The third character where the reader is unsure of their future role in the Fire and Ice series of huge novels by George R R Martin and which for the television series is known by the name of the first work Game of Thrones, is the illegitimate eldest son of Lord Stark of Winterfell, Jon, Jon Snow.
With the departure of Lord Stark to the capital of the Seven Kingdoms taking Jon’s favourite half sister, Ayra to be a companion for the eldest daughter, betrothed when still a child to the boy who the King believed was his eldest child. Jon, under the influence of the Stark’s brother, Benjen, had elected to join he Night Watch, guardian of the great wall of rock and Ice separating the Seven Kingdoms from the harsh lands beyond the Wall full, of independent human creatures called Wildings and where legend had it that the undead once walked and which some claimed had returned.
Jon had then been devastated when first he had reports that his father had been executed by the new King Joffrey after being deposed as a traitor following the death of the King Robert who has required his role as chief adviser and led to the breaking up of the family. He was then left alone when his uncle failed to return from an expedition beyond the Wall to investigate the rumours of happenings. Nevertheless he had taken the oath of lifelong celibacy and commitment and had had gained a special position after saving the life of the head of Order,
In the second book, Game of Thrones, he had become a member of a large party from the Night Watch led by its leader to find out what had happened to his uncle and what was happening according reports of concern. It is during this expedition that I rejoin Jon during the last third of the book covered in the writings this week.
In pages 457-464 Jon is party to the reports of the men from the Shadow Tower along the Wall who had engaged and defeated some of the Wildings. The leader of the Night Watch, the Lord Commander and also called the Old Bear, had the birth name of Jeor Mormont, the same surname as the knight who guarded and companioned Daenerys Targaryen but if a relationship between the two has been mentioned it has not be noted. Also with the Night Watch as a counsellor and healer is Master Aemon Targaryen a relation of Daenerys and therefore a link between the future of the Night \Watch and the attempt of Daenerys Targaryen and her Dragons to regain family power is suggested.
The men captured by the Shadow Tower men had talked and explained that the intention of the Wilding hoards was to breach the wall, some seven hundred feet in height, not be tunnelling underneath or scaling its height with ropes but by sorcery. The horde had taken to the mountains in search of some great power, force, to be used and the Shadow Tower commander suggested three parties of five men should be sent to find out more. When seeking to know what men he would use for this dangerous mission, he named Jon Snow because he was a Stark and the Starks were of the Old Gods and because it was the men of the Shadow Tower who still believed that Benjen Stark the head Ranger remained alive until proved dead. However it can also be said that that the decision had been ore determined in a private conversation between the Old Bear and the Shadow Tower Commander.
From pages 537-548 we learn that Jon had taken with him his now full grown direwolf Ghost who at night went out hunting but stayed closes as he huddled with the rest of the party for warmth from furs and each others bodies as they slept the night in the open on the hard frozen rock of the inhospitable land. They had climbed in the dark trying not to think of chasm below and remembering the advice to regard the mountain akin to a mother’s teat. Jon had joked that he had always wondered who his mother was but had never considered finding her in this barren wilderness. His father had promised to tell on his return to Winterfell who his mother has been and now with the death, he assumed he would never know. They had come at night to try and take the three Wildings who had lit fires while they kept round the clock watch on movements below.
It was the first time Jon faced an enemy which required killing to ensure their lasting silence and enable their discovering what was happening... His companions did for the other two but he found the third to be a girl, no older than himself and who yielded to him. She pleaded for her companions to be burnt but instead they were stripped to their bodies and flung below to be savaged as food for wild animals.
Jon was told they had neither food nor spare men to guard the girl and Jon resigned himself to her killing, something had had to do personally as she had surrendered to him the night before. The others made their way telling him to be quick and determined to undertake the deed and he had raised his knife being told by the girl to be quick. Then he had changed his mind and told her run off.
It is at this point that the story the TV series departs from the book. In pages 557-564 Jon rejoins the party and admits he had taken the girl’s weapons and let her free something which did not cause their leader any surprise and his concern became more the dream Jon had of being his Direwolf and seeing that all the Wildings had come together not as an army as such but as everyone including children, women and old men and of what he saw more! And then with the dawn they heard the call of the horn knowing they had been spotted.
Much else is written of the others before the book is about to close and we find ourselves with Jon once more (689-698). The party leader had two orders. One was for someone to leave and find the Commander of the Night Watch and tell him of Jon’s dream and of the rising of creatures from mythology and that the trees had eyes again.
The other order was for Jon after getting him to recite his oath of duty and commitment with him. He was to not only to yield if captured and agree to renounce his oaths and join as the girl had bid him to do. He was to do everything that was asked of him whatever this was and keep to watch. When asked what he should look for, the party leader said he wished that he knew and then made Jon swear to do what was asked of him.
When they were captured the Wilding wanted to kill them all but it was the girl reunited with her people who explained what had happened and who he was and pleaded for him. There was great reluctance to accept her words and as a test he was told to fight his party leader to death. Jon realised that his leader had known this was likely to happen before the order had been given. When Jon asked where they would be going the girl explained, sadly that there was no one behind them. Her countrymen were well ahead marching on the Wall and her manner suggesting she regretted not being with them...
The TV second season series follows the substance of these events although Jon loses contact with the others and he needs the girl to help him find his comrades. He becomes her prisoner when she encounters her comrades so as to protect him from immediate death. In the final sequence they are overtaken not be the rest of their company but a different kind of army, the undead, skeletal beings reminiscent of those called to help during the Return of the King in the Lord of the Rings or those in one of the Pirates of the Caribbean films. These are the most fearsome and while Jon hides he appears to be spotted by one but is ignored.
