#maester luwin

[jeyneofpoole]

acok

[iceywolf24]

Just looking at this passage

"There are some who call my order the knights of the mind," Luwin replied. "You are a surpassing clever boy when you work at it, Bran. Have you ever thought that you might wear a maester's chain? There is no limit to what you might learn."

"I want to learn magic," Bran told him. "The crow promised that I would fly."

Maester Luwin sighed. "I can teach you history, healing, herblore. I can teach you the speech of ravens, and how to build a castle, and the way a sailor steers his ship by the stars. I can teach you to measure the days and mark the seasons, and at the Citadel in Oldtown they can teach you a thousand things more. But, Bran, no man can teach you magic." - Bran VI AGOT

Greenseers in a way are the Knights of the Old Gods.

Bran has already learnt to speak to ravens just not in the way Luwin intended but still. Same with history and measuring the days, Bran is just learning it in a different way by looking directly into the past.

Does this mean Bran will learn all of these things just in a different way than his Maester intended.

Like use weirwoods at different castles to learn how they were built so he can repair and build new castles/cities.

The singers and trees teach him about some forgotten herbs and healing spells perhaps.

[ladycatofwinterfell]

Sick Ned high on milk of the poppy. He has no filter and can’t stop flirting with Cat even in front of poor maester luwin.

Maester Luwin has once again been exposed to things he would rather not be exposed to, Ned has an unknown sickness/injury and Cat is tired. I cannot emphasise this enough; enjoy!

Maester Luwin had decided he would not die very quickly. There would be pain, or would take time to make a recovery, though in the end he would have his health and there was no danger to his life.

Therefore Catelyn did not worry for him particularly much. Of course she was unhappy with the state of her husband and felt his pain deeply, she wanted nothing but for him to be well again. Though she did not have the time to think of him. With Ned indisposed many of his duties passed to her, so there was much to occupy her thoughts with.

Though she took the time to visit him whenever she could. Most of the time he was asleep, then she merely sat at his bedside. Embroidered, mended clothing, read a book. That day was different, she had been told he was awake and had asked for her.

Her lord had asked for her and so she had put aside what she was doing and gone to him. It would be good to see those eyes of his for once, and hear his voice.

“Cat!” Ned said when she came into his chamber.

His gaze was somewhat foggy, he seemed to have trouble focusing on her. Still she had to smile when she saw him. He was right there all the time, though she missed him all the same. Missed having him with her more often.

Maester Luwin stood by Ned’s bedside. He said nothing, though nodded towards her.

“Good day, my love” she said to Ned.

He smiled back at her, looking surprisingly joyful for a man that should have been in terrible pain.

When she came to sit on the edge of the bed his smile grew even wider.

“How are you feeling?”

She reached towards him to touch his cheek. His beard had grown rather unruly, she would have to see to that.

“Better now when you’re here.”

He made himself more comfortable against the pillows, then took her hand and brought it from his cheek to his lips to kiss her knuckles.

“Are you not in pain?”

Officially the question was directed towards Ned, though she looked at Maester Luwin. Ned, of course not understanding that, began mumbling something incoherently.

“I give him as much of the milk of the poppy as I dare, my lady” Maester Luwin told her. “He should not be–“

Suddenly Ned’s words became more coherent, leading the poor maester to trail off into silence.

“I need no milk of the poppy when I have you.”

Catelyn squeezed his hand, letting her thumb run over the back.

“That is sweet, my dearest, though it would be good if you did not interrupt Maester Luwin.”

“I take no offence, my lady” Luwin assured her with a nod.

Both of them were well aware it was the milk of the poppy that was speaking, not Ned. He was not acting like himself.

Catelyn turned back to Ned.

“I was told you asked for me. Do you have something you wish to say?”

He blinked slowly, as if trying to remember what it was he wanted. She expected he would ask of the children or the grain stores or something else that had appeared in his mind. It was probably not doing him well to be indisposed and of no use.

