The Seven Deaths of the Lightning Lord (Spoilers Extended)
"Even brave men blind themselves sometimes, when they are afraid to see," Lord Beric said when Lem was gone. "Thoros, how many times have you brought me back now?"
The red priest bowed his head. "It is R'hllor who brings you back, my lord. The Lord of Light. I am only his instrument." -ASOS, Arya VII
and:
"Beric. Sweet friend." The priest touched the lightning lord on the forearm. "What are you saying?"
"Nothing I have not said before. Six times, Thoros? Six times is too many." He turned away abruptly. -ASOS, Arya VIII
One thing that has always "troubled" me about Beric's deaths and resurrections is the fact that it ends up with seven total deaths.
In this post I thought I would share some interesting (and somewhat forced lol) comparisons between Beric's deaths and the Faces of the Seven.
GRRM has been quoted as saying:
Q: How much does a character lose through death?
GRRM: "Death is hard." lol.gif The character gets more and more removed from his or her former life. The main thing remaining, what brings Beric back, is the sense of purpose, the mission he has yet to accomplish. - SSM, US Signing Tour, 18 November 2005
I wanted to point out some interesting parallels in each of the deaths and the faces of the Seven.
#The Faces
The Mother (Impaled on a lance by Gregor Clegane)
"Can I dwell on what I scarce remember? I held a castle on the Marches once, and there was a woman I was pledged to marry, but I could not find that castle today, nor tell you the color of that woman's hair. Who knighted me, old friend? What were my favorite foods? It all fades. Sometimes I think I was born on the bloody grass in that grove of ash, with the taste of fire in my mouth and a hole in my chest. Are you my mother, Thoros?" -ASOS, Arya VII
The Smith (Smashed with a mace by Ser Burton Crakehall)
This is a small stretch but a mace/Warhammer are similar.
Lord Beric touched the spot above his left ear where his temple was caved in. "Here is where Ser Burton Crakehall broke helm and head with a blow of his mace."-ASOS, Arya VII
and:
Might be your Smith can mend a broken sword, but can he heal a broken man?" -ASOS, Arya VII
The Maid (Hanged at Rushing Falls by Ser Amory Lorch)
Amory chose to use the innocent ("maids") in order to lure out Ser Beric and then hanged them all:
He unwound his scarf, exposing the black bruise that encircled his neck. "Here the mark the manticore made at Rushing Falls. He seized a poor beekeeper and his wife, thinking they were mine, and let it be known far and wide that he would hang them both unless I gave myself up to him. When I did he hanged them anyway, and me on the gibbet between them. -ASOS, Arya VII
Crone (Stabbed in the eye with a dirk by Gregor Clegane)
There are numerous passages with the crone "lighting they way". There is even a constellation called the Crone's Lantern. There is even the crone with one eye (Dosh Khaleen)
He lifted a finger to the raw red pit of his eye. "Here is where the Mountain thrust his dirk through my visor." -ASOS, Arya VII
The Warrior (Killed by Vargo Hoat)
This one is another stretch somewhat.
Lord Beric Dondarrion. Arya remembered all she'd heard at Harrenhal, from the Lannisters and the Bloody Mummers alike. Lord Beric the wisp o' the wood. Lord Beric who'd been killed by Vargo Hoat and before that by Ser Amory Lorch, and twice by the Mountain That Rides. If he won't send me home maybe I'll kill him too. "Why do I have to see Lord Beric?" she asked quietly. -ASOS, Arya III
The Warrior represents all those in battle. Look at the number of characters Cat sees as the Warrior:
The Warrior was Renly and Stannis, Robb and Robert, Jaime Lannister and Jon Snow. She even glimpsed Arya in those lines, just for an instant. -ACOK, Catelyn IV
The Father (Defeated by Sandor Clegane in a Trial by Combat)
Beric Dondarrion turned back to the Hound. "You stand accused of murder, but no one here knows the truth or falsehood of the charge, so it is not for us to judge you. Only the Lord of Light may do that now. I sentence you to trial by battle." -ASOS, Arya VI
and:
"It was poison did the deed," the innkeep insisted. "The boy's face turned black as a plum."
"May the Father judge him justly," murmured a septon. -ASOS, Jaime VII
The Stranger (Gives his life for Cat/Lady Stoneheart)
Her face, Brienne thought. Her face was so strong and handsome, her skin so smooth and soft. "Lady Catelyn?" Tears filled her eyes. "They said . . . they said that you were dead."
"She is," said Thoros of Myr. "The Freys slashed her throat from ear to ear. When we found her by the river she was three days dead. Harwin begged me to give her the kiss of life, but it had been too long. I would not do it, so Lord Beric put his lips to hers instead, and the flame of life passed from him to her. And . . . she rose. May the Lord of Light protect us. She rose." -AFFC, Brienne VIII
and:
The Stranger in the shadows, his half-human face concealed beneath a hooded mantle. -AFFC, Jaime IV
and:
"Seven," he agreed, "but no one sings of the Stranger." The Stranger's face was the face of death. Even talking of him made Sam uncomfortable. -ASOS, Samwell III
The Silent Sisters (another nickname for Cat) are often referred to as the Stranger's Wives.
This post ended up like when people try to make each of the seven Starks one of the faces of the Seven where one or two just don't really match. Either way I hope you enjoyed reading.
TLDR: I found some interesting parallels in Beric's seven deaths and the faces of the Seven.
Posted Feb 6, 2020, 6:14 PM UTC · edited