Going Over Bran I, A Game of Thrones 

You're gonna go through every single line of ASOIAF and TWOW will still not be out

If Preston does a line by line walkthrough of the entire series, overanalyzing style, I'm fully down lol

I think Ned swinging the sword is about forcing yourself to face the consequences of your decisions otherwise you might make decisions lightly or without care. Wouldn't you be more likely to become callous if you didn't have to carry out the difficult sentence yourself? Also Ned wouldn't know his decision was wrong. He would have been given a story which it would be impossible to believe and presumably concluded it was an excuse for desertion in which case the execution would be necessary as a deterrent for others considering doing the same.

Alternate title - Prepping for Clash

George is totally trying to say that people will take execution more seriously if they executed the sentence they passed. Sounds like you are distracted by the injustice in THIS CASE. Ned does not express how this effects him or weighs on him, so it is hard to say it is EASY for him.

We actually get a hint of the seasons in the prologue. "It was the cold," Gared said with iron certainty. "I saw men freeze last winter, and the one before, when I was half a boy

Preston: “hey everybody, do you care about any other book series written by GRRM besides ASOIAF” Everybody: “nope” Preston: “aaaalllrighty then”

That execution/sacrifice scene has a lot of emphasis on eyes. Bran is told not to look away, the “Others take his eyes” comment, Bran can’t stop thinking of the man’s eyes, the comment Ned makes about being able to look into the eyes of the man he’s judging… I don’t think I’ve really noticed that before, but it feels important.

Bran grows up all at once because his mature consciousness jumps back in time! Time traveling Bran confirmed!

I think you miss the fact the Gared clearly has PTSD. How much sense he would be making to Ned we don’t know. It’s still an injustice of course, but it does explain why Ned may not listen to him. (Also why he was escaping so close by Winterfell) I’m assuming that in this setting these illnesses wouldn’t be as well understood.

Summer in a northern English-style climate can still be chilly.

Canadian here, you can definitely push through snow drifts as George says. I'm loving this series so far, always a good idea to go back to the very start.

56:46 it’s interesting, that Theon is present for This, as he is sort of like a fostered, brother. Jon, even though he isn’t a true brother, gets a wolf, those there should be an expectation that Theon may also get one. You think Theon would think back on this day, as proof that he wasn’t meant to be a stark, or that he’s been rejected by the old gods.

Garrett had an obligation to return to the Wall and tell them what he saw. That was his whole job as a Ranger. I'm inclined to think that the Old Bear, Maester Aemond, Benjen Stark, and other seasoned watchmen would have believed the word of their Sworn Brother. Throughout the entire story, I don't believe we hear of any Night's Watchmen who claim to have seen the Others firsthand (until the Fist of the First Men, of course.) Garrett could have changed everything by doing his job, returning to his post, and explaining what happened. Furthermore, it's not surprising that Ned wouldn't take him at his word - "A deserter's life is forfeit", so of course they'll try to lie and say anything to save their lives. The execution was not unjust, on the grounds that Garrett absolutely abandoned his post and his Sworn Brothers.

I think Gene Wolfe's "The Shadow of the Torturer" influenced George R.R. Martin's storytelling, particularly in Ned Stark's pivotal role as an executioner in "Game of Thrones." Stark playing the executioner seems to comment on the themes of justice and duty similar to those explored in Wolfe's work, adding layers of moral complexity to Wolfe's story. I would recommend reading those to understand Martin better.

LOVE THAT YOU’RE DOING THIS PJ! CAN’T BELIEVE YOU HADN’T YET! IT’S PERFECT!

I think Ghost is more mature/''older'' to reflect Jon's greater maturity compared to the Stark kids, as a bastard. He has knowledge that the sheltered Starks don't yet about the cruelty of the world. It kind of ties back to the class-struggle themes of the prologue.

To be fair they do also talk about “summer snows” in the north. So I bet some nights are very cold just not deadly winter cold.

