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BRAN’S GROWING POWERS AFTER his FINAL POV in ADwD


evita mgfs

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Double post problem!  The forum posted two versions after crashing on me?  :dunno:  Now it won't let me edit.  Oh well, apologies.  BTW bemused, when I said 'I'm seeing more in the wind than you' I didn't mean I was right, just seeing different things, with my analysis perhaps including/elaborating on some of the more bland mentions of the wind that could well be described as 'the wind is just the wind'.   :)  I think some of these bland/subtle mentions may play a role as well.

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On ‎01‎/‎02‎/‎2016 at 6:00 AM, bemused said:

Looking at the journey of Bran & co....  The elk went where he would, regardless of the wishes of Meera and Jojen on his back. Mostly he stayed beneath the trees, ... OK , right now over on the direwolves re-read they're mentioning how often the trees are likened to soldiers or sentinels.. which accentuates the normal idea of trees offering protection from the elements (or, in this case, perhaps from something more).

Then, out on the lake ... a cold north wind that howled across the lake, knifed through their layers of wool and leather, and set them all to shivering. When it blew into their faces, it would drive the snow into their eyes and leave them as good as blind.

 .. Very often a POV's adversary or enemy is described as "howling". ... Bowen fears  the prospect of -  Tormund Giantsbane or the Weeping Man come calling with ten thousand howling killers ...when Asha is captured - the trees erupted all around them, and the northmen poured in howling ...  The selaesori Qhoran is destroyed by - a howling gale ... And Jon's nightmare - That night he dreamt of wildlings howling from the woods, advancing to the moan of warhorns and the roll of drums (there are more comparisons I could quote, just from ADWD, but you get the idea.

So,back to Bran & co.... a wind that howled shows animosity, knifed shows animosity and so does leaving them as good a s blind. Bran then sends Summer to find the abandoned village that they need to reach before nightfall, but - The wind was gusting, so the smells were hard to follow

We know CH is trying to help them, the ravens are trying to help them, but this north wind is trying to obstruct and delay them in trying to find needed shelter - in every way possible. So, I can't think that it's inhabited by BR or any of the greenseers at the cave. This also means that I can't see all the winds, from all directions, as having only one source.

I tend to think of wind as not being personified, but a natural force that can be manipulated by magic from many sources. Or, to use the example of crows flying before a storm.. the birds give warning, but they don't create the wind. They are able to fly on the wind that brings the storm itself, but they are not the storm's creatures.

One more notable example... when Jon takes the recruits to swear their oath at the weirwood grove ... A north wind swirled through the trees below, sending thin white plumes of snow crystals flying from the highest branches, like icy banners.  Elsewise nothing moved. Not a sign of life. That was not entirely reassuring. It was not the living that he feared. Even so …

The banners create a military feel ... it's like Jon's facing an army, and because they're icy banners we can guess who the enemy is ... and Jon confirms that he's has fears about an army of the dead. The icy banners are lifted by a north wind.

Thank you for your opinion on this, as mentioned you've turned my head on who/what is potentially present in the wind at different times, and the various examples of where 'howling' is used showing animosity is very interesting.  This has, as Longie has mentioned up thread opened my eyes as to the possibilities of a who/what/where presence in the wind.  Especially the 'howling wind'.  However, we have found a few mentions of the wind 'howling' then a wolf 'howling' a few paragraphs later, perhaps pointing to that animalistic personification of the wind?  It seems rather blatant in the AGOT prologue?  This is followed by the wind 'whispering through trees' and making cloaks become 'half alive' blah blah......  Even when you point out the possible animosity on the lake with the howling wind, I still look at the 'knife' and 'good as blind' reference and think it kind of sounds Bloodraveny.  :dunno:   Anyway, you make some really insightful and valid points as usual, some stuff to chew on, thanks.  :)

On personification in literature, of course authors/writers have poetic licence to play with such techniques, it brings the scene to life and enables wonderfully descriptive writing.  And there is rarely a need to plant a presence into such text. [The flames 'danced' etc]  It's hard to pin down.  But some of the things I've been spotting in the chapters I've posted about I think point to a [possibly] clever take on the personification of the trees.  We know the WW show human traits, they have eyes and a mouth, and the opportunity to be described as solemn, melancholy etc.......  Plus we know there is definitely a presence there.  But the soldiers and sentinels often seem 'alive' as well, that's where I see the subtle mentions of the wind come into play.   

Nice point about the trees protecting them, they are of course personified in the 'text' when they 'stand in battle formation garbed in white.' [again]  No presence is insinuated here, but they are personified nonetheless, trees can't stand, or garb themselves in white etc.....  But it was mentioned that 'the wind was in the trees' when Bran slipped into Summer, and I think that enables/helps/facilitates the trees to come to life textually, with a subtle possibility that it's the wind making this happen.  

Every time I have come across the trees being personified, [so far] it follows a subtle mention of the wind being in the trees.  The rustling of leaves we know from various text around the WW's is a sign of the old gods, talking, listening etc...  so I thought this interesting, I have mentioned this a little bit in posts up thread.  In this chapter he straight out tells us that when Bran slips inside Summer he hears the wind in the trees, they then go on to 'stand' in battle formation as we discussed.  He is often more deft than that, sometimes he has the branches 'croak and groan' with a subtle mention of wind somewhere [insinuating a 'rustle' of leaves]  in Tijgy's post the trees then turned into a sea etc......   In the AGOT prologue he has I think a breeze that makes the trees branches become 'wooden fingers scratching at each other'  In Bran's AGOT coma dream the leaves rustle on the WW before it turns and stares at him etc........  There are more.......

So basically, I feel the wind has a role to play in the trees 'coming alive' or having that descriptive text around it.  And in this case seemingly protecting them,  the soldiers and sentinels come to life in the wind or when the leaves potentially 'rustle'. [various descriptions]  As I mentioned, in the few chapters I've looked at, I feel this this is a reasonable line of enquiry.  :)   However, the 'howling wind' still seems separate from this scene and definitely something to think about. 

Thanks bemused, I will continue to post away when time allows.  Please feel free to offer up alternative opinions on whatever I muse.  I have my own ideas and take on things like everyone else, but welcome different angles.  :D                

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Analysis of Bran I, ACOK

 

Introduction

 

I can actually be very short and say this chapter does not have any real signs of personified wind, soldier trees or some other things we are looking for.  (There is however a lot of howling wolves and a howling boy.). So I actually looked to this chapter in a different way. (And I still managed to write a text more than 5000 words :rolleyes:)

 

Personally, I think this chapter is still very important in our discussion on Bran’s powers and those of the old gods. In the other chapters we already discussed in this thread, you can say the sign of the divine inspiration is more on the background. Their powers and their interferences is mostly hidden but shown to us by those typical words of wind, howling wolves, … In this chapter some of the elements and signs of the old gods are not longer in the background but some of them are actually the main element of this chapter. Some of them are the main question which our POV character deals with in this chapter and maybe even in his storyline.

 

 

 

Just like my last analysis, the first part of this analysis consists of an objective collection of possible references to the old gods, (dire)wolves, Bran powers, … by just looking at the text. My own personal input consists of choosing the particular quotes (and I tried to this as complete as possible - but nobody is perfect)* and an occasional remark. The second part is a more speculative look on what is written in this chapter.

 

 

 

* It might always be interesting that you also rereads the chapters and might warn us all if I did miss something.

 

 

 

To start, I think I first need to give a little synopsis of the chapter: Bran sit at his window and thinks. (note: this is really what happens in this chapter except from a few talks with Luwin and with Osha)

 

Some author notes:

 

  • During my text I sometimes underline some words. This only means that in the books the words are cursive, because they are parts of the story that are the thoughts of the POV Character. 

     

  • I also refer here just to the "Old Gods". This can of course how being interpreted according to your opinion: Bloodraven, seers of the Children, ...).

     

  • In some of my notes I am actually just laughing with maester Luwin. Just ignore them (except I am really right about that new prescription).

     

 

And enjoy (hopefully) 

:D

 

Collection of possible references to the old gods, Bloodraven, direwolves and Bran's powers

 

 

This chapter starts with Bran looking all over Winterfell from his window seat.

 

He could not walk, nor climb nor hunt nor fight with a wooden sword as once, but he could still look. (…) “and he loved to listen to the direwolves sing to the stars.”

 

Of late, he often dreamed of wolves. They are talking to me, brother to brother, he told himself when the direwolves howled. He could almost understand them … not quite, not truly, but almost … as if they were singing in a language he had once known and somehow forgotten. The Walders might be scared of them, but the Starks had wolf blood. Old Nan told him so. “Though it is stronger in some than in others,” she warned.

 

Summer’s howls were long and sad, full of grief and longing. Shaggydog’s were more savage. Their voices echoed through the yard and halls until the castle rang and it seemed as though some great pack of direwolves haunted Winterfell, instead of only two … two where there had once been six.”

 

Bran wonders if they also miss their family/siblings and he thinks of the answers some people of Winterfell (Rodrik, Farlen, Gage, Luwin, Osha) gave him regarding the question  why they howled. According to Osha: “Your wolves have more wit than your maester. They know truths the grey men have forgotten. He also asked some people what the meaning was of the comet.  

 

“And still the direwolves howled. The guards on the walls muttered curses, hounds in the kennels barked furiously, horses kicked at their stalls, the Walders shivered by their fire, and even Maester Luwin complained of sleepless nights. Only Bran did not mind. Ser Rodrik had confined the wolves to the godswood after Shaggydog bit Little Walder, but the stones of Winterfell played queer tricks with sound, and sometimes it sounded as if they were in the yard right below Bran's window. Other times he would have sworn they were up on the curtain walls, loping round like sentries (note: the wolves are here the sentries). He wished that he could see them.”

 

He thinks further about the comet, how he used to climb the buildings of Winterfell and how he fell and he remembers the other times that the direwolves howled:

 

Summer had howled the day Bran had fallen, and for long after as he lay broken in his bed; Robb had told him so before he went away to war. Summer had mourned for him, and Shaggydog and Grey Wind had joined in his grief. And the night the bloody raven had brought word of their father's death, the wolves had known that too (note: Bran cursed here in his own mind “bloody raven” ^_^). Bran had been in the maester's turret with Rickon talking of the children of the forest when Summer and Shaggydog had drowned out Luwin with their howls.” (note: Summer and Shaggydog started to howl before Bran and Rickon even saw the raven.)

 

Who are they mourning now? Had some enemy slain the King in the North, who used to be his brother Robb? Had his bastard brother Jon Snow fallen from the Wall? Had his mother died, or one of his sisters? Or was this something else, as maester and septon and Old Nan seemed to think?

 

Bran thinks “If I were truly a direwolf, I would understand the songand he thinks of his wolf dreams where he stands on the summit of mountains (note: a reference to Jon’s chapter/Jon’s wolf dream in ACOK?). Bran himself starts to howl to the comet. “It sounded stupid, high and hollow and quavering, a little boy's howl, not a wolf's. Yet Summer gave answer, his deep voice drowning out Bran's thin one, and Shaggydog made it a chorus. Bran haroooed again. They howled together, last of their pack.

 

Hayhead, the guard, thinks this is weird behaviour, is growing concerned and get the big guns, Maester Luwin. Luwin wants that Bran goes to bed because it is time to sleep and they have a conversation about which creatures dream:

 

Bran: “When I sleep I turn into a wolf. Do wolves dream?”

 

Luwin: “All creatures dream, I think, yet not as men do.”

 

Bran: “Do dead men dream?”

 

Luwin: “Some say yes, some no. The dead themselves are silent on the matter.”

 

Bran: “Do trees dream?

 

Luwin: “Trees? No…

 

Bran: “They do. They dream tree dreams. I dream of a tree sometimes. A weirwood, like the one in the godswood. It calls to me. The wolf dreams are better. I smell things, and sometimes I can taste blood.

 

Luwin gets understandably worried and says he wished Bran would spent more time with the other children. (note: He was probably first happy with the arrival and the staying of the Little Reeds … until he realized Jojen was also someone who talked about dreams and such. And there went his happiness … poor maester Luwin). Bran says he hates the Freys (note: smart kid), the direwolves were locked up because of them in the godswood and “I'd sooner be a wolf. Then I could live in the wood and sleep when I wanted, and I could find Arya and Sansa. I'd smell where they were and go save them, and when Robb went to battle I'd fight beside him like Grey Wind. I'd tear out the Kingslayer's throat with my teeth, rip, and then the war would be over and everyone would come back to Winterfell. If I was a wolf . . ." And Luwin gets even more desperate when he sees Bran howling.

 

Bran thinks about the Little Freys and he thinks how and why Shaggy attacked Little Walder (note: smart wolf; good wolf; … okay LW is still a child so I should probably say “Bad Wolf”!): “until Little Walder had smacked Rickon with the stick, square across his belly. Before Bran could blink, the black wolf was flying over the plank, there was blood in the water, the Walders were shrieking red murder, Rickon sat in the mud laughing, and Hodor came lumbering in shouting "Hodor! Hodor! Hodor!”. And he tells further Rickon showed the crypts to the Little Freys and how he reacted: “Rickon even showed them the deep vaults under the earth where the stonemason was carving father's tomb. "You had no right!" Bran screamed at his brother when he heard. "That was our place, a Stark place!" But Rickon never cared.”

 

Luwin and Osha entered Bran’s room together. Luwin gives Bran a sleeping draught which would give him a “sweet, dreamless sleep(note: Luwin definitely needs a new recipe for his sleeping draught) and he thinks it would make Bran feel better (note: Sorry Luwin, it did not work.)

 

Afterwards Luwin leaves and before Bran falls asleep, Osha and Bran have this little talk:

 

Osha lingered behind. Is it the wolf dreams again?”

 

Bran nodded

 

“You should not fight so hard, boy. I see you talking to the heart tree. Might be the gods are trying to talk back.”

 

“The gods?” he murmered, drowsy already.

 

Bran doesn’t have a sweet, dreamless sleep (note: new prescription is needed, Luwin.) but he has a new wolf dream as Summer.

 

In this dream Summer thinks about his brother: “He could smell his brother too, a familiar scent, strong and earthy, his scent as black as his coat. His brother was loping around the walls, full of fury. Round and round he went, night after day after night, tireless, searching . . . for prey, for a way out, for his mother, his littermates, his pack . . . searching, searching, and never finding. (…) He and his brother are both concerned how they need to find a way out. In the end he thinks: The world had tightened around them, but beyond the walled wood still stood the great grey caves of man-rock. Winterfell, he remembered, the sound coming to him suddenly. Beyond its sky-tall man-cliffs the true world was calling, and he knew he must answer or die.”

 

Interpretation of Chapter

Brandon Stark - The old god to be

 

You could say Bran doesn’t really do much during this chapter. He just sits in his window: “He could not walk, nor climb nor hunt nor fight with a wooden sword as once, but he could still look.” He does only the following things from his window seat and from his bed: he looks all over Winterfell, he remembers, he seeks out the truth, he howls, he talks with Luwin and he dreams.

 

But actually the fact he only does those things in this chapter is very interesting. Those actions are not the actions of a child, of a soldier or of a prince; they are the actions of a skinchanger, of a greenseer and the actions of the old gods.

 

First, he actually say few times that he wants to be a wolf or that he has wolf blood: “the Starks had wolf blood”; “If I were truly a direwolf, I would understand the song.”I'd sooner be a wolf.”; “If I was a wolf . . ." 

 

At one moment Bran actually starts to howl several times as a wolf and his four-footed friends responds to his howling: “It sounded stupid, high and hollow and quavering, a little boy's howl, not a wolf's. Yet Summer gave answer, his deep voice drowning out Bran's thin one, and Shaggydog made it a chorus. Bran haroooed again. They howled together, last of their pack.”

 

When he falls in sleep, even after drinking a sleeping draught for a sweet, dreamless sleep (note: I admit I am really laughing with poor Luwin now ^_^), he has a wolf dream.

 

This howling, his will to be a wolf and the wolf dreams refer of course to his first power given by the old gods: the power (or the curse?) to be a warg.

 

Second, Bran starts the chapter with looking all over Winterfell (“he could still look”) (note: GRRM put an emphasis on the word “look” so it is probably very important Bran does this action). It is very interesting to take in account from where Bran does this: Bran sits in his window in his tower room in Winterfell, a place which is compared in the books as a tree. Just like the greenseers, Bran is actually here looking through the eyes (window) of a tree (Winterfell) over the world outside.*

 

* I think some other blog writers already made that interpretation (like I think PoorQuentyn on tumblr … I might be wrong). I am probably inspired and influenced by those ideas. If you want to be credited for it, just let me know in a PM with your own original theory, analysis, ...

 

A large part of the chapter is Bran remembering things that have been happening the last few days: talks about the wolves and the comet, the Little Freys, … A very important aspect of greenseers and the old gods is remembering things that have been long forgotten ("What do the trees remember?""The secrets of the old gods," said Jojen Reed. Food and fire and rest had helped restore him after the ordeals of their journey, but he seemed sadder now, sullen, with a weary, haunted look about the eyes. "Truths the First Men knew, forgotten now in Winterfell … but not in the wet wild.", ADWDBran III). 

 

Bran doesn’t dream only of wolves, but he also dreams of trees (“They dream tree dreams. I dream of a tree sometimes. A weirwood, like the one in the godswood. It calls to me”). However I think this is not as much something that Bran is actively doing. I think we must more situate this as something which is being done to him by the old gods. They are using his dreams to call him (infra).

 

 

And the last thing Bran does during this chapter is trying to find the truth about some questions, like why do the wolves howl? what is the meaning of the comet? which creatures dream? what do my dreams mean? Several times it is told that it is impossible to lie for the trees/the olds gods ("see the truth that lies beneath the world" (ASOS, Bran I); "My lord father believed no man could tell a lie in front of a heart tree. The old gods know when men are lying (ACOK, Jon II). The old gods know the truth. And Bran is trying to know the truth to by asking several people the meaning of things. 

 

 

 

The looking through the eyes of a tree, remembering and knowing the truth does refer of course to his second power given by the old gods: the power of being a greenseer.

