Why did Jaqen recruit Arya?

In Deep Geek - Insight and intelligent discussion on Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, The Witcher and more.
Join me every Thursday on IDG live for discussions: ‪@IDGlive‬
For merch, audiobooks, and all things In Deep Geek, explore my website - www.indeepgeek.com
Join me on Patreon - / indeepgeek
Follow me on Twitter - @indeepgeek
Follow me on Instagram - indeepgeekofficial
Follow me on Facebook - / indeepgeek
For more merch - shop.spreadshirt.com/indeepgeek
Or ... shop.spreadshirt.co.uk/indeep...
The Winds of Winter playlist - • Video
Robert's Rebellion / Tower of Joy playlist - • Video
My audiobook channel: The Well Told Tale - / thewelltoldtale
This video was brought to you with support from my amazing Patreon community - special thanks to:
Stephanie Frederick, Joshua Clark, Maura Lee, Rabbi Rob Thomas, Brooke Geer Person, Josh Bielemeier, Jane, Vance, Amy Southerland, Ivie Hilburn, Jimmy, Callie Summers, June Coates, Ariel Winchester, Sonia Rangel, Edward Ryan, Stephanie B, Coleen, Ben Androvich, Nana L, Brennan Barnes, Ivanka Hainzl, Howland’s Little Sister, Charis Messalina de Valence, Donna Daley, Cade Norman, Murray D, Lily Mellon, NOscar, Rick Hoppe, Leathery Wings, James Pisano, Bridget Boyle, TheStarkInWinterfell, Ellemcee, Alannah Prestayn of Braavos, Raymond Joy, Jonathan Harrison, Jared, Petyr Pebble, Hilal Yildiz, Jason Mauleon Rosario, Milton Christopher Appling, Edward Ennett, Katy Smith, 26Artgirl, Karen Thomas, Rickon, Cathrine Furseth, James Fitzpatrick, Doug Hughes, lawnduck20, Perseffanie, Emily Mole, Lady Dane, The Late Escapist, Natalie Donald, J. Gregory Henderson, Andrew Warnock, whalawitsa, Luna Cascade, Dan MacKay, Lady of Summer, Johnny Targs, Milla, Ashton DeAngrlo, Kevin Warner, TomCritoph, Julie Bernard, Demps 2002, St Jamalamington, Bear, Carolina Kley, Susan Lonergan, Bo Riley, Brad Paquin, Lyle Hammac, Taryn Giles, Alex Butter, Pam Peterson, Bettina Charlotte Nielsen, T boz, Angela Marie Young, Sarah Awesomesauce, James Horner, Stephanie Erickson, KaliKo_Jack, SeaGreenMango, GeorgeRRTolkien, Antihero Association, Richard Woodard, Jenny Smith, Caiden Timmons, Britt, ThatVBGuy, Tyler Barnhart, Daiwai, John H. Austin, Jr, NikFromNJ, Ty Farnsworth, Beesman, Mario Murray, EJ, Willow Button, Julia Kendall, Jonny Ceriani, Mary Frances Angelini, Emma Sheiman, Matthew Foley, Candide, Joseph Jones, Christine Denny, Nicholas Willey, Julien Dubois, Leland, JackieO, Max Kingdom, Tricia Brady, Julian Messner, LiK, Simen Dalstein, Scott Maraldo, Shelley J, April Cote, Karen Wennerlind, Nathan Drumm, Lauren Peterson, Martin Sjöstrand, Mae, Matt (Man of War) Rubin, Kristen H, King of Imps, AdAm.UK, Minerva Gale, Eric Nelson and Michiel Venema

Affiliate Links - (buying books from our Bookshop.org shop supports this channel and local bookshops at no extra cost to you.)
Books for fans of A Song of Ice and Fire:
uk.bookshop.org/lists/a-song-...
Other books we love:
uk.bookshop.org/shop/indeepgeek
Thanks for watching! (All pictures are used under fair use copyright laws. If any credits are missing or incorrect, please PM me for a credit!)

[@daniell1483]

Important correction: Arya's desire to kill people on her list is explicitly not a trait desired by the Faceless Men. The Kindly Man (something of a high ranking Faceless Man) very clearly tells her that their power is not to judge who may live or die, but to deliver death as a mercy to everybody equally when their time comes. Arya takes this to heart so much that she stops speaking her death list aloud, instead confining it to her inner thoughts.

[@maikuusa]

For many religions what they do and what they say can be different.

[@daniell1483]

@@maikuusa Yeah, and I'd say Jaqen himself is perhaps the most obvious example of an unorthodox Faceless Man. Talking about the "red god" needing its due, and using his power to kill seemingly anybody he thinks he needs to without concern. I'm not sure if it is a "not practice what you preach" sort of thing, or if the rules are so open to interpretation that Jaqen's behavior doesn't represent breaking the ruels.