“You’re beautiful” was what he actually said.

“Thank you, though what was it you wanted to tell me?”

Perhaps trying to get it out of him was an impossible task, though she could try. If he had wanted her to come there had to be something.

“I miss you” he continued.

She was with him more often than he was aware of.

“You should be better soon, then you will see me all the time.”

Then he would never be rid of her.

“I dream of you. What the maester gives me makes me dream.”

Maester Luwin cleared his throat.

“It’s very common with this–“

Once again Ned began talking over him and Catelyn could not help but sigh.

“It makes me ache for you.”

“Ned” Catelyn said firmly.

She did her very best to give him a stern look, though she believed it was ruined by that she was also a little amused by it.

When she glanced at Maester Luwin she saw that he had found a very interesting spot in the ceiling that he was studying.

“I want your skin–“

It was her turn to interrupt him, though she did so by placing her free hand over his mouth as she suspected he would not have listened to her otherwise.

“Oh hush with you, that is most improper.”

Ned raised his eyebrows at her, then she felt a sharp pain in the palm of her hand, making her immediately pull it back again.

“Did you bite me?” she exclaimed.

It had happened before, of course, though never in the palm of her hand. And never when they were not alone.

“Just a nip” Ned solemnly informed her. “You have never complained before.”

“Do forgive him, Maester Luwin, he is not acting like himself” she sighed.

Maester Luwin was not yet finished studying his finding in the ceiling, and he did not look at her as her answered.

“Lord Stark is affected by the poppy milk.”

The ridiculousness of it all struck her as she once again looked at her bedridden husband. It would be good to have him back on his feet again, she hoped it would be soon. And she prayed he would then continue to be in good health.

“I will leave you now as you so clearly cannot handle my presence” she chuckled.

Never before had she seen her lord husband pout, and she believed she would never see it again.

She leaned down and kissed his forehead, felt his fingers ghost over her cheek as she did so.

“Come back soon” he whispered.

“I will be back when I have time.”

When he was once again asleep and unaware of that she was there.

Maester Luwin did have a look of relief on his face as she nodded towards him and left the room. Perhaps he had tried to hide it, but she saw. And she understood it.

Catelyn met Robb not far away from there.

“How is Father? Can I visit him?”

“Perhaps you should wait” she told him. “He’s rather up on the clouds, the milk of the poppy makes his head very foggy.”

And his tongue very loose.

[blackbyrenflowers]

I think it really says something about the culture of the North that Ramsay Bolton can abduct a woman, force her to marry him and rape her, and that a man like Rodrik will consider that a valid marriage.

"The monster has tied us a thorny knot," the old knight told Maester Luwin. "Like it or no, Lady Hornwood was his wife. He made her say the vows before both septon and heart tree, and bedded her that very night before witnesses. She signed a will naming him as heir and fixed her seal to it."

And let's remember, Rodrik is far from impartial/biased towards Ramsay. He knows Donella wouldn't have wanted to marry Ramsay. And he still considers it a valid marriage. It's only Luwin, the southron-educated maester who disputes the validity of it.

Some people will point to Maege Mormont and the rest of her house as evidence for the House being more egalitarian than the south. But when you consider bits of First Men-related history like Joffrey Lydden becoming King of the Rock in lieu of his wife, or what happened to the daughters of the Warg King, or the fact that in thousand of years of history there's never been a ruling lady of Winterfell, it suggests that the culture of the First Men/the North is far more misogynistic than the south/Andals.

[adarkandmagicalforest]

It's time for you to look inward and start asking yourself the big question: who are you and what do YOU want?

