81 pages • 2-hour read
A Storm of Swords
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Symbols & Motifs
Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of cursing.
“The Rains of Castamere”
Songs depicting Westerosi history recur as symbols throughout the whole of the novel; their lyrics often resonate with the character motivations that drive larger plot events forward.
The song that best demonstrates this symbolic function is “The Rains of Castamere.” Written to commemorate Tywin Lannister’s victory over the Reynes and Tarbecks who rebelled against his family, the song frames the Reynes as a house whose pride became their fatal flaw: While they brag that “[A] lion still has claws, / And mine are long and sharp, my lord, / as long and sharp as yours” (538), their castle now stands in ruins and their name is only remembered as a homonym of the rain that washes away any trace of their power. Tywin is only represented in the song in the apostrophe “my lord,” And the refrain insinuates Tywin’s ruthlessness without showing it directly: “Yes now the rains weep o’er his hall, / with not a soul to hear” (538). Tywin never makes a show of his ruthlessness, always hiding his plans in plain sight to ensure their success.
This subtext becomes especially important during Edmure’s and Joffrey’s weddings. At the Red Wedding, the song is a signal to commence the massacre of the Tullys and the Starks. At Joffrey’s wedding, the song honors the power of House Lannister while foreshadowing that Joffrey will soon face Robb’s fate. Ironically, the fact that Joffrey dies soon after the song is played multiple times at the feast stresses the idea that the Lannisters themselves have become too proud to see the threat to their house. At the end of the novel, Tywin dies at the hands of his son; his overweening pride in his house becomes his downfall, causing him to suffer the same fate as the Reynes.
Oaths
Oaths and vows are the primary motif for Seeking Honor in a Dishonorable World. In Chapter 1, Jaime recalls that when Catelyn freed him from captivity, she urged Jaime to “swear on [his] honor as a knight” (20) to facilitate the return of her daughters in exchange for his freedom. Jaime considered it strange for Catelyn “to trust her girls to a man with shit for honor” (20). Throughout the novel, Jaime is challenged to rediscover the sanctity of oaths. Brienne demonstrates her belief in their value by her extreme effort to keep the oath she swore to Catelyn. When Jaime realizes that Brienne would never abandon him because of her oath, he is compelled to move on from his past as Kingslayer and live up to Brienne’s standard of honor.
Jon Snow also reflects on his oath as a man of the Night’s Watch. While living among the wildlings, Jon attempts to continue living by his vows, which puts him under threat of being discovered as a spy. When he can no longer abide by the vow of celibacy without putting his life at risk, Jon has sex with Ygritte, causing him to question whether he is still in Night’s Watch ranger in his heart. Jon ultimately recommits himself to his oath when he decides not to kill the old man at Queenscrown, a direct contradiction of his vow to protect the people of the realm. He returns to Castle Black and admits to his broken vows immediately, resolved to face the consequences to preserve what honor he has left.
When Stannis Baratheon offers to make Jon a legitimate Stark, Jon has an opportunity to exchange the precariousness of his situation for the comforts and nobility of lordship. Doing so, however, would mean forswearing his vows, which he knows his father, Ned, would judge as deserving death. Instead, Jon adheres to the words of Qhorin Halfhand: “Our honor means no more than our lives, so long as the realm is safe” (1013).
Nicknames
Nicknames are a motif for The Challenges of Choosing One’s Own Destiny. Many of the characters have nicknames bestowed on them, such as Jon’s derisive “Lord Snow” to underscore his birth out of wedlock, or Daenerys’s worshipful “Mhysa” to show fealty and gratitude for her ending enslavement. These nicknames communicate an external perception that the bearer must either live by or reject. As Grenn explains when Sam rejects the slightly mocking nickname “Slayer”: “Sometimes I think everyone is pretending to be brave, and none of us really are. Maybe pretending is how you get brave…Wouldn’t you rather be Sam the Slayer than Ser Piggy?” (447)
Jaime demonstrates this insight by rediscovering his honor as a knight. Although he is popularly known as the Kingslayer, Brienne helps him to realize that he doesn’t have to be defined by the absence of honor this moniker implies. Jaime affirms this when he looks at his page in the Book of the Brothers and realizes there is enough space for him to prove that he is more than the Kingslayer.
Conversely, Brienne works to disprove Jaime’s nickname for her, “wench.” This nickname communicates Jaime’s disdain for Brienne as a woman who aspires toward knighthood. Jaime means to discourage Brienne, so Brienne protests, insisting that he calls her by her name.
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