The social class division element which we got in the Prologue, then get a hint of in this chapter and then very little of later on seems to have been picked up again in Dunk and Egg. Dunk is the only major POV character from a low social class attempting to navigate the classist world of ASOIAF, encountering prejudice and clearly lacking the skills of the aristocracy like literacy (Davos is close, but he's effectively already climbed the social ladder by the time we're introduced to him).

The term “Marquess” was reserved for a lord who governed the marches. It is similar to the Wardens in ASOIAF.

On the topic of Shaggydog being grey in Bran I but black later on: “Shaggydog ran at his heels, spinning and snapping if the other wolves came too close. His fur had darkened until he was all black, and his eyes were green fire.” - Bran IV AGOT

I just reread AGOT last month and looking at all of this setting and tone, characterization.. all within that first Bran chapter. I know a lot of people got hooked after Jaime shoves him from the tower, but Bran 1 explains what pulled people forward early. Enjoyed this recap a lot.

Wouldn't the idea of the man who passed the sentence should swing the sword be a custom that predates the stage of feudalism that westeros is in, that's what makes it the old way. Idk just a thought.

With the frozen rotting direwolf, its kinda similar to the dead men in Jon VII AGoT? (or rather, the complete opposite) In Bran I, there's "late summer snows"; in Jon VII, the "morning was unnaturally warm". The corpse in Bran I is rotting but can't have been dead long, assuming the direwolf gave birth to those cubs; in Jon VII the corpses are at least a few days old but mysteriously unrotten.

With the ironwood stump, I wonder if GRRM was originally going to have 2 types of magic trees that paralleled each other? In ACoK, there's maybe a remnant of this idea remaining, with the shade-of-the-evening trees? The wiki, at least, speculates at a connection between the shade-of-the-evening trees and ironwoods...

I never thought of Ned’s death being comeuppance, great point

I don’t think Jon is being cruel or hypocritical at all. He knows what their dad wants and expects and is letting Bran know so he will come off well and mature, which is exactly what Bran was wanting. If he looked away Ned would have just told him to look next time. Clearly Jon cares about Bran and is not trying to be cruel or malicious in any way.

It’s funny Bran says he needs to pretend he’s seen it all before. He has. Countless times. George is setting up time traveling Bran.

I’ve waded through waist-deep snow in Finland. It’s weird stuff, so light that it is ghostly.

"Children savage little creatures." Spoken as only a parent of two young children would understand.

He’s going to do it! He’s actually going to do it!!!

"would our society be different if the judges had to execute the convicts personally?" I wonder if it would have the opposite effect, people who strongly mind killing another person would not choose to become a judge, so we'd end up with a bit more bloodthirsty judges

Hey Preston. I'm glad you're doing this. thank you

I love this chapter but my favorite part is Ghost is the oldest. Always made me wonder if Jon is actually older than Robb.

48:32 yes, it is interesting that George presents the execution side-by-side with the proposed execution of the Wolf pups. Preston interpreted this as possibly a statement that defying the system is actually the morally superior option. However, perhaps George is simply contrasting the rightful execution of a criminal, with the execution of innocent babies. This theme will later be an elaborated on with Roberts rebellion, where the execution of the aggressors and adult Targaryen is justified, but the execution of the babies is not justified.

That tradition of 'he who passes the judgement...' is also what makes Rob a kinslayer.

Regarding Ned’s seeming honorable by choosing to behead people personally…I think part of it is that it sucks when your lord orders you to kill his enemies. Oftentimes they might not deserve it. Basically, Ned wields the executioners sword personally so that if he’s wrong about the man needing to die, he isn’t inflicting ‘bad juju’ on anyone else. What’s interesting is when you think of Rob’s killing of Karstark: Rob did the deed himself. Then it seems Rob is cursed for kin-slaying. If Rob had ordered one of his men to execute Karstark, would that insulate him from technically being a kinslayer? Long story short, does Ned’s idea of wielding the blade actually have merit, or is he exactly backwards? What do the Gods really punish, if anything?

About nursing the baby direwolves... its interesting that this comes back in ADwD, when Jon is looking for a wetnurse to replace Gilly. Jon I ADwD implies that goat's milk was used at the Tower of Joy...