[amber-laughs]

thoughts on maester luwin having a similar affection toward jon as cressen did for stannis? because I've always wondered who jon went to for any sort of comfort as a little kid (not catelyn because yeah, not ned because medieval sexism, not robb because robb would also be six years old. old nan? I feel like she'd just take the absolute piss out of him)

(i’m so sorry this is so long lol) oh that’s a really good question! I agree that his options are definitely limited when it comes to emotional support and jon definitely has that affection for luwin. when he’s asking maester aemon to make sam his personal steward he remembers asking luwin about his maester’s chain and was very obviously a young boy asking questions the way curious children do but luwin indulged him and had a sweet conversation that taught jon a lot instead of brushing him off the way a lot of other men might. jon also counts luwin in the list of people he’s loved in his life when he’s beyond the wall considering whether to kill mance rayder or not.

it’s hard because we’ll never have a luwin pov like we did with cressen but i think george is pretty direct about the prejudice jon faces in his life and if luwin viewed him differently than the other stark children, who he obviously loved, it would have been noted imo. the big catch people talk about with luwin is that it was his idea to send jon to the night’s watch and we as readers can look at that and say “terrible idea. how could you do that to a boy?” but as far as luwin knew jon asked to go, he had very few other prospects, he knows how catelyn will treat him without ned and benjen was about the same age when he went. not only that but benjen seems to genuinely enjoy his life at the wall and with the knowledge luwin has there’s no reason jon shouldn’t either.

so in my opinion jon and luwin has a mutual love and affection for each other and he’s someone jon could go to for his problems and worries. cressen seems to have filled in as a father figure to stannis which is a role luwin never had to play for jon the way he did for bran, rickon and even robb a bit but i’m sure he would have all the same if jon had been around to need it

[poorshadowspaintedqueens]

Did Maester Luwin conspire to send Jon Snow to the Wall? In Catelyn II, AGOT, Luwin informs Ned and Cat that Benjen spoke to him about Jon joining the Nights Watch, but from Jon’s first POV we know Benjen didn’t want him to take the black. Perhaps Jon’s true parentage is known amongst some at the Citadel?

I think it is extremely unlikely that Luwin knew anything about Jon's true parentage. Benjen, on the other hand, may have known outright or have guessed. I believe that Benjen was aware of Lyanna's plans to run away from her engagement to Robert, and may even have known of Rhaegar's involvement. It wouldn't take much for him to put two and two together when Ned arrived home from the war with Lyanna's bones and a newborn baby.

So I suspect it's pretty much exactly what Luwin said. If Benjen was aware of Jon's parentage, he would also have known about the cover-up, and that Ned had deliberately lied to Catelyn, allowing her to believe he was unfaithful to her. With all of that in mind, and given how much trauma both Ned and Benjen are suppressing around Lyanna's death, it could well be that Benjen chose to broach the subject with Luwin on Jon's behalf rather than going to Ned directly. Ned, if approached directly, might well have refused, believing Jon would be safer at Winterfell than at the Wall, and it's only when Catelyn puts her foot down that Ned agrees.

[asoiafreadthru]

A Game of Thrones, Bran II

It taught him Winterfell’s secrets too.

The builders had not even leveled the earth; there were hills and valleys behind the walls of Winterfell.

There was a covered bridge that went from the fourth floor of the bell tower across to the second floor of the rookery. Bran knew about that.

And he knew you could get inside the inner wall by the south gate, climb three floors and run all the way around Winterfell through a narrow tunnel in the stone, and then come out on ground level at the north gate, with a hundred feet of wall looming over you.

Even Maester Luwin didn’t know that, Bran was convinced.

[catstarkapologist]

I don't know why but somehow I always love it when Maester Luwin is included or mentioned in Nedcat fics

[greenbloods]

Melisandre and Maester Luwin both have a bunch of pockets and shit where they store assorted trinkets and powders. Conclusion: Melisandre is actually a glamored Luwin working towards a Stark Restoration of the North

[thenorthsource]

Maester Luwin had taught him his stars as a boy in Winterfell; he had learned the names of the twelve houses of heaven and the rulers of each; he could find the seven wanderers sacred to the Faith; he was old friends with the Ice Dragon [...]

