I was hoping someone may be able to help me find a fairytale or folktale I heard when I was younger. I had a teacher who would put on folktales while we worked (an art class) and I remember this tale being on one day. I only remember a few bits of it. It was about a princess cursed with a heart of stone and a woodsman who falls in love with her. In the ending he 'takes her burden' and ends up with a hunched back (the weight of her stone heart) and she is freed from her curse.

If this sounds familiar to anyone or anyone knows a better place to looks please let me know, Thank you!

Just good art of Lady Stoneheart. The thumbnail was too obvious, so made self-post with link:

http://yeskhaleesi.tumblr.com/post/36082313285/game-of-thrones-meme-ten-fanmixes-lady

Jon included. Let's assume tWoW is coming out eventually. Bran communing with her long distance doesn't count but I'd be interested in hearing about that too. Sansa is the closest physically but her story is the most far removed from her mother's. None is also an answer. How do you think it will happen?

I'm sorry but I really don't get it..did I miss something in the dialogues.? It just doesn't make sense.. It's cool that they want to help her..but it seems contrary to what they stood for..

Looks like Stannis might be playing the role of Lady Stoneheart in Show Brienne's storyline.

We learned in episode 1 this season what choice Stannis offers his prisoners when he gave Mance the choice to bend the knee or burn to death.

We know from episode 3 that Podrick still feels guilty about being pardoned when the first knight he squired for was executed, even though he was also guilty of eating the stolen ham.

We know from the same episode that Brienne has sworn vengeance upon Stannis, and that for her, nothing is worse than failing to save the ones you love.

We know from episode 5 that Brienne and Podrick are planning to rescue Sansa and help her escape Winterfell and that Stannis and his army are heading to Winterfell from the Wall.

I bet that Brienne and Podrick will assume the role of the Spearwives by sneaking into Ramsay's wedding and helping Sansa and Theon escape Winterfell. But, instead of staying behind in Winterfell like the Spearwives, Brienne and Podrick will accompany Sansa and Theon as they flee north, away from Winterfell.

On the road North, Brienne, Podrick, Sansa, and Theon will all be captured by Stannis and his army. Stannis will give Brienne and Podrick the option to swear allegiance to Stannis in exchange for their freedom. Brienne refuses because she believes Stannis killed Renly, Podrick refuses because he still feels guilt for abandoning the first knight he served.

Brienne and Podrick are then tied up, a la Mance, on top of a pile of wood and sentenced to burn to death. Stannis gives one last Kneel or Burn speech to Brienne, and Brienne is forced to chose between serving a Lord she has sworn to kill and protecting her loyal squire, or refusing Stannis and allowing Podrick to burned alive alongside her.

Brienne shouts out Kneel at the last second, fulfilling her AFFC almost executed plot point. But, with Stannis taking the part of Lady Stoneheart.

I was re-reading A Game of Thrones & was taken aback by this thought from Catelyn. Upon arrival at the Bloody Gate, she reflects on the men lost to the mountain clans on the High Road:

"Sometimes she felt as though her heart had turned to stone;"

A Game of Thrones, Catelyn VI

I had always thought Lady Stoneheart was one of G.R.R.M.'s "seeds" that hadn't flowered in his mind until much later, but could he have been planning for Catelyn's dark resurrection as early as the 1st book?

After that same line Catelyn thinks "six brave men had died to bring her this far, and she could not even find it in her to weep for them. Even their names were fading." Perhaps this is getting at that element of reanimated fire wights where their former self fades away, as Lord Beric described.

Thoughts?

...and if not, do you think that means there won't be any more Jon POV's after he comes back?

This theory is simple.Catelyn clawed at her eyes just like Thistle did when a dying Varamyr tried to warg into her. Clawing at the eyes is a sign of the abomination that is skin changing a fellow human. (at least by a dying or dead skinchanger)

Why was Robb successful when Varamyr had not been? Robb was Catelyn's son. She would be more willing to let him live on inside her than Thistle would have been to let a rapist live on inside her.The reason Catelyn has changed so much is that Lady Stoneheart is not Catelyn's mind in Catelyn's body. It's Robb's mind inside his mother's body.

