#Roro Uhoris

[onionmaester]

Davos Seaworth: A Lifetime of Smuggling

An aspect of Davos' backstory which I do not believe I have seen discussed much, likely because to my knowledge it appears to have only been brought up fairly briefly, is the age of which Davos first became involved in illegal smuggling and the potential implications of this own his character, backstory and general morality.

The first time he had seen the Wall he had been younger than Devan, serving aboard the Cobblecat under Roro Uhoris, a Tyroshi known up and down the narrow sea as the Blind Bastard, though he was neither blind nor baseborn. Roro had sailed past Skagos into the Shivering Sea, visiting a hundred little coves that had never seen a trading ship before. He brought steel; swords, axes, helms, good chainmail hauberks, to trade for furs, ivory, amber, and obsidian.

Here Davos is shown reflecting on his experiences while serving upon the Cobblecat, which was the first ship he served on, and notes he saw the wall during this time and was "younger than Devan" at this point.

“My son is not quite twelve. I am the King’s Hand. Give me another letter, if you would.”

In this same chapter, Davos remarks that Devan is "not quite twelve", therefore indicating that Davos was presumably no older than eleven himself (at the maximin) when he first joined the crew of the Cobblecat. We do not know much of Davos' childhood prior to this, but it is known that he grew up in Flea Bottom which is the poorest slum of King's Landing.

The HBO show does state he is a "Crabber's son" (for the record though I have only ever seen clips of the show) but this does not appear to be mentioned anywhere in the books. Instead we get this;

“That may be so,” Davos said, “but when I was a boy in Flea Bottom begging for a copper, sometimes the septons would feed me.”

So we know young Davos was a beggar, so likely not from a family with any stable employment or means to support themselves. When Davos' family is brought up, only his wife and sons are mentioned. He is never alluded to having living parents, siblings, cousins etc. Given his family-oriented nature, one might also expect he'd be at least a bit guilty if he had abandoned any family to join the Cobblecat's crew (although granted it has been decades). So while I do not think its outright stated that Davos is an orphan, it seems likely.

I feel the reason why this might be important to note, and why it might have some notable implications, is because it shows how and why Davos became involved in smuggling in the first place. One criticism I have seen of Davos' character a few times is that he does not necessarily feel like the type of man who'd break the law for profit for many years, as he is one of the most morally upright and honest characters in ASOIAF.

While I do think these criticisms have some merit, I also think that there is nothing about being a criminal which necessarily means Davos would prevent Davos from being a generally moral man. This is especially the case in Westeros, which is a highly stratified feudal society where the commons have little protection or upward morbility.

On this same note; there is also another thing worth mentioning when considering the time Davos become a smuggler... the tenure of Tywin Lannister as Hand of the King.

A Wiki of Ice and Fire calculates Davos' birthdate as being no later than 260, although notes that Davos was likely born a few years earlier. Tywin was Aerys' hand from 262–281 AC, and one of his famed actions is removing the pro-smallfolk reforms. I've seen this theorised as contributing to the eventual rise of the Kingswood Brotherhood and their initial popularity with the smallfolk.

So judging by what we know; Davos was born into extreme poverty in a society in which distinctions between classes are part of the law, and likely grew up during a time where the rights and conditions of commoners were being taken away and decreased.

I do not mean to claim Davos is free of fault; he has cheated on his life, he associates with morally ambiguous folk such as Salladhor Saan (A pirate who has no scruples with pillaging innocent civilians) or Stannis Baratheon (a very fascinating character as well).

But I do think this history and context could be worth noting to inform how Davos grew up, and how he is the man that he is. He got into smuggling when he was young enough to possibly not fully grasp the implication of this, and likely continued all those years because smuggling was his main skill-set to support himself, and later his family.

Transitioning to being a legitimate merchant would likely carry a number of obstacles; having to explain where he gained his wealth and cargo he'd have to sell at first, paying tariffs, making himself more well-known to authorities which could risk his old crimes being uncovered and making it easier to arrest him for them. I do not think it is a contradiction between Davos generally being good-natured, but also continuing to do the (dishonest) job he is best at. Especially when his commitment to his family is such a major part of his character that it also likely was why he continued the job of a smuggler to support them.

[roadsiderose]

The House with the Red Door is in....

There has been enough debate on the house with the red door that Dany grew up in. This is because Dany believes that this house was located in Braavos. But the lemon tree growing outside this house puzzled a few of us readers. We saw Dany reminisce about this house in AGOT and ACOK. But it was in AFFC, when two of our characters Arya and Sam arrive in Braavos that some of us started suspecting that the house with the red door may not be in Braavos.

