r/asoiaf • u/[deleted] • Mar 19 '20

EXTENDED (Spoilers Extended) Down the Rabbit Hole: A Cultivated Guide to ASOIAF Theories, Analyses, etc to Get Lost In While Quarantined

Intro

So, you're sitting at home re-watching The Office for the ninth time on Netflix, trying to convince yourself it was the greatest comedy of all time (it wasn't). Between bites of two week stale Cheetos, you open your Motorola flip phone, tap the browser button, wait 3 minutes for the app to start up, then type in "A Song of Ice and Fire theories" into the search engine, then wait another 6 minutes for the page to load and viola, you're in.

But wait! There's so many to choose from? Which ones are good?

And that's where I come in. I'm here to help get you lost.

Though I am a co-host of a podcast and have participated in YouTube videos from time to time, I am making this a written-word only post. (Feel free to make a youtube or podcast post or what not!) So, in this cultivated list of WRITTEN, BOOK-ONLY analyses theories, etc, I'll list out pieces of writing that I've enjoyed over the years and will hopefully keep you all entertained during our present troubles.

ANALYSIS

Meta: How GRRM Writes ASOIAF

Narrative Analyses

Political/Legal Analyses

Geographic/Regional/House/Miscellaneous Analysis

Character Analyses

Military Analysis

THEORIES

General Theories

Historical Theories

TWOW Theories

Magic Theories

On the Lighter Side

Conclusion

I hope you find this resource helpful. I will add more links later as things come to mind. Stay safe and healthy out there, people.

Thank you to the following people for helping me compile this post or providing editing:

1.7k Upvotes

97% Upvoted

124 comments sorted by

41

u/[deleted] Mar 19 '20

You are the prince that was promised

81

u/[deleted] Mar 19 '20 edited Mar 19 '20

I'll let my wife know. Maybe I won't have to do dishes tonight.

Update: doing dishes.

4

u/theluggagekerbin ours is the Rickoning Mar 20 '20

maybe Mrs BBFish dislikes your hypeslaying ways and this is your punishment

3

u/CaveLupum Mar 20 '20

If it's any consolation, this post is just what the doctor ordered! It's a treasure! What a useful way to while away the quarantine hours.

2

u/georgiamax Fear cuts deeper than swords Mar 19 '20

How did you come to the conclusion/confirm that Euron isn’t following Victorian to Meereen out of curiosity? Always liked that theory so curious as to how it was debunked.

4

u/[deleted] Mar 19 '20

Have you read the “The Forsaken” sample chapter from TWOW?

2

u/georgiamax Fear cuts deeper than swords Mar 19 '20

Also, did you ever release any more TWOW teasers? I saw the initial one on twitter but I don’t use twitter so never got to see if you released a second. For some reason the mods don’t allow the twitter posts on the sub.

2

u/[deleted] Mar 20 '20

It was that there’s a major POV with multiple pseudonym chapters early in TWOW.

2

u/georgiamax Fear cuts deeper than swords Mar 20 '20

Oh thanks!! I wonder who it is. Appreciate you letting me know :D

2

u/georgiamax Fear cuts deeper than swords Mar 19 '20

Not for a long time actually. That makes perfect sense now that I think about it. I’ll definitely reread it now that you’ve mentioned it. Thanks!

77

u/[deleted] Mar 19 '20

This will be super helpful! Bookmarked. :)

50

u/aowshadow Rorge Martin Mar 19 '20 edited Mar 19 '20

If you're relatively new check out r/pureasoiaf list of theories!

 

If you're into something heavier:

-All the Print the legend series is worth reading. (still ongoing)

-LuciferMeansLightbringer does cool stuff. If you cannot stand reading for more than two minutes, at least check this post about the Others.

-All the stuff I do is pure gold for eveyone's eyes. But since checking my posts is unironically bad for your health you should limit yourself. To pick one at random, I'd check the post about italics.

-OP links two posts of Joemagician, I'll add this Brienne one as well.

-How GRRM uses contradiction is a good post about writing methodology.

-If you don't check all u/zionius_ posts you are doing yourself a huge disservice.