I find it interesting that Preston finds it so remarkable that a child like Bran would be allowed to go to an execution. Since the 18th century BC, public executions have been a thing. I'm sure there were public executions before, but the Code of Hammurabi is the first record of it. Most of the past 4000 years there have been public executions, and the execution itself was a big community entertainment. Until 1936 in the US there were public executions. 20,000 people came out to the last public hanging in the US. Knowing that public executions were common in the 19th century and before, it makes sense that Bran would be brought along, because public execution demands public witness. I am more surprised that the girls were not included, because of how public executions have been done for centuries, with whole families coming out to witness.

Preston could do a series of full length hour long videos, going sentence by sentence through the entire series... and still finish it before Winds :-/

Waist high drift: you can push through them but will also be sinking with every step. I think the text is fine but maybe could have been more descriptive. Snow in a recent drift is usually pretty light and you can kick through it as well.

It is quite strange that none of the starklings ever think back to that moment of discovery, one might expect Jon to think back to the moment he saw ghost. Because the fact that there were the right number and sex of pups, and additionally, a special different one for him does seem a bit like a divine sign. Jon does believe in the old gods, so I think he should reflect on this as a possible sign of belonging or something.

Maybe the dead direwolf smells of corruption and is crawling with maggots because it actually was (un)dead when it came through the wall. And then the stag killed it for good? And it makes it more tragic because maybe the puppy wolves trotted along their undead mother.. Or not maybe I'm reading too much into it

You know you HAVE to do the entire series

As a Trained Medieval Historian the most Famous Marcher Lord was Roger Mortimer the 1st Earl of March, 8th Baron Mortimer of Wigmore and Lord Leuitentent of Ireland who hooked up with King Edward 3rds Momma Queen Isabelle the she wolf of France Deposed King Edward 2 and kept Edward 3 semi imprisoned in order to rule through him, Edward 3 escapes by playing who has the fastest horse , Ed 3 Finds the fastest horse and eff's off gathers haters of Mums Boyfriend and deposes them and its through Ed 3's children that the division between York (My city and where Mark Addy King Robert grew up) and Lancaster occurs. I Just love how George uses echos of History to inform the stroy and add to its richness, not just the events but beliefs in magic and the dead rising etc. Your Point with how to keep baby John alive can perhaps be explained if there was a Goat, babies can survive on Goats Milk, there are pictures showing Goats standing over babies suckling straight from the udders!

Couldn't Gared have just reported back to Castle Black like normal and then he deserted in the middle of the night? Doesn't seem like he'd need to use the black gate or any other convoluted way. The dynamic between Robb and Jon in this chapter seem to mirror Eddard and his brother Brandon. One hot and one cold, one going south to die, one remaining north to pick up the cause.

I think bran has to push through the snow because he is smaller than everyone. Waist high for him may only be above the knee for adults. And I think the fact Ned ignores the warnings of the deserter illustrates how nobody even lord of winter fell takes talk of others seriously. Which is why up until now most people don’t even know about others throughout the kingdom

To me I think Ned's honorable unjust execution of Gared is pretty straightforward meaning wise, we as a society often mask injustice with social charades meant to legitimize the inherent injustice and violence of the systems we live in. Ironically I think it's easier for Ned to stomach the inherent injustice of the execution of Gared, if he does it himself. It legitimizes it to him, it is tradition and honor meant to mask brutality.

Not only must Justice be done; it must also be seen to be done.

So very happy that you were doing these

The issue with the baby and the Tower of Joy isn't *that* big of a deal. Starfall was days away, but there easily could have been farms and hamlets closer to the tower. It's not so hard to justify.

When put in the context of the world and Night's Watch being a military organization that can't be said to be in a peace time, because of the wildling raiding, what's the rationale for desertion being punishable be death being as unjust as Preston seems to think? There is the notion of death penalty being something fundamentally flawed and worth opposing in any and all cases, but even in modern day it often carries that same penalty in military in the wartimes and Night's Watch is effectively like an autonomous border guard force that does answer to the king.

