Magic of A Song of Ice & Fire.

This post will examine the various forms of magic we have so far encountered in the world of A Song of Ice & Fire. Many of us have noticed that there seems to be largely a sort of classical elementary aspect to the magic involved. As well as some less common types. The Red Priests clearly use Fire they seek visions in its flames and learn a healing magic that uses fire. The Children of the Forest bought up the hammer of the waters to break the neck, using some form of water magic and we know from the world book that the Rhoynish had very powerful water magic indeed.

Here I will attempt to categorise the known magic into the elements. I suspect we will have a fifth element, a mystery wildcard one if you will.

EARTH
I've long had a sneaky feeling about the elemental magic idea but have struggled to find any "earth" magic, but it occurred to me the trees themselves are the earth magic.

• Jojen swallows mud and gets a fever which leaves him with green dreams. 
• Trees are of course connected to the earth, they grow out of it and take their nourishment from it.and the weirwoods enable the greenseers to see, Bran has to physically be in connection to a tree to see through its eyes and he has to consume the sap and its seed. Blood Raven is physically entwined with the tree. 
• It is said some crannog men can breathe mud.
• Shade of the evening trees provides a hallucinogenic drink which grants people prophetic dreams.

AIR
There hasn't seemingly been much air magic yet in world, but I think we have seen some.

• Alys Rivers in the princes and the queen sees visions in Storm clouds; amongst other things but we will come back to her later. 
• In the world book we are told that it was said the children of the forest could call upon the air to fight on their behalf.
• Aeromancers, whatever these are. A form of magic practised still in Asshai and mentioned in the world book this certainly sounds like Air magic.

Fire
Of course, we all know that the Red Priests use fire. This seems to be one of the most obvious sources of elemental magic in the series. But I don't think the power comes from a God called R'hllor. I think rather that the religion uses people with magical ability to promote their cult and that they focus these magic users energies upon the fire aspect of in world magic to that end.

• Healing, Mirri Maz Duur tells Dany there is great healing power in Fire Magic, though she doesn't demonstrate it to Dany, she seems to imply she knows how to do it. 
• Moqorro does heal Victarion's arm using Fire magic and he sings in an undulating voice whilst doing it.
• Daenerys survives the Pyre, and some theories say she does this because Mirri Maz Duur is casting a protection spell, a spell to protect from the effects of the pyre, She is singing in a high undulating voice. Much like Moqorro healing Victarion's arm. 
• Mirri Maz Duur casts a powder into the fire which sends people running in fear from the tent. the powder is seemingly activated by the fire, Mel later tells us in her POV chapter that red priests use such powders. We see Bennero seeming to use one to cast Valyrian glyphs into the air in Volantis. And in The Sons of the Dragon, the Hightowers turn the beacon flame atop the hightower green, we are not told how this is achieved but it is worth noting that green is one of the colours Mellisandre mentions the powders can turn fire. This isn't wildfire or else the whole tower would be burnt to the ground in minutes. 
• Of course, the Red Priests use flames to see visions. 
• Alys Rivers again uses cook fires to see much and more according to Aemond Targaryen 
• Thoros brings Beric back to life with a special prayer (or spell) and breaths a flame into him, which rouses him to life
• Beric (not a red priest) simply breathes this flame into the lifeless body of Catelyn Stark, she rises and he dies, implying it is the fire itself doing the work, not the act of the priest (ie not through a god) or the words of the spell/prayer, though sure enough the prayer or spell would be necessary to create this very special flame? We know from a recent interview with GRRM that the reanimated Fire Wights are dead, no blood pumps round their bodies they do not breath etc.
• Dragons certainly seem to be magical and are undoubtedly connected to fire, they are described as fire made flesh in fact.
• Mel burns the eagle out of the sky.
• In Asshai there are Pyromancers listed, separately to Red Priests.
• Wildfire; a magically created substance produced by alchemists. 

Water
Water magic is another which we haven't seen as much of in the story so far, but it is there. in both the main series and in the world book, oh and again in Alys, gosh she must have been a rare lass.