 

If you would ignore for a moment the dreams, the only things Bran does this chapter are the actions of the greenseers and the old gods without using their divine powers. He is a greenseer because of his actions and not because the divine means he uses: looking, remembering and (trying to) know(ing) the truth.

 

And this is actual the main difference with the other chapters we already discussed. Bran, as a greenseer/old god, is here the main character and (mostly) not the character which needs to be guided by the old gods. In this chapter we see the story through the eyes of the “old god” himself and not through the character which is guided by the old gods. And this has as consequence the actions of the old gods are not longer on the background but are in the forefront. We do not need to speculate: “are the old gods looking through Raven’s eyes” because we actually read that the “old god” is looking over Winterfell. The howling wolves are not longer a sound in the background but are actually one of the main questions in this chapters. We do not need to wonder do the dreams come from the old gods, it is directly told to Bran and to us by Osha.

 

To conclude, while Bran might not have the divine powers yet of the old gods, in this chapter he actually already performs their actions. He is here an old god/greenseer. 

 

Why do wolves howl?

 

During our research howling wolves are several times used to refer to a possible presence or interference of the old gods. In this chapter it is constantly repeated that the direwolves are howling and even Bran starts to do this.

 

But in this chapter the howling is not meant as a little indicator to the fact the old gods are watching, influencing things, … You can actually say the howling is one of the main subjects in this chapter. In this whole chapter Bran starts to search what is the meaning of this howling. He asked several people “why they howled”. He is starting to search the truth behind this howling as a true “old god”.

 

And he tries to do this by asking this question to several people (Rodrik, Farlen, Gage, Luwin, Osha). But I think the right answer is the answer Bran finds himself: it is either the fact they miss their family or the wolves are expressing the grief felt by the
(two-footed) brothers (note: and by them I mean Bran and Rickon of course).

 

Bran does reminds us of some interesting things:

 

-       “Summer’s howls were long and sad, full of grief and longing. Shaggydog’s were more savage”: I think here you can say that the wolves express their grief in the same way as their two-footed companions or the wolves are being used as an outled of the boys who are repressing their grief – their grief can be freely outted by those wolves

 

-       And the night the bloody raven had brought word of their father's death, the wolves had known that too.” Summer started to howl before even someone saw the raven. How did Summer know before the raven’s arrival the raven would bring such news? Did the old gods spoke to Summer then?

 

-       “Summer had mourned for him, and Shaggydog and Grey Wind had joined in his grief”. The interesting thing is actually that at that thing the howling of the wolves actually made Bran stronger. At that moment they were howling not (only) because of grief but als to strenghten him?

 

In the end Bran thinks that they are mourning something. He just doesn’t know what or whom (Who are they mourning now?). (note: is there actually at that moment someone or something else the wolves could be mourning for than that Ned’s death?) But he still wonders if he is wrong about this: “Or was this something else, as maester and septon and Old Nan seemed to think?”

 

What does his dreams mean?

 

Next to the big question of the howling wolves, there are two other truths Bran tries to find: the meaning of the comet* and the meaning of his dreams.

 

* The meaning of the comet is a question raised in many POVs. I am not really sure the answer to this question is of any importance to this thread except for the fact it just might mean the return of magic to the world. I do believe this should be discussed in its own analysis in its own thread where all the answers in the different POVs must be considered. And to be honest, I am not personally interested in it. So I will not say anything more about this subjes

This question is raised in two conversations Bran has in this chapter, one with Luwin and one with Osha (IIRC this question keeps returning in a lot chapters of Bran’s storyline).

 

The conversation with Luwin starts with Bran asking the question which creatures dream: wolves, men, dead men and trees. Is this list of dreaming creatures a list of possible creatures which can be influenced by skinchangers or greenseers, a list of possible creatures through which eyes a greenseer can see?

 

Bran saw through the eyes of wolves (Summer), the eyes of men (Hodor) and the eyes of trees (weirwood tree of Winterfell). And you have also Coldhands (dead man) who is used in some way by the 3EC. But this list might also of course have other meanings or maybe not even have a meaning after all?

 

According to Osha the dreams are a way of communication of the old gods (“You should not fight so hard, boy. I see you talking to the heart tree. Might be the gods are trying to talk back.”.

 

And what happens in those dreams?  A weirwood, like the one in the godswood. It calls to me.” Beyond its sky-tall man-cliffs the true world was calling, and he knew he must answer or die”.

 

In this chapter it is literally said that the old gods are calling to Bran that he must come to them and that he must go outside in the true world or else he might die. The old gods are using dreams to talk to Bran just like they used several means to influence Tyrion, Theon and Jon. But the big difference is that it is clear to Bran that it are the trees who are talking to him and, thanks to Osha, he actually can trace it back to the old gods. In the chapters of Tyrion, Jon and Theon the possible divine inspiration is actually hidden and is a little revealed by the author. In this Bran chapter it is just literally said the old gods might talk to him in his dreams.

 

The old tongue, the song of wolves and forgotten truths

 

In this thread earlier bemused started to muse over the understanding of the old tongue by greenseers and Coldhands, … and especially in relation to the ravens.

 

I do think Cold Hands understands the ravens (part of what makes me think "they" did kill him very long ago, because the ravens were initially taught in the old tongue., and the older he is , the more likely he is to understand it.) ... Here's something interesting to muse on.. if BR or Bran are on the "weirnet" do they understand the old tongue because of sharing the awareness / memories of other greenseers?.. and if so, how might that affect the abilty of more birds having more words in the common tongue , with BR and Bran both on the case ? (I mean, it's easier to teach someone your language, if you understand theirs.. and how much easier, if you had mind to mind communication?)” - Bemused

 

 

 

“As for the ravens having the speech of the cotf and later the speech of Westeros, well, if the greenseers awareness is still faint in the ravens, and perhaps some more than others, it might just well be they can talk to afew who can understand them, like BR and CH.” @Longrider

 

 

 

The old tongue and the new. That 'is' something interesting to muse on.  I like your take that CH may understand the old tongue due to his age etc....  As for the whole translation thing for Bran and BR, that is a mind blower.  I have no clue really, but my first thought was to agree with your idea that sharing their awareness/memories would facilitate any understanding.  That would solve any translation issues which would be a massive problem otherwise.  At the very least, a cool little something to look out for/think about, maybe we'll see a raven whisper in a giants ear?  Probably not.  Anyway thanks again for your ideas” (@Wizz-The Smith).

 

 

 

   

 

In this chapter Bran actually refers to a forgotten language:

 

They are talking to me, brother to brother, he told himself when the direwolves howled. He could almost understand them … not quite, not truly, but almost … as if they were singing in a language he had once known and somehow forgotten.”

 

He says “the direwolves sing to the stars” and calls it a song of direwolves. He thinks further “If I were truly a direwolf, I would understand the song”.

 

In this chapter you have the forgotten song of the direwolves (howling), you have later the ravens who talk in a forgotten language to Coldhands (quorks and squacks; the True tongue?) and then we encounter the singers who also sing in old tongue, a language forgotten by men.

 

So what is the meaning of those songs? Can wolves also speak the True Tongue, did men and the singers used to understand the meaning of the howling of wolves, does it just refer to fact the Starks do not remember any longer their ability to warg?

The CotF are actually called "those who sing the song of earth". Maybe the wolves are singing the same song?  

To be honest, I am not really sure the answer to that exact question really matters. I think the parallel between the songs of the direwolves and the song of the CotF are more important, the parallel between the fact the wolves “know truths the grey men have forgotten” and the singers who also remember truths menkind have forgotten, and the parallel between that “if I were truly a direwolf, I would understand the song” and that if he is truly a greenseer, he might also uncover those forgotten truths.*

 

* IIRC This parallel was already earlier discussed in the Bran reread.

 

In this chapter it is really forshadowed Bran might be the one who will uncover truths by understanding the songs written in a forgotten language (the song of the earth?) or he will at least uncover some forgotten and hidden truths.

 

Stark, wolf blood, direwolves and crypts

 

In this chapter there are some references to the special bond the Starks have to wolves and to Winterfell.

 

The Walders might be scared of them, but the Starks had wolf blood. Old Nan told him so. “Though it is stronger in some than in others,” she warned.

 

And still the direwolves howled. The guards on the walls muttered curses, hounds in the kennels barked furiously, horses kicked at their stalls, the Walders shivered by their fire, and even Maester Luwin complained of sleepless nights. Only Bran did not mind.

 

It looks like the howling really enerves and scares people. I think we already see this happen with Cat, Jeyne is also afraid of Grey Wind, … I think they (not-Starks) are actually the ones with the normal reaction. Bran (and other Starks) are special: he is not afraid and doesn’t mind the howling because he is a Stark who has wolf blood.

 

We see that howling wolves are sometimes related to the old gods (as earlier seen in this thread however @bemused warned us rightly that we have to be carefull when we associate everything regarding howling wolves to the old gods). But IMO it cannot be denied there is no link between them. However it might maybe be too much speculation to say the fact Bran doesn’t mind the howling means Bran has a special connection to the old gods and doesn’t need to fear them (the speculation rests here more on the “means” than anything else).

 

In this chapter Bran remembers Rickon showed the crypts to the Little Freys. Bran was not really happy about that and “You had no right!" Bran screamed at his brother when he heard. "That was our place, a Stark place!" But Rickon never cared.”

 

This reaction reminds me of how several people felt around the crypts, the godswood and Winterfell. Tyrion remembers the godswood of Winterfell and thinks that always would belong to the Starks and the old gods. Jon feels like he made not welcome in the crypts by the old dead Starks, … Bran actually is here the one on the opposite side. He is not an outsider who doesn’t feel welcome thanks to the anger of the old Starks of the old gods; he is in the fact the one who doesn’t welcome the outsider. He takes here again the place of the old gods (and the old Starks).

 

Some additional remarks

 

Shaggy

 

Shaggy bit the Freys when they hurt Rickon (until Little Walder had smacked Rickon with the stick, square across his belly. Before Bran could blink, the black wolf was flying over the plank, there was blood in the water, the Walders were shrieking red murder, Rickon sat in the mud laughing). Does Shaggy just because he saw them hurt Rickon or did he do it because it was something Rickon wanted to do those little urchins (sorry, I really don’t like them)? It think the first because Rickon likes them afterwards. Or maybe Rickon is a sort of Umber: haha, you survived the bite of my wolf. Let be friends … I really cannot get in the mind of a four year old.

 

The sound of the howling

 

“Their voices echoed through the yard and halls until the castle rang  and it seemed as though some great pack of direwolves haunted Winterfell, instead of only two … two where there had once been six.”

 

Ser Rodrik had confined the wolves to the godswood after Shaggydog bit Little Walder, but the stones of Winterfell played queer tricks with sound, and sometimes it sounded as if they were in the yard right below Bran's window. Other times he would have sworn they were up on the curtain walls, loping round like sentries. He wished that he could see them.”

 

“when Summer and Shaggydog had drowned out Luwin with their howls.”

 

It sounded stupid, high and hollow and quavering, a little boy's howl, not a wolf's. Yet Summer gave answer, his deep voice drowning out Bran's thin one, and Shaggydog made it a chorus. Bran haroooed again. They howled together, last of their pack.

 

Bran described that Winterfell played queer tricks with sound. The wolves makes it sound like they are entire pack, like they are in places where they cannot be, … I do wonder if they were really able to hear Bran howling or did they hear him thank to some other more magical means?

 

Wolf dreams on the summit of the mountain

 

Bran says in his wolf dreams he is on the summits of the mountains. Is this also not the place from where Jon looks through Ghost eyes to the Wildling camp?

 

Sentries again

 

The wolves are described as sentries: “Other times he would have sworn they were up on the curtain walls, loping round like sentries”

 

 

 

Conclusion

 

In this chapter there was no mentioning of wind, trees, … However the howling of wolves was an important theme of this chapter. The direwolves were howling, Bran was howling, …

 

Except for the fact the old gods were calling Bran in his dreams and maybe some influences through the wolves, the old gods were not really present in their form of divine inspiration.

 

The mantle of the “old gods” was actually carried in this chapter by the POV. In several instances when it should be the old gods that should act it was Bran who acted. It was Bran who looked through the eyes of the tree, it was Bran who remembered, it was Bran who searched for the truth, it was Bran who didn’t want to welcome outsiders in the crypts, … You could say Bran was the most important “old god” in this chapter

 

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On ‎11‎/‎02‎/‎2016 at 7:12 PM, Tijgy said:

Analysis of Bran I, ACOK

Conclusion

In this chapter there was no mentioning of wind, trees, … However the howling of wolves was an important theme of this chapter. The direwolves were howling, Bran was howling, …

Except for the fact the old gods were calling Bran in his dreams and maybe some influences through the wolves, the old gods were not really present in their form of divine inspiration.

The mantle of the “old gods” was actually carried in this chapter by the POV. In several instances when it should be the old gods that should act it was Bran who acted. It was Bran who looked through the eyes of the tree, it was Bran who remembered, it was Bran who searched for the truth, it was Bran who didn’t want to welcome outsiders in the crypts, … You could say Bran was the most important “old god” in this chapter

Hey Tijgy!  That was an excellent read, I thoroughly enjoyed it and you touched on a lot of really interesting thoughts.  :)

I especially like the association of the howling that seems to perhaps parallel all the Old Gods evidence you've pointed out in this chapter.  [As you've said the howling makes Bran stronger etc.....]  And the way you summed up the various Old Gods traits from the chapter was awesome.  Particularly the tower being a tree and that Bran was sitting, watching from the [eyes] windows of the tower, that's a great catch. [Whoever the Tumblr user was]

With all the other the great stuff you've picked up on, this is a good example of how GRRM can play with this whole line of enquiry.  No wind, but loads of word association/actions to pick up on regards similarities to all the Old Gods/greenseers in the text.  Great post, some really good thoughts Tijgy!  :D             

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9 hours ago, Wizz-The-Smith said:

Hey Tijgy!  That was an excellent read, I thoroughly enjoyed it and you touched on a lot of really interesting thoughts.  :)

I especially like the association of the howling that seems to perhaps parallel all the Old Gods evidence you've pointed out in this chapter.  [As you've said the howling makes Bran stronger etc.....]  And the way you summed up the various Old Gods traits from the chapter was awesome.  Particularly the tower being a tree and that Bran was sitting, watching from the [eyes] windows of the tower, that's a great catch. [Whoever the Tumblr user was]

With all the other the great stuff you've picked up on, this is a good example of how GRRM can play with this whole line of enquiry.  No wind, but loads of word association/actions to pick up on regards similarities to all the Old Gods/greenseers in the text.  Great post, some really good thoughts Tijgy!  :D             

Thanks. I am now busy on Bran II, ACOK. 

At first I thought I would be quickly done with it. At first sight it looks mostly political stuff but then I saw something interesting regarding the methods the Old Gods use to influence Bran, Jon, ... I believe GRRM inspired himself for that not only by Homer's writing but also another famous Greek "writer". 

But it is really taking some time. So I hope you will enjoy that too.

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Bran II, ACOK

Introduction

When I started to write this analysis, I thought I was going to be able to keep the analysis of this chapter very short. Bran II, ACOK is actually considered one of the more political chapters of Bran and doesn’t focus (at first sight!) that much on Bran’s development as a greenseer and as an old god. This opinion was really visible in the first draft of my introduction which included sentences like “Unlike Bran I, ACOK, Bran is here not acting as “an old god” but as the Stark of Winterfell”; “This has as result I was not really able to see a larger theme concerning the old gods in this chapter.” “There were not some big structures, like the similar divine inspiration that could be found in Jon’s and Tyrion’s chapter, or like Bran practicing the duties of the old gods in Bran I, ACOK”.

Personally, to reread that introduction after spending hours at my current analysis was actually very funny. Because I managed to stumble on something that in my opinion  might clarify by which piece of literature, next to Homer, GRRM might have been inspired when he wrote those pieces wherein some characters (Bran, Jon, Tyrion, Theon(?), …) were being influenced by the old gods. I think this piece of literature might have been the allegory of the cave by Plato. So you can say that I did see here a larger theme concerning the old gods and even a bigger structure than we discussed already earlier. My bad … and this resulted that this analysis even became longer than my analysis of Bran I, ACOK.

In this first post I will first give a synopsis of the chapter, then I will quote some important sentences, phrases, … which refer to the old gods, direwolves*, … and give my own remarks and speculations on them. Those remarks were written before I wrote the second post which consists of a comparison between the allegory of the cave and the chapter of Bran I and II (next to some references to other parts of ASOIAF) with as consequence the remarks are almost unsullied with the idea GRRM wrote those sentences to parallel the allegory of the cave. I also honestly think this allegory of the cave is not only important to these Bran’s chapters but also to a lot of other Bran’s and Jon’s chapters and even maybe to the chapters of some other characters. 

* It might always be interesting that you also rereads the chapters and might warn us all if I did miss something.

 

Some author notes:

 

  • During my text I sometimes underline some words. This only means that in the books the words are cursive, because they are parts of the story that are the thoughts of the POV Character. 

  • I also refer here just to the "Old Gods". This can of course how being interpreted according to your opinion: Bloodraven, seers of the Children, ...).

  • The problem I have is that the children are not really the “masters” of their direwolves. They are friends, companions, … And as a result to that problem I always feel it necessary to call the direwolves the four-legged friends of the Little Starks and the Little Starks the two-legged friends of the direwolves … I should start to make a whole dictionary for my writings. And Little XX just mean the children of house XX. And Raven is of course Mormont’s raven.

 

I hope you will enjoy this one too!

Synopsis

In this chapter a lot of visitors are arriving in Winterfell for the harvest feast and to handle some business with maester Luwin and Ser Rodrik Cassel, the castelan of Winterfell and the King in the North’s representative. The visitors are Lord Manderley, Lady Hornwood, Mors and Hothor Umber, the steward of the Glovers and Leobald Tallheart. Bran is also present during those meetings because “He must play the prince in his father’s solar.”

Except for those meetings and some talks with Luwin and Cassel, he has an encounter with the Little Freys, he visits Summer in the godswood and in the end of the chapter he is riding on Dancer when the Cerwyns arrive at Winterfell.