I had this idea a few weeks for the fanfiction project back when I was listening to The Mystery Knight, and there was someone who said if the stories about Aegon the Unworthy were true then half of Westeros would have the dragon blood. The drops of the dragon blood are again mentioned in Fire and Blood in parts of Westeros and Essos, specially Dragonstone. Not to forget there is enough talk about that in ASOIAF books too. Now, I'm not a "super fan" like Preston Jacob is or other big names in the fandom are and don't comprehend how George writes his stories. However, we know that there is genetic magic linked to the targaryens and their descendants exclusive (even if they didn't have blonde hair and purple eyes) and they have prophetic dreams too that some times drives to madness) so we know for certain there is a significant population in the world who the dragon blood in them. The Baratheons, The Martells, The Velaryon, The Plums, The Second Sons, some vague people in the free cities and even some main characters with uncertain parentage.

I have to agree with Preston here. Killing Gared was an injustice.

You spend your words like each is a gold dragon, Lord Stark -Stannis to John John did not speak a lot. He scowled.

Hell yeah, I restarted GoT on audible and it's awesome to go through it with all y'all!

30:37 I think the meaning of who passes the sentence through the sword, is about the fact that Nobles start the Game of Thrones, and then the small folk are sent out to die in war. Luxurious kings, who stand to lose nothing, sending others out to die. That’s what George hates. Liz, who personally fight, even in the Vanguard seems to be presented positively by George. We later contrast, Rob, who fights with his man with Joffrey, who has to be goaded into fighting on the Vanguard. Sansa directly compares Rob to Joffrey. I presume this is setting up Jon Snow to be a king, who personally fights. Additionally, although I think in today’s society, if judges had to be the executioner, it probably wouldn’t be any different. There is something to this idea for instance, if people had to kill the animals that they ate, I think almost everyone would be a vegetarian meat, eating persist, I believe Because consumers get to hide behind many layers of obfuscation to remain ignorant about what it is their contributing to.

23:22 I understand you criticizing the idea of making a seven-year-old watch an execution to toughen him. However, as we know, in only a few years bran will be exposed to violence, danger and peril. Don’t you think that there is a part of George’s story which is showing us that brand toughening was actually helpful in enabling him to cope with the dangers that he would later face? George does not write Bran as traumatized by this event. Think of all of the sword, foraging metaphors in the story. A sword needs to be forged in fire and beaten, to become a sword even a hero side. Brans name is bran, like a burning brand, another flaming, sword symbol. Do you really think that brans toughening here is meant to be a critique of the whole idea of this horrible system?

Gareth's warg ability was awakened by his experience with the Others. He rode the pregnant direwolf south crossing the wall through the gate just as Sam and Gilly did. He was the cause of the mamma direwolf getting gored by the elk.

A bigger mystery is why the Starks allowed Direwolves to die out in the north? why they aren't raising them to use,what prompted them to throw away their advantage over other houses in the north surely warging would have been essential training and part of the right to rule and what reason would they have had to abandon that kind of ability? none of it makes sense,laughably dumb if you think about it, sure maybe some Bolton back in the day won a battle sacked winterfell and slaughtered all the direwolves, but then once the starks regained power they would have just ordered the Watch to trap a few more from beyond the wall and send them down,right?

Regarding marches, there is a aquivalent in german. Unsurprising, both are closely related. A " Mark " referes to a sometimes newly conquered land, a military buffer zone to the enemy. Most marches/Marks were found on the eastern border of the holy roman empire, like the Mark Brandenburg or the bavarian/eastern marches Ostmark that would become Österreich/austria. In Charlemagnes realm there were also spanish marches, nowadays catalonia, against the moors. The former were against the slavic people and the magyars.

ASOIAF starts with Bran and it will end with Bran.

Now that you mention it, I actually like the wolf pups scene more if Robb and Jon. It adds some depth to them if they are already mature but still have a softer and nurturing side to them that shows up when they see something weak and vulnerable like the direwolf pups.