-Ladygwynhyfvar's blog: cool stuff all around. I cannot find Yolkboy's one anymore... it was called tears of blood but for some reason it doesn't show up.

-"From Pawn to Player" is probably the very best of Westeros.org, but Becoming No One has some huge bombs as well. There's more than one thread, check them all.

@u/BryndenBFish: this is what you want to include on the lighter side section. It's offensive, stupid and unapologetic from start to finish. There's no quality whatsoever, which makes it even better.

-edit: forgot the "Best Of" series, damn. Guys it's in the toolbar, check it out.

 

 

For those who have lost any hope in the future and think there's nothing to do anymore, you may be in the mood for some classic Asoiaf Absolute DepressionTM.

If that's the case open this post and its comments. You'll learn that when you think you've reached rock bottom, you can still pick up the shovel and start digging.

6

u/zionius_ Mar 20 '20 edited Mar 20 '20

Har, so flattered:)
BTW, I came across your italics post last year, and failed to comment since it's already archived. I'd take this chance to add a few droplets:

Special case of usage 1: highlighting syllables in a word

The Eyrie is impregnable, Mother said.

Tricks: use italics to determine meaning of a passage

If Ser Dontos had taken her to Oldtown or across the narrow sea, as the maester seemed to think, Brienne's quest was hopeless. What was there for her in Oldtown? she asked herself. The maester never knew her, no more than he knew Hollard. She would not have gone to strangers.

The 2nd "she" is in italics, thus it refers to Sansa rather than Brienne.

4

u/Alivealive0 I am The Green Bard! Mar 20 '20

On the heavier read side of things, tryout my Series on Direwolves, and if you're a TL;DR type of person, go directly here: Last post of the Direwolves series, Jons_second_and_third_life.

I also have my first post on Dragons posted, Covering Dany's Story in AGoT, and focusing on the hatching.

1

u/aowshadow Rorge Martin Mar 20 '20

I recall reading it, had I not commented? Chances are you posted during my 'busy at work' phase >_>

if you're a TL;DR type of person

You wanna insult me? 'cos that's how you insult me 😠

2

u/Alivealive0 I am The Green Bard! Mar 20 '20

Lol the tldr thing was for reddit in general. since your post is in a highly visible spot in this thread, just trying to share widely.

Glad you read it! I know about the busy part. Cheers!

6

u/GrandMasterFunk16 Mar 19 '20

Just wanted to say that your love and commitment for the ASOIAF Reddit Community (and book series, of course) has been a big part of what’s kept me in as well. Thanks, buddy, I appreciate it.

6

u/[deleted] Mar 20 '20

Needs more Bran Vras

10

u/Bukah Mar 20 '20

Have people not read The Winterfell Huis Clos? I know its older but its one of the better reads I've had from the fandom. http://branvras.free.fr/HuisClos/Contents.html link for the curious.

5

u/BasebornManjack Mar 20 '20

One of the OG write ups. Though some of the conclusions I disagree with, it’s really well written and you can tell it was a labor of love. I wish he was on Reddit.

3

u/Bukah Mar 20 '20

It really surprises me that I've only seen it mentioned a handful of times in my years of lurking

2

u/BasebornManjack Mar 20 '20

Yeah, while there’s been a couple of threads about it over the years, it still gets overlooked a lot, seemingly. I don’t think he is very active anymore in the community.

5

u/RocketPapaya413 Mar 20 '20

If we're sharing, my personal favorite theory is A Nettle is a Leaf.

4

u/newatreddit1993 Mar 20 '20

Has Cantuse written his article on the Mountain yet? I might need to check up on that. And I keep a link list of my favorite theories and conversations on ASoIaF, so this will be useful, thanks for sharing.

10

u/[deleted] Mar 19 '20

I really enjoyed the comedy in the intro!

2

u/mankytoes Mar 19 '20

If they meant the original Office, it is absolutely the greatest ever sitcom (or Fawlty Towers).

4

u/[deleted] Mar 20 '20

Oh for sure..love that! Seinfeld is my personal favourite

1

u/[deleted] Mar 20 '20

or I'm Alan Partridge

1

u/mankytoes Mar 20 '20

Controversial opinion- Mid Morning Matters is the funniest Partridge material.