Here is Sam's observation when he gets to Braavos:

Trees did not grow on Braavos, save in the courts and gardens of the mighty.

And then there is Arya's:

Braavos, devoid of grass and trees ... They have no trees, she realized. Braavos is all stone, a grey city in a green sea. ... In the forest, they see all. but there are no trees here ... "There's no more wood." Dareon had paid the innkeep double for a room with a hearth, but none of them had realized that wood would be so costly here.

And the latest sample chapter from TWOW, 'Mercy' does little to end our debate:

“Seven hells, this place is damp,” she heard her guard complain. “I’m chilled to the bones."Where are the bloody orange trees? I always heard there were orange trees in the Free Cities. Lemons and limes. Pomegranates. Hot peppers, warm nights, girls with bare bellies. Where are the bare-bellied girls, I ask you?” “Down in Lys, and Myr, and Old Volantis,” the other guard replied. He was an older man, big-bellied and grizzled. “I went to Lys with Lord Tywin once, when he was Hand to Aerys. Braavos is north of King’s Landing, fool. Can’t you read a bloody map?”

Some readers think that lemon trees could exist in Braavos. That Sam's observation 'Trees did not grow on Braavos, save in the courts and gardens of the mighty' - means that it is possible lemon trees could grow in Braavos in the courts and gardens of the rich. We could argue these semantics forever, and I feel that really curtails this debate. Because what is important is not where lemon trees could grow but whether Dany's memories are of a place other than Braavos.

Let us for a second assume that lemon trees cannot grow in Braavos. Then where else could this house with the red door be?

I want to suggest an alternative idea here, an idea that this house exists in another city. (I won't say I have a foolproof theory. It is more of a possibility.) Keep reading...

I was watching Preston Jacob's video posted here on the same subject. And though I disagree with some of the other conclusions he has (R+L=D), there are some things he pointed out on his video that were thought provoking.

Perfumes:

She did take a dozen flasks of scented oils, the perfumes of her childhood; she had only to close her eyes and sniff them and she could see the big house with the red door once more. (Daenerys, AGOT)

Besides the memory of the house with the red door and the lemon tree, there are a few other things that invoke her childhood memories. Certain perfumes remind Dany of her childhood.

Wooden Beams:

I know this room, she thought. She remembered those great wooden beams and the carved animal faces that adorned them. And there outside the window, a lemon tree! The sight of it made her heart ache with longing. It is the house with the red door, the house in Braavos. (Daenerys, ACOK)

The house with the red door had wooden beams that had carved animal faces adorned on it.

Stone Houses:

In her dream they had been man and wife, simple folk who lived a simple life in a tall stone house with a red door. (Daenerys, ADWD)

She was walking down a long hall beneath high stone arches. She could not look behind her, must not look behind her. There was a door ahead of her, tiny with distance, but even from afar, she saw that it was painted red. She walked faster, and her bare feet left bloody footprints on the stone. (Daenerys, AGOT)

The door loomed before her, the red door, so close, so close, the hall was a blur around her, the cold receding behind. And now the stone was gone and she flew across the Dothraki sea, high and higher, the green rippling beneath, and all that lived and breathed fled in terror from the shadow of her wings. She could smell home, she could see it, there, just beyond that door, green fields and great stone houses and arms to keep her warm, there. She threw open the door. (Daenerys, AGOT)

In her dreams, the house with the red door was a tall stone house. She also remembers running on a path of stone.

So what we know is that besides the house with the red door, there are a few other things that remind her of her childhood such as sweet-smelling perfumes and stone houses.

But Braavos doesn't entirely add up to the description of her childhood home. Braavos has a sharp and salty smell, and stinks of brine and fish. Though Braavos does seem to have houses built of stone because wood is scarcely available there.

If Braavos is not the place of her childhood memories, which city or town could this be?

In the books, we are often told lemon trees grow in Dorne because the climate allows for it. But the homes in Sunspear are made of mud and brick. The Water Gardens is another place where fostered children play but these are famed for their pale pink marble walls and floors. And most of Dorne is a desert, something Dany would have recollected, if that is where she grew up.

When Davos arrives at White Harbor, the scent of the place immediately reminded him of the times he had visited the port city as a child.

Davos had always been fond of this city, since first he’d come here as a cabin boy on Cobblecat. Though small compared to Oldtown and King’s Landing, it was clean and well-ordered, with wide straight cobbled streets that made it easy for a man to find his way. The houses were built of whitewashed stone, with steeply pitched roofs of dark grey slate.

Roro Uhoris once told him that each city had a unique scent. White Harbor's scent was sharp, salty and fishy, Lannisport fresh and earthy. And Oldtown smelled flowery as a perfumed dowager.

