The Green Men

[Doctor Weirwood]

"The green men will come to the fore in later books" has always been the most interesting little tidbit GRRM has come out with in an SSM for me. But, I've thought about it a lot and I can't work out how they will "come to the fore". It'll likely be Bran but I can't really formulate a proper theory around it. I imagine there's some weird theories about this so if you could direct me up them I'd be greatful, thanks!

[SacredOrderOfGreenMen]

I've written 10 or so essays about Bran and how he will return to Winterfell and be The Stark in Winterfell, and even I have no idea about what the Green Men will exactly be. No clue whatsoever, but hopefully it will be mysterious and epic and awesome.

[Doctor Weirwood]

I've written 10 or so essays about Bran and how he will return to Winterfell and be The Stark in Winterfell, and even I have no idea about the Green Men will exactly be. No clue whatsoever, but hopefully it will be mysterious and epic and awesome.

It's one of the things I'm looking forward to learning more about the most. I really hope we see them in Winds

[Daniel Niemietz Braz]

Howland Reed and friends.

[Archmaester Drew]

I've written 10 or so essays about Bran and how he will return to Winterfell and be The Stark in Winterfell, and even I have no idea about what the Green Men will exactly be. No clue whatsoever, but hopefully it will be mysterious and epic and awesome.

Do you think there is a Green Men-Coldhands connection? They both ride elk... :)

[John Suburbs]

I think they'll put an end to Lady Stoneheart.

One of the tales that the Tickler gets from the small folk around the God's Eye is that Lord Beric rowed across the lake and then headed west. Perhaps this one tale of many was actually true, and the Kiss of Fire is really a gift from the Green Men, which is now being used by LS for personal revenge.

Of course, this would assume that Lord Beric actually survived the Battle of Mummer's Ford or that Thoros' resurrection there was a one-time event.

[Good Guy Garlan]

Howland Reed and friends.

Yeah, didn't Howland stay with them for a year or something like that?

[Krugal]

It doesn't have to be Bran. We know of one person who have met the green men, and that is of course Howland Reed. I'm thinking that the person who is about to meet Howland, through the BWB, is Jaime, continuing his arc of becoming Kingmaker and proclaiming Jon heir to the throne. If the green men will "come to the fore", we will probably see them through the eyes of a POV, and that could very well be Jaime, if Howland leads him towards the green men, as a way of letting him know the importance of supporting Jon against the others. And Jaime is not far from the Isle of faces at this point in the books.

[Daendrew]

Manderly will bring Rickon back to the Isle of faces to meet the real Children of The Forrest. Not the anti-hero ones we have only met thus far. He will meet them through Manderly. Who is a "knight" of the Green hand... Green men have green hands.

http://awoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/Order_of_the_Green_Hand

Bran is lost. He will not be "back" until Bloodraven or the "Other" Hodor is killed. Bran will be an antihero until then.

[TheLightning Lord]

They're aliens.

[Daendrew]

They're aliens.

pew pew pew

[three-eyed monkey]

I started a thread exploring the role of the Green Men a while back. The broad conclusion was that they are related to Spring. In the novels they are most closely connected to Howland Reed, CotF, the Pact, the Isle of Faces, and share a lot of similarities with Garth Greenhand. I suspect their appearance will tie up a lot of storylines, like Bran, Howland, TPwwP, etc. Here's a lengthy extract from the OP...

The Order of the Green Men is one of the most mysterious notes in the song of ice and fire. The purpose of this thread is to explore what the order is all about. As the text provides us with very little, the exercise requires us to look beyond the pages of A Song of Ice and Fire and consider other things, like the material that might have inspired GRRMs creation of the Order and their role in the story.

But lets start with the books. The first we hear of the Green Men is from Catelyn, early in AGoT:

In the south, the last weirwoods had been cut down or burned out a thousand years ago, except on the Isle of Faces where the green men kept their silent watch.

Later in the same book, Maester Luwin elaborates a little and provides some context:

Finally, the wise of both races prevailed, and the chiefs and heroes of the First Men met the greenseers and wood dancers amidst the weirwood groves of a small island in the great lake called Gods Eye.

There they forged the Pact. The First Men were given the coast-lands, the high plains and bright meadows, the mountains and bogs, but the deep woods were to remain forever the childrens, and no more weirwoods were to be put to the axe anywhere in the realm. So the gods might bear witness to the signing, every tree on the island was given a face, and afterwards the sacred order of green men was formed to keep watch over the Isle of Faces.

