Six Pups in the Snow: A Direwolves Reread

[Julia H.]

Welcome to the thread, Ellfoy!

I'm looking forward to reading everyone's theories. In the meantime

Catelyn II

Overview

Cat and Ned discuss Robert’s offer and receive a warning from Lysa.

Observations

• The fate of the mother direwolf weighs on Cat’s mind while discussing Robert’s offer with Ned.

The end of Summer is linked with the end of childhood.

Analysis

“You knew the man,” she said. “The king is a stranger to you.” Catelyn remembered the direwolf dead in the snow, the broken antler lodged deep in her throat. She had to make him see."

• Cat sees the dead direwolf as most readers see –foreshadowing the conflict between the Starks and Baratheons (and Lannisters). Once again she thinks of the dead direwolf as a warning of a threat to her family, but her attitude in how to handle the situation is different from when she thought of it as a warning about the dangers beyond The Wall. She is the proactive one in the discussion, and I think she feels the situation with Robert and his court is more controllable.

It's very poignant that Cat is the one to keep referring back to the mother direwolf.

“Summer will end soon enough, and childhood as well.”

• This quote from Ned is in reference to Jon, but the idea end of summer intertwining with the end of childhood will be explored in a variety ways throughout the series, and it’s something to keep in mind when discussing what Bran will name his direwolf.

Arya I

Overview

Arya leaves behind her needlework and watches a sparring session between her brothers and the princes with Jon.

Observations

• Like with Ghost and Jon, we see a deep bond between Nymeria and Arya and how Nymeria becomes Arya’s source of comfort.

The direwolves continue to be excluded from the royal party’s presence.

Analysis

“The wolf pup loved her, even if no one else did. They went everywhere together, and Nymeria slept in her room…If Mother had not forbidden it, Arya would gladly have taken the wolf with her to needlework. Let Septa Mordane complain about her stitches then.”

• Arya and Nymeria have a strong bond, and unlike her place in the family, Arya doesn’t doubt it.

The direwolves have been kept away from the welcoming feast, not allowed in the sewing circle, and there is no reference to Grey Wind and Summer in the practice yard, so they probably weren’t there either. It appears Cat and Ned are trying to limit the exposure of the direwolves to the royal party. Did they just deem it to be prudent, or has Cersei made her displeasure about the direwolves known?

I wonder what would have happened if Grey Wind and Summer had been in the yard with the boys? Would the direwolves have attacked?

Like Jon, Arya considers weaponizing her direwolf.

“[Nymeria] She had yellow eyes. When they caught the sunlight, they gleamed like two yellow coins. “

• The gold coin simile is curious because I tend to associate gold coins more with the Lannisters. However, coins will end being an important motif in Arya’s arc, so it makes sense to see it in Nymeria’s description.

​

“Arya had named her after the warrior queen of Rhoyne, who had led her people across the sea. That had been a great scandal too. Sansa of course named her pup ‘Lady.’”

• Who turned it into a scandal? My guess is Septa Mordane. What makes the name Nymeria so objectionable? Is it because Queen Nymeria didn’t stick to Westerosi gender norms, or is it because she was from Rhoyne? If Nymeria isn’t highly regarded in the North, did that influence Arya when she was picking out a name?

“Nymeria stalked closer on wary feet. Ghost, already larger than his litter mates, smelled her, gave her ear a careful nip, and settled down.”

• Ghost being the largest provides more evidence of both Jon and Ghost growing up fast and reinforces the idea that Jon’s childhood is ending from Catelyn II.

“He [Jon] messed up her hair again, Ghost moving silently beside him. Nymeria started to follow too, then stopped and came back when she saw Arya was not coming."

• The relationship of Nymeria and Ghost mirrors that of Arya and Jon. It brings me back to the question of whether Ghost was driven out. If he was driven out, there no longer seems to be hostile relationship between Ghost and the other direwolves now. Did the relationship among the direwolves change when each Stark adopted a wolf and began reflect their masters’ personalities, or does the difference just no longer matter to the direwolves? (Assuming it ever did).

Ghost is someone Nymeria is willing to follow, just like Jon is one of the few people Arya listens to.

Once again we do see the direwolf’s bond to its owner come before the direwolf’s personal inclinations.

A very thorough analysis, and it seems difficult to add much. :bowdown:

Catelyn II.

It is interesting that Catelyn interprets the dead direwolf and the stag's antler as an omen (and I think she is correct), and wanting to avoid the impeding catastrophy, she advises Ned to do just what is going to lead to said catastrophy. Ned never admits that the direwolf may be an omen, but he instinctively feels he should stay in the North. Of course, we don't know for sure what the consequences of refusing Robert would have been (and it is not that easy to refuse a royal offer). Still, I can't help wondering whether omens are good for anything at all.

Arya I.

Good catch about the coins!

The name Nymeria is a great instance of foreshadowing. Arya will become a warrior and she will also travel across the Narrow Sea. I suspect that the scandal about the wolf's name was started by the septa – she realized that Arya had chosen a role model as well, and it wasn't to her liking. The “scandal” also suggests that there were people in Winterfell who regarded the presence of six growing direwolves in the castle as a threat (to be honest, it's an understandable fear) – the septa must have been one of those. Choosing a name like that must have implied that Arya intended to use her wolf as a weapon, which wasn't really far from the truth, as we know. In comparison, the name Lady implies an intention to “tame” the wolf, thus to make it less threatening.

I don't think Ghost was really driven out of the pack (it may have been his “purpose” to choose his own Stark rather than being chosen by one of them). His loving relationship with his siblings can be proof that he crawled away on his own. It seems he has always been the strongest as well (his eyes were open first), so how could the others have driven him away? The mother wolf might have driven him away perhaps, if she was alive when the pups were born (and it might be a reference to Cat), but it is a question whether the mother wolf had the strength to do it. (Even if Ghost was not welcome by the mother wolf, he may still have decided to leave on his own, much as Jon did.) Right now, Ghost is in a leadership position in the pack. Do we ever see Grey Wind in a similar role?

[Hippocras]

Interesting, thanks. I will be back.

[Seams]

Is this the right time to attempt a systematic analysis of the names of the Direwolves? I've been looking forward to a group think about the ways all of the Stark kids named their wolves, and I think it's helpful to examine them together, even if Summer and Shaggy Dog's names are unveiled later in our re-read.

Robb's wolf was named Grey Wind. We learn this name close to the same time Dany says that Drogo has given her "the wind" when he gives her the horse that she refers to as "the silver." So there seems to be a deliberate compare/contrast between the grey wind and the silver wind. Lord Steffon Baratheon and his wife, Lady Cassana (parents of Robert, Stannis and Renly) died when their ship, Windproud, was wrecked on a return voyage to Storm's End. I think one of the ships that delivers/accompanies Princess Myrcella to Dorne also has wind in its name. If I were making a guess about this wind motif, I would say that each of the major contenders for the throne has some association with a wind symbol - animal or ship. Maybe GRRM is simply setting up these opposing winds to add meaning to the imminent Storm of Swords and later Winds of Winter titles. Storms and bad weather are more than just titles, of course. Does Robb's choice of a storm-related name for his direwolf signal a desire to harness or direct the power of a storm? Is it simply a nod to the grey in the Stark colors (and in the wolf's fur) and the winter in their motto? Do the animal-winds represent something different than the ship-wind symbols?

