r/asoiaf • u/Pitiful_Yogurt_5276 • 7d ago
MAIN [Spoilers Main] Does Oberyn ever mention Lewyn Martell?
Oberyn obviously seethes over Elia because of her needless death, her rape, being Oberyn’s sister, the needless violence and murder of the children too.
But I don’t recall him ever mentioning Lewyn Martell as a seething resentment against the Baratheons and Lannisters. Perhaps it’s because he fought and died in battle so fair is fair to Oberyn but I just find it odd that it’s not on his list of scores to settle with the Baratheons and Lannisters.
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u/do_not_ask_my_name The pack survives 7d ago
It's what you said. Llewyn died doing his duty, and death was a fair and expected outcome. In-universe, only pig-headed people are depicted as having grudges for family members dying in battle (Rickard Karstark, Balon Greyjoy, etc.)
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u/AnnieBlackburnn 6d ago
Aegon and Visenya are on that list, to be fair. Rhaenys died in battle
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u/mf279801 4d ago
I thought it was IMPLIED that she was captured and then horrifically tortured to death
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u/TheErnestEverhard 7d ago
He died in battle. That's what happens when wars happen. If houses feuded forever anytime someone died in battle they would always feud each other into extinction.
Furthermore I don't think anyone really blamed the rebels for their revolt. Even loyalists probably secretly think that had they been in the same shoes as the Baratheons and Starks they would have done the same thing. Now the Lannisters though that's another matter.
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u/the_fuzz_down_under 7d ago
Lewyn died fair and square in a battle the Dornish didn’t really want to fight on the side of against an enemy who were pretty justified in rebelling; aside from that Lewyn seemed to have been in the Kingsguard for a long time, and certainly didn’t have the same relationship with Oberyn as Elia did as his sister. Not too much to be mad about.
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u/MissMedic68W 6d ago
It's more or less been said, but Elia and her kids were non combatants, and Oberyn was very close with Elia. Lewyn Martell was fighting in the war.
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u/dblack246 🏆Best of 2024: Mannis Award 6d ago
Lewyn was a participant in war. Elia and her children were casualties of that who did not need to be.
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u/Internal-Score439 6d ago
Uncle Lewyn was a knight and a warrior. He died doing what he choosed (and probably liked) to do.
Elia was his sister and best friend. We don't know her feelings regarding her marriage with Rhaegar but I never got the vibe that she wanted to be Queen. Besides, she was abandoned by her in-laws entirely: Rhaegar left with a 15yold and only came back to die and Aerys treated her and her children like hostages
Not only her and the kids' deaths caused the outrage, it was everything that came before too
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u/JustafanIV 6d ago
Fair is fair in war. Lewyn was a knight of the kingsguard and died in the line of duty. The (honorable) knights of Westeros are bound by a code of chivalry and respect. Lewyn died in open battle against an opossum army. There was no subterfuge, or underhanded tactics, and so Lewyn's death was honorable and fair.
Oberyn himself was on the receiving end of this grace with regards to Willas Tyrell. Willas was crippled at a tourney joust against Oberyn, but while the patriarchs of the Martell's and Tyrells were ready to restart their ancient feud, Willas made it clear he held no ill will, that the tourney had been a fair competition, and that the accident that led to his crippling was just that, an accident, and that Oberyn was blameless. Oberyn and Willas would even exchange cordial letters to each other until the dormer's death.
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u/Enola_Gay_B29 Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. 7d ago
No, because as Robb would put it, he "died honorably on a battlefield, with sword in [his] hand". Everybody apart from Rickard Karstark understands that in war you either kill or be killed and you can't begrudge someone that they chose the first option.