"The Winged Wolf" A Bran Stark Re-read Project - Part 1: AGOT

[DarkSister1001]

I think the 3EC's behavior is probably based in some desperation, they are running out of time so he doesn't want to or can't finesse this transition for Bran. Winter is coming and they need to get read before winter finally arrives.

That's true. There is definitely a sense of urgency from the 3EC, even in Bran's earliest dreams. Assuming he is BR and has been in the cave for 48 years, has watched Bran and Ned, and presuming that the other dreamers on the spikes that we discussed earlier were attempts at getting someone there with Bran's skill he may not have the option of slowly introducing Bran into this new world. There's no time left. It may be that some of Bran's emotional well-being will have to be sacrificed for the greater good. That could be why the 3EC is so adamant about repressing Bran's memory of being pushed. It wouldn't matter how Bran adjusted to his new state if the entire realm stands in peril (if that's truly the case).

[MoIaF]

Announcement

Volunteer Needed. We have a few open chapters that need analyzing. f you would like to cover additional chapters please let me know.

Bran V February 8, 2015 ?????

Bran VI February 15, 2015 BearQueen87

Bran VII February 22, 2015 Illuminated by Fire

ASOS

Bran I March 1, 2015 ?????

Bran II March 8, 2015 Kyoshi

Bran III March 15, 2015 ?????

Sam III March 17, 2015 Queen Alysanne

Bran IV March 22, 2015 BearQueen87

ADWD

Bran I March 29, 2015 ?????

Bran II April 5, 2015 BearQueen87

Bran III April 12, 2015 MoIaF

[MoIaF]

Side note - in reviewing the schedule of chapters I was wondering if Varamyr's Prologue in aDwD should be included? There's a lot of great insight into skin changing there that may be of some use when discussing Bran.

Sounds good. Would you like to volunteer to do the chapter?

[BearQueen87]

I can take either ASOS Bran I or ASOS Bran III

[DarkSister1001]

Sounds good. Would you like to volunteer to do the chapter?

Crap. lol, I was afraid of that. jk - Sure, I can and any others you need filled.

[Illuminated by Fire]

I can take ACOK Bran V and Bran I or III, depending on what Bear Queen gets. I would just combine the analysis with the Jojen/Luwin comparison, so I do not need to post it in the middle of the week.

[Loic]

I can be of help, if needed, for ADWD Bran I.

[Kingmonkey]

On the pecking out of two eyes to open a third, my mind turned to King Lear.

I have no way and therefore want no eyes;

I stumbled when I saw. Full oft 'tis seen,

Our means secure us, and our mere defects

Prove our commodities.

Odin too, famously, sacrificed an eye for wisdom. Bran keeps his eyes, but the imagery parallels his need to lose the ability to walk before he can learn to fly.

[DarkSister1001]

Announcement

Volunteer Needed. We have a few open chapters that need analyzing. f you would like to cover additional chapters please let me know.

Bran V February 8, 2015 ?????

Bran VI February 15, 2015 BearQueen87

Bran VII February 22, 2015 Illuminated by Fire

ASOS

Bran I March 1, 2015 ?????

Bran II March 8, 2015 Kyoshi

Bran III March 15, 2015 ?????

Sam III March 17, 2015 Queen Alysanne

Bran IV March 22, 2015 BearQueen87

ADWD

Bran I March 29, 2015 ?????

Bran II April 5, 2015 BearQueen87

Bran III April 12, 2015 MoIaF

I'll take Bran V on Feb 8.

[Illuminated by Fire]

I'll take Bran V on Feb 8.

Then we will need to settle this with a duel to the death!

No, you can have it if you want to.

[DarkSister1001]

Then we will need to settle this with a duel to the death!

No, you can have it if you want to.

Oh crap, sorry. I didn't see your post when I posted this. Nope, it's all yours, I don't wanna work on my name day. :)

[BearQueen87]

Ok, this is what it looks like?

Bran V : IbF

Bran I (ASOS): BQ (I'll take that one since IbF just did two close together)

Bran III: IbF

ADWD Prologue: DarkSister

Bran I (ADWD): Loic

[MoIaF]

Ok, this is what it looks like?

Bran V : IbF

Bran I (ASOS): BQ (I'll take that one since IbF just did two close together)

Bran III: IbF

ADWD Prologue: DarkSister

Bran I (ADWD): Loic

Sounds like a plan, thank you!

[Kyoshi]

Apologies but I'm tied up at the moment. Typing this from my phone. I'll post the analysis as soon as possible. Very sorry.

[Kyoshi]

A Clash of Kings: Brandon III

I swear it by earth and water. I swear it by bronze and iron. I swear it by ice and fire.

Summary

Brandon—the eldest, male, remaining Stark at Winterfell, presides over the autumn harvest feast. Helping him in this task is the gallant Ser Rodrik Cassel and the scholarly Maester Luwin. In attendance at the feast are the houses sworn to the seat of the Starks who have now reclaimed their title as the Kings in the North. We have the Tallharts and the Glovers, the Umbers and the Karstarks, the Manderlys and the Freys, and many others of lesser houses and stations.

As the men and women of the North engage in the merriment of the end of autumn, a pair of visitors from Greywater makes a conspicuous entrance. These visitors show a great interest in the direwolves. Long after the feast, while Brandon is asleep and as one with his direwolf, he is visited by the pair from Greywater. As soon as Jojen touches Summer, Brandon (or Summer) once more experiences the feeling of spinning and falling, falling, falling…

Analysis

There are several prominent themes in this chapter. It seemed wise to analyse this chapter along these lines:

----- Loss [of childhood, loved ones, better times and a kinder world].

----- Resentment [of lost dreams, normalcy, wishes and whims, and order].

----- Celebration and camaraderie [we see old oaths being renewed].