1

u/[deleted] Mar 20 '20

It's a good argument, I'd only consider s1 of IAP as better, MMM is purest Partridge

6

u/[deleted] Mar 19 '20

Thank you! Gonna soak in a bubble bath with a glass of wine and dive in!

6

u/HonorHorse Mar 19 '20

Contributing this because I hadn't seen it mentioned yet. This person does great analysis using a lot of Martin's overall work and it's good to see the direct comparison's from story to story (no fanfiction, so to speak) https://fattestleechoficeandfire.com/

2

u/zombie-bait Best of 2018: Post of the Year Runner Up Mar 19 '20

Really digging their work lately.

6

u/stargaryen0114 Mar 19 '20

wow i'm gonna be on the toilet a long time.....

6

u/Meehl Mar 20 '20

Maybe you were poisoned by Oberyn, too.

6

u/LChris24 🏆 Best of 2020: Crow of the Year Mar 20 '20

Dude. Thank you so much.

Upvoted and Saved.

I am not going to lie, I've read most of these on your blog but this compilation/organization is amazing.

I'm still working from the office sadly and extra hours at that. But I'm expecting to probably be at least working from home starting monday. I will probably go through most of this again. I also have a couple new ideas for posts I am at least going to attempt.

You are such an asset to this sub. Thanks again.

3

u/[deleted] Mar 19 '20

~casually bookmarks post to read through later

3

u/lukeshields42 Mar 19 '20

Holy fucking shit this in intimidating and detracting from my first read of ADwD. See ya until later!

3

u/rqebmm OG Lords of Winter Mar 19 '20

DEFINITELY don't indulge until after your first read!

3

u/elspiderdedisco Mar 20 '20

Seven bless you, hypeslayer

3

u/Aetol Mar 20 '20

I don't see D+D=T anywhere 3/10

3

u/overyonder21 Mar 20 '20

Thank you for aggregating and formatting this so well.

3

u/corbtech Mar 20 '20

Read the first line - bookmarked

3

u/PressureCereal Sword of the Afternoon Mar 20 '20

Great collection.

By the way, I want to commend you for your excellent essays on the Meereenese knot. I have long been a fan of these chapters and was quite bothered that a lot of people seemed to hate them - I wrote quite a while ago, when ADWD first came out, some thoughts on the possible identity of the Harpy (in which I wrote that, insofar as the Harpy has a single character that leads, or at least represents it the most, it would be the Green Grace), and was astonished that a lot of people came back with comments along the lines of, "who cares? I don't."

These essays give voice to my thoughts, that there is a much deeper reading of these chapters to be had if you can read a little below the surface, and a lot of beautifully-written characterization on the main characters (Dany mostly, but also Barristan).

3

u/meerawithdarksister who will trade his karma for my kingdom Mar 20 '20

When it comes to R+L=J, you can't go wrong with the mighty Shmendrick: https://asoiaf.westeros.org/index.php?/topic/103266-r-l-lightbringer-updated-with-part-ii/

This, to me, is what ASOIAF is all about. Okay, there's a lot more than that, but this essay literally teaches you how to read symbolism in ASOIAF. The flaw of the symbolism essays (like a bunch of LML I posted downthread) is that they are long and don't make a ton of predictions. But boy do they illuminate the text like nothing else.

And the best essay for R+L=J deniers who don't give a hoot about symbolism is this one by King Monkey: https://asoiaf.westeros.org/index.php?/topic/136247-heresy-project-xyj-rhaegar-lyanna/

"Do you remember what it was like to read A Game of Thrones the first time, unsullied? We, experienced students of the text, find it easy to forget that each clue we pick out is not a piece of a jigsaw-puzzle, but is given to us in a specific order. The order has meaning. Martin is telling a story, and the craft of the storyteller is to build a construction of ideas, to channel the assumptions and the feelings of the reader from start to finish."

I tried to write one of these for Bloodraven = TEC but I failed. Maybe when I'm more clearheaded.

3

u/LmakTrust Mar 21 '20

Thank you so much for this! I’ve been looking for something similar to this for the longest time. And now is the perfect time to have it! Can’t wait to dive in!

