BRAN’S GROWING POWERS AFTER his FINAL POV in ADwD

[Meera of Tarth]

7 minutes ago, evita mgfs said:

Well, as always, you are the voice of reason.  However, in my rampant theorizing, which very likely is just that – theorizing – not yet proven, I see that the Starks have some unique connection with the forces that are the old gods.

 

The direwolf pups are gifts from the gods, yet even though each receives a gift, this does not mean that they abide the warnings of their wolves.  Robb, Jon, and Bran ignore their wolves on occasions that prove to be detrimental to their well-being, sadly.

 

The gods work in mysterious ways – and what is fated cannot account for what is “free will” on the part of mortals.

 

So, I do think the Starks are “special” because they have important roles to play in the future.  This is why the “trees have eyes” again:  the dead are walking.

 

Bran is a greenseer – all the others are wargs.  Arya is a skinchanger with some connection to water forces: half wolf / half fish.  Sansa has an affinity to birds, air, wind, and sky.  Jon may possess ice and fire, the blood of the First Men and the blood of the dragon.

 

But these are merely my musings.  I can certainly see your point about the inequity of favoritism.  Regardless, the Starks suffer great sorrows.  So being blessed is not always a good thing.

 

Yes, and Sansa lost her direwolf. But I read in a thread that Sansa may have warged a bird....

I have to read your essays on Arya and water too

[The Fattest Leech]

3 hours ago, Meera of Tarth said:

Yes, and Sansa lost her direwolf. But I read in a thread that Sansa may have warged a bird....

I have to read your essays on Arya and water too

Meera, I just want to say that your avatar pic change is weirding me out I always pictured the "real you" to look like the other pic... but now it's changed! I feel like I never knew who you really were.

[The Fattest Leech]

3 hours ago, Meera of Tarth said:

Yes, and Sansa lost her direwolf. But I read in a thread that Sansa may have warged a bird....

I have to read your essays on Arya and water too

Oh, and yes to this. There are a few threads out there that link Sansa up with warging a bird. Everything from being called a "little bird" back in King's Landing, to her singing to her being in the Vale up in the clouds like a bird and the Arryn link to falcons. It's pretty cool.

[evita mgfs]

43 minutes ago, The Fattest Leech said:

Oh, and yes to this. There are a few threads out there that link Sansa up with warging a bird. Everything from being called a "little bird" back in King's Landing, to her singing to her being in the Vale up in the clouds like a bird and the Arryn link to falcons. It's pretty cool.

Hey, I'd like to read the bird threads.  In my Arya and the Water Motif thread, we touched upon Sansa's relationship with air, wind, and birds.  The idea must have advanced since then, and I never caught threads dealing with such.

The best example I can remember was Bemused pointing out that Sansa sculpted WF from snow while at the Eyrie - and she had never seen WF from a bird's eye view.  I think she even mentioned it in this thread somewhere.

With WoW on the horizon, I should probably start Arya and the Water Motif Part 2 - "Mercy" and TWoW.

I found the Dancer essay.  Now I have to go backwards to find your thread!

[The Fattest Leech]

Ok, what I am about to say is going to sound super weird, so just bare with me. A day or two ago Evita and I had a brief convo back on page 15 and she said this, "One of the things I mentioned in my post was that "Bran" is actuallyin "Branches". Sounds cool. The I replied something about Bran being a Wood Dancer which is something I wrote about a few weeks ago. Read here if you want to because it fits in here.

Then as I was driving today and listening to a Tyrion chapter in the car, I started thinking of Evita's and my silly comments and realized that Bran could be Pinocchio. I rushed home and looked up the story of Pinocchio and the similarities are amazing. (The real story, not the Disney story). Let me break down a few of the long list of resemblances. There is a LOT more, but I only had a few minutes.

Please let me know your thoughts and if it fits into this thread.

1. Pinocchio- the name a variant of common "pinolo" (pine seed)
   • Created as a wooden puppet. Bran as we know him was created when he was pushed from the tower. We know "Dance" is a synonym for fight in this ASOIAF series.
   • Dreamed of becoming a real boy. Bran dreams of becoming a knight... a real knight as he says.
   • A character who is prone to telling lies and fabricating stories for various reasons. Bran has been known to tell little lies like not climbing the tower anymore (right before he falls) and lies in the caves when he wargs Hodor and tries to fool the others while doing so. He has also been shown to be rebellious at various points in the story.
   • Collodi chastises Pinocchio for his lack of moral fiber and his persistent rejection of responsibility and desire for fun. Bran does this many times when he wargs Hodor, which is an abomination for warg's to do (take another human). But he likes to do it and does it enough that Hodor starts to recoil to a dark spot in his own mind.
   • He is a marionette that is manipulated with wires. Bran is manipulated by Bloodraven by way of "telepathic" wires.
   • After struggling and weeping over his deformed nose, the Blue Fairy (Meera) summons woodpeckers to peck it back to normal. Bran cries to Meera about his current state and she comforts him.
   • Often thought of as a hero and cautionary tale, Pinocchio descends into hell; he also experiences rebirth through metamorphosis, a common motif in fantasy literature. Bran... this is Bran's storyline in ASOIAF.
   • IN THE END The main imperatives demanded of Pinocchio are to work, be good, and study. For Bran it is to learn to be a greenseer.
   • Pinocchio's willingness to provide for his "father" (to open his third eye) and devote himself to these things transforms him into a real boy with modern comforts. He becomes the knight he always wanted to be. a WOOD DANCER.
2. Geppetto- Is thought of as Pinocchio's second/surrogate father... and is Bloodraven. I will say here that this part sorta kinda helps me in my theory that Bloodraven is NOT a good guy. I won't detail why here just to keep to this topic. Basically, Bloodraven is working Bran like a puppet.
   • Geppetto is introduced when carpenter Mister Antonio finds a talking block of pinewood which he was about to carve into a leg for his table.
   • Antonio gives the block of wood to Geppetto signifying the transference of greenseer knowledge from the preceeding greenseer to Bloodraven.
   • Towns people say that Geppetto dislikes children, the carabiniere assumes that Pinocchio has been treated poorly and imprisons Geppetto. Bloodraven, in life, was thought by everyone to be a "sinister sorcerer" and was sent to the wall by King Aegon.
   • Geppetto is released from jail and finds that Pinocchio's feet have burnt off, and replaces them. Bloodraven in the books did this part on purpose.
   • Geppetto is a major villain in the Fables comic series. I have read these graphic novels and they are amazing.
   • "Geppetto" is a diminutive form of Giuseppe (Joseph). Bloodraven is the diminutive nickname for Brynden Rivers.
3. Fairy with Turquoise Hair- is Meera. Maybe a little of Jojen as well.Both are described as basically elfish in the books as well.
   • She repeatedly appears at critical moments in Pinocchio's wanderings to admonish the little wooden puppet to avoid bad or risky behavior.
   • Although the naïvely willful marionette initially resists her good advice, he later comes to follow her instruction.
   • She in turn protects him, and later enables his assumption of human form, contrary to the prior wooden form.
   • The Fairy cryptically responds that all inhabitants of the house, including herself, are dead, and that she (Jojen) is waiting for her coffin to arrive. JOJEN alert!
   • The Fairy (Meera) informs him that he is free to consider her an elder sister,
   • The Fairy (Jojen) also  says that his "father" Mister Geppetto (Howland Reed) is on his way to fetch him. Another Jojen alert!
4. The fox and the cat- Theon is the cat and Reek/Ramsay is the fox
   • Both are depicted as con-men, who lead Pinocchio astray and unsuccessfully attempt to murder him.
   • The pair pretend to sport disabilities; the Fox lameness (Reek/Ramsay) and the Cat blindness. (Theon)
   • The Fox is depicted as the more intelligent of the two, with the Cat (Theon) usually limiting itself to repeating the Fox's words.
   • The pair catches and hangs Pinocchio from a tree. Theon and Reek hang the miller's boys from Winterfell.

