AFFC picture

[Boaz]

In case you were thining all other threads have been locked, except for Freys - Vengeance or Mercy?, I'm here to say there are other discussions. Sort of...

I was looking at my paperback copy of ASOS today. It is the 2003 Bantam mass publication, US version I'm sure, with the metallic blue cover and an inset picture of Hoster Tully's funeral. But on the inside cover is another picture... This one is of the forthcoming AFFC. The picture is very small and in black and white. But I'm trying to place the scene. AGOT had Jon riding. ACOK had Melissandre watch Stannis brood. ASOS was Hoster's funeral.

The picture of AFFC has a knight, actually a person in shining plate mail on a barded horse, at the bank of a stream (river) headed towards a walled city, castle, or fortress. The character, I think it's a man but I'll get to that later, is looking back over his right shoulder. In twisting around, he places his gauntleted right hand at the back of his saddle to support himself. The castle or city is on his right, while over his left shoulder another, smaller castle appears.

Who is this person? What is he doing?

My initial impression is that the character is Jaime. His hair seems blond or perhaps red or light brown... remember the picture is in black and white, so it's hard to tell. The hair is very short... and Jaime was still growing his back. The right hand is not slpayed out as you might expect, the hand seems partially open and partially closed, like a cast metal hand used to grasp objects. Finally, the rider's sword is not on his left, but on his right.

On the other hand (no pun intended), I cannot tell if the rider has a beard or not... probably not.

Another guess might be that this is Brienne. She could appear as a man, if her hair was cut short. She does not appear to have a shield.

Perhaps it is Darkstar or Aerys... or even Lancel.

My last thought is... Does this person and this scenes appear in ADWD? Perhaps it was originally scheduled for AFFC, but was bumped. In this case, likely candidates might be Barristan, Jorah, Darkstar, the Hound, or maybe Lyn Corbray.

Again, my best guess is that the picture is of Ser Jaime observing Riverrun.

And if any of you know where to find a color copy of this picture, I'd love to know.

Any thoughts?

 

[the smiling weirwood]

What do you mean other discussions? Did they move the forum or something?

 

[Boaz]

I was just noting that the Frey thread was the only one receiving any attention over the last two or three days.

Also, in the picture, their is a crest or symbol on the horse's barding... it appears to be a dark colored animal (rampant) or human on a lighter background.

 

[Aegon the Unworthy]

Thats because I cant think of any nitpicky little topic I want hammered out....sorry Boaz I am literally tapped out of ideas. Besides the Frey discussion has devolved into the Dany is a warmonger discussion as of right now (thanks to me of course, I will attempt not to do that again.)

Youre probably right its Jaime at Riverun. For the sword to be on his right that means the bearer is left-handed (as you implied), which is a pretty big clue right there. No one else in the series has even been discussed as being left-handed....I would like it if yer boy Darkstar was because that fits the sneaky profile better. (For the record I am left handed, so please no you hate lefties posts)

no other thoughts on the subject, so I leave you to your thread

 

[Winters_Sorrow]

Sorry Boaz, I haven't actually seen the pictures you're discussing as mine are the UK editions.

My copy of ASoS has a picture of Beric & Sandor dueling on the front cover and two little inserts either side, one of Tyrion and another of a black haired woman in a blue dress who, now I come to think of it, I have no idea who it is. I thought possibly Catelyn but she has reddish hair, doesn't she?

 

[Culhwch]

Sorry Boaz, I haven't actually seen the pictures you're discussing as mine are the UK editions.

My copy of ASoS has a picture of Beric & Sandor dueling on the front cover and two little inserts either side, one of Tyrion and another of a black haired woman in a blue dress who, now I come to think of it, I have no idea who it is. I thought possibly Catelyn but she has reddish hair, doesn't she?

Yeah, I've got that one, too. I always assumed it was Sansa, as she looked quite young, and she was paired with Tyrion, as in the book.

 

[Koopa]

shae perhaps, cause Sansa has red hair as well

 

[the smiling weirwood]

Her hair is auburn. There's a difference.

 

[Koopa]

reddish brown then, is still not black

 

[the smiling weirwood]

No, but it's not red either. Ygritte had red hair. Sansa is not Ygritte.

 

[Werthead]

You mean this picture?