• The hammer of the waters, the children of the forest apparently called up the sea itself in order to smash the arm of Dorne and halt the passage on the first men. 
• The neck, again they children called upon the water element to sever the north, it did not fully work. 
• The crannog men, apparently have the ability to run on water.
• The Rhoynish we learn in the world book could magically manipulate the waters of the Rhoyne to fight the Valyrians. They seemingly had great powerful water magic. 
• The crannog men have a castle/castles which float about and disappear on the waters of the neck
• The great silver sea which existed where there is now the great grass sea was home to the fisher Queens whose palace floated continually about the shoreline of the huge lake. 
• Alys again see's stuff in puddles, so that adds water to her list

Other magics
There are of course various other non-elemental magic's in the world of ice and fire, we have

Blood/shadow magic

• There are Bloodmaeges in Asshai, and Mirri Maz Duur tells Dany that what she is going to use magic to raise Drogo which she learnt from a bloodmaege. She cuts the horse with an ancient looking glyph covered beaten copper blade and scares everyone out of the tent with the fire activated powder, she kills the stallion, but we know Rhaego dies as well, we do not know for certain if he dies directly due to the acts of Mirri Maz Duur. Or if just like the other Targaryen stunted deformed babies he simply died during her labour.
• Obviously, as I mentioned Bloodmaeges exist, they seem to be experts in blood magic.
• Valyrians seem to have used a combination of fire magic and blood magic, the Targaryens used this as their house words once they passed from a Valyrian family to being a Westerosi house.
• The Dragon Binding horn seems to be a combination of fire and blood magic as so far it has killed the mortal men who have blown it by burning the blowers inside/lungs out. We are still unclear as to if and how this horn actually works. Though I suspect one needs a Fire Wight to blow it for you. 
• One of the first introductions to Magic we witness in the series is the blood magic Mirri Maz Duur preforms to raise Drogo she uses shadows too, maybe she was using two forms of magic to raise him, maybe the shadows were a separate spell? We know that she is not adverse to grandiose displays of power. Maybe Mirri Maz Duur conjured the shadows via the sperm of the Dothraki who raped her?As we know Mellisandre needs sperm to conjure her shadow babies. Or are they really the dead as she seems to tell Dany, either way, it seems the raising of Drogo may involve both fire, blood, and shadow. We are told of the powder which causes fear. She sings in an Ululating voice. Quite a lot of the magic in world seem to involve singing, shadows are seen dancing in the tent. Some do not seem human, so obviously some do, one is a great wolf (Which brings the Starks to mind, though I'm not sure there is a connection) and a burning man, no sigil is a burning man as far as I know. The shadows dance around the bloody bath and we are told several times that there is fire during this chapter, which all contributes to a sense of rising mania, fire, singing which sounds inhuman, shadows dancing, blood everywhere, and fighting outside. Dany's labour pains are described in violent language and she dreads being taken into the tent and due to the fear powder and Mirri's warning which leads her to accept the story that Mirri was responsible for killing her baby. 
• Shadow babies; it seems that Melisandre who travelled to Asshai and learnt shadow binding there learnt this skill through that training and not via R'hllor. When Stannis is going to fight Renly she has sex with him, and using his sperm draws his life force from him and gestates a shadow, which she births and which assassinates Renly for him, She repeats this magic to kill Cortney Penrose at Storms end. 
• Shadow binders are a group of magic practitioners in Ashai, of all those listed as practising in Asshai it feels as though these are most associated with the city. Quaithe is a Shadow Binder, she wears the red lacquered mask which distinguishes her as one, Mirri Maz Duur and Melisandre are not shadow Binders but both have learnt and can utilise the magic of shadows. Quaithe also seems to use the glass candles which were of Valyrian origin, as can archmaester Marwyn. Who we know taught Mirri Maz Duur and has been to Asshai himself. 
• Glass candles; no one knows what makes these work but I have included them here as they are a Valyrian artefact, maybe the candles use blood magic to work, or shadow magic perhaps? I look forward to working that out in future.
• Maybe shadow magic is related to blood magic? it seems the shadows Melisandre births are created using Stannis's life force through his semen, when Dany has her house of the undying vision she see's a king with no shadow, which we widely interpret as being Stannis after Mel has taken his life force to create the assassins, she tells Jon he would give her great strong powerful ingredients with which to make magic, (sorry I was avoiding using any language which made it sound like she thinks Jon has super spunk.) Maybe shadow magic isn't to do with blood magic maybe it is to do with the black stone? Maybe the black stone is a separate kind of magic altogether, maybe the black stone is the moon which shattered releasing the Dragons into the world? I first wrote this post in 2014 just after the release of the world of ice and fire and whilst I have edited it before posting it here, this was indeed my thoughts regarding the black oily stone in 2014. Having since then listened to Lucifer Means Lightbringer's podcasts. I can say I am absolutely in agreement with him in this matter and would be very surprised indeed if it is not the second moons fragmented remnants. 