----- Death [autumn reigns and summer is in the past; the future holds winter and hunger].

----- Kindness--small yet potent acts of kindness [be it Bran sending a choice dish to Hodor and Old Nan, or Ser Rodrik offering a dance to Lady Hornwood].

Summer Still Reigned Then

Of the five themes that seem to dominate this chapter, that of resentment touches Bran on an arguably higher degree than the others. I would be as bold as saying it is a tight competition between this one and that of loss. Then again, it may be pointless to grade tragedies and argue which is more poignant than the other. It is, however, not debatable that Bran is a child caught in a changing world that becomes more foreign with each passing day. From the ordinary to the extraordinary, the things that build his world are out of his control. This has already been covered extensively and it is continued in this chapter.

It is said to Tyrion that the nobles of Westeros take their sigils far too seriously. The Lannisters believe themselves to be lions. The Targaryens, to many people's chagrin, often refer to themselves as dragons. As such, it is not an uncommon thing for one to feel pride at the thought of donning a garment adorned with the totem of one's House. Yet very few of these nobles have had the privilege of actually and fully embracing these totems. Which is one of the core reasons the Starks, and Bran in particular, are something quite special. Bran can be Summer. He shares a bond with his animal familiar that has arguably not been seen in another character and totem. There is even a moment during the feast when Bran has a waking dream that is so vivid, he forgot for a moment where he was. Which makes the following quote quite interesting: Over his heart was his wolf’s-head brooch of silver and polished jet. He would sooner have had Summer than a silver wolf on his breast, but Ser Rodrik had been unyielding. One can go as far as positing that Bran's "Starkness" is superseded by his "wargness." However, one will not do so since this is a slippery slope and it is quite possible that one is over-analysing this particular quote.

Also relevant to this theme is this thought: He was hot and tired, flushed from the wine, and the dancing made him sad. it was something else he could never do. "Bran the Broken" is an idea that will always be present in Bran the Boy's thoughts. Earlier, during the feast Ser Rodrik remarked that Bran would make a fine lord one day. Even this compliment failed to raise his spirits since it is a knight he wants to be, not a lord. We now see that even with something as frivolous [for lack of a better word] as dancing, Bran is reminded of his "inadequacies."

The Feast of the Gone

Some of this admittedly belongs in the Parallels section. But it became too bulky, thus earning its own subheading. I will try to stray from the crackpottery that often rears its adorable head where this chapter is concerned. Here goes my attempt...Keeping in line with the rest of the proposed themes, it seemed more appropriate that I assign that of Loss to the harvest feast. There others are also present, interwoven so intricately into loss that it is difficult to separate them and analyse them independently. Still, loss, unlike any other, seemed far more conspicuous.

Much like his life, Bran starts his observation of the feast from somewhat sanguine eyes. He enters the Great Hall of Winterfell to the sound of men cheering, "Stark! Winterfell! Winterfell!" Despite his knowledge that it was not truly him they shouted for-it was the harvest they cheered, it was Robb and his victories, it was his lord father and his grandfather and all the Starks going back eight thousand years, it still made him swell with pride. While seated on the throne of his forefathers, he welcomes the guests and invites them to enjoy themselves. There is plenty of food, drink and even music to enjoy. It is during this time that Bran practices what he has been taught by Maester Luwin and perhaps other servants--courtesy. He does this by sending choice dishes to the lords on the dais as a gesture of friendship and favour. But it does not end there with him. He demonstrates that this gesture possibly goes beyond the taught practice of good manners. After all, he sends a huge lobster to Joseth the master of horse, who was neither lord nor guest, but had seen to Dancer’s training and made it possible for Bran to ride. He sent sweets to Hodor and Old Nan as well, for no reason but he loved them.

Yet as the feast progresses, his observation becomes more somber. it starts when Bran looks around the Great Hall and realises that in the whirlwind of everything else in his life that is changing, even the steady walls of Winterfell may not be as steady as is apparent. After all, they have been invaded by a horde of foreigners. Some faces Bran had never seen before, others he knew as well as his own, yet they all seemed equally foreign to him. He watched them as from a distance, as if he still sat in the window of his bedchamber looking down on the yard below, seeing everything yet a part of nothing. He starts to dream of being elsewhere...and just like that, he finds himself as Summer in the godswood. When he is jolted back to his human reality, he thinks this to himself: The waking dream had been so vivid, for a moment Bran had not known where he was.

His thoughts turn even more somber when he drinks wine from his father's silver goblet. He felt the silver muzzle [of the direwolf on the goblet] pressing against his palm, and remembered the last time he had seen his lord father drink from this goblet. It had been the night of the welcoming feast, when King Robert had brought his court to Winterfell. Summer still reigned then. Bran remembers how that feast had been a particualrly joyful one; the Great Hall had been filled with familiar faces and the people to whom those faces belonged had engaged in quite familiar habits. And now they are all gone. It was as if some cruel god had reached down with a great hand and swept them all away, the girls to captivity, Jon to the Wall, Robb and Mother to war, King Robert and Father to their graves, and perhaps Uncle Benjen as well...

Even down on the benches, there were new men at the tables.

The ones who had once occupied those seats were either dead or feared to be so: Arya, Sansa, Vayon Poole, Jon, Robb, his mother, his father, Septa Mordane, and even Theon and many others. They were all either dead or dying in one way or the other. I think it quite sad for a child of his age to look up and down a table where people are feasting and think this to himself: who would be missing next year and the year after. He might have cried then, but he couldn’t. He was the Stark in Winterfell, his father’s son and his brother’s heir, and almost a man grown.

