[ADWD SPOILERS] Bran 3

[Red Raven]

It was the little things that creeped me out, including:

the pale thick roots of his weirwood throne cradling his limbs as a mother does a child...

...Bran could feel rough wood pressing against one cheek.

I imagined the tree moving to wrap itself around Bran. I don't think that's the case but it's one of the many things that strongly foreshadow that Bran is going to one day sit on that moss throne and never get up again.

It sure looks like Jojen is toast, or paste rather.

[jbent87]

The debate on what aSoFaI Gods are has just got interesting. Is there a R'Hollor or just sorcerers that cast a religious framework to their misunderstood arts? Are there 'Old Gods' or are there just overly powerful Greenseer-Wargs who make extensive use of the Magical Weirwoods and the myriad animals who live around them?

The trees absorb the souls, thoughts and memories of other warg-seers, they might also drink in the memories of the blood shed there. Could they see into the histories of living men who shed ritual blood there? Being supra-sentient, the knowledge and communications of the Seers could seem god-like.

So Bran can talk though trees, see (and shape?) history, he can talk through Hodor, can Raven-Warg and Ravens can talk. He's also been in more characters POV's in aDWD than any other. Might be that Bran's in every chapter in the new book.

Bran could be the only good this series sees. He just needs to seize his siblings wolves' packs, command the North through the trees, step into Mormont's Raven to guide the Watch, dominate a Dragon all while taking on a second life as Hodor the DragonKnight! (note this involves slaying The Headless Mountain who Died).

great post. I think people need to recognize the potential of your last paragraph and realize his ability to influence the outcome of all of those situations is for the greater good.

Theory: Bran is never leaving where he is and will become what is basically an Old God of the North. He is all knowing and seeing now. Wouldn't it be interesting to realize that all of the whisperings and odd behaviors of some of the animals (Mormont's Raven) since book 1 were all Bran? He can look back in time now and whisper to people. Could he warg into creatures of the past and change events? Like the way the raven was waiting for Jon and flew to his shoulder to make him lord commander of the wall?

Could the 3-eyed crow have been his way of telling himself to go beyond the wall?

At least to me this shows that Bran is not a head of a dragon but will become even more powerful than anyone could have imagined. He is becoming a god-like figure.

agreed. I am very excited to see where this goes although much like everyone else kinda disappointed we're going to have to wait for it.

[Steve Lomas Longstrider]

Personally I thought the most insightful phrase was in an earlier Bran chapter (I or II), where they say the CotF call themselves "those who sing the song of eath." When considering the name of the series I think

CotF: sing song of earth (Westeros)

Dragons: sing song of fire (Essos)

Others: sing song of ice (Lands of always winter)

This to me indicates that all power flows from these nature based entities and that each region has one entity. All the prophecies and all that talk are just stories made by men and thay nobody understands the real power, though certain people are blessed with abilities that flow from these entities (Bran, Varamy, Melisandre, Dany.) Of course that leaves out the Drowned God and the Faceless men. Personally I think the former is a myth, just a load of crazy people who have drunk too much sea water and the latter have learnt how to harness the power of death (or the others) much like Qyburn is doing/ trying to do.

We need to find out more about the whites. I saw on another thread someone pontificating that we might get a Benjen PoV chapter in an upcoming book, that he will be a prisoner of the others as they need him alive due to him being a crow/stark (or both) and that this will be how we find out more about them. Sounds like a good way to find out about them as surely a PoV character as an Other wouldn't work.

Just a theory, obviously can't back it up yet but as soon as I read what the CotF call themsevles it jumped out at me.

[jbent87]

Personally I thought the most insightful phrase was in an earlier Bran chapter (I or II), where they say the CotF call themselves "those who sing the song of eath." When considering the name of the series I think

CotF: sing song of earth (Westeros)

Dragons: sing song of fire (Essos)

Others: sing song of ice (Lands of always winter)

This to me indicates that all power flows from these nature based entities and that each region has one entity. All the prophecies and all that talk are just stories made by men and thay nobody understands the real power, though certain people are blessed with abilities that flow from these entities (Bran, Varamy, Melisandre, Dany.) Of course that leaves out the Drowned God and the Faceless men. Personally I think the former is a myth, just a load of crazy people who have drunk too much sea water and the latter have learnt how to harness the power of death (or the others) much like Qyburn is doing/ trying to do.

We need to find out more about the whites. I saw on another thread someone pontificating that we might get a Benjen PoV chapter in an upcoming book, that he will be a prisoner of the others as they need him alive due to him being a crow/stark (or both) and that this will be how we find out more about them. Sounds like a good way to find out about them as surely a PoV character as an Other wouldn't work.

Just a theory, obviously can't back it up yet but as soon as I read what the CotF call themsevles it jumped out at me.

nice post, that "song of earth" comment is very intriguing, definitely makes ya think about the other groups/parts of the world and what their "song" may be.

Really like the Benjen being a hostage of the Others theory much more than Benjen = coldhands theory. Although I guess having a PoV from either hostage Benjen/Coldhands Benjen would suffice as far as learning more about the Others/wights.