Yes I know. I was being sarcastic bc of a theory about who he is and several on the Season 5 spoilers/books thread saying it was garbage

That theory is garbage.

Can someone refresh my memory about the Howland Reed thing? It's been so damn long since I read the books that I'm starting to forget stuff.

Nice Summary

Howland Reed is the father of jojen and the girl that escorted bran north beyond the wall. Howland is a crannoman and a bannerman of the starks.

Matter of fact he is the only surviving person besides ned stark when they confronted the kingsguard protecting lyanna at the end of roberts rebellion. This is the tower of joy dream flashback in the first book. It ends with lyanna making ned promise and no one knows the deets.


Most people believe it's the birth of jon snow. Lyanna and Rhaegar = Jon.

I take it a step further, there three dragons and three targaryen-dragons in the story. Jon is a dragon, lyanna died birthing him. Dany is a dragon, rhaella died birthing her. And who do we know else had a mother die after a birth?





You guessed it: Frank Stallone. Err Tyrion. Joanna Lannister was a love interest of the mad king Aerys targaryen. Recall cercies description of Tyrions birth, "he clawed his way out of her."

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Can someone refresh my memory about the Howland Reed thing? It's been so damn long since I read the books that I'm starting to forget stuff.

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What's also significant is Howland might be Ned's confidante since he's thought to know the details regarding Ned's secret regarding Jon Snow's origins. Ned couldn't tell Robert because Robert would have had Jon killed, being both a Targ and Robert's dream woman's offspring. This also means that he has a personally loyalty to Ned which makes it likely that Howland will be seeking revenge on behalf of Ned.

It's also known to book readers that Howland and his people are unorthodox fighters, they are crafty and inconspicuous. So it stand to reason that Howland while seeking revenge won't use armies or battles to achieve his ends. He'll blend and go to work dismantling those that a responsible for Ned's death.

GRRM has also confirmed in an interview that Howland Reed has already surfaced in the books in disguise.

This is why many believe that the high sparrow is Howland, he's in the perfect position to inflict vengeance on the Lannisters by using the religious fervor to his advantage.

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GRRM has also confirmed in an interview that Howland Reed has already surfaced in the books in disguise

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link?

I could be wrong, but I don't think he confirmed that. He said we would see Howland Reed in the books, but didn't elaborate.

Other than the High Sparrow, one theory is he is the man with the crooked nose at the Citadel (ADWD? prologue)

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GRRM has also confirmed in an interview that Howland Reed has already surfaced in the books in disguise

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link?

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i tried to find what I did before, but he did say he would appear for sure:

interview from 2001

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Question 3: It had been stated that Howland Reed would come out in The Winds of Winter, which is the 5th book. Will he still come in the 5th book (A Dance with Dragon)?

Answer: He will appear eventually.

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Remember this is before books 4/5, so it's definite that he's either in or about to appear in the books.

Has there been any physical description of the high sparrow? Anything noting that he's an unusually small man? I sure don't remember any.

He's shorter than Cersei and thin, IIRC.

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Nice Summary

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This video has a nice analysis of the high sparrow = howland theory, including physical descriptions.

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Nice Summary

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This video has a nice analysis of the high sparrow = howland theory, including physical descriptions.

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Good video but the conclusions are not very sound. there's a lot of evidence to suggest that HR=HS.

As far as getting the movement started it would be easy to gander all the displaced commoners from the war would have resentment towards the ruling families and especially the king and the lannisters.

Howland Reed=High Sparrow is a theory for crackpots. I would only maybe consider it if Martin has actually said "Howland Reed has already been seen in the book in disguise" under the assumption that at that point SOMEBODY has to be Howland Reed.

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Has there been any physical description of the high sparrow? Anything noting that he's an unusually small man? I sure don't remember any.

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The shoeless bit iirc.

Awesome, thank y'all! I knew he was tied to Ned and the Tower of Joy but couldn't remember the details behind all the theories.

If you want to read further.

http://asoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/topic/117238-high-sparrow-howland-reed-40/

Didn't the Crannogmen fight barefooted in the swamps? Weren't they also stunted as described in the book?

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"He is cleaning the floor." The speaker was shorter than the queen by several inches and as thin as a broom handle. "Work is a form of prayer, most pleasing to the Smith." He stood, scrub brush in hand. "Your Grace. We have been expecting you."

The man's beard was grey and brown and closely trimmed, his hair tied up in a hard knot behind his head. Though his robes were clean, they were frayed and patched as well. He had rolled his sleeves up his elbows as he scrubbed, but below the knees the cloth was soaked and sodden. His face was sharply pointed, with deep-set eyes as brown as mud. His feet are bare, she saw with dismay. They were hideous as well, hard and horny things, thick with callus. "You are His High Holiness?" (Cersei: AFFC)

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The septon had a lean sharp face and a short beard, grizzled grey and brown. His thin hair was pulled back and knotted behind his head, and his feet were bare and black, gnarled and hard as tree roots. (Brienne: AFFC)

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Compare that to Jojen and Meera:

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As the newcomers walked the length of the hall, Bran saw that one was indeed a girl [Meera], though he would never have known it by her dress. She wore lambskin breeches soft with long use, and a sleeveless jerkin armored in bronze scales. Though near Robb's age, she was slim as a boy, with long brown hair knotted behind her head and only the barest suggestion of breasts.

Her brother was several years younger and bore no weapons. All his garb was green, even to the leather of his boots, and when he came closer Bran saw that his eyes were the color of moss, though his teeth looked as white as anyone else's. Both Reeds were slight of build, slender as swords and scarcely taller than Bran himself. (Bran: ACOK)

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What does being barefoot have to do with Howland Reed or crannogmen? I see that referenced many places, but don't remember anything like that from the books.