The Stark in Winterfell

Collection of possible references to the old gods, Bloodraven, direwolves and Bran’s powers

You are your brother’s heir and the Stark in Winterfell

Bran had welcomed them to Winterfell from his father’s high stone seat with direwolces carved into the arms, and afterwards Ser Rodrik has said he’d done well. ”

A Stark only needs his direwolf"

Some remarks on the quotes

Here is one of the many references to the Stark in Winterfell. It has been theorized several times the Stark in Winterfell might have a magical meaning in connection with the powers of the old gods.

As the Stark in Winterfell Bran is placed in “his father’s high stone seat with direwolces carved into the arms”. IIRC he is placed many times in his father’s seat. As a greenseer he will of course sit in a seat made in the roots of the weirwood just like Lord Brynden. (He sits also later in his father’s oak chair during the meetings)

A Stark only needs his direwolf". Bran actually thinks this when he is thinking about the fact the Little Freys need to have several sigils on their quartered shield and that the Little Freys have need for honor. According to Bran he as a Stark only needs his direwolf. This certainly accentuates the bond the Starks have with their wolves.

The visit to the godswood

Collection of possible references to the old gods, Bloodraven, direwolves and Bran’s powers

 

He liked to spend time with his wolf every day, when Ser Rodrik and the maester allowed it.”

No sooner had Hodor entered the godswood than Summer emerged from under an oak, almost as if he had known they were coming. Bran glimpsed a lean black shape watching from the undergrowth as well. "Shaggy," he called. "Here, Shaggydog. To me." But Rickon's wolf vanished as swiftly as he'd appeared.

“Hodor knew Bran's favorite place, so he took him to the edge of the pool beneath the great spread of the heart tree, where Lord Eddard used to kneel to pray. Ripples were running across the surface of the water when they arrived, making the reflection of the weirwood shimmer and dance. There was no wind, though. For an instant Bran was baffled. (note: Bran’s reaction is kind of hilarious)

And then Osha exploded up out of the pool with a great splash, so sudden that even Summer leapt back, snarling. Summer crept close and sniffed at her (note: sniffing direwolf). "I wanted to touch the bottom." "I never knew there was a bottom.”

Some remarks on the quotes

We are seeing the growing connection between Bran and the old gods. He wants to spend his whole day with Summer (“He liked to spend time with his wolf every day”). And his favorite place is the place near the heart tree (Hodor knew Bran's favorite place, so he took him to the edge of the pool beneath the great spread of the heart tree, where Lord Eddard used to kneel to pray.). The most interesting thing is actually that Bran used to be afraid of the heart tree (The heart tree had always frightened him; trees ought not have eyes, Bran thought, or leaves that looked like hands AGOT, Bran II). But by now it actually has become his favorite place in the godswood.

A little focus on the direwolves’ actions:

“Summer emerged from under an oak, almost as if he had known they were coming”: here rises again the question does Summer knows this because of the connection with Bran or because the old gods told Summer. But apparently there is “no wind”, so he probably knew it because of his connection with Bran. However …

“Bran glimpsed a lean black shape watching from the undergrowth as well.” But Rickon's wolf vanished as swiftly as he'd appeared. (…) And then Osha exploded up out of the pool with a great splash.” "I wanted to touch the bottom." "I never knew there was a bottom.” (note: Could this be a foreshadowing of Rickon’s part in the civil war in the North? A sudden but short appearance? The bottomless pool is the cornerstone of some theories where people believe there is a whole maze of tunnels which Bran and his companions will use to arrive at Winterfell and where they will explode up out those tunnels in the same way as Osha – Or that is at least how I interpret those theories)

The reference to a black shape watching from the undergrowth is interesting. It reminds me of Lord Brynden, someone cloaked in black who is also watching from the undergrowth. Maybe the old gods were watching and they took a little peek at Bran (and could have warned Summer?)?

The part of Rickon’s wolf can also just mean Shaggy is just not interested in the brother of his two-legged friend.

“Ripples were running across the surface of the water when they arrived, making the reflection of the weirwood shimmer and dance. There was no wind, though. For an instant Bran was baffled.”

I admit for an instant I thought Bran made the connection between the old gods and the wind. But he just think the ripples are weird because there is no wind.

But regardless this, there is clearly put an emphasis on “there is no wind. So this should mean there are no gods there at the moment? The reflection of the weirwood that shimmers and dances is very interesting. How should we understand this?

Maybe some other people who are more acknowledged in literature, can maybe shed more light how we should interpret this image.? Personally, it did reminded me of Plato’s allegory of the cave where the chained men sees the shadows of the representation of an Idea on the opposite wall. (note: and at this moment I thought … fuck. There goes my idea to write just some commentary on some interesting parts of this chapter. No!; infra).

The shimmering and dancing of the reflection of the weirwood gives to me a short of impression the old gods are not really there  if you read together this with the fact there was no wind. If you read this together with the vanishing black shape, it might been that the old gods are just taking a little peek at Bran and are busy with some other things.

But with what could those old gods being busy? At the same time Jon is travelling beyond the wall. Maybe the old gods are too busy with looking through Raven’s eyes? After this chapter of Bran we have a Sansa’s chapter where there is also a presence of the gods: the chapter wherein she goes for the first time to the godswood in King’s Landing and wherein she prays for a true knight … and Sandor appears (note: something I will analyse in the future especially because it is about Sandor and Sansa).

The wolf dreams

Collection of possible references to the old gods, Bloodraven, direwolves and Bran’s powers

"You have more of them wolf dreams?"

"No." He did not like to talk about the dreams. “A prince should lie better than that.” (…)

She should never have talked about the wolf dreams, Bran thought as Hodor carried him up the steps to his bedchamber. He fought against sleep as long as he could, but in the end it took him as it always did. On this night he dreamed of the weirwood. It was looking at him with its deep red eyes, calling to him with its twisted wooden mouth, and from its pale branches the three-eyed crow came flapping, pecking at his face and crying his name in a voice as sharp as swords.

Remarks on quotes

Just like in last chapter, he is dreaming here again of the weirwood “who is calling to him”. There is here reference to “deep red eyes” (the eyes of weirwood trees, the eyes of some singers who are greenseers, the eyes of albinos who are connected to the old gods (Bloodraven, the Ghost of High Heart – also very interesting chapter for this thread, Ghost, …)). There is “twisted wooden mouth”.

The three-eyed crow is flapping, pecking at Bran’s face to make Bran see through his third eye and his voice is “sharp as swords”. Does anyone know where similar words “sharp as swords” are used?  

A nightmare

Collection of possible references to the old gods, Bloodraven, direwolves and Bran’s powers

The following happened after Bran hears from Cley that the children of Cersei are born out of an incestuous relationship between Cersei and Jaime:

“For a moment Bran felt as though he could not breathe. A giant hand was crushing his chest. He felt as though he was falling, and clutched desperately at Dancer's reins.”

“That night Bran prayed to his father's gods for dreamless sleep. If the gods heard, they mocked his hopes, for the nightmare they sent was worse than any wolf dream.” (note: the old gods are evil)

"Fly or die!" cried the three-eyed crow as it pecked at him. He wept and pleaded but the crow had no pity. It put out his left eye and then his right, and when he was blind in the dark it pecked at his brow, driving its terrible sharp beak deep into his skull. He screamed until he was certain his lungs must burst. The pain was an axe splitting his head apart, but when the crow wrenched out its beak all slimy with bits of bone and brain, Bran could see again. What he saw made him gasp in fear. He was clinging to a tower miles high, and his fingers were slipping, nails scrabbling at the stone, his legs dragging him down, stupid useless dead legs. "Help me!" he cried. A golden man appeared in the sky above him and pulled him up. "The things I do for love," he murmured softly as he tossed him out kicking into empty air.

Some remarks on quotes

It think it is important that according to Bran thinks “the nightmare they sent was worse than any wolf dream”. It was not a wolf dream so maybe the old gods might have listenend and send for one time no dreams?* I think however the meeting with Cley brought some memories back to Bran that Bran has been repressing. It looks like he has a real anxiety attack. Because the old gods are leaving him this night alone, his mind is now free to have a nightmare about all those terrible thing happening to him (the annoying 3EC, his dream during his coma and his fall)? Is the nightmare a form of PTSD?

Or maybe the old gods are just evil and thought that he was ready to have a dream about the day he falled? Because he thinks “they sent” the nightmare.

* (Only thinking here about the religion and the powers of the old gods) - I am starting to think there are two sort of dreams. You have first for example the instances where Bran is dreaming about Summer. That are the dreams Bran have because of his own powers. You have secondly the instances where the old gods are sending the dreams, for example when Bran dreams of a weirwood tree who is calling to him. Similar instances can be the time where Sansa and Arya dream of a smiling Bran in the godswood of King’s Landing, Jojen’s dreams, ... It might be interesting to keep this in mind during the rereadings?

Other possible important quotes

“Long before the first pale fingers of light pried apart Bran’s shutters, his eyes were open.” (note: very interesting description of the breaking of the dawn?; earlier there was already “a giant hand crashing his chest”; infra)

A description of Luwin after he stops the fight between the Freys and Bran: “Sleeves flapping, he turned on his heels, stalked off a few paces, and glanced back” (to Bran) (note: just like the 3EC?).

I hope you enjoyed it and I will post the comparison with the allegory of the cave in the near future.

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1 hour ago, Tijgy said:

 

I'm all for looking for fresh perspectives but I think you are stretching with the connections to the old gods and the ripples on the water despite there being no wind.  GRRM is simply trying to introduce a brief mystery which is immediately solved by Osha's behavior.  Bran comes upon the pool to find it's surface rippling and thinks this strange because there is no wind.  Soon, Osha bursts from the depths of the pool, revealing that she created the ripples when she disturbed the water as she dove or swam below the surface.  The ripples are not supernatural in origin, but rather mundane in that an ordinary woman created them.  What is extraordinary in this scene is the timing of Osha diving below the surface of the water just before Bran and Hodor arrived at the pool.

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Appendix to Bran II, ACOK : Bran, ASOIAF and the allegory of the cave

Introduction

The hope to write only a small commentary on fragments of Bran II, ACOK, disappeared when I started to think about this particular phrase: “making the reflection of the weirwood shimmer and dance.

And like I said, I started to wonder what GRRM might mean by this phrase. I remembered then the allegory of the cave of Plato. And this changed my impression of this chapter and some part of Bran’s storyline. Why? Because IMHO there is a huge parallel between Bran’s chapters and the allegory of the cave (and even some other parts of ASOIAF). In this appendix I will primarily just some throw some ideas in the group how GRRM might have written this parallel. Because, if I am honest, I am not entirely sure the precise way GRRM did write this parallel.

I hoped first this was something already seen by some other bloggers, posters … So I start to look it at google and I used the search function on this forum to see if someone wrote something about this. I did not found anything. So if someone else read something similar, it might interesting to give the link to everyone. (and I am the first, I claim copyright. LOL)

I must admit however I am certainly no philosopher. The only things I know about Plato are things I learned in a long forgotten place (AKA High School and two courses at the beginning of my time at university) and things I picked quickly up of wikipedia. In high school I spent however some time translating this text from Old Greek to Dutch (my mother language). 

The allegory of the cave is written by Plato. Like most of his writings, it takes the form of a dialogue between Socrates and somebody else. Here Socrates has a conversation with Glaucon, who is the older brother of Plato. The dialogue is a part of his work Republic, according to wikipedia “a work concerning the definition of justice (δικαιοσύνη), the order and character of the just city-state and the just men.” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_(Plato))

This allegory is presented in his work after the analogy of the sun - This particular Bran’s chapter start with “Long before the first pale fingers of light pried apart Bran’s shutters, his eyes were open.” The whole chapter starts with a metaphor to describe the sun; it gives the sun fingers, it is prying Bran’s shutter open, … Can this being interpreted that the old gods (the sun) want open Bran’s third eye?

Examples of the allegory in ASOIAF

Wikipedia gives the following summary of the allegory of the cave:

Quote

 

“Socrates describe a gathering of people who have lived chained to the wall of a cave all of their lives, facing a blank wall. The people watch shadows projected on the wall from things passing in front of a fire behind them, and they begin to give names to these shadows. The shadows are as close as the prisoners get to viewing reality. He then explains how the philosopher is like a prisoner who is freed from the cave and comes to understand that the shadows on the wall do not make up reality at all, for he can perceive the true form of reality rather than the mere shadows seen by the prisoners.” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allegory_of_the_Cave)

 

Like I said, I did a quick search on google to see if someone wrote something about the allegory of the cave in connection with ASOIAF. The only thing I found were some ideas regarding Varys’ riddle to Tyrion: Power resides where men believe it resides, it’s a trick, a shadow on the wall, and a very small man can cast a very large shadow”.

In ASOIAF I think there are several example of this allegory. The most clear example is Bran’s storyline. Bran is literally called the “winged wolf” who is “chained to the earth”. During a large part of his storyline the three-eyed crow is trying to free Bran from his chains so that he can “fly” (ascend out of the cave/freed from the cave). When he flies, he will be able to uncover the truths long forgotten by the rest of the mankind (“see the truth that lies beneath the world” “Truths the First Men knew, forgotten know in Winterfell”.

I think the allegory can also be found in Jon’s storyline concerning the fact Jon rediscovers the fact the Wall wasn’t built to defend the realm against the wildlings but to defend the realms of (all) men. Jon is also chained, he is chained to the Night’s Watch by his vow. Like the other prisoners, the Night’s Watch men, he believes he must defend the realm against wildlings. But during his time beyond the Wall, the ascension of the Frostfangs with Qhorin, the meeting of Ygritte and the wildlings after that ascension, a new ascension of the Wall with the wildlings, the wolf dream, … he finally learn the truth about the wildlings and his vows.

I think the allegory can also be found in Bran’s dream during his coma, Jon’s dream, … in both dreams Bran and Jon are in a high place and are forced to learn the truth about something. Tyrion is also forced by the old gods (“the wind”) to ascend the Wall so he would see from there the truth about what lies beyond the Wall, …

Literal references of the allegory in Bran I and Bran II, ACOK

In this part I will literally compare the text of the allegory with the two Bran’s chapters to see if there exist a parallel between them (regarding the images both writers use). To describe the allegory I made use of the interpretation of the wikipedi and the following English translation (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allegory_of_the_Cave and http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/platoscave.html). Both sites have a picture of the cave which might make the allegory a little clearer. In some instances I will also refer to other parts of ASOIAF but I will focusing mostly on these Bran’s chapters (and beware the colors

Quote

 

Plato begins by asking Glaucon to imagine a cave where people have been imprisoned from childhood. These prisoners are chained so that their legs and necks are fixed, forcing them to gaze at the wall in front of them and not look around at the cave, each other, or themselves 

P: “human beings living in a underground den, which has a mouth* open towards the light and reaching all along the den; here they have been from their childhood, and have their legs and necks chained so that they cannot move”.

*It has been a time. But while in the Greek text Plato used indeed the Greek word for “mouth”, IIRC we translated in the class it as “tunnel”. So you can read the text as “cave, which has tunnel open towards the light.”

 

ASOIAF in general:

-       Jojen says about Bran: “I dreamed of a winged wolf bound to earth with grey stone chains (ACOK, Bran IV)”.

B    Current Bran's chapters:

-       Bran glimpsed a lean black shape watching from the undergrowth as well” (ACOK, Bran II). The “lean black shape”, Shaggydog, is also a prisoner: he is locked up in the godswood. (“Ser Rodrik had confined the wolves to the godswood after Shaggydog bit Little Walder” ACOK, Bran I; “He and his brother are both concerned how they need to find a way out. In the end he thinks: The world had tightened around them, but beyond the walled wood still stood the great grey caves of man-rockACOK, Bran I)

Quote

 

“Behind the prisoners is a fire, and between the fire and the prisoners is a raised walkway with a low wall, behind which people walk carrying objects or puppets "of men and other living things". The people walk behind the wall so their bodies do not cast shadows for the prisoners to see, but the objects they carry do ("just as puppet showmen have screens in front of them at which they work their puppets

P: "Above and behind them a fire is blazing at a distance, and between the fire and the prisoners there is a raised way; and you will see, if you look, a low wall built along the way, like the screen which marionette players have in front of them, over which they show the puppets."

 

ASOIAF in general: 

In my analysis of Jon's chapter I wrote the following: "The eyes of Ghost and the Raven are described in similar ways during this chapter: the eyes of the raven are a-glitter and the eyes of the wolf are glowing by the flames (“The bird tilted its head to one side, little eyes a-glitter”; “across the fire, a pair of red eyes regarded him from the shadows. The light of the flames made them glow). Is this a way of the writer to say both animals are influenced by the same thing, the old gods?"

There is here a reference to "fire", "shadows", the special effect by fire in the eyes of Raven and Ghost seen by the prisoner (Jon), the raven and the wolf are "puppets" who are played by the "marionette players", the old gods.

 

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The prisoners cannot see any of this behind them and are only able to see the shadows cast upon the cave wall in front of them” (…) Socrates suggests that the shadows constitute reality for the prisoners because they have never seen anything else; they do not realize that what they see are shadows of objects in front of a fire, much less that these objects are inspired by real living things outside the cave

P: “they see only their own shadows, or the shadows of one another, which the fire throws on the opposite wall of the cave?” “how could they see anything but the shadows if they were never allowed to move their heads?” “of the objects which are being carried in like manner they would only see the shadows”(…) “the truth would be literally nothing but the shadows of the images


 

 

ASOIAF in general: This is actually referred to a lot. A lot of ‘prisoners’ are only looking at the shadows (the wildlings, the war of five kings, …) while the true danger are the images (the Others).*

*Technically the images are stil an image of the Real Idea, which could be in the story the heart of Winter(?) Like I said the whole philosophy thing is a little too difficult to me.

In Bran II, ACOK, more specific:

Bran glimpsed a lean black shape watching from the undergrowth as well.” – “A lean black shape” in “the undergrowth”: Shaggydog is here compared to a “black shape”, a shadow. Like I said earlier, this reminded me of Bloodraven watching from the underground. Bran is here seeing Shaggydog while it might be Bloodraven that is watching?

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The sounds of the people talking echo off the shadowed wall, and the prisoners falsely believe these sounds come from the shadows 

P: “the prison had an echo which came from the other side, would they not be sure to fancy when one of the passers-by spoke that the voice which they heard came from the passing shadow”.

