The Letter [SPOILERS - ADWD]

[Eulalia]

Which character sent the letter and why? Why did GRRM send the letter?











Do you suppose Mance sent the letter, so that Jon would leave the Wall to the Wildlings?

 

[Brian G Turner]

Re: The Letter

Since he's been at the wall, his father has been betrayed and murdered, his elder step brother betrayed and murdered, his young step brothers betrayed and murdered, and Winterfell, the castle he always dreamed of having, has been burned to a ruin.

That makes the letter feel to me like a somewhat weak plot device to move Jon away from his current situation - though no doubt others might suggest that makes his remaining connection with Arya all the more important and therefore justify action.

As to the original question - who sent the letter? The person who signed it.

 

[Ursa major]

Re: The Letter

Whoever sent the letter must know the following (some of which are widely known, some of which are not):

• that Stannis has a "magic" sword and is close to Melisandre;
• that Mance was meant to have been burnt but wasn't;
• that Mance's mission was to rescue Arya;
• that Arya was freed, at least for a while;
• that Mance had six helpers and that Ramsay would be prepared to flay them;
• that Jon holds Dalla;
• that Jon is holding Mance's child (which isn't true).

The oddest request is for Mance's child. Why would Ramsay want him? Mance would, as would Melisandre (at least according to Jon), but why would anyone else? (And why would Ramsay call the child a prince?) Solve this and one might work out who sent the letter.

 

[svalbard]

Re: The Letter

My bet is on either Mance or Melisandre. The diversion at the end with the Giant is surely a set-up by Mel as Jon spotted her in the area, just before he got his just rewards for acting like an idiot.

 

[Ghost of Harrenhal]

Re: The Letter

My bet is on either Mance or Melisandre. The diversion at the end with the Giant is surely a set-up by Mel as Jon spotted her in the area, just before he got his just rewards for acting like an idiot.

I would have done everything Jon did in his position except send ships and men to Hardhome. That was always a lost cause.

As to who sent the letter... I think it was actually Ramsay Bolton. He could have found out all of that information (even the incorrect parts about Mance and Val's son) by loosening the tongues and skins of Mance and his spearwives.

What interests me though is how Stannis and his host are lost but Theon has obviously escaped with Jeyne Poole, presumably with Asha. Would they go in the direction of the Wall or the Iron Islands or somewhere else? And let us not forget that Manderly intended on swearing for Stannis and betraying the Boltons. Did he do that and join the losing side in their demise or did he not do it, thus causing their demise?

 

[IlliferThePenniless]

Re: The Letter

What interests me though is how Stannis and his host are lost but Theon has obviously escaped with Jeyne Poole, presumably with Asha. Would they go in the direction of the Wall or the Iron Islands or somewhere else? And let us not forget that Manderly intended on swearing for Stannis and betraying the Boltons. Did he do that and join the losing side in their demise or did he not do it, thus causing their demise?

I think that part of the letter is pretty obviously a lie. Ramsey's men may have fought off the Umber contingent drumming away outside Winterfell, but I don't believe for an instant Stannis' host was defeated.

Either Manderley slaughtered all the Freys and worked out some plan with Stannis that invloved telling the Boltons they had won the battle at grievous cost, but here's stannis' sword for a trophy, now go ride out into a trap... Or Ramsey can feel everything slipping away from him without "Arya" so he's trying to draw an army of wildlings down on winterfell to unite the north behind him.

I just don't think there's anyway that Stannis could have been wiped out off screen with two PoV characters there...

 

[Eulalia]

Re: The Letter

I'm quite confused about the state of battles, etc at the end of the Dance, in a good way.

But, that letter has some very fishy wording and I don't trust it, even though it has lots of facts correct.

It did prompt Jon to a rash response. I suppose that ends up getting him "killed" and his watch ending potentially. If he is resurrected, then he can be Azor Ahai (sorry is that right, I don't speak the language) and he can be reborn? Then he can go on, lead armies, be the lord of Winterfell, marry Shireen or Dany or Arya or Sansa for the sake of the realm, have children, be ice and fire, fly a dragon or whatever else is in store. I have a hard time believing he is dead.