The name Ghost is such an interesting choice. It seems like a nod to the direwolf's white coat but there are clearly other layers of meaning. What are those layers, though? There seem to be a lot of possible versions of life after death in Westeros, some of which are apparently completely different from becoming a ghost: the wights that attack Lord Commander Mormont (reanimated corpses of the Night's Watch men) are apparently not ghosts because the Direwolf helps to defeat them. The Book of Seven also mentions spirits and revenants. Another kind of life after death: we see Jon's first nemesis take the form of Lady Stoneheart. (Hmm - Lady - hmm.) I have no idea where Melisandre's shadow assassin might fit in this collection of creepy spirits. We hear numerous references to the Ghost of Harrenhal - Arya claims to BE the Ghost of Harrenhal at one point. Sansa lies to Tyrion and says she doesn't want to sleep in the Tower of the Hand because the ghosts of her father's slain guards haunt it (she is actually trying to be freed up so she can slip away to see Ser Dontos). Arya being pro-ghost and Sansa being anti-ghost are consistent with each girl's relationship to Jon, as shown in other ways throughout the books. Given Jon's condition at the end of A Dance with Dragons, maybe the direwolf's name foreshadows something more personal in upcoming events in Jon's plot line.

We don't get much chance to know the direwolf Lady. The important things about Lady seem to be that she never hurt anyone, that she was punished for her sister's (Nymeria's) supposed infraction, and that Ned was the one to kill her by beheading her with the sword Ice. It also seems important that Ned ensures that Lady's bones are taken back to the crypt at Winterfell, in recognition of the importance of this place to the wolf's origin and family. It didn't occur to me to connect Lady Stoneheart with Lady the direwolf until I was just pondering the meaning of Ghost vis-a-vis other kinds of "life" after death in ASOIAF, but Lady the direwolf's interment in the crypt, with the likenesses of Starks carved from stone, could be an intentional parallel. (Of course, the bones of Lyanna, one of Catelyn's foils, are also in the crypt.) Sorry to jump ahead here - I am trying to put all the names in context and these were the strongest associations I could think of to explain the choice of Lady in a meaningful way. Of course, on a simple, literal level, Sansa is all about being a lady in a world of embroidery and true knights and lemoncakes. The direwolf's name could be that straightforward.

Nymeria and Shaggy Dog's names strike me as being related. In our world, a "shaggy dog story" is almost like a fairy tale; "a long, rambling story or joke, typically one that is amusing only because it is absurdly inconsequential or pointless." It often involves talking animals. With the warg's-eye views of the various Stark offspring, we definitely get versions of "talking" animals (although we hope the stories aren't pointless). I link the names of the two direwolves because the Stark children have been raised on the stories and legends retold by Old Nan and these stories seem to foreshadow events of the novels. Arya later calls herself Nan (in one of her many incarnations). Is she symbolically becoming a story-teller? Will Rickon one day assume that role? I know that Nymeria the warrior queen, the story from which the direwolf's name is taken, could have specific meaning for Arya's story arc. (Although it could refer directly to the direwolf, which establishes itself as the warrior queen among smaller wolf cousins along the Trident.) Perhaps the next book will offer more clues.

Summer. Is this name intended as a direct contrast to the name of Grey Wind, with its implications of grey/cold and wind/winter? Do Robb and Bran represent opposite (or alternating) visions of the future of House Stark? The Winter King and the Summer King?

I wonder whether it is helpful to ponder the names of the Stark kids at the same time we consider the naming of the direwolves. I assume Robb is named in honor of King Robert. I would guess that Jon and Arya are both named after Jon Arryn. Bran is named for his late uncle and/or the famous Bran the Builder, founder of the Stark dynasty. I don't recall any associations with the names Sansa and Rickon. Maybe those will be explained later.

Then, I am also curious about this first warging experience between Ghost and Jon. Does it indicate that Jon could have the most powerful warging ability initialy ? Bran and Arya's warging ability develop because of traumatism for their bodies (Bran's coma and Arya's temporary blindness), Jon is the only one who have to go through without "traumatism help".

Very interesting observation, Ellfoy. (I haven't explored this forum enough to know whether anyone has done a giant spread sheet that analyzes wounds and injuries in ASOIAF. I would love to have access to such a spreadsheet, but I don't want to be the one to try to compile it!) Does Jon's first warging experience with his wolf come before his hand is burned while fighting the wights? That hand injury and his healing process is mentioned so frequently (and we know the importance of the hand motif in GRRM's literary expression). Arya suffers a number of injuries - interesting that her first warg experience is associated with her blindness episode. I guess we'll get into more of this later. I look forward to hearing your theory when the time comes.

One more thing: Seams, I'm pretty sure that Ghost eyes are at least once described as Ruby eyes later in the books and not only as "blood red" or "garnet eyes".

I will also look forward to seeing this description when it comes up. It might complicate the garnet/pomegranate association, if you can provide a citation, or maybe it will be the exception that proves the rule. I have the books on audio CD, which makes it almost impossible to go back and find specific quotes, so I apologize for relying on others to provide citations.

I had another thought about the Ghost/Tyrion encounter as well, and it may tie in somewhat to the Ghost name of the direwolf:

Jon I

An Encounter with a Lannister

Here we can observe the first sign of direwolf distrust towards a Lannister.

It is noteworthy that we are in Jon's POV and he does not seem to feel any conscious resentment towards Tyrion. Jon's primary sentiment at this point seems to be a mainly positive curiosity towards the little man. Tyrion performs an acrobatic leap and it is suggested that the unexpected movement frightens the wolf pup. Of course, we don't have Ghost's POV, and we don't have to believe that Tyrion's interpretation is correct. (Jon himself refuses to accept it.) The exchange between Tyrion and Jon is rather telling:

I believe I've frightened your wolf. My apologies.

...

So, according to Ghost, what is wrong with Tyrion here?

• Ghost's feelings regarding Tyrion are apparently not a projection of what Jon is (consciously) feeling.
• Tyrion suggests it is fear or shyness, but Jon denies it.
• It may be the Stark family sigil's instinctive dislike of anything Lannister or a general presentiment of approaching trouble due to Tyrion's family.
• Ghost may sense something that (according to a possible hidden allusion) might happen in the more distant future, probably a personal conflict with Tyrion.

These are the possibilities I have been able to come up with, but feel free to add to the list if you can think of anything else. Later we can see whether a similar checklist applies to other direwolf vs Tyrion situations.

