[ADwD Spoilers] -Bran 1&2- Coldhands Theories

[Reposado]

Well, wights as animated by Others are rambling, zombie like creatures. Wights as warged by Bloodraven are not necessarily the same.

[The King of Worms]

Why would GRRM make Benjen disappear, and four books later still no sign of Benjen Stark. He didn't show up at the Fist of the First Men, or Craster's, or among the Wildlings, or at the battle at the Wall. Why introduce a character, not kill him, not bring him back into the story, have other main characters worry about him and talk about him... and then what... just disappear him. No frozen body. No Benjen-wight coming to wreak havoc. No vision of Bran or Melisandre's to tell us something about it.

So if Benjen isn't Coldhands, than... than its just really irritating that's all. Tweaking us with a mystery in book 1 and then just leaving it a big ??? that never gets answered?!!

[The Red Lion]

Benjen will make an appearance in Winds Of Winter. It Is Known.

[Dornish Hen]

Maybe he's the last hero of Old Nan's story, who originally went in search of the others. That would mean he is actually the real Azor Ahai.... and we're still missing a certain sword...

:agree:

He originally set out to search for the COF so he could learn how to deal with the Others. My opinion is that he found the Children and gained some of the same "lifeforce" that the Crow has. Now he works with the COF to clear the realm of the Others

[Gomi]

I'm becoming more and more convinced that Benjen is alive, and either still out there heading towards that "wall of white" beyond the Land of Always Winter or even a prisoner or ally of the Others, depending on what their motives are. Either way, I think he'll be a major player in the next two books.

[quine]

I would say that the biggest mystery about Coldhands is what is Coldhands? Personally, I like the theory quine has put forward, that Coldhands is an Other. quine's evidence does fit, and it works without having to introduce some sort of new creature or hitherto unknown powers like the ability of wargs to live on indefinitely as wights and/or take over wights.

I doubt that he is Benjen restored from the dead, or warged into a Wight, or some such. Benjen was my first thought, when we originally heard about Coldhands, but as others have already said, Coldhands's behavior undermines this idea. Once I stopped assuming he was Benjen, then I realized there's little reason to think he is a wight either. Wights are shambling zombie-like creatures. They don't talk. They have glowing blue eyes. Coldhands doesn't look or act like that. That leaves the Others, unless Coldhands is something completely new.

This is a good point: if Coldhands isn't a wight, but he's dead, what else could he be? BaelorBreakspear gives an alternative: a wight warged by Bloodraven. But there is some evidence against Coldhands being a warg of Bloodraven:

"[Ravens] would fly to the ranger and mutter at him, and it seemed to Bran that he understood their quorks and squawks".

(from Bran I in ADwD).

I think there's pretty convincing evidence that the ravens are being warged by Bloodraven: we know he knows how, and there's no reason why the ravens would have attacked the wights to save Sam and Gilly in ASoS on their own. Here, again, they seem to be showing intelligent warg-like behaviour, by talking to Coldhands.

This thus makes it unlikely Coldhands is himself a warg of Bloodraven: why would he use on warg to talk to another? It makes much more sense if the ravens are the wargs of Bloodraven, "scouting for him, and whispering to him of dangers ahead and behind", and are the method Bloodraven uses to communicate with (the Other?) Coldhands.

[Howdyphillip]

I will chime in here and say my pet crackpot theory is that Coldhands is Egg from the Dunk and Egg stories.. It is reported that he died at Summerhall, presumably trying to hatch dragon eggs, but I believe that he survived and out of guilt anonymously joined the NW with the help of his brother Aemon...

[dvcc]

at this point why isn t anyone thinking about bloodraven/coldhands connection to the dragonglass and the horn jon (ghost) found recently burried near the fist?

I mean, even if benjen is alive he wouldn t know that dragonglass is effective to kill wights and wouldn t have the broken horn. So whoelse can have put those things there besides CH or BR? if they are evil then who might have put those things there?

finnaly, isn t it odd that the only massive wight attacks were where the broken horn was? (the fist and then with sam). if i recall correctly after sam got separated from the brothers they weren t attacked again and as regards to sam he had a dozen of whights after him and was miracously saved even though CH had never saved any other reanger and we know that there were a lot of rangers in danger.