I should have made a spoiler warning in the header. (blushes, hangs head in shame) Can someone fix that, please?

 

[Culhwch]

Spoiler warning added!

 

[ivyEIC]

I think it was sent by Theon. It makes sense to me.

 

[viZion]

I think it was sent by Theon. It makes sense to me.

Why Theon? What's your explanation for it?

I honestly have no idea who sent the letter. When I read it, I took it at face value and assumed it was really Ramsay who sent it. It wasn't until I came back to these forums that I saw people questioning it.

 

[devilsgrin]

i think until the next book comes out, like many things we've debated over the past 8 years waiting for ADWD, this Letter is going to be dissected and over-analysed to the point of obsession by some members of the forums.

Until i hear otherwise, i'll take it at face value, but remain suspicious of the content.

I don't think Theon is likely. If not Ramsay, the main contenders are Stannis or Mance.

 

[Ursa major]

And I'm sticking with Mance (probable) and Mel (just about possible; though would she know about Reek?), because the letter demands something only they really want, Mance's child.

 

[viZion]

And I'm sticking with Mance (probable) and Mel (just about possible; though would she know about Reek?), because the letter demands something only they really want, Mance's child.

Mel knows that Jon sent away Mance's child with Gilly though. So that rules out her.

 

[Lady of Winterfell]

While reading I also assumed it was from Ramsay, but I was suspicious of it from the get go. Mance is a possibility, but I think Theon is unlikely.

I also don't see Stannis sending it. Stannis doesn't seem like the type to forge a letter; he would just sign the letter from himself.

 

[Wiggum]

It's not Theon, he's broken, carrying Jeyne....which rhymes with pain.

It's not Stannis, as been said before, he'd never forge.

It could be Mel, but how could she send a crow from one castle....to pretty much the same castle.

I mean she could, but that'd be really lame.

Stannis had this too well figured, and was on the offensive.

It's Mance.

 

[Jaqen H'gar]

I think that, just by our nature, we over analyze too much. Judging by the incorrect information in the letter, and the events of the plot, I am pretty sure that the letter is actually from Ramsay.

Adhering to my nature thought, i was thinking that it is possible the letter is from Mance. We already know that Melisandre can change the appearance of Mance basically at will, so perhaps, in order to ensure Stannis's success, she really did not care at all about Arya (Jeyne), and actually sent Mance to go and kill Ramsay Bolton and take his place.

 

[The Imp]

I think the question has to be, who would stand to gain from Jon being away from the Wall and on his way to Winterfell. Ramsay/Roose would. One of the Late LF progeny might.

I don't see and can't imagine what Stannis would have to gain by bringing Jon to WF by deception, but I can imagine Stannis speaking those exact words. Then there's the pink sealing wax. This leads me to believe that Stannis might be a prisoner and was forced to write the letter.

One thing that the letter does prove, no matter who it's from, is that Jon will be heading to WF, in one form or another, or the letter as a plot device/cliffhanger is meaningless.

 

[Ursa major]

I'm convinced (at the moment) that Mance wrote the letter. One problem with this is Mance's survival. How did he survive?

Jaqen has given the answer, which explains why "Ramsay" sent it and why the sender knew about, and wanted possession of, Mance's child.

Whether this was Mel's plan or not, I'm not sure, but she may have 'given' him the ability to change his appearance as part of his bag of tricks to get into parts of Winterfell where "Abel" could not.

 

[Lady of Winterfell]

I don't see and can't imagine what Stannis would have to gain by bringing Jon to WF by deception, but I can imagine Stannis speaking those exact words. Then there's the pink sealing wax. This leads me to believe that Stannis might be a prisoner and was forced to write the letter.

But if Stannis is a prisoner, what happened to Theon and Jeyne? We know they made it to Stannis' camp, so if there was a battle where Stannis was defeated and captured I would think Jeyne and Theon would have been captured as well.

The letter states that Ramsay wants his bride back, as well as 'his Reek'. This makes me think that Stannis was not defeated, because if he had been Ramsay would have his bride and Reek, which he seemingly does not.

 

[Culhwch]

I'm with Lady here. Stannis being defeated doesn't figure.