[evita mgfs]

8 minutes ago, The Fattest Leech said:

Ok, what I am about to say is going to sound super weird, so just bare with me. A day or two ago Evita and I had a brief convo back on page 15 and she said this, "One of the things I mentioned in my post was that "Bran" is actuallyin "Branches". Sounds cool. The I replied something about Bran being a Wood Dancer which is something I wrote about a few weeks ago. Read here if you want to because it fits in here.

Then as I was driving today and listening to a Tyrion chapter in the car, I started thinking of Evita's and my silly comments and realized that Bran could be Pinocchio. I rushed home and looked up the story of Pinocchio and the similarities are amazing. (The real story, not the Disney story). Let me break down a few of the long list of resemblances. There is a LOT more, but I only had a few minutes.

Please let me know your thoughts and if it fits into this thread.

1. Pinocchio- the name a variant of common "pinolo" (pine seed)
   • Created as a wooden puppet. Bran as we know him was created when he was pushed from the tower. We know "Dance" is a synonym for fight in this ASOIAF series.
   • Dreamed of becoming a real boy. Bran dreams of becoming a knight... a real knight as he says.
   • A character who is prone to telling lies and fabricating stories for various reasons. Bran has been known to tell little lies like not climbing the tower anymore (right before he falls) and lies in the caves when he wargs Hodor and tries to fool the others while doing so. He has also been shown to be rebellious at various points in the story.
   • Collodi chastises Pinocchio for his lack of moral fiber and his persistent rejection of responsibility and desire for fun. Bran does this many times when he wargs Hodor, which is an abomination for warg's to do (take another human). But he likes to do it and does it enough that Hodor starts to recoil to a dark spot in his own mind.
   • He is a marionette that is manipulated with wires. Bran is manipulated by Bloodraven by way of "telepathic" wires.
   • After struggling and weeping over his deformed nose, the Blue Fairy (Meera) summons woodpeckers to peck it back to normal. Bran cries to Meera about his current state and she comforts him.
   • Often thought of as a hero and cautionary tale, Pinocchio descends into hell; he also experiences rebirth through metamorphosis, a common motif in fantasy literature. Bran... this is Bran's storyline in ASOIAF.
   • IN THE END The main imperatives demanded of Pinocchio are to work, be good, and study. For Bran it is to learn to be a greenseer.
   • Pinocchio's willingness to provide for his "father" (to open his third eye) and devote himself to these things transforms him into a real boy with modern comforts. He becomes the knight he always wanted to be. a WOOD DANCER.
2. Geppetto- Is thought of as Pinocchio's second/surrogate father... and is Bloodraven. I will say here that this part sorta kinda helps me in my theory that Bloodraven is NOT a good guy. I won't detail why here just to keep to this topic. Basically, Bloodraven is working Bran like a puppet.
   • Geppetto is introduced when carpenter Mister Antonio finds a talking block of pinewood which he was about to carve into a leg for his table.
   • Antonio gives the block of wood to Geppetto signifying the transference of greenseer knowledge from the preceeding greenseer to Bloodraven.
   • Towns people say that Geppetto dislikes children, the carabiniere assumes that Pinocchio has been treated poorly and imprisons Geppetto. Bloodraven, in life, was thought by everyone to be a "sinister sorcerer" and was sent to the wall by King Aegon.
   • Geppetto is released from jail and finds that Pinocchio's feet have burnt off, and replaces them. Bloodraven in the books did this part on purpose.
   • Geppetto is a major villain in the Fables comic series. I have read these graphic novels and they are amazing.
   • "Geppetto" is a diminutive form of Giuseppe (Joseph). Bloodraven is the diminutive nickname for Brynden Rivers.
3. Fairy with Turquoise Hair- is Meera. Maybe a little of Jojen as well.Both are described as basically elfish in the books as well.
   • She repeatedly appears at critical moments in Pinocchio's wanderings to admonish the little wooden puppet to avoid bad or risky behavior.
   • Although the naïvely willful marionette initially resists her good advice, he later comes to follow her instruction.
   • She in turn protects him, and later enables his assumption of human form, contrary to the prior wooden form.
   • The Fairy cryptically responds that all inhabitants of the house, including herself, are dead, and that she (Jojen) is waiting for her coffin to arrive. JOJEN alert!
   • The Fairy (Meera) informs him that he is free to consider her an elder sister,
   • The Fairy (Jojen) also  says that his "father" Mister Geppetto (Howland Reed) is on his way to fetch him. Another Jojen alert!
4. The fox and the cat- Theon is the cat and Reek/Ramsay is the fox
   • Both are depicted as con-men, who lead Pinocchio astray and unsuccessfully attempt to murder him.
   • The pair pretend to sport disabilities; the Fox lameness (Reek/Ramsay) and the Cat blindness. (Theon)
   • The Fox is depicted as the more intelligent of the two, with the Cat (Theon) usually limiting itself to repeating the Fox's words.
   • The pair catches and hangs Pinocchio from a tree. Theon and Reek hang the miller's boys from Winterfell.

MIND BLOWN!  This is Awesome!

I have to check my files - I wrote something about Pinnochio the other day - it was about the songs from the animated musical.

Anyway, doesn't Mel see a wooden boy in her flames?

Bran is bound to a tree.

I think this is FABULOUS! Be back in a few - I did find my Dancer essay and posted it in your thread.  Sorry it took me so long!

[evita mgfs]

43 minutes ago, The Fattest Leech said:

Ok, what I am about to say is going to sound super weird, so just bare with me. A day or two ago Evita and I had a brief convo back on page 15 and she said this, "One of the things I mentioned in my post was that "Bran" is actuallyin "Branches". Sounds cool. The I replied something about Bran being a Wood Dancer which is something I wrote about a few weeks ago. Read here if you want to because it fits in here.

SNIP

From Pinocchio the Animates Film

"Little Wooden Head" -  Bran

"Give A Little Whistle" – Starks to their direwolves

"Hi Diddle Dee Dee, an Actors Life for Me - Arya

"I've Got No Strings to Hold Me Down" – the Dragons

FYI WOOD SYMBOLOGY

“In Catholicism, wood is most frequently associated with the CROSS; otherwise, it may represent the totality of paradise, shelter, the cradle or the coffin.

“The carpenter uses tools symbolic of the divine power of bringing order out of chaos” http://www.umich.edu/~umfandsf/symbolismproject/symbolism.html/W/wood.html

·       The wood symbology mentions the carpenter, a direct tie in to Pinnochio’s father and maker.

FYI CROSS SYMBOLOGY

"It is a world centre and therefore a point of communication between heaven and earth and a cosmic axis, thus sharing the symbolism of the cosmic tree, mountain, etc.

“The cross represents the Tree of Life and the Tree of Nourishment; “it is also a symbol of universal, archetypal man, capable of infinite and harmonious expansion on both the horizontal and vertical planes;

“the vertical line is the celestial, spiritual and intellectual, positive, active and male, while the horizontal is the earthly, rational, passive, and negative and female, the whole cross forming the primordial ANDROGYNE.

[In Christian terms], it is the salvation through Christ's sacrifice; redemption; atonement; suffering; faith.

“The cross also signifies acceptance of death or suffering and sacrifice" (Cooper, 46).

“Crossroads are often thought of as symbolizing points of intersection between the paths of living and the dead;

“and as a framework for coordinates, the cross gives people the ability to orient themselves within space and time.

“Acts as an amulet against danger, weapon against monster, even devil.

“Many crosses besides the normally thought of Christian one: Simple (orientation on a plane surface), St. Andrew's (union of the Upper and Lower worlds), Arrow-head (centrifugal/away from the center forces), doubled (parallel forces), Maltese (centripetal forces), Templars (forces around a circumference), Teutonic (four triangles, centripetal tendency), Ovals (continuous movement), Knobbed extremeties (four Cardinal Points of space).

http://www.umich.edu/~umfandsf/symbolismproject/symbolism.html/C/cross.html

Mentions of Wood in AGOT Bran V  Book 1, Chapter 38

 

Wood is mentioned several times throughout this POV, but specifically references to wood are a large part of the descriptions pertaining to the now “dead” village.  Through Bran’s later connection with the weirwood tree in ADwD, Martin’s word choice in his details may intimate Bran’s future relationship with wood.

