a quote i found interesting from the very first chapter

[SerDavosShepherd]

i just restarted the series for the first time since finishing it last year. i've stayed connected by reading, and posting (rarely) on here, and watching the show. I figured this time through the books i'd offer my opinions a little more liberally.

In the first POV chapter of AGOT Jon Snow had just found his dire wolf pup separated from the rest of the pack and bran says this line (P. 21) :

"bran thought it curious that this pup alone would have opened his eyes while the others were still blind"

given all that we have come to know about the connections between the Stark children and their direwolves i believe this is a very significant line.

as stated perviously i read a ton of posts on here and the way you all have dissected the book is incredible, so i want to hear your thoughts on this quote. here are a few of my thoughts on it ranging from lame to crackpot.

It has no significance and is talking about the pups physical appearance (lame-unlikely)

It is talking about the warging relationship between Jon and Ghost (they do appear to have the closest bond-probably most likely)

It is talking about the moral/philosophical qualities of the stark children (GRRM does have a man crush on Jon-somewhat likely though other characters still remain question marks)

It is foreshadowing that Jon/Ghost may be the only ones to survive the story (probably crackpot considering the fact that Jon may be dead/about to be a white/about to be unJon but...Robb is dead, Sansa could easily be killed by little finger, Arya as BA as she may be has made killing/evading killing her profession, Bran may be at the hands of the great other and Rickon is on an island with cannibals. So...anything is possible i think.

What say you?

[Theda Baratheon]

I'm not sure what it means or what it is supposed to mean but it is quite an interesting quote and GRRM is known for not having insignificant quotes like this, albeit how little they are

[Bright Blue Eyes]

For the entire first half of the series, Jon is the only Stark to know about the real danger, to "see the Others" in a way. Even in Dance, most never heard of them or took them seriously.

[~Shiera Seastar~]

For the entire first half of the series, Jon is the only Stark to know about the real danger, to "see the Others" in a way. Even in Dance, most never heard of them or took them seriously.

Bran knows about the Others, too. If I'm not mistaken, he was the first one to learn about the danger coming. When he was still in a coma, the 3EC visited him in his dreams and showed him many things. When he woke up, he named his wolf "Summer."

[Bright Blue Eyes]

Bran knows about the Others, too. If I'm not mistaken, he was the first one to learn about the danger coming. When he was still in a coma, the 3EC visited him in his dreams and showed him many things. When he woke up, he named his wolf "Summer."

But the 3EC blocked his memories for the time being. He only "saw" the real threat after he met Sam, or rather after he encountered the wights in Dance.

[The Cannibal Prince]

Maybe it is because he was the only child to open his eyes to the nights watch?

[Lord Flashheart]

Bran was the first to learn of his warging powers so I don't think that is it. Jon being the only surviving Stark seems more likely but I also have my doubts that Arya, Rickon, and Sansa will all die..Jon may be the first to open his eyes to the threat the Others pose and opening his eyes to the fact that wildlings are also people and they will benefit more from working with them than fighting their re-animated bodies after the Others kill them. Maybe a stretch but at this point its hard to determine what GRRM meant.

[Cynthia Snow]

I always thought that, in regards to the warging situation, it was weird that Ghost opened his eyes first as opposed to Summer, with Bran being the first one to embrace his warging abilities. My interpretation was that through most of ADwD, Jon's the only person who opens his eyes to what needs to happen at the Wall. Everyone else- the queen's men, the other men of the Night's Watch, the Iron Throne and the rest of Westeros- have their eyes completely shut to the situation, or are blind to the ramifications of failing to act.

[Starkbringer]

The 1st novel AGOT is so full of fascinating intrigues. I think it is because the series was originally supposed to be only 3 books that the first is a total set up for the remaining 2. I still believe that GRRM has the original plot line in place regardless of how many pages and by that I mean books it takes to finish it. With that said, I do believe that Bran's thought about the pup has some significant meaning that will later come into play. At least I hope so. I hope it means that Jon is the leader of the pack so to speak.