 

ASOIAF in general - This of course reminds us of an other echo which we prominent associate with the old gods: the wind who make the branches croak, the brustling of the leaves of the trees, … Sometimes some people even hear a voice, for example Theon. And they think they are said by the trees while they are said by the old gods/greenseer?

Bran's chapters in specific - In my analysis I already wondered on the fact the howling sounded queer: "Their voices echoed through the yard and halls until the castle rang  and it seemed as though some great pack of direwolves haunted Winterfell, instead of only two … two where there had once been six." (ACOK, Bran I) – the ghosts/shades/shadows of the other wolves are howling with Shaggy and Summer; castle is also Bran’s prison; he isn’t allowed to leave.

 

"Ser Rodrik had confined the wolves to the godswood after Shaggydog bit Little Walder, but the stones of Winterfell played queer tricks with sound, and sometimes it sounded as if they were in the yard right below Bran's window. Other times he would have sworn they were up on the curtain walls, loping round like sentries. He wished that he could see them". (ACOK, Bran I); Bran hear the wolves in places where they are not; they are in those places only ‘shadows’; he want to see the real wolves; not the ‘shadows’.

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Plato then supposes that one prisoner is freed, being forced to turn and see the fire. The light would hurt his eyes and make it hard for him to see the objects that are casting the shadows.

P: “see what will naturally follow if the prisoners are released and disabused of their error. At first, when any of them is liberated and compelled suddenly to stand up and turn his neck round and walk and look towards the light, he will suffer sharp pains; the glare will distress him”

 

ASOIAF in general:

-        Is Bran not released by the three-eyed crow? Is this a reference to Bran’s dream (when he is in a coma)? (the most important one)

-        Jon’s wolf dream as analyzed by Evita through the eyes of Ghost; ending in an attack by the eagle which hurts Ghost.

Other examples? 
 

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If he is told that what he saw before was not real but instead that the objects he is now struggling to see are, he would not believe it. In his pain, Plato continues, the freed prisoner would turn away and run back to what he can see and is accustomed to, that is the shadows of the carried objects.

P: “he will be unable to see the realities of which in his former state he had seen the shadows; and then conceive some one saying to him, that what he saw before was an illusion, but that now, when he is approaching nearer to being and his eye is turned towards more real existence, he has a clearer vision, -what will be his reply? And you may further imagine that his instructor is pointing to the objects as they pass and requiring him to name them, -- will he not be perplexed? Will he not fancy that the shadows which he formerly saw are truer than the objects which are now shown to him?”

 

ASOIAF - Bran :

Bran doesn’t want to see to the realities. The 3EC keeps to try make him see, … He only sees the weirwood in his dreams, the crow, … and the person behind it. (They dream tree dreams. I dream of a tree sometimes. A weirwood, like the one in the godswood. It calls to me. The wolf dreams are better; Bran I, ACOK)

Bran is told by several instructors what the reality is. You have of course Jojen in later chapters, Osha (You should not fight so hard, boy. I see you talking to the heart tree. Might be the gods are trying to talk back, Bran I, ACOK); the three-eyed crow who visits his dreams and tries to open his third eye.

In this chapter GRRM made a comparison between the three-eyed crow and Luwin, who is Bran’s instructor in daily life:

Sleeves flapping, he turned on his heels, stalked off a few paces, and glanced back” and “the three-eyed crow came flapping.

ASOIAF - Jon:

I think Jon's instructors are maybe Qhorin(?), Ygritte ("You know nothing Jon Snow), Mance Rayder, ...  

 

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Plato continues: "suppose...that someone should drag him...by force, up the rough ascent, the steep way up, and never stop until he could drag him out into the light of the sun."The prisoner would be angry and in pain, and this would only worsen when the radiant light of the sun overwhelms his eyes and blinds him. (Addition of the writer of wikipedia: The sunlight is representative of the new reality and knowledge that the freed prisoner is experiencing.)

P: “suppose once more, that he is reluctantly dragged up a steep and rugged ascent, and held fast until he 's forced into the presence of the sun himself, is he not likely to be pained and irritated? When he approaches the light his eyes will be dazzled, and he will not be able to see anything at all of what are now called realities.

 

In this particular chapter we have Bran’s nightmare: “That night Bran prayed to his father's gods for dreamless sleep. If the gods heard, they mocked his hopes, for the nightmare they sent was worse than any wolf dream.”

"Fly or die!" cried the three-eyed crow as it pecked at him. He wept and pleaded but the crow had no pity. It put out his left eye and then his right, and when he was blind in the dark it pecked at his brow, driving its terrible sharp beak deep into his skull. He screamed until he was certain his lungs must burst. The pain was an axe splitting his head apart, but when the crow wrenched out its beak all slimy with bits of bone and brain, Bran could see again. What he saw made him gasp in fear. He was clinging to a tower miles high, and his fingers were slipping, nails scrabbling at the stone, his legs dragging him down, stupid useless dead legs. "Help me!" he cried. A golden man appeared in the sky above him and pulled him up. "The things I do for love," he murmured softly as he tossed him out kicking into empty air.

Bran struggles against his dreams a lot. In this chapter he actually prays to be left alone but he has still a nightmare. He believes the old gods sent him still this dream. This is an important part of the beginning of Bran’s arc.

The three-eyed crow is one of several persons who is trying to make Bran see. He irritates Bran by constantly pecking at him.

The “Fly or die” in Bran’s chapter is similar to the ascension. There are in fact several  ascensions in the books where the ascender is confronted with the truth. In some of Bran’s wolf dreams: “he could race up the sides of mountains, jagged icy mountains taller than any tower, and stand at the summit beneath the full moon with all the world below him, the way it used to be.” When Jon has his wolf dream, Ghost is on a cliff overseeing the wildlings. During his time with the wildlings (and the ascension of the Wall) Jon is starting to know them. Tyrion is “forced by the wind” to ascend the Wall to see the truth.

And of course: The world had tightened around them, but beyond the walled wood still stood the great grey caves of man-rock. Winterfell, he remembered, the sound coming to him suddenly. Beyond its sky-tall man-cliffs the true world was calling, and he knew he must answer or die.” – Bran is in Winterfell (caves of man-rock) and later he ascend to the “true world”. Bran must answer/fly/ascend or die.  

Tyrion is blind in the end for the truth about and Jon is almost blinded by Orell’s eagle. And Bran is made blind by the 3EC in the nightmare in this chapter.

In his nightmare Bran also sees “a golden man appeared in the sky above him” (Jaime). He sees something yellow in the sky (the sun)? In Bran’s dream (AGOT, Bran III) Bran sees “Another was armored like the sun, golden and beautiful” and it sometimes believed this person is Jaime.

In the beginning of this chapter we had also a personification of the sun: “Long before the first pale fingers of light pried apart Bran’s shutters, his eyes were open”. And when he hears about the incest, Bran has this reaction: “A giant hand was crushing his chest. He felt as though he was falling.”

In this chapter the sun is giving fingers and later Bran thinks a giant is crushing his chest en he is falling. In his nightmare the sun (golden men in the sky) pulls him up by hand and toss his in the empty air so that he falls.

 

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Slowly, his eyes adjust to the light of the sun. First he can only see shadows. Gradually he can see the reflections of people and things in water and then later see the people and things themselves. Eventually he is able to look at the stars and moon at night until finally he can look upon the sun itself.

P: He will require to grow accustomed to the sight of the upper world. And first he will see the shadows best, next the reflections of men and other objects in the water, and then the objects themselves; then he will gaze upon the light of the moon and the stars and the spangled heaven; and he will see the sky and the stars by night better than the sun or the light of the sun by day?


 

 

 

Bran: Bran glimpsed a lean black shape watching from the undergrowth as well. (…). Ripples were running across the surface of the water when they arrived, making the reflection of the weirwood shimmer and dance. There was no wind, though. For an instant Bran was baffled.

Bran sees first a shadow, then a reflection of an object in the water, and then … is Bran interrupted by the sudden appearance of Osha who is coming from a bottomless pool(? - out of a cave?). It is also interesting that Bran thinks “there was no wind”. Bran doesn’t hear any echoes because he is not longer inside the cave and went (metaphorically) outside?

 

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Only after he can look straight at the sun "is he able to reason about it" and what it is.

“Last of he will be able to see the sun, and not mere reflections of him in the water, but he will see him in his own proper place, and not in another; and he will contemplate him as he is. He will then proceed to argue that this is he who gives the season and the years, and is the guardian of all that is in the visible world, and in a certain way the cause of all things which he and his fellows have been accustomed to behold?

 

 

ASOIAF: Bran is not yet there. After he sees the sun, he falls. You can however say he is doing this in the ADWD? Of will do this in the future? 

 

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And the allegory ends:

The returning prisoner, whose eyes have become acclimated to the light of the sun, would be blind when he re-enters the cave, just as he was when he was first exposed to the sun. The prisoners, according to Socrates, would infer from the returning man's blindness that the journey out of the cave had harmed him and that they should not undertake a similar journey. Socrates concludes that the prisoners, if they were able, would therefore reach out and kill anyone who attempted to drag them out of the cave.  

 

ASOIAF: Bran enters again a cave; Jon is killed by his “fellow prisoners” when he is telling them the "truth" ; …

Conclusion

Personally, I think this parallel between the allegory and some parts of ASOIAF is very interesting. I must say however that this post was mostly throwing this idea in the group and this is certainly not a complete comparison between the whose series and the allegory. I just focused here on the two chapters of Bran and possible in some other chapters a parallel can be found between the text of the chapters and the allegory (f.e. "then he will gaze upon the light of the moon and the stars and the spangled heaven; and he will see the sky and the stars by night better than the sun or the light of the sun by day?" - in Bran III, ADWD there are several references to the change of the moon; Jon and Ygritte look together at the stars?...)

Let me know what you think :D It is always possible I see things where there isn't anything ... but if I am honest, there are too much parallels between the allegory and Bran's storyline, the texts of the allegory and the chapters to be a coincidence. 

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1 hour ago, White Ravens said:

I'm all for looking for fresh perspectives but I think you are stretching with the connections to the old gods and the ripples on the water despite there being no wind.  GRRM is simply trying to introduce a brief mystery which is immediately solved by Osha's behavior.  Bran comes upon the pool to find it's surface rippling and thinks this strange because there is no wind.  Soon, Osha bursts from the depths of the pool, revealing that she created the ripples when she disturbed the water as she dove or swam below the surface.  The ripples are not supernatural in origin, but rather mundane in that an ordinary woman created them.

You are indeed right the ripples are just made by Osha. I forgot to mention that. And I must say reading and analyzing an chapter with the whole time looking at thing done by the old god makes you see the old gods everywhere :D

I am actually not really that concerned with the ripples but more with the fact Bran thinks there is no wind and the shimmering and dancing reflection of the weirwoodIt can indeed just GRRM who wants to introduce a brief (humane) mystery but it is weird he would just use "wind" and "weirwood" for that. Weirwood refers directly to the old gods and wind is several times used to indicate the presence of the old gods. It is especially that reflection of the weirwood that makes me suspicious and makes me think there is something more than just "why is the pond rippling?". What that something more is, would be the question. In my analysis I wrote the possibility of the absence of the old gods, the little peekings of the old gods. 

In my second post I said GRRM might use those words to make a parallel with the allegory of the cave ("Bran sees first a shadow, then a reflection of an object in the water, and then … is Bran interrupted by the sudden appearance of Osha who is coming from a bottomless pool(? - out of a cave?). It is also interesting that Bran thinks “there was no wind”. Bran doesn’t hear any echoes because he is not longer inside the cave and went (metaphorically) outside?"). If he just wanted to make a parallel, it can of course mean that was the reason he used the words "there is no wind" and "reflection of the weirwood" and that the text is indeed silent on the presence or the absence of the old gods. 

But like I said it can indeed be a little mystery introduced by GRRM. I admit I am very quick to speculate about things I read regarding this thread. But it is for that reason I try to separate the quotes and my own remarks/interpretation in order that the reader can try to form his own interpretation :D. (And I use also a lot of "?", might, ... I certainly don't take my own interpretations for the truth - so remarks, own interpretations of the texts different from mine are always very welcome)

1 hour ago, White Ravens said:

What is extraordinary in this scene is the timing of Osha diving below the surface of the water just before Bran and Hodor arrived at the pool.

I think this is just a coincidence? The fact she suddenly appears can indeed be very important as a foreshadowing but I do not think her sudden appearance might be caused by the old gods. However Osha is still indeed a person who is very knowledgable regarding the old gods. So I am not really sure. I am not really sure Osha is used as a "puppet" by the old gods like Raven, the direwolves, ... I think her importance is more related that she instructs Bran on them.

I think the image created by this sudden appearance is very important as a foreshadowing, ...

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5 hours ago, Tijgy said:

“Ripples were running across the surface of the water when they arrived, making the reflection of the weirwood shimmer and dance. There was no wind, though. For an instant Bran was baffled.”

I admit for an instant I thought Bran made the connection between the old gods and the wind. But he just think the ripples are weird because there is no wind.

1.] But regardless this, there is clearly put an emphasis on “there is no wind”. So this should mean there are no gods there at the moment? The reflection of the weirwood that shimmers and dances is very interesting. How should we understand this?

Maybe some other people who are more acknowledged in literature, can maybe shed more light how we should interpret this image.? Personally, it did reminded me of Plato’s allegory of the cave where the chained men sees the shadows of the representation of an Idea on the opposite wall.

Hi Tijgy!  Wow, you've been busy.  Good work.  :P  Again you touched on some cool stuff.  More time needed to reply to some of it, but some thoughts anyway.

1.]  About the scene at the WW and the Old Gods presence.  I don't think there has to be too much of an insinuation towards the Old Gods presence in the text/wind, as we know the Weirwood has it's eyes, and they can see through them at will.  They don't have to be there 'live' as such, as they could just tap into the weirnet if they happened to miss it.  Although I think they probably were there, watching Bran through the tree.  Any scene in front of a WW is IMO certainly info they are privy too, no need for wind or one eyed creatures or crows, ravens etc...... They can see it through the tree.

I do find it interesting that GRRM has 'informed us' there is no wind though, perhaps a clever deflection?  To overplay something is poor writing and easy to spot.  And there is no need of an outside influence/presence here because of the WW.  A subtle [deflective] clue?  [It must be noted that 'a shimmer and dance' of a WW, even in a reflection, could well be a very subtle insinuation of a 'rustling of leaves']  I'll have to re-read these chapters. :) 

On the various descriptive text or examples of personification, there are stacks of it from A-Z in Asoiaf, but most is the author bringing a scene to life as writers will.  However, with what we know of BR, Wolves, the Old Gods, rustling leaves........ after ADWD, a re-read shows a 'small %' of this descriptive/personified text perhaps relates to their presence.  The wind whispering through trees, making cloaks become half alive, making people half blind, the soldiers/sentinels seemingly protecting Bran & co after the wind was insinuated to be in trees, the Direwolves, all the Weirwood stuff etc......... 

The way I [Kinda] see it is...............................

Whenever in the presence of a WW/Godswood/in the Crypts [potentially at Winterfell and the Wall, HH, Gods eye] all info is fair game for the Old Gods, they can see or hear everything ever said throughout history, whether live or weirnet recorded.

Away from the WW's is more tricky, they have their ravens/crows/one eyed creatures etc....... Some relevant text would be nice [Flitting from tree to tree, one eye, blah blah]  These are found throughout the books, and IMO all worth considering.  But also, all they have ever seen throughout history is fair game, kind of reporting back to the weirnet. BR: 'The trees are calling me'

Also there's the mist/wind/elements that we are investigating.  BR is confirmed to manipulate the mist, and perform glamour's, so why not empower the wind?  Where text allows it, all this pretty much covers all the places they may want to go.

Then the dreams.  Of course we know they manipulate them as well.  With messages or insinuations of a path that lay ahead etc.............  They have many bases covered.

So any descriptive stuff we're looking for in the text/wind/mist/trees should relate textually to what we know of BR/old gods.  For the wind, a north wind, howling, through trees, whispering, gusting, subtly bringing other trees to life etc.....   For a presence, one eye, glittering eyes etc...... 

Thanks for the posts Tijgy, I haven't touched on half of what you mentioned, let alone the Plato stuff.  Much to ponder there, some of which I can totally see where you're coming from, but also some loose ends.  This is typical of GRRM, he will never just simulate something, yet play with various myths/histories/religions to create his own version.  Much of what you looked at is I'm sure in some way an inspiration to George, and you've pointed out a lot to back this notion, but more research needed. 

I'm enjoying reading your posts regardless of opinion, you're grabbing some of the key text around the old gods and what we're looking for in this thread.  With discussion we can only rule something out at worst, so why not muse about it here, this is a speculative thread.  Will post more soon.  :D          

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Good essays T!  I never connected Bran watching from his window in WF to watching from the weirnet and appreciate bringing that idea forward from where ever you might have encountered it.  :) 

Now I have to admit that Plato's shadow allegory isn't my favorite but I do feel you did a good job arguing it.  One might say that what things seem to be and what they really are is a running theme in the books and I would agree with that.

Perhaps the argument could be made that Jojen played the part of first bringing Bran out of cave and starting the process of seeing what the shadows really are.  The 3EC gave Bran the power to see and showed him the heart of winter, but he needs Jojen and Merra to help him along the way to turn the shadows into concrete forms. 

Also, in your first essay, you focused on the howling of the wolves and what the howling might have meant.  Bran thinks the wolves are mourning, but who or what?  There isn't a family death in these chapters so if their mourning it's something unknown  to the readers.  Bran joins in the howling, he has Stark blood, wolf blood, and the wolves recognize that and howl with him.

 

On 2/14/2016 at 5:37 PM, Wizz-The-Smith said:

I'm enjoying reading your posts regardless of opinion, you're grabbing some of the key text around the old gods and what we're looking for in this thread.  With discussion we can only rule something out at worst, so why not muse about it here, this is a speculative thread.  Will post more soon.  :D      

Agree with Wizz here too. 

:cheers:

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On 14-2-2016 at 2:37 AM, Wizz-The-Smith said:

Hi Tijgy!  Wow, you've been busy.  Good work.  :P  Again you touched on some cool stuff.  More time needed to reply to some of it, but some thoughts anyway.