The Pact began four thousand years of friendship between men and children. In time, the First Men even put aside the gods they had brought with them, and took up the worship of the secret gods of the wood. The signing of the Pact ended the Dawn Age, and began the Age of Heroes.

The Green Men are mentioned again in ASoS, when Meera tells Bran the tale of Howland and the KotLT:

The lad knew the magics of the crannogs, she continued, but he wanted more. Our people seldom travel far from home you know. We're a small folk, and our ways seem queer to some, so the big people do not always treat us kindly. But this lad was bolder than most and one day when he had grown to manhood he decided he would leave the crannogs and visit the Isle of Faces.

No one visits the Isle of Faces. objected Bran. That's where the green men live.

It was the green men he meant to find. So he donned a shirt sewn with bronze scales, like mine, took up a leathern shield and a three-pronged spear, like mine, and paddled a little skin boat down the Green Fork.

Bran closed his eyes to try and see the man in his little skin boat. In his head, the crannogman looked like Jojen, only older and stronger, and dressed like Meera.

He passed beneath the Twins by night so the Freys would not attack him, and when he reached the Trident he climbed from the river and put his boat on his head and began to walk. It took him many a day, but finally he reached the Gods Eye, threw his boat in the lake, and paddled out to the Isle of Faces.

Did he meet the green men?

Yes, said Meera, But that's another story, and not for me to tell. My prince asked for knights.

Green men are good too.

They are, she agreed, but said no more about them. All that winter the crannogman stayed on the isle, but when spring broke he heard the wide world calling and knew the time had come to leave. His skin boat was just where he'd left it, so he said his farewells and paddled off toward shore.

And later in the same conversation, when the KotLT appears:

Was he green? In Old Nans stories, the guardians had dark green skin and leaves instead of hair. Sometimes they had antlers too, but Bran didnt see how the mystery knight could have worn a helm if he had antlers. I bet the old gods sent him.

And later still, when Bran meets Sam in the Nightfort:

Was he green? Bran wanted to know. Did he have antlers?

The fat man was confused. The elk?

Coldhands, said Bran impatiently. The green men ride on elks, Old Nan used to say. Sometimes they have antlers too.

But theres not much more about the Green Men in the books, besides a little from TPatQ. They were formed when the Pact was signed, to watch over the Isle of Faces. Old Nan describes them as having dark green skin and leaves for hair, sometimes they had antlers too, and they ride on elks. Meera tells us Howland sought them out, and met them... but thats another story, and not for her to tell. Presumably this means it is Howlands story to tell, but is he ever going to tell it?

This is from SSM back in March, 1999:

LINDA: Will we see or hear anything of the green men on the Isle of Faces? If not, what are they like? Just a secluded order that's never bothered, and has no role in the events of the Seven Kingdoms?

GRRM: The green men and the Isle of Faces will come to the fore in later books. (Boy, it's tough to sneak anything by you guys.)

So it seems the Green Men plotline is a sleeper and they will have a role to play in the story. But to try and understand what that role might be, or at least what strand of the story they might connect with, we need to first understand the symbolism involved, as it does dovetail quite nicely with the type of events we might expect to see in the next two books.

Green Man symbolism permeates cultures around the world and across the ages, and can be found in art, sculpture, architecture and theatre. It denotes spring, re-birth, rejuvenation, and their place in the natural cycle.

The Green Man motif usually consists of a face made from, or framed by, leaves, branches, vines, and budding flowers, which evokes the description of Leaf from ADwD, as well as Old Nans description of the Green Men. Old Nans Green Men sometimes had antlers, which are also a symbol of regeneration as they can be shed and re-grown. Green Man imagery often portrays vines and branches sprouting from the ears, nostrils, mouth, cheeks, or eyes of the face, reminiscent of Bloodraven.

Green Man symbolism is often found in literature; Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, A Midsummer Nights Tale, Peter Pan, the Ents of Lord of the Rings, (and now of course ASoIaF), to name but a few.

C.G. Jung, in his comparative study of symbolism, mythology, and archetype, suggests that the Green Man rises to counter a lack in mens attitude toward the natural order, reminding mankind of the balance that should be maintained between humanity and nature. In Westerosi parlance, that might mean too much game of thrones and not enough song of ice and fire.

