Game of Thrones: Chapter 21: Tyrion AKA Dinner and Drinks with the Night's Watch Lord Commander Mormont

This chapter opens with Tyrion dining with Lord Commander Mormont and some of the other members of the Night’s Watch. As the conversation goes on Tyrion amuses the other diners with his wit. The only exception being Ser Alliser Thorne who seems to be without humor. This leads Tyrion to making Alliser the butt of some of his jokes and eventually Alliser leaves angry, much to the amusement of the other members of the Night’s Watch.


We also learn from Ser Jaremy Rykker that after Tywin Lannister took King’s Landing during Robert's Rebellion that those who fought on the side of the Mad King were offered a choice. They could either join the Night’s Watch or be executed. Both he and Ser Alliser opted to take the black.

Oddly enough Tyrion is caught off guard when Maester Aemon says the following:

“Oh, I think that Lord Tyrion is quite a large man,” Maester Aemon said from the far end of the table. He spoke softly, yet the high officers of the Night’s Watch all fell quiet, the better to hear what the ancient had to say. “I think he is a giant come among us, here at the end of the world.”

Is this a bit of foreshadowing for Tyrion and things to come? Perhaps. But as we shall see in later chapters it won’t be the last time that Tyrion is referred to as a giant. In Jon’s first chapter we get the following passage:

“Some woman, no doubt. Most of them are.” He favored Jon with a rueful grin. “Remember this, boy. All dwarfs may be bastards, yet not all bastards need be dwarfs.” And with that he turned and sauntered back into the feast, whistling a tune. When he opened the door, the light from within threw his shadow clear across the yard, and for just a moment Tyrion Lannister stood tall as a king.

So there seems to be some foreshadowing of greatness for Tyrion, not only from Maester Aemon but also with a literal shadow. Lets keep in mind the author likes to hide things in plain sight as well as indulges in little ironies. I suspect Maester Aemon being blind but seeing Tyrion for what his potential truly is may be another fancy that the author enjoyed placing for the readers to either pick up on or as a clue that could be missed..


After dinner Tyrion and Lord Commander Mormont share a drink. As Tyrion is leaving the next day Mormont says that in addition to Tyrion’s own guards three men of the Night’s Watch will see him safely to Winterfell.

When Tyrion asks how he can repay his kindness Mormont asks him to speak to his father, his sister and brother about the needs of the Night’s Watch, and here we get some information on exactly how undermanned the watch really is.

That's a whole lot of wall to keep watch over...

They have less than 1,000 men which break down as follows:

• 600 at Castle Black
• 200 at the Shadow Tower
• Less than 200 at Eastwatch by the Sea 
• One third of them are fighting men. So roughly 333 men at arms.

The Wall itself is 100 Leagues long. This breaks down to about 345 ¼ miles in length. So that is less than one man at arms to man per mile of wall. Given if every member of the watch mans the walls it does give them three men per mile or as Tyrion points out three and a third men per mile.

If they are evenly spaced out, that breaks down to being one man roughly every 1,822 feet, which is slightly more than six football fields away from one another, with only a third of those men being a capable warrior.

We also learn that Benjen Stark went out to find Ser Waymar Royce still hasn't returned. You may recall Weymar from the Prologue.

So we can see that Mormont does consider status and background of his brothers as well as potential further resources as his situation seems to be quite desperate. Clearly he is attempting to balance the potential for political or monetary gain against the wiser decision of putting the more experienced Ranger in command.

This is the sort of thing can be encountered frequently in life. Often someone will be offered a position, a job, given some sort of benefit on the basis of an association. As the saying goes “Sometimes it’s who you know”. This often happens even when another person would be the wiser choice. Or in buying favors in political arenas.

He gives in to the fact Weymar has a rank in status being a knight over giving command to one of the more experienced members of the watch. Now given there is no way Mormont could have predicted what was to happen out on the patrol, but even still he let the desperation of the Night’s Watch situation and the perception of deserved honorific weigh in on his decision to assign a leader for the patrol.


This is not to say that Weymar was inept as a leader. Truly he made some logical deductions as well as was dutiful in seeing his task done.

Consider the following passage from the Prologue:

“Are they dead?” Royce asked softly. “What proof have we?” “Will saw them,” Gared said. “If he says they are dead, that’s proof enough for me.” Will had known they would drag him into the quarrel sooner or later. He wished it had been later rather than sooner. “My mother told me that dead men sing no songs,” he put in. “My wet nurse said the same thing, Will,” Royce replied.