Thanks :D

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1.]  About the scene at the WW and the Old Gods presence.  I don't think there has to be too much of an insinuation towards the Old Gods presence in the text/wind, as we know the Weirwood has it's eyes, and they can see through them at will.  They don't have to be there 'live' as such, as they could just tap into the weirnet if they happened to miss it.  Although I think they probably were there, watching Bran through the tree.  Any scene in front of a WW is IMO certainly info they are privy too, no need for wind or one eyed creatures or crows, ravens etc...... They can see it through the tree.

I do find it interesting that GRRM has 'informed us' there is no wind though, perhaps a clever deflection?  To overplay something is poor writing and easy to spot.  And there is no need of an outside influence/presence here because of the WW.  A subtle [deflective] clue?  [It must be noted that 'a shimmer and dance' of a WW, even in a reflection, could well be a very subtle insinuation of a 'rustling of leaves']  I'll have to re-read these chapters. :) 

(...)

I just think it is really weird that Bran just thinks that there is no wind and you have indeed then that shimmering and dancing reflection of the weirwood. And this ... 

On 13-2-2016 at 6:08 PM, Tijgy said:

“Ripples were running across the surface of the water when they arrived, making the reflection of the weirwood shimmer and dance. There was no wind, though. For an instant Bran was baffled.”

There is a real emphasis. Like White Ravens said, this might indeed be to introduce a little mystery that GRRM introduces. O no, what is happening? The water is rippling without any wind? Is it Nessie (Edit: Wait is she/he dead) I believe he really wants to put our attention to what is happening here. But it might indeed that there is here happening regarding but that he might foreshadowing us to the sudden re-appearance of Osha (and Rickon)? Or he wants our attention on the bottomless pool? The tunnels under it Winterfell? 

On 14-2-2016 at 2:37 AM, Wizz-The-Smith said:

Thanks for the posts Tijgy, I haven't touched on half of what you mentioned, let alone the Plato stuff.  Much to ponder there, some of which I can totally see where you're coming from, but also some loose ends.  This is typical of GRRM, he will never just simulate something, yet play with various myths/histories/religions to create his own version.  Much of what you looked at is I'm sure in some way an inspiration to George, and you've pointed out a lot to back this notion, but more research needed. 

It was my first thought on it so there are indeed a lot of loose ends. And I am starting really to see it everywhere. I am just really starting to think the way how the philosopher learns in the allegory is the inspiration to GRRM how he describes in a more poetic way the learning processes of certain characters.

But he does indeed play with several myths/histories/... at the same time. I read several essays how celtic stories have influenced the story of Bran like the Fisher King, ... You have of course the Beauty and the Beast which is important to the Hound and Sansa, Brienne and Jaime. And he does indeed play with it (and I hopes he plays with it because the prisoner is killed in the end - I don't want to be Killed). Regarding to Bran, it is actually an older freed prisoner (Bloodraven) who is dragging Bran out of the cave. But he doesn't drag him literally; Bran dreams of the 3EC pecking at him.

23 hours ago, LongRider said:

Good essays

Thanks

23 hours ago, LongRider said:

Now I have to admit that Plato's shadow allegory isn't my favorite but I do feel you did a good job arguing it. 

I am not really sure if you mean the Plato's shadow allegory but personally I really dislike philosophy. :D Philosophy and ethics were my two worst classes during my first three years of law school (undergraduate) and I am actually still traumatized by it. 

But if you mean the whole theory, the reason why I particular like it, is that it doesn't explain some things in those two chapters I couldn't earlier place it. You have for example the queer sounds of the direwolves. What is the meaning of that? Why did GRRM write this? You have also the nightmare of Bran. Something I personally really think that it was a reaction to the meeting of Cerwyn, his recurring dreams, ... He has here a little PTSD episode IMO. But then in that nightmare you have the fact Bran is being blinded by the crow, the sun, ... You have the fact "the flapping" of Luwin and the 3EC. So how more I am thinking about it, how more things fit? This makes me a little scarred I am starting to have a tunnel vision :D So just stop me when I am beginning to see it too much. 

23 hours ago, LongRider said:

Perhaps the argument could be made that Jojen played the part of first bringing Bran out of cave and starting the process of seeing what the shadows really are.  The 3EC gave Bran the power to see and showed him the heart of winter, but he needs Jojen and Merra to help him along the way to turn the shadows into concrete forms. 

 Jojen and Meera bring him indeed out one of the caves (Summer calls Winterfell man-cave or something like that). Personally I see 3EC dragging Bran also out of the cave by pecking in his dreams, ... I believe Osha is another one who is trying to free Bran from his chains. She is actually the one who know most about his dreams (she says that the old gods are trying to talk to him) ... until Jojen of course appears.

23 hours ago, LongRider said:

Also, in your first essay, you focused on the howling of the wolves and what the howling might have meant.  Bran thinks the wolves are mourning, but who or what?  There isn't a family death in these chapters so if their mourning it's something unknown  to the readers.  

Personally I think it is either they are still howling for Ned (they are expressing the sadness felt by their two-legged friends). Or they howling to mourn people of Winterfell who are going to die in the future

Or they might howl because their lost of freedom? They are locked up in the godswood and they are not really happy about it. So it might be their devious plan "how can we annoy those people who are imprisoning us". Those sneaky animals. And it works, only Bran doesn't mind it. It might also be something else than but I give the most credence to Bran's beliefs if it concerns Summer.  

On 14-2-2016 at 2:37 AM, Wizz-The-Smith said:

I'm enjoying reading your posts regardless of opinion, you're grabbing some of the key text around the old gods and what we're looking for in this thread.  With discussion we can only rule something out at worst, so why not muse about it here, this is a speculative thread.  Will post more soon.  :D          

 

23 hours ago, LongRider said:

Agree with Wizz here too. 

 

Thank you. I am really happy you are enjoying :D. I also think if you talk about "signs" of the old gods (wind, ...) you will always have some ambiguity. That is just one of the results if you talk about such things. And GRRM actually writes about that in ASOIAF: the meaning of the comet. It is the same comet everywhere but so many explanations are giving to it. You have the result with the question why do the wolves howl? There are also many explanations given to it. And I think it is the same to the question: does those words refer to a presence of the old gods? ... It will indeed always be speculation.  

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21 minutes ago, Tijgy said:

I am not really sure if you mean the Plato's shadow allegory but personally I really dislike philosophy. :D Philosophy and ethics were my two worst classes during my first three years of law school (undergraduate) and I am actually still traumatized by it. 

I mean Plato's allegory.  I only had one undergraduate class in philosophy and hated it too!!   LOL!

 

38 minutes ago, Tijgy said:

So how more I am thinking about it, how more things fit? This makes me a little scarred I am starting to have a tunnel vision :D So just stop me when I am beginning to see it too much. 

Yes, that tunnel vision can affect us all methinks.

 

39 minutes ago, Tijgy said:

Personally I see 3EC dragging Bran also out of the cave by pecking in his dreams, ... I believe Osha is another one who is trying to free Bran from his chains.

I like and agree with this, especially about Osha.

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  • 4 weeks later...
24 minutes ago, King Endymion Targaryen said:

Haven't read all the previous pages to seeif someone else wrote it but Bran appears in Jon VII in Clash of Kings, talking to Jon/Ghost through a weirwood beyond the Wall.

evita wrote a some posts about it - start on page four

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Analysis of Bran III, ACOK

Introduction

Hey, guys, here I am again with another analysis of one of Bran's chapters wherein we meet one of Bran's important mentors, the one and only Jojen Reed.  Like other times, I will first give a synopsis of the chapter, I will quote then some important sentences, phrases, … which refer to the old gods, direwolves*, … and give my own remarks and speculations on them.

Some author notes:

 

  • During my text I sometimes underline some words. This only means that in the books the words are cursive, because they are parts of the story that are the thoughts of the POV Character.
  • I also refer here just to the "Old Gods". This can of course how being interpreted according to your opinion: Bloodraven, seers of the Children, ...).
  • The problem I have is that the children are not really the “masters” of their direwolves. They are friends, companions, … And as a result to that problem I always feel it necessary to call the direwolves the four-legged friends of the Little Starks and the Little Starks the two-legged friends of the direwolves … I should start to make a whole dictionary for my writings. And Little XX just mean the children of house XX. And Raven is of course Mormont’s raven.

I hope you enjoy it :D

Synopsis

This chapter starts with Bran entering the Great Hall on Dancer as the Stark in Winterfell at the opening of the harvest feast of Winterfell (infra Beginning of the ceremony). During this feast Bran misses his direwolf, has a wake wolf dream and remembers his family (infra The musings of a greenseer and a warg during the feast and A memory from the crypts). During that feast the Little Reeds arrive at Winterfell, they swear an unusual oath to  Bran and they show a peculiar interest in the direwolves (infra …). When he starts to see people dance during the feast, Bran starts to feel sad he would never be able to dance and leaves the hall. After he falls in sleep, he has a wolf dream wherein Summer meets Jojen and Meera (infra …)

Beginning of the ceremony

Texts

Dancer was draped in bardings of snowy white wool emblazoned with the grey direwolf of House Stark, while Bran wore grey breeches and white doublet, his sleeves and collar trimmed with vair. 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 (note: example of Bran’s connection to his wolf), but Ser Rodrik had been unyielding.

(…)

Ser Rodrik was seated to Bran's left, his daughter Beth beside him. Rickon was to his right, his mop of shaggy auburn hair grown so long that it brushed his ermine mantle. He had refused to let anyone cut it since their mother had gone. The last girl to try had been bitten for her efforts (note: an example of the connection of Rickon and Shaggy; also parallel between Rickon and Sweetrobin). "I wanted to ride too," he said as Hodor led Dancer away. "I ride better than you."

(…)

"A hundred more!" Pewter tankards, clay cups, and iron-banded drinking horns clashed together. Bran's wine was sweetened with honey and fragrant with cinnamon and cloves, but stronger than he was used to. He could feel its hot snaky fingers wriggling through his chest as he swallowed (note: this is probably just a mention of alcohol). By the time he set down the goblet, his head was swimming.

Analysis

Shaggy

The following part of the text shows that Rickon and Shaggy are becoming more one, or at least that Rickon is starting to show some characteristics of Shaggy: “Rickon was to his right, his mop of shaggy auburn hair grown so long that it brushed his ermine mantle. He had refused to let anyone cut it since their mother had gone. The last girl to try had been bitten for her efforts”. IIRC there is a discussion from where Rickon’s and Shaggy’s wildness comes from? Is it Rickon who is becoming more a wolf or is Shaggy becoming wild thanks to Rickon’s loss over his parents and the anger and fear he feels thanks to that loss, …? This part of the text at least indicates that Rickon is being influenced by Shaggy (shaggy hair; bitten).

Summer

“He would sooner have had Summer than a silver wolf on his breast”. This is an example of how much a comfort Summer is to Bran (and at this moment Summer is actually the only one whom, I think, Bran calls friend or maybe Hodor too?).

Stark of Winterfell

I just wanted to add that Bran is here really acting as the Stark of Winterfell who rides on his horse (a sign of victory) in the hall of Winter-fell at the harvest feast. IMO I believe this is a nice symbolism of this ceremonial entrance ... I wonder if other houses would do this also at beginning of the harvest feasts or is this typical for the Starks? (Or is this foreshadowing for a possible victory in the end for the Starks?)

The musings of a greenseer and a warg during the feast.

Texts

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.” (1)

 It is too hot here, and too noisy, and they are all getting drunk. Bran itched under his grey and white woolens, and suddenly he wished he were anywhere but here. It is cool in the godswood now. Steam is rising off the hot pools, and the red leaves of the weirwood are rustling. The smells are richer than here, and before long the moon will rise and my brother will sing to it. (Rodrik says something to Bran) The waking dream had been so vivid, for a moment Bran had not known where he was. (2)

Analysis

(1) This is a reference to Bran’s future as a greenseer. Like I discussed in my analysis of Bran I, his watching through the window of his bedchamber could be a seen as Bran watching through the eyes (window) of a tree (Winterfell – bedchamber).

(2) I think this is the first time Bran wargs when he is awake even when he is still doing this unconciously. It is interesting he does this after “he wished he were anywhere but here”. This probably means that warging is a choice after training and not something Bran cannot control. I do not think we should put any additional meaning to the rustling red leaves except that GRRM here just wanting to show a connection between rustling leaves and the leaves of the weirwood?

A memory from the crypts

Texts

“Bran took another sip of the spiced honey wine from his father’s goblet, grateful  for something to clutch. The lifelike head of a snarling direwolf was raised on the side of the cup. He felt the silver muzzle pressing against his palm, and remembered the last time he had seen his lord father drink from this goblet.

(Bran remembers the feast at Winterfell with King Robert and his family) And now they are all gone. It was as if some cruel god 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 …(He remembers than ‘his old friends’ down on the benches – the servants who are gone)

He looked up and down the benches at all the faces happy and sad, and wondered who would 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.

At the foot of the hall, the door opened and a gust of cold air made the torches flame brighter for an instant. Meera and Jojen enter the Hall.

 Analysis

This is rather sad piece. Like mentioned in the Bran reread, this not the first time refers to the feast and remembers/dreams the feast. The reread provides the link to a thread which discussed those moments.

Theon also dreams of the feast for Robert at Winterfell (ACOK, Theon V). Jon has constantly dreams of them(AGOT, ASOS, Jon V and Samwell IV). Ned visits with Robert the crypts (AGOT, Eddard I) and also dreams of them (AGOT, Eddard XIII). 

The particular thread also refers to Dany's dream vision, probably of the Red Wedding. However according to the OP of the thread there is a possible connection between Dany’s vision and Jon’s and Theon’s dream. I think however the only link is it is about a feast and dead corpses. I think there is bigger connection to Dany’s vision and Bran’s experience of the feast. While you have indeed the food and dancing at the harvest feast, the words GRRM here use can be seen as rather warlike, for example:

On the dais, Lord Wyman attacked a steaming plate of lampreys as if they were an enemy host. He was so fat that Ser Rodrik had commanded that a special wide chair be built for him to sit in, but he laughed loud and often, and Bran thought he liked him. Poor wan Lady Hornwood sat beside him, her face a stony mask as she picked listlessly at her food. At the opposite end of the high table, Hother and Mors were playing a drinking game, slamming their horns together as hard as knights meeting in joust.

It is too hot here, and too noisy, and they are all getting drunk. Bran itched under his grey and white woolens, and suddenly he wished he were anywhere but here. It is cool in the godswood now. Steam is rising off the hot pools, and the red leaves of the weirwood are rustling. The smells are richer than here, and before long the moon will rise and my brother will sing to it.

Personally, I think this might be a foreshadowing to the Red Wedding (battle at a feast?) or even more likely the civil Northern war (Wyman attacking lampreys, Hother and Mors in a drinking game, …). 

In the spoiler tag you can find a list of similarities in the text between the different dreams of Theon, Ned and Jon and Bran's memories at the harvest feast (note: done for lenght). I hope you will forgive me I put not the entire dreams in this post. You can of course find it in the books :D (or even in the OP of the thread I put the link to). 

Spoiler

1. (Attacking/Snarling) Wolves

Theon: Grey Wind stalked beside, eyes burning, and man and wolf alike bled from half a hundred savage wounds.

Jon: But it was only a direwolf, grey and ghastly, spotted with blood, his golden eyes shining sadly through the dark... (here is the wolf just sad)

Ned: "the direwolves at their feet turned their great stone heads and snarled."

Bran: "The lifelike head of a snarling direwolf was raised on the side of the cup. He felt the silver muzzle pressing against his palm."

2. Memory of the dead (loved) ones.

Theon sees a lot of people: people who died in the south, people for whose death he is responsible and also Lyanna, Brandon and Rickard. At the end Robb enters with Grey Wind at this side.

Jon doesn’t see anyone but he calls for his brothers, Father and Uncle Benjen. At end of the dream he sees “a direwolf, grey and ghastly, spotted with blood, his golden eyes shining sadly through the dark.” In his later dreams he apparently hears Ned and Robb.

Ned dreams of Lyanna.

Bran remembers his Robert, Ned, maybe Uncle Benjen and his dead servants next to the other living who left. He personifies here the god as following “It was as if some cruel god reached down with a great hand and swept them all away”.

3. Cold air/shill:

Theon: “the cold winds were rising outside” (…) The sight of them sent fear shivering through Theon sharp as a knife” (…) a freezing gale.

Jon: . A chill wind was blowing on his neck

Ned: It was always cold down here.

Bran:  a gust of cold air

4. Happiness/sadness:

Theon: 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.

Jon: They are feasting in the Great Hall, but I am not welcome there (…). But it was only a direwolf, grey and ghastly, spotted with blood, his golden eyes shining sadly through the dark

Ned: The entire visit to the crypts is a mix with happiness and sadness. Robert is laughing while Ned is melancholy. They remember their times of the Eyrie and the death of Lyanna…

Bran: “He looked up and down the benches at all the faces happy and sad

5.  Dead Kings of the Winter:

Theon: “Along the walls figures halfseen moved through the shadows, pale shades with long grim faces.

Jon: “the stone kings on their thrones. Their grey granite eyes turned to follow him as he passed, and their grey granite fingers tightened on the hilts of the rusted swords upon their laps

Ned’s dream: “The Kings of Winter watched him pass with eyes of ice

Bran: No dead Kings for Bran … except during the feast he is the living representative of the Kings of the Winter and of the House Stark (He was old enough to know 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 year - He was the Stark in Winterfell, his father's son and his brother's heir, and almost a man grown.)

6. Fear/Unwelcome vs. Comfort

Theon: 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

Jon: “Help me”, “I am no Stark, and this is not my place”; he has in a lot of dreams he is not welcomed by the Old Kings in the dreams. 

Ned: “The Kings of Winter watched him pass with eyes of ice, and the direwolves at their feet turned their great stone heads and snarled.” - “Eddard Stark jerked upright, his heart racing, the blankets tangled around him”

Bran: At one hand Bran doesn’t feel entirely at his place during the feast and is made that way by some of Northeners. He wants to be somewhere else. At other hand Rodrik says he is acting his duties very fine. And more especially Bran takes comfort from the direwolf cup and the fact he is the heir to Winterfell. 