“Beyond the castle lay the market square, its wooden stalls deserted now. They rode down the muddy streets of the village, past rows of small neat houses of log and undressed stone. Less than one in five were occupied, thin tendrils of woodsmoke curling up from their chimneys. The rest would fill up one by one as it grew colder. When the snow fell and the ice winds howled down out of the north, Old Nan said, farmers left their frozen fields and distant holdfasts, loaded up their wagons, and then the winter town came alive. Bran had never seen it happen, but Maester Luwin said the day was looming closer. The end of the long summer was near at hand. Winter is coming”.

·       Beyond Winterfell, the party comes upon the marketsquare, “deserted now”.

·       The “muddy streets” echo the mud in Arya’s, Catelyn’s, and Ned’s past POV’s.

·       Martin mentions “wood” several times in his descriptions leading up to the  deserted market square: “its wooden stalls”, “neat houses of log”,  and “tendrils of woodsmoke”. “

·       The direwolves so frighten a man that he drops the wood he is carrying: “one man dropped the wood he was carrying as he shrank away in fear, but most of the townfolk had grown used to the sight”. 

·       The alehouse name is wood-related: “ Two serving wenches stood beneath the sign of the Smoking Log, the local alehouse.”

·       Old Nan’s words are always worth a look:  the ice winds “howl” which is a verb Martin employs when writing about the direwolves.

·       The symbolically “dead” winter town becomes “alive” when the snow falls and the wind howls.  This formula works for the arrival of the white walkers and their wights.

I really like your findings on the similarities between Pinnochio and Bran/Bloodraven!  What I found is not much compared to your clever comparisons.  However, I thought the symbology of wood and cross might invite further discussion as we continue to examine Bran’s growing powers!

GOOD WORK LEECH!!!

[The Fattest Leech]

11 hours ago, evita mgfs said:

From Pinocchio the Animates Film

 

"Little Wooden Head" -  Bran

 

"Give A Little Whistle" – Starks to their direwolves

 

"Hi Diddle Dee Dee, an Actors Life for Me - Arya

 

"I've Got No Strings to Hold Me Down" – the Dragons

 

FYI WOOD SYMBOLOGY

 

“In Catholicism, wood is most frequently associated with the CROSS; otherwise, it may represent the totality of paradise, shelter, the cradle or the coffin.

 

“The carpenter uses tools symbolic of the divine power of bringing order out of chaos” http://www.umich.edu/~umfandsf/symbolismproject/symbolism.html/W/wood.html

 

·       The wood symbology mentions the carpenter, a direct tie in to Pinnochio’s father and maker.

 

 

·       The symbolically “dead” winter town becomes “alive” when the snow falls and the wind howls.  This formula works for the arrival of the white walkers and their wights.

 

I really like your findings on the similarities between Pinnochio and Bran/Bloodraven!  What I found is not much compared to your clever comparisons.  However, I thought the symbology of wood and cross might invite further discussion as we continue to examine Bran’s growing powers!

 

GOOD WORK LEECH!!!

 

 

Thank you. I know it probably sounds really weird to some who may read what I found... but it works.

The secret is way out of the bag that both religion and personal boyhood influences are all drawn together to create ASOIAF which is why is resonates so well with people even after its first 20 some years.

[evita mgfs]

1 minute ago, The Fattest Leech said:

 

Thank you. I know it probably sounds really weird to some who may red what I found... but it works.

The secret is way out of the bag that both religion and personal boyhood influences are all drawn together to create ASOIAF which is why is resonates so well with people even after its first 20 some years.

Those childhood influences are often the most powerful.  Two of the direwolf's names might be from Disney:  Lady from Lady and the Tramp and Shaggy Dog from a movie about a man who turned into a Shaggy Dog.

[evita mgfs]

On 12/29/2015 at 2:55 PM, Wizz-The-Smith said:

Hey everybody! 

This is inspired by Evita and some of the techniques she has shown throughout her OP, namely rustling trees, the wind, and giving it that animalistic/humanistic presence.  Plus a couple of other cool possibilities.

I reread the prologue of AGOT and some stuff jumped out at me, so made some notes.  Here’s my breakdown of the chapter concentrating on the wind, this is the first thing any Asoiaf fan read back in 1996.

The first mention of the wind was instantly familiar.

A cold wind was blowing out of the north, and made the trees rustle like living things.  All day, Will had felt as though something were watching him…….

‘’You have a chill?’’ Royce asked

‘’The wind, m’lord.’’

The wind is out of the north again, this term is used regularly.  But also it makes the trees rustle like living things, with what we now know, looking back this is a very cool line.  Will felt like they were being watched, the insinuation in this chapter is that it’s probably the Others that have been watching them.  But I wouldn’t rule out the wind either.  I feel there may be a separation of the cold wind and the cold itself the Others bring in this same chapter.

[Gared] ‘’Everyone talks about snows forty foot deep, and how the ice wind comes 'howling' out of the north, but the real enemy is the cold.’’                

A couple of paragraphs later.

Somewhere off in the wood a wolf 'howled'.

This is the first time the wind is given an animalistic trait as it comes howling out the north.  Then as if to confirm he may be using this technique, George gives us the wolf howl almost right away.  Also if you think of the wind as being inhabited or its own entity, then a closer look at the end of the sentence basically says………. ‘The personified wind is one thing but the cold is another entirely’ the real enemy in fact.  Of course the wind is cold especially beyond the wall, but there’s a possible separation later as this comes up again at the end of the chapter, but here’s some more wind.

A cold wind 'whispered' through the trees.  His [Royce’s] great sable cloak stirred behind 'like something half alive.'

Will could feel it.  Four years in the Nights Watch and he had never been so afraid. What was it?

‘’Wind.  Trees rustling.  A wolf.  Which sound is it that unmans you so Gared?’’

Another personification of the wind as it 'whispers through the trees', again this is an awesome sentence, it’s probably BR in the wind at this point and he does indeed whisper through trees.  And it plays with Royce’s cloak which becomes like something half alive, this is the second time that George has the wind make things come alive/half alive in the chapter.  And the half alive bit on top of the whispering through trees certainly sounds like BR to me.

Then as if to spell it out George basically lists all the things I noticed about this chapter in one foul swoop.  Wind.  Trees rustling.  And a wolf.  Wallop!   I think this was an extremely early set up for the wind technique, the AGOT prologue at that, awesome!  The wind continues and is mentioned another four times, I will list them sequentially.

He stood there beside the sentinel, longsword in hand, his cloak billowing behind him as the wind came up, outlined nobly against the stars for all to see.

[Will on climbing]  There was no use to argue.  The wind was moving.  It cut right through him.

Branches stirred gently in the wind, scratching at one another with wooden fingers.

He threw the long sable cloak back over his shoulders, to free his arms for battle, and took his sword in both hands.  The wind had stopped.  It was very cold.

So more cloak play, and the wooden fingers scratching at one another is cool.  But not quite as much descriptive text, I have noticed this when posting about Jon’s chapters.  Perhaps once an early presence has been set up, there are some more subtle text around the wind to avoid repeating the phrases too much.

Then the possible separation of the cold wind and the cold itself.  The last two sentences are interesting.  

‘The wind had stopped and It was very cold’ placed against the earlier notion that ‘The ice wind comes howling out of the north, but the real enemy is the cold’  

The wind stopped and was not seen again as soon as the Others [and their cold] actually turn up to kill Waymar.  It’s as if the wind had seen enough, plus the real enemy has just turned up!

