Skip to main content

game of thrones - Is Samwell Tarly a deserter of the Night's Watch?


In Game of Thrones season 5 episode 10, Jon sends Samwell Tarly to the Citadel in Oldtown to train as a maester so as to become maester Aemon's successor.


In season 7 episode 5, Sam decides to leave Oldtown, apparently without finishing his training; in season 7 episode 7, he ends up in Winterfell.


Since Sam has (1) neither finished his training, (2) nor mentions going back to Castle Black, should Jon, as King of the North, treat him as a deserter of the Night's Watch and behead him, like Eddard Stark beheaded Will in season 1 episode 1?


Update 1: Since some people claim that Sam's primary task is to learn about the White Walkers, I would like to point out the following:



  • In season 5 episode 10, Sam says to Jon, "Send me, Gilly and the baby to Oldtown so I can become a maester. That's what I'm meant to be, not this." He then adds, "I'd be more use to you as a maester. More use to everyone now measter Aemon's gone. The Citadel has the world's greatest library. I'll learn about history, strategy, healing, and other things, things that will help - when they come." Dragonglass and Valyrian steel are mentioned just before these words are spoken but they are not stated as reasons for going to the Citadel.

  • When he arrives at the Citadel, Sam says, "I am to be the new maester." Quitting before the end of his training means he does not fulfil part of his task.



Update 2: Since some people correctly pointed out that Winterfell is on the way to Castle Black, I'd like to point out what Sam says to Bran when Bran asks why he came to Winterfell: "Jon is the one to lead the fight against the dead. I know he is. And he can't do it alone. So I've come here to help him." This at least suggests that he wants to stay at Winterfell, rather than travelling back to Castle Black.




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

harry potter - Do the Kwikspell courses work?

In Harry Potter we are introduced to Kwikspell course in The Chamber of Secrets (and never hear about it again). We see Filch taking courses, presumably by mail. The descriptions of Kwikspell make me think it is for people who are weak in magic (kind of like how Neville was supposed to be when he was younger), but had magic in them nonetheless. However, Ron's comments later in the chapter make it sound like it is mainly for Squibs to learn magic. However, it is strongly implied through out all the books that Squibs are essentially Muggles, and will never be able to do magic. How then is a Kwikspell course supposed to work? Do we have any information to know if it works at all? Is it a scam? An answer from any level of canon is welcome. Answer Kwikspell courses are (probably) useful to some wizards, but not to squibs. The Kwikspell course literature comes with two testimonials. Madam Z. Nettles of Topsham writes: ‘I had no memory for incantations and my potions were a family joke...
Post a Comment
Read more

futurama - How much time is lost in 'Time Keeps on Slippin''

In time Keeps on Slippin' , Farnsworth creates a basketball team which he matures by abusing Chronitons. This leads to time skipping forward by random, but ever increasing amounts. How much time was skipped in this way? Answer Unfortunately, I don't think a good estimate can be made for this, for two reasons: Many of the time skips move forward by an indeterminate amount of time. At one point, the Professor mentions localized regions of space skipping forward much more than others. We then see two young boys on the street below complaining about having to pay social security, only to suddenly become senior citizens and start complaining about wanting their money. Thus, each individual could have experienced a different amount of time skippage.
Post a Comment
Read more

star wars - What "exactly" happens when someone turns to the Dark Side?

When I saw the original Star Wars saga as a kid, the concept of the Dark Side imprinted in me was quite simple. You did a bad thing, so you're a bad person so you go to the Dark Side and keep doing bad things. Now, obviously this doesn't hold true in reality. In my mind it is perfectly reasonable for Luke to kill the Emperor and Vader and then just flee the Death Star and rejoin the Alliance. After all they are at war, those are enemy officers that have captured him and are taunting him by threatening with death of all loved ones and the whole operation was intended to kill the Emperor anyway. The same would hold true for Anakin. He could have killed Mace Windu to save the Chancellor and Padme but that doesn't mean he's going to then go mad and kill all Jedis including children. It doesn't add up from a merely psychological point of view. He had a set of objectives and that made him want to keep the Chancellor alive (quite valid by the way, Mace Windu is quite clums...
Post a Comment
Read more

Was the "pure soul" of Harry's what had really hurt Voldemort?

In the Order of the Phoenix, Voldemort possesses Harry, and it hurts. Greatly. I think that Dumbledore explained that it was because Voldemort's rotten soul was incapable of assimilating Harry's pure soul, that Voldemort didn't understand the love and friendship etc that Harry has in his heart. But, I think it was a lie. Remember that in Deathly Hallows, while looking for information regarding Horcruxes, it is discovered that it is in fact possible to merge a soul fragment back, but that the process was extremely painful. Now then, if Voldemort tried to possess Harry, and Harry had a fragment of Voldemort's soul, I think that it could have been the true cause of Voldemort's pain: the fact of having his soul so close of another fragment. I think that Dumbledore knew that fact, but had to lie to Harry because it was inappropriate to let him know that he had one of Voldemort's soul fragments at the moment. Is that right? Or was it truly the pure soul of Harry's...
Post a Comment
Read more