I would bet the Knight of the Laughing tree was Benjen Stark (the youngest, and probably smallest).

1. He cobbled together different pieces of his brothers' armor and fought for Howland...
2. He is small of stature
3. Jojen is surprised Bran had not been told the Story of the Laughing Tree Knight hundreds of times.
4. He had a booming voice
5. He was skilled enough to defeat 3 lesser knights

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What does being barefoot have to do with Howland Reed or crannogmen? I see that referenced many places, but don't remember anything like that from the books.

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They live in swamps, are poor, are adept at blending into their surroundings and attacking sneakily (silently).

I don't know if you've walked around bogs, swamps, or mud much... but it's exceedingly hard to do so and keep boots / shoes on your feet. It's sort of implied.

So the crannogmen are hobbits?

The Neck (and Greywater Watch) are part of the north, yes? Why would someone from the north, where they worship the old gods, 1) go to all the trouble to learn the inner mysteries of the 7, and 2) lie about all his traveling around the country to perform the duties of a septon?

Howland Reed is said to have never left his home since he returned from Robert's rebellion.

A hole I see in the Howland Reed = High Sparrow theory is that Howland is from the North and doesn't he believe in the old gods? His kids did, right? So wouldn't it make sense that he does too? So why would he suddenly appear as the septon for the faith of the 7?

Only 7 hours late

The hole I see is that Howland Reed was a distinctive man who was at the tourney of Harrenhall with most of these people and apparently created enough of a stir there to have a mystery knight fight for his honor. Then he was with Ned Stark during the rebellion, so most of these older chracters should probably know him. Especially ones currently on the small council that fought directly against Ned at the lifting of the siege of Storm's End. Mace Tyrell, Randyll Tarly, and Paxter Redwyne were all there, all currently on the small council dealing with this high sparrow.

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A hole I see in the Howland Reed = High Sparrow theory is that Howland is from the North and doesn't he believe in the old gods? His kids did, right? So wouldn't it make sense that he does too? So why would he suddenly appear as the septon for the faith of the 7?

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That's certainly the biggest hole in the theory but it is also fairly easily dismissed. It's not like the Faith of the Seven is super complicated to where someone couldn't pass themselves off as a follower. Reed is also spoken of with the KoLT story as someone that knew how to disguise himself and seemed to have a personality very similar to the Septon (quiet and humble but wise). If Reed isn't the HS or is never brought in to the story then why have the Tower of Joy and KoLT and Robb send his bannerman off to Reed? That's an awful lot of loose ends to go nowhere.

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The hole I see is that Howland Reed was a distinctive man who was at the tourney of Harrenhall with most of these people and apparently created enough of a stir there to have a mystery knight fight for his honor. Then he was with Ned Stark during the rebellion, so most of these older chracters should probably know him. Especially ones currently on the small council that fought directly against Ned at the lifting of the siege of Storm's End. Mace Tyrell, Randyll Tarly, and Paxter Redwyne were all there, all currently on the small council dealing with this high sparrow.

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I don't know if I buy that. Mace Tyrell and Paxter Redwyne (it isn't clear if Tarly was there) may have met Reed briefly when Ned lifted the siege but he would have just been one of many bannerman of Ned's and unlikely to have done much to attract attention. It also sounds as if Reed spent most of his time at the Tourney of Harrenhall with the Starks, outside of the scuffle with the squires (none of which were related to Tyrell, Redwyne, or Tarly. It's also 17 years or so later and as mentioned Reed is a master of disguises. It isn't that clear that the HS and the Small Council have spent much time together either.

I have no information on whether Howland Reed is a "master of disguise." At best, I have some supporting info that his people are good at ambush fighting and hunting. To go from "wearing camouflage in the swamp" to "master of disguise capable of pretending to be a traveling septon and force your way into being High Septon" is quite a logical leap.

I'm also led to believe that he sat in his hidey hole in a swamp for 17 years meeting nobody of consequence but when needed he's able to walk out of the swamp and take control of an entire religion that isn't even practiced where he lives? I guess he spent 17 years in his hidey hole studying the common folk. Or maybe he started practicing for his septon disguise for years getting to know the commoners in the south just in case he ever needed to do this...

Directors announced...

"Hardhome" director gets season 6 episodes 9 and 10.....ooooooohhhhhh.

http://www.ew.com/article/2015/06/23/game-thrones-season-6-directors


Also they talk in there about why directors have 2 episodes each...complexity, etc....

but it got me thinking...i'm almost surprised they do not hav a director per location instead. like a Meerreen one, the Wall, Kings Landing, Winterfell/the north, etc....then they control everything about that location and set and story line. Seems like you might have more cosnsitency but also save time in terms of shooting everything for that location at once. There is very little overlap between them, except sometimes actors cross over form one to the other but that can be (and already is) managed. Andthe editors put it all together from various sources and sets already. As it is with multiple locations a director has to go between them or have a 2nd in command he trusts and lots of communication back and forth.

just an idea. seems logical to me.

What I think doesn't get mentioned much, is Howland would HAVE to be a great swordsman, considering the fight both he and Ned survived.

Maybe. All we really know from the fight is this:

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The finest knight I ever saw was Ser Arthur Dayne, who would have killed me but for Howland Reed

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Howland could have intervened in a number of ways that don't involve swordplay. Crannogmen are said to typically use a three pronged spear and net or poison darts.

Considering Arthur Dayne was the greatest swordsman in Westeros at the time and Howland is described as small in stature, I am inclined to believe his intervention didn't include defeating Dayne in a swordfight.

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Considering Arthur Dayne was the greatest swordsman in Westeros at the time and Howland is described as small in stature, I am inclined to believe his intervention didn't include defeating Dayne in a swordfight.

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Maybe Howland pulled a "Ghost vs Halfhand" and bit Dayne on the ankle.