I'm jumping ahead a little bit, but soon we will see Tyrion acquire a shadowcat cloak that is very significant. (I believe all cloaks are significant in ASOIAF, but this one sees an unusually high degree of action - for a cloak.) The shadowcat is another animal that is usually found only above the wall (correct me if I'm wrong) so it might be the natural enemy of the direwolf. The Tyrion/shadowcat association might be more of a correlation than an explanation of the unease that Ghost the direwolf exhibits toward the man, but the cat/lion connection as the foil of the wolf makes sense and the shadow as a symbolic foil of the Ghost might also make sense.

[Franziska]

Great analysis.

Some thoughts about the topic:

Ice had formed in its shaggy grey fur

This was the first direwolf south the Wall after 200 years. The Wall itself stands 8000 years at this point. What was before these 200 years? Were there many direwolves or just a few? How often did they appear south the Wall? How did they slip south? (Most likely at Shadow Tower; Mormont mentions later the Free Folk slipping past there)

In the prologue we met just the White Walkers and now there is this direwolf covered with ice. No doubt Bloodraven could have sent the she-wolf and the pups, but I see it more as a warning. Not a warning for the political interruption but a warning of winter. “Winter is coming” are the words of the Starks and there in the snow lies the living (well actually dead) sigil of their house. Later on the same day Ned mentions the coming winter to Cat. He saw the warning and subconsciously he understood. His instincts tell him to stay in the North but his ratio (forced by Cat) tells him to go south, what turns out to be a bad decision.

Ghost’s eyes are open

I always saw this as a sign that like Ghost Jon is older than the rest of the Stark siblings and Ned just lied about that so no one would ask further questions about Jon’s mother.

A very quiet wolf

Ben calls Ghost and somehow in extension also Jon a very quiet wolf. Later in Meeras story of Harrenhal Ned is called the quiet wolf. This shows some similarity between Ned and Jon.

I wonder whether it is helpful to ponder the names of the Stark kids at the same time we consider the naming of the direwolves. I assume Robb is named in honor of King Robert. I would guess that Jon and Arya are both named after Jon Arryn. Bran is named for his late uncle and/or the famous Bran the Builder, founder of the Stark dynasty. I don't recall any associations with the names Sansa and Rickon. Maybe those will be explained later.

Good analysis. I think Rickon could come from Ned’s father Rickard, but Sansa... I’m not sure. Maybe a reference to Ned’s (yet unknown) mother or it is somehow related to Cat...

[Ashdancer]

Good analysis. I think Rickon could come from Ned’s father Rickard, but Sansa... I’m not sure. Maybe a reference to Ned’s (yet unknown) mother or it is somehow related to Cat...

[Ashdancer]

Good analysis. I think Rickon could come from Ned’s father Rickard,

Rickard Stark + Jon Arryn = Rickon.

Both of Ned's fathers in one name.

[The Wolves]

The world book just came out and a Stark family tree is in there.

Ned's mother name was Lyarra Stark a second cousin to Rickard Stark

And Arya and Sansa are also Stark names, there have been female Starks with their names and variations.

Just FYI

Sorry I put a spoiler tag on it my bad.

[Kyoshi]

This is an excellent thread. Just marvelous!

Sorry to go off-topic but something jumped at me with these analyses and posts. I find the line: born with the dead, particularly disturbing. Apart from the direwolves and the dragons, other (significant) births in the series which correspond with (arguably significant) deaths are that of Jon [as already pointed out] and Dany. All of them, except Jon's, also correspond with something "celestial/weather-like", for lack of a better word. Dany was born when the storm that sank the Targaryen fleet was raging outside, the dragons were born as the comet rose into the sky, the direwolves were born as winter was arriving. We don't have the details of Jon's birth but my guess would be that some "transformative" event may be mentioned to coincide with it.

Again, brilliant thread. Well done to the team running it.

[Julia H.]

Seams, thanks for this fantastic analysis of names! The topic will remain relevant for a while, as in the next chapter Bran will muse about the names his siblings have given their direwolves.

I had another thought about the Ghost/Tyrion encounter as well, and it may tie in somewhat to the Ghost name of the direwolf:


I'm jumping ahead a little bit, but soon we will see Tyrion acquire a shadowcat cloak that is very significant. (I believe all cloaks are significant in ASOIAF, but this one sees an unusually high degree of action - for a cloak.) The shadowcat is another animal that is usually found only above the wall (correct me if I'm wrong) so it might be the natural enemy of the direwolf. The Tyrion/shadowcat association might be more of a correlation than an explanation of the unease that Ghost the direwolf exhibits toward the man, but the cat/lion connection as the foil of the wolf makes sense and the shadow as a symbolic foil of the Ghost might also make sense.

The feline – canine opposition is a great observation. Tyrion's feline nature is emphasized by his acrobatic jump off the wall right in front of Ghost. It is definitely something cats do. I wonder how the wolves react to Jaime and Cersei. (Do we ever see that?) Of course, Joffrey and his siblings are also feline by blood.

The ghost – shadow opposition is another great catch; we must remember it when we get to Tyrion's shadowcat cloak.

Great analysis.

Some thoughts about the topic:

Ice had formed in its shaggy grey fur

This was the first direwolf south the Wall after 200 years. The Wall itself stands 8000 years at this point. What was before these 200 years? Were there many direwolves or just a few? How often did they appear south the Wall? How did they slip south? (Most likely at Shadow Tower; Mormont mentions later the Free Folk slipping past there)

In the prologue we met just the White Walkers and now there is this direwolf covered with ice. No doubt Bloodraven could have sent the she-wolf and the pups, but I see it more as a warning. Not a warning for the political interruption but a warning of winter. “Winter is coming” are the words of the Starks and there in the snow lies the living (well actually dead) sigil of their house. Later on the same day Ned mentions the coming winter to Cat. He saw the warning and subconsciously he understood. His instincts tell him to stay in the North but his ratio (forced by Cat) tells him to go south, what turns out to be a bad decision.

Ghost’s eyes are open

I always saw this as a sign that like Ghost Jon is older than the rest of the Stark siblings and Ned just lied about that so no one would ask further questions about Jon’s mother.

A very quiet wolf

Ben calls Ghost and somehow in extension also Jon a very quiet wolf. Later in Meeras story of Harrenhal Ned is called the quiet wolf. This shows some similarity between Ned and Jon.

Good analysis. I think Rickon could come from Ned’s father Rickard, but Sansa... I’m not sure. Maybe a reference to Ned’s (yet unknown) mother or it is somehow related to Cat...