AHH i almost forgot. what happened to the last ranger that was with halfhand and jon that could clim walls very well? i remmember that the wildlings couldn t catch him because he climbed a wall

[dayne curious]

finnaly, isn t it odd that the only massive wight attacks were where the broken horn was? (the fist and then with sam). if i recall correctly after sam got separated from the brothers they weren t attacked again and as regards to sam he had a dozen of whights after him and was miracously saved even though CH had never saved any other reanger and we know that there were a lot of rangers in danger.

AHH i almost forgot. what happened to the last ranger that was with halfhand and jon that could clim walls very well? i remmember that the wildlings couldn t catch him because he climbed a wall

The name of the ranger you are talking about was 'StoneSnake' I believe. Interesting point about big wight attacks only where Sam & the broken horn were ... is this accurate? I would have to go back and do a re-read ....

[Prince of the North]

This is a good point: if Coldhands isn't a wight, but he's dead, what else could he be? BaelorBreakspear gives an alternative: a wight warged by Bloodraven. But there is some evidence against Coldhands being a warg of Bloodraven:

"[Ravens] would fly to the ranger and mutter at him, and it seemed to Bran that he understood their quorks and squawks".

(from Bran I in ADwD).

I think there's pretty convincing evidence that the ravens are being warged by Bloodraven: we know he knows how, and there's no reason why the ravens would have attacked the wights to save Sam and Gilly in ASoS on their own. Here, again, they seem to be showing intelligent warg-like behaviour, by talking to Coldhands.

This thus makes it unlikely Coldhands is himself a warg of Bloodraven: why would he use on warg to talk to another? It makes much more sense if the ravens are the wargs of Bloodraven, "scouting for him, and whispering to him of dangers ahead and behind", and are the method Bloodraven uses to communicate with (the Other?) Coldhands.

Yes, I think you're right that Bloodraven is not "warging" Coldhands and I don't believe Coldhands is a warg himself. I think the TEC is warging the ravens, elk, etc. to aid Coldhands and the kids. After all, when one of the kids asked Coldhands early on if he was the TEC he answered something like "No, but I will take you to him".

My theory is that Coldhands is indeed Benjen Stark who was killed along with the other two rangers he went out with. Those other two rangers were the two that were subsequently brought back through the Wall and one killed some guy and the other attacked Mormont and was killed by Jon. So two of them are accounted for but Benjen is not. Hmm...

I also believe we have the answer as to "what" Coldhands is staring us right in the face. I believe Benjen Stark was resurrected by the TEC in much the same way as Beric Donderrion and Lady Stoneheart have been resurrected to be an ally/assistant (remember Bloodraven was supposedly a sorceror). The TEC needed an emmissary to escort Bran to him. Why are Coldhands' hands black and hard? He told us the answer himself - when the body dies (in the frozen North) the blood congeals. That is, severe frostbite (flesh turning black) would set in very quickly in a dead body in the North.

I think this explains how Colhands looks, his autonomy (unlike a wight/zombie), etc. and, of course, it's Benjen simply for theatrics ;)

[Allen]

The two rangers bought back to the wall are *not* Benjen's patrol. Someone at some point would have said "Hey, two of Stark's companions are here dead. Wonder where is he"...no one did. They were part of a patrol sent out much more recently: that is written. I think there are only three possible explanations for Coldhands:

* he's a corpse/wight and Bloodraven is warging in it (see the "I'm your monster, Bran" line - meaning he's the three-eyed crow Bran is looking for)

* he's the Night King (he knows pretty well the area around the Nightfort, to the point of knowing where a magical gate is)

* he's some random Crow (maybe Stonesnake, the guy in Qhuorin Halfhand patrol that tries to reach Mormont via the cliffs, or Will the tree-cimbing guy in the prologue of the first book)

Of the three, the second IMHO is the most plausible. He's dead centuries ago, he's a wight, he's a night watch member. He rides an elk, like the heroes of ages past did beyond the Wall, and he knows a magical gate under Nightfort...not a regular gate, a magical one. Aaaaaaand...he's helping the good guys, probably out of penance. I don't think Bloodraven is in any way related to the Others, the Great Other or any "evil" character-faction. When Bran have his first vision, he flies to the hearth of the North, past the Wall, past the light and the winter at the end of the world...to see something terrible. "Now you know" says Bloodraven/Three-Eyed-Crow in his dream. He implies that now Bran knows why he must wake up and go to the Children of the Forest, in order to fight that evil entity/thing/wathever that lies in the North.

