🧙 The Value of Arya's Iron Coin | ASOIAF Theory
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- čas přidán 11. 04. 2020
- When Jaqen H'ghar parts ways with Arya Stark, he gives her a coin that he claims will allow her to find him again. If she gives to a man of Braavos and says the password "Valar Morghulis". But how exactly does that coin work? And what can that tell us about the reality of being a member of the House of Black and White?
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Great video Matt! One of those things I never considered too much, but it makes absolute sense. Thanks for your work :)
You're too kind Shakes :)
I have to agree with the above. The series really missed the mark on this part of the story. If they had just given more background like you did, maybe Arya's arc would have been much more understandable. Instead her arc just becomes confusing the further along it progresses,
Jill Rhoads it became confusing because her arc isn’t completed yet. Everything about seasons 6-8 is basically just made up and shouldn’t be linked to the books.
Something that blew my mind years ago was when someone made the connection between "iron coin" = Iron Bank, so the Faceless Men are connected to it (since they take monetary payments, it makes sense).
Arya also describes the coin as "The other showed a man's head, but so worn that all his features had rubbed off." She assumes the features had rubbed off, but that is a *faceless* coin.
And the Many Faced God = money.
Anyone who refuses the transfer of an iron coin as payment will die.
We saw this in AFFC ending where the idiot Maester in training throws away the coin saying it's worthless only a gold coin would be enough for the girl he's set on.
Maester in training didn't understand turning down the Iron coin meant his life was forfeit.
In books and show Captain is like here's your coin back you've arrived and then rows the fuck away hoping to never see her again.
👏👏👏👏👏
@@charlesacker9174”the iron price”
I always just took it that way, the captain and crew thought she was a Faceless Man because of the coin.
yeah,I think in the book different passengers on the ship also give her gifts and tell her their name or something bc a FM can't kill someone they know or something
@@aahana4931 very correct, she has trouble parting with some of the gifts and they tell her their names for that exact reason you mentioned
But then why refuse to bring her to the port she named?
"This little girl could be the most deadly person in Braavos."
Could be .... 🤔
Mercy, mercy
Irony is at the time she wasn't... yet....
I think you are spot on, as usual, but I think that the faceless men probably have spare iron coins in case that they meet an apprentice candidate, as they would need to have a way of sending them to their temple. They obviously can't take apprentices with them on their murder journeys.
That's possible too. That they carry two, one they can give away and one they keep on hand for themselves. Although I suspect for Jaqen getting back to Braavos would be trivial even without the coin.
@@JoeMagician true, he seems resourceful.
Joe Magician I’m not even sur Jaqen even headed back to
Braavos. Surely the FM have ways to communicate which is why it’s inferred that JH shows up to murder Pate in the prologue of aFFfC
The glass flower excerpt sounds an awful lot like Arya's relationship to Needle. Through every identity she's had, even after promising to give up her old identity entirely and throw away all her belongings, she's kept Needle as a reminder of who she really is. The brother who gave it to her, the castle it was forged in, the father who found her a teacher, the mother and sister who were so disappointed in her "needlework". Now, maybe her wolf-dreams would have kept her tied to that Stark identity anyway... or maybe without that physical totem and reminder, she'd have lost that aspect of herself as well.
And to think the show had her perform her apotheotic assassination with some fucking *dagger*.
I like the idea of the coin being a mark on the bearer. It claims you for the Faceless Men. So as much as it guarantees you assistance, it also locks you into a one way ticket to a single destination. That way no one would ever try to fake them. A Faceless Man would never need the coin. But to show you are claimed by them would get you all the help in the world to put yourself into their hands.
There's some alchemical symbolism at play here. Iron, a lesser metal, was a substance alchemists sought to turn into gold.
Jaqen later gifts another coin, a gold coin to Pate, the AFfC prologue. GRRM deepens the connection to alchemy with the nightingales singing "iron for gold, iron for gold" in that same chapter.
Note the inversion there: the iron coin arguably saves Arya's life; Saltpans was attacked soon after her departure by Biter, et al. However, the gold coin poisons Pate, killing him.
