Difference between revisions of "Knight of the Laughing Tree"

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* '''[[Ashara Dayne]]'''. Dayne was present at the feast, where she spoke with both Ned and [[Brandon Stark]]. She might have learned of Reed's plight from one of them, and as she is rumored to have been in love with one or both brothers, could have planned to impress them by defending Reed. Whether Dayne had trained to fight is unknown, but it would not be terribly unusual for a [[Dorne|Dornishwoman]] to do so, although jousting is not a Dornish tradition. Furthermore, Meera describes Dayne as having "laughing purple eyes," which resonates with the Knight's chosen sigil of a laughing weirwood.
* '''Ashara Dayne'''. The tale Meera narrates seems to pay attention to the movements of Ashara, and that she did have interaction with the Starks. The theory goes that as a [[Dorne|Dornishwoman]], Ashara could have received formal training in sword and lance. Giving her an advantage over Lyanna. Competing in the Tourney could then be her unusual way to court Eddard Stark. {{Ref|aSoS|24}}  <ref name="Forum4">Conversation topic: [http://asoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/topic/3280-howland-reed-knight-of-the-laughing-tree/page__st__40 Howland Reed=Knight of the Laughing Tree] on [http://asoiaf.westeros.org/ Westeros Forum] </ref>
**<ref name="Forum4"/>
==References and Notes==
==References and Notes==

Revision as of 17:31, 26 July 2012

Knight of Laughing Tree Shield


The Knight of the Laughing Tree is so called because of the blazon on his shield, a smiling heart tree. His true identity remains unknown.


Most of what is known about the Knight of the Laughing Tree comes from a story told by Meera Reed to Bran Stark. As an introduction to her story, Meera suggests that this knight "might have been a crannogman". And Jojen Reed adds "or not". Jojen expects Bran to have heard this tale "a hundred times" from his father, but Bran denies any knowledge of the tale. He later explains that Old Nan was the one narrating stories to him, not his father. [1]


Among the Lords present in the tourney were Robert Baratheon ("the storm lord") and Mace Tyrell ("the rose lord"). Notably absent was Tywin Lannister ("the great lion of the rock"). Meera reports that Tywin had quarelled with Aerys and intentionally stayed away. But many of the knights and bannermen of House Lannister did attend the Tourney. [1] [2] Among the women present were Elia Martell ("the wife of the dragon prince") and a dozen of her lady companions. [1] [2] House Whent hosted the Tourney . A daughter of the House reigned as Queen of Love and Beauty at the opening of the tourney, though her title had to be defended against challengers. Her champions were her four brothers and famous uncle Oswell Whent.[1] [2]

The crannogman found himself bullied by three squires, none older that fifteen-years-old. He had already "grown to manhood", however the boys were all larger than him in size. His only offensive weapon, a threepronged spear, was easily snatched away by his opponents. He was then thrown into the ground. His assailants repeatedly mocked him, shoved him, and kicked him. Help arrived in the person of Lyanna Stark ("the she-wolf"), who shouted indignantly that Reed was her father's bannerman. She beat off his attackers with a tourney sword, scattering them away. [1] [2]

Reed was wounded and Lyanna took him back to her "lair", probably a tent. She cleaned his wounds and bound them with linen. Then introduced the guest to her brothers Brandon Stark ("the wild wolf"), Eddard Stark ("the quiet wolf"), and Benjen Stark ("the pup"). That evening, Lyanna persuaded Reed to attend the feast marking the start of the tournament. She insisted that he was highborn and had as much right to attend as anyone. The "wolf maid" was not easy to refuse. Benjen found a suitable garb for Reed. Within Harrenhal, Reed ate and drank with the Starks. Their table also included certain Stark sworn swords, notably members of Houses Dustin ("barrowdown men", men from the Barrowlands or Barrowton), Hornwood ("moose"), Mormont ("bears"), and Manderly ("mermen"). [1] [2]


Still during the feast, both Reed and Lyanna recognized the three bullying squires. One serving a pitchfork knight (House Haigh), one serving a porcupine (House Blount), and the last boy serving a knight of two towers (House Frey). She pointed them out to her brothers. Benjen offered to find Reed a horse and armor in order to avenge himself. Reed failed to reply, torn with indecision. His pride demanded vengeance. But he was afraid of loosing and making a fool of himself. Bringing shame to his people in the process. He was no knight, not used to horses and lances. Before going to sleep, Reed prayed to the Old Gods. Then went to sleep at the tent of Eddard, as the "quiet wolf" had offered him hospitality. [1] [2]