[@mikecobalt7005]

@@daniell1483 Like Melisandre, they both know the rules of their factions, but don't always follow them and often *Using those rules to validate their own actions/desires.

[@rattusgrenadus8291]

IM ALSO A DUMB VRGIN

[@rumpelstilzz]

Yes and no. Praying for someone's death, your own or someone else's, is how the faceless men started in the first place. She is doing exactly what the faceless men do. Now is the next step to teach her, that, once one of the names on her list has to be served death, she must stay back and say: I cannot do that thing, since I know that person. I don't see any conflict on the side of the faceless men there, only that Arya is clearly not ready. Yet. And it is a thing from the show, not the books. While they set Arya on killing the insurance broker, it is only a test, an easy task to train her and to assess her progress. Arya does kill the nightswatch derserter, but her tutors very much frown on that. Anyone she kills or not kills after that, only happens in the show.

[@DefneDance]

The warg thing is her secret talent. She uses a cat to spy for her when she is temporarily blind and nobody knows.

[@NukeMarine]

However, it makes them suspect since she revealed she can do something that should be beyond her abilities which is reveal who was hitting her daily.

[@dannycolwell8028]

Never fucking caught that, holy shit

[@bw126]

It certainly seems like the faceless men can't detect the warging. It's a weird blind spot since they seem to know everything

[@mankytoes]

Huh, I always assumed the opposite, they're just letting her think that because they want to bring the power out through things like taking her sight, instead of instructing her. I'd have to re-read but I feel like Gendry or even Hot Pie comment on Arya making weird noises in her sleep when she wargs Nymeria, so I assumed Jaqen would have noticed too. It makes total sense that the Faceless Men would want wargs, and I think this is a crucial reason Jaqen recruits her.

[@daviddejager7877]

@@mankytoes right, just like Brayden rivers tells bran darkness is his friend. They make Arya blind. Seems like that might help awaken the ability faster maybe?

[@Sienisota]

I didn't notice that Arya was actually so much like the slave in the orgin story of Jaquen's faith. He must've thought that she was clearly pointed/Guided to him by the Many Faced God. She fit the role to the point of it being uncanny, now that I think about in from Jaquen's point of view.

[@padmewan]

It's not just that Jaqen is testing Arya; if he is a true believer, she is a test for him. As you point out, she reflects the Faceless Mens's origins perfectly: to a religious man, she might well be an avatar of their god, a command they cannot disobey. The fact that she also could be a recruit seems a bonus, seen from that perspective.

[@Dorsidwarf]

I think this is a really important point in context of Arya's prayer of death yeah. Could the nobody that is Jaqen remain true to the Faceless Men if he did not answer this fervent prayer that he hears at the very moment he goes to visit the girl?

[@kobarsos82]

I very much like this perspective. It also explains a lot of things that other theories do not. The fact that in the end, Jaquen accepts her for what she is and lets her go back to Winterfell, is in fact a testament not only that he is proud of her, heck even inspired by her, to let her go her own way, but also seeing her as his equal if not something more. In his eyes maybe she is indeed the embodiment of what it means to be a faceless Man. It basically proves that he sees in her, something much more than a simple servant of Death. Much much more.

[@LearnRunes]

You captured it in a nutshell at the end - "she is the most promising faceless man imaginable", apart from her rebellious nature making it impossible for her to follow their rules.

[@rmsgrey]

It's not just her rebellious nature; it's her warg link with Nymeria which makes it impossible for them to remove Arya Stark from their new recruit. Without that, Arya would have been lost, and a girl would have become a loyal disciple.

[@rickwrites2612]

It's a pretty big exception...while she certainly has potential, her identity is based on vengeance and she is quite attached to that.

[@MyUserTubeAccount]

book Arya is who he is talking about, not the cartoon ninja on tv.

[@sleazypolar]

Her rebellious nature doesn't count against her. If you think on the waif and her dedication to becoming a faceless man, she had swung to hard to the other side to stay in line with the rules. She was not "being nobody," but rather, she was trying to be a faceless man. Arya was already much better at being nobody than the waif straight from the beginning. The popular interpretation is the surface level idea of a person giving up their hopes and dreams tied to their old life, and that revenge can't be a part of the culture of the faceless men, but the birth of the faceless men was born out of desires for revenge. They even act as the hand of revenge for people that seek their services. Her being rebellious insures she's not going to be some indoctrinated pawn.