I also like the original UK cover that was dropped when both the US and UK publishers decided to go with the new ones:

It's very tough, but I think that's supposed to be the Titan of Braavos

 

[Koopa]

there is a shadow of a beard there, he is dressed in white and the lannister lion is there as well, the red lion on the yellow, so i am guessing Jaime lannister, and the background Riverrun (the rivers you know)

 

[the smiling weirwood]

I thought it was the Red Keep, there's only one river in the picture.

 

[Werthead]

I think it is King's Landing, Riverrun doesn't have a whole city around its base. Although the picture doesn't really resemble KL as described or shown on the map in A Clash of Kings, I think we can use artistic license as an excuse here.

 

[Boaz]

Werthead, thanks. That's exactly the picture I was looking for. After seeing it I just went looking for more cover art... I had just assumed the pics were the same for all publications. Anyway, Martin has them featured on his website.

http://www.georgerrmartin.com/gallery/song.html

I'll accept King's Landing as an answer. With a White Cloak, a Red Lion on Gold, and blonde hair, I guess the rider is Ser Jaime.

Which leads me to ask... Is he coming or going? In AFFC, Jaime leaves KL, he does not return. In the original plans for AFFC, he might have returned... I suppose we'll have to wait for ADWD to see.

Also, regarding the insert pictures on the UK cover, I assume the one on the right is of Brienne, but who does the left picture depict? A person with black hair dressed in black... Stoneheart, Jon, Sam, Dareon, Arya, Sansa, Asha?

 

[Funky Cthulu]

Werthead, thanks. That's exactly the picture I was looking for. After seeing it I just went looking for more cover art... I had just assumed the pics were the same for all publications. Anyway, Martin has them featured on his website.

http://www.georgerrmartin.com/gallery/song.html

I'll accept King's Landing as an answer. With a White Cloak, a Red Lion on Gold, and blonde hair, I guess the rider is Ser Jaime.

Which leads me to ask... Is he coming or going? In AFFC, Jaime leaves KL, he does not return. In the original plans for AFFC, he might have returned... I suppose we'll have to wait for ADWD to see.

Also, regarding the insert pictures on the UK cover, I assume the one on the right is of Brienne, but who does the left picture depict? A person with black hair dressed in black... Stoneheart, Jon, Sam, Dareon, Arya, Sansa, Asha?

Well, he's not dead white, so I'm presuming not stoneheart. And the figure looks masculine to my eyes...and he is fairly slim, so probably not Sam. It could be Dareon, but to my mind he's not a major character so he doesn't warrant a book cover. And with the raven - I'm thinking Jon. The hat is silly, but the rest fits - the NW uses ravens, and he's in black, so it fits him, broadly. But there's something odd about the neck - maybe its just a collar, but to me it looks like a slash. So a possible hint to it being Stoneheart.

 

[Koopa]

Kings Landing lies at a sea, not a river, also, what u see on the picture is a typical castle. There is the Donjon (if i remember correctly, wich is bassically what most people consider under the name of a castle), and its surrounding lands where the stables and so on are located. Around that a wall.

Castles around just one big stone building, it is bigger then the main building only. it is even said so by GRRM himself that the suurounding farmers came to find shelter within, that is impossible if you consider it to be a stone building on its own.

To me the picture thus clearly shw one castle (Riverrun), a city is much larger, if you consider the numbers wich are stated in the book you muts realize that this cannot be kings landing for it is too small. Or the one who made the picture used a lot of autorical leniency. Also the whole thing is red, whereas in kings landing only the red keep should be red

Never mind what i just wrote, it is indeed the Red keep and thus that is Kings landing, though the river is a bit too small to my opinion, i just now noticed that to the left of the Red keep you see a part of the rest of the city, thus making the size more believable

 

[Culhwch]

Plus, isn't Riverrun triangular in shape? Fitting into the fork of the rivers? In any case, how often is a book cover entirely true to the book it covers. I don't know how many times I've read books and not found the scene depicted on the cover.

 

[Boaz]

Kiwi, Yes, KL is on the sea, but it's located at the mouth of a river called the Blackwater Rush.

The picture is not an aerial view and it's an artist's conception. So there are bound to be discrepancies.

If it is KL, then the castle over Jaime's left shoulder might be Stokeworth. It seems the Stokeworth estates were within a day's journey of KL.

The horizon is unseen, there could be branches of a river or even an ocean that we cannot see.

On the other hand, could Jaime be approaching Castle Darry? Iirc, Castle Darry was in disrepair.

Anyway, we cannot know for certain where Jaime is unless GRRM tells us.

I was just wanting information on the picture.

We can now let this thread die in peace.

 

[Summer]

You mean this picture?