(He was old enough to know 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. Still, it made him swell with pride; Bran took another sip of the spiced honey wine from his father’s goblet, grateful  for something to clutch. The lifelike head of a snarling direwolf was raised on the side of the cup. He felt the silver muzzle pressing against his palm, and remembered the last time he had seen his lord father drink from this goblet)

7. Ending of the dreams

Theon’s, Jon’s and Ned’s dreams are nightmares and end with darkness and blood:

Theon: 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

JonA light has gone out somewhere. “Ygritte?” he whispered. “Forgive me. Please.” But it was only a direwolf, grey and ghastly, spotted with blood, his golden eyes shining sadly through the dark

Ned: "Promise me, Ned," Lyanna's statue whispered. She wore a garland of pale blue roses, and her eyes wept blood. - Eddard Stark jerked upright, his heart racing, the blankets tangled around him. The room was black as pitch, and someone was hammering on the door. (Did they not come then with the news of Robert’s hunting accident?)

Bran memory ends differently. He thinks of the possible death that may come but in the end the light doesn’t go out but the wind makes the flames brighter. It doesn’t end badly but it ends with Meera and Jojen entering, people who are becoming very important to Bran’s life. It ends with something good.

Bran: At the foot of the hall, the door opened and a gust of cold air made the torches flame brighter for an instant. Meera and Jojen enter the Hall.

 Conclusion: it is clear that all these dreams, memories and visits have similar elements. Some of them can be associated with the old gods or in this case more likely with the Kings of Winter and the death of House Stark: the crypts, cold air, the Great Hall/Door/Walls and wolves. All of them are at the same time associated with happiness and sadness (for Ned these feelings are present with his visit to the crypts with Robert). In all of them death has an important place.

However there is a big difference to the tone of Bran’s reminiscences and the dreams of Theon, Jon and Ned. Bran is very melancholy about this. But unlike the others, he is not afraid of the Old Kings or of the wolves and doesn’t feel unwelcome, he actually takes comfort in their lineage and in the lifelike figures of wolves (and he actually wants his living direwolf at his side). The old Kings are actually not even present unlike in the dreams of the others except if you Bran himself as their representative.*

* I actually alluded in one of my earlier essays that Bran takes the role of the Kings of Winter when he is angry at Rickon for showing the Freys the crypts.

The end is very different. While Ned’s, Theon’s and Jon’s ends very dark with blood, fear and sadness, Bran ends with brighter flames and with hope and friendship.

The question is of course who sends those dreams? Are it the old gods sending a message to them? Are the dead Starks the messangers (Old Kings, Ned, Robb,  … which is my opinion more likely than the old gods)? Or are the dreams just created by guilt and sadness and is the similarity between them purely a way of the author to tell us we need to compare them?

I think not the old gods nor a dead Starks interferes when Bran starts to reminiscence about the dead. This is just Bran being sad. To compare it with the others, he is actually himself the Stark in Winterfell with a direwolf at this side on his throne and not someone who intrudes their place. Like other times in the texts, it is Bran himself who acts as an old god or Stark in Winterfell and does not have been sent a message by them to get a certain dream of a feast of death. He does it himself. 

The only thing I personally do associate with a possible interference of the old gods is when “a gust of cold air made the torches flame brighter for an instant when Jojen (and Meera) enters the hall. And we have of course Bran believing an old god took his family away (It was as if some cruel god reached down with a great hand and swept them all away”.)

A visit out of the cragg

Texts

Meera: “My lords of Stark. The years have passed in their hundreds and their thousands since my folk first swore their fealty to the King in the North. My lord father has sent us here to say the words again, for all our people.

Together: “To Winterfell, we pledge the faith of Greywater. Hearth and heart and harvest we yield up to you. 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.”

Jojen: I swear it by earth and water

Meera: I swear it by bronze and iron.

Together: “We swear it by ice and fire.”

Bran: “May your winters be short and your summers bountiful. Rise. I’m Brandon Stark

Jojen: “We bring you gifts of fish and frog and fowl.”

Bran: “I thank you. I offer you the meat and mead of Winterfell”.

(information on the crannogmen)

The boy, Jojen, looked about the hall curiously as he took his seat. “Where are the direwolves.”

“In the godswood,” Rickon answered. “Shaggy was bad.”

My brother would like to see them,” the girl said. Some not interesting nonsense of Little Walder.

They won’t bite if I’m there.” Bran was pleased that they wanted to see the wolves (note: And this is how you wins Bran’s heart, by showing interest in his wolf. This is actually completely unlike how the rest is acting. Most people are just afraid of the wolves). “Summer won’t anyway and he’ll keep Shaggydog.

Analysis

We have here of course first the particular oath of the crannogmen, the people who still remembers the most of forgotten secrets of the First Men. It really shows the two-sided contract between the lord and his vasals. The vasals give something to the lord both in peace (heart, hearth and harvest) and in war (swords, arrows and spears). The lord gives something in return (mercy, help and justice). And this more “abstract” deal is concretized when Jojen and Bran both offer each other food and drinks.

It is also interesting by what they swear: water, earth, bronze, iron, ice and fire (one of the times where ice and fire are mentioned together).

We get here also a little answer why Jojen and Meera visited Winterfell during the harvest feast (which is really peculiar because the crannogmen are known because Howland never went to visit Ned while Howland was one of Ned’s closest friends). Meera says in public they are there to swear the words of fealty again to the King in the North. However Jojen starts directly to show interest in the direwolves which is actually a reference to the more real reason why the Little Reeds came to Winterfell (like we discover later in Bran’s chapters)

A Wolf and some Reeds in the godswood

Texts

Bran leaves the feast early because it makes him sad he would never dance. “When he blew out his bedside candle, darkness covered him like a soft, familiar blanket. The faint sound music drifted through his shuttered window.” He remembers his father speaking about the Kingsguard.

He went to sleep with his head full of knights in gleaming armor, fighting with swords that shone like starfire (refers to Arthur Dayne), but when the dream came he was in the godswood.

 The smells from the kitchen and the Great Hall were so strong that it was almost as if he had never left the feast. He prowled beneath the trees, his brother close behind him. This night was wildly alive, full of the howling of the man-pack at their play (note: I think GRRM just uses here howling to make clear this are Summer’s thoughts; there is no extra meaning). The sounds made him restless. He wanted to run, to hunt, he wanted to—

The rattle of iron made his ears prick up. His brother heard it too. They raced through the undergrowth toward the sound. Bounding across the still water at the foot of the old white one (note: Summer sees the weirwood as the “old white one” which IMO gives the tree a personification), he caught the scent of a stranger, the man-smell well mixed with leather and earth and iron.

The intruders had pushed a few yards into the wood when he came upon them; a female and a young male, with no taint of fear to them, even when he showed them the white of his teeth. His brother growled low in his throat, yet still they did not run.

"Here they come," the female said. Meera, some part of him whispered, some wisp of the sleeping boy lost in the wolf dream. "Did you know they would be so big?"

"They will be bigger still before they are grown," the young male said, watching them with eyes large, green, and unafraid. "The black one is full of fear and rage, but the grey is strong . . . stronger than he knows . . . can you feel him, sister?"

"No," she said, moving a hand to the hilt of the long brown knife she wore. "Go careful, Jojen."

"He won't hurt me. This is not the day I die." The male walked toward them, unafraid, and reached out for his muzzle, a touch as light as a summer breeze (note: haha, Summer is getting touched by 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 . . .

Analysis

Bran shows here already a preference to the darkness: “When he blew out his bedside candle, darkness covered him like a soft, familiar blanket.” This does remind me of Bloodraven thinks of the darkness.

The fact he hears a “faint sound of music” through his “shuttered window” can refer to the fact that he has a greenseer also hears through the weirwood. And maybe the window is shuttered because his third-eye is not yet full open?

And in one paragraph Summer thinks of water, iron and earth, which the half of the “elements” whereby Jojen and Meera swear.

Bran does enter Summer’s thoughts: “some part of him whispered, some wisp of the sleeping boy lost in the wolf dream.”. He starting to become more than just a passenger.

And it is also very interesting how the crannogmen act around the wolves. They are not only interested into them, but there is also “no taint of fear to them”. This is in strict contrast how the most people react to them. I think this directly shows the fact the crannogmen are the most open to powers of warg, the old gods, … (in the Seven Kingdoms – this makes me really interested in the whole dynamic between Howland and Ned because Ned did not really believe in “magic”, superstition, …)

And this certainly counts for Jojen who goes to pet Summer. (And I think he is the only one who does this in the books when the two-legged friend of the wolf is not present. There are some people who want to pet them but most of the time their bounded companion is present and certainly at the first time?)  Why is Jojen so unafraid?

It is very interesting how Jojen can “feel” the wolves ("The black one is full of fear and rage, but the grey is strong . . . stronger than he knows . . . can you feel him, sister?"). Is this part of his own powers (sensitive to the signs of wargs and greenseers – reason why the old gods can give him his green dreams)? Is this a message sent by the old gods? Is he unafraid by the wolves because he can feel them or because the old gods sent a message (a green dream)?   

The whole chapter ends with a weird description and consequences of Jojen touching Summer: he “reached out for his muzzle, a touch as light as a summer breeze”. Jojen’s touch is compared here to a breeze, a gentle wind. You could deduct from this description that Jojen is a representative from the old gods and he does indeed become later Bran’s teacher who would introduce him into his powers (and you might say he does this more gentle than that annoying 3EC). Earlier in this chapter Meera and Jojen were already associated with wind: when they entered, “a gust of cold air made the torches flame brighter for an instant”.

GRRM makes here also an interesting parallel/contrast in this chapter regarding the muzzle. Jojen is here the one reaching for the muzzle of Summer/(Bran) while earlier the muzzle of the wolf on Ned’s goblet was snarling against Bran’s palm.

And when Jojen touches Summer, “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 …”  What did happen here? IMO the touch of Jojen, brought Bran out of his wolf dream? And maybe those wolf dreams prevent that Bran gets nightmares about his fall? Does anyone has here an explanation for?

 

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AN:  I am still catching up!  There is SO MUCH good stuff here!  Thanks for all the awesome responses.  I finally put together my biggest crackpot theory about Bran’s far reaching powers – so here it is!

How Bran May Display his Growing Powers in “A Ghost in Winterfell”

Lord Eddard Stark speaks with his son Bran on a day forever marked in his young mind as the one in which Bran witnesses an execution for the first time with his father performing “the king’s justice”.  Bran’s first narrative point-of-view in A Game of Thrones features the father who wears a symbolic “lord’s mask” when his office demands, and Bran separates the father he knows at home from the role of executioner he plays as Lord of Winterfell.

Aside from impressing upon his son the Stark traditions and the paradoxical nature of a man knowing fear in order to be brave, Ned gives Bran advice that speaks to his future:

Original

“One day Bran, you will be Robb’s bannerman, holding a keep of your own for your brother and your king, and justice will belong to you.  When this day comes, you must take no pleasure in the task, but neither must you look away.  A ruler who hides behind paid executioners soon forgets what death is” [16 AGoT].

·       I have taken the liberty of revising Ned’s advice to Bran, adjusting a word here and there to accommodate Bran’s appointment as a greenseer.

Revised

“One day, Bran, you will be a greenseer, sitting a weirwood throne of your own for the old gods of the north, and justice will belong to you.  When that day comes, you must take no vengeance for personal reasons, but neither must you shirk your duties as part of the godhood.  A god who hides behind  the face on a weirwood tree soon forgets what death is.”

Bran’s handicap and Robb’s death cancel out Bran’s role as his older brother’s  bannerman, and  Bran’s dream of knighthood  finally fizzles out when Lord Brynden confesses that he does not possess the magic to restore Bran’s legs.  The revision of Ned’s advice addresses what may be Bran’s duties and responsibilities as a greenseer.  For instance, a greenseer may be called upon to dictate a judgment that best serves offenders’ crimes, those that violate the sacred laws that the old gods hold dear.  If this is indeed the case, then Bran seemingly fulfills his obligations, exposing his far reaching powers in the “A Ghost in Winterfell” narrative from A Dance with Dragons.  Martin may silence Bran’s “narrative” voice, but the author replaces Bran’s POVs with his presence, which manifests in ways that are observable to Reek/Theon, the character who honestly reports his personal perspective on the events that transpire in the narrative prose.

Bran masquerades as a ghost, along with Reek and the other ghosts haunting him. Through Reek’s recounting of events, he reveals an awareness of a supernatural presence, making him mindful of the old gods and fearful of their disapproval.  When members of the northern faction tempt fate by mocking the gods, Reek grows nervous, sensing that within and without the grey stones of Winterfell, another-worldly entity sees, hears, and feels what happens in the Great Hall and elsewhere.

Martin foreshadows Bran’s eventual relationship with ghosts early in the first novel of the series A Game of Thrones.  Bran demonstrates his partiality for ghosts in the following AGoT passages:

·       Bran envies the call name his bastard brother Jon Snow bestows upon his direwolf “Ghost”:  Jon's wolf, the white one, was Ghost. Bran wished he had thought of that first, even though his wolf wasn't white” [AGoT].  Bran does acknowledge that the appellation of “Ghost” is more fitting for Jon’s white direwolf, more so because Bran’s own pup does not share his littermate’s white coat

·       Bran likes being invisible:  “None of the guards could climb half so well as Bran . . .   Most of the time they never saw him anyway.  People never looked up. That was another thing he liked about climbing; it was almost like being invisible”.  Bran enjoys being unseen by others while he watches and listens to those unsuspecting people who never “look up”.  As a greenseer, Bran sits a weirwood throne, a seat of great power, magic, and accountability.   His greensight supports platforms that extend beyond the heart tree in the godswood.  Bran is ghostlike – invisible to all but Theon, yet he merges with the living magic that Bran the Builder and the Children of the Forest spun into the grey bricks of Winterfell’s grey walls, outbuildings, even the crypts. Hence, Bran infiltrates the enemy camp, spying on the Boltons and their loyal northern followers.

·       Martin aptly uses the noun “haunt” as the subject of the sentence to follow:  “His [Bran’s] favorite haunt was the broken tower. Once it had been a watchtower, the tallest in Winterfell.  A long time ago, a hundred years before even his father had been born, a lightning strike had set it afire” [AGoT]. Bran’s presence haunts Winterfell, and through Reek’s narrative, Martin hides clues of Bran’s influence that are nearly as invisible to readers as Bran the ghost is to the northmen.

 “A Ghost in Winterfell” and “a Stark in Winterfell” are epithets that define Bran who is metaphorically one with Winterfell.  Maester Luwin likens Winterfell to a tree, linking the ancient weirwood to the aged castle:

“The place had grown over the centuries like some monstrous stone tree . . . and its branches were gnarled and thick and twisted, its roots sunk deep within the earth” [79 AGoT].

Maester Luwin compares Winterfell’s expansion to “some monstrous stone tree”. “Monstrous” is not a flattering descriptor for Winterfell.  Even though it can mean atrocious, horrific, and immoral, “monstrous” may also mean enormous, colossal, and prodigious.  Since monstrous modifies “stone tree”, Winterfell is similarly massive, a fortress of stone, which reinforces its permanence, much like the weirwood that will live forever if men allow it.  

The branches of the tree correspond to the generations of Starks, past and present.  “Gnarled and thick and twisted” all describe the tree’s boughs; consequently, gnarled, thick, and twisted modify generations of House Stark. These adjectives do not distinguish honorable characteristic as representative of the Stark line. 

For instance, gnarled suggests that the Starks are bent, crooked, distorted, and difficult.  Thick means dense, impenetrable, slow-witted, and substantial, and lastly, twisted indicates perverse, abnormal, misshapen, and deformed.

The deep roots of the tree are indicative of Winterfell’s strong foundation, which is grounded by the crypts “sunk deep within the earth”, spreading out beneath the fortress and beyond

Above ground and below does Reek go, and no matter where he travels, Reek seems to be guided by a force emanating from the godswood. Reek’s feet take him to places of which his mind does not conceive.  At times, ideas come to Reek unannounced, inspiring his innermost thoughts and feelings.  Furthermore, Reek documents the weather conditions: 

“Endless, ceaseless, merciless, the snow had fallen day and night” [605 ADwD]. 

Despite the punishing snowfall, when Reek walks outside “the snow was swirling, dancing” [608 ADwD] and “the snowflakes brushed his cheeks like cold soft kisses” [610 ADwD].  The veil of snow treats Reek gently, a sign that Bran the greenseer has some influence over this icy elemental.  Snowfall loves the Starks as well, kissing their cheeks and dancing around them.  Sansa sculpts Winterfell in the snow while at the Eyrie.

Additionally, the walls of snow metaphorically surround Theon, embrace him, concealing him and protecting him.  Martin writes:

“He [Theon] found himself alone in a white wilderness, walls of snow looming up to either side of him chest high . . . He could hear the sound of music . . . A soft song now, and sad. For a moment he felt almost at peace” [611 ADwD].

Enclosed in a snowy cocoon, Theon feels safe and secure; hence, he feels at peace. The music and song that reach his ears evocate a calming mood; moreover, the music and song are part of Bran’s environment, as he daily listens to the beautiful yet sad voices of those who sing the song of earth.  The all-encompassing cocoon of snow is symbolic as the step prior to Reek reborn as Theon.

Martin frequently mentions that Theon cannot and does not sleep, rising nightly to repeat his daily laps about the walls of Winterfell.  Some benevolent force chaperones this poor, maimed soul who walks with a limp and is missing toes on both feet.  Yet Reek manages without benefit of a torch to light his way, and he is remarkably sure-footed on treacherous icy pathways.  Without toes, Reek’s sense of balance should work to his detriment, yet somehow he does not slip, fall, and break a bone, even while suffering sleep deprivation.  Without sleep, Reek is easier to inspire mentally, which may be why Reek is kept awake.  Further, Bran, as part of the living magic of Winterfell, may be capable of impacting the pass ability of its snow covered walkways.

But Bran as an element of nature does not bless the undeserving with a favorable climate. On the contrary, Bran marks certain Bolton allies as unfortunate victims of the cold and snow.