[@galdo06]

I don’t think she will be faceless but will offer a lot to the god of many faces

[@gregcampwriter]

I'll add that any sensible organization that needs operators would gladly recruit Arya Stark. She's intelligent, self-possessed, and adaptable, and she's shown even at this age that she can face the world as it is, rather than laboring under fantasies about how she wants it to be.

[@vettethewarlock5448]

I fully read the title as "Why did Japan recruit Arya?"

[@roscojenkins7451]

Revenge for Hiroshima. The East remembers!!

[@dominicpalmer3130]

😂😂😂

[@twiss9341]

Hahaha

[@hicknopunk]

The mention of Japan once in the series is a mystery. 😅

[@kpax2066]

Lol

[@Arturoperezp]

And keeping in mind how expensive a facelessman hit is, it is even crazier to think Jaqen offers 3 deaths to Arya

[@dianesykes7059]

He must place a very high value on his life, that's all, and perhaps other Faceless Men

[@jacobsaunders1092]

@@dianesykes7059well it’s more because Arya saved three lives when she rescued jaquen, rorge and biter.

[@porungadaddy9053]

Right! I wondered what brought Jaqen to then point he was arrested and taken prison. Was Joffrey his target? What wealth or price was paid for a faceless man? If the faceless men call Braavos home then I guess the Iron Bank is always perfectly capable of bankrolling the faceless men. If there no longer appears to be a Stark in the north this seems worthy to deliver that news to the Isle of Faces.

[@stinkyfungus]

​@jacobsaunders1092 A girl took 3 lives from the many faced God. A girl must give A man 3 names to pay that debt.

[@stinkyfungus]

​@porungadaddy9053 All part of his plan. As Serio Forell when Aria was ready, he would have recruited her. He knew that the nightswatch had scooped her up to get her out of the city, So he took the identity of one of the more "nasty" recruits and bided his time.

[@WarKrieg]

I discovered your channel very recently and have essentially been binging your GOT content. First, it's truly brilliant stuff. But because most are years old, I didn't realize you were still doing this for that universe. What a wonderful surprise! 🙏 Second, I have been a long time fan of the books but you have *completely* revolutionized how I think of weirwoods and the old gods, the events that began Robert's rebellion, the Tower of Joy, and the nature of death in the series. Immensely grateful to have found your work.

[@michaelf8221]

It took me just about a year and a half to watch every single video he's released since the beginning. Enjoy that journey and then on to his 2nd channel "the well told tale!"

[@neuralmute]

I've been following this channel for a long time now, and I just have to say, you're lucky to be watching it all for the first time! And you're in for a treat, depending on how much more you've got to go, and whether or not you're digging into the Tolkien videos too. (I highly recommend them - they're just as interesting and insightful as the GOT series!)

[@littlemouse7066]

The fact he let her go with their secrets I think it's because he knows her destiny in some way and he knows she has to fulfill it and their training was vital to do that.

[@danielsherwood8153]

Jaqen doesn't need to know her destiny so much as believe he knows it, or at best believe she has a destiny he cannot know. Regardless, I do wonder if the Faceless Men will ever let her out of their sight. Frankly, I doubt it.

[@baumanmarketinggaming]

Perhaps Jaqen could somehow foresee the future! When Arya kills Waif and comes back to him, he says: 'Finally the girl is no one' and she replies: 'The girl is Arya Stark from Winterfell and I'm going home!' leaving a content smile on his face. Why that smile? He knew about her list, but Faceless Men are not allowed to kill upon their own wishes, so it must be something else. Perhaps he knew she was destined to kill a man who not only lived for millennia, but prevented or risen many others from their deaths. By doing so she would have satisfied Many Faced God the most!

[@ulrichkalber9039]

Indeed, she is not a recruit for the FM, she is being trained for something.

[@terrikennedy3088]

...it does seem that Jaqin's comment that "a girl finally has no name" is an acknowledgement to the audience that he has already realized that his gods have a plan for Arya that transcends his pay grade. Otherwise, it was trite on his part he's proven himself not trite.

[@virtuerse]

Dude you have an incredible voice, you’d be an amazing reader for audiobooks, and of course these videos.

[@TheNinjaDC]

I think magic also plays a bit too. While he doesn’t particularly care she is a noble, but her Stark blood is old and entwined with magic that is older than even the faceless men. Magic she was starting to awaken too. Put simple, as a user of magic he probably felt an aura about her. That plus the way death seemed to circle around her might have made appear more than just a perfect deciple, but a down right devine gift from the man faced god.

[@Slammy555]

I always thought it was a greater plan from the God of Death, and that Jaqen may have been an incarnation but he was probably just an equivalent of Melisandre and trying to determine the will of his God. Arya kills the Night King, Jaqen gave her training she needed to accomplish that. Surely the God of Death has a response to an army of the undead..