SP the description given to the man that kills and takes over Pate is very similar to the face change Jaqen Hagar made upon leaving Arya. So many believe Pate is now Jaqen Hagar
In a way Arya’s coin is killing her as well because it landed her who in the hands of the faceless men who are trying to kill her identity and sense of self.
There's also the duality on the Iron Islands between the iron price (aka death, or at least the threat of it) and the gold price (...gold), representing a transition between "the Old Way" of pure conquest and colonialism and the modern rise of mercantilism. I don't know if there's any direct thematic connection with the Faceless Men but it's interesting at least.
If the crew of the Titans daughter believed Arya was already a faceless man they would have taken her wherever she wanted to go, but you said it yourself, they were only going to take her to braavos... For her training
I did enjoy the video, though, and will be checking out more : )
I was under the impression that coin she was given was a clue to the Captain of the Titan where she was headed and that’s why they assume she’s a Faceless Man or at least headed to them.
@@210SAi I agree it was a clue for the captain, or for anyone out for Braavos, but if it was the omnipotent sign of office the video suggests, then why wouldn't the captain take her to the wall?
The coin seems to be the equivalent of a scholarship including room, board & transportation
Plus, if she was already a full-fledged FM, I think it would be a little late for the crew to tell her their name. I could be wrong about this, but I'm pretty sure that's only a factor for people the FM knew before they completed their training & become no one
The Faithless Logician maybe all the Braavosi captain knows is that if someone gives him that coin and says the words, he takes them to Braavos. Maybe he suspects that Arya’s later request to go to the Wall is just misdirection, along with her “act” of being a confused little girl. He won’t be taken in; the coin means “take her to Braavos”, so he does.
@@raylampert1243
That's basically what I think, that the captain knows the coin means he has to take this person to Braavos. That's what the coin means take this person to braavos. Period. Anything else is just conjecture.
And why would she need to come up with a cover story for a boat full of braavisi who all seemed to know exactly what the coin means? It just makes no sense
That was interesting, a glass flower in one story becomes Needle in a different story, both serving as an anchor to a person's true identity.
Iron price,Iron Bank,iron coin,Old Nan (in books) said the Others hated fire and IRON...Thanks for this video,love thinking about something other than being shut in right now...I will think about iron today😊
The connection of Braavos to Iron and the Others supposed abhorrence to the metal is definitely something I want to explore more in the future.
Good stuff Joe / Matt , the FM definitely need some type of constant unchangeable identifier symbol , given appearances and identities in the organization are in a constant state of flux. Some tend to forget its not just the use of the faces which themselves seem to have a magical component about them in the book (in the text it does not appear to be as simple as throw the face on and off with the faces like the show portrayed) ; also there is seemingly the ability by some of being able to control and contort the facial muscles to physically change appearance , certain FM members seem capable of using magical glamor techniques , and even down to the more simplistic use of makeup and portraying a different identity / character . Given so many possibilities of altering appearances and identities by the FM through various methods creates very complicated situations that are likely very difficult (nigh impossible) to discern through for the average Braavosi . That being said there has to be an unmovable constant tangible symbol for purposes like general directives (as we saw with the Arya situation) and ascertaining loyalty and membership ; which the iron coins act as when handed over to seemingly most any Braavosi.
This blends well with the thoughts I had concerning the coin. I always believed that the iron coin was more of an obligation of the Braavosi to the coin bearer. It seemed more than the promise of payment, but almost as a blood debt owed!
I don't think it's necessarily a question of "does the coin indicate she's a Faceless Man or that she's a a novice". I think it's a deliberate ambiguous symbol.
Maybe she's a Faceless Man who wants to go home. Maybe she's a promising recruit a Faceless Man wanted to send to be trained. Maybe she's just someone who killed a Faceless Man and took the coin from them.
Either way, this person is to go to the House of Black and White, no questions asked... and they're someone you'd rather be your friend than your enemy.