In conclusion

With all that Evita has shown in her OP and subsequent posts, plus all I’ve learned off of her around this subject this chapter seemed packed full of evidence.  This seems like the original set up for this whole technique.  Perhaps showing us that this is in fact definitely happening and has been happening since the very first chapter anyone read back in 1996.

Trees turning into living things, cloaks looking half alive, the north wind howling and whispering [through trees no less] rustling trees, the wolf, the wind leaving when the real enemy turn up, Georges Wind.  Trees rustling.  A wolf hint etc…………….  This is very cool, and surprisingly early in the piece.

Finally, there is a similar flow to this technique regards the wind to what I saw when breaking down Jon’s ADWD chapters.  A presence may be hinted at early then played with throughout the rest of said chapter.  Anyway, this being as early as it is, thought it well worth posting. 

WOW!  WOW!  WOW!  These are great finds in the Prologue, with great explanations.  You tied in the howling wind with the appearance of the wolf.  Then: ‘’Wind.  Trees rustling.  A wolf.  Which sound is it that unmans you so Gared?’’  THESE ARE REFERENCES TO BRAN’S POWERS:  items in a series – BIG DEAL!

EXCELLENT ORGANIZATION!  The “conclusion” wrap up makes your entire essay unified and tight!

I have a few observations, but I am not sure exactly what they mean.  Will loses his voice on three occasions, and in each instance, the elemental forces maybe at work.  Additionally, I discuss Royce’s relationship with nature when compared to Will’s.

WILL LOSES HIS VOICE

“Will saw movement from the corner of his eye. Pale shapes gliding through the wood. He turned his head, glimpsed a white shadow in the darkness. Then it was gone. Branches stirred gently in the wind, scratching at one another with wooden fingers. Will opened his mouth to call down a warning, and the words seemed to freeze in his throat. Perhaps he was wrong. Perhaps it had only been a bird, a reflection on the snow, some trick of the moonlight. What had he seen, after all?”

·       Notice that after the “Branches stirred gently in the wind, scratching at one another with wooden fingers”, Will opens his mouth but cannot speak.  Now, might this mean that the force moving the branches might also silence Will?

·       The white shadow Will glimpses in the darkness is “ghostlike” – or like Jon Snow’s direwolf Ghost.

“They were gone. All the bodies were gone.
“Gods!” he heard behind him. A sword slashed at a branch as Ser Waymar Royce gained the ridge. He stood there beside the sentinel, longsword in hand, his cloak billowing behind him as the wind came up, outlined nobly against the stars for all to see.
“Get down!” Will whispered urgently. “Something’s wrong.”
Royce did not move. He looked down at the empty clearing and laughed. “Your dead men seem to have moved camp, Will.”
“Will’s voice abandoned him. He groped for words that did not come.  It was not possible”.

·       Royce disrespects the environment, slashing at the branches, and he uses “Gods” as an expletive.

·       Royce mocks Will and the dead when he says that the expired wildlings have moved camp; ironically, the ‘wights’ did move camp through the powers of their masters the White Walkers.

·       When Will instructs Royce to get down, Royce “did not move”, blatantly ignoring Will’s warning as if his concern that “something” is wrong does not apply to him.  He sports an attitude of invincibility, and his attitude of superiority while up against forces born of nature is inviting retaliation.

·       Then, Will’s voice abandons him as he looks on at the empty camp, no doubt in disbelief.  However, Royce’s laughter embarrasses him.  The arrogant ranger insinuates that Will made up his story about what he saw earlier when he was scouting.

“Ser Waymar looked him over with open disapproval. “I am not going back to Castle Black a failure on my first ranging. We will find these men.” He glanced around. “Up the tree. Be quick about it. Look for a fire.”
“Will turned away, wordless. There was no use to argue. The wind was moving. It cut right through him. He went to the tree, a vaulting grey-green sentinel, and began to climb”.

·       Will chooses NOT to argue with Royce so he obeys in silence.

·       Will is safe while up a tree.  Will’s climbing with such agility hints at Bran’s climbing the walls and towers of Winterfell in the POV to follow.

“Down below, the lordling called out suddenly, “Who goes there?” Will heard uncertainty in the challenge. He stopped climbing; he listened; he watched.
“The woods gave answer: the rustle of leaves, the icy rush of the stream, a distant hoot of a snow owl”.

·       Will may not have a voice to speak, but when Royce asks “Who goes there?” the woods answer him with sounds that are associated with the godhood of the north:  leaves rustle, the streams rushes, and an owl hoots.

Will is One with the Environment While Royce Disrupts the Natural Order

Martin establishes Will’s competence as a tracker and scout for the Night’s Watch. Will moves silently through the haunted forest:

“No one could move through the woods as silent as Will, and it had not taken the black brothers long to discover his talent”.

Will threads his way through the thicket, a metaphoric verb that implicates Will is like a needle smoothly advancing his thread in unimpeded stitches through the thicket and terrain:

 “Will threaded their way through a thicket, then started up the slope to the low ridge where he had found his vantage point under a sentinel tree. Under the thin crust of snow, the ground was damp and muddy, slick footing, with rocks and hidden roots to trip you up. Will made no sound as he climbed.

·       Will avoids slipping on rocks and tripping on hidden roots.  Will’s soundless passage conveys respect for the natural order of things.

“Behind him, he heard the soft metalic slither of the lordling’s ringmail, the rustle of leaves, and muttered curses as reaching branches grabbed at his longsword and tugged on his splendid sable cloak”.

·       Royce slashes through the thicket with a sword too long, he disrupts the leaves and causes them to rustle, protective ringmail audibly marks his movements, and her mutters curses into the wind. 

·       Royce demonstrates his disrespect for nature through his actions and his words.  The old gods may be watching and listening, and if they are, then they are the reaching branches that grab his longsword and tug on his sable cloak.

·       Likewise, Royce’s voice is too loud in this solemn environment of whispering leaves: “His voice echoed, too loud in the twilit forest”.

If Royce is not disrespecting the environment, then he displays disinterest and boredom:

“The lordling seemed not to hear him. He studied the deepening twilight in that half-bored, half-distracted way he had”.

·       Not only does Royce not hear the concerns of his fellow rangers, making him symbolically deaf, but Royce lacks the common sense to realize that the climate in the north is hostile and deadly.  Royce ignores Gared’s story about frostbite and all the other advisements his comrades try to bestow upon him. 

“He went to the tree, a vaulting grey-green sentinel, and began to climb. Soon his hands were sticky with sap, and he was lost among the needles”.

·       Will is symbolically attached to the sentinel, which he hugs on his ascent, pressing his cheek almost lovingly against the bark as he prays to the old gods of the north.  The sentinel oozes sticky sap that adheres to Will’s cheeks and his hands.

·       Martin presents Will as aware of nature’s indomitable powers, and Will’s respect for the environment makes him a “foil” for Ser Waymar Royce.

[Meera of Tarth]

12 hours ago, The Fattest Leech said:

Meera, I just want to say that your avatar pic change is weirding me out I always pictured the "real you" to look like the other pic... but now it's changed! I feel like I never knew who you really were.

lol!!!! But it's still the same girl. chloe Sullivan portrayed by Allison Mack from.Smallville!!!

mmmm I have read your essay and I am impressed!!! I HAD ALWAYS thought that Gepetto was a good man. So if BR is Gepetto I am scared for Bran!!, but I like the endingg and Meera's role....

And did Evita say that Mel sees a wooden boy in the flames? Where is it~? If it's true I am going to explode!!

 

and Wizz and his prologue analysis.....it's fantasticccc

 

 

sorry I am answering all of you with my mobile sorry for my spelling and bad editing

[The Fattest Leech]

7 minutes ago, Meera of Tarth said:

lol!!!! But it's still the same girl. chloe Sullivan portrayed by Allison Mack from.Smallville!!!

mmmm I have read your essay and I am impressed!!! I HAD ALWAYS thought that Gepetto was a good man. So if BR is Gepetto I am scared for Bran!!, but I like the endingg and Meera's role....