[thefacelesswarg]

Ithink its relevant that Bran is the one who thinks that line because he is the only one of the Starks to truely open his third eye as more than just a warg, but a greenseer

[Rawien]

It is talking about the moral/philosophical qualities of the stark children (GRRM does have a man crush on Jon-somewhat likely though other characters still remain question marks)

Brilliant quote. Love it.

I do think though that Bran has the a stronger relationship with Summer than Jon does with Ghost, (Ghost runs off in the north and is alot more wild and alone than Summer who is always by Brans side), but I think there might be something to the quote. Perhaps Ghost, like Jon, is to be perceived as the "Survivor" who rises above the rest despite bad odds. Ghost is an albino who was the runt of the litter who was outcast but opens his eyes first and becomes stronger than the rest, similarly Jon Snow is the bastard of the Stark children and is outcast but soon grows strong and rises above all the rest.

[lfisher]

Ithink its relevant that Bran is the one who thinks that line because he is the only one of the Starks to truely open his third eye as more than just a warg, but a greenseer

This is a good point... possibly pointing to a more significant connection between Bran and Jon?

[winteriscome]

I have wondered about this too and also about the fact that Ghost was seperated from the rest of the pack. I think it indicates that Jon is different from the other Stark children (bastard of R+L fits either way) and is also the most aware and toughest of the lot.

[DannySpud]

In my opinion Jon has a more intimate connection with Ghost than Bran does with Summer, I just think Bran is a more powerful Warg so is able to do flashy things like look through Summer's eyes. With relation to this quote, I always thought (after learning of the Warg-ish connection the Stark kids have with their wolves) that Jon didn't actually hear Ghost, but "felt" him through the warg ability. Ghost never makes any noise, even as a full grown adult, yet Jon hears him over all the sounds of the forest (they are on horseback going over a wooden bridge at the time). I think the open eyes refers to the Warg-ish connection having been made between Jon and Ghost first.

[evita mgfs]

i will share a few of my speculations on the Re-read with the direwolves as one of many animals we are focusing on in our analyses.

"Blindness" is a motif Martin uses as a unifying device between POV's, and this motif is sometimes implied or insinuated, as in Jon's dream of descending the WF crypts in total darkness, and Arya's entering the dragon's mouth, then into a dark tunnel where she even closes her eyes as Syrio taught her. Another example of how Martin employs the blindness motif is in the characterization of Maester Aemon, who is literally blind, yet he symbolically "sees" or "perceives" more accurately than those still gifted with good eyesight.

Martin's word choice to describe that the pups' eyes are still closed is "blind", and this word he chooses to have Bran think in his POV. I think Martin establishes for the readers a marked difference among Ghost and the other pups through separating them and through giving Ghost "sight", and through making the others are blind.

Now, since I have been documenting the "blindness" motif from the beginning of AGoT - and our thread is now at POV 34, I believe - I have found something interesting. Two characters have announced that they are NOT BLIND, whereas all other characters I am charting have their vision literally or symbolically obscured. Samwell Tarly answers Jon Snow's question of did Samwell see the Wall: "I am fat. NOT BLIND." Second, Lord Commander Mormont says that he is NOT BLIND in Tyrion's POV, and Mormont is addressing that he knows full well that the integrity of the men of the Watch is failing.

To follow through with Tarly and Mormont's declarations, I have found that Samwell and Mormont are two characters who see and perceive more clearly than the others, so Martin insinuates that we as readers can believe the words of Tarly and Mormont, as opposed to other characters in the series who are dishonest and dissembling. But that is just my conjecture - and I still have to assess all my evidences when I finish AGoT reread and see where it leads me as far as conclusions.

Ghost having his eyes opened is symbolic, but if Ghost were born first and if he were more developed than the other pups, it can happen in a litter where a pup will be born with the eyes opening a few hours after birth. [With my goldens, the more a pup is stimulated by mother and humans, the sooner the pups' eyes may open]. I do not believe that the mother direwolf pushed Ghost from the litter. I know the direwolves are mythical creatures, but canines do not see "in color". Would mother have distinguished "color" and nudged a thriving pup away? My dames "never" pushed a pup away, even when we had a "runt" with a cleft palatte, and we had to take the pup away from the dame to have her put down. Sadly, Jasmine never forgot that pup. Her entire life, she would go to the basement where we kept her whelping box, and she would scratch and scratch the carpeting, looking for the pup she lost. But my dogs are goldens, not direwolves.