[iceywolf24]

A Clash of Kings starts and ends with Maester Cressen and Maester Luwin's deaths, respectively.

Both men are father figures who care for Bran and Stannis who became sad lonely boys after being left on their own into positions of responsibility in their castles caring for their younger brothers as their parents and older brother have either died or left them making them feel unloved.

However Cressen dies worried about how Stannis is not on a good path that will eventually lead to his demise.

In contrast, Luwin dies contently, knowing that Bran is a good boy, his father's son.

[ladycatofwinterfell]

Ned and Cat acting shy around each other during the day when they are around people, Maester Luwin wishes they acted like that all the time but he keeps running into them acting more like rabbits

This one’s short, but hopefully it’s good all the same. Enjoy!

Lady Stark blushed when Lord Stark leaned towards her to be heard over the noise in the hall. Upon seeing his lady’s cheeks flush red at his action Lord Stark turned his eyes towards the table. There was a ghost if a smile on his face, rather shy.

It was sweet. Luwin would be the first to say he was glad for that Lord and Lady Stark enjoyed each other’s company. There had been so much grief between them, so much that spoke against any warmth ever coming to be in their marriage. Though they seemed happy and that brought Luwin joy. It was for everyone’s best, most of all theirs. And they so deserved it.

Though it was also strange to see them act so shy and tender with one another when it seemed they could hardly keep away as soon as they were alone.

He was in no position to say what they could and could not do. No one but them was in position to say what they could and could not do. Lord and Lady Stark, they answered only to the king and the gods. Though Luwin had happened upon them thrice in the past seven days and Lady Catelyn was already with child.

The feast was fairly small, yet pleasant all the same. The spirits were high, which seemed fitting for such a fine evening. The snow laid deep outside and the cold was biting, though the night was clear. Filled with bright stars.

It was a perfect night to study the skies. It had been some time since last he did it, for weeks and weeks clouds had kept everything hidden.

Luwin had meant to leave earlier, though the good Ser Rodrik had had so much to say, they so rarely found themselves in the same place. Though all courses had been served and Luwin suspected few would notice if he would return to his turret.

A quick glance towards the raised table at the end of the hall let him know that Lord and Lady Stark had also quietly slipped away. He could not say he was particularly surprised.

He realised he should have worn warmer robes when he stepped out into the cold night. Though at least the wind had ceased, that made it much more bearable. At least during a shorter time outside.

Against himself he stopped when he heard a woman laugh. He could not tell from where it came, though the owner of the the voice was obvious. How could it happen again?

“I do not know where that glove has been” she chuckled.

Lord Stark’s voice was muffled, though Luwin could still make out the words.

“Would you rather I lose my fingers to frostbite?”

“Oh definitely not!”

Never before had Luwin made such haste towards his turret. He did not know where they were, just that he needed away. How many times would he have to hear things like that? It would pass, it had to pass eventually. Or else he feared he would go mad.

[ilikestuff69]

10 Game of Thrones (and HotD) Side Character Deaths that affected me more than they probably should have

(P.S. I don’t consider characters like Oberyn Martell, Berric Dondarion, and Talisa Maegyr as side characters so they won’t be on this list. But like, they would be on this list if I considered them side characters ya know?)

10: Syrio Forel

9: Grenn

8: Maester Aemon Targaryen

7: Maester Luwin

6: Eddison Tollett

5: Ser Barristan Selmy

4: Shrieen Baratheon

3: Ser Rodrik Cassel

2: Ser Harwin Strong

1: Jeor Mormont

[allovesthings]

While the organization of the Maesters is extremely and completely sus, I love that we get some individual maesters who are genuinely sympathetic like Maester Cressen (yes he did try to murder someone, yes he is still sympathetic, those two things are not mutually exclusive 😁) or maester Pylos who help Davos to save Edric Storm, Maester Luwin and maester Aemon (or even Marwyn).

It's a nice way of having nuance there.