For example, Hosteen Frey, who boasts “that he did not fear a little snow, loses an ear to frostbite” [606 ADwD].  For underestimating the dangers of winter and for giving a voice to his lack of fear, the disrespectful Hosteen Frey fittingly suffers winter’s deadly bite, as in “frostbite”.  The Frey camp need to remember that their “words are wind”, and a greenseer listens to those who speak. Hosteen’s hubris warrants his losing an ear, a just dessert the Frey, who chooses not to hear the warnings of the northmen.  “Winter is Coming” are the Stark words for a reason, not for a jape.

At least Lord Locke is ancient enough to remember winters past, and he is seemingly aware of the disapproval of the old gods:

“The gods have turned against us,” old Lord Locke was heard to say in the Great Hall.  “This is their wroth.  A wind as cold as hell and a snow that never ends.  We are cursed” [606 ADwD].

Lord Locke and Theon are of one mind concerning the wrath of the gods, which suggests Bran’s ability to telepathically and empathically connect with weaker minded individuals.  Lord Locke is a senior with slower wits and superstitions.  Theon also has been physically and mentally broken by Ramsay’s torture and brain-washing.   Bran has compassion for broken people as he thinks of himself as broken.

That Bran succeeds in influencing others mentally seems to be an extension of his budding greenseeing magic, which encompasses his skinchanging and warging skills. With time and lessons, Bran may progress to a grander scale of reaching out to others from his weirwood throne beyond the Wall.

Winterfell and Bran remember the events that transpire before the sack of Winterfell, which is why Theon feels the mummer’s farce of murders mirror the murders of Theon’s allies then.  According to Theon, a familiar pattern repeats itself:

“It all seemed so familiar, like a mummer show that he had seen played out before.  Only the mummers had changed.  Roose Bolton was playing the part that Theon had played the last time around, and the dead men were playing the parts of Aggar, Gynir Rednose, and Gelmarr the Grim.  Reek was there too, he remembered, but he was a different Reek, a Reek with bloody hands and lies dripping from his lips . . .” [609 ADwD].

Theon also takes responsibility for many deaths, and he feels his fate is to be trapped in Winterfell so as to be haunted by the ghosts that are part of his handiwork:

“He was trapped here, with the ghosts.  The old ghosts from the crypts and the younger ones that he had made himself, Mikken and Farlen, Gynir Rednose, Aggar, Gelmarr the Grim, the miller’s wife from Acorn Water and her two young sons, and all the rest.  My work. My ghosts.  They are all here, and they are angry.  He thought of the crypts and those missing swords” [612 ADwD].

Theon, moreover, perceives the anger of the dead Starks and the dead he wasted.  He fears the missing swords in the crypts have somehow unleashed a vengeful spirit that may be causing the havoc in Winterfell.  He ponders the missing swords yet again on another occasion, when Roose Bolton and others question him about his regular walks about the castle walls:

Roger Ryswell dismisses the turncloak as the killer, fearing instead that “Stannis has some man inside the castle, that’s plain” [613 ADwD].

“He wondered if Lady Dustin had told them about the crypts, the missing swords” [613 ADwD].

That Theon conceives of a freed Stark spirit causing mischief also speaks to Bran’s presence, and the mysterious murders serve yet another purpose:

“The deaths set Roose Bolton’s lords to quarreling openly in the Great Hall.  Some were running short of patience” [609 ADwD].

Death and destruction preside over “A Ghost in Winterfell” and may be inspired by the living magic attributable to Bran.  Bran remembers Ramsay’s sack of Winterfell, and he remembers his promise to Lady Hornwood: “Winterfell remembers!”

Bran’s sympathy for those people Ramsay Snow has broken, such as Reek and Jeyne Poole, may stem from feeling guilty and responsible for not doing more to assist Lady Donella Hornwood when she pleaded for protection against the bastard of Bolton at the harvest feast.  Bran remembers:

“Bran wanted to give the lady [Lady Hornwood] a hundred men to defend her rights” but Ser Rodrik makes the final decision and rules Bran out, even though Bran observes, “She [Lady Hornwood] was very sad” [251 ACoK].

 Bran may not wield a dagger or a sword, but Bran has powers to manipulate and/or inspire the actions of others.  Bran’s power embodies and/or compels - elements of nature, such as the grey mists, the howling winds, and the escalating snowfall.

What follows are speculations proposing that Bran involves himself in the mysterious deaths of several members of the northern contingency.  A few of the fallen are blamed for their own demise by the lords that they serve.  Others who die are beloved by their lords yet not as much by the readers, many of whom are cognizant of their vile deeds deserving of punishment.

Bran’s intentions demonstrate his powers to influence the human forces at work to bring about the deaths of several northern allies.

The Ryswell Man-at-Arms

The man-at-arms who falls to his death marched north with Roger Ryswell, and Ramsay’s bitches find him at the base of the inner wall, buried beneath the snow.  Ryswell calls him a “drunk”, blaming his broken neck on his folly for pissing off the wall.

Theon is doubtful, especially since the Ryswell man-at-arms climbs the icy, slick steps of the battlement in the black night during unending snowfall just for the purpose of relieving himself.  A man needs a better reason to risk breaking his neck.  Theon’s suspicions intimate that the man-at-arms climbs the battlements to tryst with one of Abel’s women.

Bran cannot condone the conduct of a man who defiles the bricks of Winterfell by openly engaging in sexual acts.  Equally disturbing is that the man-at-arms urinates from the top of a structure, guaranteeing that the walls of Winterfell are soiled with human waste. If indeed Bran’s powers permit him to embody the grey brick that built his home as part of its living magic, then the Ryswell man literally pees on “The Stark in Winterfell”, an effrontery that displeases the  greenseer who perceives such a deed as contemptuous and worthy of punishment.

Whoever pushes this man-at-arms from the battlements, Bran helps to guide her hand.  Furthermore, Bran’s passive-aggressive retribution mirrors that of the Kingslayer who pushes Bran from the window of the broken tower to what the Kingslayer hopes will be Bran’s death.  The Ryswell man’s fall ends in his death, yet the old gods do not seem to be done with him.

Ramsay’s bitch Grey Jeyne eats most of the Ryswell man’s face, defiling the corpse, and this dead man-at-arms coincidentally shares a fate with Weese after Jaqen, a spiritual guide likely sent by the forces that are the old gods with the intent to direct Arya towards Braavos, delivers a gift to Arya at HarrenHell in ACoK.

The ugly dog devours Weese’s face – an abuse that intimates Arya’s future relationship with the Faceless Men of Braavos.  But the irony is that Weese threatened to remove Arya’s eyes and her tongue in order to feed his bitch.  Weese’s comeuppance is poetic justice since his loyal bitch turns against her master, serving him the punishments with which Weese threatened  Arya.

Two canine bitches, Weese’s “ugly dog” in ACoK and Ramsay’s Grey Jeyne in ADwD, are responsible for destroying the features of a man.  In each incident, the forces that are the old gods and their godhood are seemingly involved “somehow” in delivering death to a deserving victim.

The Frey Squire

Ser Aenys Frey’s squire is found naked,  dead from exposure in the old castle’s lichyard, his face so obscured by hoarfrost that it looks like a mask.  The squire’s death is blamed upon too much drink, which causes him to become lost and disoriented in the snow storm. 

Reek doubts that the man had drunk too much because no one explains why the squire takes off his clothes to go outside. Reek keenly perceives, “Wine could drown a host of suspicions” [ADwD].  Blaming the squire for drunkenness excuses a possible murderer’s actions.

Ironically, before the squire’s body is found, Lady Dustin says that “Lord Stannis is lost in the storm” [607ADwD].  The very fate that Lady Dustin wishes upon Stannis instead befalls an unfortunate Frey. Perhaps Reek’s worry that “The old gods might be listening” [607ADwD] has merit, only the forces that are the old gods turn around Lady Dustin’s entreaty:  instead of Stannis getting lost in the snow storm, the Frey squire loses his way and becomes a victim of the elements.

Bran does not pity the Frey camp for their many transgressions against the Starks; however, Bran may take particular offense to the squire’s behavior, as he disrespects Winterfell and the Stark within its walls as well. Because the squire serves a knight and likely aspires to knighthood himself, Bran resents the Frey squire for abusing his position and demonstrating a disregard for honor and chivalry. Because Bran has dreamed of being a knight, he finds the squire’s poor showing an insult to the profession.  If not for his fall from the broken tower, Bran may be serving a knight as his squire, in training to be a knight.

Secretly meeting a spearwife in the lichyard to receive sexual favors is possibly why the squire is naked.  The squire “making time” with a spearwife in the lichyard, the place where Sansa’s direwolf Lady was most recently buried, irks Bran’s sensibilities.

Even more troubling is the likelihood that Bran is reminded of another occasion when he happened upon a couple engaging in sex:  the Kingslayer and Kingsguard Jamie Lannister fornicated with his own sister Cersei the Queen in the broken tower.  It’s easy to imagine a motivating force behind Bran’s anger, especially since it is a Frey who casts further blemish upon the walls of Winterfell.

The heavy snow nearly conceals the corpse.  The squire’s face masked with hoarfrost parallels another’s face masked with the white-bone of a weirwood: Bran watches through the eyes carved into the Winterfell heart tree, his identity concealed by the weirwood mask, one of Bran’s “disguises” – sometimes called “skins”.

Finally, the abused faces of the Ryswell man-at-arms and the Frey squire correlate somehow to those “faceless” old gods of the north.

Bran’s Relationship with the Sacred Laws of Hospitality and Guest Rite

Violations of the sacred laws of hospitality are believed to be so egregious and so blasphemous that the gods themselves punish the offender.  The old gods’ assignation of punishment to the violator is a careful balance to ensure that the penance “fits” the crime.

 While a guest of Lord Eddard Stark and a knight in King Robert’s kingsguard, Ser Jaime Lannister secretly meets with his sister Cersei in an abandoned tower, where they make love.  In the throes of passion, Cersei catches sight of a child hanging outside the tower window. Bran’s fingers slip, and Jaime rescues Bran, ordering him to “TAKE MY HAND!”  Bran desperately latches onto Jaime’s forearm and presses down so hard that he leaves welts.  Bran’s fear  is palpable. Regardless, a moment later, Jaime shoves Bran off the window sill, saying, “The things I do for love” (85).

It is karmic, ironic, and a matter of “poetic justice” that Jaime forfeits the very thing he orders Bran Stark to TAKE, his hand, his “sword” hand, the symbol of a knight’s power, the deliverer of death to a Targaryen king, the means by which Bran falls.  “Taking” Jaime’s hand is a fate worse than death because without his sword hand, Jaime is a “cripple”.  When Tyrion tells Jaime that Bran is going to live even with a broken neck and shattered legs, Jaime says,  “. . .he will be a cripple.  Worse than a cripple.  A grotesque.  Give me a good, clean death” (91). 

It is unlikely the gods will oblige Jaime’s wishes; after all, dying is easy – “living” is hard.  Since Jaime robs Bran of his future dreams, the forces that are the old gods, or that serve as agents of the old gods, will make sure that Jaime’s fate matches or  exceeds the intensity of Bran’s suffering. 

Yellow Dick, A Bastard’s Boy

Martin details the fate of Yellow Dick:  “The dead man was one of Ramsay’s favorites, the squat, scrofulous, ill-favored man-at-arms called Yellow Dick. Whether his dick had actually been yellow was hard to determine, as someone had sliced it off and stuffed it into his mouth so forcefully they had broken three of his teeth. When the cooks found him outside the kitchens, buried up to his neck in a snowdrift, both dick and man were blue from cold” [608 ADwD].

It appears that the northmen need to choose the words they speak with great care.  What a few vocalize in jest comes back to haunt one of their own instead of the intended victim.  Yellow Dick is the recipient of what others wish upon the freerider and Stannis.

For example, Whoresbane Umber and Rickard Ryswell, while in Winterfell’s great hall and in the presence of others [maybe even a greenseer ghost listening, invisible] give voice to cruelties that they hope will befall the freerider and Stannis:

 “. . . he’ll be sucking Lord Stannis’s cock before the sun goes down. . . ”. Whoresbane Umber threw back.

“He best take care it don’t break off,” laughed Rickard Ryswell. “Any man out there in this, his cock is frozen hard” [607 DwD].

Yellow Dick with his cock in his mouth fulfills Whoresbane Umber’s talk of the freerider sucking Stannis’ cock, only Yellow Dick is forced to “suck” [or eat] his own manhood.   Next, Yellow Dick’s cock is sliced off, and presents as “blue from cold”.  Rickard Ryswell’s wishes for Stannis’ cock freezing and breaking off coincidentally befall Ramsay’s boy Yellow Dick.   Lastly, Yellow Dick’s corpse is buried up to his neck in a snowdrift. Lady Dustin predicts similar fates for Stannis and his men: “. . . the snows will bury him and his army both”.

Whatever magic forces are alive in Winterfell, they appear to answer what others recklessly say aloud by turning their words against their own northern retainers.

As one of the Bastard’s Boys, Yellow Dick is singled out to suffer abuses that Lord Ramsay visits upon his Reek.  Yellow Dick’s manhood is sliced off, a cruelty Reek suffers at Ramsay’s hands, and Yellow Dick’s teeth are broken when his penis is shoved forcefully into his mouth.  Similarly, Lord Ramsay takes a hammer to Reek’s teeth because the Bastard does not like Theon’s smile.

Forcing Yellow Dick’s penis into his mouth brings to mind poor Lady Hornwood, whom Ramsay marries, after which he locks her away without food or drink.  Consequently, Lady Hornwood becomes so hungry that she attempts to eat her own fingers.

The Flint Crossbowman

A victim of a horse’s kick, the Flint crossbowman suffers a broken skull while in the newly constructed stables.  Although Ramsay blames a horse for the crossbowman’s death, Reek decides, “A club, more like” [608 ADwD].

Although Reek speculates to himself that someone – maybe Lord Ramsay himself – uses a club to kill the crossbowman, his death is a prelude to the new stables collapsing from the weight of the snow, killing twenty-six horses and two grooms.  Ramsay replaces those stables he burns during his sack of Winterfell with much larger stables.  However, the living magic within Winterfell does not approve of Ramsay’s additions and likely curses his efforts.

Besides, the greenseer Bran remembers that “. . . the [Winterfell] stables, made of wood and thatch, nothing remained but ashes, embers, and dead horses.  Bran thought of his Dancer, and wanted to weep” [965 ACoK].

Bran witnesses the damage and death Ramsay brings to Winterfell.  The fall of Ramsay’s stables and the dead horses and men are fitting paybacks for the Bastard’s crimes against humanity.  What Ramsay destroys with fire and rebuilds with slave labor, the magic of Winterfell and the forces of nature, symbolically represented by Bran and the snowfall, respectively, seemingly answer Ramsay’s bloody acts by paying back corpse for corpse.

Before the crossbowman’s death and the stables’ collapse, Lady Dustin invites the hostile weather to visit them when she says, “Let Winter do its worse” [607 ADwD].  She predicts the fate of Stannis as well, “A few more days and the snows will bury him and his army both”.

Reek marvels at Lady Dustin’s “folly”, fearing that the snows may bury them as easily as Stannis and his army.  Reek thinks to himself:  “Lady Barbrey was of the north and should have known better. The old gods might be listening”.

Reek expects that the Barrowton widow who has experienced winter herself and who has grown up hearing about past merciless winters, should know better than to call upon winter’s worst.  Moreover, by giving voice to such foolish words makes them a possibility; since “words are wind”, the old gods and the prodigy greenseer are within hearing distance, either present in the godswood and its heart tree or within the walls of Winterfell’s Great Hall.

 Little Walder Frey, the Lord of the Crossing

Although Martin provides plenty of documentation of Bran’s animosity for the Walders Frey in A Clash of Kings, in the case of “little” Walder Frey’s murder in A Dance with Dragons, the author strongly insinuates that “little” Walder Frey is the victim of his own cousin “big” Walder Frey.

Little Walder’s body is allegedly found at the base of the broken tower which is littered with pieces of stone gargoyles.  Bran falls from this tower in AGoT; moreover, the location of his fall is near to the entrance to the Winterfell crypts.  Because the broken tower is Bran’s favorite and because Bran is possessive about the Winterfell crypts, a place for only Starks, Bran may divinely influence a battle to the death between Frey and Frey.

It is poetic justice that the fallen Frey rests in death at the tower’s bottom, maybe even at the spot where Bran landed after being pushed.  The three-eyed-crow buffers Bran’s fall so that he lives, albeit as a cripple.  Little Walder’s corpse at the tower’s base is symbolic of Bran’s dominion over the arrogant boy who called himself “Lord of the Crossing”, much to Bran’s irritation.  Bran may be lording himself over Little Walder for threatening Bran’s authority as the prince, lord, and the Stark in Winterfell.  This brings home Bran’s bitter thoughts from an earlier novel, “If I had my legs, I’d throw all of them into the water . . . No one would ever be lord of the crossing but me” [78 ACoK].

Before the “game”, Bran welcomed the Frey wards, and he even soothed Rickon’s resentment over their presence and bid him to welcome the Freys.  Likewise, Bran extends his hospitality to the Walders, offering them “meat and mead and a seat by the fire, and even Maester Luwin had said afterward that he had done well” [76 ACoK].  “Only that was before the game” [76 ACoK]. 

Of all the mysterious deaths, little Walder Frey’s death, if the result of Bran’s green magic, is the most troubling because it divulges that Bran harbors grudges, that he is vengeful, and that he abuses his powers.  Participating in an obscure way to exact little Walder’s death, Bran is guilty of killing a boy “almost a man grown” of an age with himself.  Consequently, Bran as a representation of the godhood is no better than those mortal men his father Ned despises for killing innocent children.  He is no better than Stark ward Theon who murders the Miller’s sons.

Bran says, “Winterfell remembers”, and as the Stark in Winterfell, Bran has a long memory.   First, Bran recalls Ser Rodrick’s decree that the Walder wards will share Jon Snow’s old bedchamber.  Bran hates this arrangement because “it made um feel as if the Freys were trying to steal Jon’s place” [77 ACoK].