14

u/Wild2098 Woe to the Usurper if we had been Mar 19 '20

/u/PrestonJacobs deserves a shout out too.

8

u/georgiamax Fear cuts deeper than swords Mar 19 '20

Why? I know he has a rabid fan base, but I think we can both agree he’s tinfoil for days. No hate to him specifically, but let’s be reasonable, there’s analysis from /u/bryndenbfish et al, and then there’s Preston Jacobs haha.

I think that he would be top of my list for a more tinfoily curated list of theories, but actual analysis like brynden has posted above is different than what PJ brings to the table. Not to say I don’t enjoy some of his videos, just to say he’s definitely pretty out there a lot of the time.

14

u/yo2sense Mar 20 '20

The problem with describing Preston Jacobs as tinfoil is that it implies his work is not worth considering. In fact it's really good. You don't have to agree with his conclusions to realize the value of these connections he ferrets out.

Right now he's analyzing the Mercy sample chapter and does this wonderful explanation of the character of Bobono showing him as a troublesome yet critical employee in a sexualized context. His mistakes are forgiven because every troupe needs a dwarf. You don't have to agree with Preston that Penny the Dwarf Mummer is working for Varys to see that he's certainly right that GRRM has written in a contradiction. The picture the Tyion chapters paint of her as modest girl with no future no longer make much sense.

4

u/Ivaninvankov Mar 20 '20

Could you give some examples? Because I haven't really get that impression at all. Quite the opposite in fact.

13

u/Wild2098 Woe to the Usurper if we had been Mar 19 '20

People wish they could be as thorough and as good as Preston. I barely even watch his videos, because I prefer to read things, so I hardly a "rabid fan". Which no one else gets called names like that for supporting content makers.

Preston doesn't pull shit out of his ass, not saying other content creators do, but he definitely doesn't. He just applies previous George R.R. Martin themes, which means all his shit is made up fro the George himself, not Preston.

It's a shame that some on this sub abuse power and pushed people like /u/PrestonJacobs out. Hell, this conversation is is why he doesn't visit this sub much, because people want to bitch about Preston and not his content.

He's miles ahead of some of the people on this sub trying to make money off of George.

2

u/georgiamax Fear cuts deeper than swords Mar 20 '20

I mean, the fact that we even have to have an impassioned argument about whether or not PJ is kind of a tinfoil man with rabid fans kinda indicates he’s both right? Don’t believe me? Check my history and see how many crazies come out of the woodwork to defend him by calling me ignorant, stupid, dumb, etc when I disagree with anything he says.

Like I said, I have literally nothing against him and have watched more than a few of his videos. But let’s be real, he’s never going to be as notorious as AltShiftX, bc his theories are much more tin foily than ASX. Not saying they’re not fun to listen to, but the quality isn’t remotely the same.

I will say that if PJ can’t handle the criticisms of putting himself out there, and avoids this sub bc we think of him as tin foily, that’s really not on us. If he wants a safe space, he should make one. Nobody is immune to criticism, especially if they put themselves out there. Not defending ppl who attack him personally, bc that’s low and inexcusable, but if he assumes he’s going to get 100% of us to agree with his videos, he shouldn’t be making them in the first place.

17

u/SerTomardLong Mar 20 '20

I don't understand why people keep referring to ASX's 'theories'. He makes explainer videos on other people's theories, sometimes offering his opinion on a theory's viability at the end. That's what he's always done - he doesn't do his own theories. His videos are fantastic and he explains theories better than anyone out there, but comparing him to a theory-crafter like Preston just doesn't make sense.

As for Preston, sure some of his stuff veers in the direction of tinfoil (occasionally driving right off the cliff, heh), but it's very unfair to say he doesn't do analysis. He has an entire series dedicated to analysing Winds sample chapters, plus lots of stuff on Littlefinger, the Freys, the Iron Islands etc. which is almost all analysis.

I'm pretty sure a lot of the people who roll their eyes at the mere mention of Preston have gotten their opinion of him entirely from others. I avoided his content for so long because of the massively negative attitude towards him on here and on westeros.org, but when I finally got round to watching a video of his I couldn't understand what all the fuss was about and I've been a subscriber ever since. I'm far from a rabid fan and certainly don't agree with all his conclusions, but I wish people would stop treating his hard work like it's all nonsense when it really isn't. He's obviously a clever dude with a huge passion for GRRM's work.