And did Evita say that Mel sees a wooden boy in the flames? Where is it~? If it's true I am going to explode!!

 

and Wizz and his prologue analysis.....it's fantasticccc

 

 

sorry I am answering all of you with my mobile sorry for my spelling and bad editing

In the Melisandre Dance chapter she says that she sees a wooden face. Most everyone that I have seen, including myself, think of it as Bloodraven because of the thousand eyes and corpse white inclusion. There is still the link to wood either way. I am also on my mobile so sorry for the poor editing. 

"A face took shape within the hearth. Stannis? she thought, for just a moment … but no, these were not his features. A wooden face, corpse white. Was this the enemy? A thousand red eyes floated in the rising flames. He sees me. Beside him, a boy with a wolf's face threw back his head and howled."

[The Fattest Leech]

10 minutes ago, Meera of Tarth said:

lol!!!! But it's still the same girl. chloe Sullivan portrayed by Allison Mack from.Smallville!!!

mmmm I have read your essay and I am impressed!!! I HAD ALWAYS thought that Gepetto was a good man. So if BR is Gepetto I am scared for Bran!!, but I like the endingg and Meera's role....

And did Evita say that Mel sees a wooden boy in the flames? Where is it~? If it's true I am going to explode!!

 

and Wizz and his prologue analysis.....it's fantasticccc

 

 

sorry I am answering all of you with my mobile sorry for my spelling and bad editing

I always thought that Geppetto was a good guy as well. That is probably Disney's fault   Apparently there are a few variations in the story that have happened over time. GRRM could have just used the main points but gave it his own "bittersweet" ending, as he is want to do. 

[Meera of Tarth]

1 hour ago, The Fattest Leech said:

In the Melisandre Dance chapter she says that she sees a wooden face. Most everyone that I have seen, including myself, think of it as Bloodraven because of the thousand eyes and corpse white inclusion. There is still the link to wood either way. I am also on my mobile so sorry for the poor editing. 

"A face took shape within the hearth. Stannis? she thought, for just a moment … but no, these were not his features. A wooden face, corpse white. Was this the enemy? A thousand red eyes floated in the rising flames. He sees me. Beside him, a boy with a wolf's face threw back his head and howled."

Oh, but it's BR, because the other one is a wolf boy......now I remember it.......and the corpse thing...yeah BR

[hiemal]

re: Pinnochio

I've been chewing on this one for a while and I think you are definitely on to something. The imagery of boy from wood contrasted with Bloodraven's man into wood has my head spinning. I still have some digesting to do.

Kudos, The Fattest Leech.

[evita mgfs]

 

ATTENTION BRAN PACK:

We’ve Been Approved!

Our “Sister Thread” for "Bran’s Growing Powers" is now Opened:

There, we can discuss the HBO GoT Season 6 relative to Bran’s Advancing Powers in Martin’s Novels

Be Sure to Visit and Post!

 

 

[The Fattest Leech]

8 hours ago, hiemal said:

re: Pinnochio

I've been chewing on this one for a while and I think you are definitely on to something. The imagery of boy from wood contrasted with Bloodraven's man into wood has my head spinning. I still have some digesting to do.

Kudos, The Fattest Leech.

Thank you. It was very much and "a-ha" moment and when I started to remember and look into the fox and the cat part of Pinocchio, then I was convinced. 

I think the only thing it needs is the ASOIAF ending after Bran leaves the cave. 

[Wizz-The-Smith]

On ‎13‎/‎04‎/‎2016 at 1:01 PM, evita mgfs said:

WOW!  WOW!  WOW!  These are great finds in the Prologue, with great explanations.  You tied in the howling wind with the appearance of the wolf.  Then: ‘’Wind.  Trees rustling.  A wolf.  Which sound is it that unmans you so Gared?’’  THESE ARE REFERENCES TO BRAN’S POWERS:  items in a series – BIG DEAL!

 

EXCELLENT ORGANIZATION!  The “conclusion” wrap up makes your entire essay unified and tight!

 

I have a few observations, but I am not sure exactly what they mean.  Will loses his voice on three occasions, and in each instance, the elemental forces maybe at work.  Additionally, I discuss Royce’s relationship with nature when compared to Will’s.

 

WILL LOSES HIS VOICE

 

“Will saw movement from the corner of his eye. Pale shapes gliding through the wood. He turned his head, glimpsed a white shadow in the darkness. Then it was gone. Branches stirred gently in the wind, scratching at one another with wooden fingers. Will opened his mouth to call down a warning, and the words seemed to freeze in his throat. Perhaps he was wrong. Perhaps it had only been a bird, a reflection on the snow, some trick of the moonlight. What had he seen, after all?”

 

·       Notice that after the “Branches stirred gently in the wind, scratching at one another with wooden fingers”, Will opens his mouth but cannot speak.  Now, might this mean that the force moving the branches might also silence Will?

 

·       The white shadow Will glimpses in the darkness is “ghostlike” – or like Jon Snow’s direwolf Ghost.

 

“They were gone. All the bodies were gone.
“Gods!” he heard behind him. A sword slashed at a branch as Ser Waymar Royce gained the ridge. He stood there beside the sentinel, longsword in hand, his cloak billowing behind him as the wind came up, outlined nobly against the stars for all to see.
“Get down!” Will whispered urgently. “Something’s wrong.”
Royce did not move. He looked down at the empty clearing and laughed. “Your dead men seem to have moved camp, Will.”
“Will’s voice abandoned him. He groped for words that did not come.  It was not possible”.

 

·       Royce disrespects the environment, slashing at the branches, and he uses “Gods” as an expletive.

 

·       Royce mocks Will and the dead when he says that the expired wildlings have moved camp; ironically, the ‘wights’ did move camp through the powers of their masters the White Walkers.

 

·       When Will instructs Royce to get down, Royce “did not move”, blatantly ignoring Will’s warning as if his concern that “something” is wrong does not apply to him.  He sports an attitude of invincibility, and his attitude of superiority while up against forces born of nature is inviting retaliation.

 

·       Then, Will’s voice abandons him as he looks on at the empty camp, no doubt in disbelief.  However, Royce’s laughter embarrasses him.  The arrogant ranger insinuates that Will made up his story about what he saw earlier when he was scouting.

 

“Ser Waymar looked him over with open disapproval. “I am not going back to Castle Black a failure on my first ranging. We will find these men.” He glanced around. “Up the tree. Be quick about it. Look for a fire.”
“Will turned away, wordless. There was no use to argue. The wind was moving. It cut right through him. He went to the tree, a vaulting grey-green sentinel, and began to climb”.

 

·       Will chooses NOT to argue with Royce so he obeys in silence.

 

·       Will is safe while up a tree.  Will’s climbing with such agility hints at Bran’s climbing the walls and towers of Winterfell in the POV to follow.

 

“Down below, the lordling called out suddenly, “Who goes there?” Will heard uncertainty in the challenge. He stopped climbing; he listened; he watched.
“The woods gave answer: the rustle of leaves, the icy rush of the stream, a distant hoot of a snow owl”.

 

·       Will may not have a voice to speak, but when Royce asks “Who goes there?” the woods answer him with sounds that are associated with the godhood of the north:  leaves rustle, the streams rushes, and an owl hoots.

 

Will is One with the Environment While Royce Disrupts the Natural Order

 

Martin establishes Will’s competence as a tracker and scout for the Night’s Watch. Will moves silently through the haunted forest:

 

“No one could move through the woods as silent as Will, and it had not taken the black brothers long to discover his talent”.

 

Will threads his way through the thicket, a metaphoric verb that implicates Will is like a needle smoothly advancing his thread in unimpeded stitches through the thicket and terrain:

 

 “Will threaded their way through a thicket, then started up the slope to the low ridge where he had found his vantage point under a sentinel tree. Under the thin crust of snow, the ground was damp and muddy, slick footing, with rocks and hidden roots to trip you up. Will made no sound as he climbed.