In manufacturing, construction, agriculture and mining most tricks of the trades aren't written down anywhere. New hires pick them up from the veterans through monkey-see monkey-do. If trade disruption stopped the manufacturing of IC chips, cast aluminum or satellites for a decade or so, reestablishing these industries could be hard.

30:30 reminds me of the whole, nuclear launch codes being put into a guys heart or something and if the president wants to launch the nukes they would have to use a knife to kill the guy and take out the codes, with the idea being it makes it harder to launch the nukes as the death toll is no longer an abstraction if there is literal blood on your hands or they simply couldn't bring themselves to kill the guy in the first place. A nice thought experiment but i think i agree with you that it wouldn't really change anything, if a U.S. president wanted to nuke another country they're probably just gonna kill that guy and rip his heart out without hesitating too much

Really enjoying these

48:16 I think it’s an interesting narrative decision that George chose for it, not to be Brown, who discovered the wolves. Considering Brown is the most highly psychic, and it has apparently been linked to blood Raven since his first dream if not earlier. Wouldn’t it make sense for bran to find a wolves?

i always thought bran changing in dance was because he crossed the wall and would be closer somehow to his previous self. kinda just a head cannon moment for me but it makes sense because jojen changes too

I feel like the ironwoods, and the Foresters, were always planned as a logistical excuse for the North to make ammo, weapons, and armor quickly while the ground is too frozen to mine during real Winter. Like they revert back to their ancestral ways to fight the Others in the end and use ironwood to outfit the final army.

“At the end of the story Ned is ultimately beheaded as well” wait whaaaaat

This is perfect! I'm rereading ASOIAF and am at the 1st Dany chapter. I'm gonna take my time and just go along with the pace that these chapter by chapter analysis vids are going.

8:24 the name other is constantly related to the sociological concept of otherisation - but maybe that’s our modern bias. I think it literally means other - as in alien. They are based of Sidh or fairies from fairyland or other land .

That was fun. Get it going. Thanks

Ok I think this is the best place to say this now but I had this idea a few weeks back for the fanfiction project when I was listening to The Mystery Knight, and there was someone who said if the stories about Aegon the Unworthy were true then half of Westeros would have the dragon blood. The drops of the dragon blood are again mentioned in Fire and Blood in parts of Westeros and Essos, specially Dragonstone. Not to forget there is enough talk about that in ASOIAF books too. Now, I'm not a "super fan" like Preston Jacob is or other big names in the fandom are and don't comprehend how George writes his stories. However, we know that there is genetic magic linked to the targaryens and their descendants exclusively (even if they didn't have blonde hair and purple eyes) and they have prophetic dreams too that some times drives them to madness, so we know for certain there is a significant population in the world who have the dragon blood in them. The Baratheons, The Martells, The Velaryon, The Plums, The Second Sons, some vague people in the free cities and even some main characters with uncertain parentage. *And for Bran,* we know that his weirwood magic allows him to warg into people, call for people, and maybe manipulate people (the mind magic is a bit vague to me. I bet other fans understand it better) specially in the present, since he did called theon and was heard, and Bran himself was seeked by Bloodraven almost through the whole books. *SO,* the idea is that a dramatic event in the second half of the book (or leave it to aDoS) happens to Bran beyond the wall, so he warg his tree, seek Daenerys Targaryen as she's the purest blooded dragon living to maybe warn her about the Others, maybe ask her to bring dragons and come to fight. I'm not actually sure how this would work out. But the event is powerful enough that this calling reach to everyone living with a targaryen blood. It could be a simple night dream, it could be a day dream, I don't know but it should be something similar to what happened in "Attack on Titans". This is just an outline I came up with. It could be used the same way Jacob used the white ravens massage "Jon March, Beware Wine" but instead Bran's be something like "Wake Up, Let The Dragon Burn Them All!!" It can be even hinted that this event is so violent it effected past targaryens in some kind of time traveling way that it what made them mad and obsessed. It could be linked to the "Hold The Door" thing (hodur is Jacaerys grandson so it works. Why not?) It could what drives Danny to madness at the end. Also, each of the main characters could have their different interpretations since it would be unclear to them and see it differently. This is a story about prospectives at the end. Even the common population could see it differently and just fuel events in the story. The worshippers of R'hllor would say it is a promise from the God, the worshippers of the seven would say its a warning from the gods, others would say its madness plague. LIKE THE RED COMET FOR EXAMPLE! I don't know to be honest. It's so complex for me to detail or to express but it doesn't have to be complex. It just needs to be something that drives the story forward and I'm certain experienced writers can make it work.