OK so Royce is kind of a dick about it but lets look below the surface. He is being thorough. Further he makes the decision to go and find out just exactly what killed them. After dismissing Gared’s suggestion that the wildlings died of the elements.

“If Gared said it was the cold …” Will began. “Have you drawn any watches this past week, Will?” “Yes, m’lord.” There never was a week when he did not draw a dozen bloody watches. What was the man driving at? “And how did you find the Wall?” “Weeping,” Will said, frowning. He saw it clear enough, now that the lordling had pointed it out. “They couldn’t have froze. Not if the Wall was weeping. It wasn’t cold enough.” Royce nodded.

So Royce is certainly capable, but not experienced. Gren who is going off his experiences and also more than likely trusting a ‘gut feeling’. Now we can rule out Gren being a coward as Mormont spoke highly of him.

“Gared was near as old as I am and longer on the Wall,” he went on, “yet it would seem he forswore himself and fled. I should never have believed it, not of him, but Lord Eddard sent me his head from Winterfell.”

So for Mormont to not put Gared in charge of this with his decades of experience in favor of an unseasoned knight means one of two things. He did it out of sheer desperation in hopes that Weymar’s family would send more men and money, or he severely underestimated what was waiting for them beyond the wall. Perhaps both. But Mormont does state Ser Royce demanded command of his first ranging and Mormont granted it as he didn’t wish to offend Weymar’s father.

Mormont also relates that he has concerns about who his successor will be as Lord Commander, as he doesn’t think any really have the skills nor the ability to lead the watch. He also relates how far the Night’s Watch has fallen and laments that years gone by they would be building the wall higher, and now they are barely managing to keep alive. Tyrion promises that he will take word of the Lord Commander’s concerns and needs to the king, his father and his brother.

In addition to all this we learn that Maester Aemon and the other maesters of the citadel all agree that the days of summer are growing shorter and that the winter will be coming soon to Westeros.

Mormont continues stating that the fisherman near Eastwatch have spotted the white walkers upon the shores, and also relates to Tyrion that Denys Mallister has reported that the wildlings in the mountains are fleeing south past the Shadow Tower from something. Mormont fears that the Long Night is coming and realizes that the watch is not prepared for it.  

Tyrion decides to retire for the evening and once outside instead of going to his chamber he instead decides to take the elevator to the top of the wall to have one last look before heading back to the south on the morrow.

On the way up the elevator he gets a really good look at Castle Black and does see how truly bad off it is. Towers are leaning, courtyards are littered with rubble from fallen walls, and there clearly aren’t enough men to maintain it all.

Once atop the wall Tyrion encounters Jon and Ghost who has been repeatedly given guard duty from Ser Alliser Thorne. Tyrion joins Jon for his walk and learns that Jon has been helping the other recruits. Grenn has improved and is holding his own, and a boy named Pyp even asked for help and we learn that Ser Thorne may not be doing a great job showing the new recruits how to fight as Pyp was never shown the proper way to hold a sword..

Tyrion offers to take a message to Winterfell for Jon. Jon asks Tyrion to help his brother Bran in anyway he can. Tyrion after telling Jon he’s not a maester or healer will do what he can, but isn’t sure what he truly can do. Jon says that the words Tyrion gave Jon were of great help and asks him to give his brother his words. 

Jon then extends his hand and thanks Tyrion as a friend. Tyrion accepts and is genuinely touched by Jon’s sincerity, and the two shake hands.

The chapter ends with the two of them looking out beyond the wall and Jon stating that should his uncle not come back that he and Ghost will go out and bring him back. Tyrion believes Jon means what he says, but as he knows Benjen vanished while looking for Weymar he wonders who will go looking for Jon when he doesn’t return.

There is a bit of irony in direct contrast to the rest of the tale in that the two black sheep of the families are able to become friends, while the others are seemingly getting caught up in power struggles and petty acts of revenge.
This also serves to show how Jon is evolving and is taking up more of a leadership and mentor role with the other recruits of the Nights Watch. This also serves to show that he really does listen to people who have experience and take good advice to heart. These will serve Jon well in the up coming chapters.