And now...we enter the somewhat crackpot part of the analysis. As Bran laments the loss of those he once knew, this happens: at the foot of the hall, the doors opened and a gust of cold air made the torches flame brighter for an instant. Here is a rather lengthy parallel from ACOK: Theon V :

In ACoK Theon has a dream where he is sitting in the Great Hall of Winterfell, surrounded by dead Starks and their servants. The door swings open and a bloody Robb walks into the hall:

That night he dreamed of the feast Ned Stark had thrown when King Robert came to Winterfell. The hall rang with music and laughter, though the cold winds were rising outside. At first it was all wine and roast meat, and Theon was making japes and eyeing the serving girls and having himself a fine time... until he noticed that the room was growing darker. The music did not seem so jolly then; he heard discords and strange silences, and notes that hung in the air bleeding. Suddenly the wine turned bitter in his mouth, and when he looked up from his cup he saw that he was dining with the dead.

King Robert sat with his guts spilling out on the table from the great gash in his belly, and Lord Eddard was headless beside him. Corpses lined the benches below, grey-brown flesh sloughing off their bones as they raised their cups to toast, worms crawling in and out of the holes that were their eyes. He knew them, every one; Jory Cassel and Fat Tom, Porther and Cayn and Hullen the master of horse, and all the others who had ridden south to King’s Landing never to return. Mikken and Chayle sat together, one dripping blood and the other water. Benfred Tallhart and his Wild Hares filled most of a table. The miller’s wife was there as well, and Farlen, even the wildling Theon had killed in the wolfswood the day he had saved Bran’s life. [some of these people are mentioned by Bran in his feast].

But there were others with faces he had never known in life, faces he had seen only in stone. The slim, sad girl who wore a crown of pale blue roses and a white gown spattered with gore could only be Lyanna. Her brother Brandon stood beside her, and their father Lord Rickard just behind. Along the walls figures halfseen moved through the shadows, pale shades with long grim faces. The sight of them sent fear shivering through Theon sharp as a knife. And then the tall doors opened with a crash, and a freezing gale blew down the hall, and Robb came walking out of the night. Grey Wind stalked beside, eyes burning, and man and wolf alike bled from half a hundred savage wounds.

Theon woke with a scream startling Wex so badly that the boy ran naked from the room - (Martin, 1998).

Visit at own risk for full theory.

The Oath of Ice and Fire

The cold air that opens the doors welcomes Meera and Jojen into the Great Hall, not a bloodied Robb as is the case in Theon V. In the place of Robb's many wounds, Meera has weapons. In the place of Robb's direwolf, Meera is accompanied by her brother. The first thing to note after the Reeds enter the hall is that not even Maester Luwin expected these visitors. It has been many years since the Crannogmen last called at Winterfell. The second thing is that the Reeds immediately renew the oath they once swore to the Kings in the North; they state their father as the one who sent them to do this.

Letters are said to have been sent to Greywater Watch without response. Yet now, when the Starks have once again declared themselves the Kings in the North, the Reeds have found reason to set foot at Winterfell. I find it more than curious. Thirdly, and perhaps more unsettling, is that their oath is so unique that not even Bran recognises it. It was not something that he had been taught:

“To Winterfell we pledge the faith of Greywater,” they said together. “Hearth and heart and harvest we yield up to you, my lord. Our swords and spears and arrows are yours to command. Grant mercy to our weak, help to our helpless, and justice to all, and we shall never fail you.”

“I swear it by earth and water,” said the boy in green.

“I swear it by bronze and iron,” his sister said.

“We swear it by ice and fire,” they finished together.

Bran shows that he knows something of the Crannogmen. He is even familiar with their way of life. It seems strange that he not know this oath. It could be nothing, it could be something.

More concrete than the possibly questionable nature of the oath is that Bran practices one of the most prominent demonstrations of agency in this series. Having been told that the Crannogmen were a cowardly people, Bran nevertheless chooses to make his own judgement of these visitors. Maybe he has precedent since he is aware that Jojen and Meera's father was instrumental in ensuring his own father's survival in King Robert's Rebellion. I don't think it matters since he chooses to do it, anyway. And of course, Bran is rewarded in a way when the Jojen immediately shows (positive) interest in the direwolves. Something which cannot be said of the majority of the people sitting in that hall.

Later, when Bran is in bed thinking of knighthood and gallantry, he remembers the time when he asked his father of the gallantry of the knights of the Kingsguard. At first this seemed an odd thing, at least to me, for Bran to be remembering. However, it is revealed that Ned had answered Bran by saying the the Sword of the Morning was the finest knight from that brotherhood. And of course, Howland Reed is mentioned as a particularly honourable man. This seems to serve the purpose of immediately negating the rumours of the cowardice of Howland Reed's people to Bran. He also remembers his father's deep sadness after speaking of the Sword of the Morning. There may come a time when this becomes more significant than it currently appears. I will dare go as far as wondering what role Bran will play in the R+L=J saga.

This chapter concludes in one of the most mysterious happenings of the series. Bran has a green-like dream in which he is one with Summer in the godswood. We learn that Jojen decided to satisfy his curiosity by visiting the direwolves. However, even though Jojen's is sated, the curiosity of the readers increases as the event that occurs is a very odd one.

“He won’t hurt me. This is not the day I die.” The male [Jojen] walked toward them [shaggy and Summer], unafraid, and reached out for his muzzle, a touch as light as a summer breeze. Yet at the brush of those fingers the wood dissolved and the very ground turned to smoke beneath his feet and swirled away laughing, and then he was spinning and falling, falling, falling...

I only have questions here: who really sent Jojen? Why does his touch induce the falling effect in Bran and Summer? Is this important, will it be, will it or not? Are there even answers?

Conclusions

As we have learnt through the deadly weddings in the series, a feast is never just a feast. As Bran observes those dancing and drinking and laughing, we are once more allowed into his thoughts. We are allowed to see the changes that even the steady Winterfell has undergone and the way that even the life of a noble is not quite neat. We are even treated to a demonstration of the need for figureheads in puppet regimes and societies such as the one in A song of Ice and Fire. Even Bran is aware that the people cheering for him are not truly cheering for him. We see the meaning of "true" oaths and many more. All with just one feast.