Franziska, welcome to the boards! :)

Good questions. I would add the question why the direwolves did not appear south of the Wall for 200 hundred years. What happened 200 hundred years ago? As I was reading the first chapter for the very first time, it struck me as a civilisation thing – in our world it is well-known that the habitats of wild animals get reduced with the expansion of human activity. However, the world of ASOIAF is very different. Now we specifically know that there are large uninhabited areas south of the Wall, the Night's Watch is barely strong enough to keep the wildlings at bay. The direwolf is definitely not extinct north of the Wall, and Winter is coming... So what has kept them beyond the Wall for such a long time? Is the absence of direwolves a sign of the decline of House Stark, and is the reappearance of the animals a warning that it's time the Starks did something about it? A "warning of Winter" is definitely a possibility as well.

I love the observation that both Jon and Ned are “quiet wolves”.

Ashdancer and The Wolves, thank you for the information!

This is an excellent thread. Just marvelous!

Sorry to go off-topic but something jumped at me with these analyses and posts. I find the line: born with the dead, particularly disturbing. Apart from the direwolves and the dragons, other (significant) births in the series which correspond with (arguably significant) deaths are that of Jon [as already pointed out] and Dany. All of them, except Jon's, also correspond with something "celestial/weather-like", for lack of a better word. Dany was born when the storm that sank the Targaryen fleet was raging outside, the dragons were born as the comet rose into the sky, the direwolves were born as winter was arriving. We don't have the details of Jon's birth but my guess would be that some "transformative" event may be mentioned to coincide with it.

Again, brilliant thread. Well done to the team running it.

Thanks. :)

If nothing else, there was a change of regime at the time, but there may well have been something more than that. When will we know? :unsure:

I think “born with the dead” may also signal a “return” of the past connected with those born like that, like a new dance of dragons, a new King-in-the-North, the return of the Others, the Night's Watch rediscovering the original purpose of the organization, etc. These events are connected with dragons and direwolves, as well as with Dany, Jon and the other Starks.

[Barr1stanTheBold]

Nice insight :)

I always feel like it is very interesting to look at the difference of Tully traits and Stark traits. GRRM always noted that Sansa and Robb had the reddish tully look in their face, and how Arya and Jon had the "horse-face" feature of the Starks.

It seems GRRM was stating that the power of warging comes with the Blood from the North which is maybe one of the reasons he kill Robb off and killed Lady off as well.

In, IMO I predict the direwolves come into play and play a big part when the Others finally show which will utilmatley unite Jon and Arya :)

[Franziska]

Ned's mother name was Lyarra Stark a second cousin to Rickard Stark

Well, meanwhile I know that too. I just bought TWOIAF today during lunchtime. :D

Franziska, welcome to the boards! :)

Good questions. I would add the question why the direwolves did not appear south of the Wall for 200 hundred years. What happened 200 hundred years ago? As I was reading the first chapter for the very first time, it struck me as a civilisation thing – in our world it is well-known that the habitats of wild animals get reduced with the expansion of human activity. However, the world of ASOIAF is very different. Now we specifically know that there are large uninhabited areas south of the Wall, the Night's Watch is barely strong enough to keep the wildlings at bay. The direwolf is definitely not extinct north of the Wall, and Winter is coming... So what has kept them beyond the Wall for such a long time? Is the absence of direwolves a sign of the decline of House Stark, and is the reappearance of the animals a warning that it's time the Starks did something about it? A "warning of Winter" is definitely a possibility as well.

Thanks for your greeting :)

Yes, what happened 200 hundred years ago... That was the question I forgot. It is nowhere mentioned, that wolves were specifically hunted, as it was in our world. So there must be a reason, why direwolves suddenly stop coming south.

[Half Of Tormunds Member]

Hi guys. Great thread. I'm mostly just a lurker but I'm following this one with interest. I just wanted to ask, do the rules for TWOIAF spoilers ally here too? I won't have my copy until next week.

[Julia H.]

They do. As per this announcement .

It's good to be reminded.

[Seams]

Arya I

[Nymeria] She had yellow eyes. When they caught the sunlight, they gleamed like two yellow coins.

• The gold coin simile is curious because I tend to associate gold coins more with the Lannisters. However, coins will end being an important motif in Aryas arc, so it makes sense to see it in Nymerias description.

​

Arya had named her after the warrior queen of Rhoyne, who had led her people across the sea. That had been a great scandal too. Sansa of course named her pup Lady.

• Who turned it into a scandal? My guess is Septa Mordane. What makes the name Nymeria so objectionable? Is it because Queen Nymeria didnt stick to Westerosi gender norms, or is it because she was from Rhoyne? If Nymeria isnt highly regarded in the North, did that influence Arya when she was picking out a name?

I agree that comparison of the direwolf's eyes to coins probably has to do with the important coin in Arya's personal story. If the garnet eyes of Ghost link Jon to the pomegranate-eating Danaerys, maybe the gold coins of Nymeria's eyes link Arya to other characters with gold coins. In my own re-read of the novels, I am fairly close to the beginning of ASOS, where Brienne has just paid out gold coins (overpaid, by Jaime's standards) for some horses. I think of Arya and Brienne as having a lot of similarities. It will be interesting to see if we can spot other mentions of gold coins to see whether they help to clarify the symbolism of the eyes of Nymeria the direwolf or parallels to Arya.

At this point readers have had only an abridged version of the story of Nymeria, Princess of the Rhoyne. As you point out, it's possible that the scandal about the name of Arya's direwolf is just that the legendary Princess was not very ladylike, so Septa Mordane would not approve. My guess is that Septa Mordane would be mortified by the idea of girls having pet direwolves in the first place. The wiki indicates that there is a book called The Loves of Queen Nymeria (AFFC, Chap. 40). Since we are told only that the Princess married a Dornish lord, maybe the scandal will be in the details of her love life outside of this Dornish alliance. Perhaps we will learn more about the scandalous nature of the story in a later sequel when some character will tell a version of the tale that includes more details. (Or maybe the legend will be clearer in the new companion volume - I'm still waiting for my copy, and will respect the one-month ban on sharing details here.)

This is a bit of a leap, but I wonder whether the detail about Princess Nymeria destroying her 10,000 ships is symbolic of a different kind of destruction in the ASOIAF stories? I'm thinking of the burning of the Winterfell library. But that wasn't caused by any of the Nymeria-related characters, as far as we know. Stannis blames Melisandre for the destruction of Stannis' fleet at the Blackwater, but I don't see any other link between Melisandre and the Nymeria story. Another detail to keep an eye on, I guess.

[Harlaw's Book the Sequel]

Thank you to everybody for the contributions, compliments, and lurking!

A very thorough analysis, and it seems difficult to add much. :bowdown:

Catelyn II.

It is interesting that Catelyn interprets the dead direwolf and the stag's antler as an omen (and I think she is correct), and wanting to avoid the impeding catastrophy, she advises Ned to do just what is going to lead to said catastrophy. Ned never admits that the direwolf may be an omen, but he instinctively feels he should stay in the North. Of course, we don't know for sure what the consequences of refusing Robert would have been (and it is not that easy to refuse a royal offer). Still, I can't help wondering whether omens are good for anything at all.

