About Skagos

R

Raul

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Jul 8, 2007
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GRRM managed to keep it one of the most mysterious places in all Westeros.
What to we know about it? that they are cannibals and that they have some connections with Wall and Watch (there was chance that one of Skagossons was 4th commander of the Watch, same commander who became later Night King, if to believe old Nan's stories and when Jon returned to Castle Black and told about Magnar then Noye thought he is speaking about ruler of Skagos).
Geopolitically it belongs to Stark territory, but nobody never mention them, never invites them to Winterfell or tries to push them to some of those wars. So, seems cannibalism is perfect way to keep independance :D Nobody wants a cannibal as a vassal or guest. Feeding problems i guess...Still seems they are more Westerosi than wildlings, because in the other way, they would never been taken to ranks of the Watch, also no mentions they ever attack northlands. So thanks to their reputations they are most independant nation in all Westeros...
So Osha made wise decision to hide with Rickon amongst them? Only explanation can be that evil is not so black as painted. She must have been certain somehow that neither she, Rickon and Shaggydog will not end up in some gigantic kettle...
So I do not know how about you guys, but my expectations about Skagos are very high.
 
You make some really good points, Raul. Very little is known about Skaagos by the readers, and what is revealed seems to be mostly the stuff of legend. Much of what is "known" about the land north of the Wall and of the Wildlings in general is myth or misperception as well...we only know the truth because of multiple POVs that take place in that land and amongst those people. I expect that Osha knows more of Skaagos as a freefolk than any living person in Westeros (with the possible exception of a certain recently departed, very old Maester). Once Davos gets where he's going, I am very curious to see what we learn.

Also I agree that "evil is not so black as painted"...or at the very least, that any evil that exists there is no more or less evil than the great depths of evil we've already encountered everywhere else in Westeros and Essos. It's human nature to fear what we don't know, and to come to accept heinous crimes as "normal" when it happens around you every day. As they say, the Devil we know is better than the Devil we don't. I expect that Skaagos is NOT made up of cannibals, but people who are more or less like every other ethnic and social group we've met in the world of ASOIAF to date.
 
i'd agree with juleska - i doubt the skaagosi are actually cannibals. And that this particular rumour/legend was part of an anti Skaagos propaganda a King of Winter used to rile his people up enough to conquer them. And since, these mysterious people have seen little reason to correct the misconception that leaves them for all intents independent.
 
As far as the Night's King, if Old Nan says that he was a Stark named Brandon, then I would go with that. The possibility of him being a Skagosi also comes from Old Nan, but she says that common people think he might have been a Skagosi, but he was really a Stark.

I would throw out there that the Skagosi could very well be descended from or related to the Starks. The only mentioned ruling house is House Magnar which means "King" in the Old Tongue. It could be that they are a branch of the house of the Old King of the North, like the Karstarks or Greystarks.
 
lol, i'm getting a totally random and completely wrong Gondor/Rivan kingdom-vibe at the moment.
 
I think what we'll find is that they are pretty serious about the old gods and the old ways. I think this because of the way they are mentioned, such as by Roose Bolton who says that they keep the Night Rite, and by how long they have been there (ie people think the 4th LC might have been one... that predates the Targaryens by thousands of years).

Also, there's the whole thing where they rebelled in recent times (100 years before the story) and a Stark took an army there and subdued them. The Stark died, but still won, and in victory apparently just reaffirmed that they are vassals (as opposed to slaughtering them, or establish a colony or something).

My best guess on this is that we'll find that they are fairly regular northerners that keep to the old ways without any of the genteel influences that come from the south and the faith of the seven. I'm thinking "old ways" like what Bran has seen in his dreams with human sacrifices to heart trees.
 
Thank you Tywin! that really makes some sense. Do you remeber which book was mentioned that rebellion and conflict with Starks army? seems I missed it...
 
i think Jon mentioned it to Stannis.i need a reread of adwd though, it's all fuzzy
 
Tywin said:
My best guess on this is that we'll find that they are fairly regular northerners that keep to the old ways without any of the genteel influences that come from the south and the faith of the seven. I'm thinking "old ways" like what Bran has seen in his dreams with human sacrifices to heart trees.
Click to expand...
Which Jon has also seen when they visited the freefolk village of Whitetree. That would also lend credence to the cannibal mythology.
 
Ah, jeez, where the heck did they mention the war? I've been operating off of the westeros.org wiki here. That being said, we just had a long discussion thread recently about the set of visions that Bran has through the weirwoods, and it kind of hits on this:

Bran sees a pregnant woman emerging from the pool by the heart tree and asking for a son to bring vengeance. She is supposedly one of the "She Wolves" that are going to feature in an upcoming novella by GRRM in the Dunk and Egg series. What we know of the "She Wolves" is that they exist around the time of Dunk and Egg, and that all the male Stark's have been killed.

Putting two and two together here I think that the Skags rebel, the Starks put down the rebellion, but the Warden of the North and/or his male heir are killed, and then the She Wolves bring bloody vengeance for the Starks.

The She-Wolves of Winterfell - A Wiki of Ice and Fire
 
so true! "brown haired slender girl kissing young knight as tall as Hodor" this can be only Duncan the Tall :)
 
I just read the Hedge Knight last night, and agree that it's Dunk. Now that I've read it though, I question whether the girl is Old Nan. Dunk's female interest was a tall slim Dornish girl.

But wait... she was a puppeteer and storyteller... hmm, let me do some research.
 
Egg said he wanted to see the Wall in one of the Hedge Knight stories, so maybe Dunk is yet to get there.
 
Well, I've only just read the Hedge Knight, so I'm going to actually bow out of further research down this path because I don't want spoilers for the other two dunk & egg stories (like specifically if he finds that Dornish girl again).
 
Tywin said:
I just read the Hedge Knight last night, and agree that it's Dunk. Now that I've read it though, I question whether the girl is Old Nan. Dunk's female interest was a tall slim Dornish girl.

But wait... she was a puppeteer and storyteller... hmm, let me do some research.
Click to expand...

kind of off topic but I think if the tall knight is Dunc (and it probably is) doesn't that suggest that the woman kissing him would be a stark? it's hinted that Bran is glimpsing images of his ancestors. First he sees his father, then his aunt and uncle, then other visions of people that (I assume) have stark blood.

Just a thought
 
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