With the departure of Lord Stark to the capital of the Seven Kingdoms taking Jon’s favourite half sister, Ayra to be a companion for the eldest daughter, betrothed when still a child to the boy who the King believed was his eldest child. Jon, under the influence of the Stark’s brother, Benjen, had elected to join he Night Watch, guardian of the great wall of rock and Ice separating the Seven Kingdoms from the harsh lands beyond the Wall full, of independent human creatures called Wildings and where legend had it that the undead once walked and which some claimed had returned.
Jon had then been devastated when first he had reports that his father had been executed by the new King Joffrey after being deposed as a traitor following the death of the King Robert who has required his role as chief adviser and led to the breaking up of the family. He was then left alone when his uncle failed to return from an expedition beyond the Wall to investigate the rumours of happenings. Nevertheless he had taken the oath of lifelong celibacy and commitment and had had gained a special position after saving the life of the head of Order,
In the second book, Game of Thrones, he had become a member of a large party from the Night Watch led by its leader to find out what had happened to his uncle and what was happening according reports of concern. It is during this expedition that I rejoin Jon during the last third of the book covered in the writings this week.
In pages 457-464 Jon is party to the reports of the men from the Shadow Tower along the Wall who had engaged and defeated some of the Wildings. The leader of the Night Watch, the Lord Commander and also called the Old Bear, had the birth name of Jeor Mormont, the same surname as the knight who guarded and companioned Daenerys Targaryen but if a relationship between the two has been mentioned it has not be noted. Also with the Night Watch as a counsellor and healer is Master Aemon Targaryen a relation of Daenerys and therefore a link between the future of the Night \Watch and the attempt of Daenerys Targaryen and her Dragons to regain family power is suggested.
The men captured by the Shadow Tower men had talked and explained that the intention of the Wilding hoards was to breach the wall, some seven hundred feet in height, not be tunnelling underneath or scaling its height with ropes but by sorcery. The horde had taken to the mountains in search of some great power, force, to be used and the Shadow Tower commander suggested three parties of five men should be sent to find out more. When seeking to know what men he would use for this dangerous mission, he named Jon Snow because he was a Stark and the Starks were of the Old Gods and because it was the men of the Shadow Tower who still believed that Benjen Stark the head Ranger remained alive until proved dead. However it can also be said that that the decision had been ore determined in a private conversation between the Old Bear and the Shadow Tower Commander.
From pages 537-548 we learn that Jon had taken with him his now full grown direwolf Ghost who at night went out hunting but stayed closes as he huddled with the rest of the party for warmth from furs and each others bodies as they slept the night in the open on the hard frozen rock of the inhospitable land. They had climbed in the dark trying not to think of chasm below and remembering the advice to regard the mountain akin to a mother’s teat. Jon had joked that he had always wondered who his mother was but had never considered finding her in this barren wilderness. His father had promised to tell on his return to Winterfell who his mother has been and now with the death, he assumed he would never know. They had come at night to try and take the three Wildings who had lit fires while they kept round the clock watch on movements below.
It was the first time Jon faced an enemy which required killing to ensure their lasting silence and enable their discovering what was happening... His companions did for the other two but he found the third to be a girl, no older than himself and who yielded to him. She pleaded for her companions to be burnt but instead they were stripped to their bodies and flung below to be savaged as food for wild animals.
Jon was told they had neither food nor spare men to guard the girl and Jon resigned himself to her killing, something had had to do personally as she had surrendered to him the night before. The others made their way telling him to be quick and determined to undertake the deed and he had raised his knife being told by the girl to be quick. Then he had changed his mind and told her run off.
It is at this point that the story the TV series departs from the book. In pages 557-564 Jon rejoins the party and admits he had taken the girl’s weapons and let her free something which did not cause their leader any surprise and his concern became more the dream Jon had of being his Direwolf and seeing that all the Wildings had come together not as an army as such but as everyone including children, women and old men and of what he saw more! And then with the dawn they heard the call of the horn knowing they had been spotted.
Much else is written of the others before the book is about to close and we find ourselves with Jon once more (689-698). The party leader had two orders. One was for someone to leave and find the Commander of the Night Watch and tell him of Jon’s dream and of the rising of creatures from mythology and that the trees had eyes again.
The other order was for Jon after getting him to recite his oath of duty and commitment with him. He was to not only to yield if captured and agree to renounce his oaths and join as the girl had bid him to do. He was to do everything that was asked of him whatever this was and keep to watch. When asked what he should look for, the party leader said he wished that he knew and then made Jon swear to do what was asked of him.
When they were captured the Wilding wanted to kill them all but it was the girl reunited with her people who explained what had happened and who he was and pleaded for him. There was great reluctance to accept her words and as a test he was told to fight his party leader to death. Jon realised that his leader had known this was likely to happen before the order had been given. When Jon asked where they would be going the girl explained, sadly that there was no one behind them. Her countrymen were well ahead marching on the Wall and her manner suggesting she regretted not being with them...
The TV second season series follows the substance of these events although Jon loses contact with the others and he needs the girl to help him find his comrades. He becomes her prisoner when she encounters her comrades so as to protect him from immediate death. In the final sequence they are overtaken not be the rest of their company but a different kind of army, the undead, skeletal beings reminiscent of those called to help during the Return of the King in the Lord of the Rings or those in one of the Pirates of the Caribbean films. These are the most fearsome and while Jon hides he appears to be spotted by one but is ignored.
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