The Bear and the Maiden Fair

File:Jaime and the Bear By Morano PL.jpg **The Bear and the Maiden Fair** is a traditional song in the Seven Kingdoms. It's about a hairy bear travelling with a band of three boys a goat, the bear rescues a maiden who was hoping for a knight instead.

## Lyrics

A bear there was, a bear, a bear!
all black and brown, and covered with hair.
The bear! The bear!
Oh come they said, oh come to the fair!
The fair? Said he, but I'm a bear!
All black and brown, and covered with hair!
And down the road from here to there.
From here! To there!
Three boys, a goat and a dancing bear!
They danced and spun, all the way to the fair!
The fair! The fair!
Oh, sweet she was, and pure and fair!
The maid with honey in her hair!
Her hair! Her hair!
The maid with honey in her hair!
The bear smelled the scent on the summer air.
The bear! The bear!
All black and brown and covered with hair!
He smelled the scent on the summer air!
He sniffed and roared and smelled it there!
Honey on the summer air!
Oh, I'm a maid, and I'm pure and fair!
I'll never dance with a hairy bear!
A bear! A bear!
I'll never dance with a hairy bear!
The bear, the bear!
Lifted her high into the air!
The bear! The bear!
I called for a knight, but you're a bear!
A bear, a bear!
All black and brown and covered with hair
She kicked and wailed, the maid so fair,
But he licked the honey from her hair.
Her hair! Her hair!
He licked the honey from her hair!
Then she sighed and squealed and kicked the air!
My bear! She sang. My bear so fair!
And off they went, from here to there,
The bear, the bear, and the maiden fair.
## Books

### A Clash of Kings

It was sung at the harvest feast at Winterfell.

### A Storm of Swords

Tom of Sevenstreams sings it with Hot Pie on the ride to the Inn of the Kneeling Man.  Arya Stark is astonished that Hot Pie has a good voice and sings well, she thought all he could do was bake.

After being attacked on the Fist of the First Men by the Wights, the remaining of the Night's Watch march back to Craster's Keep. Grenn tries to encourage Samwell Tarly to keep marching by telling him to sing a song in his head. Sam knows a hundred songs but is so terrified he cannot think of any. Grenn suggests "*The Bear and the Maiden Fair*" and starts to sing it - but Sam begs him not to as it makes him think of the hideous wight-bear that had come at them at the Fist.

The song was sung by Butterbumps at Sansa Stark's dinner with Margaery Tyrell to cover their conversation about Joffrey I Baratheon.

During the Battle of Yunkai, Arstan Whitebeard told Daenerys Targaryen that king Robert Baratheon liked songs that made him laugh. He said that Robert only sang when he was drunk, and then it was like to be "*A Cask of Ale*" or "*Fifty-Four Tuns*" or "*The Bear and the Maiden Fair*"

## Symbolism

### ***A Clash of Kings***

#### *Sansa Stark with Joffrey and his Court*

When Joffrey and his court abuse and beat Sansa, it is not the stereotypical knight but the deformed Sandor Clegane who comes to her rescue.

When asked if there any connection between Sansa's story and the song "*The Bear and the Maiden Fair*" George R. R. Martin replied: “*Well, we´ll have to see.*”

### ***A Storm of Swords***

#### *Sansa Stark dinner with  Margaery Tyrell.*

Margaery Tyrell invites Sansa Stark for dinner with her family. her Grandmother Olenna Tyrell asks Butterbumps the fool to sing "*The Bear and the Maiden Fair*" in order to cover their conversation about Joffrey I Baratheon.

At the dinner Olenna tells Sansa about their plan to help her out of the Red Keep and marry her grandson. Sansa is infatuated by the idea of the knight in shining armor; believing she's meant to marry Ser Loras Tyrell. However Olenna corrects her that it's Willas Tyrell the cripple is the one to marry her.

#### *Jaime Lannister and Brienne of Tarth*

After Jaime is tortured and later released from Harrenhal, the unattractive Brienne steers Jaime away from suicide and sets him on the path to redemption. Ironically, Jaime later saves Brienne from a grizzly bear in the bear pit at Harrenhal.