Back to My First Life...

[addicted to snow]

"Back to My First Life" is the title of 'Not a Blog' post by George RR Martin on May 31st 2007...

This Not a Blog post contained some interesting suggestions about Tyrion & discussed the progress of HBO's endeavors, but it is the title that I find the most intriguing, along with the line: "Even Second Lives must come to an end, however, so now I am back to my original life."

These subtle hints tie in with what we learn of First Lives, True Deaths & Second Lives from Varamyr's Character in the ADWD's Prologue. Basically we witness Varamyr try & avoid the end of his First Life & failing. He experiences his True Death & then starts his Second Life inside of his closest wolf, One Eye.

In my opinion, this information was given to reader so that the reader would have the ability to puzzle out that Jon Snow's stabbing was not the end of him. He has gone into ghost where he will experience his Second Life, slowly fading away into the wolf...

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I do not that believe that Jon's character will end as a canine, however… Mel's vision of Jon Snow as a Man, then a wolf, then a Man again comes to mind. As does the bolded title & statement from GRRM's 2007 Not a Blog post.

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Speculation:

Mel will utilize her skills that she learned in Ashai to bring Jon's body back to life - In much the same way that MMD brought Khal Drogo back to life. However, Jon's consciousness will be roaming around inside of Ghost on the other side of the Wall, and the books have already displayed that the Wall is very effective at blocking Warg / Skinchanging communications. Furthermore, there is a generous amount of foreshadowing that all places Jon Snow (or Jon's Body) in the Ice Cells for an extended period of time, thus hindering the ability of Jon's Spirit to re-access his body...

If this scenario should play out, then it would put Jon Snow quite literally Back in his First Life, but without a host body to call home…

I suppose that it is possible that Jon might decide to remain inside of Ghost, but I can't help but feel that GRRM has more planned for this character. I propose that Ghost/Jon will happen across the Cave that Bran lives in.

Coldhands noted that there was a 2nd entrance to the caves at the bottom a sink-hole. I speculate that animals often fall down this sink-hole & the CotF turn them into food. This would explain the numerous bones, large & small, scattered throughout the cave, and it would also explain the strange tasting meats that were being fed to Bran & his companions.

I think that Ghost/Jon will stumble upon this 'backdoor' sink-hole, but Ghost will likely make meals out of the cave's inhabitants rather than the other way around. While in the cave, Jon will realize that Hodor is a Human Body that he could take & call home. I believe that Hodor's character has been engineered by GRRM to be utilized as Jon's new body since book one. There are countless references to Hodor's strength, Martin has also explained how easy it is to warg a given subject after than subject has already been warged by others. Hodor is prime for the taking, just as his name suggest.

Martin has also said that Jon has some dark roads to walk… I think that Hodor will be only the first of many human skins that Jon will take. Jon will collect skins just a Varamyr-Six-Skins did, only that Jon will be collecting humans & Jon will collect many many more than Varamyr ever thought about collecting.

Jon Snow is the Night's King...

[Black Crow]

Set out this way its interesting, but would make just a couple of observations.

In the first place given that Bran is able to communicate with Jon I'd tend to think that if Jon does turn up at the cave he would have been summoned rather than arrive there by chance. The sink-hole I'm in two minds about. It may not exist and was just introduced by Coldhands as a blinder to steer the Scooby Gang to the entrance where Leaf and the wights were waiting. It would however been simpler to say that there was no other entrance, so although it probably does exist I'd be more inclined to see it as an escape route.

As to who will escape, Bran might seem a more obvious candidate and the question there is just how closely he's going to be wedded to the tree. I can see a lot of the bittersweet ending revolving around him being stuck down there in the dark. So yes, although I'm not convinced on the scenario you're proposing its a possibility. Where I do have a reservation is that there may be more to Hodor than it appears. We don't know why he's the way he is and GRRM has said that the word/name has a significance which will be revealed.

[Kingmonkey]

I think you may have just bumped into one of those things in your sig, AtS. He's talking about doing a reading in the Second Life virtual world.