 

·       Will avoids slipping on rocks and tripping on hidden roots.  Will’s soundless passage conveys respect for the natural order of things.

 

“Behind him, he heard the soft metalic slither of the lordling’s ringmail, the rustle of leaves, and muttered curses as reaching branches grabbed at his longsword and tugged on his splendid sable cloak”.

 

·       Royce slashes through the thicket with a sword too long, he disrupts the leaves and causes them to rustle, protective ringmail audibly marks his movements, and her mutters curses into the wind. 

 

·       Royce demonstrates his disrespect for nature through his actions and his words.  The old gods may be watching and listening, and if they are, then they are the reaching branches that grab his longsword and tug on his sable cloak.

 

·       Likewise, Royce’s voice is too loud in this solemn environment of whispering leaves: “His voice echoed, too loud in the twilit forest”.
 

 

If Royce is not disrespecting the environment, then he displays disinterest and boredom:

 

“The lordling seemed not to hear him. He studied the deepening twilight in that half-bored, half-distracted way he had”.

 

·       Not only does Royce not hear the concerns of his fellow rangers, making him symbolically deaf, but Royce lacks the common sense to realize that the climate in the north is hostile and deadly.  Royce ignores Gared’s story about frostbite and all the other advisements his comrades try to bestow upon him. 

 

“He went to the tree, a vaulting grey-green sentinel, and began to climb. Soon his hands were sticky with sap, and he was lost among the needles”.

 

·       Will is symbolically attached to the sentinel, which he hugs on his ascent, pressing his cheek almost lovingly against the bark as he prays to the old gods of the north.  The sentinel oozes sticky sap that adheres to Will’s cheeks and his hands.

 

·       Martin presents Will as aware of nature’s indomitable powers, and Will’s respect for the environment makes him a “foil” for Ser Waymar Royce.

 

Hi Evita, and thank you so much.  I’m glad you have now read it, I was sure you would be interested.  As you mention they are references to Bran’s growing powers.  It seemed like a key for us to follow regards the wind, trees, wolves etc… 

So when we got the ‘Wind.  Trees rustling.  A wolf.  Which sound is it that unmans you so Gared’ line it seemed too good to be true.  And right after the ‘howling wind’ and ‘wolf howled’ text as well.  This is why I always link the howling wind with BR, we are given all these clues and he is definitely in the wind here imo.  And everything fits so well with all the other stuff you found for the OP.  Hey, with all you’ve posted about sounds in George’s books perhaps we should bold that word in the sentence as well. 

Onto your awesome observations, I really like what you’ve found.  The fact the wind is always present when Will loses his voice is a great catch.  In fact all three of your examples use descriptions of the wind that I listed as ‘not so descriptive’.  So I’m excited you’ve linked them to Will’s silence.  Like you, I’m not sure exactly what they mean at the moment, but that’s definitely on my list of things to search for.  Thanks.

I agree with your take on their two different attitudes as well, great brain storming.  With our looking at different things it seems we have dovetailed rather nicely whilst analysing this chapter.  I noticed some things I had missed first time round in your post as well, here are some of my thoughts.  You postulate……..

Notice that after the “Branches stirred gently in the wind, scratching at one another with wooden fingers”, Will opens his mouth but cannot speak.  Now, might this mean that the force moving the branches might also silence Will?

I agree there is a force moving these branches.  And I also think the tree is actually temporarily alive, and that perhaps the wind may facilitate/help this.  George perhaps gives us a clue at the beginning of the chapter.

‘’A cold wind was blowing out of the north, and made the trees rustle like living things’’

The trees/branches/leaves rustling is I think very important.  He tells us above that the wind makes the leaves rustle and the trees are then like living things.  This then happens another three times in the chapter.  In this case the ‘branches stirred gently in the wind’ first, insinuating a rustle of leaves. Then the tree is personified and seems to come to life ‘scratching at one another with wooden fingers’. 

I have seen this technique on re-reads quite a lot and hardly touched the surface of the novels really.  He can straight out say ‘the leaves rustled’ or ‘the wind is in the trees’ as he has done.  But also the more subtle ‘branches stirred gently in the wind’ or ‘the branches croaked and groaned’ can be used to avoid repeating the phrase ‘’rustle’ too much.  Although that doesn’t stop him in this ‘set up’ chapter. 

The last example was found by Tijgy, ‘the branches croaked and groaned’ and then the woods turn into ‘a sea, eternal and unknowable’ she then linked the description to a godlike entity.  The eternal and unknowable certainly sounds godlike to me.  I like that one.  Anyway here’s another example from your post……….

“Down below, the lordling called out suddenly, “Who goes there?” Will heard uncertainty in the challenge. He stopped climbing; he listened; he watched.
“The woods gave answer: the rustle of leaves, the icy rush of the stream, a distant hoot of a snow owl”.  

You rightly surmise that the woods actually gain a voice at this moment as if in answer.  But there is that mention of the ‘rustling leaves’ again as if to facilitate that voice or personification.  This seems to be consistent so far, a rustle of trees/branches/leaves then the personified text bring the trees to life.  So far we have my ‘cold north wind making trees rustle like living things’ – Your ‘rustle of leaves’ giving the woods a voice – also the ‘branches stirred gently in the wind’ giving the branches wooden fingers.  Here’s a third one…….

“Behind him, he heard the soft metalic slither of the lordling’s ringmail, the rustle of leaves, and muttered curses as reaching branches grabbed at his longsword and tugged on his splendid sable cloak”.

Again the ‘rustle of the leaves’ is followed by the branches having those human traits, tugging and grabbing.  [We see the wind do this also]

Basically I see this as a clever way for George to have his trees come to life ala Tolkien.  A more subtle take, he won’t have them walking about as Tolkien did.  We know about the Weirwood’s having eyes etc…… but if this line of thinking is correct then he could really have some fun with the wind and the trees textually.

Longie found a cool one as well.  In Bran’s falling dream the Heart tree at Winterfell has its 'leaves rustle' and it then actually turns and looks upwards towards Bran.  This being a dream perhaps gave George more licence to play with the tree coming to life, not so subtle that one.  He did go a bit more Tolkien with the trees there.

To conclude, whilst on this forum I have learnt that if George mentions something twice then keep an eye on it.  If he mentions things three times [in the same chapter in this instance] then it may suggest he wants us to take note.

You have found three examples of the wind seeming to effect Will’s voice in some way.  And I have tried to show that the three examples of the rustling leaves helps to bring the trees to life.  So perhaps we are on to something here?  So early in the piece as well, this is potentially huge.

There are other examples in the next few chapters, the leaves rustle when Jon finds Ghost for one.  I think there may be a load of clues littered early in AGOT, I posted about some of my thoughts on the subsequent chapters after posting the prologue analysis. 

Anyway, thanks for your kind words and post.  I have obviously developed my ideas since posting as I spotted a load of stuff I missed.  We make a good team I think. 

[Tijgy]

Hey everyone.  I am sorry I was so long away but like I said before I was very busy with my studies. At the same time my concentration was also a bit lost to read this thread thanks to some terrorists who attacked my country (How more it is possible to blame on them, the better). 

But I finally managed to read all those amazing posts. So thanks Evita, Wizz, Longrider, ravenous reader, bemused, Leech, hiemal, Meera and everyone else for this very long but very interesting read. 

I also want to address I earlier gave unilaterally but with permission of Wizz and Longie our favorite raven (Mormont's raven) a name: Raven. (Okay, I admit I did that because Raven is so much shorter and I am lazy. But it is rather sad he doesn't have a name. Can we make him our mascot?) (Like you, sometimes I tend to go in silliness.) 

During my reading of this thread I created a document with several part of posts on which I want to comment on. (Some things might be go back some pages ago. I'm sorry. )

First, I want to comment on something @Lady Arya's Song wrote (and typically me I am writing a long post )

Quote

I have long believed this to be true.  What I do wonder about is whether one eared, or one eyed people are also being used in a sense by BR.  Something about Dwyen the guy with the wooden clanking teeth who holed up in a tree on the ranging and I think is missing an ear?  