There are certainly still many questions that remain unanswered: what is the role of the Reeds in the path that the still living Starks will take? What is the oath of ice and fire? Am I simply rambling? In any case, this boy--Brandon Stark, continues to be a valuable asset in informing us of the goings-on of the North.

Potential Symbolism, Foreshadowing and Parallels

----- This could be nothing but I find it interesting that Lady Hornwood is noted as picking at her food listlessly. Given that she later eats her hands out of starvation, well, I find it very interesting.

----- This is how Lord Eddard's silver goblet is described: The lifelike head of a snarling direwolf was raised on the side of the cup. He felt the silver muzzle pressing. I found it to be reminiscent of this [from one of Catelyn's chapters in ASOS]:

Yet in the center of what once would have been the castle's yard, a great carved sepulcher still rested, half hidden in waist-high brown grass amongst a stand of ash. The lid of the sepulcher had been carved into a likeness of the man whose bones lay beneath, but the rain and the wind had done their work. The king had worn a beard, they could see, but otherwise his face was smooth and featurless, with only vague suggestions of a mouth, a nose, eyes, and the crown about the temples. His hands folded over the shaft of a stone warhammer that lay upon his chest. Once the warhammer would have been carved with runes that told its name and history, but all that the centuries had worn away. The stone itself was cracked and crumbling at the corners, discolored here and there by spreading white splotches of lichen, while wild roses crept up over the king's feet almost to his chest.

[...]
She had not forgotten; she had not wanted to look at it, yet there it was. "A Snow is not a Stark."
[...]

Grey Wind leapt up atop King Tristifer's crypt, his teeth bared.

Analysis of the passage: FrozenFire3's analysis of the passage. I highly recommend it.

Full credits to FrozenFire3 since it was easier to copy and paste his/her post.

----- Hother Umber is said to blow a huge, curved war horn branded with silver. When the singer reached the part in “The Night That Ended” where the Night’s Watch rode forth to meet the Others in the Battle for the Dawn, he blew a blast that set all the dogs to barking. I wonder if there is more to this.

Final Thoughts and Stray Observations

-----This is the first chapter in which Jojen and Meera appear.

----- This is the first time the words "ice and fire" are said/mentioned by a character.

----- What is the oath of ice and fire?

----- Bran continues to be very observant. He watches Lord Wyman Manderly and deduces, solely from the way the man conducts himself, that there must be something likable about him. He seems to know that the sort of riding practiced by Joseth and his woman is not something to be gawked at. He also watches Lady Hornwood closely and notes that she picks listlessly at her food.

----- Bran mentions the following songs as being played at the feast: “Iron Lances” and “The Burning of the Ships” and “The Bear and the Maiden Fair.” I know that some posters often find significance in these kinds of things.

Sorry for the length and delay; I got carried away. Thanks for your patience. Enjoy the discussion! :)

[BearQueen87]

Brandon III

I swear it by earth and water. I swear it by bronze and iron. I swear it by ice and fire.

Excellent job Kyoshi!

Of the five themes that seem to dominate this chapter, that of resentment touches Bran on an arguably higher degree than the others. I would be as bold as saying it is a tight competition between this one and that of loss.

Are resentment and loss mutually exclusive in this chapter? I'd say not. Why is Bran resentful? Because of all that he has loss--be it innocence, his father, his oldest brother and mother, his legs, his dreams, and I think some of that joyous wonder he used to get out of life. There is this very common complaint I see on the board a lot that Bran is simply "boring" because nothing happens when you look at him versus other main characters like Jon, Dany, or Tyrion. But I actually think that's the point. Bran is almost-literally stationary and so his narrative reflects that. He can't move on his own, so his own story has to be propelled by outside forces that "carry" him on ward. He's lost that wonder of life that he had in his first two POVs in AGOT and so he gets bogged down in things he'd rather not get bogged down in...thus the resentment.

One can go as far as positing that Bran's "Starkness" is superseded by his "wargness." However, one will not do so since this is a slippery slope and it is quite possible that one is over-analysing this particular quote.

That's an interesting idea. I'm trying to puzzle it out since I think we have to take the other Stark children (Jon included) into account as well. All the Stark children are wargs, I do believe. GRRM said that at one point? Robb, it seems, was on the verge of discovering that at the RW. Sansa never got a chance. Jon and Bran seem to be equally matched in terms of warging, and Jon is most likely about to learn that in WOW. Arya also seems to have the gift in abundance. She's connected to Nym in a lot of ways, not just the wolf dreams that she has even when she has crossed an entire sea! Arya takes Nym's name at one point and when she kills the guard at HH, a lone wolf howls. Arya and Bran are also unique in that they've been able to skin change other "animals"--Hodor and the Braavosi cat in the HoBaW. There's a very popular theory that Jon will skinchange a dragon.

Yet to our knowledge, Lyanna, Brandon, Ned, and Benjen have never had this ability. Is the Stark blood stronger (whatever that might mean...) in these children? Is it just because the old powers are rising?

There is plenty of food, drink and even music to enjoy

Since I just finished discussing this over in the Cat re-read, I'll bring it up here. The chapter directly following Bran III is Cat II in which Cat also partakes in a giant feast. She is being hosted by King Renly and his "knights of summer" who have never tasted winter and therefore think that war is a jolly sport. The food they are eating is rich to the point of over indulgence. They aren't even thinking in terms of the harvest and celebrating a good planting year, but they are eating simply because their war is a tourney and they mean to savor every little bit.

