Oana Novicov

"The gods the children worshipped were the nameless ones that would one day become the gods of the First Men—the innumerable gods of the streams and forests and stones. It was the children who carved the weirwoods with faces, perhaps to give eyes to their gods so that they might watch their worshippers at their devotions.

Yet the First Men were less learned than we are now, and credited things that their descendants today do not; consider Maester Yorrick's Wed to the Sea, Being an Account of the History of White Harbor from Its Earliest Days, which recounts the practice of blood sacrifice to the old gods. Such sacrifices persisted as recently as five centuries ago, according to accounts from Maester Yorrick's predecessors at White Harbor." -TWOIAF -The Dawn Age

" Long ago, the histories claim, the crannog-men were ruled by the Marsh Kings. Singers tell of them riding on lizard lions and using great frog spears like lances, but that is clearly fancy.

Were these Marsh Kings even truly kings, as we understand it?"- TWOIAF -The Crannogmen of The Neck

"... Her silver was trotting through the grass, to a darkling stream beneath a sea of stars. A corpse stood at the prow of a ship, eyes bright in his dead face, grey lips smiling sadly. A blue flower grew from a chink in a wall of ice, and filled the air with sweetness ... mother of dragons, bride of fire..." - ACOK- Daenerys IV

Working on my HOTU series - and I'm drawing the next set of visions after the "Slayer of Lies " set - which is "Bride of Fire" . Hopefully I will finish it next week ...because of Easter holiday ...🤞😀🎨

"The woman took a step backward. "You must leave this city soon, Daenerys Tar-garyen, or you will never be permitted to leave it at all."

Dany's wrist still tingled where Quaithe had touched her. "Where would you have me go?" she asked.

"To go north, you must journey south.

To reach the west, you must go east. To go forward you must go back, and to touch the light you must pass beneath the shadow" -ACOK -Daenerys III

"Viserys screamed as the molten gold ran down his cheeks and filled his mouth. A tall lord with copper skin and silver-gold hair stood beneath the banner of a fiery stallion, a burning city behind him. Rubies flew like drops of blood from the chest of a dying prince, and he sank to his knees in the water and with his last breath murmured a woman's name ... mother of dragons, daughter of death ..." - ACOK - Daenerys IV

I've redone the "Daughter of Death " set of Dany's visions in HOTU ...because re-reading the text I understood that all the titles / denominations that she is receiving from the Undying Ones ( Slayer of Lies, Daughter of Death , Bride of Fire etc) is an integral part of each set of visions ...it indicates somehow what will her actions be ...and how she will be perceived by the world ...that's why I've changed my composition using the same elements from my prior version. Also another thing that stood out to me -from the text-this time around ...were the colours of the visions ...meaning that the colour of the characters from the visions ( dead or alive) 😊is blue -ink ...like the Undying ones ..only the elements that are "fire and blood" are perceived as red ...you know ( the sunset sword, the blood rubies from Rhaegar chest, the molted crown....and Dany herself - because she is the embodiment of "fire and blood)...so I've tried to capture this atmosphere...dual chromatic 😊that is described in the books ...

"Glowing like sunset, a red sword was raised in the hand of a blue-eyed king who cast no shadow. A cloth dragon swayed on poles amidst a cheering crowd. From a smoking tower, a great stone beast took wing, breathing shadow fire ... mother of dragons, slayer of lies..." - ACOK - Daenerys IV

Working on my HOTU series - the next set of 3 visions after the Daughter of Death set - which is Slayer of Lies set ...hopefully I will finish it soon ...

HOTU-Working on my HOTU series ...the visions from the warlock's chamber ...and I've noticed that after each set of three vision ...the Undying are saying "mother of dragons " and something else ...like some kind of title for Dany...in this case ( my composition) is "daughter of death" that comes after the first set of visions ( that I've already drawn) .

And ...I was really lost ...because what does it mean "daughter of death" ? ...it's so abstract...does it mean that she is her father's daughter ...because Aerys was mad and he killed a lot of people...? It's about carrying her parents and her forebears mistakes and limits ...and she will have to redeem those mistakes? Is it about that the Targaryens are "dragons" and thus ...destructive? Does she has a chance to break this cycle? 🤷‍♀️I don't know ...but the more I read Dany's chapters ...especially this one..the more I feel for her ...she performed a miracle ( hatching the dragons) and now the entire world wants something from her ....because everybody is thinking that she can do it again ...another miracle ...From abolition of slavery to killing the others and fulfilling prophecies...of course she can do everything...she hatched dragons...right? I feel so sorry for her ...she's only 15-16 in this chapter ... and really alone...