Skinchanging/Wargs
So these are of course associated primarily with the first men, and we, of course, meet several in the books.

• We first meet the Starks, who once they receive the Direwolf pups begin to form a bond with them each child seems to influence their pup to be like themselves and each wolf we know becomes part of the warg too.We meet the starks and find this animal is their house sigil, and that the kings and lords in their crypt are depicted with a Direwolf at their feet. Were Starks historically wargs? have they always had the ability, with the Direwolf itself being needed to awaken the ability? could Starks have connected to other animals too, were Lyanna and Brandon really half a horse themselves? A couple of Centaurs? were they Skinchanging their horses? All valid questions. I have come to think that when a person has the ability to skinchange they need first to bond with an animal. We learn that Dogs are easiest and that a skinchanger who slips a wolf is known as a Warg. With this in mind, I think it plausible that yes Starks historically have always carried the ability and whilst not certain Lyanna & Brandon may have had a skinchanger relationship with their horses.
• We quickly find out the Starks are not alone in their ability when we meet Orrel a Wildling who skinchanges an eagle and Varamyr six skins who has various different animals, and through whom we learn a warg goes into his familiar after death, Hagon who we do not meet but who taught Varymyr the rules of skinchanging and lived on in his old one-eyed wolf, and lastly so far Borraq, with his great boar.
• We also learn from the Wildlings that Skinchangers are more frequent north of the wall, where the first men blood is strong, or is it just where magic is still strong? is the wall really made of that black stone? and just coated in ice? This is my own theory. The Black stone seems to exude magic and would explain why Mellisandre feels her magic is so strong at the wall. 
• Children of the forest were said to be able to call beasts to fight for them, and this hints that they were indeed skinchangers
• In Asshai, again, we hear of shapechangers which is likely another name for Skinchangers.
• Bran, of course, begins using Ravens once he meets Blood Raven, and can slip Hodor, whom he knows well and has a good bond with and who also does not have the same mental barriers against being occupied as other people.
• Bloodraven obviously slips into Raven's and being as he is a Blackwood descendent from Raven tree hall, it seems probable or possible at least that Blackwood blood leans towards Ravens as their natural familiar, but likewise, Bloodraven seems to have used many animals to slip over his years. Whatever there seems a strong indication that the Blackwoods are a family with some magical ability. Personally, I strongly suspect Alys Rivers to be a Blackwood bastard. 
• Arya, of course, slips a cat, whom she has been around a lot, which I think shows a bond is needed in order to inhabit an animal the first time. 
• Sansa seems to be headed towards slipping a bird and may have already at the Eyrie when she "see's" Marillion in the sky cell. My own feelings regarding Sansa are that she will eventually skinchange a Merlin. She chose a Merlin when hawking with the Tyrells in Kings Landing, and the Merlin is Europes smallest Bird of Prey; making it a "little bird". I think she also came close with the Old Dog at the Fingers. Miscellaneous and vague references

There are of course a few other mysteries which I can't seem to pin down.