Roro Uhoris, the Cobblecat’s cranky old master, used to claim that he could tell one port from another just by the way they smelled. Cities were like women, he insisted; each one had its own unique scent. Oldtown was as flowery as a perfumed dowager. Lannisport was a milkmaid, fresh and earthy, with woodsmoke in her hair. King’s Landing reeked like some unwashed whore. But White Harbor’s scent was sharp and salty, and a little fishy too. “She smells the way a mermaid ought to smell,” Roro said. “She smells of the sea.”

When Sam visits Oldtown, he notices that the city was built entirely of stone.

Oldtown was built in stone, and all its streets were cobbled, down to the meanest alley. The city was never more beautiful than at break of day. West of the Honeywine, the Guildhalls lined the bank like a row of palaces.

One thing Oldtown has in common with Braavos is that these port cities are built of stone. They have cobbled streets. Though Oldtown has a much warmer climate, and is more pleasant smelling than Braavos.

The great city of Oldtown is the equal of King’s Landing in size, and it is superior in all other respects, being vastly older and more beautiful, with its cobbled streets, ornate guildhalls, stone houses, and three great Monuments. (WOIAF)

Since Oldtown lies far south of King's Landing it has a climate that would provide enough sunshine and warm weather to grow lemon trees.

I suspect when Dany's arrives in Westeros, she will find her house with the red door in Oldtown.

[joannalannister]

Davos drummed his shortened fingers against the tabletop. The first time he had seen the Wall he had been younger than Devan, serving aboard the Cobblecat under Roro Uhoris, a Tyroshi known up and down the narrow sea as the Blind Bastard, though he was neither blind nor baseborn. Roro had sailed past Skagos into the Shivering Sea, visiting a hundred little coves that had never seen a trading ship before. He brought steel; swords, axes, helms, good chainmail hauberks, to trade for furs, ivory, amber, and obsidian. When the Cobblecat turned back south her holds were stuffed, but in the Bay of Seals three black galleys came out to herd her into Eastwatch. They lost their cargo and the Bastard lost his head, for the crime of trading weapons to the wildlings.                --A Storm of Swords

“The cobalt panther of Celia’s World,” Tuf said, “often called the cobalcat. One of the largest and deadliest of the great cats, or their analogues. The beast is a truly superlative hunter, its senses miracles of biological engineering. It can see into the infrared for night prowling, and the ears—note the size and the spread, Beast-Master—the ears are extremely sensitive.”                --Tuf Voyaging, “A Beast for Norn”

GRRM’s earlier writings fascinate me; it’s like meeting the lesser cousins of Ice & Fire. The Cobblecat of Davos Seaworth’s youth feels like a homage to the beasts of Tuf Voyaging, and there’s lots of other things reminiscent of ASOIAF. For example, the House of Norn breeds great black dogs to send to the fighting pits in a bronze and black arena. “The House of Norn breeds proud fighters, beasts who kill their own game!” Norn is considered “the last and least” of the Houses; it’s small and not wealthy. I kept thinking about House Clegane as I read. 

We see the dogs of Norn matched up against a monstrous ape trained by the House of Arneth, whose colors are crimson and gold, the “greatest and proudest” of all the Houses. Its people are tall and considered clever. Their method for winning is, in their own words, “variety.” 

“When the other Houses of Lyronica threw all their fortunes on the backs of a single beast, our fathers and grandfathers worked with dozens. Against any animal of theirs, we had an optimal choice, a strategy. That has been our greatness and our pride.”

It made me think of House Lannister’s strategies of overwhelming force and the best equipment and all that so that they have an optimal position on the battlefield. 

[crownsoffrost-rpg-blog]

DAVOS SEAWORTH | Liam Cunningham | Fifty-two (52)

