#chena.txt

[chena-h]

So, like, we agree there's something the Starks are hiding in the crypts, right?

Like, I'm trying to give GRRM some credit and say that he's going for something more substantial than the "haunted indian burial ground" trope.

I think I need some more time to think about what they could be hiding, though.

Whatever it is, it definitely feels tied to The Others (and the COTF, possibly) and their displacement from the North to the land beyond The Wall by the First Men.

[chena-h]

Yeahhhhh, got my covid booster from Novavax (finally)! Its supposed to provide better protection from severe covid symptoms with fewer side effects (really looking forward to that tomorrow).

I used Sanofi's tracker to find a pharmacy that takes walk ins.

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Find NUVAXOVID by entering a zip code in the vaccine locator.

[chena-h]

Ok, so there's another thing that gets me about Gared's death.

Ned explains to Bran that Gared had to die because an oathbreaker is the most dangerous individual. Supposedly, this is because a person who breaks their vows is capable of committing any crime to avoid a death sentence.

But, aside from deserting the Night's Watch and remaining in hiding as he traveled, we don't know anything about what Gared got up to once he left The Wall. We don't know if he robbed anyone, if he assaulted anyone, or if he murdered anyone. We know absolutely nothing! All we get is that he eventually got found, and then Ned arrests him before killing him.

I get that Westeros is at times a cruel and unfair place, but this already shows how punishing crime isn't about mitigating harm or delivering justice so much as keeping subjects in line.

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Catelyn's first chapter is loaded with details, oh my god.

I forgot how many characters get named in this chapter, lol. Had to write in the margins of my journal just to keep up.

This chapter puts a lot of focus on the differences between the North and the South. I like the interspersing of details regarding the history of the North as well as Robert's rebellion.

I forgot that Ned had suggested Cat take the kids with her to the Vale. I wonder how that mightve turned out.

The way Ned's mood changes the moment he hears that Robert is on his way was kinda funny. I laughed when he started bad mouthing the Lannisters.

I thought that Cat smiling with Ned even though she's scared to be kind of sweet.

Themes/Ideas that stood out to me in this chapter

Family - Lots of talk about family in this chapter. There's the Starks, the Tullys. Cat thinking it strange Lysa chose to isolate herself instead of going back to Riverrun. Ned encouraging Cat to take their kids to the veil (Robb would've probably had to stay, right?). Funnily enough the way Ned and Catelyn talk about the royal family is like they're trying to cut Cersei and the rest of the Lannisters out of the picture, lol. To them, the royal family may as well just be Robert and the kids. However, it's also clear that Ned considers Jon Arryn and Robert to be family, in spirit if not flesh and blood. This brings me to my next point -

Loyalty - so, I don't know if this was intentional, but Ned kinda reveals himself to be a little bit of a hypocrite in this chapter. I know I already talked about his thoughts on Oathbreakers and Gared's sentence, but by that logic, wouldn't Jon Arryn also be an oathbreaker by refusing direct orders from King Aerys? It's funny to see how early GRRM plants the seed that Ned is not quite what he seems (especially considering his reputation). Loyalty is a virtue, but he's fine with breaking a vow if he feels there's good reasons for it.

Humans and nature - so, in the eyes of a Southerner like Catelyn, it would look as though the North is a harsher terrain. It snows regularly, trees stand tall and kinda block out the sky. Some trees even have old faces with red eyes that look like they're quietly watching you. The air is humid and theres a putrid smell to it. She has more favorable thoughts about the nature around Riverrun, which makes sense as she grew up there. She does recognize the tranquility of the godswood, though. Makes me wonder...

Humans and the supernatural - what the Others and Children of the Forest would've thought about the North back when they lived there. Unless I'm reading this chapter wrong, it sounds like the Others and COTF were displaced by the First Men, right? Hard to tell, since it's been so long even Maester Luwin doubts the existence of both the Others and COTF. This appears to be enough to assure Ned that Gared was "out of his mind" and that his desertion had more to do with the wildlings. But one would think that with a notable amount of desertions for that time of year (enough that Ned points it out) and Ben's message about more people disappearing while ranging, that Ned might consider other possibilities? Then again, to him it must sound like people talking about cryptid sightings or UFOs. It's funny that Ned has a more secular outlook on things in contrast with Catelyn, but I guess when your gods are faceless, nameless entities and there's no real rituals or means to commune with them that remain in practice that's what happens.

Death - three deaths discussed in this chapter. Gared, the she wolf, and Jon. Catelyn sees the omen for what it is, but Ned? Not so much. Granted, Jon's death is rather personal for him, so. Can't really blame him too much for missing these signs.

Cultural Conflict - well, the North and the South sure do contrast with each other in several ways. Different environments, different religions. We'll probably get more on this in the coming chapters. It does not bode well for the North to be so isolated from the rest of the kingdom, though, but there's probably more to that that I can't recall.