Second, because of the Walders, Maester Luwin orders the direwolves Summer and Shaggy to be locked in the godswood. Third, Bran despises that his younger brother Rickon decides that he likes the Walders.  He grudgingly tolerates Rickon playing games with the Freys, Rickon and his pals plunder pies from the kitchen, and Rickon and the Walders toss bones to the dogs in the kennels.  Fourth, however, Bran loses his temper and screams at Rickon for taking the Freys into the Winterfell crypts:  “You had no right! . . . That was our place, a Stark place” [78 ACoK].

Finally, little Walder calls Hodor Bran’s horse because Hodor carries the crippled boy on his back.  The Walders Frey do not miss an opportunity to poke fun at the dim-witted stable boy Hodor, and their cruelty toward an innocent sparks Bran’s loathing.  Bran may recall what Osha told him what those in the kitchen had to say about the “little” Walder:  “That it’s a fool boy who mocks a giant and a mad world when a cripple has to defend him” [254 ACoK].

Osha advises Bran to watch his back around little Walder:  “The big one they call little, it comes to me he’s well named.  Big on the outside and little on the inside, and mean down to the bone [254-255 ACoK].

Of course, Martin supplies even more evidence of the mean-spirited little Walder and big Walder, although the latter is guilty by association and not because he conceives the mischief that entices them to cause trouble.  As a matter-of-fact, little Walder dominates the twosome, and he owns the voice that guides them. 

It is not surprising that big Walder’s clothes are stained with his cousin’s blood.  Little Walder presents himself as the force to be reckoned with between them.  Something changes in their relationship, and readers may speculate on how this role-reversal comes about.  Big Walder may have tired of following in his cousin’s shadow.  Serving as the submissive to the dominant over time causes big Walder to suppress his own growing anger and rage.  Little Walder may have flaunted his superiority and control over big Walder for the last time.  Finally, big Walder snaps, asserting himself over his cousin in a permanent way.

Whatever prompts little Walder’s death, it is unlikely that Bran’s green magic is needed to fan the flames of hatred between the Freys.  Furthermore, little Walder’s death occurs in the POV entitled “Theon” and not in the POV called “A Ghost in Winterfell”.  If Bran indeed inspires the murders of various northmen, Martin limits Bran’s course of conduct to “A Ghost in Winterfell”. 

In conclusion, whether or not Bran is able to extend his powers in such far-reaching ways as to influence the murderous actions of others, Bran does so in order to disrupt the complacency of the northmen, giving them reasons to distrust one another; their suspicions lead to their fighting among themselves. 

If these men cannot join together for a common cause and if they continue warring with one another, their showing on the battlefield will be as disorganized as the undisciplined armies of the wildlings.

Bran’s Ghost in the Winterfell Godswood

Martin associates Bran with a ghost near the end of “A Ghost in Winterfell” by placing Reek in the godswood where he has a mystical communication with a supernatural entity who Reek distinguishes is Bran. 

Unable to sleep, Reek instead walks the walls at the hour of the wolf, hoping to exhaust himself so that he can sleep restfully.  Exposed to the falling snow, Theon is quickly shrouded in a white cloak, which transforms him into a “living” ghostly specter that becomes invisible against the curtain of white surrounding him. 

Martin depicts the snow melting upon Theon’s face “like icy tears”; consequently, the veil of tears symbolically washes away the visage of Reek in preparation to receive his former identity as Theon.  For performing his part in Ramsay’s wedding, Theon feels he has earned a merciful end. “Death is the sweetest deliverance he could hope for” [615 ADwD].  It is ironic that “Reek” will symbolically die to restore his former self as “Theon of House Greyjoy.  . . a ward of Eddard Stark, a friend and brother to his children” [616 ADwD].

Theon can hardly anticipate that in the godswood Bran’s ghost awaits his arrival.  Martin sets the stage with steam rising from the hot pools, with the smell of decay permeating the air, and with the warm fog shrouding the sentinel trees in cloaks of gloom.  At the center of the performance area is the lead actor whose costume is a weirwood tree:

“And in the heart of the wood the weirwood waited with its knowing red eyes” [616 ADwD].

Reek attaches a human presence to the tree, and out of respect for a power he does not understand, Reek respectfully honors the heart tree, bowing his head “before the carved red face”.  To further impact the ambience and to introduce the featured performer, a distant drumming comes “from everywhere at once” [616 ADwD].

Despite the windless night, Reek hears the red leaves of the heart tree rustling his name:  “Theon,” they seemed to whisper, “Theon” [616 ADwD].

Reek has an epiphany as he realizes that the old gods know him not as Reek  but as “Theon”.  “They know me.  They know my name” [616 ADwD].  As a result of this revelation, Reek drops to his knees in prayer, asking to die as Theon, not as Reek.

The heart tree answers Theon’s prayer with a gesture, a very human gesture, only Bran the greenseer employs a falling leaf, “red, five-fingered, like a bloody hand”, using it to brush against Reek’s brow before landing in the black pool. Bran uses a leaf as he might use his human hand to open Theon’s third-eye for a moment.  Bran’s gentle “touch” grants Theon a visionary perspective, and he discerns Bran’s visage in the tree and he hears the tree speak Bran’s name.

When Theon hears the tree whisper “Bran”, he concludes that the old gods know of his past transgressions:  They saw what I did” [616 ADwD].  To emphasize the wisdom of the godhood, Theon sees “Bran’s face carved into the pale trunk . . . staring down at him with eyes red and wise and sad.  Bran’s ghost, he thought . . .” [616 ADwD].  Theon wonders why Bran haunts him, especially because Theon always liked Bran and never intended to harm him.

Still on his knees, Theon confesses to the heart tree, justifying his murder of the Miller’s boys with an excuse that discloses his hubris:  Theon did not want his men to laugh at him and to mock him; therefore, he needed “two heads” for the sake of appearances.  Theon may not have the blood of Bran and Rickon on his hands, but he is still guilty of the deaths of two innocent children, sacrificial lambs meant to disguise Theon’s ineptitude as a leader.

Theon’s time with Bran’s ghost in the heart tree is interrupted by three eavesdropping spearwives who ask him to whom he is talking.  “The ghosts . . . they whisper to me.  They . . . they know my name” [616 ADwD].  Abel’s women mock Theon, and Holly flashes a knife to threaten Theon so that he will do their bidding.

Theon envisions “his blood soaking into the ground to feed the heart tree.  And what would be so wrong with that?” [617ADwD]. With bravery uncharacteristic of Reek, Theon welcomes death, if only because his blood will nourish the forces of the old gods within the heart tree. Moreover, Theon wishes to honor the Starks, especially Bran.  Says Theon, “Kill me . . . Go on.  Do me . . .” [617 ADwD].

But it is not Theon’s day to die.  Instead, the spearwives escort him to Abel, where Theon will learn that the gods are not yet done with him.  Theon has duties to perform that will demand strength and courage.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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On ‎18‎/‎03‎/‎2016 at 10:19 PM, evita mgfs said:

AN:  I am still catching up!  There is SO MUCH good stuff here!  Thanks for all the awesome responses.  I finally put together my biggest crackpot theory about Bran’s far reaching powers – so here it is!

Hi Evita, hope you are well!

On first read, your crackpot theory doesn't seem so crackpot to me.  In fact it has me thinking this may explain the mysterious nature of some of these deaths in 'A ghost in Winterfell'.  Some great ideas again, and the recurring nature of the snow around the dead [and stables] stuck out for me.  With all we have posted about concerning the elements, the snow seems one to watch, as you have wonderfully shown. 

I will post more, it is late here.  But wanted to quickly post and say I thoroughly enjoyed the read, and you have me thinking again!  Good work Evita.  :)  

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On ‎11‎/‎03‎/‎2016 at 2:32 PM, Tijgy said:

Analysis of Bran III, ACOKIntroduction

Hey, guys, here I am again with another analysis of one of Bran's chapters wherein we meet one of Bran's important mentors, the one and only Jojen Reed.  Like other times, I will first give a synopsis of the chapter, I will quote then some important sentences, phrases, … which refer to the old gods, direwolves*, … and give my own remarks and speculations on them.

Hey Tijgy, another really interesting post, some cool stuff in there as always.  Keep up the good work!  :)

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On 3/20/2016 at 10:19 PM, Wizz-The-Smith said:

Hi Evita, hope you are well!

On first read, your crackpot theory doesn't seem so crackpot to me.  In fact it has me thinking this may explain the mysterious nature of some of these deaths in 'A ghost in Winterfell'.  Some great ideas again, and the recurring nature of the snow around the dead [and stables] stuck out for me.  With all we have posted about concerning the elements, the snow seems one to watch, as you have wonderfully shown. 

I will post more, it is late here.  But wanted to quickly post and say I thoroughly enjoyed the read, and you have me thinking again!  Good work Evita.  :)  

Hey, Wizz-The-Smith:  I wanted to share this with you!  I found three instances in the JON7 POV you were working on before I disappeared, in which Ghost coats himself in snow.  Because this POV deals with the weather, I will repost it here.  I had framed my analysis around Mark Twain, but I still think you will enjoy my findings – and probably come up with other ideas as well.

 

George RR Martin’s Nod to Mark Twain’s  The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in Jon Snow’s Seventh POV from A Dance with Dragons

American satirist and novelist Samuel Clemens assumes the pen name Mark Twain, which he takes from his experiences as a young man when he became a “cub” steamboat pilot.  “Mark Twain”, or “mark number two”, is “a Mississippi River term” that refers to “the second mark on the line” that measured a depth signified by two fathoms, or twelve feet, or a “safe depth for the steamboat” [https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=mark+twain+meaning].

Twain incorporates his pseudo-identity in thematic elements that feature twos, halves, middles, and dualities, all of which are evident in his classic novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.  In a similar fashion, George RR Martin pays homage to Twain’s whimsical incorporation of “twain”, or elements of “twos”,  most notably in Jon Snow’s seventh POV, the middle of thirteen such POV narratives, in A Dance with Dragons.

In Huck, Twain strategically halves his novel, placing its technical climax, or turning point, at its center and marking it with Huck’s pivotal words: “All right then, I’ll go to hell”.  Huck’s moral decision has grave consequences, or so he believes, because he must weigh the value of his friendship with Jim against what society has taught him about slavery.  [Apparently, Twain scholars have counted the words from the beginning and from the end of the novel to ascertain an equal divide before and after Huck’s memorable words – I, however, never counted words myself to confirm these claims.]  Twain writes:

“I [Huck]  was a-trembling, because I’d got to decide, forever, betwixt two things, and I knowed it”.

Huck opts to help Jim escape slavery even if it means eternal damnation rather than going to what others view as heaven.  Moreover, Huck’s experiences on the Mississippi  River with Jim teaches him that Jim is a man no matter the color of his skin and that the “sivilized” world from which they come is cruel and hypocritical.  So Huck chooses “freedom” for him and his pal.

In a similar fashion, Jon decides to permit two wildlings, Leathers and Jax, to wear a black cloak after saying their vows, thus becoming SBs of the Night’s Watch. Moreover, Jon’s choice is a prelude to his later resolve of allowing the wildlings to pass the Wall to save them from the supernatural forces threatening them.  Neither of Jon’s decrees is popular with a majority of his black brothers whose hatred for the free folk is “bone deep” [ADwD 465].

After the men say their vows and rise, Jon Snow does not see the “wildlings” – “all he saw was men” [469].  This is like Huck seeing Jim’s humanity despite the color of his skin. 

Martin manipulates his language in Jon’s POV to convey twos, halves, middles, divisions, disguises, and dualities, all with a cleverness that rivals Twain’s.  The first sentence of the POV begins the pattern:  “The sun had broken through near midday, after seven days of dark skies and snow flurries” [461].  Even Martin’s repetition of “seven” marks the chronological placement of this POV.

The men “cross” beneath the Wall to embark on their journey and upon their return.  “Bowen Marsh stomped across the yard to confront Jon” [462].  “Ghost slipped between two white-coated  pines” [463]. “Half a mile from the grove, long red shafts of autumn sunlight were slanting between the branches of leafless trees . . . “ and “The riders crossed a frozen stream, between two jagged rocks armored in ice . . .” [465]. “He looked right and left”;  “They rushed the grove together . . . “;  “no two faces were alike” ; “Ghost , . . a white shadow at Jon’s side” [466].  “The fire in the center of the grove . . .” [467].

Despite the many, many examples, the most important couple in this “middle” narrative is Jon Snow and his direwolf Ghost.

Martin foreshadows Jon sharing his direwolf’s skin in the near future.

Martin plays with his cloaking/coating motif by suggesting that Jon Snow metaphorically is the “snow”, as in Jon’s observation that Ghost “seemed to love fresh snow” [ADwD 462].  Ghost loves Jon Snow so much that he even covers himself with “snow”!

 So much so  that “At the base of the Wall he [Jon] found Ghost rolling in a snowbank . . . When he saw Jon he bounded back onto his feet and shook himself off” [462].

Because Martin repeats this and more figurative language pertaining to cloak/coat wearing and removing, Martin may indeed suggest that Jon Snow will wear his direwolf’s skin as warg – and direwolf will be in disguise as Jon Snow, wearing his snowy coat, yet cognizant and aware as his master – the warg within the direwolf.  

Furthermore, Martin makes clear to readers to pay heed to language when Jon Snow says, “The words matter . . .” [ ADwD 462].  In context, Jon refers to the NW oath that his new recruits will speak beyond the Wall in the grove of nine weirwoods.  Yet, at the same time, Jon’s words “cloak” deeper meanings – Jon is Martin’s voice attesting to the importance of the author’s words as well as the sacred oath of the SB of the NW.

A great deal of Jon’s dialogue has deeper meanings:  the NW words “bind us all together” and “They make us brothers” [462-463].  Jon and Ghost are thus bonded, closer than even Jon and his half siblings.

When Jon calls Ghost “To me”, the direwolf “shook the snow from his back and trotted to Jon’s side” [463[.  This is the second reference to Ghost wearing the skin of “Jon Snow”.  Then Jon and Ghost travel beneath the ice, “the trees stood tall and silent, huddled in thick white cloaks” [463].  Martin dresses the trees to emphasize the idea of “transformation/rebirth/skinchanging”.  The men who march with Jon will return transformed – and they will wear the black as SBs.  Likewise, Jon Snow will also be transformed/reborn/skinchanged not long after his return to the Wall.  Mayhap he will shed his black cloak – Martin hints at this, yes?

Ghost stalks beside Jon’s mount, sniffing the air.  When Jon asks “What is it?”, Jon admits to himself, the reader, and Ghost that Jon Snow has limited vision:  “The woods were empty as far as he could see, but that was not very far” [463].  Perhaps Jon’s vision will be clearer when he looks through the red eyes of Ghost.

Jon watches as “Ghost bounded toward the trees, slipped between two-white-cloaked pines, and vanished in a cloud of snow” [463].  Martin employs the past participle of “slip” -  “slipped”, a word Lord Brynden speaks to Bran, telling him to slip his skin and fly.  “Vanished” is a word Martin employs consistently, beginning with AGoT and throughout the novels that follow. The author describes the Stark direwolves as vanishing on those occasions when they enter the forest or elsewhere. 

 “A vanishing act” is a trick, an illusion that magicians perform – it is a fitting word for Martin to repeat because his world of ice and fire is filled with magic.

Mark Twain famously inserts himself into the action of Huck, appearing as a performer in a circus, standing upon the back of a horse, attempting a balancing act.  The author disguising himself as a player amid many likely goes unnoticed by casual readers.  The art of disguise that fools even the readers is like a magic trick.  As is balancing the literary elements that are integral to the composition of truly brilliant fiction.

Martin poignantly depicts Jon and Ghost’s bond – their oneness:

“Jon smelled Tom Barleycorn before he saw him.   Or was it Ghost who smelled him Of late, Jon Snow sometimes felt as he and his direwolf were one, even awake” [466].

“The shield that guards the realms of men.  Ghost nuzzled up against his shoulder, and Jon draped his arm around him.  He could smell Horse’s unwashed breeches, the sweet scent Satin combed into his beard, the sharp smell of fear, the giant’s overpowering musk.  He could hear the beating of his own heart” [469].

Martin emphasizes Jon and Ghost’s connection through shared sensory perceptions.

The third time Martin refers to Ghost and his snow coat is here:  The great wolf appeared first, shaking off the snow” [466].  However, Ghost is also a “white shadow at Jon’s side, with red eyes like the weirwood’s”.

Martin references coats and cloaks, all of which develop the theme of a covering that outwardly changes or transforms an individual’s appearance.  Yet wearing an outer garment does not conceal what dwells in the heart of he who wears it.

Similarly, in Huck, Twain presents his lead character as wearing many disguises – Huck pretends to be a girl, wearing a dress and bonnet and claiming to know about sewing.  Likewise, Jim becomes Huck’s surrogate father figure, a man with black skin symbolically adopting a white boy.  Jim even spares Huck from discovering the bloated corpse of his pap when they come upon their house floating upon the river.

Following are a few references from Jon’s POV7 that suggest the wearing of cloaks and coats:

“The evening sky had turned the faded grey of an old cloak that had been washed too many times . . .” [466].

Their hoods were raised against the biting wind, and some had scarves wrapped about their faces, hiding their features” [464].

With their black hoods and thick black cowls, the six might have been carved from shadow” [468].

“The wind . . , made their coats snap and swirl . . .” [469].

Finally, Jon Snow removes his cloak upon returning, “hanging his cloak on the peg beside the door” [470].

After taking off his cloak, Jon reads the words of a king, after which he reflects upon Winterfell, “the castle is a shell . . . not WF, but the ghost of WF”  [470]. 

Jon removing his cloak is “like” the empty shell of WF without a visible Stark on location.  Instead of his blacks, Jon will replace them with Ghost’s white fur when he accepts his warg nature.  Perhaps the direwolf and the warg within will take up residence in the shell that is Winterfell. Great Jon Snow’s Ghost will occupy Winterfell, literally and symbolically.

I have skimped on direct references to Huck and further evidences from Martin’s Jon POV.  But the duality theme that both authors masterfully convey is worthy of further analysis.  I have presented only a few evidences taken from my much longer and more in depth study of shared patterns and developments between the fiction works of two celebrated American authors.

 

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