During the first two days of the tournament, the porcupine knight, pitchfork knight, and the knight of the two towers each won a place among the the champions. All in jousting. Late on the afternoon of the second day, a mystery knight appeared in the lists. He was "short of stature". His armor was made up of mismatched armor bit and pieces, and appeared and ill-fitting on him. His shield blazoned with the image of "a white weirwood with a laughing red face". The tale earlier mentions that Reed had with him "a leathern shield" but does not specify whether this was the same shield. He challenged and defeated all three of the previously mentioned knights. Winning custody over their horses and armor. None of them were particularly popular, so the smallfolk cheered for his victory. When the defeated trio sought to ransom back their former property, the Knight declared his terms. That they ought to teach their squires honor. His voice sounded "booming" through his helm. The trio proceeded to chastise their squires sharply. [1]

The Knight attracted unwanted attention. Robert Baratheon and Richard Lonmouth were determined to unmask him, while Aerys II was certain that the man was his enemy. By the next morning, the Knight had disappeared. An angry Aerys send Rhaegar to search for the vanished Knight. But only the shield of the Knight could be found, abandoned in a tree. [1]


The Knight of the Laughing Tree's identity is currently unknown, but Meera's story contains several potential clues. The mystery knight must have been someone who knew about Howland Reed's experience with the squires and was motivated to avenge him. Reed and all four Stark siblings knew. His height was below average, or else it would not be noted in the first place. The mismatched armor would point to the Knight not having access to regular armor, or having regular armor with tell-tale markings on it. The booming voice was most likely not the regular voice of the Knight. The weirwood image implies a connection to the Old Gods and the North. [4] [5]

He was competent enough at the joust to defeat three knights who had made it through the first day of the tourney, but as none of them were particularly well-known, he need not have been unusually skilled. Meera was surprised that Bran had never heard the story before, which suggests that the Knight may have been either a Stark, or someone close to the family.[6]

Strong possibilities include:

  • Lyanna Stark. Eddard compares his tomboyish daughter Arya to Lyanna in both appearance and personality, adding that Lyanna probably would have carried a sword if their father had allowed it. [7] Lyanna is consistently noted to have been an extremely skilled rider. [8] [9] [10] She also seems to have had an interest in swordfighting. [11] [12] Horsemanship skills are necessary for jousting and "riding at rings" is standard training for squires, preparing them actual jousting. Lyanna using the same exercise in her horse-riding training would not be impossible. Benjen could provide armor for her, as he offered to do for Reed. As an underage girl, she could be shorter than the average man. Provided she had the necessary skill and some luck, Lyanna could defeat threee knights of uncertain ability. (The best jousters don't seem to have competed prior to the final day of the Tourney.) In jousting, "the speed of the horse provides the force of the attack", not the physical strength of the rider. The theory would also explain how she met Rhaegar, the man charged with finding the Knight. And the same man who crowned Lyanna as his Queen of Love and Beauty. They had no known previous interactions. [4] [5] [6]
    • The main problem with the theory would be that there is no indication of Eddard being notably short. It would be possible for him to have a late growth spurt following the Tourney, gaining the last few inches of his height. But no character seems to describe or hint at such a change. [6] [16] Also the image of a laughing weirwood seems at odds with Ned's somber personality. [4]


References and Notes

  1. 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 A Storm of Swords, Chapter 24, Bran II.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 "The Citadel: FAQ, entry 6.2.6- Who were the different people in Meera's story?" (2007
  3. A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 67, The Kingbreaker.
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 "The Citadel: FAQ, entry 6.2.7- Who was the Knight of the Laughing Tree?" (2011)
  6. 6.00 6.01 6.02 6.03 6.04 6.05 6.06 6.07 6.08 6.09 6.10 Conversation topic: Who was the Knight of the Laughing Tree? on asoiaf.yuku.com
  7. A Game of Thrones, Chapter 22, Arya II.
  8. A Storm of Swords, Chapter 17, Arya III.
  9. A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 32, Reek III.
  10. A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 41, The Turncloak.
  11. A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 34, Bran III.
  13. A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 59, The Discarded Knight.
  14. 14.0 14.1 14.2 A Storm of Swords, Chapter 45, Catelyn V.
  16. 16.0 16.1 Conversation topic: Some Questions About Knight of the Laughing Tree on Westeros Forum
  18. 18.0 18.1 A Game of Thrones, Chapter 58, Eddard XV.
  19. 19.0 19.1 Conversation topic: Howland Reed=Knight of the Laughing Tree on Westeros Forum