The English Marcher Lords protected the border to Wales. There are other reasons than warmth to gather around a hearth, like telling scary stories. Summers can be cold. Gared deserted what is essentially a penal legion, realistically what options are there at that point? Eddard cleans Ice by the pools next to the Weirwood in Winterfell's Godswood, so some sacrifice is still at play. Bran is not just there to watch a man die, there are many lessons he is expected to learn. Yes Theon is more of an ass than Jon, obviously. Old Nan and Eddard can tell different stories, imagine character motivations differ, what a thought... Gared DESERTED from the PENAL order, where he was serving punishment, his duty was to report back to Castle Black, his important information should have been reported to the Knight's Watch, instead he broke his oath, and abandoned his post, perhaps Ned should have ordered him returned to the Wall to face some sort of Court Martial, but that wouldn't have changed his fate. Imagine enforcing punishments, we should just let anyone that wants to leave prison leave, I'm sure it is a very scary place.

I've been waiting years for this

I love that Theon kicks the head it’s my favorite thing to characterize him other than being a ward

pls keep em coming 🎉

Maybe Ned has been so traumatized from his life (and from being the judge, jury, and executioner (this execution being "the fourth this year" - that alone might traumatize someone)) that Ned cannot even sympathise with Gared's trauma. Regardless, that failure on Ned's part meant he didn't even try to question the man. He didn't try to take him back to Castle Black, where maybe Gared could have gotten himself together a bit, surrounded by familiar faces, and then told the Night's Watch what happened. And then Benjen doesn't go North and doesn't disappear, looking for Royce . . . And so no Great Ranging, which is a total disaster. Which also means Mormont is alive to negotiate with Mance Rayder, which could possibly have saved thousands of Wildling lives, if Mormont possibly could have been more cautious in the rangings he would send out to learn the truth of the Others. (So did TTB cause this all? maybe because Gared wasn't "half-mad" from seeing the Others, but from being skinchanged by TTB to bring the Dire Wolf mother through the Black Gate and so far south? Was Gared actually riding North when he got caught, with Bran no longer skinchanging him, so he is trying to return to the Wall, because he wasn't even a deserter at all (even if he was "half-mad", maybe he knew he was only "half"-mad, so he'd know enough to want to go home to Castle Black, hoping they'd help him recover, so he could eventually tell them about the Black Gate, which he could have shown them as proof that his whole story isn't all crazy - we get the idea that Mormont wouldn't have been super against hearing that out from Gared), making the execution super unjust on a different way (Bran abused this guy, which caused him to be executed, to keep his silence, just so Bran's masterplan can go into affect.. which is needed so Ghost can discover the dragonglass? Or could that not have been done in an easier way? So it's a selfish masterplan all to become King. Damn, that would be a dark story. Basically turning Bran into the Great Other, some super ruthless God-Emperor. Who wins. Oof, sorry R"hllor for not believing in you. The big twist reveals Mel's interpretation of Bran as the Great Other to be accurate. Maybe the big twist is that this world from George actually does have gods. But maybe Bran is still a good guy, or not all selfish, because he is using his power to stop the religion of R'hllor, who really is also the bad guy of the universe (fire sacrifices, yikes).) . . . Or is TTB just trying to right the wrongs of his father?)