[@michaelbayer5094]

Robert, our video narrator, only analyzes the books. He only looks at the show when the scene is the same but helps shed light on the book. Arya killing the NK is TV and not yet part of this discussion.

[@rosabellaalvarez-calderon4586]

And yet (based on the show only), I do think Jaqen made a serious misjudgment of Arya: he did not realize that Arya wished death on her enemies and those who had caused pain and death to her family and loved ones. In other words, to those she thought deserved death. He did not understand the influence of Ned Stark on her, honor. She was appalled at the death of innocents, and she failed at being a Faceless Man because she could not simply kill someone who she thought was innocent simply because they paid her to. I also think that since the House of Black and White is in Bravos, Jaquen definitely noticed that Arya fought like a Bravosi, and thus may have believed that Bravos may be a place where she would also feel comfortable in

[@rmsgrey]

I think the mistake was something subtler - and not so much a mistake as ignorance of something he had no way of knowing - that Arya had an anchor to her past that couldn't be removed (or at least not easily) - her bond with Nymeria

[@CarolineLurks]

I'm looking forward to the next part. I always thought the parts with the faceless man were the most intruiging. But also the most complicated ☺

[@AndrewK23777]

Great vid as always. As the vid shows Arya is an ideal candidate for the FM for sure. She experienced a lot of loss , trauma and death and is a bit of a floating spec at the time isolated without familial connections or otherwise. Already juggling multiple identities , willing to kill and open to much more in that respect at such a young age , revenge prominent in her mind and literally praying for deaths. Ideal candidate without a doubt ; i do think being high-born factors in as well given the circles the FM will envision her eventually moving in , her decorum familiarity and the access that comes with her station. That high-born aspect / its access could factor in to the FM’s plans later on with their overarching aims in Westeros. Also, being magical / a skin-changer which the FM become aware later on ; though another seeming magic user like Jaqen likely noticed that much earlier. I am assuming there is a hierarchy of sorts with the FM assassins based on abilities , Jaqen seems quite adept at certain magic , we are told other FM have talent more in line with contorting their face , makeup , acting , disguise etc. I believe most of the top echelon assassins like Jaqen emerge from magic user recruits; which Arya is one of. On top of her current state / ideal factors for a FM recruit ; AS’ magical ability / skin-changing likely enhances Arya’s viability even more with high potential to become a top level assassin from the FM's perspective.

[@bluelemon243]

Being a high born come with his own benefits too, for example she already know how to read and some basic math which they need to teach a low borns reqruits

[@AndrewK23777]

@@bluelemon243 100% , Arya is quite clever as it is which seemed to be noticed by Jaqen but a high-born education def takes that up another level.

[@neuralmute]

Along with being educated, although she prefers not to use them, being highborn also means that Arya knows the manners and behaviours necessary to move in higher society, something that would doubtless be useful as a Faceless assassin.

[@AndrewK23777]

@@neuralmute I agree, i did very briefly mention the decorum aspect but yes strongly agree. Whether as herself knowingly or unknowingly part of the FM's plans , dealing with high-born people as targets or for intelligence etc or even in disguise trying to convince as as a high-born character ; that decorum knowledge and familiarity could be a massive help.

[@dansiegel333]

Sometimes someone says something that makes you think “What a mind!” I thought that when you described the parallel between Arya’s prayer and the prayer that launched the Faceless Men’s origin story.

[@Knight860]

I totally agree. Also in the context of this being an antiwar narrative, you could see Jaqen as a sort of army recruiter and Arya as a young impressionable recruit who is slowly molded into a weapon and her humanity stripped from her before being sent off to war. Not that I think Arya will fully become a faceless man given she stashed needle and still has her prayer list of people to kill, hopefully a better storyline (if we ever get it) than the show.

[@tuulenkoti]

Given that a huge theme in ASOIAF is the fruits of old/ancient agreements it could be something along those lines. Ancient agreements being honoured deliberately or not, as Tyrion said 'dancing on the strings of those who came before us' I'd love to see the channel focus on Moorcock's Elric and indeed the whole of his multiverse. Martin straight up lifts whole storylines from it.

[@mbryson2899]

I thought the same about the storylines. I love the concept of an Elric series, but I fear what Hollywood would make of it.

[@Slammy555]

​@@mbryson2899 The Eternal Champion concept seems promising for a seasonal program.

[@tuulenkoti]

​@@mbryson2899Yeah I fear for it too. If it were a labour of love then fine but handing it off to US tv morons would lose my support. Tv hacks ruined GOT.

