Cannibal and Shaggydog

Cannibal the Wild Dragon lived on Dragonstone during the Dance Of Dragons. Despite many attempts over the years no one was ever able to claim the Vicious beast. Now I've often wondered what the purpose of Cannibal was in the first place. What significance did he have to the Dance of Dragons or A Song Of Ice and Fire? This is an entry for #BeThronesCertified on behalf of Cannibal the Wild Dragon.

Cannibal is a Wild Black Dragon with glowing Green eyes that lives On Dragonstone. Despite being a Dragon he doesn't seem to like other Dragons and got his name from eating Dragons, Hatchlings, and even Dragon Eggs. Many people tried to tame Cannibal but they all failed terribly and many of them were killed and eaten by Cannibal. The Colors and Temperment of Cannibal are virtually the Same as The Direwolf of Rickon Stark Shaggydog.

Shaggydog is a Large Black Direwolf with Glowing Green eyes. He is referred to in the story by Bran whilst warging inside of Summer as The Angry Brother with the Hot Green eyes. Jon while he is warging inside of Ghost refers to him as the Black Brother.

"Shaggydog ran at his heels, spinning and snapping if the other wolves came too close. His fur had darkened until he was all black, and his eyes were green fire"

Unlike the other Direwolves Shaggydog is not close with his brothers with Summer sensing him growing more distant. He is referred to as the wildest of the Stark Direwolves and filled with rage and fear. He attacks several people including Maester Luwin, Gage, Mikken, and Little Walder Frey. When Bran and Rickon flee Winterfell after Theon Greyjoy and the Ironborn seize they split up with Osha taking Rickon and Shaggydog off to an unknown location for safety. Later on we hear an Ironborn named Wex tell Davos Seaworth that They are on Skagos. Skagos is also often brought up as a place where Dragons may live given the abundance of Dragonglass there and the many volcanoes. Some have even speculated that Cannibal himself is living on Skagos but that's a story for another post.

Cannibal and Shaggydog share many traits with one another and this makes me wonder if the often repeated Theory that Shaggydog and Rickon are simply stand ins for the Shaggydog story or joke. For those unfamiliar a Shaggydog story is a story or joke which has a big buildup but ultimately goes nowhere and isn't important at all.

As Per Wikipedia

"A Shaggydog story or yarn is an extremely long-winded anecdote characterized by extensive narration of typically irrelevant incidents and terminated by an anticlimax. In other words, it is a long story that is intended to be amusing and that has an intentionally silly or meaningless"

So could Cannibal, Shaggydog, and Rickon's story and plot just all be a representive of this motif? Think about it if Stannis Baratheon and Davos were able to retrieve Rickon Stark then many Northern Houses and Lords are likely to rally around him. As far as everyone in Westeros knows Theon killed Bran and Rickon Stark and burned their bodies though we know that is not true. If Winterfell had a Stark Heir they could rally behind that could change the whole momentum of the War. If we apply this to Cannibal then given Cannibal's Size, Age, Aggression, and intelligence if he was able to be claimed by either side during the Dance it could swing the war in their favor. We get many references to this Dragon and his exploits but ultimately it leads nowhere and Cannibal survives the Dance as one of the few remaining dragons alive as well as the largest and oldest Dragon. Going back to Shaggydog and Rickon maybe despite all the buildup neither are ever found nor seen in Westeros again.

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