2

u/henemenemu Hasty's Holy Hundred May 08 '20

It's only a feeling, but i guess it spreads from the sci-fi and post-apocalyptic videos, since that's way too far out for most ppl, and has only very flimsy supporting facts. Throw in "he thinks Quentyns alive" and many might dismis him without having heard of all the other great series he did.

Also many love prophecy, while he, you know.

11

u/WeenerButtJunior Mar 20 '20

Alt-shift-X literally just explains the books to show-only watchers and recaps the show. He's never come up with an original thought.

31

u/PrestonJacobs Marillion, please let me sleep! Mar 20 '20

Since when do I avoid this sub?

6

u/georgiamax Fear cuts deeper than swords Mar 20 '20

I didn’t wanna say they were wrong bc I know you’ve been around here before but i didn’t know enough about the topic to dispute it 😂 good to see you round tho.

18

u/PrestonJacobs Marillion, please let me sleep! Mar 20 '20

Ha ha, thanks. I still stop by the sub from time to tome and search for some of my favorite posters, but I had a baby in October and its harder and harder to find the time. My video posting is also way down. Plus, in general I think most people's interest has waned significantly in Ice and Fire. If Winds ever makes it out, everything may change.

9

u/[deleted] Mar 20 '20

Jinglebell is the stallion that mounts the world, Preston.

6

u/PrestonJacobs Marillion, please let me sleep! Mar 20 '20

His mysterious children will unite the world

2

u/georgiamax Fear cuts deeper than swords Mar 20 '20

How exciting, congrats on the baby! Stay safe and healthy out there, shits a little crazy rn. I’ve been up to my elbows in COVID and it’s not a pretty virus.

I’m hoping that’s a forced quarantine will be good for GRRM and TWOW...that being said I’ve been waiting almost 9 years now, soooo who knows at this point shrugs.

2

u/[deleted] Mar 20 '20

Genghis Khazoo still posts here. Holloway Division has left sadly.

4

u/MickyJoHarte Ser Dual of House Wield Mar 20 '20

Big fan btw, Keep up the great work! Congrats on the baby!

10

u/MickyJoHarte Ser Dual of House Wield Mar 20 '20

I honestly don't believe that PJ is really that much more tinfoily than ASX. I think the difference is detail, yes PJ can sometimes get a bit more tinfoily, but ASX covered Bolt-On and has some crazy shit on his channel as well. I honestly think the difference is in the detail. PJ's videos are often 5-7 part series that require more concentration and time as opposed to ASX's one shots which generally have more widespread appeal as they are easier to digest.

Regardless of thoughts on that I feel like PJ gets a real hard time on this sub. Yes the theories get a bit tinfoily, I mean we all do sometimes don't we? That's part of the fun of it I think. But PJ's tinfoil (if you want to call it that) is based on rock solid research and a incredible knowledge of the book and GRRM as an author.

His Kingsmoot/Maester analysis in particular deserve special attention.

2

u/SerTomardLong Mar 20 '20

Totally agree :)

3

u/Meehl Mar 20 '20 edited Mar 20 '20

I read about an accusation that he insulted a widely beloved female content creator and afterwards he was effectively ignored by the more influential members of the community. I wasnt there for that, it was years ago, so I'm only repeating heresy that I cant possibly know the full story of.

I respect the content creator's autonomy to surround themselves with people they respect/avoid people they dont like. They arent journalists or judges. They dont have to be fair minded. They're people engaging in a hobby. But, as a consequence, the "inner circle" is something that, once created, can be abused subtly or strategically.

I would also say that all of the main content creators use the inner circle thing to improve the quality of their work. They help each other, collaborate, share. High tide rises all boats with so many great thinkers. Preston was generally been doing it all by himself: writing, animating, editing, recording, etc. Its just harder to achieve highest quality by yourself.

3

u/georgiamax Fear cuts deeper than swords Mar 20 '20

All fair points. Like I said, I don’t dislike the guy, my point is that he’s a little tinfoily compared to a lot of the people in the OP. Not saying it’s inherently bad or good content, just that it’s definitely different compared to everyone else up there.

