The Mysterious Island of Skagos & Rickon Stark

East of the bay of Seals, lies a mountainous island, said to contain a savage people, and mysterious creatures known as Skagos.

The Skagosi could easily be mistaken as Wildinglings, given their attire of skins and furs and untanned hides. It’s said they still offer human sacrifices to the weirwood trees, lure passing ships to destruction with false lights and then feed upon the flesh of men during winter.

They are even said to ride unicorns, may be descendents from giants and rarely travel from their island. So What’s even there and how does this affect the story going forward?

Bran VII ACOK

“On the edge of the black pool, beneath the shelter of the heart tree, Maester Luwin lay on his belly in the dirt. A trail of blood twisted back through damp leaves where he had crawled….

“Listen,” Luwin said to Osha, “the princes … Robb’s heirs. Not … not together … do you hear?” The wildling woman leaned on her spear. “Aye. Safer apart.

“Aye.” She turned to Meera. “Take the boys.” Jojen and Meera led Rickon out between them. Hodor followed. Low branches whipped at Bran’s face as they pushed between the trees, and the leaves brushed away his tears. Osha joined them in the yard a few moments later. She said no word of Maester Luwin. “Hodor must stay with Bran, to be his legs,” the wildling woman said briskly. “I will take Rickon with me.” “We’ll go with Bran,” said Jojen Reed. “Aye, I thought you might,” said Osha. “Believe I’ll try the East Gate, and follow the kingsroad a ways.” “We’ll take the Hunter’s Gate,” said Meera. “Hodor,” said Hodor. They stopped at the kitchens first. Osha found some loaves of burned bread that were still edible, and even a cold roast fowl that she ripped in half. Meera unearthed a crock of honey and a big sack of apples. Outside, they made their farewells. Rickon sobbed and clung to Hodor’s leg until Osha gave him a smack with the butt end of her spear. Then he followed her quick enough. Shaggydog stalked after them. The last Bran saw of them was the direwolf’s tail as it vanished behind the broken tower.

Davos IV ADWD

“He knows where they went,” Lord Wyman said. Davos understood. “You want the boy.” “Roose Bolton has Lord Eddard’s daughter. To thwart him White Harbor must have Ned’s son … and the direwolf. The wolf will prove the boy is who we say he is, should the Dreadfort attempt to deny him. That is my price, Lord Davos. Smuggle me back my liege lord, and I will take Stannis Baratheon as my king.” Old instinct made Davos Seaworth reach for his throat. His fingerbones had been his luck, and somehow he felt he would have need of luck to do what Wyman Manderly was asking of him. The bones were gone, though, so he said, “You have better men than me in your service. Knights and lords and maesters. Why would you need a smuggler? You have ships.” “Ships,” Lord Wyman agreed, “but my crews are rivermen, or fisherfolk who have never sailed beyond the Bite. For this I must have a man who’s sailed in darker waters and knows how to slip past dangers, unseen and unmolested.” “Where is the boy?” Somehow Davos knew he would not like the answer. “Where is it you want me to go, my lord?” Robett Glover said, “Wex. Show him.” The mute flipped the dagger, caught it, then flung it end over end at the sheepskin map that adorned Lord Wyman’s wall. It struck quivering. Then he grinned. For half a heartbeat Davos considered asking Wyman Manderly to send him back to the Wolf’s Den, to Ser Bartimus with his tales and Garth with his lethal ladies. In the Den even prisoners ate porridge in the morning. But there were other places in this world where men were known to break their fast on human flesh.

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[OOSHALIA]

I like The idea of Rickon being worshiped by skagosi for being a warg, maybe even taking the dreadfort to make him the dreadwolf

[bryanhamstra]

Skagosi are isolated but they believe in the old gods i think they will protect rickon because he is blessed by the old gods with skinchanging so i could see them being very protective of rickon

[Geekchorus]

I think everything we hear about Skagos has to be taken with a huge grain of salt.

[jsull]

I also believe Rickon will show up at the head of a Skagosi army, to help Stannis retake Winterfell, but I think he'll also be leading an array of animals that he's warging!

[jessetuttle]

Don't forget when Tyrion banished Janos Slynt to the Wall he said that they would be stopping at Skagos before arriving at Eastwatch. My theory is they are not as uncivilized as thought.

[bryanhamstra]

The freys are cursed im going to be pissed if their line isn't destroyed by the dream of spring

[thoeer]

Jon is snow.
Bran has become a three-eyed raven.

Rickon is the KING IN THE NORTH.

[youssefelallam]

Finally !!! There are also hints that davos actually succeded in his mission, The one eyed Umber(i forgot his name) after freeing fake arya, asks her abt the master of arms and the cook who both osha knew . And the dream that john had of shaggy dog fighting a Unicorn

[ryanwilliams]

I've been thinking Rickon likely rules Skagos as all the other Starks have something of Kingdom of their own. I could see him showing up to Winterfell to stake a claim

[jamesnave]

In regards to Skagosi Unicorns, I've been rereading the books and was wondering if there might be unicorns north of the wall as well. When John kills halfhand while looking at Rattleshirt he describes his mount as "a beast that looked more goat than horse" and considering the mount was covered in bone barding the horn may have been thought to be more of rattleshirts decorations. Just a thought

[jakeosborne]

Jon stays dead through book, rickon more or less takes Jon place with Davos acting as hand. Shit goes sideways with stannis while Davos is on skagos or traveling there. Rickon takes north, frees Jon for the throne.

[Jackhandsme]

Rickon was killed off in the show to free the North up for Sansa to inherit.

In the books Sansa will take the Vale, Rickon the North, John will disappear beyond the wall and King Bran was confirmed by GRRM already.

My opinion at least anyway

[isaacmatos]

I like Rickon fighting with Stannis and Manderly, but he is very baby, Tommen, the Child King, has 9 years, and Rickon is more newest to Tommen. But I believe he can use his warg habilities to help Stannis and Manderly's army because I believe Osha is from Skagos and talk with skagosi to accept Rickon. I believe also Davos can convince the Skagosi people to fight with Stannis against Boltons and Freys.

[toomuchsauce]

I do feel like Cannibal the wild dragon is another analogy of what Shaggydog could be, he is said to be the largest dragon, larger than Balerion the Dred, and coal black all over with molten green eyes. What if Rickon is already dead by the time Davos reaches Skagos but returns with just Shaggydog being told that that’s what remains of Rickon, the Skagossi knowing he was a warg? It’s so sad to think about but it’d make sense, him living thru Shaggydog for the rest of his life roaming the wolfswoods, just like Cannibal roaming Dragonstone till the end of his days.

[renaigh]

what if Rickon died, warged into Shaggydog and ate his old body?

[bryanhamstra]

All wildlings and northmen including skagosi all have a healthy fear and respect for the starks everyone knows all the kids of ned stark are wargs and have alot of magic in their blood even in the south they think sansa turned into a wolf and ran away lol even tho lady is dead that is how much the starks scared people

[maykllidoniii]

they have mammoths beyond the wall, they could have woolly rino's or unicorns

[oldnewdude]

It would be cool if all the stories are wrong and they are almost like the rest of the north. Either way they will come to save the north

[shara]

Who's going to let the direwolf onto the ship to Skagos???

[bryanhamstra]

If i was living in the westeros at this time i would be telling anyone and everyone not to provoke the starks or the old gods would strike them down. Literally everything with the others got worse when there was no stark in winterfell the old gods are mad because there must always be a stark in winterfell that is why the blizzard is so bad the mountain clans were right the old gods brought it down on them for not protecting the starks