The food at the two feasts is rather different. The WF harvest feast is hearty: fish, game, root vegetables, fruits. In short, things we associate with autumn. Even the wine is of the hot spiced variety to take off the autumn chill.

Contrast this with Cat's meal in Cat II where, I kid you not, they have cotton candy. The most useless, unhealthy, circus food ever.

It speaks of the cultural differences between the north and the south in terms of food, preparing for the coming months (Cat notes that these are the knights of summer, unbloodied by war, and they have no idea what is coming--namely winter). But there is also a sense of stripping away the fairy tale in Cat's chapter and how unsuitable and unstable everything around her really is. These "knights of summer" will basically flee and go over to another side once Renly is slain by a shadow baby. Like the foods they are eating, they aren't solid. They are bright and shiny, but gone when the first winter storm comes.

Bran's men, on the other hand, are incredibly loyal to their lord. (I exclude the Boltons who are their own special brand of bannerman). Even after their King and his mother fall at the RW, they swear vengeance. The food (and men) might not be the summer indulgence of the south, but winter is coming and these are the guys you want by your side.

After all, he sends a huge lobster to Joseth the master of horse, who was neither lord nor guest, but had seen to Dancer’s training and made it possible for Bran to ride. He sent sweets to Hodor and Old Nan as well, for no reason but he loved them.

That just tugs at my heart strings.

they state their father as the one who sent them to do this.

If Howland Reed doesn't show up soon, I am going to find him myself.

“I swear it by earth and water,” said the boy in green.

“I swear it by bronze and iron,” his sister said.

“We swear it by ice and fire,” they finished together.

Every time I read this, I try to puzzle it out. I honestly don't know so I'm just going to talk this out for a bit.

Natural elements, first off.

The last one--ice and fire--is the one that obviously sticks out the most. In our heads it seems like a contrast if we hadn't been told by GRRM in the prologue of AGOT that fire and ice are two sides of the same coin (something we all discussed when the re-read began).

How do those elements affect one another? Is it balance? Earth can hamper water, but water over time changes earth. Fire can melt ice, but ice can dampen fire. My knowledge of minerals is limited so I'm not sure what to make of bronze and iron except that both are associated with the First Men.

Also, is there a reason why Jojen gets earth and water? I suppose it makes sense when you consider Jojen's connection to the earth. And Meera is the more warrior-like of the two, so maybe that's why she gets bronze and iron. But it's interesting that male and female get the ice/fire one. All things in balance: ice and fire, perhaps the two most important elements in our series, said by a union of man and woman.

Did Howland teach them to say this? Did Howland ever say this to Ned or Lyanna at one point?

I will dare go as far as wondering what role Bran will play in the R+L=J saga.

I know that over in RLJ there are quite a few people who think that Bran and Jon will have a shared dream in which Bran taps into the weirwoods of the past and we see certain RLJ events--HH, tKotLT, R discovering that L was the Knight, The "abduction," and perhaps more.

I only have questions here: who really sent Jojen? Why does his touch induce the falling effect in Bran and Summer? Is this important, will it be, will it or not? Are there even answers?

I think Howland really sent him, but in a few chapters we are going to learn some interesting things about the mysterious Mr. Reed and his connection to a certain Isle. Perhaps we can revisit this question then.

Hother Umber is said to blow a huge, curved war horn branded with silver. When the singer reached the part in “The Night That Ended” where the Night’s Watch rode forth to meet the Others in the Battle for the Dawn, he blew a blast that set all the dogs to barking. I wonder if there is more to this.

Yeaaaaaaah. That's...odd. I had totally forgotten about this little moment until I re-read for this weeks analysis. First off, where is the Last Hero in all this? Isn't he the one who supposedly took down the Others? And...was the NW actually around back then? I was under the impression that they formed after this--after the Long Night Ended. So how on earth are they riding out against the Others (and this is to say nothing of what Sam finds in the records, that they NW might be still younger than 8,000 years!)

Also, does the horn that is being blown as part of the story end the LN or does it wake the giants? Is it a literal horn? Is it the one Sam has?

What is the oath of ice and fire?

I'm not sure if this has anything to do with this oath so much as it has to do with the central RLJ mystery, but in the WOIAF there is a "pact of Ice and Fire" between House Targaryen and House Stark in which a Targ and a Star were supposed to marry and join the two houses during the Dance of Dragons. It never came to pass. If there is anyone still alive on Planetos who would know anything about a Targ and a Stark marrying, it'd be Howland Reed.

(seriously, if he doesn't show up in Winds, I'm going to lose my mind)

Bran mentions the following songs as being played at the feast: “Iron Lances” and “The Burning of the Ships” and “The Bear and the Maiden Fair.” I know that some posters often find significance in these kinds of things.

Some songs, for sure, especially given that the series is called a SONG of ice and fire. The Bear and the Maiden Fair probably the song that pops up most in the series. I will...not say anything

(be proud, Kyoshi!)

Sorry for the length and delay; I got carried away

Totally fine.

[Illuminated by Fire]

Very nice work, Kyoshi!

Analysis

There are several prominent themes in this chapter. It seemed wise to analyse this chapter along these lines:

----- Loss [of childhood, loved ones, better times and a kinder world].

----- Resentment [of lost dreams, normalcy, wishes and whims, and order].

----- Celebration and camaraderie [we see old oaths being renewed].

----- Death [autumn reigns and summer is in the past; the future holds winter and hunger].

----- Kindness--small yet potent acts of kindness [be it Bran sending a choice dish to Hodor and Old Nan, or Ser Rodrik offering a dance to Lady Hornwood].

I like the splitting to give the analysis structure, although I do not think that resentment is the best word here, at least not for every quote you marked. Resentment is an aggressive feeling towards something or someone, born out of bitterness. Just being sad is not enough. It is just a different category of loss, loss of personal abilities and possibilities.