30:55 the more removed you are from the consequences of your sentence, the more capable you are of making a thoughtless decision. Judges should know and understand what prison is and what it’s like or they don’t really know what punishment they are bestowing upon someone. Ned describes this practice as a litmus test. If you can’t stomach the execution then maybe they don’t serve to die. If you truly feel like someone deserves the death penalty then you will have less trouble swinging the sword. If the law and system is unjust then you have more of a responsibility to swing the sword. The law is messed up and cruel, so the administer of that unjust law then outsources that sin to a hired hand? That’s messed up too. If you take on the responsibility of warden you in an unjust world with a messed up justice system it better be your ass that takes on the emotional cost of being an administer of that corrupted justice. Why should a hired hand have the nightmares? It’s your responsibility as the sentencer. So don’t run away from the cost of that sentencing. It is an honorable practice in a dishonorable system

This is great!

yyyyuuuusssss. ty for the content!

God, so much happens in such few words. if only George had kept this pace and focus

Does anybody know why Ned didn’t send any of his children to Foster with any of the great lords

In our next video while we wait for Winds we’ll be going over the textbooks that George studied while in high school.

Going based off dogs, I have a blue nose pitbull and when I got her she was a silvery grey with white patches. By the time she turned a year, she was JET BLACK with white patches. Grey isn’t guaranteed to stay as a coat color, especially if you’re not purposefully breeding them to have it

8:25 “so much establishing shots and world building. Every line is packed with info” 9:40 he cut the man down from the wall…. Hmmmm

I don't know who George was working with as far as editors were concerned early on but they clearly put on an emphasis on efficiency in the early books. That efficiency gradually starts to melt away, presumably because George felt that he didn't need as much editing anymore.

18:21 First off, long time fan. You’re so knowledgeable on so many subjects. English history is an area I’ve heard you admit you’re not as well versed on… the marches usually refer to the welsh marches on the borderlands of England and Wales. The borderlands with Scotland were also called the Scottish marches but the more common use of marches refers to Wales .Not really relevant but it’s not often I get an opportunity to correct The Preston Jacobs!

I always interpreted Ned being the executioner as showing that honour is dumb. Honour means nothing. In this case this honourable and traditional method of execution meant to find truth, ends with being wrong.

Maybe the direwolf was very sick due to the stab by the deer hence why she was full of maggots, icicles and stuff?

Life is hard, and would be even harder during those times. Bad things happen to good people; and bad things happen to people who just happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. I can understand the logic of the people of that time. I think too often, now, that we want kids to be kids until the day they turn adults chronologically, then we expect them to be adults and able to handle adult issues. I have a 20 y/o in my class now and every time he gets flustered he throws stuff and wants to quit school. He acts like a child and the instructors just let him do it. As for Ned swinging the sword: that has always seemed like a good thing for a leader to do. Taking a life should be as easy as a word. My Col in Iraq remembers all of his Marines that died. His wife cries about it and thinks she lied to their family, and promised their wives they would return. That guilt will play on you.

Maybe the point is that Ned isnt that smart but perceives himself to be honorable. It'd be one thing if it was ambiguous that he was innocent or not, but since we JUST had the prologue we knew he's not super intuitive to what people tell him. Littlefinger, ignoring Renly, etc

I'm down for you to do every chapter like this

31:00 I don't know why you keep judging this with your benefit of hindsight. To Ned the man deserted his post and is raving. WE know he saw others but it's normal that they don't believe him and regardless he did still desert, he didn't go back to the wall and tell them then do his job which is to fight that specific threat, he ran.

I feel like we’re intentionally not told any discussions between Gared and either the guards or Ned so that we don’t know if Ned was being fair or unfair. We know what happened but the rest think it’s either a fairy tale or 8k years past. Could G even get words out? Was he in shock? What irony if it was totally true but any of 5 factors kept all sane persons from believing him vital tale.

Dogs can change colors as they grow up. Dalmations are born white and get their spots later. I had a German Shepherd that was all black as a pup and grew up to be a very light tan and with a black saddle. So the wolves growing up to have different coloring is a pretty easy leap. Hard to say if George realized this when he was writing, but in the real world, it happens all the time.

Gared is executed because he's dangerous because he's going to get killed. Ned has to kill him because the system requires him to do it, similar to Bran needing to be hard as the world is hard because men are hard.

I feel the execution is more to present one of the most central themes of the story, that the honorable doing is not always the right doing, we would see more of these with Jaime and Brienne.

I will love this series