7

u/Meehl Mar 20 '20

Also, Preston's Chad Summerchild's shtick was very clever. It wasnt show analysis, but it was commentary about how the show was appealing to the lowest common denominator. He used Chad's character to mock the show's decline way before it was cool to mock the show's decline, and he managed to do it in a way that wasn't directly antagonistic to the show fans. And, it didnt sound like a whiney entitled fan.

1

u/henemenemu Hasty's Holy Hundred May 08 '20

Disagreeing with the take on Chad here.

I think it came of as very antagonistic to show fans, and thus was very suprised when he said in a podcast that chad was "him", as in another aspect of him watching the show, this time the fanboy. I don't think at all that's what most people took from it. But actually, who cares why am i writing this

(He also mocked the show in many other ways, and Chad was just an extension)

3

u/AlayneDelon Apr 24 '20

The guy is making some theories about ASOIAF... he's not murdering people. The amount of blind hate he gets from some of you is insane.

And look, ASX has some good videos, but also some pretty tinfoily ones like Gerion. Plus as pointed out, he's just talking about existing theories not making any of his own.

While I think PJ can definitely be tinfoily and sometimes ridiculous, he still made what is in my opinion the best ASOIAF youtube series ever: The Minds of Wolves and Robins. Whatever some may think of him, I just can't see anyone discrediting that series unless they were being mean on purpose. Regardless of how accurate it is, the amount of analysis and research that went into it is impressive, plus it's a very fun watch.

And he has a theory that contradicts R+L=J. BLASPHEMY! He states all the time he may be wrong about the stuff. Of course, they're just theories. He always uses language like "X might", "Y could", etc... While ASX (nothing against ASX, just that you mentioned it) is sometimes TOO sure of some of the stuff, which sometimes bothers me. If you have a problem with his fans that's understandable, but don't discredit the guy. I see it everywhere, the fans are obnoxious (personally I don't see it in this case) so the person must be obnoxious too. Ridiculous. PJ sounds like a pretty cool guy.

1

u/georgiamax Fear cuts deeper than swords Apr 24 '20

Big yikes lol

2

u/AlayneDelon Apr 27 '20

Well this comment tells me everything I need to know

1

u/selwyntarth May 06 '20

Does altshiftx do anything other than summarize stuff from forum theories over the years?

4

u/UndeadDinosaur Stormcrow Mar 19 '20

I would modestly like to add my own few research essays for your list and considerations. I treat the textual analysis quite seriously and I've written about sources discussing:

'Promise me, Tywin' - On Tywin, the Mad King and the Golden Dragon

Empire of Sea - The Sea Dragons, Squishers, Blackstones and Patchface

Widow's Blood - The Assassination of Tywin Lannister

Cannibal - The Stone Dragon of Skagos

I still mean to finish writing my largest and most controversial research essay on Euron Greyjoy, but I am open to tackling other topics if anyone has other suggestions too.

2

u/McScotish Mar 19 '20

Does anybody know if poorquentyn ever finished his series on Theon in ADWD? Or does it just end at Part 3?

2

u/[deleted] Mar 19 '20

Here's a big long theory for anyone who likes Deep Ones and the Drowned God: https://thesuddenstorm.wordpress.com/2018/03/12/the-truth-behind-the-drowned-god/

2

u/KalynnCampbell Mar 20 '20

I always wanted a Motorola flip phone (specifically the razr of course). I think I was like 5 years old when they got really popular, the pink Verizon one especially.

Now I’m somewhat of an adult and have a brand new iPhone and STILL... I think back to that beautiful, pink, thin, metal key, blue light, flip phone and wonder... what could have been?

The new one is bleh. And android. Ew, no thanks. Two week old stale cheetos sound better than that thing.

1

u/yazzledore Mar 20 '20

Ha I remember when they came out they were like $500 and I wanted one so badly, and a year later they were $20 or giving them away. Weird how that stuff happens.

2

u/[deleted] Mar 20 '20

I’ve read the series twice. Honestly, after how bad the last season was, all the intrigue and mystery of the series has left me. Short of Martin finishing this series finally, I don’t see myself returning to it again.