It is said to Tyrion that the nobles of Westeros take their sigils far too seriously. The Lannisters believe themselves to be lions. The Targaryens, to many people's chagrin, often refer to themselves as dragons. As such, it is not an uncommon thing for one to feel pride at the thought of donning a garment adorned with the totem of one's House. Yet very few of these nobles have had the privilege of actually and fully embracing these totems. Which is one of the core reasons the Starks, and Bran in particular, are something quite special. Bran can be Summer. He shares a bond with his animal familiar that has arguably not been seen in another character and totem. There is even a moment during the feast when Bran has a waking dream that is so vivid, he forgot for a moment where he was. Which makes the following quote quite interesting: Over his heart was his wolf’s-head brooch of silver and polished jet. He would sooner have had Summer than a silver wolf on his breast, but Ser Rodrik had been unyielding. One can go as far as positing that Bran's "Starkness" is superseded by his "wargness." However, one will not do so since this is a slippery slope and it is quite possible that one is over-analysing this particular quote.

I would not take it as 'superseding'. The silver wolf is just a symbol, Summer is a real direwolf. He prefers the real wolf to this symbol that is on display for others. More a social construct than anything else. That the Stark children have the direwolves is in my opinion more a sign that the reason the Starks have a direwolf as a symbol in the first place emerges again due to the rise of magic. But that is quite ambivalent.

Also relevant to this theme is this thought: He was hot and tired, flushed from the wine, and the dancing made him sad. it was something else he could never do. "Bran the Broken" is an idea that will always be present in Bran the Boy's thoughts. Earlier, during the feast Ser Rodrik remarked that Bran would make a fine lord one day. Even this compliment failed to raise his spirits since it is a knight he wants to be, not a lord. We now see that even with something as frivolous [for lack of a better word] as dancing, Bran is reminded of his "inadequacies."

The Feast of the Gone

[...]

His thoughts turn even more somber when he drinks wine from his father's silver goblet. He felt the silver muzzle [of the direwolf on the goblet] pressing against his palm, and remembered the last time he had seen his lord father drink from this goblet. It had been the night of the welcoming feast, when King Robert had brought his court to Winterfell. Summer still reigned then. Bran remembers how that feast had been a particualrly joyful one; the Great Hall had been filled with familiar faces and the people to whom those faces belonged had engaged in quite familiar habits. And now they are all gone. It was as if some cruel god had reached down with a great hand and swept them all away, the girls to captivity, Jon to the Wall, Robb and Mother to war, King Robert and Father to their graves, and perhaps Uncle Benjen as well...

Even down on the benches, there were new men at the tables.

The ones who had once occupied those seats were either dead or feared to be so: Arya, Sansa, Vayon Poole, Jon, Robb, his mother, his father, Septa Mordane, and even Theon and many others. They were all either dead or dying in one way or the other. I think it quite sad for a child of his age to look up and down a table where people are feasting and think this to himself: who would be missing next year and the year after. He might have cried then, but he couldn’t. He was the Stark in Winterfell, his father’s son and his brother’s heir, and almost a man grown.

I will not respond to each point individually, but the mixture of these different elements shows what is so difficult for Bran. He has not one problem to deal with, but he is overwhelmed by them. His disability that deprives him of things he loves to do and seperates him from other people (which you pointed out very well), the loss of his parents and friends, the ever looming danger of war that can kill more people. It all comes together, especially in such a public event like the harvest feast. And that is what makes it so difficult for Bran. If he deals with one problem, another one hits him again when he does not expect it.

Bran's thought about being 'almost a man grown' gets a new spin, too. While it previously was more of a status thing for Bran, being part of the men club as Bear Queen put it nicely, it is now a acknowlegement of his new responsiblities. Now he needs to represent Robb in Winterfell, and the previous thought that was more of a self-assurance is now another burden. He also still does not accept his social role as a lord or a ruler:

The old knight's white mustache was pink with wine. "You have done well, Bran. Here, and at the audiences. You will be an especial fine lord some day I think."

I want to be a knight.

It is his responsiblity, but the image of knighthood still looms in the background. He does not give up on his tragic dream.

The Oath of Ice and Fire

The cold air that opens the doors welcomes Meera and Jojen into the Great Hall, not a bloodied Robb as is the case in Theon V. In the place of Robb's many wounds, Meera has weapons. In the place of Robb's direwolf, Meera is accompanied by her brother. The first thing to note after the Reeds enter the hall is that not even Maester Luwin expected these visitors. It has been many years since the Crannogmen last called at Winterfell. The second thing is that the Reeds immediately renew the oath they once swore to the Kings in the North; they state their father as the one who sent them to do this.

[...]

More concrete than the possibly questionable nature of the oath is that Bran practices one of the most prominent demonstrations of agency in this series. Having been told that the Crannogmen were a cowardly people, Bran nevertheless chooses to make his own judgement of these visitors. Maybe he has precedent since he is aware that Jojen and Meera's father was instrumental in ensuring his own father's survival in King Robert's Rebellion. I don't think it matters since he chooses to do it, anyway. And of course, Bran is rewarded in a way when the Jojen immediately shows (positive) interest in the direwolves. Something which cannot be said of the majority of the people sitting in that hall.

This is actually a very good point. Bran has the choice between Luwins account that their father was a good friend to his father and the Frey's account of them being 'thieves and cravens'. But he does not believe anyone immediately, but forms his own opinion based on what he sees.

I will not comment on the magical nature of the vow, since it is very vague and it is not my strength, but I will comment on the first part of it:

"To Winterfell we pledge the faith of Greywater." they said together. "Hearth and heart and harvest we yield up to you, my lord. Out swords and spears and arrows are yours to command. Grant mercy to out weak, help to our helpless and justice to all, and we shall never fail you."