 

Some pages ago @Wizz-The-Smith and I had a little discussion about this fascinating character (they can all be found on page 7):

Relevant Fragment of the discussion - Remarks in green (Dywen resembles a tree) and current emphasis in bold.

Written by me - Link to Post - Jon goes to eat with Grenn, Dywen, … And during their meal Dywen says that the wood “smells … well  ...cold.” When Hake says “There’s no smell to cold”, Jon thinks “There is. It smells like death" "remembering the night in the Lord Commander’s chambers". (Note: Something what I thought peculiar is how Dywen is compared to a tree (”His face was leathered and wrinkled, his hands gnarled as old roots”; “Your face is as wooden as your teeth”; He has really wooden teeth). 
(...)
“The direwolf circled the fire, sniffling Jon, sniffling the wind, never still. It did not seem as if he were after meat right now. When the dead came walking, Ghost knew. He woke me, warned me. Alarmed, he got to his feet. “Is something out there? Ghost, do you have a scent?” Dywen said he smelled cold.
(...)
I am weirdly fascinated by Dywen and the fact he is compared to a tree (”His face was leathered and wrinkled, his hands gnarled as old roots”; “Your face is as wooden as your teeth”; He has really wooden teeth). Is he just an old experienced forester/NWman or is there something more? Some connection to the Old Gods?  

Written by Wizz - Link to Post - "And I love your thoughts on Dywen, it seems this man is, as you suggest, the embodiment of a tree.  Very interesting with all we've looked at.  And this man talks a lot of sense, and is respected by Jon and the Nights Watch alike.  Nice catch, Dywen had passed me by in all honesty. Thanks."

Written by me - Link to Post - "I think it is kind peculiar how multiple times (and that was a quick search) trees are seen as soldier and sentinels, either in black/green or white. And then we have our own black sentinel/forester who is described as a tree (Dywen). Should this have an extra meaning?"

Written by Wizz - Link to Post - I agree the soldier and sentinels are very prominent in the text, early in AGOT as well.[Prologue, WF Godswood etc]  The colours are interesting as well, I have an eye on this.  I don't know about Dywen, he does talk a lot of sense, perhaps this similarity is a subtle hint that the trees are just as friendly yet wiser still.  A kind of Septon Barth figure to be trusted, ala we should trust the trees.    Not sure.

Who is Dywen?

Dywen is a ranger and a veteran of the NW. He is very good at tracking. And like Wizz and I both wrote, he resembles a tree (wooden teeth, leathered and wrinkled face, hand gnarled as old roots. 

Read more on wiki

Comprehensive list of quotes about/of him in the books - Remarks in green (closed for length)

Spoiler

 

- He was with Jon and Sam when they swore the NW oath before the old gods (Jon VI and VII, AGOT): 

• "The rangers gathered round to offer smiles and congratulations, all but the gnarled old forester Dywen" - The first thing we learn about him is that he is gnarled (meaning knobbly, rough, and twisted, esp. with age), old and he is a forester. Does you already make you think of a tree, no? Further he is the only one who doesn't offer Jon and Sam any smile or congratulation. 
• "Gods be good," Dywen muttered. "That's a hand." - He is the first one who sees what is in Ghost's mouth. Those are also the last words of the chapter.
• (After they found the bodies) "Aye," muttered Dywen, the old forester. "Belike the axe that Othor carried, m'lord." - In the beginning of the chapter it is again mentioned he is old and forester. It is shown he is quite perspective because he recognizes it is Othor axe.
• "Dywen, the gnarled old forester who liked to boast that he could smell snow coming on, sidled closer to the corpses and took a whiff. "Well, they're no pansy flowers, but … m'lord has the truth of it. There's no corpse stink." - It is again mentioned he is gnarled, old and a forester. Further it is now mentioned he claims he can smell it is going to snow and has apparently a good nose.
• After Sam asks why there is no blood at the place where the bodies are - Dywen sucked at his wooden teeth. "Might be they didn't die here. Might be someone brought 'em and left 'em for us. A warning, as like." The old forester peered down suspiciously. "And might be I'm a fool, but I don't know that Othor never had no blue eyes afore." - We learn he has wooden teeth. He sucks them. He is again called old forester. Further we learn he is very perspective. He answers Sam's question by saying they could have died somewhere, it is left by someone, it might be a warning and Othor has blue eyes.
• "A silence fell over the wood. For a moment all they heard was Sam's heavy breathing and the wet sound of Dywen sucking on his teeth. Jon squatted beside Ghost." - Suck you teeth, Dywen!
• "They wrapped the dead men in cloaks, but when Hake and Dywen tried to tie one onto a horse, the animal went mad, screaming and rearing, lashing out with its hooves, even biting at Ketter when he ran to help."

- Dywen was one of the rangers Mormont sent to search for Benjen (Jon VIII)

• "Dywen and Hake returned last night," the Old Bear said. "They found no sign of your uncle, no more than the others did."
• "Jon's fingers were in the bucket, blood up to the wrist. "Dywen says the wildlings call us crows," he said uncertainly." - Let's begin: Dywen says: I

- Dywen is one of the ranger of Lord Mormont's Big Ranging (Mentions of him in ACOK)

• "Dywen says you can find anything beyond the Wall." - Dywen says: II
• "Aye, Dywen says. And the last time he went ranging, he says he saw a bear fifteen feet tall." Mormont snorted. "My sister is said to have taken a bear for her lover. I'd believe that before I'd believe one fifteen feet tall. Though in a world where dead come walking . . . ah, even so, a man must believe his eyes. I have seen the dead walk. I've not seen any giant bears." He gave Jon a long, searching look. "But we were speaking of hands. How is yours?" - Dywen says: IIII. According to Dywen it is possible to find anything beyond the Wall. Lord Mormont is actually skeptical if Dywen says the truth. Snow Bears can be 13 feet tall. So Dywen says the truth? 
• "The woods were as empty as the villages, Dywen had told him one night around the fire." "Frightened away by something, no doubt," Dywen said. - Oh look a variation of Dywen says: VI. Again Dywen is mentioned in context with information what is beyond the Wall.
• Dywen said Craster was a kinslayer, liar, raper, and craven, and hinted that he trafficked with slavers and demons. "And worse," the old forester would add, clacking his wooden teeth. "There's a cold smell to that one, there is." -  Here we have for the first time something else in ACOK about Dywen than whatever Dywen might have seen beyond the Wall: he is old, a forester and cackles his wooded teeth. The cackling is new. It is also very interesting he mentions that Craster has a cold smell and trafficks with demons (a reference to Craster's offerings to the cold gods/the others). Btw Dywen says: VIII
• Sam: "And Dywen told Grenn he's got black blood in his veins. His mother was a wildling woman who lay with a ranger, so he's a bas . . ."  - So Sam is here telling Jon that Grenn told him that Dywen told him ...  Oh, look, it is not only Jon who thinks Dywen says but also Sam and Grenn. We are at IX and we did not see Dywen himself actually.
• We have some time later the first appearance of Dywen. "Jon wove a path between rocks and puddles, past great oaks, grey-green sentinels, and black-barked ironwoods. In places the branches wove a canopy overhead and he was given a moment's respite from the drumming of the rain against his head. As he rode past a lightning-blasted chestnut tree overgrown with wild white roses, he heard something rustling in the underbrush. "Ghost," he called out. "Ghost, to me. But it was Dywen who emerged from the greenery, forking a shaggy grey garron with Grenn ahorse beside him. (...) "Ah, it's you, Lord Snow." Dywen smiled an oaken smile; his teeth were carved of wood, and fit badly. "Thought me and the boy had us one o' them Others to deal with. Lose your wolf?" The first time we see Dywen we see him emerge from a forest. He is has an oaken smile because his teeth are wooden. They fit also badly.  
• "He's off hunting." (...) "Fishing, I'd call it, in this wet," Dywen said. (...) Dywen said. (...) He made a clacking sound on his wooden teeth. "Buckwell's found Craster," Jon told them. "Had he lost him?" Dywen chuckled. "See that you young bucks don't go nosing about Craster's wives, you hear?" Jon smiled. "Want them all for yourself, Dywen?" Dywen clacked his teeth some more. "Might be I do. Craster's got ten fingers and one cock, so he don't count but to eleven. He'd never miss a couple." - He is also funny and sort well loved. He does clackes his teeth several times. Grenn and Dywen were among the brothers who had gathered. 
• Grenn and Dywen were among the brothers who had gathered round the fire. (...) He/Jon wolfed (LOL) it down while listening to Dywen boast of having three of Craster's women during the night. You did not," Grenn said, scowling. "I would have seen." Dywen whapped him up alongside his ear with the back of his hand. "You? Seen? You're blind as Maester Aemon. You never even saw that bear." "What bear? Was there a bear?" (According to Edd there is always a bear) - It looks like Grenn and Dywen have a special relationship. Dywen likes to boast about his sexual adventures. Dywen, what does that bear mean? We see also for the first time Dywen around a fire. And we have for the first time no reference to wood/forest when Dywen really appears in the scene. 
• Dywen was holding forth, spoon in hand. "I know this wood as well as any man alive, and I tell you, I wouldn't care to ride through it alone tonight. Can't you smell it?" (...) The forester sucked on his spoon a moment. He had taken out his teeth. His face was leathery and wrinkled, his hands gnarled as old roots. "Seems to me like it smells . . . well . . . cold." (...)  Dywen said he smelled cold. - Dydwen claims he knows the wood as any man alive. Instead of sucking his wooden teeth, he is now sucking his wooden spoon. The description of him as as a tree. It is again Dywen who smells cold. The "holding forth" is also very interesting. Second time of him at a fire. Dywen said: X.

