Bran - The Winged Wolf

[NitzanLeo]

I've been thinking lately about Bran and the continuation of his story in ASOIAF. Bloodraven obviously wanted him for something, and I doubt it was just because Bran was a Greenseer. Perhaps it was, but I see something more.

In AGOT, just before Bran wakes up and names Summer, he finally manages to 'fly'. He has a sort of spirit-gaze from the sky, being able to see things from Westeros to places like Vaes Dothrak, the Dothraki Sea, the Free Cities, the Jade Sea and even Asshai and the Shadow, 'Where dragons stirred beneath the sunrise' (What leads me to believe that another evil will be coming from the east). He sees Sansa crying in King's Landing, Jon in the North to the south of the Wall. He saw Winterfell and many people in it. He sees his mother in the middle of the narrow sea, and Arya holding secrets (a completely mental thing). He sees the shadows around his family, namely Sandor, Oberyn and Gregor/Robert Strong. He sees things that obviously he shouldn't be able to see, even as a Greenseer.

Let's think about what we know a Greenseer can do. From what we've learned from the series, a Greenseer is an exceptionally powerful warg. One in a thousand wargs is strong enough to become a Greenseer. Seers can basically look out of the eyes of weirwoods, no matter how far. They can also see into the past and the possible future, but again, through the eyes of weirwoods, since they are pretty much immortal trees and have no feeling of time. But in AGOT, in his dream with the 3EC, he sees things and places he shouldn't be even seeing! Bran sees Sansa crying in a room, I'm persuming, where there is not a single weirwood. He sees his mother in the middle of the sea! He sees even into Arya's conscience, knowing that she his holding secrets and grief. He gazes all the way to Essos, where we don't explicitly know that there are any weirwoods, except for in the House of Black and White, and that's only the doors. He sees predictions of the 'shadows', Sandor, Gregor and Oberyn all around his family. I mean, Greenseers are mystical guys who know a lot of things, including possible futures, but this is a bit over the top.

So, wait, how do we know that not all Greenseers can do this? Well, we can assume from Bran's Weirnet experience in ADWD that a Greenseer's ability to watch is only in the immediate area of the Weirwood, and perhaps in a certain radius around it, between walls and such, with audio too. Bloodraven seems to know a lot of things about Bran, some of which didn't happen in the presence of a weirwood, and he even went into his dreams. But there must be a reason why he's called the Winged Wolf. I mean, we can't honestly believe that he's going to actually start levitating. There are some theories of an Ice Dragon, but I don't think it's that hard to believe the theory that Bran's flying is going to be like the spirit-gaze that occured in AGOT, where the whole process of what happens is really referred to as 'flying' by both Bran's POV and the 3EC.

So what do you think guys? Do you agree with this, or is Summer going to sprout wings and take to the air? :P

[sumant30]

I think bran is still learning to use his full power the way he has seen sansa,arya and catelyn with the help of 3EC i think his full extent of power is to be recognized.

[TheKingwithTheSword]

I dont have the exact the phrase but Bloodraven tells him that when he learns to master his powers his sight will now b limited to the trees. With his dream in AGOT after he sees everything BR says "now you know" so he can see all of these things and entered into brans dreams and gave him visions.

[NitzanLeo]

I dont have the exact the phrase but Bloodraven tells him that when he learns to master his powers his sight will now b limited to the trees. With his dream in AGOT after he sees everything BR says "now you know" so he can see all of these things and entered into brans dreams and gave him visions.

I'm not sure I remember any of that. If you could bring a quote of both things I'd be very happy. I don't believe Greenseers can only see through weirwoods. Maybe BR can only see through weirwoods and he believes Bran would replace him on his weirwood thron-thingy.

[armidil0]

We know the Grenseers have powers over nature. If the stories are correct then they created the stepstones by flooding the land bridge. They also flooded the Neck to keep the invasion of the Andals out.

I think Bran will learn to do this. Cool if he flooded the land at the Wall to keep the Others out. :P Not going to happen, I know but I'm going with it.

[Nubaa]

Creepy coincidence is that I opened the book right on this page:

Nor will your sight be limited to your godswood. The singers carved eyes into their heart trees to awaken them, and those are the first eyes a new greenseer learns to use... but in time you will see well beyond the trees themselves.

[NitzanLeo]

The question is, Nubaa, if the all greenseers can see beyond the weirwoods, or if Bloodraven means only Bran in particular, if my theory is correct and he is somehow special among greenseers.

[armidil0]

It says "new greenseer", so I assume any old, experienced greenseer can see past the weirwoods. If only a little.

[NitzanLeo]

Might be. That's a good point. Though we can also ask ourselves what eyes exactly Bran was looking through when he saw Westeros and Essos from above, and all the small, hidden things he saw. That is, if 'eyes' are only a representation or a symbol to the source of what the greenseers see.

[armidil0]

I also took it as a form of skinchanging. When they warg, they put their conscience into their wolf and can see, smell, ect from them. They can do the same with weirwoods. So what Bran was doing was letting his conscience go, but not putting it in anything. So it was free to wander, and see the world. I would imagine this is only reserved to experienced greenseers because of the chance to loose oneself. Where as if they were in a tree or an object it might be easier to get back to yourself, being out in the open would be tougher to find home again.

That's my take on it anyway. I would love if someone could prove me wrong, I just don't think we really have enough info to determine one way or another just yet.

[Eddward Stark]

I assumed that BR was giving Bran these visions (or guiding him), and that he was seeing through the eyes of birds. I recall it being as if he were flying, so I assumed (when rereading it) that it was some sort of warging and seeing through birds in different places in the realm. This still counts as seeing 'beyond the trees.' There could be some other stuff muddled in there, such as a green-dream-type phenomenon when it comes to seeing Arya hiding secrets, similar to how Bran and Rickon dreamed about their father in the crypts after he died.