I think it is possible that this first part is actually reformulated, but it could be the original. What makes it stand out that it is not only one of the few - the only apart from the Catelyn/Brienne vow that I remember - vows that actually has a condition attached to it, which should be done much more often. Military and ressources against fair rule for everyone. That is actually remarkable (and makes me think that it is maybe not the original).

This chapter concludes in one of the most mysterious happenings of the series. Bran has a green-like dream in which he is one with Summer in the godswood. We learn that Jojen decided to satisfy his curiosity by visiting the direwolves. However, even though Jojen's is sated, the curiosity of the readers increases as the event that occurs is a very odd one.

“He won’t hurt me. This is not the day I die.” The male [Jojen] walked toward them [shaggy and Summer], unafraid, and reached out for his muzzle, a touch as light as a summer breeze. Yet at the brush of those fingers the wood dissolved and the very ground turned to smoke beneath his feet and swirled away laughing, and then he was spinning and falling, falling, falling...

I only have questions here: who really sent Jojen? Why does his touch induce the falling effect in Bran and Summer? Is this important, will it be, will it or not? Are there even answers?

I had the same question, or at least the second one, the first one is (in no particular order): Howland, he himself and maybe Bloodraven if he meddled with his dreams (but I do not think that he can influence the actual visions). I had two options in mind: The touch just broke Bran's concentration since he is not a trained warg yet or it has to do with a general affinity to magic that Jojen has. He also comments on Summer being 'stronger than he knows', something Meera cannot feel. He also gains insight into Bran's falling dream (next chapter). So his touch could have this concentration breaking effect, more than other things like hunting.

Conclusions

As we have learnt through the deadly weddings in the series, a feast is never just a feast. As Bran observes those dancing and drinking and laughing, we are once more allowed into his thoughts. We are allowed to see the changes that even the steady Winterfell has undergone and the way that even the life of a noble is not quite neat. We are even treated to a demonstration of the need for figureheads in puppet regimes and societies such as the one in A song of Ice and Fire. Even Bran is aware that the people cheering for him are not truly cheering for him. We see the meaning of "true" oaths and many more. All with just one feast.

Indeed, we see again that even with the most magical of all POVs, politics are always just a tiny step away. If you are a noble then social interaction means politics, one way or the other. This only changes after ACoK for obvious reasons.

Are resentment and loss mutually exclusive in this chapter? I'd say not. Why is Bran resentful? Because of all that he has loss--be it innocence, his father, his oldest brother and mother, his legs, his dreams, and I think some of that joyous wonder he used to get out of life. There is this very common complaint I see on the board a lot that Bran is simply "boring" because nothing happens when you look at him versus other main characters like Jon, Dany, or Tyrion. But I actually think that's the point. Bran is almost-literally stationary and so his narrative reflects that. He can't move on his own, so his own story has to be propelled by outside forces that "carry" him on ward. He's lost that wonder of life that he had in his first two POVs in AGOT and so he gets bogged down in things he'd rather not get bogged down in...thus the resentment.

Very good point. Different characters have a different pace. He is dependent on help, so things need to come to him, at least until he develops his powers. And he finds that just as frustrating as some readers.

Every time I read this, I try to puzzle it out. I honestly don't know so I'm just going to talk this out for a bit.

Natural elements, first off.

The last one--ice and fire--is the one that obviously sticks out the most. In our heads it seems like a contrast if we hadn't been told by GRRM in the prologue of AGOT that fire and ice are two sides of the same coin (something we all discussed when the re-read began).

How do those elements affect one another? Is it balance? Earth can hamper water, but water over time changes earth. Fire can melt ice, but ice can dampen fire. My knowledge of minerals is limited so I'm not sure what to make of bronze and iron except that both are associated with the First Men.

Also, is there a reason why Jojen gets earth and water? I suppose it makes sense when you consider Jojen's connection to the earth. And Meera is the more warrior-like of the two, so maybe that's why she gets bronze and iron. But it's interesting that male and female get the ice/fire one. All things in balance: ice and fire, perhaps the two most important elements in our series, said by a union of man and woman.

Did Howland teach them to say this? Did Howland ever say this to Ned or Lyanna at one point?

I think the magical part will become more apparent with TWoW, but I would probably advise the Heresy threads or some discussions in the forum when it comes to that. But it is mostly an association game at this point. They have all some magical connection. Bronze and iron have connections to battle, but also blood magic and sacrifice. Earth and water allude to the Old Gods and the weirwoods and ice and fire to the two big sources of magic of the Red Priests and the Others.

Why Jojen and Meera say their respective parts? They correspondent to their respective roles and personalities. Earth and water have connections to the weirwoods which are linked to Jojen's magical abilities in general and his greendreams in particular. They are also vast, associated with large parts of the landscape and especially water can be very deep, which in turn is linked to Jojen's wisdom and knowledge, but also to his patience and stoicism. Regarding Meera I agree, but I want to emphazise that it is connected to her martial abilities, but more linked to her role as a protector and huntress. So 'warrior' is not a term I would choose here.

Apart from that they say the vow together, which is noteworthy in that sense that no one of them is in charge of the other one. Neither Jojen as the male heir (presumably?) nor Meera as the stronger and older sister, is dominant here. They complement each other instead of having a hierarchy.

I'll restrain myself here before I go all out in a whole essay which does not really belong here, much more is in the link in my signature.

If Howland Reed doesn't show up soon, I am going to find him myself.

Beware!

Remember what Jojen said, or will soon, in ASoS:

“That's true,” said Jojen. “Andals and ironmen, Freys and other fools, all those proud warriors to set out to conquer Greywater. Not one of them could find it. They ride into the neck, but not back out. And sooner or later they blunder into the bogs and sink beneath the weight of all that steel and drown there in their armor.”

It might be your last endeavor.