So even when seen purely as omens, the direwolves ability to warn the Starks are limited. These poor direwolves can't catch a break. On the other hand, my gut tells me that even though the direwolves can't keep the Starks away from danger, the situation would be far worse without them.

Arya I.

Good catch about the coins!

Right now, Ghost is in a leadership position in the pack. Do we ever see Grey Wind in a similar role?

Well to be fair, we've only seen Ghost as Nymeria's leader. We haven't seen him with the others. However, Jon I made it clear Ghost isn't a pushover. About Grey Wind's leadership role, I think there will be moments when Grey Wind's leadership is shown in later Bran chapters.

Something kind of similar that I've been wondering about is the affection Ghost and Nymeria demonstrate and whether we see if the other direwolves share that amongst each. Again it's something to keep in mind as we go on.

Is this the right time to attempt a systematic analysis of the names of the Direwolves? I've been looking forward to a group think about the ways all of the Stark kids named their wolves, and I think it's helpful to examine them together, even if Summer and Shaggy Dog's names are unveiled later in our re-read.

I think discussion of the direwolves' names is worthy of being a recurring topic at any time.

Robb's wolf was named Grey Wind. We learn this name close to the same time Dany says that Drogo has given her "the wind" when he gives her the horse that she refers to as "the silver." So there seems to be a deliberate compare/contrast between the grey wind and the silver wind. Lord Steffon Baratheon and his wife, Lady Cassana (parents of Robert, Stannis and Renly) died when their ship, Windproud, was wrecked on a return voyage to Storm's End. I think one of the ships that delivers/accompanies Princess Myrcella to Dorne also has wind in its name. If I were making a guess about this wind motif, I would say that each of the major contenders for the throne has some association with a wind symbol - animal or ship. Maybe GRRM is simply setting up these opposing winds to add meaning to the imminent Storm of Swords and later Winds of Winter titles. Storms and bad weather are more than just titles, of course. Does Robb's choice of a storm-related name for his direwolf signal a desire to harness or direct the power of a storm? Is it simply a nod to the grey in the Stark colors (and in the wolf's fur) and the winter in their motto? Do the animal-winds represent something different than the ship-wind symbols?

The comparison between direwolves and ships is intriguing, and I think it will become even more so when the Ironborn become a bigger part of the story.


I'm jumping ahead a little bit, but soon we will see Tyrion acquire a shadowcat cloak that is very significant. (I believe all cloaks are significant in ASOIAF, but this one sees an unusually high degree of action - for a cloak.) The shadowcat is another animal that is usually found only above the wall (correct me if I'm wrong) so it might be the natural enemy of the direwolf. The Tyrion/shadowcat association might be more of a correlation than an explanation of the unease that Ghost the direwolf exhibits toward the man, but the cat/lion connection as the foil of the wolf makes sense and the shadow as a symbolic foil of the Ghost might also make sense.

I too like the Tyrion/feline comparison.

This is a bit of a leap, but I wonder whether the detail about Princess Nymeria destroying her 10,000 ships is symbolic of a different kind of destruction in the ASOIAF stories? I'm thinking of the burning of the Winterfell library. But that wasn't caused by any of the Nymeria-related characters, as far as we know. Stannis blames Melisandre for the destruction of Stannis' fleet at King's Landing, but I don't see any other link between Melisandre and the Nymeria story. Another detail to keep an eye on, I guess.

Burning the ships also symbolizes leaving behind the past, which is a huge part of Arya's journey.

[Julia H.]

Nice insight :)

I always feel like it is very interesting to look at the difference of Tully traits and Stark traits. GRRM always noted that Sansa and Robb had the reddish tully look in their face, and how Arya and Jon had the "horse-face" feature of the Starks.

It seems GRRM was stating that the power of warging comes with the Blood from the North which is maybe one of the reasons he kill Robb off and killed Lady off as well.

In, IMO I predict the direwolves come into play and play a big part when the Others finally show which will utilmatley unite Jon and Arya :)

Welcome!

Interesting point, though I think Bran also has the Tully-look, and he turns out to be both a warg and quite ... northern. :) I'm hoping for a reunion between Jon and Arya, too. They deserve it.

Thank you to everybody for the contributions, compliments, and lurking!

Well to be fair, we've only seen Ghost as Nymeria's leader. We haven't seen him with the others. However, Jon I made it clear Ghost isn't a pushover. About Grey Wind's leadership role, I think there will be moments when Grey Wind's leadership is shown in later Bran chapters.

Something kind of similar that I've been wondering about is the affection Ghost and Nymeria demonstrate and whether we see if the other direwolves share that amongst each. Again it's something to keep in mind as we go on.

I too like the Tyrion/feline comparison.

Burning the ships also symbolizes leaving behind the past, which is a huge part of Arya's journey.

I may have been thinking a bit ahead here. Nymeria will turn out to be a leader type herself, yet she follows Ghost. All the wolves need a pack leader, and Nymeria's behaviour in this chapter (like Ghost's behaviour in Jon I) seems to be a strong indication that Ghost may be the pack leader. Grey Wind is another obvious candidate though. I'll watch out for the signs.

[Julia H.]

Bran II

Overview

The day before their planned departure from Winterfell, the royal guests and their (more or less) adult hosts are hunting. Bran is spending his time alone save for his wolf pup, and he decides to go climbing. His musings give the reader a lot of new information about the direwolves and other things. He accidentally overhears a conversation between the Lannister twins and sees something he definitely should not see. The chapter ends with Bran's fall, witnessed by his direwolf.

Observations

- Off-topic perhaps, but at least animal-related: Robert wants wild boar for the feast.

- Children, girls and bastards are left out of the fun.

- Bran thinks Jon is angry with everyone these days.

- Bran manages to communicate with his wolf for weeks without ever calling him by a name.

- The chapter establishes a connection between Bran and the walls of Winterfell on the one hand and between Bran and the weirwood on the other hand. Winterfell is actually compared to a “stone tree”.

- Bran wants to climb to the “broken tower” and he thinks “this might be his last chance”. :frown5:

Analysis

Chasing Sticks

Bran is feeling lonely, and, finding that he is unable to say goodbye to Winterfell without crying, he looks for comfort in the company of his direwolf pup.

Instead Bran spent the morning in the goodswood, trying to teach his wolf to fetch a stick, and failing. The wolfling was smarter than any of the hounds in his father's kennel and Bran would have sworn he understood every word that was said to him, but he showed very little interest in chasing sticks.

Here is another reminder that direwolves are not dogs. I'm beginning to feel that this is an important point for Martin, and I'm wondering why. The wolf's intelligence is also important.

Names

He was still trying to decide on a name. Robb was calling his Grey Wind, because he ran so fast. Sansa had named hers Lady, and Arya named hers after some old witch queen in the songs, and little Rickon called his Shaggydog, which Bran thought was a pretty stupid name for a direwolf. Jon's wolf, the white one, was Ghost. Bran wished he had thought of that first, even though his wolf wasn't white. He had tried a hundred names in the last fortnight, but none of them sounded right.