[NitzanLeo]

I highly doubt he was looking through the eyes of the birds when he was looking all across the two continents. The world is round. He wouldn't have been able to see so much.

[Roughspun]

I agree with armidil0. Varamyr does the same or something similar for a moment in his Prologue, near the end.

[NitzanLeo]

I agree with armidil0. Varamyr does the same or something similar for a moment in his Prologue, near the end.

That might be because Varamyr had more than one connection to an animal. It might be connected to his dilemma of who he would warg into when he dies, somewhere in the middle of the prologue. His spirit was up and about because he wasn't sure which one of his wolves to warg into permanently.

[armidil0]

He still did it though. He was looking for a new permanent host, Bran already had a host. So he could go out and then come back. Varamyr didn't have his host yet. Bran could go out into the open and then come back. Varamy was out in the open and looking for a host. Same thing, different agendas.

Skinchanging is weird. This is how I make sense of it:

1. You have your conscience, and your "soul". Warging is slipping your conscience into a wolf. Your soul stays with your body, so that you have something to go back to. A leash if you want to think of it like that. Where your soul is, is your host.

2. When you die, your conscience AND soul go into your next animal, heart tree, ect. Where ever your soul is, is your new host. Eventually, since it is not your original body, your soul and conscience start to deteriorate.

3. Normal skinchangers Usually can't go out in the open. They have a companion, and they automatically go to that one, unless they think differently. ("I specifically want to go to this new animal, over there.")

a.The issue with Varamyr, is that he had so many animals that he could go into to, and no animals that really liked him. There was no "companion" for him. He never really made a good bond with one over the other, because he just dominated them all. So when he died his soul and conscience went up in the air because he had not decided yet. When he did, his soul and conscience went to the women. You can't warg out of a second host, so when she died it was done.

b. What Greenseers can do, is extend the leash and go out in to the open. They are not bound to their animals. They can tree hop, bird hop, and animal hop. So they can also decide to not go into any of these things and just, float(?). The problem, I would imagine is not getting lost, maybe there is a time limit, not forgetting who you are, find your way back home (if your not extending the leash, but severing it completely), I don't know. That's just my 2 penny's.

[NitzanLeo]

He still did it though. He was looking for a new permanent host, Bran already had a host. So he could go out and then come back. Varamyr didn't have his host yet. Bran could go out into the open and then come back. Varamy was out in the open and looking for a host. Same thing, different agendas.

Skinchanging is weird. This is how I make sense of it:

1. You have your conscience, and your "soul". Warging is slipping your conscience into a wolf. Your soul stays with your body, so that you have something to go back to. A leash if you want to think of it like that. Where your soul is, is your host.

2. When you die, your conscience AND soul go into your next animal, heart tree, ect. Where ever your soul is, is your new host. Eventually, since it is not your original body, your soul and conscience start to deteriorate.

3. Normal skinchangers Usually can't go out in the open. They have a companion, and they automatically go to that one, unless they think differently. ("I specifically want to go to this new animal, over there.")

a.The issue with Varamyr, is that he had so many animals that he could go into to, and no animals that really liked him. There was no "companion" for him. He never really made a good bond with one over the other, because he just dominated them all. So when he died his soul and conscience went up in the air because he had not decided yet. When he did, his soul and conscience went to the women. You can't warg out of a second host, so when she died it was done.

b. What Greenseers can do, is extend the leash and go out in to the open. They are not bound to their animals. They can tree hop, bird hop, and animal hop. So they can also decide to not go into any of these things and just, float(?). The problem, I would imagine is not getting lost, maybe there is a time limit, not forgetting who you are, find your way back home (if your not extending the leash, but severing it completely), I don't know. That's just my 2 penny's.

I think what you're saying is highly plausible, and I appreciate you for telling us. It really does sound like something Martin would do, i.e giving all the special abilities some characters have some sort limitation or problem or risk, like Mel's visions, which she often misunderstands.

[Black Wolf Smith]

Just want to point out that Sansa was in the the KL Gods wood.

[NitzanLeo]

Just want to point out that Sansa was in the the KL Gods wood.

She was, but it doesn't say she is at the time of the vision, and I mean by that that Bran didn't see her in the Godswood. Still possible, though.

[armidil0]

I just reread a Bran chapter, I'll post the important quotes when I get time, but The vision seems definitely literal in most places, and awfully figurative in others. We know that people with greendreams can "see" the future. So I'm thinking if you want to go this route, Bran was greendreaming for the most part, and seeing some other parts. Arya holding her secrets, and a shadow hanging over them all, ash wityh the face of a hound, golden enameled, and stone with thick black blood, all seem like a greendream. Jon dying at the Wall, greendream, though very specific. Everything else seems to be happening right now while he's seeing. So maybe that's his "flying" part. Or he could be dreaming about those things still. And all those things are the "reason you must fly...because winter is coming." was probably one of my favorite lines in that chapter.

ETA: "He saw Sansa crying herself to sleep at night." So not in Godswood. Unless I forgot that she slept in it?

[NitzanLeo]

I can't recall Bran prophesizing Jon's death at the Wall. Maybe you could give us a quote about that. And I do remember Sansa spending half her days at the Godswood, and I might have the slightest recollection of her sleeping there once or twice, but no more than that. I might just be confusing myself. About the greendreaming part, I agree that it is a very possible theory, though the question is why he's seeing everything from the sky, and why the whole experience is caleld 'flying' by both Bloodraven and Bran. Jojen never saw things from the sky as far as we knew, and his prophesies only spoke of things close to him, such as Bran and Winterfell.