[@jelly434]

I always got the very strong impression that Jaqen has a personality beyond 'Faceless Man' and isn't operating robotically on religious principles - his motivation looked a lot like personal gratitude at not being burned alive 😂 Save this mysterious NPC, turns out he's a magical assassin and chooses to give you a big favour... because he can, and he has feelings and a personality.

[@DanOates1]

Another fantastic video, Robert, displaying your deep understanding for the underlying themes and rich law of this universe. I thoroughly enjoy every video you put it out as you answer questions I never thought to question. By doing this, it makes me love this universe, more than I thought I could.

[@mikec3702]

I’m starting to think there is more actually. After Arya’s training as a faceless man she had an exchange with Jaqen before sailing back to Westeros, Arya once again proclaimed herself as Arya Stark. Jaqen, (in the show anyway) seem pleased as if now her training was complete. Like he knew Arya had a greater destiny yet needed this grueling training to achieve this. I could be wrong, I just happened to recently watch this again and thought I picked up on it. Does this make sense to anyone? And of course it’s possible I read into this wrong.

[@JonToft]

Anything that deep in the lore, that happens in the 2nd half of the show, should be taken with a grain of salt tbh. The showrunners were pretty removed from the books at that point, and we don't know yet what GRRM intents her farewell to the House of Black and White to be like.

[@naxxer-nha]

Amazing Robert, as always! Keep it on!!

[@TheCyberFreak]

I don't think Jaqen ever intended for Arya to become a full member of the faceless men. It's clear the gods were very involved in shaping events at this point in the story and I believe he was answering the will of the Red God to prepare Arya for what was ahead of her. She never became no one, and though he stressed this was necessary to become a faceless man, he never prevented her from turning away from that path when she ultimately did. My theory on this was much more developed when I was fully immersed in the story and so I know there are more elements in the story that support this idea, even if I can't articulate them now. It does help to explain why he was there among the prisoners when he met her, why he showed interest in her, and why his invitation to train in the ways of the faceless mess was so open ended. He didn't happen upon her by accident, he was there to find her because he was given that mission by the red god.

[@jas1775]

This was my thoughts exactly. His smile when she left to go home told me a lot. I think he was preparing her for her biggest role in saving humanity from the undead. The God of Death surely was against the undead as it was unnatural. Life has to exist for death to.

[@mikespangler98]

I go with the conspiracy of the gods too. The First Sword of Bravos has nothing better to do than teach introductory fencing to a precocious preteen girl? Really?

[@TheCyberFreak]

Not to mention she's been praying to Jaqen's god for months every night before sleeping without knowing it.

[@jyyyb]

Jaqen was in the dungeons to kill Ned for littlefinger

[@eric2500]

The red god's people, maybe,and it was not to find Arya or anyone - so who would the red priests want killed in Westeros? The red god is an ASPECT of Jaquan's god, the one that almost claimed him and two others - the red god maybe being just plain old fire in Jaquen's case. He was burning. Arya changed fate. There did need to be Balance.

[@tywinlannister8341]

As always, amazing analysis! Thank you Robert

[@angelojohnnys7246]

I don’t think nobody else could’ve played this character as well as the young lady did she was absolutely amazing

[@dennisyoungblood7752]

Do you think Jaqen was going to teach Arya himself, or was he really going to take her to Braavos and then come back to Oldtown? I think he was going to teach her if she decided to go with him. At least until he finished his mission in Oldtown. Just my little theory

[@longarmsgiraffe0955]

Love these videos! Keep them coming!

[@thisguy8106]

There are a couple of things that I really wished you had touched on in this video.. One is the fact that Rorge was definitely intently spying on her from the moment she got to the caravan, that's a minor one though. The second one is the one that I can't quite piece together, but the fact that Arya actually runs into a ship from Bravos at Saltpan just cannot be an accident. It's incredibly "lucky" for her, esp with Rorge and Bitter searching desperately for her, committing atrocities at Saltpans to find her. But what reason would Rorge be looking for her (unless for Gold) and why did he wait to go look for her until he was forced to abandon Harrenhall??.. There's so many questions surrounding this entire part of the story. I sure hope it gets answered one day.

[@ryankelly1826]

I think she just intrigued him. As you said he noticed that in a way she was already wearing a different face from the day he first met her, as she was pretending to be a boy. So she was already becoming a master of disguise and blending in. I think from that moment on he saw potential in her and the rest as they say is history.

[@thekopitekid1]

Just now finishing a dance with dragons and loving the way there's a channel pumping out game of thrones content by the day. Keep it up! 👌🏻

[@NS56sn]

Amazing as always Robert! Arya and the faceless men are my favorite chapters ❤

[@whatthefrerejacques]

Tremendous! Well done, Robert.

