hire-collection desk and marvel at the a person-piece oak shuffleboard desk in the great hall. I question about the 1780 Chippendale training chair, and get an respond to from the earl himself. He points out, “Half an hour of bouncing on this was regarded as superior for the liver.” He also demonstrates me that the manor puppies have their very own cutely painted “family tree,” but then admits that his final doggy, C. J., was “all character and no breeding.”

This area has tales to notify. And so do the docents stationed in every space — who, even devoid of fancy titles, can trace their histories back just as much as the lord of the manor. Talking to them, I’m reminded that in search of out just one-on-one discussions like this is how I have actually gotten to know and recognize England.

Stanway and neighboring Stanton are divided by a row of oak trees and grazing land, with parallel waves echoing the furrows plowed by generations of medieval farmers. Driving underneath a cover of oaks and previous stone partitions and grazing sheep to get to Stanton is a joy.

In Stanton, flowers trumpet, doorway knockers shine, and slate shingles clap — cheering me up the town’s principal street. The church, which almost certainly dates back again to the ninth century, betrays a pagan previous. Stanton is at the intersection of two ley lines (thought of by quite a few to arrive with mystical powers) connecting prehistoric web-sites. Church buildings these as this one, developed on pagan holy ground, are committed to St. Michael — the defender of the Church towards pre-Christian non secular threats. Michael’s very well-worn determine is earlier mentioned the door. Inside, I consider a seat in the again pew and review the scene. Above the capitals decorating the columns major to the altar, I see the pagan symbols for the moon and the sun. But it is Son worship that is extended recognized below the listing of rectors guiding me goes again to 1269. I finger the grooves reducing into the finely carved stop piece of the pew, worn away by sheepdog leashes about the generations. Even nowadays, a man’s sheepdog accompanies him everywhere you go. Some things hardly ever improve, specially in the Cotswolds.

(This tale is excerpted from my future guide, For the Really like of Europe — collecting 100 of my most loved recollections from a life time of European journey. It’s coming out in July, and readily available for pre-buy. And you can also look at a video clip clip relevant to this story: Just stop by  Rick Steves Classroom Europe  and research for Cotswold.)

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topfygad · 5 years ago

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The Cotswolds — Thatched Kingdom of Quaint – Rick Steves’ Journey Blog

I use Chipping Campden as my house base. Just a handful of miles from the teach station at Moreton-in-Marsh, it was after the household of the richest Cotswold wool merchants.

Nearby, Snowshill, Stanway, and Stanton are my nominations for the cutest Cotswold villages. Like marshmallows in hot chocolate, they nestle aspect by facet.

from Cheapr Travels https://ift.tt/34RrbUF via IFTTT

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topfygad · 5 years ago

Text

The Cotswolds — Thatched Kingdom of Quaint – Rick Steves’ Journey Blog

I use Chipping Campden as my house base. Just a handful of miles from the teach station at Moreton-in-Marsh, it was after the household of the richest Cotswold wool merchants.

Nearby, Snowshill, Stanway, and Stanton are my nominations for the cutest Cotswold villages. Like marshmallows in hot chocolate, they nestle aspect by facet.

source http://cheaprtravels.com/the-cotswolds-thatched-kingdom-of-quaint-rick-steves-journey-blog/

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