What I speculate MAY have happened is the mother direwolf needed to leave the pups in order to relieve herself, since canines will not do their business where they sleep or eat. Now, mother direwolf is probably very hungry, dehydrated, and weak, but just maybe she came upon a stag she thought she could take down. And, yes, my dames were always starving after birthing the pups, and all the birthing books discuss this and advise on nourishing foods to give dames after birthing. I wonder that the mother would have had the "strength" after a minimum of six hours delivering and several more in labor. Anyways, it is a possibility that she thought she could take down the stag.

Or, while mother was away, the stag wandered inadvertently too close to her litter of pups, and mother direwolf instinctively attacked, was wounded, and returned to her pups to nurse and die.

Regarding Ghost: since his eyes are opened, he may have tried to follow mother, became exhausted, and fell asleep. Since Ghost makes no sound, he cannot cry out as the others can if they lose their bearings. [Pups will get misdirected - and crawl away from mom and the litter; for this reason, breeders use a whelping box: a doggy play-pen.]

A normal pup, when he is separated, will squeal like a pig, When they cannot find mom, a pup becomes quite vocal. Martin wants us to understand, I think, that Ghost wandered off on his own, and since he could not cry out to mother, she could not find him - [bUT JON SNOW HEARS GHOST'S CRY OR JON FEELS GHOST, sort of a mental telepathy] but I think she returned to her litter wounded and was too beat to search for Ghost. [A golden mother seems to "count" her pups to make sure she has them all everytime she returns to the whelping box to nurse - and mother is single-minded about getting to her pups to nurse them!]

I do not think Ghost is from a separate litter. As a matter of fact, in our Reread, we established language patterns that intimate the direwolves are a gift from the forces that are the old gods. I remember that Ned says something about going to see what Robb has "rooted" out, which is a nod to the weirwoods and their aspect of the godhood; Theon also says "God" or "Gods" when he comes upon the pups, again a hint that the wolves are more than what they seem. However, the language references are certainly clues I would not find if not for finishing the series - and then rereading, even more than a few times. [The pups all have colorings that associate them with both the Starks and the old gods, weirwoods, CotF, BR, etc Ghost and Shaggy are the "pure" colors that when combined, make Grey.]

I hope some of what I have to say helps with your analysis. I do believe that Martin is a purposeful writer who selects his words carefully. He may make a mistake now and then with a color, but otherwise, I see in my reread that AGoT sets up major plot points that are developed later in the novels - and parts of AGoT seem to be a "blue print" of other POV's in later novels where similar conflicts, themes, language, and events echo those established in AGoT.

[First of My Name]

Though Ghost/Jon may be different from the rest, he is the only one to truly see?

[Lady of Long Lake]

I always thought Ghost's eyes were open and alert because Jon's been told this during his life ," Bastards grow up faster than other children". Ghost=Jon :)

[Thorion2]

The direwolves mirror the traits of their humans. Bran wanted to be a knight and Summer is a protector. Lady was a over-trusting and gullible like Sansa. Nymeria is independant and stubborn like Arya. Rickon is dark and mysterious (liking the crypts) and may yet prove to be dangerous like his wolf (forgot its name). Off hand, I can't think of any outstanding comparisons for Grey Wind and Robb. But Jon is an observer and watcher, so is Ghost.

Since it was mentioned in the book that it was destiny for the wolf pups to belong to the Stark children, their personalities were already attuned to each other.

[Eustace Osgrey]

For the entire first half of the series, Jon is the only Stark to know about the real danger, to "see the Others" in a way. Even in Dance, most never heard of them or took them seriously.

I agree. This is especially true after AFFC with his new role in the Watch, and how most people remain ignorant to the Others (regardless of their proximity to them.)

[Dire-Lion]

In Jon's first chapter he mentions that as a bastard he has to be abe "to read the truth that people hid behind their eyes." The quote could just be there to show that Ghost shares this trait and that it is unique to them among the Stark kids.