Davos Seaworth - The Onion Knight

Davos Seaworth is one of the rare characters in ASOIAF that actually seems normal. To me, he is a strong voice of reason in this crazy world. He is dutiful and does what he is told. He never forgets where he came from and tries to give advice when he knows there's trouble brewing. Davos is one of my favorite characters. He is quite subtle, but very important. I was actually planning on doing the post on Wednesday, in honor of Talk Like a Pirate Day. Davos is pretty much a pirate isn't he? Here is a picture of our guy, played by Liam Cunningham (who seems very familiar to me, what else has he been in?). He has a Twitter and it pretty much rocks. Follow him at https://twitter.com/liamcunningham1.

All right, so a bit of historical background. Davos is of a very low birth (Flea Bottom) and lived a life of hardship. It led to him becoming a smuggler, a very good smuggler! He sailed the seas on a ship named Black Betha (love it), married and had seven sons. But Davos' greatest acheivement comes during Robert's Rebellion and the Siege of Storm's End, Davos smuggled food (mostly onions) to the castle where Stannis Baratheon and his men were held. It ensured that they wouldn't starve until Ned Stark got there to end the siege. As a reward, Stannis knighted him and he earned the nickname the Onion Knight. Stannis, a just man, also felt he needed to be punished for his past crimes. Davos had to cut off the first joints of the fingers of his left hand. Davos just LOVED this punishment and wanted Stannis to cut off the fingers. He wears the joints in a pouch around his neck because he believes they are lucky. His service to Stannis assures him and his family a proper future. Stannis and Davos are total besties.

Reasons to Love Davos: I will have to go into Stannis in another post, but I will just say that he isn't a very lovable guy. He is all business and absolutely no pleasure. Even his brother, King Robert, doesn't particularly care for him. Everyone loves Renly, the littlest Baratheon brother. When it comes time for a new king, both Stannis and Renly want that throne. And honestly, Stannis really does have the better claim but that darn Renly is so charming and handsome. The only one Stannis can rely in his loyal knight Davos. Davos is there til death do they part. His loyalty is pretty much unmatched by any character. Stannis knows he can trust Davos and gets his advice for everything. And Davos doesn't lie. Stannis has an interesting ally in a witchy red woman named Melisandre. Davos does NOT like this woman and tries his damndest to make Stannis see that she is nothing but trouble. Especially with her wacky new religion that Stannis embraces. Davos never truly accepts this religion, but remains loyal to Stannis. Even when he gets stuck in a cave with Melisandre and she gives birth to a shadow assassin (wtf?!) Seriously, watch this video, it's only a minute. Yes, she is naked (it's HBO)!

This same shadow assassin will later go on to kill Renly!! Noooooo! Davos is so right not to trust her. Stannis is mad at his pesky little brother, but I doubt he wanted him dead. Not until Melisandre came along anyway. Davos spends much of the books trying to make Stannis see that Melisandre sucks and is evil. Too bad Melisandre can read minds and knows Davos is out to get her. Ugh, she is lame. But really, really pretty and Stannis is totally under her spell.

Davos also is illiterate, but learns to read. And by doing this, he reads a letter from The Wall and finds out they are being attacked and encourages Stannis to help. This really helps Stannis' cause (you don't see Joffrey at The Wall) so yay for Davos!

Reasons to Hate Davos: There is no reason to hate Davos. I guess he didn't do so hot during the Battle of Blackwater, but that wasn't his fault. That darn Tyrion and his wildfire. He really did a number on Davos' ships!

Oh Crap!

Davos is just such an easy person to like. He is loyal, but questions authority in a reasonable manner. He is honest and is a voice of reason for Stannis. I feel like he represents the "everyman" in the ASOIAF universe. He is easy to relate to and you can't help but root for him..even if you are not on Stannis' side (which I am not). That's what I love about these books. It makes it hard to decide what you want to happen! Like during the Battle of Blackwater, you really do want Stannis to win because Joffrey sucks. But if Joffrey loses, Tyrion might get killed. So you find yourself rooting for Tyrion, but then you see that poor Davos is on those boats. I am just so conflicted!

High School: This one is hard because in order to figure out Davos, you have to figure out Stannis first. I don't thing Stannis would even be a student. He would be a scary math teacher that everyone hates, and Davos is his star pupil! Davos would start out as a terrible student who hangs out with the wrong crowd. Stannis would see something in him and force him to study until Davos becomes a math genius. Stannis is a mean, but fair teacher and Davos would respect him and defend him to all the other students. It would be very "Dangerous Minds".

Let's Mix in Some Sticks: Since we are talking loyalty, Davos would totally be Ian Laperrière. "Lappy" is super loyal to his team and teammates and is very popular with fans for this reason. He was popular on the Avalanche team, but eventually moved to the Flyers (Saucer, I did my research and I bet you love him)! Lappy is loyal to a fault like Davos and has taken a bunch of hits in the face by pucks that were meant for teammates. Like Davos' finger stumps, these injuries have taken a toll on him. He had to retire early due to head injuries. He is now a mentor to young players who will hopefully appreciate his team loyalty.

What a Nice Guy!

"An admiral without ships, a hand without fingers, in service of a king without a throne. Is this a knight who comes before us, or the answer to a child's riddle?” A Dance With Dragons

~Beddee