The dilemma of finding the most appropriate name for the direwolf pup is perhaps the first appearance of a motif that will return in various character arcs. Theon's arc is the most obvious, and later it will be Bran who reaches out to him through the weirwood by calling Theon by his true name. Sansa, Arya and Hodor are other characters whose names are in direct connection with their personalities. Perhaps there is a kind of name magic operating in the world of ASOIAF (Gilly would probably agree), and seven-year-old Bran, with his special talents, may subconsciously sense the importance of this magic.

Bran's musings about the names reflect his relationship with each of his siblings:

He thinks of Robb first, which is probably natural with Robb being the first-born and the heir to Winterfell - he usually comes first everywhere. He recalls that Grey Wind got this name because he is so fast. Interestingly, in Bran I, where Robb and Jon are introduced through Bran's viewpoint, we learn that Robb is “strong and fast”.

Bran is apparently not impressed by the names his sisters and Rickon have given their wolves. This is not surprising, especially in the light of his present feelings: We know that he is more than a little indignant that he has been left behind today with the girls and the baby Rickon (and with Jon, but Jon cannot be regarded as a child, and he has a “special” reason to stay away from the royal guests).

But Rickon was only a baby and the girls were only girls …

So Bran dismisses the names they have chosen and the ideals reflected by those names. He has nothing to say about Lady, and Nymeria is only some “witch queen” in the songs, even though not long ago Bran himself thought of the legendary knights in the stories with enthusiasm. Shaggydog is childish, therefore plain ridiculous. Obviously, Bran needs an older, male role model... and here he comes:

Jon's wolf, the white one, was Ghost. Bran wished he had thought of that first, even though his wolf wasn't white.

This is a name that Bran likes – the name given by Jon to his direwolf. Note that while Robb has the formal first place on the list of the Stark kids, Bran's real role model is his other older brother, Jon. No wonder that Jon could not imagine his future life as Robb's bannerman. While the uncontested leader of the Stark pack is currently their father, among the kids themselves there is a double leadership: Robb, the future lord, and Jon, a strong role model for the younger Starks (at least for Arya and Bran, but even Rickon seems to be fond of him, which leaves only Sansa as an exception).

It is also possible that Bran instinctively likes the spiritual character of the name Ghost.

Howl

Bran tells the wolf to stay as he begins to climb, and the wolf obeys but soon becomes visibly and audibly agitated.

He was halfway up the tree, moving easily from limb to limb, when the wolf got to his feet and began to howl.

Bran looked back down. His wolf fell silent, staring up at him with slitted yellow eyes. A strange chill went through him. He began to climb again. Once more the wolf howled.

…

The howling chased him all the way up the tree, until finally he jumped off onto the armory roof and out of sight.

If this is not proof that the direwolves can sense the future – or at least immediate danger – I don't know what is.

Just as Ghost is marked by silence, the trademark of Bran's wolf will be his howling.

Somewhere off in the distance, a wolf was howling. Crows circled the broken tower, waiting for corn.

The chapter ends with the howling of the yet nameless Summer and an image of crows around the broken tower. The crows are obviously a reference to the three-eyed crow, but, perhaps less obviously, also to Mormont's raven, forever waiting (among other kinds of crows) for corn and for the Corn King to bring back summer.

Tyrion I

Overview

Lannisters in the wake of a Stark tragedy. We learn of their reactions to Bran's fall / survival, we get some more wolf / dog moments and Tyrion has some interesting direwolf-related thoughts.

Observations

- Winterfell was compared to a stone tree in Brans's chapter; for Tyrion, it is a stone maze.

- Tyrion is reading a book about the changing of the seasons when he hears Summer howl.

- I like Tyrion's notion of how a crown prince should behave.

- There is much more about direwolves in these two chapters than I suspected.

Analysis

The Howling of a Wolf

This chapter starts as the last one finished; with the howling of a wolf:

Somewhere in the great stone maze of Winterfell, a wolf howled. The sound hung over the castle like a flag of mourning.

I love the wonderful synesthesia in this image. The wolf's grief is palpable, and it shows that the emotional bond between the children and their pups works both ways.

Tyrion Lannister looked up from his books and shivered, though the library was snug and warm. Something about the howling of a wolf took a man right out of his here and now and left him in a dark forest of the mind, running naked before the pack.

As it happens, I have recently quoted this passage on another thread (here), because of the similarity between this image in Tyrion's head and Theon's direwolf dream in ACoK. Both are images of being chased by a pack of direwolves, and both are closely connected with Bran. Theon's dream can be explained as a manifestation of guilt, but what about Tyrion here? What is in "the dark forest" of his mind? Does he have a troubled conscience with regard to the Starks? We know he will come in for a lot of suspicion soon, but we also know that as far as Bran is concerned, he is innocent. Yet … has he perhaps begun suspecting that Bran's fall may have something to do with Lannisters? Or is it just the guilt of the outsider who is intruding on the grief of his hosts without being able to truly share their feelings?

Or can we take this image as an instance of foreshadowing? Has Tyrion just had a presentiment of his future trouble with the Starks?

Or is it an archetypical and fundamentally feline fear manifested in a “dogs chase cat” scenario?

The naked part is remarkable, too. It suggests extreme vulnerability more than anything, but it may also refer to a fear that one's secrets might be exposed.

The Lion, the Hound and the Wolf

The dog – wolf opposition shows up again as Tyrion discovers Joffrey and Sandor plotting to kill the howling wolf. Joffrey's cruelty and indifference towards Bran's tragedy are obvious, but it is the Hound that offers to silence the wolf. We also get a description of Sandor's hound visor, and Tyrion mentally comments on his temper.

The wolf is regarded as an enemy both by lions (i.e. large cats) and dogs (i.e. fellow-canines). Felines and canines are arch-enemies, while dogs and wolves can be seen as “kins” and they often symbolize the contrast between uncompromising freedom and servitude. At this point, Sandor is the Hound that does not question the wisdom or morality of what he is ordered to do. In contrast, Ned will have his own moral values even as the King's Hand, while Jon Snow will refuse to serve an authority whose goals he cannot share.

Referring back to the direwolves, we have seen that they are not into chasing sticks. In other words, they won't “serve” unless they know that what they are doing is meaningful. They will also let their masters know when they disagree with them (cf. Ghost's reaction to Tyrion and Summer's efforts to howl Bran out of the idea of climbing).

During Breakfast

The Lannisters are discussing Bran's chances of survival. The howling of the wolf is still being talked about. Tyrion:

“I would swear that wolf of his is keeping the boy alive. The creature is outside his window day and night, howling. Every time they chase it away, it returns. The maester said they closed the window once, to shut out the noise, and Bran seemed to weaken. When they opened it again, his heart beat stronger.”

Could it be a coincidence? I'd wager that the connection is real. Did Maester Luwin mention it to Eddard as well? He ought to have remembered that when he executed Lady.