Game of Thrones: Chapter 19: Jon AKA Not Just a Bastard, but also kind of a Dick

This chapter is really our first look at life for Jon Snow as a new recruit to the NIght’s Watch. It opens with Jon training in the practice yard against a fellow new recruit Grenn. It’s pretty clear that Jon is far superior to Grenn as he strikes him cleanly a few times and ends up disarming him with a hit to his wrist.

Overseeing the training of the new recruits is Ser Alliser Thorne, the master at arms of Castle Black. Alliser takes a hard approach to training. He is verbally abusive giving nicknames to the trainees and insulting them when they fail.

Ser Alliser Thorne: “The bastard hamstrung you, opened your empty skull, and cut off your hand. Or would have if these blades had an edge. It’s fortunate for you the watch needs stable boys as well as rangers.”

Grenn has been given the nickname the Aurochs and Jon has been given the name Lord Snow, which much to his dismay has caught on with the other recruits. Jon is also being trained with about twenty other recruits, but hasn’t made friends with any of them as of yet. After the practice he finds himself walking back to the armory alone. Some of the other recruits are Jeren, Todder AKA Toad, Daeron, Pyp, and Halder. Jon has defeated them all in the yard and figured out their weaknesses in spite of most of them being two to three years older than he is.

As Jon is removing his armor back in the armory he notices how cold it really is at the Wall and briefly laments how nice it was back at Winterfell. This is only a minor passage but worth noting since it was also part of Bran’s dream sequence in his previous chapter, just as he had visions of the circumstances of his sisters, mother and father were all experiencing at the time. This is noteworthy as a few passages later Jon has a brief vision or an image in his mind of his uncle Benjen lying dead in the snow.

He thinks back to just three days after he arrived and noted his uncle Benjen didn’t pay him mind and is more focused on his duties as the First Ranger. Benjen even explained to Jon that at the Wall you have to earn everything, and since Jon is just a new recruit he’s not all that important at this point. Benjen even says he is nothing but a boy until he proves himself to be a man of the Night’s Watch, and further lets him know that family ties will not buy him any favors.

Jon even recalls one day he saw Benjen off at dawn before he went out ranging beyond the wall. Benjen reminded Jon that he has to prove himself he does tell Jon they will talk when he gets back.

Needless to say nether the Wall nor the Night’s Watch is what Jon expected and he is also feeling a bit homesick, missing his half sisters and brothers.

As Jon is musing over his new life his pondering is interrupted by Grenn, Toad and two others who are unhappy in how badly they have been getting beaten by Jon in the practice yard. A fight starts, where Jon seems to be giving as good as he is taking even though he is outnumbered four to one. Before any real harm can be done the fight gets broken up by Donal Noye the one armed blacksmith.

Donal dismisses the others to receive attention and to return to their quarters but instructs Jon to remain behind. He sits Jon down and explains a few things to him that Jon really hasn’t considered.

First he tells Jon to get over being disappointed.  He signed up and it’s too late to go back now. Noye also talks to Jon about his attitude. He tells him he is acting like he is better than everyone else and that he is not only bullying the boys in the yard but he is humiliating them as well and that is nothing for him to be proud of.

Jon is taken aback by the notion that he’s a bully. In his view he is easily superior and he does admit internally that besting people older than he is a source of pride. He also keeps in mind that he is younger than the other recruits he defeats in practice.

Noye points out to Jon that those he beats are scared of him, and most likely never held a weapon before arriving at the wall, unlike Jon who was trained by the master at arms Ser Rodrik Cassel. That realization does seem to bring Jon down to earth a bit.

We also learn a bit about Donal Noye. He was a blacksmith who forged Robert Baratheon’s great war hammer, and lost his arm during the siege of Storm's End during the rebellion. Donal then came to the wall in his thirties as his life as he knew it was over.

This is a sort of juxtapose with Jon as Donal is someone who has lived life, fought in wars, and really had a chance before coming to the wall to start a new life as a member of the Night’s Watch. Jon by comparison never did those things. He was raised and trained in Winterfell  and then went to the Wall without any other life experiences to speak of prior.

This is also something that Jon’s uncle Benjen warned him about and even tried to convince Jon to live life a bit before deciding to commit to the Night’s Watch. Jon has a bit of angst and some regrets that he never thought he would have when he was back at Winterfell.

As much as Jon doesn’t like the notion that the other recruits are now his brothers Donal reminds him that his commitment is for life and that Jon better be careful or else the other recruits might try to kill him in his sleep.

