Read A Song Of Ice And Fire 2016 discussion

After having read this chapter I thought to myself wow, I just learned so much information that would have made watching the show so much more clear. I never knew till now Eddard's sword was called "Ice" and I never realized the direwolf importance to the Starks.

It said in the book Jon is only 14. On the show he was waaaaay older than that - atleast that is what he looks like.

Reading this is something I should have done long before now.

♫ ♬ ♪ Leslie (aka Basesloaded32) wrote: "After having read this chapter I thought to myself wow, I just learned so much information that would have made watching the show so much more clear. I never knew till know Eddard's sword was calle..."

Yes! I had watched the beginning of the first episode again before I sat down to reread the book and what stood out to me was how Bran was only seven. In the show it was a big thing that he was too young at only ten, and the fact that he's a lot younger than that really makes you think about what the characters go through at such a young age.

Hannah wrote: "♫ ♬ ♪ Leslie (aka Basesloaded32) wrote: "After having read this chapter I thought to myself wow, I just learned so much information that would have made watching the show so much more clear. I neve..."

Oh geez that is right; Bran is ten at the start of the show.

Also, I found it interesting when Theon said "There's not been a direwolf sighted south of the Wall in two hundred years."

I think it points to the idea of the people of Westeros unwilling to change, and unwilling to acknowledge change. There is clearly a direwolf in front of Theon, as Jon is quick to point out, but he's still hanging on to the stories he's been told of direwolves not coming south of the wall in a long time.

Hannah wrote: "Also, I found it interesting when Theon said "There's not been a direwolf sighted south of the Wall in two hundred years."

I think it points to the idea of the people of Westeros unwilling to chan..."

good point.

Hell no!

thoughts while reading:
Theon is kind of creepy-kicking a head?!
Ned is really honorable.
Why are all the grown men 'scared' of how this direwolf died?
Jon is kind of smart for his age-about the politics of his parentage at least!
Theon and Jon don't seem to get along at all. Theon seems to enjoy throwing little barbs at Jon.

There are a lot of age differences from the story to the show. Most of the kids are made older, but it seems like Theon was aged down. In this chapter it says he's 19 but in the show (view spoiler)[he is close in age to Robb I thought. (hide spoiler)]

They're scared because it was a stag's antler (I believe) that killed the direwolf. The Baratheon sigil is a stag.

Hannah wrote: "They're scared because it was a stag's antler (I believe) that killed the direwolf. The Baratheon sigil is a stag."
Yeap, that's exactly why. Reading the part where they find the direwolves for the second time, I can't help but think "Damn it, Ned, how much more of an obvious sign do you want?!" And then he goes and makes stupid decisions all over again and, I mean, I was expecting it, 'cause written words don't change out of nowhere, but I was still kind of disappointed. Kind of like when I didn't get my Hogwarts letter :D

I figured it had a lot to do with the two houses, but I find it odd that they already were thinking along those lines. I never really recalled that there was a major feud prior to the events in the books.

Brianna wrote: "I figured it had a lot to do with the two houses, but I find it odd that they already were thinking along those lines. I never really recalled that there was a major feud prior to the events in the..."

There wasn't. Or even if there was, it hasn't been important enough to be mentioned in any of the books so far. Maybe it does sound a bit far-fetched to think that they would find such a meaning behind this, but the whole situation is just so surreal. First, like Theon points out, a direwolf hasn't been seen south of the Wall in hundreds of years. Secondly, maybe I'm wrong here, but somehow I can't imagine a stag defeating a direwolf. And then they see a direwolf killed by a stag so close to Winterfell? Not to mention the complete match between the number and gender of the pups and Lord Eddard's children. It's just too much. Perhaps from our point of view it's irrational to be afraid of something like this, but I don't think it's unreasonable for people, who come from a world of gods and magic, albeit magic that has started to fade, to consider this a dark omen. They probably didn't know exactly what was going to happen, but the fear was there. So, I guess what I'm saying is, it wasn't really a thought, just intuition.

That completely makes sense. I never really thought of it that way. Maybe they were in fear of the situation and the unknowns than the symbolism that we get from it.