Fear - Boy, are we not confronting our fears in this chapter. Catelyn tries to, and I get that Ned means well by trying to ease her worries, but oof. I wouldn't expect him to think too much about Gared's death, but the direwolf should be something, no? That animal hasnt been seen in decades! But, hey, he has a king's visit to prepare for. There's no time to confront fears now.

Grief - i like how grrm describes Ned's reaction to the news of Jon Arryn's death. I also think it's sweet how Cat and Ned both try to comfort each other in the wake of this news.

The last thing I felt like pointing out about Catelyn and Ned is that I like how we kind of get two different approaches to their house words in this chapter. Ned's approach is sort of literal. He focuses on, like, the...secular, material (?) issues that relate to preparing for Winter. Catelyn, on the other hand, has a more figurative interpretation and that kinda informs how she perceives things. She's not the kind to just accept things at face value. They complement each other pretty well in that regard.

[chena-h]

In my dreams, Brienne finds Arya (after she encounters LSH) first and, together, they go on a Dunk & Egg-like adventure to the Vale to rescue Sansa from LF.

[chena-h]

Yk, now that I think about it again, it's wild that Sansa has a reputation for being weak or simple minded or whatever when like

She tamed a direwolf. At, like, 11. The patience and discipline to accomplish that? Granted, Lady's only a pup, but Nymeria at the Trident is proof that even at that age those wolves can be really dangerous. Again, she got a wild animal with fangs and claws, a magical beast that could have grown to the size of a horse, to eat out of her hands delicately. Like a queen.

And I know part of that is due to the magical connection between the Starks and their wolves influencing each other's behavior, but almost all the other wolves exhibit some degree of wildness. But Lady? No. She might have, eventually, but her time is cut short.

[chena-h]

Alright, so I finished Ned's first chapter two days ago. Very different experience from the first time, lol.

The first time I read Ned's chapter, I think I breezed through it. Reading it this time, though, moments struck me more than they did before.

Thought Ned comparing Jaime and Sandor made for an interesting contrast.

For as much as Ned's POV reveals, there's bits here and there that make it evident that we're not getting the full picture, like Ned is trying to avoid thinking about certain topics for too long.

Omg, but the best part had to be the misdirection with Lyanna. Reading it for the first time, it's easy to accept what Ned says his promise to Lyanna was at face-value The more I think about it though, it's like - fever? She died at 16 years old of a fever? Not unheard of, I guess, but then he mentions the smell of blood and flowers and now I'm like - hold on, she was feverish laying in a bed that smelled of blood? Hm.

Also, ah. Couldn't help but notice how often GRRM brings up Robert's fatness in this chapter as like a negative thing. I get that fatness is often used to symbolize certain things - in this case, hedonism and/or greed. Still, though, kind of a bummer.

Alright, onto my list of themes/ideas (lol, I feel like I need to make a table in my journal to keep track of these):

Violence & War - Mostly in the background, mentioned in reference to past events. It's interesting to see the difference in attitudes between Ned and Robert. Where Robert feels like his best days were during the Rebellion, fighting to take the Iron Throne, Ned is preoccupied with remembering the people he lost as a result of that violence.

Death, Grief & Justice - Plenty of death discussed in this chapter. Jon Arryn. Rhaegar. The old Kings of the North. Rickard. Brandon, and of course, Lyanna (DX). It messed me up the lengths Ned goes to to avoid using her name right away. Her name isn't used until they're standing right in front of her statue in the crypts!!! ORZ Again, looking at the way Robert & Ned react to the deaths in this chapter is fascinating. Ned laments that Brandon could never grow into the heir he was meant to be; that power was not enough to protect his father; and Lyanna...all she got in the end was a promise as her dying words. A promise Ned has kept (and continues to keep). He can't undo their deaths, but he doesn't fixate on them in the same way Robert does. Not to say Ned isn't haunted by all the loss he's suffered, just that he reacts to it differently. Robert says he misses Jon, but it's not quite the same as losing Lyanna. Jon Arryn was like a second father to him, but Robert talks about Lyanna less like a person and more like the promise of a better, simpler future. A future he feels he was denied by Rhaegar. But even though Robert won against Rhaegar, killing him can't undo that kind of pain in any meaningful way. From the looks of it, Robert couldn't piece that together until it was too late. Not that I think he would've spared Rhaegar if he knew how things would turn out. Hindsight is 20/20 or whatever.

Family, Friendship & Loyalty - All throughout this chapter, we get hints that Ned is walking a tightrope, of sorts. He goes back and forth between referring to Robert by his name and "His Grace" or "Your Grace", to the point that it annoys Robert. Ned refrains from disagreeing with Robert too much. We could see it as Ned being grim and reserved as usual, but when considering his promise to Lyanna, it puts his thoughts and actions into a different light. He has to toe that line because he is essentially betraying Robert both as a friend and as a king. Makes it kinda funny when he offers to take care of Sweetrobin, not caring if it would offend Tywin. Lmao he's so consistent with his hate towards the Lannisters. Also, kind of a fun parallel between him and Lysa, both retreating from KL to protect a child from Robert by keeping them in their own castle.

