Rattleshirt

Rattleshirt, called the Lord of Bones for the clattering armor of bones and boiled leather he wears, is a wildling raider of fearsome reputation. He is described as a ruined and wretched creature with cracked brown teeth and a yellow tinge to the whites of his eyes, a small, malicious, treacherous man, as stupid as he is cruel. His helm is a giant's skull, and his armor is made from the bones of his enemies, a macabre display that strikes terror into those who see him. He is a leader of a war band among the free folk, known for his savagery and lack of honor, even by wildling standards.

Role in the Deception at the Wall

Rattleshirt's most significant role is as an unwitting decoy in a grand deception orchestrated by Melisandre and Stannis Baratheon. After Mance Rayder, the King-Beyond-the-Wall, is captured, Stannis is determined to execute him as an oathbreaker. However, Jon Snow argues for Mance's value as a living ally against the Others. To satisfy the law while preserving Mance, Melisandre uses a glamor, a magical illusion, to make Rattleshirt appear as Mance. The real Mance is disguised as Rattleshirt, wearing the Lord of Bones' distinctive armor and a magical ruby that binds him to Melisandre's will. It is Rattleshirt, in Mance's guise, who is burned alive in a cage before the assembled wildlings and the Night's Watch, a spectacle designed to break the wildlings' spirit and force their submission. The deception is so complete that even Jon Snow believes Mance has been executed until Melisandre later reveals the truth.

Captivity and Service to the Night's Watch

After the execution, the real Rattleshirt, now believed to be Mance Rayder, is given to Jon Snow by Stannis as a gift. Jon is aghast, stating the man cannot be trusted and that if kept at Castle Black, someone will slit his throat, or if sent ranging, he will simply rejoin the wildlings. Melisandre assures Jon that so long as Rattleshirt wears the ruby on his wrist, he is bound to her, blood and soul, and will serve faithfully. Rattleshirt himself declares he is done with the wildlings and will range for Jon, offering sage counsel or songs, and even fighting, but refuses to wear the black cloak of the Night's Watch. Despite his forced servitude, Rattleshirt remains defiant and contemptuous, mocking Jon Snow and the other crows. He proves to be a formidable fighter, besting Jon in a practice yard bout with a two-handed greatsword, demonstrating a strength and quickness that surprises the Lord Commander.

The Glamor and True Identity

The magical glamor that disguises Rattleshirt as Mance is maintained by the ruby on his wrist, which pulses with a dim red light. Melisandre explains that the spell is made of shadow and suggestion, and that men see what they expect to see. The bones of his armor are part of the illusion, helping to maintain the deception. When Jon Snow confronts the man he believes to be Rattleshirt about his intentions to save Arya Stark, Melisandre is forced to reveal the truth. She touches her own ruby and speaks a word, causing the glamor to dissolve. The widow's peak, brown mustache, knobby chin, and sallow yellowed flesh melt away, revealing Mance Rayder himself, clean-shaved and windburnt. The bones of the Lord of Bones' armor remain, but the man beneath is the King-Beyond-the-Wall. This revelation confirms that Rattleshirt was the one who was truly burned, and Mance has been operating under his identity all along, a secret kept even from Jon Snow until that moment.