[@VII_Spiritual]

Your videos are great, Thank you for the content.

[@johnmaxwell1356]

The fact that she was the only one who could, or did, kill the night walker king may have something to do with her God, Death. After all the night walkers were dead, and being reanimated, was "stealing" from Death. The fact that she was able to end the King of the night walkers satisfied the debt Death would have required. In the end I loved the story/arc of Arya. She was a lot of fun to follow.

[@scottfitzpatrick1939]

Incredible video you have masterd this

[@kensweeney9057]

The way I saw Game of Thrones, is that the whole story can be seen through the eyes of "A" main character - choose your hero kind of adventure. If you watch the story through the eyes of Arya, you see that her role in the story is to allow the North and their allies to band together to defeat the threat of the Night King. If the North doesn't rally then all life is lost, the Night King and his minions of the undead win, and the Children of Men die off. In order to preserve life (and thus the balance between life and death), The Faceless God (also the only god to have been shown as real in the entire series) had to choose a hero to act on 'his' behalf. Arya was perfect for this, because her heart was true, her reasons for revenge were pure and just, and her list was loooong. If not for Arya, the entire story would have ended with the death of the human race at the hands of the Night king. SHE is the true hero; the unsung hero.

[@shawnwilt7196]

I have said since I first started to read this series that I believe Jaqan is "THE" Many Faced god or the very first faceless man. Thus he can say "these are the rules", but he doesn't have follow them unless he wants to because he makes the rules.

[@maggiesmith856]

We never see any other Faceless Men. The elderly man who opened the door at the House of Black and White was just one of Jaquen's Faces, as we saw when he was flipping from one to another. It could be that he is the only one left.

[@LemonFlump]

Hey Robert love the videos as always! Have you ever thought about doing anything with the Cosmere? The massive universe seems like a perfect fit for your great style.

[@phillipmolis8398]

You crushed that analysis brother!

[@leeshepherd834]

I hope you make an hour+ video compilation of everything Arya!

[@omarbey3868]

Masterful! Thank you.

[@zhylkos]

Another banger episode. thank you very much

[@bobsmith6768]

This was awesome!

[@HeatherHolt]

Hell yeah I was opening KZbin to find something great to watch and here it is, first suggestion. ❤

[@asfdfdsaasfdafsd]

Brilliant as always.

[@davidcavazos2270]

His recruitment was certainly a change/adjustment of plans if we assume Jaqen was in King's Landing for a different (and previously theorized reason :) ). I agree, that he saw promise in Arya once given time to observe her.

[@chrisrygh6838]

Great summary. I agree, not sure if it’s correct, but it makes you think.

[@ericornelas4887]

Amazing video!!

[@porungadaddy9053]

This video has made me see that, Arya's journey was so very much worth reading. I really enjoy getting to see their relationship form because like literally all her teachers are badasses!!! This has to be my favorite video of In Deep Geek. I am reading through a dance with dragons. I hope A dance with dragons touches on the root history of the faceless men.

[@helixxharpell]

Of all the character arcs in GoT I find Arya's arc to be the most intriguing. Being a DM in Forgotten Realms (a religion-heavy fantasy world) its the religious aspects of Martin's world that fascinates me. Hopefully we'll get to see more religious arcs in GoT series in the future.

[@Mwezi828]

The way you say warg always gets me 😂 love it!

[@christyb2912]

I love your analysis!

[@Darnarus]

I am really looking forward to the next books. I wonder if Arya will get the cruelest test to prove if she really became nobody; in Westeros, there are two deaths owed to the Many Faced God in the form of Lady Stoneheart (in the Riverlands, where her Direwolf chills) and the probably soon to be ressurected Jon Snow. Will she be able to truly leave her past behind by slaying her undead mother and brother, who are essentially zombies of R'hllor at that point? Arya witnessed the ressurection of Beric Dondarrion, so she knows the Lord of Light has the power to steal deaths from the Many Faced God, and the toll it takes on the returned, with Beric coming back less and less true to himself. Sooo looking forward to Martins continuation of this plot. Aryas identity crysis is one of my favourite character arcs period.

[@thecocktailian2091]

It will be a warm day in winter when GRRM gives us another book.

[@cannednolan8194]

Good video. I liked this better then the last season.

[@Turnoutburndown]

This video got me so hyped for where Aryas story is going!

[@icecreamtruckog3667]

Maybe the many face god that can understand death foresaw that Arya had the potential to end the White walkers that were dead but not and as his apprentices were instructed to train her to help her in ending the threat to them that the white walkers maintained.

