The Little Bird: The 3rd POV Original POV Death (Spoilers Extended)

Background

The other day in the Hollywood Reporter interview, GRRM mentioned something that was completely unexpected and is probably the best new information on the series we have gotten since some of the Cushing Library visits or the 2003-2004 Outline or even one of the preview TWoW Chapters, or even ADWD itself. >!Sansa Stark is/was going to die!<. In this post, I thought it would be interesting to look into this a bit.

“I was going to kill more people,” he muses. “Not the ones they killed [in the show]. They made it more of a happy ending. I don’t see a happy ending for Tyrion. His whole arc has been tragic from the first. I was going to have Sansa die, but she’s been so appealing in the show, maybe I’ll let her live …”

If interested: GRRM on His Plans to Kill POV Characters

5 Central Characters

While I will say GRRM saying this was unexpected, I will mention that I have looked into this possibility (Sansa dying) before. While I didn't find much foreshadowing, the one thing I did note was that GRRM originally was only going to have the original 8 POVs, and it was going to be a generational saga about 5 Central Characters (Dany/Jon/Tyrion/Bran/Arya). With Ned/Cat dying this left Sansa, so I thought the idea at least needed to be discussed:

Five central characters will make it through all three volumes, however, growing from children to adults and changing the world and themselves in the process. In a sense, my trilogy is almost a generational saga, telling the life stories of these five characters, three men and two women. The five key players are Tyrion Lannister, Daenerys Targaryen, and three of the children of Winterfell, Arya, Bran, and the bastard Jon Snow. All of them are introduced at some length in the chapters you have to hand.

If interested: 8 Original POVs with 5 Central Characters...

Sansa Character Origination/Loss of Her Wolf

Another point worth mentioning is that not only was Sansa created because the Stark family got along too well:

Arya was one of the first characters created. Sansa came about as a total opposite b/c too many of the Stark family members were getting along and familes aren't like that. Thus, Sansa was created; he ended by saying they have deep issues to work out. -SSM, Kepler & Cody Signings: 9 Nov 2000

but her "disloyalty" to the Starks was originally much more impactful:

Each of the contending families will learn it has a member of dubious loyalty in its midst. Sansa Stark, wed to Joffrey Baratheon, will bear him a son, the heir to the throne, and when the crunch comes she will choose her husband and child over her parents and siblings, a choice she will later bitterly rue. 

which if we remember Bran blames on her losing her wolf:

When the raven came, bearing a letter marked with Father's own seal and written in Sansa's hand, the cruel truth seemed no less incredible. Bran would never forget the look on Robb's face as he stared at their sister's words. "She says Father conspired at treason with the king's brothers," he read. "King Robert is dead, and Mother and I are summoned to the Red Keep to swear fealty to Joffrey. She says we must be loyal, and when she marries Joffrey she will plead with him to spare our lord father's life." His fingers closed into a fist, crushing Sansa's letter between them. "And she says nothing of Arya, nothing, not so much as a word. Damn her! What's wrong with the girl?"
Bran felt all cold inside. "She lost her wolf," he said, weakly, remembering the day when four of his father's guardsmen had returned from the south with Lady's bones. Summer and Grey Wind and Shaggydog had begun to howl before they crossed the drawbridge, in voices drawn and desolate. Beneath the shadow of the First Keep was an ancient lichyard, its headstones spotted with pale lichen, where the old Kings of Winter had laid their faithful servants. It was there they buried Lady, while her brothers stalked between the graves like restless shadows. She had gone south, and only her bones had returned. -AGOT, Bran VI

If interested: The Stark/Snow Children and Warging

Parallels to Lyanna

While both of the Stark girls parallel their aunt Lyanna in different ways (with one of the biggest being the upcoming Tourney of the Brotherhood of the Winged Knights), I never considered that one of them could potentially parallel her in death too. Definitely something worth discussing.

Meant to Say Someone Else

Its very possible GRRM meant to say something else (Daenerys was a good one that was brought up to me). He's a human being and not perfect. He's said things before in interview that likely aren't true. For example reading a couple Asha chapters at conventions.

Foreshadowing?

Maybe someday we will look back at this and think it was very obvious in retrospect (like the Red Wedding) but I am currently struggling to find a ton of foreshadowing for this event (which is probably why it comes as a shock). The biggest potential example I found was in the "death" prophecies given to Arya by the Ghost of High Heart:

"I dreamt a wolf howling in the rain, but no one heard his grief," the dwarf woman was saying. "I dreamt such a clangor I thought my head might burst, drums and horns and pipes and screams, but the saddest sound was the little bells. I dreamt of a maid at a feast with purple serpents in her hair, venom dripping from their fangs. And later I dreamt that maid again, slaying a savage giant in a castle built of snow." She turned her head sharply and smiled through the gloom, right at Arya. "You cannot hide from me, child. Come closer, now." -ASOS, Arya VII

if we combine this with Lyanna Mormont's death in the snow? Maybe.

If interested: A Wedding in Winterfell: Direwolves & Giants

Awkward Attempt at Throwing Off Fans

This also could have been an attempt to throw fans off of something that he said a little too much on. GRRM can't help but talk about TWoW when the writing is going well. So when he said that Sansa was going to die, he added the second bit to "red herring" the reader somewhat.

Character He Didn't Know the How

While I think it is unlikely, it is possible that Sansa was the character he didn't know how:

"There is a character, who I always knew would die, from the moment he [possibly "she", could be either] was introduced he was doomed. But I did not know, how he would die. Since yesterday evening I know. Maybe its Hamburg, I don't know."

Letting Her Live

While GRRM has admitted to letting the influence him in small ways, for instance:

Interviewer: Can you think of instances in seeing these portrayals, the actor’s take that gave you a new perspective?
GRRM: When Osha comes back in the books, it’s possible, I haven’t actually gotten to it yet that she will be influenced by what I’ve seen, that I will write a more interesting character. SSM, Deeper than Swords: 26 Mar 2014 (its around the 56 min mark)

If interested: Osha's Decision: Taking the Raging Wolf to the Isle of Cannibals

If he chooses to let Sansa live for this exact reason:

she’s been so appealing in the show, maybe I’ll let her live …”

would be a major change of pace from other comments he has made about his ending for major characters:

To your questions: (1) Yes, I will be making additions (and subtractions) to the lineup of POV characters in each volume, (2) I know how the series goes from here in broad strokes, but not necessarily all the small details. Yes, I have an end envisioned, but getting from here to there is half the fun.-SSM, Several Questions: 1998

although it is possible he was just musing.

If interested: The Plan for Sansa/Alayne: Outlines & Abandoned Plotlines

GRRM Knows His Every Word is Being Analyzed

He is also rich/famous enough that he knows every single word out of his mouth is being analyzed.

Other Nicknamed Characters

I also wanted to mention that Sansa is among the list of characters (so is Arya) that get unnamed/nickname chapters (Alayne). While I think that the "method to his madness" is more about identity than death, I wanted to bring this up.

If interested: "A Method to His Madness": GRRM's Chapter Naming Convention

TLDR: GRRM mentioned that Sansa was going to die in a recent interview. This is probably one of the biggest potential reveals/spoilers about the series since ADWD was released. When looking back at the series there are some potential reasons as to why he was planning to do so (and it should be mentioned that he is musing/considering not doing so).