[MoIaF]

@ Kyoshi

Excellent job! I'm glad we are getting back to the magic after the politics of the las chapter.

I found this to be a sort of melancholic chapter in some ways, there was a lot of remembrance of times past, of people who no longer were alive. The Harvest Feast celebrates a new season but also celebrated the end of summer. Winter is a hard time and for Bran winter has already arrived, he is no longer the summer child he once was, the carefree life he knew is now long gone. And as he is describing the feast and remembers the past, there is a nostalgia and sadness for what has been lost and what will be lost, a foreboding for the future.

I like the comparison to the dream Theon had, GrRRM does these parallels and you really have to think what he is getting at.

The oath is an interesting one, I also noticed how Jojen's part is the more "natural" and "earthly" while Meer's is more part of "mankind", that is bronze and iron are not really useful until they are made or forged, you have to work them to make them useful. That they say the ice and fire part together is just part of the theme of duality we see in the series man and woman are just one side of that. I believe Jon and Dany are one of the meaning if ice and fire, man and woman and we've seen their parallels throughout the story. But I also believe ice and fire have many other meaning , most importantly for the series is the magical elements represented by each and the imbalance of those magical elements.

[BearQueen87]

One thing I forgot to mention in my initial response....

Bran and Hodor stumble onto two people having sex at the feast. We've seen in the past that sex tends to be a trigger for Bran, an uncomfortable reminder of what he found in the Lightening Struck Tower. But in this case in Bran III, Bran isn't affected by the coupling he witnesses. It's as if he is totally numb at this point, the melancholy (like MOIAF calls it, and I agree) has just overwhelmed everything else, until he enters the dream world and then it's Jojen's touch that sends him falling.

[DarkSister1001]

A Clash of Kings: Brandon III

I swear it by earth and water. I swear it by bronze and iron. I swear it by ice and fire.

Awesome!

The more I read “there must always be a Stark in Winterfell” the more I believe that the words have been confused and should be “Starks must remain in Winterfell”, they don’t seem to come back! I hope that trend doesn’t continue.

There is even a moment during the feast when Bran has a waking dream that is so vivid, he forgot for a moment where he was. Which makes the following quote quite interesting: Over his heart was his wolf’s-head brooch of silver and polished jet. He would sooner have had Summer than a silver wolf on his breast, but Ser Rodrik had been unyielding. One can go as far as positing that Bran's "Starkness" is superseded by his "wargness." However, one will not do so since this is a slippery slope and it is quite possible that one is over-analyzing this particular quote.

This part stuck out to me too. We regularly read about cloaks being pinned by sigils, but this description of the sigil being over his hearts seems to be specific to Bran. I believe it’s a nod to his connection to his wolf. Not just through a house sigil, but joined together at the heart.

He does this by sending choice dishes to the lords on the dais as a gesture of friendship and favour. But it does not end there with him. He demonstrates that this gesture possibly goes beyond the taught practice of good manners. After all, he sends a huge lobster to Joseth the master of horse, who was neither lord nor guest, but had seen to Dancer’s training and made it possible for Bran to ride. He sent sweets to Hodor and Old Nan as well, for no reason but he loved them.

Bran is commended for playing his role as the Stark in Winterfell, he works hard to make sure he does what is expected from him. And then, without much thought he goes above and beyond. This may be attributed to his sweetness, but it could also be what he learned from watching his father. Ned used to dine with a member of his household regularly. It made them feel special, helped Ned get to know those who served him and, I think, fortified the relationships. Starks are loved.

And now...we enter the somewhat crackpot part of the analysis. As Bran laments the loss of those he once knew, this happens: at the foot of the hall, the doors opened and a gust of cold air made the torches flame brighter for an instant. Here is a rather lengthy parallel from ACOK: Theon V :

This. Was. Splendid!

More concrete than the possibly questionable nature of the oath is that Bran practices one of the most prominent demonstrations of agency in this series. Having been told that the Crannogmen were a cowardly people, Bran nevertheless chooses to make his own judgement of these visitors. Maybe he has precedent since he is aware that Jojen and Meera's father was instrumental in ensuring his own father's survival in King Robert's Rebellion. I don't think it matters since he chooses to do it, anyway. And of course, Bran is rewarded in a way when the Jojen immediately shows (positive) interest in the direwolves. Something which cannot be said of the majority of the people sitting in that hall.

I found it odd that Bran had heard more negatives about the Crannogmen than positives. Catelyn tells us of Ned’s fearsome reaction to gossip that Ashara Dayne was Jon’s mother. Surely he would react the same way if he’d heard someone talking about Howland in anything but a positive way; especially to call him a coward. It could just be there for the purpose of moving the story along. I did find it a bit poetic that Ned “Quiet Wolf” Stark’s staunchest ally and the man that saved his life is named HOWLand Reed. I tend to believe that Howland knew the value and truth of greendreams and when Jojen came to him he sent them to WF without hesitation, but I don’t want to jump ahead. I wonder did Howland write back and decline the invitations? Or has it been utter silence from Greywater?

This chapter concludes in one of the most mysterious happenings of the series. Bran has a green-like dream in which he is one with Summer in the godswood. We learn that Jojen decided to satisfy his curiosity by visiting the direwolves. However, even though Jojen's is sated, the curiosity of the readers increases as the event that occurs is a very odd one.

IDK why but I always equate this to Ghostbuster’s crossing their streams (even though I know it worked in the end). Between Bran, Summer and Jojen there was just too much magic in that moment. I think, at this point, Bran's magic is not as strong as Summer's or Jojen's and he was kicked out. It's also interesting that Jojen can sense the personalities of the wolves, and by extension of the Stark boys. His description of Summer/Bran as strong and Shaggy Dog/Rickon as being full of rage and fear is spot on.

Sorry for the length and delay; I got carried away.

No apologies, it was fantastic!