Monster

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"Little Monster"
Abomination1.jpg
Samwell Tarly, Gilly, and "the Little Monster" crossing the Haunted Forest. Isabel aka Guad©

Aliases
  • Little Monster
  • The abomination
Culture Free Folk
Born In 299 AL [1]Craster's Keep [1]
Books

The abomination is the what people call the infant son of Gilly, who was sired by her father-husband Craster. [2] [3] Val calls him Little Monster.[4]

Name

The Free Folk consider that naming a child too early brings bad luck, since infant mortality is widespread. The children receive proper names when they reach the age of two. Gilly follows the same rule. [5] [6] Temporary "milk names" can be assigned prior to the official naming. Val chose the name Little Monster for the boy. [4] [7]

Recent Events

A Clash of Kings

During the Great Ranging the Night's Watch stops at Craster's Keep, Gilly encounters and befriends Samwell Tarly. She is pregnant with Craster's child, and fears that if she gives birth to a son, Craster will sacrifice him to the Others. She beseeches Samwell to help her, and Samwell agrees, sending her to Jon Snow, to the annoyance of the latter.[8]. Gilly appeals to Jon, telling him:

If it’s a girl, that’s not so bad, she’ll grow in a few years and he’ll marry her. But Nella says it’s to be a boy, and she’s had six and knows these things. He gives the boys to the gods. Come the white cold, he does, and of late it comes more often. That’s why he started giving them sheep, even though he has a taste for mutton. Only now, the sheep’s gone too. Next it will be dogs, till … [9]

Gilly then lowers her eyes and stokes her belly. When Jon asks her what gods? Gilly replies:

When Gilly finally understands that Jon cannot help her and her unborn son she turns away, despairing.

A Storm of Swords

After the attack on the Fist of the First Men, as the Night's Watch pauses to regroup at Craster's Keep, Gilly gives birth to a son. Craster is killed before he can sacrifice the child, and in the confusion Gilly and two of Craster’s other wives approach Sam to convince him to take Gilly and the babe. Gilly reminds him that he told her he would help her saying :

Please, ser crow. He’s a boy, just like Nella said he’d be. If you don’t take him, they will. [9]

When Sam asks who “they” are an old woman replies:

The boy’s bothers…Craster’s sons. The white cold’s rising out there, crow. I can feel it in my bones. These poor old bones don’t lie. They’ll be here soon, the sons. [9]

Shorlty thereafter Sam, Gilly and her newborn son flee south. After arriving at the Wall, she serves as a wetnurse to Mance Rayder's son after his wife, Dalla, dies in childbirth.

A Feast For Crows

Gilly is sent south aboard a ship to Oldtown (via Braavos) with Samwell Tarly, Dareon, and Maester Aemon, ostensibly with her child; in truth Lord Commander Jon Snow swapped her child with that of Mance Rayder's, to spare the innocent child from Melisandre's flames on account of his king's blood leaving Gilly’s son at the Wall.

For much of the journey Gilly is overcome with grief at being separated from her child, but after Aemon's death aboard the Cinnamon Wind and becoming a lover to Samwell., she recovers. Upon their arrival at Oldtown, Gilly is sent to Samwell's old home at Horn Hill with the story that her child is a bastard fathered by Samwell – when in truth the child is the child of Mance and Dalla and Gilly's real son is still at the Wall.

A Dance with Dragons

Jon Snow’s POV reveals how he managed to secretly switch the infants in order to prevent Melisandre from burning Mance and Dalla’s son. He tells Stannis that Gilly is just another mouth to feed and he wants her gone. Jon’s lie to Stannis works because it is based on Gilly’s child being more robust (when in fact Gilly’s child is the weaker of the two infants). When questioned by Melisandre about separating Mance’s son from his wet nurse Gilly, Jon carefully lies to Melisandre, saying:

Mother’s milk is all they share. Gilly’s son is larger and more robust. He kicks the prince and pinches him, and shoves him from the breast. Craster was his father, a cruel man and greedy, and blood tells. [10]

This remark confuses Stannis and when Jon explains to him that Gilly’s father was also her husband Stannis is shocked. He tells Jon that he will not suffer such an abomination at the Wall saying:

This is not King's Landing. [10]

Stannis’s disgust serves to work in Jon’s favour; he informs him that he can find another wet nurse amongst the wildlings or mountain clans and that goat’s milk can suffice in the meantime. Stannis tells Jon that goat’s milk is better fare for a prince than whore’s milk and the conversation then turns toward more urgent matters.

Later Jon speaks to privately to Gilly. Gilly begs Jon not to allow them to burn Mance’s innocent son, and to please save him. Jon replies:

Only you can do that, Gilly. [11]

Gilly immediately realises what Jon means to do and begs Jon not to make her leave her son at the Wall. Jon explains to her that Melisandre needs Mance’s son’s king’s blood to make her spell work. Jon makes Gilly touch a candle flame to make her feel the pain of the fire. He tells her:

Fire is a cruel way to die. Dalla died to give this child life, but you have nourished him, cherished him. You saved your own boy from the ice. Now save hers from the fire. [11]

Jon tells Gilly her own son will not burn as Melisandre can gain nothing by giving him to the fire and Stannis will not burn an innocent without good cause:

Your boy will be safe. I will find a wet nurse for him and he’ll be raised here at Castle Black under my protection. He’ll learn to hunt and ride, to fight with sword and axe and bow. I’ll even see that he is taught to read and write….And when he is old enough, he will learn the truth of who he is. He’ll be free to seek you out if that is what he wants. [11]

Gilly still refuses and so Jon promises her that the day they burn Dalla’s boy, Gilly’s will die as well.

Gilly leaves knowing that she has no choice but to accept Jon’s decision.

References and Notes

  1. 1.0 1.1 A Storm of Swords, Chapter 33, Samwell II.
  2. A Feast for Crows, Chapter 15, Samwell II.
  3. A Dance with Dragons, Appendix.
  4. 4.0 4.1 A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 39, Jon VIII.
  5. A Storm of Swords, Chapter 46, Samwell III.
  6. A Storm of Swords, Chapter 75, Samwell IV.
  7. The custom of assigning temporary milk names does exist in Chinese culture. These names are typically either abandoned following the official naming, or survive as familial nicknames. That is pet names known and used only among closely related family members.
  8. A Clash of Kings, Chapter 23, Jon
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 A Clash of Kings, Chapter 23, Jon III.
  10. 10.0 10.1 A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 3, Jon I.
  11. 11.0 11.1 11.2 A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 7, Jon II.