re: Crackpot ASOIAF Theories SPOILERS

Euron definitely paid a Faceless Man to kill Balon...but I'm still convinced Euron still has his dragon egg and didn't throw it overboard or pay the FM with it.

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but I'm still convinced Euron still has his dragon egg and didn't throw it overboard or pay the FM with it.

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What the heck is he gonna do with it?

Read a good Arya is the Batman parallel theory.

Care to see it?

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This is called the “Arya is Batman” theory, and rather than addressing a specific mystery in the story, it is more a general theory of how Arya Stark’s character arc might align with Bruce Wayne in the Batman comics. I’m going to read an extract from a Batman: Origins comic, but I’m going to replace the name Bruce Wayne with Arya Stark, and see if you can tell difference. I think it’s been taken from Year One, but I could be wrong. Anyway, so the panel reads: “Arya Stark learned the power of fear as a girl, watching in frozen horror as his parents, two of Westeros’ leading citizens, were brutally murdered. Arya swore a solemn vow to avenge their deaths. Relying less upon her family’s name than on his iron will, Arya travelled the globe, gradually training her mind and body to the peak of human perfection while studying under the best warriors, thieves and fighters the world had to offer.”

Now, if anyone has ever heard Martin talking in interviews, or read any of his autobiographical writing in Dreamsongs, you learn pretty quickly that he credits comic books with stoking his imagination as a child, to the point where he would write his own comic books and sell them to his friends, and then later submit them to fanzines to be published. Now, while the influence of modern fantasy writers like Tolkien and Jack Vance are fairly evident in his work, I would argue that there are some distinct parellels between the character arc of Arya Stark, and DC Comics’ Bruce Wayne, which could illuminate her fate in future books.

As I mentioned, the fact that she witnesses both of her parents die (albeit on separate occasions) is one such parallel, but another is that, in her quest for vengeance, Arya eventually finds herself at the headquarters of the Faceless Men, whom I think we could interpret as Martin’s version of the League of Assassins, or as they are called in the movie Batman Begins, the League of Shadows. Like the League of Shadows, the Faceless Men are an order of highly-skilled shape-shifting ninjas who act as a check against all of the great powers of the world, most notably Valyria. In Batman Begins, Ra’s Al Ghul, describes the guild thusly: “Gotham’s time has come. Like Constantinople or Rome before it the city has become a breeding ground for suffering and injustice. It is beyond saving and must be allowed to die. This is the most important function of the League of Shadows. It is one we’ve performed for centuries. Gotham… must be destroyed.”

The reoccurring example of civilizational decadence we hear throughout A Song of Ice and Fire is of course the Valyrian Freehold, which at one point was threatening to enslave the entire continent of Essos. And yet, four hundred years ago, without warning or reason or explanation, Valyria was suddenly destroyed in event ominously referred to as the doom. Now, we know that Braavos had always opposed that city, having been founded by refugees and escaped slaves fleeing the Valyrian expansion. However, the Kindly Man explains to Arya that it was the first Faceless Men who gave the gift of death to the most desperate slaves toiling in the Valyrian mines, and then later to their masters as well, leading many fans to speculate that the guild was somehow involved in the Doom.

But it has been over 400 years since Valyria fell, and by comparison, the remaining Free Cities are little more than a collection of bickering schoolchildren. I would argue that King’s Landing, the capital of the Seven Kingdoms, has become the most recent “breeding ground for suffering and corruption” to catch the Faceless Men’s eye. Like Valyria before it, King’s Landing’s power has begun to poison the rest of the world, reducing Westeros to a perpetual warzone, forcing hundreds of refugees across the Narrow Sea, and most egregious of all, refusing to repay their debts to the Iron Bank. And so, the Faceless Men must step in to restore the balance, and tear it down. Given the identical way he employ children spies, one could even speculate that Varys is their man on the inside. In that they are in fact the ones orchestrating the reinstalment of the Targaryen dynasty. This would seem at odds with their anti-dragon mission statement, but it might be counteracted by Daenerys’ campaign to free slaves. Regardless, the Faceless Men probably already have a plan in motion to remove her dragons from the equasion, in the form of the Alchemist. This doesn’t necessarily mean they would be against a Targaryen dynasty, especially if it restored peace and stability west of the Narrow Sea. Or perhaps Littlefinger is their man, given that his sigil is the Titan of Braavos.

Regardless, at this point in the story, Arya is still being trained by the Faceless Men. Specifically, she is learning the art of theatricality and deception to ensnare her targets. It is difficult to say what Arya eventual fate might be. If she follows Bruce Wayne’s arc, there will be a point where the Faceless Men will ask her to do something against her morals, or something that conflicts with her Stark identity, which she continues to nourish (for example, when she kills Dareon). At that point, she may abandon the Faceless Men and become a free agent. Regardless, I think that, like Bruce Wayne, and also like Sandor Clegane, whom she saw consumed by hatred of his brother, Arya journey will be about coming to terms with her family’s murders (rather than running away from it), and choosing to pursue justice (like her father), rather than vengeance (like her mother).

One of the ways I think Arya has dealt with the Red Wedding, in a similar way to Jon and Sansa, is by disconnecting from her Stark identity. In Batman Begins, R’as al Ghul says to his pupil: “I know the rage that drives you. That impossible anger strangling the grief, until the memory of your loved one is just… poison in your veins. And one day, you catch yourself wishing the person you loved had never existed, so you would be spared your pain.” Under the Kindly Man’s tutelage, Arya becomes a blank canvas, ready to assume the guise of anyone (or rather no one), to enact the Faceless Men’s will. Her only link to the past is the memory of her brother Jon, who she knows is still alive, and keeps hidden the sword he gifted her the day she departed Winterfell.

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Excellent theory and it's something I would never think of.

Emilia Clarke is no. 1 most desirable woman

I think that is a great parallel, but my only problem with one of the things in there is this

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However, once the two sisters were in the same room together, they would immediately recognise each other’s faces.

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Wherever Arya goes, she will likely bear a different face.

I expect us to not have a lot of Arya chapters early on, or GRRM will use his inconsistent time frame technique to not make it obvious where Arya is. A smallish insignificant character will be introduced as an afterthought. Then, before you know it, there will be a major death, nobody will know how it happened, and this smallish character will have disappeared. Then, we will jump back into Arya's POV and we will all realize it was her.

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. Emilia Clarke is no. 1 most desirable woman

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I like her so much better with brown hair.

I would have the hardest time picking between her and the Tyrell chick

DOes anyone think the warlocks sent Euron on his way to help destroy Daenerys? Also I apparently completely missed the fact taht Euron has a dragon's egg. Where is this in the book?

I thought Euron wanted to marry Daenerys, not kill her?

Also, I think Emilia looks better as Dany than IRL.