This is proof that the direwolves make the Stark children stronger even when they are gravely wounded or are in mortal danger. (*** Makes mental note to visit the Jon Snow reread.***) A more exciting question is how they do it. Do they have magical healing properties or is it the (warging) connection between the human and the animal that strengthens the body and the soul? As far as I can tell, the phenomenon here is not pure warging, because the physical connection (hearing the direwolf's voice) seems to be an essential part of it.

On sympathies:

The queen shuddered. “There is something unnatural about those animals,” she said. “They are dangerous. I will not have any of them coming south with us.”

Now, here is another feline that is afraid of the wolves. The guilty conscience can be taken for granted here.

Jaime said, “You'll have a hard time stopping them, sister. They follow those girls everywhere.”

Well, as we know, Cersei will find a way.

As they are leaving the scene, Tommen and Myrcella, the two lion cubs that sympathize with Bran, are referred to as Cersei's “pups”. Is our POV (Tyrion) so preoccupied with direwolves, or does it mean something else? At this point, Tyrion definitely suspects that Bran's fall was not purely an accident.

Whose side are you on?

So much is made of wolves, dogs and lions in this book. At the beginning of this chapter, Tyrion saw himself running from a pack of direwolves. At the end of the chapter, in the final (perhaps not so brotherly) exchange between Jaime and Tyrion, he grins up wolfishly at his brother:

“You know how much I love my family.”

[bemused]

Guys, I really like this thread .. I'm still only about 2/3 of the way through the first page and won't tbe able to read more until much later tonight . In the meantime, a thought leaps out at me ( and excuse me ,if it's already been mentioned ). If I can, I'd like to take it back to Ghost getting the better of the huge black bitch at the feast. Generally, in mythology,a black dog often is connected with death. In AsoIaF, note the skinny black dog Tyrion observes loitering around Joffrey's corpse.

Naturally (obsessed as I am) and considering the strength-lending aspect of the direwolf bond,which seems to work both ways.. Summer to Bran and later Jon to Ghost (when Ghost is injured ) ... I see this as a possible prediction of who gets the upper hand following the events of Jon's last ADWD chapter.

Ghost denies the black bitch her meal.

[Harlaw's Book the Sequel]

As usual, fantastic work, Julia H.

Names

He was still trying to decide on a name. Robb was calling his Grey Wind, because he ran so fast. Sansa had named hers Lady, and Arya named hers after some old witch queen in the songs, and little Rickon called his Shaggydog, which Bran thought was a pretty stupid name for a direwolf. Jon's wolf, the white one, was Ghost. Bran wished he had thought of that first, even though his wolf wasn't white. He had tried a hundred names in the last fortnight, but none of them sounded right.

The dilemma of finding the most appropriate name for the direwolf pup is perhaps the first appearance of a motif that will return in various character arcs. Theon's arc is the most obvious, and later it will be Bran who reaches out to him through the weirwood by calling Theon by his true name. Sansa, Arya and Hodor are other characters whose names are in direct connection with their personalities. Perhaps there is a kind of name magic operating in the world of ASOIAF (Gilly would probably agree), and seven-year-old Bran, with his special talents, may subconsciously sense the importance of this magic.

Bran's musings about the names reflect his relationship with each of his siblings:

He thinks of Robb first, which is probably natural with Robb being the first-born and the heir to Winterfell - he usually comes first everywhere. He recalls that Grey Wind got this name because he is so fast. Interestingly, in Bran I, where Robb and Jon are introduced through Bran's viewpoint, we learn that Robb is “strong and fast”.

Bran is apparently not impressed by the names his sisters and Rickon have given their wolves. This is not surprising, especially in the light of his present feelings: We know that he is more than a little indignant that he has been left behind today with the girls and the baby Rickon (and with Jon, but Jon cannot be regarded as a child, and he has a “special” reason to stay away from the royal guests).

But Rickon was only a baby and the girls were only girls …

So Bran dismisses the names they have chosen and the ideals reflected by those names. He has nothing to say about Lady, and Nymeria is only some “witch queen” in the songs, even though not long ago Bran himself thought of the legendary knights in the stories with enthusiasm. Shaggydog is childish, therefore plain ridiculous. Obviously, Bran needs an older, male role model... and here he comes:

Jon's wolf, the white one, was Ghost. Bran wished he had thought of that first, even though his wolf wasn't white.

This is a name that Bran likes – the name given by Jon to his direwolf. Note that while Robb has the formal first place on the list of the Stark kids, Bran's real role model is his other older brother, Jon. No wonder that Jon could not imagine his future life as Robb's bannerman. While the uncontested leader of the Stark pack is currently their father, among the kids themselves there is a double leadership: Robb, the future lord, and Jon, a strong role model for the younger Starks (at least for Arya and Bran, but even Rickon seems to be fond of him, which leaves only Sansa as an exception).

It is also possible that Bran instinctively likes the spiritual character of the name Ghost.

Grey Wind: the thing that leaps to me about the name Grey Wind, it's the only name that references some part the Stark heritage. It enhances the idea that Robb is the heir. A lot of the times when Robb is described, there is a reference to some sort of Stark trapping. Also Robb is the only one with a direwolf that doesn't have to divorce/hide his Stark identity.

Bran's attitude toward Rickon choosing Shaggydog makes me think Bran and Rickon's relationship would be more similar to Sansa and Arya's as opposed to Robb and Jon's.

I find it interesting that Bran wished he could've chosen the name Ghost in the same chapter we learn Bran wants to be a Knight of the Kingsguard. If things have gone differently, Bran could've been known as the White Wolf similar to how Gerold Hightower was known as the White Bull.

And I agree with you that Bran likes the idea of being a Ghost.

Howl

Bran tells the wolf to stay as he begins to climb, and the wolf obeys but soon becomes visibly and audibly agitated.

He was halfway up the tree, moving easily from limb to limb, when the wolf got to his feet and began to howl.

Bran looked back down. His wolf fell silent, staring up at him with slitted yellow eyes. A strange chill went through him. He began to climb again. Once more the wolf howled.

…

The howling chased him all the way up the tree, until finally he jumped off onto the armory roof and out of sight.

If this is not proof that the direwolves can sense the future – or at least immediate danger – I don't know what is.

Yes, this seems to be the moment everyone points to as proof of the direwolves ability to sense danger. I still have a few questions about this though. First, why is Summer warning Bran about this? Remember if Bran hadn't fallen, he would've gone to Kings Landing with Ned and his sisters. If he had gone to Kings Landing, Bran probably wouldn't have gone to find the Three Eyed Crow. Why would Summer try to prevent with that? The best explanation that I've been able to come up with is that I have to remember that the direwolves and Bloodraven are separate entities, even if Bloodraven sent the wolves and may be warging them. While Bloodraven may have plans for the Starks, the direwolves will be doing to their best to protect the Starks from danger even if it's against Bloodraven's interest for them to do so. The second thing that nags me is timing. But I think I'll wait for Sansa I to go into detail about timing when I'll be able to compare Summer and Nymeria's actions.