  ► Lord of the Rainwood   ► Knight of the Stormlands

♚ PERSONALITY

     ✔ wise, loyal, persuasive      ✖ judgmental, resentful, overly-protective

♚ HISTORY

Davos is a man of low birth with a childhood spent in the wretched Flea Bottom ward of King’s Landing. When only a boy, the need for survival forced him into the smuggling business, which he first came in contact with through Roro Uhoris, a Tyroshi smuggler who offered Davos a position as cabin boy on the trading galley Cobblecat. His time with Uhoris was cut short when the man was caught and executed by the Night’s Watch stationed at Eastwatch-by-the-Sea. From there, Davos created his own path, his efforts culminating with the acquisition of his own ship to captain. He quickly made a reputation for himself as a notorious smuggler, earning a huge target on his back. Davos spent a lot of his time sailing into various docks, carrying his business under the veil of the night, but also trying to evade the Goldcloaks trying to capture and sentence him for his crimes. At some point, he met a woman named Marya. The two got married and from their relationship resulted seven sons. During Robert’s Rebellion, about one year into the Siege of Storm’s End, Davos seized the opportunity of a copious reward and managed to smuggle onions and salted fish behind the walls of the castle, saving the lives of Stannis Baratheon and his men and ensuring their survival until the abolishing of the siege by Eddard Stark. As a sign of gratitude, Stannis had Davos knighted, allowed him to create and name his own house, and offered him a small hold and some lands on Cape’s Wrath, with the rights to hunt in its forests. But as punishment for the crimes that had led him there, Davos also lost the joints of all the fingers on his left hand, also at Stannis’ command. Since then, Davos has been loyally serving Stannis, offering advice on many fronts.

After so much time in Stannis’ service, Davos was the first to observe the change for the worst in his behavior as he was falling for the influence of the red priestess Melisandre. Davos tried to advice Stannis against renouncing his gods and succumbing to the call of her strange magic, but to no avail. Despite that, Davos supported Stannis in his quest for his birthright, even if he didn’t entirely agree with Melisandre’s methods. Davos was there when the priestess gave birth to a shadowy assassin and has been suspecting her of Renly’s murder since then. Once Storm’s End became Stannis’, Davos sailed with three of his sons for King’s Landing. Although he’d noticed several errors and suspicious behaviors, Davos had no success in convincing fleet commander Irmy Florent to heed his advice. When Tyrion Lannister unleashed his wildfire cache, Davos lost his three sons in the blaze while Davos himself was hurled overboard into the Blackwater. After spending days stranded on the spears of the merling king, Davos was rescued by Salladhor Saan and his crew and he returned to Dragonstone, where he accused Melisandre of being guilty of the lost battle. In a fit of rage, he tried to attack her, which resulted in Stannis locking him up. Behind bars, he received frequent visits from Shireen, who brought him books and started teaching him how to read. When Davos learned that Axell Florent was plotting to become Stannis’ Hand of the King and to butcher the smallfolk of Claw Island. By revealing this information, he was granted his freedom and several new titles, including the one of Hand of the King, and managed to swiftly elude an execution. After receiving words of plea from the Night’s Watch, Davos joined Stannis as he built his army and rode toward the Wall, where he crushed Mance Rayder’s forces. Davos was in the first line of offense when Stannis and Robb Stark marched on Winterfell and defeated the Boltons. 

♚ PRESENT

Davos followed Stannis when he left Dragonstone behind and relocated to Storm’s End. He’s been spending the past years journeying back and forth, maintaining connections with Winterfell and the Night’s Watch in Stannis’ stead. Although he’s trying to focus on the importance of the upcoming Great War, he can’t help but notice Stannis is on the edge about his position. He initially thought it to be childish, but as days pass and as the deep frustrations of the North come to surface, Davos is starting to see that Stannis is right in doubting Daenerys could lead the realm in the Great War. He still strongly supports Stannis in his pursuits, especially since the Storm Lord banished Melisandre, and knows that he’ll do whatever to offer Stannis his truest advice should the man decide to resume his quest for his rightful Iron Throne. Despite that, he hopes it won’t cloud Stannis’ judgement because Davos is aware that there is only one war they should concern themselves with.

♚ CONNECTIONS

  STANNIS BARATHEON - Stannis is more than Davos’ lord. Over the years, he’s grown to consider the man a friend and he carries a profound respect for his justness and set of morals. He’s never been as grateful as he was when he learned Stannis had rid himself of Melisandre, who Davos believed was leading Stannis to his demise. Although the man is high in his regard, Davos won’t hold back on letting him know of his wrongdoings.

   MELISANDRE - The red priestess unsettled Davos from the moment he’d first laid eyes on her. Not only does he deeply dislike her unclean and mysterious powers, but he also despises the kind of influence she had on Stannis. Davos has been noticing her every time he’s been traveling to Castle Black, but he never bothered to ask why she spends so much time there. 

    SHIREEN BARATHEON - Shireen is the daughter that Davos never had. In fact, after his own family, she might be the person he cherishes the most. He appreciates the girl for her kindness and wisdom and is fiercely protective of her, even in the eyes of her parents who can sometimes be overly harsh with her.

    SALLADHOR SAAN - The Lysene pirate is Davos’ oldest friend and partner in crime. The two of them have been through thick and thin, both when they were younger and during recent times. For every fight Davos fought at Stannis’ side, Salladhor was there and he knows it wasn’t just for material interests like he enjoys to claim.

MENTIONED IN: Shireen Baratheon, Stannis Baratheon, Melisandre.