This is a great unique theory, totally my headcanon now. Good work my dude
This was a really awesome video. I’ve watched a ton of GOT lore on CZcams and rarely learn anything. Great job on connecting it back to his other work as well.
Great analysis of the relationship, it fit together very well and taught me alot. Thanks.
Amazing content Joe. You deserve 20 times the subs. You should make more 15-30 min subs. I love long ASOIAF vids, but a lot want video's like this
I've been trying to tone down the time on each, but sometimes I just let the video length fly. Thank you!
Ahh, I’m late to the premiere but the drama of the video pulled me in, I’m backtracking to the beginning! As always your narration is great! Stay Safe!
My thoughts exactly!
Excellent, I've been trying out new intro's. Glad to hear they are working!
Excellent video! Never picked up on the hint that the faceless men were behind the doom of Valerya. I hope that story is told some time.
someone besides the great preston jacobs referencing grrm's previous work? you just earned yourself a sub.
This is my "just so you have another comment" comment. Top notch, as always.
I'll take it!
I wonder if the glass candles work by saying the name of the person you wish to spy on/ or dreamspeak with... in that way, only someone with no true identity would be able to elude the magic of the glass candles. Hence, the importance of being ‘no one’... idk, just a theory.
Wow, very interesting take! Never thought about this before.
I had never even considered this! Well done!
Great stuff thank you!! Love your videos
This makes so much sense just like everything else I've seen you put out. Couple things I believe: the world that contains westeros is part of 1000 worlds; also it seems like Arya was perhaps searched out due to her warg abilities by the faceless men
Great video. Well done. Thank you.
Thank you! Great video explaining what I needed to know :-)
that was amazing man, great work
Loved the video!
Thanks for the new perspective. You introduced something I hadn't thought of before but makes so much sense!
Great vid! Here from reddit!
Welcome, thank you for checking it out! I tend to post most of my theories on youtube now, today on a whim I decided to put this one on Reddit too.
You know the dude is legit when he links old reddit
What monster would link to the new interface?
Great video and explanation
good video and a pleasant voice. I subscribed to you
Another great video Matt ty
Great video. I might also add that helping a faceless man might not only be because of their history and duty from Braavosi-citizens. I assume the faceless man will amount some serious money considering how much they charge for their killing. So helping a faceless man is also helping the Braavosi economy and thus yourself. Not getting killed if you can get to know them a little might be a nice bonus:-)
Woah. Never thought about it like that.
Excellent commentary, new sub here leaving a comment for the YT algorithm ✌️
Bless you for fighting the good fight against the algorithm.
Came for the catchy title, stayed for the quality content. Instantly subscribed.
love this!!
Excellent content!
Much appreciated!
never thought about that, nice
This is basically canon imo, very reasonable theory!
I thought the Faceless Men "freed" the slaves by giving them the gift of death, not hiding them from the Valyrians somewhere. Great video though, love this piece of lore and Arya's story.
This was great! Liked and Subscribed! :^)
Great video. But why would the captain refuse to take arya to the wall or anywhere else? It seems dangerous to refuse someone you assume is no one?
In the same way one only needed to speak a name for the God of Death and Faceless Men to eventually, unfailingly kill them, rejecting the coin for passage to the House probably instantly doomed them. That coin basically translated to, "Death itself has summoned me, now bring me to it or I bring it to you."
Good explanation
Thanks, that definitely made me understand much better what happened to Arya here... But it raises another question: if it is that important to him, how can Jaqen possibly give it away? Can he ever replace it, and how? Even if not, even if it means losing the rest of his already mostly non-existent identity, it might still be worth giving from his perspective - but still, it seems like a dire situation: wouldn't giving it away seem to him extremely distressing? Sure, receiving it is certainly somewhat reassuring for Arya, but it seems to me the comfort for her cannot even come close to the distress for him. To him, wouldn't it look like a tragedy in the original sense, like a mere choice of the mode of destruction - either betraying his identity by breaking faith, by not rewarding Arya who saved him, or giving away his identity outright? Is it really that dire for him, or am i missing something?
Excellent. Thank you! I had tried to look up the meaning of the coin, but couldn't find anything. So thanks for taking the time to make this.