Cultural Conflicts - It could be Robert's bluntness, but his comments about the North definitely convey the feeling that the North is isolated from the rest of the kingdom, and that this has resulted in tension that we'll see later. On another note, there's a line about the Kings in the North that caught my eye. In my version it says "nunca habian jurado alianza a hombre alguno", which means the Kings in the North are known to never have sworn allegiance to another group of people. Putting a pin in that for now.

Humans & Nature - Reading the descriptions of the crypts actually got me wondering, "Are crypts supposed to be ice cold?" Cool and dry, maybe, but if Winterfell is built over hot springs how does it get that cold??? The other thing when reading this part is the Science Nerd in me was like, "Wait, but if Terros is like Earth, then that means the Earth's core is hot, so generally speaking it should be hotter the closer you get to Terros' core, and yet????" Ned says the chill is coming from the deeper parts of the crypts like it's a matter of fact, but...I'm pressing X to doubt, let's leave it at that.

Fear - Nope, no fear confronting to be found in this chapter. They don't even talk about Gared or the news from the Wall for more than half a page. Ned thinks around the dread he's felt since he got word of Robert's visit. Then we get the reveal of Robert electing him as Hand and the fear really sets in Like, the way Ned talks up the role of the Hand of the King only to follow it up with how it's the exact opposite of what he wants aodiafwpoeraoidjawe. Poor Ned. All this happens while they're hanging out in the Totally Normal, Very Calming crypts, surrounded by statues with swords on their laps (to keep the spirits at bay, but that's just a joke no I'm serious) that look like they're watching your every move, while a cold wind comes in from underground (?!). But it's fine. Fine. Nothing at all unusual about Ned burying Lyanna with her family while also burying the secret promise he made to her, and teaching his kids "there must always be a Stark in Winterfell". Nothing questionable about that at all :o)

Gender - I mean, we can look the at difference between Ned greeting Robert vs. how he greets Cersei. Although Robert hugs both Ned and Catelyn, I'd say that's more due to his...eschewing decorum than anything else. We know this because right after, he glares at Cersei when she complains about him going to the crypts until Jaime pulls her away - Not a great sign, btw. They do talk a bit about Lysa, too. Instead of taking any possible concerns Lysa has over her son's safety at King's Landing seriously, Robert writes her off as irrational and stops there. Ned expresses concern over Lysa on Catelyn's behalf, but he doesn't push back much against Robert's comments (other than to offer to care for Sweetrobin). Lyanna's placement in the crypts is quite fun to think about. IIRC, she's the first lady Stark to be buried there, or so Ned's POV would lead me to think. Lastly, there's the difference between Ned & Catelyn's relationship from the scene we got of them in the godswood vs. Robert & Cersei's interactions here. A strong rift between the latter pair, which is further exemplified by the spiel Robert gives Ned about how isolated he feels not having Ned around for support in King's Landing.

Responsiblity - I have to admit, I laughed a little at how plainly Robert states that he doesn't want to be king and him recruiting Ned as his Hand is a self serving move. Sucks for Ned, who is just trying to be responsible to his family and his people, but he can't say no.

Identity - Oh my god, I can't believe I forgot to bring this up in previous chapters, but yeah! As I was wrapping up my thoughts on this one, it didn't hit me until here to talk about it. What makes up a person's identity is a big question throughout this series. ASOIAF introduces these characters and shows us how some of them think, but what really makes them who they are? As I've said, Ned is a man known for his honor but then he'll openly state that he has no qualms offending another lord to protect his nephew. Ned has this memory of Robert from when they fought together, but that idea doesn't align with the actual man Robert has become. A character may look or act a certain way, but the more we learn about them the more nuance we see.

Humans & The Supernatural - Which got me to thinking about the Others once more. If you saw my earlier post, then you know that I feel like there's a secret the Starks have kept in their crypts for a very long time. It definitely feels like it has to do with The Others, and I think it could go a ways to explain why the seasons are so abnormal here. A crypt being cool makes sense. A chilly wind blowing from deep underground? I could be wrong, but that reads like magic binding something that perhaps should not be there. If we look at the name Winterfell and read it as denoting the place where Winter - the season - was defeated, then maybe there is a magical being they locked away 8,000 years ago. Thinking back to that line about the Kings of the North never forming alliances with anyone else, maybe there's remnants of some old covenant between the First Men and the Others that they chose to hide when they decided to displace the Others. Maybe the First Men wanted to take control over nature and decided to use magic to do this, and once they achieved that, they used said magic to force the Others further North. I don't know, but it's very fun to think about. While ruminating on this, I found this essay that I thought people would like to read:

Investigating the effects of colonialism on the performance of the colonized people by studying a song of ice and fire in and the lord of the rings

[chena-h]

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