[@allagatoral3839]

you are spot on !!!

[@thomaswatson3774]

These two need their own show

[@FedupAmerican1982]

Love the videos. Can you break down the wolf dream/warg talent?

[@FlyWithMe_666]

Could you make a video on the popular “Ned is alive” theory? (a.k.a. the Jaehaerys miracle)

[@darksister535]

Excellent content ❤

[@FBurck]

If I remember right, there is a theory her "Dance Instructor" was Jaqen and the faceless men arranged for her to be in the caravan so she could be recruited.

[@thecockerel86]

There's also a current detailed examination of Arya's storyline on Radio Westeros. Worth checking out.

[@rovinsingh4698]

After Arya named Jaqen as her third name, he said the Gods are not mocked. She says she will unname him if she helps them escape, which he says costs more than one life. That expensive cost of this action.. well essentially Arya paid this with her life.. being forced to become an assassin to make up for the extra lives that she took and mocking the Gods.

[@plumbussmith]

I really enjoy these

[@jolinefields3460]

❤😂🎉 how fun these rythym beats sound great !

[@devonmarcus101]

This is a good one.

[@lilitharam44]

We'll have to see what happens in the books. Right now, she's still learning from them. Very good video though!

[@Joshua-zc7ov]

Awesome. Thanks

[@Lone_Wolf_LT]

Loved this! Thanks Robert, beautifully done as usual.

[@valerialamberti9037]

I love your vlogs!

[@bradwolf07]

I think Jaquen noticed her because of the reasons Robert stated. But I think once he got to know her realized she did have some training , who she likely was, and figured out her desire for bringing death. And once he figured out about her warging ability (I'm guessing here), he realized she was the perfect recruit based on ability (though he underestimated her strong sense of self, which made het the WORST recruit he could have picked).

[@TheSirrandal]

he saw the same thing the red witch saw "You will close many eyes..."

[@captainanopheles4307]

In a world with magic, it's hard to believe in coincidences.

[@vholzak]

7:52 - "no one would miss Arya... no one even knew where she was" and Jaqen says "I am no one" 😉

[@OceanHedgehog]

Show-only possible additional factor: The God of Death may have also told Jaqen to take her in.

[@ajwinberg]

Arya's story line is my favorite story line. It would be nice to actually find out what George R.R. Martin really intended for Arya in the end, but I guess we will never know. The Dude seems to not care about the true ending of his books.

[@maxwell7709]

It will be almost the same in the books, uncluding night king killing. I'm sure that this was her final mission as a faceless man, and that's why they recruited her. But why? Because night king took lots of souls that must go to the manyfaced god, that's my theory. And somehow Jaqen knew about all of this since the beginning. Maybe some prophecy of his cult. That we will know from the books if they come.

[@nickgrawitch5204]

​@Maxwell weird that it could be the same since the night king doesn't exist in the books. Also pretty fucked up grrm who is super anti war will have global warming fixed by being stabbed to death. When war and violence have always brought about more war and death in the story. 😂😂 you're a fool

[@prgx52]

Having gotten through this part of the book for the 10th or 11th time, i think this is analysis is spot on, her trying to find her mom then aunt and realizing death had already come for both, she realizes maybe she can do the same for people who deserve it. And many people deserve it in this universe.

[@user-wu7po8br5q]

You've read this unfinished story that many times? That's sad. Get help

[@williamfrazer9766]

I read the books and the tv series brought so much insight of now seeing what it is , kudos love it !

[@aidkik580]

Jaquen is a trained...no one...he saw potential In someone who had lost almost everything and had become...no one...and after his interest was piqued he gave her the three deaths "test" as you say..but.. what finally made him decide she was worthy was when she outsmarted him, he wasn't scared of her naming Jaquen, that person was already dead, all he had to do was change faces to get out of that contract, whoever he was before he became a faceless man played a part in his interest in Arya I'm willing to bet, a girl from a noble house with the potential to rally family and sworn vassals is not someone who'd easily give up their identity, theres more to it...

[@markgross6006]

I know that the book and the show differ greatly, but one thing I think we'll learn from HOTD is that the offspring of Jacaerys Velaryon and Sara Snow married into House Stark. Whether Jaqen and the other Faceless Men knew this or not remains to be seen. So buckle up for this theory: Aegon the Conqueror's prophesy ("From my blood comes the Prince or Princess that was Promised, and theirs shall be the Song of Ice and Fire"), is a song or a common chorus from the song, or more to the point, a common refrain from a song with many stanzas. In other words, there may be multiple Princes/Princesses that were promised, with Arya being one of them (after all, she did kill the Night King with the catspaw dagger with the song infused in the Valyrian steel part of the dagger). Daenerys and Jon Snow may be part of the Prince/Princess prophesy as well, and the three children secretly sired by Aerys II and Joanna Lannister (Cersei, Jaime, and Tyrion) could be as well. Viserys I did state that his someone from his bloodline would have to sit on the Iron Throne during the Long Night, and Cersei was sitting on the throne when it happened.