[Archmaester Drew]

I started a thread exploring the role of the Green Men a while back. The broad conclusion was that they are related to Spring. In the novels they are most closely connected to Howland Reed, CotF, the Pact, the Isle of Faces, and share a lot of similarities with Garth Greenhand. I suspect their appearance will tie up a lot of storylines, like Bran, Howland, TPwwP, etc. Here's a lengthy extract from the OP...

The Order of the Green Men is one of the most mysterious notes in the song of ice and fire. The purpose of this thread is to explore what the order is all about. As the text provides us with very little, the exercise requires us to look beyond the pages of A Song of Ice and Fire and consider other things, like the material that might have inspired GRRMs creation of the Order and their role in the story.

But lets start with the books. The first we hear of the Green Men is from Catelyn, early in AGoT:

In the south, the last weirwoods had been cut down or burned out a thousand years ago, except on the Isle of Faces where the green men kept their silent watch.

Later in the same book, Maester Luwin elaborates a little and provides some context:

Finally, the wise of both races prevailed, and the chiefs and heroes of the First Men met the greenseers and wood dancers amidst the weirwood groves of a small island in the great lake called Gods Eye.

There they forged the Pact. The First Men were given the coast-lands, the high plains and bright meadows, the mountains and bogs, but the deep woods were to remain forever the childrens, and no more weirwoods were to be put to the axe anywhere in the realm. So the gods might bear witness to the signing, every tree on the island was given a face, and afterwards the sacred order of green men was formed to keep watch over the Isle of Faces.

The Pact began four thousand years of friendship between men and children. In time, the First Men even put aside the gods they had brought with them, and took up the worship of the secret gods of the wood. The signing of the Pact ended the Dawn Age, and began the Age of Heroes.

The Green Men are mentioned again in ASoS, when Meera tells Bran the tale of Howland and the KotLT:

The lad knew the magics of the crannogs, she continued, but he wanted more. Our people seldom travel far from home you know. We're a small folk, and our ways seem queer to some, so the big people do not always treat us kindly. But this lad was bolder than most and one day when he had grown to manhood he decided he would leave the crannogs and visit the Isle of Faces.

No one visits the Isle of Faces. objected Bran. That's where the green men live.

It was the green men he meant to find. So he donned a shirt sewn with bronze scales, like mine, took up a leathern shield and a three-pronged spear, like mine, and paddled a little skin boat down the Green Fork.

Bran closed his eyes to try and see the man in his little skin boat. In his head, the crannogman looked like Jojen, only older and stronger, and dressed like Meera.

He passed beneath the Twins by night so the Freys would not attack him, and when he reached the Trident he climbed from the river and put his boat on his head and began to walk. It took him many a day, but finally he reached the Gods Eye, threw his boat in the lake, and paddled out to the Isle of Faces.

Did he meet the green men?

Yes, said Meera, But that's another story, and not for me to tell. My prince asked for knights.

Green men are good too.

They are, she agreed, but said no more about them. All that winter the crannogman stayed on the isle, but when spring broke he heard the wide world calling and knew the time had come to leave. His skin boat was just where he'd left it, so he said his farewells and paddled off toward shore.

And later in the same conversation, when the KotLT appears:

Was he green? In Old Nans stories, the guardians had dark green skin and leaves instead of hair. Sometimes they had antlers too, but Bran didnt see how the mystery knight could have worn a helm if he had antlers. I bet the old gods sent him.

And later still, when Bran meets Sam in the Nightfort:

Was he green? Bran wanted to know. Did he have antlers?

The fat man was confused. The elk?

Coldhands, said Bran impatiently. The green men ride on elks, Old Nan used to say. Sometimes they have antlers too.

But theres not much more about the Green Men in the books, besides a little from TPatQ. They were formed when the Pact was signed, to watch over the Isle of Faces. Old Nan describes them as having dark green skin and leaves for hair, sometimes they had antlers too, and they ride on elks. Meera tells us Howland sought them out, and met them... but thats another story, and not for her to tell. Presumably this means it is Howlands story to tell, but is he ever going to tell it?

This is from SSM back in March, 1999:

LINDA: Will we see or hear anything of the green men on the Isle of Faces? If not, what are they like? Just a secluded order that's never bothered, and has no role in the events of the Seven Kingdoms?