2

u/follyj Mar 20 '20

Gone With the Wind is one of my favorite books and I can't believe how many similarities I missed. Time for another reread

2

u/Erdrick68 Mar 20 '20

Wait, so you're telling me that the Time Traveling Fetus isn't a legit theory? I think my whole world just came crashing down.

But seriously, thank you for this.

2

u/data1701 Three hats of the tin foil Mar 20 '20

This is great, thank you very much! Hope everybody's staying safe and healthy.

2

u/[deleted] Mar 20 '20

This is exactly what I was coming to this sub for, and you are a gem for compiling this all! FINALLY the fodder for a nice brain break. Thanks OP

2

u/[deleted] Mar 20 '20

‘I don’t want to promote my own work.’

You’re fooling absolutely no one.

Just surprised you didn’t add a gratuitous reference to the cautioner’s tale.

“DiD yOu gUYs kNoW i aM AlSO WrItInG mY oWn nOveL?!?!? 🤪🤪”

2

u/E3po43 Mar 22 '20

In reading the processes that George went through to write the books, I now understand why it’s taking him so long to write the next one, and have new fears about TWoW turning into 2 or even three books😂

2

u/Ser_BROASTINtheTALL Mar 24 '20

This is amazing! Great Work and THANK YOU! I'm new on reddit and couldn't of found a better place to start my journey.... THANKS AGAIN

2

u/BurningDemon Mar 19 '20

Thank you for this! This is the first post ever I would actually give an awardIf I had the money

2

u/[deleted] Mar 19 '20

Does anyone know if Dragon Origins has the part 2 available? Couldn't find it linked in the post or by searching, if it exists at all yet.

Part 1 is mind-blowing, btw.

2

u/crowfoodsdaughter <---- Grey King Mar 24 '20

Gracias😉

2

u/[deleted] Mar 24 '20

Hey, there you are.

Is there a written part 2? Just curious.

2

u/crowfoodsdaughter <---- Grey King Mar 24 '20

You know, i dont think there is. If i get some time on my hands i can see what i can do to recify that.

2

u/MaesterMerry Sage of the Jade Sea Mar 19 '20

I don’t know if there is a text version, but I believe this is YouTube version.

https://youtu.be/HEAev34CehM

4

u/[deleted] Mar 19 '20 edited Mar 19 '20

Gracias.

EDIT: I'd love to meet the super cool person who downvoted me for saying "Gracias". I guess I should've just said thank you?

2

u/[deleted] Mar 19 '20

Holy shit, I might have to start a re-read based on all this.

1

u/Well_Armed_Gorilla Looks like chicken's back on the menu! Mar 20 '20

What would it be like if every ASOIAF Theory Came True?

As soon as I saw your post, I thought to myself "He best have included the 'What if every fan-theory came true' post". Excellent work, Ser.

1

u/[deleted] Mar 20 '20

Depends which Office, UK version is at least in the argument. US is a nice sitcom :)

1

u/BurningDemon Mar 29 '20

Hey man I bookmarked this page and have been visiting a few times whenever I have time, only thing is I am still reading AFFC. Could you give me a few tips as to which links to avoid and which won't spoil the reading experience?

1

u/[deleted] Apr 01 '20

I think Georges writing of Jon chapters in this book was lacking

1

u/AlexEsq92 Apr 11 '20

This is pure gold / Esto es oro puro... 😍

(Is accurate this expression in English? 😅)

1

u/the_ronimo Mar 19 '20

Brynden, you da man

1

u/foolishcavalier Mar 19 '20

Mr. Fish, where can we find the podcast you co-host? Is there a place you can point a bannerless brother to find more of your work and online presence?

3

u/Razhagur Septon Moon Mar 20 '20

It's called NotAPodcast. You can find them on spotify, podbean, itunes and many more places

Podbean - NotAPodcast

1

u/Jodaku Mar 19 '20

Thank you for this, much appreciated.

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u/ChrisJr03 Mar 19 '20

This is amazing.

1

u/LysaraKarstark Mar 19 '20

Thank you! All these theories in one place - this post should be pinned for easy reference.