During Breakfast

The Lannisters are discussing Bran's chances of survival. The howling of the wolf is still being talked about. Tyrion:

“I would swear that wolf of his is keeping the boy alive. The creature is outside his window day and night, howling. Every time they chase it away, it returns. The maester said they closed the window once, to shut out the noise, and Bran seemed to weaken. When they opened it again, his heart beat stronger.”

Could it be a coincidence? I'd wager that the connection is real. Did Maester Luwin mention it to Eddard as well? He ought to have remembered that when he executed Lady.

This is proof that the direwolves make the Stark children stronger even when they are gravely wounded or are in mortal danger. (*** Makes mental note to visit the Jon Snow reread.***) A more exciting question is how they do it. Do they have magical healing properties or is it the (warging) connection between the human and the animal that strengthens the body and the soul? As far as I can tell, the phenomenon here is not pure warging, because the physical connection (hearing the direwolf's voice) seems to be an essential part of it.

On sympathies:

The queen shuddered. “There is something unnatural about those animals,” she said. “They are dangerous. I will not have any of them coming south with us.”

Now, here is another feline that is afraid of the wolves. The guilty conscience can be taken for granted here.

Jaime said, “You'll have a hard time stopping them, sister. They follow those girls everywhere.”

Well, as we know, Cersei will find a way.

As they are leaving the scene, Tommen and Myrcella, the two lion cubs that sympathize with Bran, are referred to as Cersei's “pups”. Is our POV (Tyrion) so preoccupied with direwolves, or does it mean something else? At this point, Tyrion definitely suspects that Bran's fall was not purely an accident.

Whose side are you on?

So much is made of wolves, dogs and lions in this book. At the beginning of this chapter, Tyrion saw himself running from a pack of direwolves. At the end of the chapter, in the final (perhaps not so brotherly) exchange between Jaime and Tyrion, he grins up wolfishly at his brother:

“You know how much I love my family.”

When I reread this chapter while making up the reread schedule, I too was surprised about how much regarding the direwolves there was in this as well.

Cersei: Her reaction to the direwolves makes me think Maggy's prophecy is weighing on her mind. Also it illustrates another way she is a foil to Cat. Like Cat, Cersei is seeing the direwolves as a sign.

Describing Tyrion as "wolfish" is GRRM being deceptive and foreshadowing at the same time. It's deceptive because it lures us into thinking Tyrion could be an ally to the Starks. However, it foreshadows that Tyrion will become an enemy to Cersei and Jaime.

Guys, I really like this thread .. I'm still only about 2/3 of the way through the first page and won't tbe able to read more until much later tonight . In the meantime, a thought leaps out at me ( and excuse me ,if it's already been mentioned ). If I can, I'd like to take it back to Ghost getting the better of the huge black bitch at the feast. Generally, in mythology,a black dog often is connected with death. In AsoIaF, note the skinny black dog Tyrion observes loitering around Joffrey's corpse.

Naturally (obsessed as I am) and considering the strength-lending aspect of the direwolf bond,which seems to work both ways.. Summer to Bran and later Jon to Ghost (when Ghost is injured ) ... I see this as a possible prediction of who gets the upper hand following the events of Jon's last ADWD chapter.

Ghost denies the black bitch her meal.

Welcome, bemused, and thank you!

I agree with your analysis. I can't remember, but I think the Stranger is depicted a few time as dog or beast like, so I think that strengthens your idea. And anything that points to Jon being alive always makes me happier.

[Seams]

There is literary irony at work in this Bran II chapter. He downplays Arya and Rickon's choices of names (an "old witch queen" and an allusion to shaggy dog stories) for their direwolves but soon we see that the childhood stories told by Old Nan were a road map for Bran's adventures beyond the wall. (Jumping a little ahead again, sorry.) We will find him waking up bedridden and bitter, opposed to the offer of a story from Old Nan while others are playing and enjoying the sunshine. But she will tell the story anyway and Bran will be a rapt and enthusiastic listener. I think his critical response to the legend and fairy tale-related names of Arya and Rickon's wolves falls into the same pattern: he says the names are dumb, but the names actually represent things he values, if he would just take the time to think it through.

Of course, Bran is consciously trying to be more like Robb and Jon, and to distance himself from the young siblings. He doesn't yet realize that so many of the things he considers to be childish are preparation for his great destiny.

Bran likes the name Jon chose for his direwolf, and wishes he had thought of it first. The name or the idea of a ghost in Bran's story seems connected to the crypt at Winterfell, where Stark bones are interred with swords as well as stone direwolves they need in the afterlife. Maybe Bran's affinity for the name Ghost is an acknowledgment of the important upcoming moments he will spend in the crypt and underground in general. I have the feeling there will be an important scene in that crypt at some point in the closing pages of the books and it will have something to do with the symbolic and/or literal importance of the tombs of the Stark ancestors.

I'm grateful for bemused's insight earlier in this thread about the black dog as a symbol for death in world mythology. I'll offer an interpretation of another symbol I picked up in my reading over the years: a character who can't use his foot or feet is quite often a character who creates; an artisan. Not to get too academic here, but this is the quote I saved:

The wounded foot may stand as a metaphor for someone higher instead of (or as well as) lower, than the rest of us: the godlike artist. Indeed, lameness may literally signal the touch of the gods: when Jacob wrestles with the angel his thigh is touched and wounded so that he limps forever after, and Hephaestus, the lame artisan of the Greek gods, becomes lame when he is hurled from Heaven to Earth – like the devil. . . . We use our hands to write, and by writing we extend our individual memories into the future, a kind of immortality. . . . The privilege of being artisans is balanced by the loss of the swift and secure movements of quadrupeds . . . .

Splitting the difference: gender and myth in ancient Greece and India, by Wendy Doniger

University of Chicago Press, 1999

p. 184

This seems particularly applicable to Bran's situation, except he actually gains the swift and secure movement of a quadruped by warging through his direwolf at about the same time he loses the use of his legs. When Catelyn prays to The Seven, she specifically appeals to the Smith to watch over Bran. With the added Bran the Builder association with his given name, it seems like Bran is being positioned as an artisan/writer/storyteller of some kind.

I realize the quote refers to an injured foot, and Bran's injury seems to involve his spine. So I may not have the correct interpretation here. Others in the books with leg injuries or difficulty walking include Ned injured by Jaime when he falls from his horse, Willas Tyrell (also injured in a fall from a horse) and Lommy Greenhands (who is speared in his calf). Prince Doran Martell has a bad case of gout. Ghost the direwolf bites Qhorin Halfhand on the leg as Jon kills Qhorin. Are there others with leg or foot injuries? What is the distinction between losing the ability to walk altogether and having a leg injury?