The Ravenry: Week of 11/23/2015

Hello seekers. If you’re an American, I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. If not, well, I still hope you have something to be thankful for,

As you may or may not know, Wars and Politics of Ice and Fire has its own Tumblr page (as well as its own Twitter and Facebook pages).  Even more excitingly,  we here at the blog have partnered with ASOIAF University to answer questions about A Song of Ice and Fire.  We – that is, NFriel and I – take the text-based questions submitted to us, write up thoughtful text-based answers, and publish these answers on the Tumblr.

So every Monday we present to you The Ravenry.  We collect the questions we’ve answered during the previous week over on the Tumblr in post form, with a brief description of each, and publish it here, and link that post on Twitter and Facebook as well. So, if you’ve got a lot of questions about actual or potential marraiges, or you want to see a few theories have their glaring errors exposed to the world, this is the week for you.

Without further ado, here’s The Ravenry for the week of November 23:

• NFriel outlines joining the Kingsguard and the Night’s Watch.
• NFriel clarifies some of Varys’s many lies regarding Aegon.
• NFriel talks about Tyrion’s life before the first novel.
• NFriel goes into the political particulars of a marriage between a lord or lady and a landed knight.
• SomethingLikeALawyer reasons why Bittersteel never claimed the Iron Throne himself.
• SomethingLikeALawyer paints the nasty political picture of King’s Landing following Kevan and Pycelle’s assassination.
• SomethingLikeALawyer acts as vizier for Rhaenyra before the Dance.
• SomethingLikeALawyer doubts any twin of Daenerys will stop the Blackfyre Rebellion.
• SomethingLikeALawyer charts the age of Celia Tully to see how she relates to Hoster.
• SomethingLikeALawyer gives some advice on how to avoid creating the Sparrow movement.
• NFriel demonstrates the Targaryen’s quick adoption of marriage for political purposes.
• NFriel points out that it’s unlikely anyone recognized the danger of Aerys II until he was already king.
• NFriel highlights how much the Tyrells have gained and how unlikely it is for Mace to switch sides.
• NFriel looks at the politics behind Barba Bracken’s ouster from court.
• NFriel clears the air about weirwood as a building material.
• NFriel denies a sexual relationship between Aerys II and Joanna Lannister.
• NFriel acknowledges the dearth of information we have on why Rhaegar picked Lyanna specifically.
• NFriel discusses the politics of the great bastards with regard to the Targaryen last name.
• SomethingLikeALawyer pinpoints Renly’s location during Robert’s Rebellion.
• SomethingLikeALawyer explains why the Vale would support Daeron II over Daemon.
• SomethingLikeALawyer expounds on the awesome that was Baelor Breakspear.
• NFriel states that while no one can force a woman to marry, her liege can make her life hell if she says no.
• SomethingLikeALawyer shows how three different kings were ill-prepared to rule.
• NFriel speculates on Sybelle Spicer’s motivations with Jeyne and a wounded Robb Stark.
• SomethingLikeALawyer defines the term whoremonger.
• SomethingLikeALawyer shoots the Others are reacting to a breach by humans theory full of holes.
• SomethingLikeALawyer denies that Robert’s acknowledgement has anything to do with Joffrey’s validity.
• SomethingLikeALawyer believes that Jon’s intent wasn’t bad, but his actions cost him his allies.
• SomethingLikeALawyer wonders about Rhaenys’s own succession.
• SomethingLikeALawyer elaborates on Westerosi funerary customs.
• SomethingLikeALawyer uses GRRM to show where Rhaegar’s body is.
• SomethingLikeALawyer follows up the Rhaegar body question to say that Rhaegar is dead and not coming back.
• SomethingLikeALawyer goes into bastard prejudice in Westeros.
• NFriel answers whether Stannis or Renly would have rebelled if Robert had legitimate issue.
• SomethingLikeALawyer doesn’t think Rhaegar was looking to restore polygamy.
• NFriel indicates the lack of evidence for Bloodraven manipulating Euron to get the dragons near enough to Bran to control.
• NFriel speaks on last names for married women in Westeros.
• SomethingLikeALawyer dons his siege engineer hat once again to take out the Dreadfort, Twins, and the Hightower.
• NFriel elucidates on nameless heroes and smallfolk having an effect on Westerosi history, and extrapolates that to dragonslaying.
• NFriel shares further thoughts on kingsblood.
• SomethingLikeALawyer guesses that the Jon that returns to the novels will be extraordinarily changed, and who might die in the final battle.
• SomethingLikeALawyer shines an optimistic light on Westeros with the survival of Baelor Breakspear.
• SomethingLikeALawyer gives a brief overview on a common theory.
• SomethingLikeALawyer thinks on the position of Hand.
• SomethingLikeALawyer advises Doran and Renly on their plots.
• NFriel plays matchmaker for Aegon V using Vaella for his political schemes as well as his sons.
• SomethingLikeALawyer reasons out Lyonel’s rebellion in the context of feudalism.
• NFriel unravels the sticky mess that was Aegon V’s children, their betrothals, and Aegon’s own marriage.

As always, we love to hear your text-based questions, so if you have a burning question about ASOIAF, click this link to send us a raven. The more specific the question, the better text-based answer we can write, although we do our best to answer them all.

Until next week

SomethingLikeALawyer, Hand of the King