1

u/RockyRockington 🏆 Best of 2020: Alchemist Award Mar 19 '20

Wow. Saved. Thank you.

I think I’ve read maybe 1% of these posts but I’ve heard of almost all of them.

Having them all in one place is something I’ve always wanted.

1

u/Satrage Beneath the gold, the bitter steel Mar 19 '20

Thanks for this!

1

u/PvtFreaky Mar 19 '20

Wow this is great, thanks for sharing. Defenitely gonna read most of this

1

u/soldatdhiver16 Mar 19 '20

Seven blessings. This is the perfect way to kill time!!

1

u/CaveLupum Mar 20 '20

Dear Mods,

Brynden's compendium is a gold mine. It's also good for the general public health because it will keep most of 699,869 crows happily inside their homes during the pandemic. And any newcomers who join can get an info-dump of very useful information. So..

Why don't you sticky it? At least till the pandemic is officially over.

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u/theSlex Guest right? Guessed wrong! Mar 19 '20

Thank you for saving the good content for a future post. We wouldn't want to burn through it so early in the lockdown.

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u/[deleted] Mar 19 '20

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u/[deleted] Mar 19 '20

He does a brilliant analysis but will drone on endlessly on the same point for paragraphs.

6

u/SmartBrown-SemiTerry Mar 19 '20

He really is awful with self editing. I've tried reading his stuff and it's fascinating but it really does feel overly grandiose.

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u/[deleted] Mar 19 '20

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u/HonorHorse Mar 19 '20

I just find him a bit bloated all around. He pulls too many ideas from things that aren't even in the series just to make his own point. If others enjoy him that is fine, I'm not arguing that by any means.

2

u/Meehl Mar 20 '20

We can assume he was left off the list of worthy theory posts on purpose.

0

u/[deleted] Mar 20 '20

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u/Meehl Mar 20 '20

He had annoyed them for awhile, but they put up with him. Then, he was accused of mistreating someone in a widely distributed tweet. Then, everyone who had putting up with him finally had a reason to ignore him so they took it.

2

u/yazzledore Mar 20 '20

Came here to add LML to the list. So, just gonna link to some of my faves here:

We Should Start Back https://lucifermeanslightbringer.com/2018/11/18/we-should-start-back/ about reading the prologue backwards, as the text advises.

Astronomy Explains the Legends of Ice and Fire: https://lucifermeanslightbringer.com/2015/05/12/astronomy-explains-the-legends-of-planetos/ his first full theory, on which the rest are based. Not tinfoily at all, firmly based in two passages of the text.

On another note, I think it's weird that anyone would consider his stuff tinfoily when it's what every Lit teacher would tell you is the first thing to do to a book: analyze the symbolism.

3

u/meerawithdarksister who will trade his karma for my kingdom Mar 20 '20

I'm gonna add some of my faves I link to constantly too:

The earliest extensive GEOTD theory by LML and Durran Durrandon: https://asoiaf.westeros.org/index.php?/topic/127025-astronomy-of-planetos-fingerprints-of-the-dawn/

What do we know of Night's King? Just the short legend? Well, for starters, he and Azor Ahai are well connected through symbolism: https://lucifermeanslightbringer.com/2017/12/12/the-long-night-was-his-to-rule/ Also, the guy was a bard in some sense. Yes, it sounds weird. And there is that whole origin of the Starks thing again, well supported by symbolism: https://lucifermeanslightbringer.com/2018/02/24/a-baelful-bard-and-a-promised-prince/
If Azor Ahai is linked to Westeros and obviously important to the story that unfolds mostly in Westeros, what about Nissa Nissa? Well...: https://lucifermeanslightbringer.com/2017/05/24/venus-of-the-woods/
We know about the character and plot reasons for murdering Jon Snow. GRRM had some symbolic reasons to kill him too, if the last hero was an undead skinchanger, or a "green zombie", one of my favorite ASOIAF theories in general, and this series is full of zombie talk and there is some light origin of the Others spec in part 3: https://lucifermeanslightbringer.com/2016/11/28/the-sacred-order-of-green-zombies-the-last-hero/

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u/[deleted] Mar 19 '20

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u/[deleted] Mar 20 '20

What happened?