[Ches Rockwell]

The two rangers bought back to the wall are *not* Benjen's patrol. Someone at some point would have said "Hey, two of Stark's companions are here dead. Wonder where is he"...no one did. They were part of a patrol sent out much more recently: that is written. I think there are only three possible explanations for Coldhands:

* he's a corpse/wight and Bloodraven is warging in it (see the "I'm your monster, Bran" line - meaning he's the three-eyed crow Bran is looking for)

* he's the Night King (he knows pretty well the area around the Nightfort, to the point of knowing where a magical gate is)

* he's some random Crow (maybe Stonesnake, the guy in Qhuorin Halfhand patrol that tries to reach Mormont via the cliffs, or Will the tree-cimbing guy in the prologue of the first book)

Of the three, the second IMHO is the most plausible. He's dead centuries ago, he's a wight, he's a night watch member. He rides an elk, like the heroes of ages past did beyond the Wall, and he knows a magical gate under Nightfort...not a regular gate, a magical one. Aaaaaaand...he's helping the good guys, probably out of penance. I don't think Bloodraven is in any way related to the Others, the Great Other or any "evil" character-faction. When Bran have his first vision, he flies to the hearth of the North, past the Wall, past the light and the winter at the end of the world...to see something terrible. "Now you know" says Bloodraven/Three-Eyed-Crow in his dream. He implies that now Bran knows why he must wake up and go to the Children of the Forest, in order to fight that evil entity/thing/wathever that lies in the North.

Was my thought as well, CH is the Night's King. He's been dead a long time, that fits for sure. He was a sorcerer, and maybe under some curse for his betrayal of the NW. And the bit about knowing of the Black Gate in the Nightfort, I don't think Benjen would know of that route.

[quine]

I don't think Bloodraven is in any way related to the Others, the Great Other or any "evil" character-faction.

There's a sort of meta-objection to assuming that the Others are the "evil faction". In an interview a long time ago, Martin was talking about how he deplored the "good/evil" duality in most fantasy novels. Of course, someone in the audience then asked "Well, what about the Others?" To which Martin replied something along the lines of "Well, you'll just have to wait and see". (I'll be grateful if anyone could give me a reference for this - I've heard others mention this, but never seen it myself).

Anyways, the implication is that the Others are not some faction of absolute evil. We've already seen some of the reverse implication: that the dragons, and fire, are not absolute good: Melisandre happily sacrifices whoever she feels like, the dragons are savage and almost uncontrollabe, etc. But the main point is that we will see something about the Others that will contradict them being a faction of "absolute evil". Indeed, I would be very disappointed if they were simply absolute evil: it would contradict Martins story, part of which has been showing us all sides of a conflict.

So, in addition to some of the earlier clues (Coldhands maybe being an Other, Melisandre initially seeing Bloodraven/Bran as "the great Other"), we also have the point that we need some PoV to show us more about the Others. The only PoV's at the Wall or North of it are Bran, Jon, and Melisandre, so if the above is correct, one or more of them will give us more about the Others. Melisandre is pretty clearly out, leaving Bran as the strongest candidate, with Jon a possible second. (Martin has stated there will be no other PoV's after ADwD, so there are no other possibilites). So, if we are to assume Martin wants to show us more about the Others to avoid having "absolute evil", the best candidate is Bran.

When Bran have his first vision, he flies to the hearth of the North, past the Wall, past the light and the winter at the end of the world...to see something terrible. "Now you know" says Bloodraven/Three-Eyed-Crow in his dream. He implies that now Bran knows why he must wake up and go to the Children of the Forest, in order to fight that evil entity/thing/wathever that lies in the North.

Note that this is only our assumption (that he must *fight* the Others or what is in the North), and I agree this is the most natural interpretation. However, the only thing Bloodraven/TEC says is "now you know", followed by "winter is coming". Instead of implying "you must fight this" he could equal could equally well be saying "you must be part of this".

[Prince of the North]

The two rangers bought back to the wall are *not* Benjen's patrol. Someone at some point would have said "Hey, two of Stark's companions are here dead. Wonder where is he"...no one did. They were part of a patrol sent out much more recently: that is written.

Ah, I thought one of the dead wights was Jafer Flowers and he was one of the rangers that went out with Benjen. If not, I stand corrected on that point. Thanks! So, all of Benjen's patrol are unaccounted for? I don't remember...