Essentially Donal’s advice is that regardless of how Jon may think or feel about the other members of the watch, he has to live with them and get along. Should he keep going down the road he seems to be set on he will find a lot more enemies than friends. Noye sends Jon off to go and think on his situation.

While looking up at the wall Tyrion strikes up a conversation with Jon. Tyrion asks if Jon wants to know what is on the other side and while he does wish to know what is beyond the wall Jon pretends he doesn’t as he has learned it’s not a good idea to let others know what your desires are. Unfortunately we are never given a good reason as to why.

Perhaps it’s due to being a new recruit and he fears Ser Alliser will use whatever he learns in training against him. He could also be a bit paranoid at being manipulated by the other members on the wall who might use such information for their own ends. Regardless Jon keeps quiet his true desire to go ranging beyond the wall.

Tyrion notices that Jon doesn’t like the nickname he has been given of Lord Snow and offers the following advice:

Tyrion: “Would you rather be  called the Imp? Let them see that their words can cut you, and you’ll never be free of the mockery. If they want to give you a name, take it, make it your own. Then they can’t hurt you with it anymore.”

The two go for a walk to the common hall and on the way they discuss that Ghost is being kept in separate stables from the horses and also the notable conditions of disrepair the castle has fallen into.

Castle Black apparently used to house 5,000 fighting men along with the mounts and servants. But now it’s home to roughly 500 men and they can’t keep up the repairs. We learn that there are nineteen castles/strongholds along the wall but only three of them are manned. Eastwatch by the sea, the Shadow Tower by the mountains and Castle Black in the middle. All the others are deserted.

That's a lot of empty castles!

Tyrion also mentions that Benjen has been gone too long and Jon recalls his vision of his uncle lying dead in the snow. We also learn that Benjen went out to find Ser Waymar Royce who was killed off in the Prologue by the Others.

When they sit down in the common hall they get mutton stew, but before they can eat Ser Alliser Thorne tells Jon that Lord Commander Mormont wishes to see him. Jon initially assumes it’s bad news about his uncle, but after Tyrion threatens Alliser he does reveal that the Lord Commander has news from Winterfell concerning Jon’s brother.

Assuming the worst Jon runs off to Lord Jeor Mormont. Mormont gives Jon the letter and he learns that Bran has awoken and will live. Jon is so delighted by this news that he runs back to the common hall and shares the news with Tyrion.

Jon at this point even apologizes to Grenn for the wound he inflicted and offers to help him get better.

Alliser Thorne decides to get a barb in by suggesting that Jon will have a harder time teaching Grenn to fight than he would teaching a wolf to juggle. Jon taking Tyrion's advice makes a joke of the situation and accepts the challenge claiming he would like to see his direwolf Ghost learn how to juggle.  

This gets a laugh from Tyrion, the trainees and even the cooks. Ser Alliser however is not amused at being made the butt of Jon's joke and tells him he has made a very grievous error.

This is the start of Jon’s evolution and also starts to bring in elements of him becoming into a leader. As we saw in prior chapters Jon is perceptive when it comes to others. He noticed the fear that had terrorized Gared the deserter in Brans first chapter, and also noted it wasn’t fear of punishment that Ned was about to deliver. Further he also noticed the sullen mood of both Ned and Queen Cersei at the dinner in Winterfell. Lastly he has also been able to break down individual tactics and fighting styles of his fellow recruits, suggesting a keen eye to detail that he has been able to meet with application of tactics.

By making a joke at Ser Alliser Thorne’s expense while offering to help his fellow recruits get better Jon is unifying people who all are dealing with the same problem.

Another thing that we shall see is that Jon seems to be taking to heart good advice provided to him by those around him that he trusts. He replied to Ser Alliser “Lord Snow” remark with a joke of his own, taking Tyrions advice, and is offering to help the other recruits to become better and face the challenges taking to heart the advice of Donal Noye.  

This also shows another quality of a good leader. The ability to think and adapt quickly. Thinking on one's feet is vital in a battle and being able to make quick adjustments on the fly can mean the difference between life and death.

One final thing I’d like to mention here is the “vision” that Jon has of his uncle Benjen lying dead in the snow. It’s interesting that Jon gets this vision and not Bran who until now has certainly had the most vivid dreams and visions with some sustenance.

But here is the question that I hope to  answer as things move forward. Are these “visions” prophecy or are they merely relating things that are happening or happened recently?