GRRM: The green men and the Isle of Faces will come to the fore in later books. (Boy, it's tough to sneak anything by you guys.)

So it seems the Green Men plotline is a sleeper and they will have a role to play in the story. But to try and understand what that role might be, or at least what strand of the story they might connect with, we need to first understand the symbolism involved, as it does dovetail quite nicely with the type of events we might expect to see in the next two books.

Green Man symbolism permeates cultures around the world and across the ages, and can be found in art, sculpture, architecture and theatre. It denotes spring, re-birth, rejuvenation, and their place in the natural cycle.

The Green Man motif usually consists of a face made from, or framed by, leaves, branches, vines, and budding flowers, which evokes the description of Leaf from ADwD, as well as Old Nans description of the Green Men. Old Nans Green Men sometimes had antlers, which are also a symbol of regeneration as they can be shed and re-grown. Green Man imagery often portrays vines and branches sprouting from the ears, nostrils, mouth, cheeks, or eyes of the face, reminiscent of Bloodraven.

Green Man symbolism is often found in literature; Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, A Midsummer Nights Tale, Peter Pan, the Ents of Lord of the Rings, (and now of course ASoIaF), to name but a few.

C.G. Jung, in his comparative study of symbolism, mythology, and archetype, suggests that the Green Man rises to counter a lack in mens attitude toward the natural order, reminding mankind of the balance that should be maintained between humanity and nature. In Westerosi parlance, that might mean too much game of thrones and not enough song of ice and fire.

Very interesting! :cheers:

[SacredOrderOfGreenMen]

Do you think there is a Green Men-Coldhands connection? They both ride elk... :)

Def.

[Frey family reunion]

For a while now I've been exploring the connection between the Harrenhal tourney during the false spring, and the May Day festival and Beltane ritual. A common part of both rituals is the crowning of a May Queen, and the unexpected arrival of the Green Man. (Usually the Green Man and the May Queen are united in the rituals). Now who could our May Queen and Green Man be in our story?

While the Green Man is usually associated with Spring and Summer, another variation of the Green Man myths is associated with Autumn, the Corn King. Does anyone recall which character was named the corn ... king by a certain overly talkative raven?

[Fire Eater]

I think Dany and Tyrion will bump into them in TWoW or ADoS if they decide to make Harrenhal their HQ when they land.

[Ibbison from Ibben]

While the Green Man is usually associated with Spring and Summer, another variation of the Green Man myths is associated with Autumn, the Corn King. Does anyone recall which character was named the corn ... king by a certain overly talkative raven?

In another variation, it's the same guy. Born at Yule, married at Beltane (marries the Spring Maid), dies at the harvest, then reborn at Yule again.

[three-eyed monkey]

For a while now I've been exploring the connection between the Harrenhal tourney during the false spring, and the May Day festival and Beltane ritual. A common part of both rituals is the crowning of a May Queen, and the unexpected arrival of the Green Man. (Usually the Green Man and the May Queen are united in the rituals). Now who could our May Queen and Green Man be in our story?

While the Green Man is usually associated with Spring and Summer, another variation of the Green Man myths is associated with Autumn, the Corn King. Does anyone recall which character was named the corn ... king by a certain overly talkative raven?

The Green Men share some symbolism with Garth Greenhand, and Garth has his own version of the Corn King tale.

AWoIaF: A few of the very oldest tales of Garth Greenhand present us with a considerably darker deity, one who demanded blood sacrifice from his worshippers to ensure a bountiful harvest. In some stories the green god dies every autumn when the trees lose their leaves, only to be reborn with the coming of spring. This version of Garth is largely forgotten.

[Bael's Bastard]

"The green men will come to the fore in later books" has always been the most interesting little tidbit GRRM has come out with in an SSM for me. But, I've thought about it a lot and I can't work out how they will "come to the fore". It'll likely be Bran but I can't really formulate a proper theory around it. I imagine there's some weird theories about this so if you could direct me up them I'd be greatful, thanks!

After Bran's thought about Green Men riding elks, I always wondered if there was some connection between Green Men and Coldhands, Wights, and or White Walkers.

[EternET]

Green men->Isle of the faces-> Harenhal-> The trident -> Dany's dream => They are part of the endgame plot.