I've not seen anyone mention this but it seems to me that the "children of the Forest" are a massive homage to the 70's cult hit comic book series Elfquest. The similarities between the two are to many to ignore: Appearance: Both the EQ elves and the CotF are small in stature and are about as tall as a human child.Both have large slanted eyes.Both have large ears.But perhaps the most telling: both have only 3 fingers and a thumb. This really drives the homage home for me, since that was one of the distinguishing features of the EQ elves. Behavior/magic/society: Perhaps less telling, since these things are common amongst almost every incarnation of "elves", but still interesting none the less: Being able to communicate with animals and sometimes change into them.Being one with nature, living off the land and being able to hide easily in forests.Having a form of magic that gives them power over trees. (greensight in GoT, Plant-shaping in EQ)Having a very long lifespan.Being at war with a early form of humans. (The First Men in asoiaf, Cavemen in EQ).I can't find any reference to it, but doesn't Bran mention that he never sees the CotF talking to each other? Because the EQ elves had a form of telepathy called 'sending'. It made their eyes light up when they were communicating mentally.On top of that, the names Bran gives to the CofF (Leaf, Snowylocks, Black Knife, etc) are very similar to the way the EQ elves are named (Rain, Clearbrook, Red Lance, etc).Despite having faded into obscurity in recent years Elfquest was HUGE in the late 70's to early 80's. It ran until well into the 2000s. An older comic book lover like GRRM would definitely know about it. To me the Children of the Forest are a wonderful homage to Elfquest.