[addicted to snow]

I think you may have just bumped into one of those things in your sig, AtS. He's talking about doing a reading in the Second Life virtual world.

Of course that is what he is talking about… It is his choice of words that I find intriguing… The phrase / statement below:

"Back to My First Life"

"Even Second Lives must come to an end, however, so now I am back to my original life."

Are too conveniently tied to the events that would later unfold in ADWDs (& presumably later installments) to be simply coincidences...

GRRM loves to give subtle hints like this - which is exactly what I propose he was doing...

[Kingmonkey]

I get where you're coming from, but Second Life = virtual world, First Life = real world is a thing. Phrase coined by the game company. He thought it was cool that his Tyrion avatar could fly, because avatars can fly in it. I believe your fish has crimson scales.

[jabulaniman]

Set out this way its interesting, but would make just a couple of observations.

In the first place given that Bran is able to communicate with Jon I'd tend to think that if Jon does turn up at the cave he would have been summoned rather than arrive there by chance. The sink-hole I'm in two minds about. It may not exist and was just introduced by Coldhands as a blinder to steer the Scooby Gang to the entrance where Leaf and the wights were waiting. It would however been simpler to say that there was no other entrance, so although it probably does exist I'd be more inclined to see it as an escape route.

As to who will escape, Bran might seem a more obvious candidate and the question there is just how closely he's going to be wedded to the tree. I can see a lot of the bittersweet ending revolving around him being stuck down there in the dark. So yes, although I'm not convinced on the scenario you're proposing its a possibility. Where I do have a reservation is that there may be more to Hodor than it appears. We don't know why he's the way he is and GRRM has said that the word/name has a significance which will be revealed.

Hodor is Aegon, he's mentaly disabled because his head was dashed against a wall, he can only say Hodor because that was the last sound he ever heard- a combination of his mother's words - his mother crying "HOLD the DOOR!" as the Lannister men were coming.

Is that kinda what GRRM is hinting at? xD

[addicted to snow]

Set out this way its interesting, but would make just a couple of observations.

In the first place given that Bran is able to communicate with Jon I'd tend to think that if Jon does turn up at the cave he would have been summoned rather than arrive there by chance. The sink-hole I'm in two minds about. It may not exist and was just introduced by Coldhands as a blinder to steer the Scooby Gang to the entrance where Leaf and the wights were waiting. It would however been simpler to say that there was no other entrance, so although it probably does exist I'd be more inclined to see it as an escape route.

As to who will escape, Bran might seem a more obvious candidate and the question there is just how closely he's going to be wedded to the tree. I can see a lot of the bittersweet ending revolving around him being stuck down there in the dark. So yes, although I'm not convinced on the scenario you're proposing its a possibility. Where I do have a reservation is that there may be more to Hodor than it appears. We don't know why he's the way he is and GRRM has said that the word/name has a significance which will be revealed.

To me, having an entrance that is a Sink-Hole suggest that it is an entrance only - not a viable means of exiting or escaping the caves… It is not clear that there will be any need for anyone to escape the caves, but going up a Sink-Hole does not seem like a possibility...

I agree that Hodor is a very interesting character… It has been hinted since day one that 'no one is stronger than Hodor, no one'… I have no doubts that GRRM will use this vessel (Hodor) in a very significant way, & I'm pretty sure that it will be Jon, not Bran who is inside...

[addicted to snow]

Given that these statements were made around the time that GRRM was writing ADWDs, and given the fact that Jon Snow is about to embark upon his 2nd life, I find GRRM's words (noted in the first post) to be highly suggestive...

[Black Crow]

Given that these statements were made around the time that GRRM was writing ADWDs, and given the fact that Jon Snow is about to embark upon his 2nd life, I find GRRM's words (noted in the first post) to be highly suggestive...

I'm not sure about this one. Mel certainly sees Jon as a man then a wolf then a man again, but its Jon she sees, not a stranger [Hodor] and I'd be wary of seeing this as a prediction rather than simply as a reflection of Jon already being a warg.

[Gendry_Goldeneyes]

What if john isnt dead and is in some sort of coma.. the cold does peserve after all....