I think there are only three possible explanations for Coldhands:

* he's a corpse/wight and Bloodraven is warging in it (see the "I'm your monster, Bran" line - meaning he's the three-eyed crow Bran is looking for)

* he's the Night King (he knows pretty well the area around the Nightfort, to the point of knowing where a magical gate is)

* he's some random Crow (maybe Stonesnake, the guy in Qhuorin Halfhand patrol that tries to reach Mormont via the cliffs, or Will the tree-cimbing guy in the prologue of the first book)

Of the three, the second IMHO is the most plausible. He's dead centuries ago, he's a wight, he's a night watch member. He rides an elk, like the heroes of ages past did beyond the Wall, and he knows a magical gate under Nightfort...not a regular gate, a magical one. Aaaaaaand...he's helping the good guys, probably out of penance. I don't think Bloodraven is in any way related to the Others, the Great Other or any "evil" character-faction. When Bran have his first vision, he flies to the hearth of the North, past the Wall, past the light and the winter at the end of the world...to see something terrible. "Now you know" says Bloodraven/Three-Eyed-Crow in his dream. He implies that now Bran knows why he must wake up and go to the Children of the Forest, in order to fight that evil entity/thing/wathever that lies in the North.

Yes, I've thought about these things as well. I just really don't think the TEC is warging Coldhands. I just don't believe Coldhands would have answered "No, but I will take you to him" when asked if he was the TEC if he was, in fact, the TEC. Also, as I said, I think the TEC was the one warging the ravens and elk that helped Coldhands and the kids. I think the elk, while being ultra-cool, is also simply a practical choice. In the North, with all it's snow and ice, a large elk would be about the strongest, most capable steed anyone could hope for. In addition, the idea that Coldhands is the Night King is intriguing and the statement from the CotF that "they killed him (Coldhands) long ago" could possibly support it but we then have the problem of motivation. We then have to make the leap that the Night King wants to do good now as penance or something. With Benjen or another NW brother we don't have that problem but we have others. I wish we knew more of just what was exactly meant by that "killed him long ago" statement but we don't :dunno: I also don't see anything really out of the ordinary in Coldhands knowing about the Black Gate. I mean, Benjen had been with the NW for about 15 years so it wouldn't be too much of a stretch that he could have found out about it in that time. Another explanation could be that the knowledge of the Black Gate was given to Coldhands by the TEC.

I definitely agree with you that the TEC is fighting the good fight against the Others. That's what he's been holding on so long for and he's been searching/waiting for Bran. Finally, my initial interpretation of Coldhands' "your monster" statement to Bran was simply him telling Bran that, yes, he may be a monster but that he's on Bran's side - that Bran has nothing to fear from him.

[dvcc]

The name of the ranger you are talking about was 'StoneSnake' I believe. Interesting point about big wight attacks only where Sam & the broken horn were ... is this accurate? I would have to go back and do a re-read ....

there is the first attack to mourmont but that were only 2 wights. However this attack is either brillant or really stupid because they allerted de NW that they are gathering their forces. so it only makes sense if they have some hidden agenda and wanted de NW to be scared of them or try to revenge their dead leader or maybe they wanted something that was on the other side of the wall, however it was a kamikaze attack that would make the others plans much complicate to acheive

[Black Crow]

I think they might be "related" insofar as they are using some strange blood magic to keep people alive who otherwise wouldn't be.

However I agree that TEC/Bloodraven/COTF aren't allied with the Others. Recall that Coldhands, the COTF and the ravens engaged wights every time they saw them, including when Sam was picked up by Coldhands and when Leaf burned the wights outside the warded cave. Coldhands knows where the magic weirwood gate is underneath the Wall, and a Nights Watch vow is required to enter it. Given that the COTF gave the Nights Watch dragonglass on a regular basis, I don't see why allegiances would shift to the Others from the Night Watch and humanity some 8000 years later.

In fact, Bran says something to the effect that the COTF have resigned themselves to oblivion and extinction. "Men would be wroth", but the COTF are of a different nature and seem content to be history.

I'm intrigued by the suggestion Coldhands may be one of the Others, which certainly bears thinking on and would also support my own view that notwithstanding old Nan's fairy tales, the Children and the Others are if not one and the same allied. This far into the story it makes a lot more sense for the Others to already be a part of the story rather than rushing on at some point in what is currently advertised as the penultimate book of a very long saga.