[@TheRamsesII]

Arya's desire to kill her enemies worked against what the Faceless Men wanted. That was made pretty clear in the stories. I think a lot of this is a plot device by GRRM to move the story along in the way it did, which was a great plot line. Might be overthinking on this one, Robert. BUT, enjoying your analysis, anyway :)

[@tkendirli]

Throughout Arya Faceless man was also able to deal even with the Night King. That is a dope theory.

[@Jon77Levy]

Here's another consideration: It might be valuable for the Faceless Men to have the face of Arya Stark in their vault. Who knows to what use it might be put?

[@grumpybear42]

Just finished. Good insights. I agree that their meeting is likely chance, but Jaqen, as you pointed out is an opportunitst. Working out who she was, he saw what she could accomplish.. While feeling if not indebted, at least gratitude for the save, he invests effort into her survival and provides guidance. We can assume he sent word to the Bravos temple, because the 2 seemed to expect and know her. I reiterate that the temple knew she stashed the sword. Seems like the penalty for dessertion from a group of assassin's would be a swift death, but she is not pursued. They knew her intentions. It's feasible if not likely that some of her prayer coincided with their own hit list. How better to accomplish a high profile assassination than to have someone do it for you of their own volition? They may have even expected her to die, evidenced by them lettering her leave not fully indoctrinated into their religion. I'm not convinced that the temple priest wasn't Jaqen with a new face.

[@sreif78]

According to DnD for one cool cold open and so Arya could what is West of Westeros. (the answer is Westeros, eventually).

[@shannond7437]

This makes me want Winds right meow! Gotta know the real story!

[@DLYChicago]

In another video you state that Jaqen was in King's Landing because he was hired to kill Ned Stark. Ned's execution frustrated this. So I think he is recruiting Arya to fulfill the contract by still getting a Stark.

[@MarkTrope]

I had always maintained a head canon that Jaqen was Rhagar Targaryen. He allowed himself to be captured to be sent to the wall because he wanted to reunite with his son Jon Snow. The Prince that was Promised was a play on words. The deal brokered with the Night King centuries ago was that the role of the Night King was to control the White Walkers & eventually there would be one who would take his place; a Prince was promised. When that never happened (because of the war & Ned lied about Jon’s parentage) the Night King decided to march. Jaqen/Rhagar was going to the wall to fulfill that promise since Rhagar was convinced his heir was that Prince. Upon seeing Arya, however, everything changed. It was known that Arya resembled and had similar personality traits of Lyanna. For reference, Rhagar’s body was never recovered at the Trident. His armor was well known to have rubies embedded in the breastplate. Rubies were established to have the ability to glamour someone’s appearance and Rhagar may have been the greatest fighter but loathed it. Jaqen had been in exile since learning of Lyanna’s death and assumed Jon died too. When the White Walkers were spotted and an up & coming Man in Black joined the Wall it was a revelation to him and got himself captured. At least that is what the story is in my mind

[@edwinvoorhees1952]

Easily the most compelling character in book or adaptation…for me, anyway…I look forward to more. THANKS!😁🍻

[@jimmyglea]

He trained her to disappoint millions of fans.

[@CoopaCoop]

So difficult rewatching the show knowing what's coming in the end.. Such a ashame

[@jonnio69]

Love it rob

[@maggiesmith856]

I think the Many Faced God sent him to Westeros specifically to recruit Arya, because she was the one destined to kill the Night King. The MFG must have been waiting a long time for him to die.

[@grumpybear42]

0:02 read the books 4 times now. So let me take a crack at this before I hear your thoughts. Discounting the HBO version, Jaqen knew who she was. Her blood line consistently produces heros. He knew her resolve to kill the people in her list. Her goals aligned with the faceless assassin's. He gave her the means to to realize her ambition. With everything they know, you can't tell me they didn't know she stashed her sword, Needle and planned to flee when it suited her. She was a carefully aimed arrow.

[@setelliott9683]

Holy crap, was Jaquen the waif in Westeros, and the face passed to the kindly man in Bravos?!

[@hicknopunk]

When in the show are the origins of the faceless men told? I missed this somehow and want to see it again.

[@mellymel8474]

I'm surprised she didn't say Lanester Sr since he was on her list and he was nearby.