Glad it was helpful!
@Joe Magician I'm curious if you believe her story will end the same way in the books as in the show? Thanks in advance if you get the chance to reply in your quarantine-stream! ;-)
So the Iron Coin is similar to the Gold Coin used in "John Wick"?
I’m rereading the books now and I’m at the part where Arya gives the captain at salt pans the coin for a ride on the titans daughter. Thanks 😊
You're very welcome, thank you for watching
One of my favorite characters jaquen Hagar...wish we could have seen more of him
He's not dead. He's just Pate now in the Citadel. New name, new face, same Braavosi assassin. I look forward to finding out why he is there!😉
If you read the books you will
Very interesting theory
Wow amazing!
Is the music from Legacy of Kain?
Great work
Thank you! Cheers!
Honestly I feel really stupid for not assuming all this time that they were assuming she is already a faceless man, as we know faceless men travel in disguise! They are not asking her name, because why bother if it’s a faithless man, as they would only ever give a fake name! And of course some people introduce themselves, as that would prevent her from assassinating them in the future.
As much as i love tsoiaf i do enjoy g.r.r.martins other books and short stories better, especially Egg 🥰 Best of his books, imho 👏
Yes i know it isn't called Egg... But thats what it should be called imo 👌
Big fan of Ser Duncan the Tall!
Quite an inspired theory. But may I ask why would a faceless man need help? They are the epitome of being independent and resourceful in all things. So if one is in need of assistance surely only another could be capable. The coin makes more sense when used for an initiates' training. Also, the coin returns to Bravos as well, for a deserving reward I'd imagine... it has been worn down considerably, possibly being the only one and very revered by any who encounter it.
Not all of them are Jaqen. The other Faceless Men have limited abilities, maybe on par with Varys' disguises. Only the Kindly Man displays the same level of disguise abilities as Jaqen really. And sometimes they might just need help in a tight spot. I'm sure Jaqen is fine without his, but just insurance for them in case the worst happens.
@@JoeMagicianI was not aware there were many degrees of the faceless sort. Any art has its Masters that stand out above the rest. Makes one wonder who could possibly be the worst skilled of them? And the blunders they achieve heh! - Thanks for the clarification and enlightenment. You have added another weight to the "reading of the books" side of the scale. It has alot to counterbalance though...
@@onesec8005 For a while Arya haha. But she describes their varying abilities. One she calls the Handsome Man can change his hair color and his nose. Another looks like a plague victim. There's apparently Jaqen and the Kindly Man in Braavos (who are separate in the books) at the very top and others who are essentially very good at make up and dyes. Different tools for different missions.
I always took it as there being more Faceless men, and since they were nobody so any Bravossi would know that they are a Faceless man no matter how they act, since they HAVE to take the personality of the person the face belongs to, again, because they are NOBODY. That is why the faces only really "spoke" to Arya but since she stayed as Arya Stark and didn't become nobody the faces could only whisper bit not takeover...
Thanks buddy
Very interesting.
Glad you think so!
This has been bothering me since the show has started thanks.
Any comparison with the gold coins in "John Wick"?
Very good! I never understood what the bravosi captain would use the coin for. I guess he doesn't keep it (is it so in the books?). It's only a show of "identity". However, if that were the case, why would he not take arya to wherevee she wanted? Or give her anything else, for that matter
You are awesome. A legend.
From the first reading I thought that it was a identifier for fm: a codeword and key to access help from the braavosi. Very interesting your take on it being also something more, a psychological "anchor". But I still don't get why the captain didn't take her north as she asked. I justified it by assuming that the fm are allowed to ask only so much, and going so far out of the way for the skipper was too much. But it's not a very strong explanation. Do you have a better one?
I think it was that the captain knows not to believe anything he is told by the person with the coin, so he did he knows what is required and brought the "girl" to the House of Black and White. A FM in character might not want to betray their identity the entire way back. He knows not to believe anything they say except the password and do his duty.
