A Post Of Ice And Fire - Tumblr Posts

We can definitely blame the show for this. Because they chose to portray Margaery to be just as manipulative and ambitious as her family ("I want to be THE queen"), people assume that political marriage is what she wants. Not that I don't love Natalie Dormer, but I think it definitely tainted how people read her in the books, especially since she's not a pov character. They also made it very easy to forget how young she is, I don't even think they mentioned her age, just that she's younger than Cersei (also didn't help that they took every opportunity to sexualise her).

I've notice plenty of sympathetic posts towards young show! Alicent being a pawn to her father's ambitions, making her marry king Viserys. But rarely I've seen the same people talk about book! Margaery the same way. A teenage girl married to three different Kings bc of her family's ambitions.

"You know nothing, Jon Snow" isn't a phrase that should determine Jon's cleverness or indicate he's among the most ignorant characters.

Context is always important. When Ygritte told him this quote for the first time, he was a teen boy raised and educated in westerosi society- a society with strong prejudice against the Free Folk. So, he was as clueless about them as all the other westerosi people ( other pov characters are all included).

What truly matters is that Jon didn't remain stuck in his bias but actually observed and listened to Free Folk's perspective on things. Unlike what he was taught - that those people were savages - he came see them as fellow human beings who deserved the same protection westerosi people had ( aka the Wall protecting them from Others). Some of the people he truly admires and respects are among the Free Folk.

I know there is a notion in this fandom that Starks' views remain unchanged but Jon is a very adaptive character. He always listens different perspectives and has no problem to change his former views if he realises they were wrong. He's far from the " know nothing" stereotype of someone who is ignorant about the world and willfully continues to be so.

A quote I believe that highlights the type of person Jon is and actually has links to the original "Know nothing" Ygritte quote is this one below:

They know nothing, Ygritte. And worse, they will not learn.

Targaryen's traditional look of light hair and purple eyes is nice and makes them stand out. However, it gets a little repetitive that all Targs who became Rulers had that look. We should spice things up with adding some Targaryen rulers with darker looks.

Here is my top 3 ( not in order of preference but in historical order)

1. Jace Velaryon:

Compare him to the other royal boys around his age ( Aegon II, Aemond, Daeron the Daring) and it's easy to see why he would make a fine King. Brave and a good politician. Plus, he's the first IT bastard boy. Jace being so much more capable leader than his "trueborn" uncles proves that bastardy is just a social construction

2. Duncan Targaryen

I'm a Dunk & Egg fan, so it me "King Duncan" sounds so good. Moving on Duncan himself, kudos to him for marrying his not noble sweetheart. Far better choice than his brother who ended up King who was in love and married his sister. We need more Kings marrying the common folk ( and caring about them) and less marrying their siblings.

3. Jon Snow

He continues the IT bastard boy trend Jace started. Started from the bottom so even if he made it to the top it would be unlikely he would forget the less fortunate. He's the most capable person in Westeros for that role. While the other candidates fight over who is gonna sit in the most uncomfortable chair ever, Jon prepares to fight Westeros biggest threat, the Others. The only thing against him is that he's currently dead but a mere thing as death is not enough from preventing Jon from returning.

JON SNOW AND ICE DRAGON

According to the World of Ice & Fire, Ice dragons exist in the Shivering Sea and these dragons are many times larger the Valyrian ones we are more familiar with thanks to House Targaryen.

Westerosi has named one constellation "Ice Dragon" and usually when that word comes up within the text refers to the said constellation. I said usually, because there is a single pov character who refers to Ice Dragons even aside from the constellation that's named after them. And since you probably read the title of this meta you know that I'm talking about our boy, Snow.

It's interesting that Jon informs us that Old Nan ( bless that woman)used to tell him stories about these creatures when he was younger. Normally, Old Nan told stories to all Starklings so we could go ahead and assume that the other Stark kids ( and especially those who where around Jon the most aka Robb, Arya and Bran) have also heard those tales. And yet, none of these kids mentions Ice Dragons - outside from the same named constellation - in their pov. It's like Martin only wanted Jon to talk about these creatures at all.

The first time he mentions an Ice Dragon is when during the Battle at the Wall compares a tunnel with the gullet of an ice dragon:

The door swag open. Pyp led them in, followed by Clydas and the lantern. It was all Jon could do to keep up with Maester Aemon. The Ice pressed close around them, and he could feel the cold seeping into his bones. It felt like walking down the gullet of an ice dragon[...]

ASOS, JON VIII

The second time, he compares the wind with the breath of an ice dragon while also remembering that Old Nan told him stories about it:

The wind was gusting, cold as the breath of the ice dragon in the tales Old Nan had told when Jon was a boy.

ADWD, JON II

Another comparison between the tunnels and the belly of the ice dragon:

The road beneath the Wall was as cold and dark as the belly of an ice dragon and as twisty as a serpent

ADWD, JON VIII

And another one comparing the wind with the breath of the ice dragon( Jon you are getting repetitive in your own mind xD):

The snowfall was light today, a thin scattering of flakes dancing in the air, but the wind was blooming for the east along the Wall, cold as the breath of the ice dragon in the tales Old Nan used to tell

ADWD, JON X

Now, I don't expect an Ice Dragon to come from the Shivering Sea to aid Jon in the last two books ( although as a fantasy fan who adores dragons I can't say I dislike this crack theory) but I do believe there is a reason only Jon mentions these creatures.

Ice Dragon is an antithesis if you think about it. Dragons usually are associated with the fire they breath and here we have a description of those who are made of ice. Creatures who should be of fire are actually of ice. Similarly to them, Jon Snow, who is secretly a member of House Targaryen ( associated with both dragons and fire), was raised in the North and became a Commander of an Order which is located at the northest part of Westeros Even his surname, Snow, reminds us of the cold! He should be by the virtue of being a Targaryen more of fire but due to the circumstances of his life he's closer to the ice.

It's like he's the Ice Dragon that recites at the Wall.