"I was reborn from the sea, a harder man and stronger. "

" For a thousand years and seven he reigned here, Aeron recalled. Here he took his mermaid wife and planned his wars against the Storm God. From here he ruled both stone and salt, wearing robes of woven seaweed and a tall pale crown made from Nagga's teeth "

" The Drowned God wakes, thought Aeron. He could hear his voice welling from the depths of the sea. I shall be with you here this day, my strong and faithful servant, the voice said. No godless man will sit my Seastone Chair. "

" Who shall rule these holy isles? Is he here among us now?" The priest spread his hands wide. "Who shall be king over us ?"- AFFC - The Drowned Man

I find Aeron Damphair one of the most scary but terrible fascinating characters of ASOIAF...is he dead? is he alive? does the Drowned God truly exists? does it matter? or is Aeron The Prophet just a coping mechanism to an old and dark trauma? .....

These are the details of the last composition that I've post it " The cutting of Jaime's Hand"

This chapter always fascinates me ...because everything happens so fast...you go from killing "cousin Cleos" to the duel with Brienne ....and then they are captured by The Brave Companion ...meeting Vargo Hoat ( which is this guy so so bored totally desensitised - he's not even scarry - like war and violence is so mundane ...) ...and after Jaime FINALLY does something right- rescuing Brienne from rape - (after being such an asshole , perpetual complaint ,so nihilist, and the Only Existentialist of the story😊) ...you are at the end of the chapter ....a jester jumps on his back ...and you think to yourself they're going to kill him ...the arrack ...the scream....and that's it 🤷‍♀️ Every time this chapter gets to me because everything is so absurd ...almost nonsensical....I think Jaime expects to die ...I think he is prepared for it ...I think on some level he is wishing for it ...because he despises himself so much ...but ...no man, they are going to torture him more 😊He gets to live ....without his hand ....now what ? 🤷‍♀️

I think his story is the reverse of Jon's story ...if Jon is an example of what happens when you only do your duty without protecting your loves , your desires, your wants ...Jaime is the opposite of that what happens when you only protect your loves, your desires , your wants. Even his greatest deed is because of love - I suspect that the salvation of the people in King's Landing is not because he loves humanity so much ...he is incapable of loving this way...abstract in a sense...it's because Aerys send him to kill his own father(Tywin) ...which he( Jaime ) despises and loves equally ( like he loves and despises his sister ) ....but ...his father is Family ...and he loves and protects his family no matter what..

The same goes with what he did to Bran ....in that moment Bran was a threat to his sister - because he witnessed the incest and Cercei was Queen- and like always he did what needs to be done for his Love....it didn't matter that Bran was a child ...or who's child was he 🤷‍♀️ it wasn't personal ...he was a threat ...so..he disconnected ,disengaged with reality ...and the consequences of that reality and Bran flew...

I think , because of this action - that in a way marks the beginning of the story -in my head at list Jaime's story is very much tied up with Bran's story ... that's why the arrack like a "crescent moon " from my drawing,the crows ...or the tower in the back - which in the text is a small ruined sept- and the septon ( also drawn) is hanging from it ... - the hanged septon I think ties in with this idea of Catelyn / Lady Stoneheart...Also what I love is that the end of the chapter happens at sunset ...when the sun goes out and the moon rises ...and shadows appear ...I've also tried to capture that ...because is a motif in Jaime's character arc ...Catelyn sees him and his hair is turning from gold to white because of the moon ... also this motif of day turning into the night ties in with his ,later, weirwood dream....

"They mean to scare me. The fool hopped on Jaime's back, giggling, as the Dothraki swaggered toward him. The goat wants me to piss my breeches and beg his mercy, but he'll never have that pleasure. He was a Lannister of Casterly Rock, Lord Commander of the Kingsguard; no sellsword would make him scream.

Sunlight ran silver along the edge of the arakh as it came shivering down, almost too fast to see. And Jaime screamed." - ASOS-Jaime IV

I haven't post it in a while ...because of work - I just finished a loooooong project I was in- but I'm back and I've finished ( after many ,many variants) ....finally ....The Cutting of Jaime's Hand ..😊

In the next days I will also post ( like I always do) each detail (element) of the composition separately...with thoughts and explanations!😊

"Sunlight ran silver along the edge of the arakh as it came shivering down, almost too fast to see. And Jaime screamed." - ASOS -Jaime IV