- Dywen is one of the people Chett planned to be killed (ASOS, Prologue): 

• "Dywen and Bannen for their tracking", Lark and his cousins would silence Bannen and old Dywen, to keep them from sniffing after their trail; They won't need Dywen nor Bannen to hunt us down neither, not if we're tracking through fresh snow. - Dywen is again old. He is chosen to be killed because he is a very good tracker.
• Dywen was holding forth at the cookfire (...) "The wood's too silent," the old forester was saying. "No frogs near that river, no owls in the dark. I never heard no deader wood than this." Dywen clacked his wooden teeth. "No wolves neither. There was, before, but no more. Where'd they go, you figure?" - Before this, it was mentioned Dywen is able to sense the cold (of the Other). Another important signal is that everything starts to become silent like Dywen sees. He calls it even deader wood. He is again at a cook fire. He is clacking his teeth. Dywen said: XI

- Dywen is at the fight of the Fist and survives (Chapters of Sam and Jon, ASOS):

• "Burn, you dead bastards, burn," Dywen sang out, cackling; Dywen had led down five packhorses, heavy laden with food and oil and torches, and three had made it this far. 
• When Sam tells some brothers he killed an Other with dragonglass, his brothers are not believing him except ... "But Dywen listened, and Dolorous Edd, and they made Sam and Grenn tell the Lord Commander." - Dywen shows here again some perception regarding the Others.
• "The Lord Commander emerged from beneath the trees, mounted on his garron between old Dywen and the fox-faced ranger Ronnel Harclay, who'd been raised to Thoren Smallwood's place." - Old Dywen emerges again from the trees.
• Some references to Dywen to the fact he survived, some jokes of him and the fact he is a good tracker. Once he clackes his teeth

- Dywen sees some guys of Stannis riding the wrong way (ADWD, Jon II): 

• "A pair of knights. Went riding off an hour ago, south along the kingsroad. When Dywen saw them buggering off, he said the southron fools were riding the wrong way." - Dywen said XII
• He found out more from Dywen himself, as the old forester sucked down a bowl of barley broth in the barracks. Dywen said XIII

- Dywen's opinion on sailing the gate: "Seal our gates and plant your fat black arses on the Wall, aye, and the free folk'll come swarming o'er the Bridge o' Skulls or through some gate you thought you'd sealed five hundred years ago," the old forester Dywen had declared loudly over supper, two nights past. "We don't have the men to watch a hundred leagues o' Wall. Tormund Giantsbutt and the bloody Weeper knows it too. Ever see a duck frozen in a pond, with his feet in the ice? It works the same for crows." Most rangers echoed Dywen, whilst the stewards and builders inclined toward Bowen Marsh." - Dywen doesn't want to sail of the gate. The rangers follow him. It also becomes very apparent that if Dywen doesn't emerge from an forest, we always see him eating and claiming things . Dywen said XIV

Jon sends Dywen to range (with Thorne).

• Dywen will be with you, and another seasoned ranger." "We'll learn you what you need t' know, ser," Dywen told Thorne, cackling. "Teach you how t' wipe your highborn arse with leaves, just like a proper ranger." - Dywen said (XV) he will said to Thorne for a lot of times.

• Dywen would lead one ranging, Black Jack Bulwer and Kedge Whiteye the other two. They at least were eager for the duty. "Feels good to have a horse under me again," Dywen said at the gate, sucking on his wooden teeth. "Begging your pardon, m'lord, but we were all o' us getting splinters up our arses from sitting about." No man in Castle Black knew the woods as well as Dywen did, the trees and streams, the plants that could be eaten, the ways of predator and prey. Thorne is in better hands than he deserves. - Dywen says XVI. Dywen will lead a ranging. Nobody else knew the woods as well as Dywen. Dywen is awesome!!!

 

To conclude

Dywen is several times called an old forester. It is several times mentioned he sucks or cackles his wooden teeth. His description is very similar to a tree. He is also an amazing tracker. 

He is the most perceptive of the NW. Together with Sam, they are discovering there is something wrong with Othor's and his companion's corpse. He claims he is able to smell the snow coming. He says Craster smells cold and that he is trafficking with demons. He smells the cold. He says the wood is too silent and calls it dead. Those last things are relating to a possible presence of the others. He is the one who believes Sam about dragonglass killing others (together with Edd) and sends him to Lord Mormont.

He is very respected by the rest of NW. For them (and in the book) it is almost like "Dywen says" is a saying. (His name is mentioned 49 in the books. And I counted 16 variations of Dywen says and I only included the parts where he gave relevant information and not just some jokes). He is seen as someone who knows the most information of the situation beyond the Wall and he knows also the woods as well as any man. 

Some times we see Dywen emerging from a forest. The most times he is always claiming/telling/saying things when he is busy eating. He also likes to boast over his sexual adventures. And for some reasons he keeps mentioning he saw a bear (but nobody believes him). 

(I did however not found anything about him holing himself in a tree or him missing an ear. Maybe I missed that.)

To be honest, after making this entire list, I am not really sure about there is a connection between the old gods and him? Maybe he is just so very perspective of his experience and GRRM made him resemble a tree because he sees it as a symbol of wisdom and because Dywen is just a creature of the forest? Or maybe there is still a little voice of the gods through his teeth saying "warning, an other, warning". No idea. I admit I think it is actually more the first option (after all this work). So I would exclude any real divine inspiration? 

I just think they should however use Dywen as warning post: Dywen, do you think it is cold? No, okay, there are no others present.

 

[Wizz-The-Smith]

On ‎13‎/‎04‎/‎2016 at 3:38 AM, The Fattest Leech said:

 

Thank you. I know it probably sounds really weird to some who may read what I found... but it works.

The secret is way out of the bag that both religion and personal boyhood influences are all drawn together to create ASOIAF which is why is resonates so well with people even after its first 20 some years.

Hi Leech!    I agree, and I didn't find it weird to read your thoughts/ideas.  In fact the influences you mention that are scattered throughout Asoiaf can inspire some awesome posts.  As your efforts show.  Nice to have you posting here as well btw.