Happy Ent, on 30 September 2011 - 05:13 AM, said:
She certainly behaves as if she still views Catelyn as Catelyn. Also, in her first chapter she explicitly says that the oaths we swear to the dead are extra super special important.
I wondered prevously also, whether she could be released from her vows once Cat dies and then became undead so to speak.
I am inclined to think that while she may have said a word such as "sword", she may still have no intention of killing Jaime. The reason being is that if Brienne views vows to the dead as being sacrosanct, she may choose to honour the original vow she made to Cat before becoming undead rather than any statements of promise or intent she made to Lady Stoneheart, hence her primary purpose may be to enlist Jaime's help to search for Sansa and Arya and return them to her, and hence may resolve the moral connundrum she might otherwise face as an oathbreaker. Although, I am board with the whole Brienne accusing Stoneheart of being an oathbreaker as well as that appears to make a lot of sense.
Edited by the_one_who_was_promised, 11 May 2013 - 10:15 PM.