Why would Robb choose Catelyn and not some strong warrior?Simple. George gives us no end of reminders that dying men call out to their mothers. They don't call out to strong men. They call for their mothers.

Lady Stoneheart is Robb.

Edit: In my haste. I said that it was only Robb's soul in Catelyn's body. It's probably more possible that it is a mixture of both souls.

Edit/Note: Yes. Robb did say "Mother, Grey Wind..." before he died.I believe this is him trying to tell Cat that he felt his direwolf get murdered, not him warging into Grey Wind.

In the Red Wedding Arya chapter, the events are synchronized by the Rains of Castamere. At no point do we get any sense that Grey Wind is still alive at that point.

Grey Wind would have gone berserk and make a lot of noise. Arya hears not, nor senses Grey Wind.

Important Note/Edit: I just discovered that I am not the first to make this connection. For more hot Robb on Cat action, see this post by Grinder on Westeros.org https://asoiaf.westeros.org/index.php?/topic/137283-lady-stoneheart-is-actually-robb-stark/

I noticed that with my Stoneheart Farrah loadout and Vacuum bow it no longer chains the lightning to enemies but it just does the Cupid's arrow perk from Farrah. Is it because the new patch?

This is obviously considering she even has a reaction to it.

Undead Cat has to find out about Jon’s true parentage at some point (I am hoping). Wouldn’t it be interesting if she or her POV chapter is the first reveal to the reader that R+L=J?

Lady Stoneheart was brought to life by Beric Dondarrion, who then passed himself. I don’t have the quote verbatim, but Thoros describes his resurrections of Beric to not be a power of his own, but to be a power of the Lord of Light, using only Thoros as a vessel.

Assuming this is is true, and that this is the nature of the resurrection of Lady Stoneheart, what do y’all think the Lord of Light wants with Lady Stoneheart? How could their goals align? Any other thoughts?

>… but then somehow he was back at Winterfell again, in the godswood looking down upon his father. Lord Eddard seemed much younger this time. His hair was brown, with no hint of grey in it, his head bowed “… let them grow up close as brothers, with only love between them,” he prayed, “and let my lady wife find it in her heart to forgive …”

I just re-read that portion from Bran's vision in ADWD and couldn't help but associate that last line with Catelyn and Jon regarding the latter's truth about his birth and the possibility of Catelyn finding out about it.

Having them meet again, since Catelyn holds Robb's crown and knows about the will that named Jon as successor to the throne, both having been through death and come back as less than what they were but with more harshness and hatred in them (Catelyn specially) would be a good way to lead to a close up of Jon's arc and the reveal of R+L=J.

Maybe Stoneheart can find in herself, in what's left from the woman she was, not exactly to forgive what was done to them but to let it go, to stop clinging to hatred at least for a moment before leaving that world for good and be put out of her torment (probably through Arya).

Much is often made about how Lady Stoneheart (be prepared for a ton of links lol bc I love posting about her) is this murderous revenge zombie who only cares about killing Freys/Lannisters. While true it should also be noted that she long thought Arya to be dead, and is now "hot" on her trail.

Lady Stoneheart's Last Bit of Humanity

Background

Since Arya's escape from the Red Keep, there has been no word of her (by the Stark/Lannisters):

>"Your brother promised me the same. But if truth be told, I would sooner have my daughters back, and leave justice to the gods. Cersei still holds my Sansa, and of Arya there has been no word since the day of Robert's death." -ACOK, Catelyn III

and:

>His brow was damp with sweat. "I saw Sansa at the court, the day Tyrion told me his terms. She looked most beautiful, my lady. Perhaps a, a bit wan. Drawn, as it were."
>
>Sansa, but not Arya. That might mean anything. Arya had always been harder to tame. Perhaps Cersei was reluctant to parade her in open court for fear of what she might say or do. They might have her locked safely out of sight. Or they might have killed her. Catelyn shoved the thought away. "His terms, you said . . . yet Cersei is Queen Regent."-ACOK, Catelyn VI

and:

>"And Arya, well . . . Ned's visitors would oft mistake her for a stableboy if they rode into the yard unannounced. Arya was a trial, it must be said. Half a boy and half a wolf pup. Forbid her anything and it became her heart's desire. She had Ned's long face, and brown hair that always looked as though a bird had been nesting in it. I despaired of ever making a lady of her. She collected scabs as other girls collect dolls, and would say anything that came into her head. I think she must be dead too." When she said that, it felt as though a giant hand were squeezing her chest. "I want them all dead, Brienne. Theon Greyjoy first, then Jaime Lannister and Cersei and the Imp, every one, every one. But my girls . . . my girls will . . ." -ACOK, Catelyn VII

and (foreshadowing the Red Wedding):

>"Nothing will happen to you. Nothing. I could not stand it. They took Ned, and your sweet brothers. Sansa is married, Arya is lost, my father's dead . . . if anything befell you, I would go mad, Robb. You are all I have left. You are all the north has left."
>
>"I am not dead yet, Mother." -ASOS,

So I'm relistening to Feast. This is my first time listening at will and skipping chapters and I stumbled on something. Unrelated really but I was only listening to Jamie and Cerci chapters. Anyways, some things from feast like Davos death is dispelled or irrelevant till later and I just realized someone says stoneheart and the brotherhood have fled into the neck. Are there many theories on what stoneheart is up to in TWOW? I feel like I've missed so much but she has the KoTN crown 8 think

Nissa Nissa

So as just about everyone knows, Daenerys has been called "Mhysa!" by the people she liberated

>"It is Ghiscari, the old pure tongue. It means 'Mother.'" - Missandei to Daenerys

Many think this means Daenerys will be a "Nissa Nissa" and get stabbed in the heart, leading to the creation of Lightbringer or some such.

But I think instead what George did here is give us one piece of another puzzle: revealing that the word Nissa means Mother. This is one piece of the puzzle in a greater one not necessarily equating Daenerys herself with the Azor Ahai/Nissa Nissa story.

So let's look at other potential clues as to where this is going:

Lady Stoneheart: One of her nicknames is Mother Merciless.

>"Some call her that. Some call her other things. The Silent Sister. Mother Merciless. The Hangwoman."

So Lady Stoneheart is literally nicknamed "Mother". So she might be the Nissa Nissa figure.

The Nissa Nissa story also mentions that Azor Ahai stabbed her in her heart.

>Azor Ahai thrust the smoking sword through her living heart. It is said that her cry of anguish and ecstasy left a crack across the face of the moon, but her blood and her soul and her strength and her courage all went into the steel. Such is the tale of the forging of Lightbringer, the Red Sword of Heroes.

Well it's literally in Stoneheart's name: heart.

Another interesting point is that it mentions that her blood and soul and strength and courage all went into the steel.

Her soul going into the steel; well Catelyn was revived by Beric by being given the "last kiss". So we have an example of what could be seen a soul-transfer, so Stoneheart herself could potentially do the same to another. It's a bit tenuous, but another potential piece of the puzzle. Note also that this was done with the "last kiss", which can be figuratively tied to the following:

>'Nissa Nissa,' he said to her, for that was her name, 'bare your breast, and know that I love you best of all that is in this world.'

While Beric was not Catelyn's lover, it wouldn't be surprising that events which may have involved a one character kissing another would be retold as if the two had been lovers.

Let's look for more:

>Perhaps I did not want to be the only one who knew the dark truth of what had happened there, Catelyn thought. "Brienne, I have taken many wellborn ladies into my service over the years, but never one like you. I am no battle commander."
>
>"No, but y

I feel like I’ve seen a number of theories about how Arya’s future storyline will revolve around mercy, shunning vengeance, and laying Lady Stoneheart to rest.

In the show, Arya’s vengefulness is portrayed as badass and admirable, disappointing many book fans.

It seems like D&D wanted Arya to serve the role of Lady Stoneheart, avenging the Red Wedding and murdering all of House Frey.

My question: How do we think this will unfold in the books? Do we have reason to believe Arya will specifically target Walder and his offspring? I don’t recall that in her inner monologue. Will Arya actually lay Stoneheart to rest? It works thematically, but it just seems like Jaime and Brienne will address that sooner than later.

Any textual evidence is appreciated, thanks.