Now granted that might at first sight be contradicted by the way Coldhands and the Children had to fight to get Bran safely into the caves, but it actually stinks. Bran is being herded into the caves with the Wights ensuring he goes where he's meant to and then sitting outside not to besiege the Children but to make sure he doesn't try to escape. Remember from Old Nan's tale how the Last Hero (and what happened to him?) was tracked through the snow by his body warmth, perhaps that's how unwarged Wights work. Animate them and set them sniffing after body heat. Sure the crows (the winged ones) attack them and the Children shoot flaming arrows at them, but hey, they're only Wights, they're expendable and if they're not under direct control but just following body heat there's no other way to get Bran past them.

[CrypticWeirwood]

In addition, the idea that Coldhands is the Night King is intriguing and the statement from the CotF that "they killed him (Coldhands) long ago" could possibly support it but we then have the problem of motivation. We then have to make the leap that the Night King wants to do good now as penance or something.

There would be no possible reason for him to hide his face from Bran if he were the Night King, who being the 13ᵗʰ Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch, lived thousands and thousands of years ago. There could be no possible recognition.

However, here’s the question: did Coldhands actually oscure his visage from Sam as well, or only from Bran? I get the idea that it was the latter only. That’s a lot more important then, since it would preclude his having a gnawed-off face or whatnot, and really zero in on it having to be Benjen. After all, just how many members of the Night’s Watch do you think Bran would recognize? Only one, I wager.

That runs counter to Coldhands’ having been killed long ago, though. No one killed long ago could possibly be anyone Bran would recognize.

Here’s an important, unanswered question: Why did Coldhands make Sam promise not to tell Jon, his Lord Commander, that his little brother Bran is alive and headed north of the Wall? What possible motivation could he have?

First of all, you don’t just ask a brother of the Night’s Watch to withhold something from his Lord Commander. That’s asking a lot.

Second, it has to be really important to Jon to know that he has a brother still alive, which despite Summer’s intervention, he still does not know. Sam must know how important it is to Jon, too, so this makes it even harder to ask. What could possibly be wrong with Jon’s knowing that Bran is alive? And is all this Coldhands’ directive, or is he just passing it along from Bloodraven?

What are the motivations here? It just does not seem to make any sense. I am afraid it is going to take some crackpot theory to explain it, and I really hate those.

[quine]

Here’s an important, unanswered question: Why did Coldhands make Sam promise not to tell Jon, his Lord Commander, that his little brother Bran is alive and headed north of the Wall? What possible motivation could he have?

Excellent question! I personally like it because it fits in with the "Coldhands is an Other, Bloodraven is working with the Others" theory. If Jon knew Bran was going North in the company of someone suspiciously sounding like an Other, Jon would presumably try to save him. Bloodraven doesn't want that, because he's not working with those on the Wall, he's working with the Others. He doesn't want those on the Wall to know about what he's become, and he doesn't want Bran to go back to them. This is also consistent with Coldhands killing men of the watch: he wants no trace of Bran, or Bloodraven, to get back to the Wall.

(Again, though, I still have no theory as to why Bloodraven is doing this, or what the Others' plans are!)

[Tini]

The Children of the Forest told Bran that they are disappearing because there is no place for them in the world made by man.

Maybe the Children accept that they will disappear, along with direwolves and other misfits. Maybe the others are not so accepting of their fate, and attempting to change it. There are dozens if not hundred of factions is Westeros politics. Why should there only be one faction of Others?

If the Children are disappearing because they have no place in a world made by man, does that mean their fate is inevitable? Or can man remake the world into a place where both can live? If even the direwolves will disappear eventually, why did direwolves appear for the first time in generations south of the Wall and bond with the Stark children? It all comes back to the Wall.

[CrypticWeirwood]

This is also consistent with Coldhands killing men of the watch: he wants no trace of Bran, or Bloodraven, to get back to the Wall.

Actually, I'm pretty sure that those were bad-guy rogue Night's Watch men, ones from what happened to Lord Mormont at Craster's Keep. If so, then Coldhands as himself a whilom member of the Night's Watch simply gave them their just deserts. There were ravens at that event, so Bloodraven would have known what had gone down, and as himself a former Lord Commander would easily have passed judgement on the wicked renegades.