@@JoeMagician doesn't sound convincing. So if the fm wanted to really get a lift to the north what should she have said? Way I see it the coin is a kind of "now you know who I'm so give me help" type of code. The skipper helped Arya, to some extent, but wouldn't have actually actually helped a fm if the fm wanted to really go north.
Nice
I don't really have anything worthwhile to add, just that I thoroughly enjoyed this video! So take my comment and my *s l a m m i n g* of the like button.
Why would the captain refuse to bring her to the port she named?
Stab the world together took me out XD
It's a john wick coin of GOT
It could also have a relationship to the iron bank too
since the spin off shows have been confirmed I think if they did a show covering the origin of the faceless men and the fall of old Valyria that would be the most insane story yet and dark VERY DARK thats what i want at least.. show us the real reason why all men most die what were they doing in old Valyria?????? clearly something worse then death it gets me going just thinking about it..... well the thing that was worse then death was probably working in those mines PLEASE SHOW US HBO who was the first one and who was the one to cause the fall I NEED THE STORY
Arya is a made man and doesn't know it yet. She cashed in her BBBB card (Bravos better business buero).
Maybe in the book the coin has the meaning of identification, but i don't think it's in the show. As when Arya gave it to the Bravosi, he asked "Where did you get this?". He know-or- believe that she is not a faceless man. He accepted not because he think that she a faceless man but rather because she has the coin. The coin has great value, since it's iron- you could probably take it back to the facelessman's most frequent employer -the ironbank to cash in, or when gathered enough, even give them back to the temple to asked the facelessman to take someone life. Not all Bravosi worship the faceless god nor do all of them owed the facelessman anything to be honour bounded by the words and coin, bravosi citizens can also be moonsinger, r'hllor follower, seven god believer,... In the show, only the extremely poor and miserable come to the temple of the faceless god.
The coin is a method of identification and grants safe passage/service more of a method of identification presenting a coin would be saying yes I'm a faceless one grant me safe passage
maybe this coin is like a token for one order to kill by a faceless man?
I think Bran the cockeye raven knew the true value of the coin
Nice vid, covered alot. I would add that its likely the original Faceless Men were Children/Singers and maybe some still are. They were not slaves in old valyria, they lived AMONGST the slaves in the 14 flames. CoTF inhabit caves as we know, and have eyes suited for darkness. In addition, as in the Hammer of Waters, the doom is another "natural" disaster that put a stop to some unacceptable behavior by men.
she was my best one in the show 🥳🥳🥳and the hound 🐕
What happens to Jaquen now he gave his coin to Arya?
Read the books and find out
💓💓💓🐺🐺
The question is...
Why was jaqen h'ghar disguising in lannister army?
💓🔥💓
So she Arya
became one of them? or She failed? or She wanted to be like them from the beginning? I got the
feeling that she just wanted to train to take care of her list, it was her way of being alive and living for. REVENGE .....?
Faceless men is similer to John Wick
She might have just wished death on Cersei and the Night King and saved herself some trouble. It's not like D&D thought of a better way to end it anyway.
Ignore the show it’s the books that are real
that cursor left in the video is a little bit distracting lol
I miss game of thrones so much
Still going
But if the crew thought Ayra was Jaqen why would they treat her like a little girl and play games with her?
*Alright, hold on, so if they think she IS a Faceless Man... then why not take her to the Wall like she asked? If I were a cab driver, and a known assassin got in my cab, I'm driving him wherever in the fuck he wants to go, no questions asked.*
Love the video, but I winced every time you butchered the phrase 'valar morghulis' lol It's okay to use an accent for just one phrase!
Haha I'll do better in the future, I'm really bad at pronunciations sometimes.
You should do the audiobooks instead of ...
Do the audiobooks?
Joe Magician I don’t even remember typing that sorry
The die is cast
Dude little history. The faceless men were created in the mines of Valeria...due to all the death they created the sect of the god of death...there is more than one faceless man! Jaquen is in old town when last we see him. I think Euron is connected to all this.
The big question is how does a faceless man alter their height?
Yeah, I've been wondering about this too hahaha