If it’s prophecy then one has to ask if it’s set in stone, or if it’s a prediction that may or may not come to pass depending on the actions of the person receiving the vision. .

Most all of Bran’s coma dream vision was of things that were happening at that point in time. Rob training, the maester practicing astronomy, Hodor moving an anvil, his mom traveling on a boat, his sister's troubles on the way to King's Landing, etc.

In fact very little of it seemed to actually be prophetic in nature and a lot of it were more like updates on current events. So we have to wonder about the nature of Jon’s vision. Is it a premonition or is it just a flash of insight of things that have occurred?

For now lets consider this, the visions that Bran received up to this point regarding his family members and people who he knows well have been pretty accurate. So we have no reason to believe that the vision Jon has of his uncle Benjen is any less accurate.

Visions, prophecy, dreams, premonitions and the significance and meanings behind them are all recurring themes through out the books and a topic we will visit time and again.

Now I fully realize that you can never be fully certain a character is dead in A Song of Ice and Fire unless it's confirmed on page and even then it's not 100% certain. But it's a pretty good bet that Benjen Stark has somehow met his end somewhere beyond the wall.

Chapter 5: Jon

This is the first chapter from the point of view of Jon Snow and it starts off with Jon getting drunk at the welcoming feast for the royal family. Jon, who is only 14 years old, being a bastard is not seated with the Starks as it might be an offense to the nobles. Instead he is sitting with some squires and feeding his direwolf Ghost under the table.

The nobles and royal family apparently make a big procession entering into the hall and the scene does serve to give a bit of an idea on who is who.

There really isn’t a lot in this chapter in regards to the overall story with the exception of a conversation between Benjen and Jon, where Jon states he wants to join the NIght’s Watch.

Benjen tells Jon he needs to live a little more before joining and Jon, after a brief exchange with his uncle leaves. Outside he bumps into Tyrion Lannister and we get a quick exchange which also helps set up the relationship between Tyrion and his father.

Tyrion:“Never forget who you are, for surely the world will not. Make it your strength. Then it can never be your weakness. Armor yourself in it and it can never be used to hurt you.”

Jon: “What do you know about being a bastard”

Tyrion: “All dwarfs are bastards in their father’s eyes.”

Jon: “You are your mother’s trueborn son of Lannister.”

Tyrion: “Am I? Do tell my lord father. My mother died birthing me and he’s never been sure.”

At the end of the chapter we learn that Jon doesn't know who his mother is. So there seems to be a similar theme between Jon and Tyrion of not knowing their mothers, but for different reasons.

The whole chapter really sets up this conversation and brings the parentage and future of Jon Snow into the forefront of a reader's mind. But are we missing subtle clues here?

Lets take a look at his interaction with his uncle.  

Benjen Stark smiles warmly at Jon on the way into the hall. When Jon says he want’s to join the Night’s Watch he encourages Jon to live a little. Jon is a virgin and Benjen lets him know he would be giving up women for a life of service on The Wall. Benjen is also aware that Jon is really drunk and this most likely isn’t the best time for him to be making a BIG life decision. Benjen also points out that if Jon joins the Night’s Watch he will also be giving up any hope of having a family of his own. Jon states he doesn't care about that.

But the following exchange is also noteworthy.

Benjen: “You might if you knew what it meant. If you knew what the oath would cost you, you might be less eager to pay the price son.”

Jon: “I’m not your son!”

Benjen: “More’s the pity. Comeback to me after you've fathered a couple of bastards of your own, and we’ll see how you feel.”

“More’s the pity.” seems an odd thing for Benjen to say. Why should he care if Jon is his son or not? Even if it’s a figure of speech as using the word “son” could be used by an elder towards a youth in trying to provide guidance.

Certainly Benjen needs to get men for the Night's Watch. Ned even stated in a prior chapter that they are very short on men, but why would he be trying to dissuade Jon? Yes Jon is his nephew, and sure Jon is young and at the time drunk, but shouldn’t Benjen be recruiting everyone he can for the Wall? Is he just looking out for his nephew and not wanting him to toss his life away at the Wall or is there more to it?

Speaking of which why wasn’t Benjen trying to talk to Robert and getting some support for the watch from the crown? Surely he could easily get more support and men from the King. Perhaps he simply opted not to bring it up noticing the mood both his brother and the Queen were in. Jon certainly noticed they were not in good spirits. So perhaps he simply just wanted to escape the situation.

Regardless I think it’s more than coincidence.