• Alchemists, there is a guild of alchemists, who make Wildfire, which seems to be a fire magic, but created fire, not natural fire from which magic is sourced. It is green and can be made using spells. It is easier to make once magic begins to wax back into the world. 
• Powders, these are created somewhere by someone, I feel it is alchemy. Mellisandre mentions various powders, Mirri Maz Duur uses one which she mentions and it seems so does Benerro the firework-like floating glyphs Tyrion witnesses in Volantis and in The Sons of the Dragon the Hightowers seem to use one to light the beacon green to call their banners. House Hightower, of course, does have a repeated magic user rumour in various members being named witches and sorcerers. 
• Black-alchemists, well I'd imagine these are just alchemists who practice more dark arts.
• Warlocks, Hedge Wizards & Maeges, Sorcerers and sorceresses, I suspect these are just various names allocated to unaffiliated magic users. I have not included Woods Witches here as I have an essay dedicated entirely to them. Please do read it the link can be found on the right-hand side of this page.
• Moonsingers, these are a separate group with religious leanings. they obviously use singing, and as I mentioned various times when magic is spoken about singing has been involved. Moonsingers are from Jogos Nhai and they seem to have the ability to see/prophecies etc. 
• Dragon Dreams & Green Dreams. Various characters have prophetic dreams, the Targaryens call them Dragon Dreams and we meet several Targaryens who have them, they are clearly magical prophetic phenomena but strikingly the Greendreams of the Children of the Forrest and some First Men are much the same in nature! Though we have no evidence that Valyrians are related to the Children. Jaime has one despite never having had one before or since due to sleeping with his head on a Weirwood stump and so I think it quite acceptable to categorise his dream as an earth magic dream, and yes the children could be categorised as dreaming with an earth magic Green as a descriptor for the dreams certainly alludes to this. But the Targaryens; their magic stems from Fire & Blood. So how have they acquired the ability? Fascinating. I've included the dreams here because they do seem to defy a category given this fact.
• The last magic I will include here is the face wearing of the Faceless men. This on one level appears to be Blood Magic. The Kindly man slits Arya's forehead before applying the skin of a flayed face. This not only gives Arya the seamless appearance of the person whose face she is wearing but also allows her access to that person's memories, and thought patterns, personality even. I have a loose theory that the Bolton's flaying habit may stem from this form of magic. But I will save that mad theory for another post. 

Having looked at the various magic's, it seems that the religions formed around them are just man-made ideas, seeing as various non-religious people have wielded the magic's, and how many of them seem to be used by more than one religion in the world. And by some people or groups not affiliated with a god at all.
I'm sure I've missed some magic acts and practices. But certainly, my aim here was to pull together what we do know and try to see if it can be connected at all. Also as a resource trying to understand the use of magic and the cultures surrounding them.

A Squire at the Tower of Joy.

This is one of the first theories I came up with after reading the main series of books. And I'll be the first to admit that this theory is a little crackpot!

However, equally the idea that of the six companions who went with Prince Rhaegar into the Riverlands; none of them took a squire. Is a bit odd if you stop to consider it?

We know that Prince Rhaegar had more than one squire during his time. Two are named; Myles Mooton & Richard Lonmouth. Who were both likely to be amongst those six most trusted companions? But we don't know who his squire was at the time of setting out on that fateful journey.

I am now going to propose a candidate for this squire who therefore would have been present at the Tower of Joy, would know the truth of Jon's parentage, and if there was a marriage between Rhaegar & Lyanna.

The thing which led me to this theory was the bizarre dialogue in the Arrianne chapter where Myrcella loses her ear. It set me to thinking about Gerold Dayne and why he said all that odd stuff! I never set out to prove there was a squire at the tower of Joy. But that was where this dialogue led me.

The first thing I did was look up his age, we are given late twenties by GRRM and the Wiki has his birth at between 270 and 274 making him between 9 and 13 at the time of Roberts Rebellion. Which is the perfect age for him to be a squire. I looked up his age in order to ascertain who he may have known growing up and what life stage he would have been at during significant points in the backstory. This was how I realised he would have been of squiring age during the rebellion; I was intrigued!

In fact, he is one of the few known characters who would have been at the right age to be a Squire at the time. The end of the rebellion took place in 283 and there are many in book references to boys squiring at his age. Prince Doran says he went to Squire at age 9, the Frey boys who Squire for Ramsay Snow after the sack of Winterfell are 8, Edric Dayne is 12 when we meet him in A Storm Of Swords and has been squire to Ser Beric for a few years at least, as the Brotherhood Without Banners have been in the riverlands at least a year and he was already Squire to Beric prior to them setting out at Neds behest in A Game Of Thrones. 

