![]() It's a pretty straightforward allusion, made more so in that Mormont's warged raven repeatedly caws "king" and "corn" to Jon in varying combinations and at various times. When spring arrives, he is resurrected in turn. This is a figure in Celtic mythology who must be sacrificed in winter in order to usher in spring. Who is the pomegranate in our story? Bowen Marsh. In this way, the pomegranate is tied to unwilling entry into the underworld and the prevention of spring and catharsis. The time that she spends in the underworld is winter (because of Demeter's sadness), and her return marks spring. Because of this, she must stay in the underworld for one month of every year for each seed she ate. But not before she has eaten the seeds of a pomegranate in the underworld. The other gods encourage Hades to give Persephone back, and he agrees. Demeter, anguished over losing her daughter, causes an unending winter. There is a story in Greek myth wherein Hades, the god of the underworld, steals Persephone, the daughter of the harvest goddess Demeter. The seasons are out of joint, they aren't even, they can be overly harsh. Much emphasis is put on seasonal shifts in ASOIAF. Jon's speech in the Shield Hall, with its wooden beams resembling (whale) ribs, marks the beginning of his "belly of the whale" sequence, wherein it is assumed he will die (or else otherwise enter an abyss, possibly a coma) and return with his "boon," and continue on with his mission. It is also what causes the hero to accept the inevitability of his overall mission - the "event horizon," "crossing the Rubicon" portion of his quest. Typically, the hero will face something in the abyss and return with a boon - literal or figurative - necessary to complete his overall mission. According to Joseph Campbell, this development marks a turning point for the hero, who is sent into the "unknown." It can correspond to death and entering the Underworld. This is a very old trope, so named for the Biblical story of Jonah. I believe that, considering all of them, we can find portions of each one in Jon's story.ĮTA: And yes this assumes that Jon is probably the ultimate hero or one of the ultimate heroes, so if you're on the Dany-is-it train, I doubt you'll find much here that you'll like. This is a curation of them, and a way to look at aspects of resurrection instances in various mythologies. Most of these ideas have been loosely thrown around here before. ![]()
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