article by dreamingsnowflake2013:The North Is Different
dreamingsnowflake2013: The North Is Different
Much has been written about the parallels between the two ‘King in the North” scenes together with the Commander selection and also how Sansa was cheated out of her birthright as the rightful Lady of Winterfell. However, the main and common message of these three scenes is that THE PEOPLE IN THE NORTH ARE INDEED DIFFERENT BECAUSE IN A STATE OF CRISIS THEY CLOSE RANKS AND DEMOCRATICALLY ELECT THEIR LEADERS BASED ON THEIR QUALIFICATIONS AND WORTHINESS. This is democracy at its most visceral self - in case of Jon’s Commander election it was direct democracy where every elligible man voted via ballot while in the other two cases it was indirect democracy where the lords (the representatives of the people in the North) cast the votes for their subjects via unanimous ACCLAMATION (a vote without ballot). It’s something extraordinary that in a story that is rooted so deeply in medieval practices and where every other position of leadership is won by fear, power and violence there are still those who choose their leaders based on loyalty, respect and merits. It’s this singularity that destroys Littlefinger’s carefully laid plan before his own eyes and becomes the flaw in his equation - it’s a huge (perhaps even the first) miscalculation on his part when he believes that birthright is enough to win Sansa the position of the Queen in the North.
“I’m having the lord’s chamber prepared for you.” - Jon Snow
“You should take it.” - Sansa Stark
It’s baffling why some people think that Sansa was more entitled to the title than Jon or some even went that far as to say that he literally stole it from her. First of all, Sansa herself told him to assume that position of the Lord of Winterfell and that it rightfully belonged to him. Jon even looked at her immediatelly after being elected and she gave him a huge, triumphant, proud, supportive smile. Secondly, like Sansa’d said many times before he is as much Stark as she is and nothing about Jon’s newly revealed origin can change that - his Targaryen blood doesn’t make him any less a Stark than Sansa’s Tully blood. He has equal claim on Winterfell as Sansa in that regard. At this point in the story Jon is the only male leader among the great houses in Westeros - (with House Baratheon virtually gone) Lannisters, Martells, Greyjoys, Tyrells, Targaryens are all ruled by a woman. But he DID NOT WIN HIS TITLE BECAUSE OF BIGOTRY - IT WAS LYANNA MORMONT, HERSELF A WOMAN IN A LEADERSHIP POSITION, WHO ACKNOWLEDGED AND DEFENDED HIS RIGHT AND WORTHINESS TO THAT TITLE. She chose Jon over Sansa and the rest agreed with her. Unlike Sansa, Jon has years of experience leading men and winning lost battles; he also inherited the Stark looks (together with Arya) while Sansa has the Tully looks. Also, there is this not unimportant detail of her being married first to a Lannister and than a Bolton which doesn’t play in her favour. Concerning Jon’s bastardy, there are huge hints that Rhaegar had married Lyanna - he wouldn’t have order the Sword of the Morning and the Kingsguard to protect the child instead of himself at Trident if he was not legitimate and rightful heir to the throne of Westeros. And even if Jon were still “officially” illegitimate, he has just been democratically elected a king by the whole North, thus basically being freed of the bastard stigma.
Finally, JON DOES NOT WANT THAT POSITION (there is no joy, no wide smile from him this time; he only feels the burden of the crown he is to bear) - he had been a leader of men once before and he paid with his life for making right but unpopular decisions and saving 5000 innocent lives - HE WOULD GIVE IT UP IN A HEARTBEAT IF HE HAD A CHOICE BUT HE DOES NOT. THE NORTH HAS MIRACULOUSLY UNITED BEHIND HIM AND THEY NEED A UNITED NORTH TO STAND A CHANCE IN THE WAR TO COME AGAINST THE WHITE WALKERS AND THEIR ARMY OF DEAD. HE SIMPLY CANNOT RISK REJECTING THE TITLE AND THUS JEOPARDIZING AND FRACTURING THIS FRAGILE ALLIANCE WHEN HIS ELECTION WAS THE WILL OF THE ENTIRE NORTH.