Another thing to note about Gerold Dayne is that he is described as the most dangerous man in Dorne, but why? He is a good swordsman but is he really so amazing to be granted such a title?

Many people have proposed that it is who he is which makes him so dangerous, with some rather far-fetched secret identity theories having been put forward. All of which fall flat under scrutiny. So I decided it must be not who he is which is dangerous but something he knows. I asked myself what he might know which would pose a danger?

If he was present at the Tower of Joy, perhaps even at Rhaegar & Lyanna's wedding, then this knowledge would be a threat to Prince Doran's plan to wed his child to the Targaryen heir, thus avenging Elia through taking the throne from the Baratheon-Lannister dynasty.

Should a new heir come to light then this would destroy his careful plans. He initially plans to wed Arianne to Viserys. But once Viserys dies he decides to back Danaerys and wed his son Quentyn to her instead. But the plan is the same, marry his child to the Targaryen heir and take the Iron Throne.

So should the son of the woman who Rhaegar eloped with come to light as the true heir his plan is not so perfect. He's not going to be so keen on placing her son on the Iron Throne. So it is in his interests to keep Jon's existence a secret. Even if Elia was onboard with the second marriage as some suspect, I doubt her brother would be keen on crowning that other woman's son given Elia died due to events set in motion by this second marriage.

Ned Stark kills no children; this gives us an answer as to how a squire survived the wer of Joy, we know Ned and Howland were not the only survivors as Ned recalls that "they" found him. This is largely taken to mean servants who would be present, but a Squire could feasibly be included in that number. We know from Jaime taking a squire into the Riverlands that the Kings Guard do at times have Squires. So they themselves too are a Reason why a squire might be there.

I said earlier that I looked at the dialogue in Arrianne's chapter and one thing which is inescapable is how bitter Darkstar is. I decided to try to work out why he is so full of resentment. If Darkstar was there and Ned spared him I believe he would have returned him to the main branch of his family with a vow never to speak of Lyanna's child The Martells would surely wish to speak with this boy who was privy to the events at the conclusion to the rebellion, and so Oberyn or even Doran might show up to speak to him, again swearing him to secrecy, perhaps even using less pleasant tactics, threats lies, manipulation. This could be the Venom Gerold says he was weaned on. And the answer to why he is so bitter.

When Gared speaks with pride about his own namesake, Darkstar gives a scathing speech about namesakes. I concluded that Perhaps Darkstar is not so keen upon his own namesake, who is assumed to have been Gerold Hightower. If he were a Squire to one of the Kings Guard or Rhaegars squire - left behind at the tower, he would have spent time with Hightower so maybe he didn't like what he saw? During his speech, Darkstar says of his assumed name at least it is my own as if he feels a desire to distance himself from his given name and that it is not a name he wishes to bare. He points out in their exchange that the Gared of history was no hero, but in fact led many to their deaths, so not someone to be truly proud to share a name with. In spite of what the songs and stories may infer.

I think GRRM is telling us with this story that Gerold Dayne does not wish to bear the name of Gerold Hightower because he was not the man history tells us he was, that he too needlessly led his men to their deaths. If he was there and saw how pointless the fight was and that Hightower led Arthur & Oswald to their deaths for a lost cause; the war was lost the Targaryens destroyed. He would feel that refusing Ned access to his sister because of Jon was a pointless last stand. They could not have hoped to win the war was lost, the Targaryen forces smashed, Kings Landing taken, and the rest of the royal family fled to Dragonstone.

Arrianne thinks of him as a good swordsman and implies he is unpredictable and not easy to read. Which implies to the reader that he plays his hand close to his chest. This tells us that he is a very good swordsman, which might mean he trained with someone who was also an excellent swordsman such as Arthur Dayne. Or that he has had a strong impetus to become the best fighter he can be, such as living a life under threat. His unpredictability and secretiveness also imply a need to keep himself safe.

Darkstar does not drink the wine and instead drinks unsweetened lemon water this has the effect of imprinting his bitter persona in the reader's mind. But also shows us that he does not want his mind clouded by wine, either because he had already planned to take his moment to attack Myrcella, or that it is his custom from always feeling threatened by the Martell brothers. Doran says later that Oberyn should have dealt with him years ago, maybe Darkstar was always aware that one day The Viper may come for him?

And so to the talk of venom & Vipers, what has oft been taken as an indicator he is the son of Oberyn; I think implies a life of threat.

"Watch where you put your feet," "It has been a while since prince Oberyn milked the local vipers"
"I was weaned on Venom Dalt, any Viper takes a bite of me will rue it."
He was weaned on venom ie: he endured prince Oberyn's venom from a young age when the Martell Princes began their campaign to keep him quiet, not that he was ever going to speak of the ToJ, and this is why he is so angry, he proclaims any Viper takes a bite of him will rue it. That sounds like a threat to me, he's grown up now he's a man, not a boy and he has honed his swordsmanship and won't be pushed around anymore if they come for him now they'll regret it.

Look at how similar that wording is to Doran's speech to Arianne about his and Oberyn's symbiotic rulership style.
Is Gerold so unafraid because the Viper is dead and he thinks the grass benign?

"I am not blind, nor deaf. I know you all believe me weak, frightened, feeble. Your father knew me better. Oberyn was ever the viper. Deadly, dangerous, unpredictable. No man dared tread on him. I was the grass. Pleasant, complaisant, sweet-smelling, swaying with every breeze. Who fears to walk upon the grass? But it is the grass that hides the viper from his enemies and shelters him until he strikes."

Here we are literally being told that Oberyn is the Viper, the two turns of phrase are too similar to be coincidental in my opinion.

Dalt tells Gerold to be wary of stepping on a viper and Doran says Oberyn was the Viper that no man dared tread on, Gerold says he is not afraid of the viper, that he was weaned upon its venom. And that if the viper bites him it will rue the day.

If we take it that Oberyn is the Viper being discussed and I think given Doran's later proclamation that Oberyn should have killed Darkstar long ago taken alongside these two dialogues that we ought to. Then it makes sense that there has been an ongoing hostile relationship between the three men.

Doran then calls Gerold the most dangerous man in Dorne. It could be because he knows how Myrcella was injured, or it could be because of whatever this ongoing hostility between the Martells and Ser Gerold is? I find the fact that so much of this chapter is given over to seemingly obscure conversations between Darkstar and the other members of the party very compelling towards the idea that he is significant in some way. That these odd snippets of conversation are significant.

Gerold seems jealous of Arthurs reputation when Marcella refers to him on their introduction. In retort to being told Arthur was a great knight, He says that Arthur had a great sword, that his house goes back tens of thousands of years yet all anyone remembers is his cousin.

Gerold if he was this proposed squire would know how good Arthur was and have seen him die. Did Arthur die without Dawn in his hand. Is this why Gerold thinks it was the sword not the man who was great?

He certainly seems disillusioned with the fable of Arthurs prowess. In keeping with a child who thought for sure his cousin would win the fight but instead saw him loose.

It would seem he is determined to have war, he urges Arianne to kill Myrcella not crown her as a surer route and mentions the suggestion again in jest when the sun begins to come up, then when it seems Doran has discovered the plot and the plan is lost he seeks to secure war by attempting to kill the princess. I propose that he wants war with House Lannister as revenge for Ned Stark, the man who spared his life all those years ago?

Later Prince Doran finally brings Arianne out of the tower and they talk, she asks if they have cought Ser Gerold. Doran replies.

"would that we had, you were a fool to make him part of this.Darkstar is the most dangerous man in Dorne. You and he have done us all great harm."

Doran is berating Arianne, and says Darkstar is the most dangerous man in Dorne, I believe because of what he knows. not because of what he just did to Myrcella. though his actions could indeed be deadly for Dorne; we know they are not as militarily strong as the realm believes and all out war could crush them.

As I said at the beginning this is not the strongest theory but for me, the weird dialogue has to mean something. Darkstar as a character is one of very few who would be the right age to be squiring at the time of the rebellion, it would be most strange for there to have been no squires at the Tower of Joy, and he is related to one of the KG so had the connections to be given such an auspicious position as squire to Prince Rhaegar or indeed to his cousin himself.