Is body swapping possible?

[Tyrion1991]

I know from Brans chapters it’s explained away as “well it’s Hodor” and a prologue chapter says that any actual resistance would prevent it. 

But surely there are other circumstances where it could happen? This seems to only be implying it has specific rules and is very circumstantial. For example, if you addled somebodies mind with drugs, could a warg gain entry? For example, Bloodraven feeding the paste to Bran because he wants out. Or, if the person actually wanted the warg in question to gain entry to their mind because they were tricked or trusted somebody? Or if the body was just a shell (think Xmen 3) like Drogo.

I mean the obvious candidate would be Bran but it would be quite an interesting element to bring in if a character ended up in a different body. For example, you could possess a King or a Dragonrider; assuming of course that the dragons aren’t aware of the change.

[Sigella]

Varamyr failed warging the old Spearwife because it was too hard (she was described as tough as an old beetroot).

Likewise Bran could warg Hodor because it was easy (simple-minded and meek).

So these are our parameters for human warging.

[Sigella]

Also consider their differences in "gift": Bran sits with 3EC in the cave and Varamyr was taught by some kind old freelance warg and wasn't invited under the hill.

[Tyrion1991]

1 hour ago, Sigella said:

Also consider their differences in "gift": Bran sits with 3EC in the cave and Varamyr was taught by some kind old freelance warg and wasn't invited under the hill.

 

True, that Wolfy wolfs blood counts for a lot. 

Could Bran become more powerful if he goes to the Gods Eye? Isn’t that like the heart of the Weirwood network? 

Also, wouldn’t warging a dragon rider be easier than warging a dragon? I mean, why couldn’t the children have got dragons to kill the First Men if they could do that?

 

[The Ghost Beyond the Wall]

Yes I think it is possible given the examples of Bran and Varamyr (and Roose Bolton if you subscribe to the Bolt-On theory),  though both Bran and the wildling had varying degrees of success. I think it depends on the strength of will of the warg and their skill, and the strength of mind of the entity they are trying to swap bodies with. I think as a rule, warging a beast may be easier than trying to warg a person, but it depends, like for example, I think warging a dragon would certainly not be easy.

[Tyrion1991]

1 hour ago, The Ghost Beyond the Wall said:

Yes I think it is possible given the examples of Bran and Varamyr (and Roose Bolton if you subscribe to the Bolt-On theory),  though both Bran and the wildling had varying degrees of success. I think it depends on the strength of will of the warg and their skill, and the strength of mind of the entity they are trying to swap bodies with. I think as a rule, warging a beast may be easier than trying to warg a person, but it depends, like for example, I think warging a dragon would certainly not be easy.

 

The big issue with warging dragons is that it doesn’t add up that the Children didn’t find dragons to warg and use them to destroy the First Men. 

To me it makes more sense if the fire magic is simply anathema to the ice/nature (still confused with what they actually are TBH) and it doesn’t work. Plus a dragon should be harder to control than a person. 

As an aside, what stops Bran or varamgr warging a corpse? Iam assuming that’s what the Others are doing when they raise the dead.

[The Ghost Beyond the Wall]

6 hours ago, Tyrion1991 said:

 

The big issue with warging dragons is that it doesn’t add up that the Children didn’t find dragons to warg and use them to destroy the First Men. 

To me it makes more sense if the fire magic is simply anathema to the ice/nature (still confused with what they actually are TBH) and it doesn’t work. Plus a dragon should be harder to control than a person. 

As an aside, what stops Bran or varamgr warging a corpse? Iam assuming that’s what the Others are doing when they raise the dead.

Hmm that's a good point about dragons, but maybe there weren't enough during the war between the First Men and Children to warg them for battle? Plus, it seems like the Valyrians and the GEOTD were the dragon riding civilizations, not the First Men so there probably wouldn't have been many around unless there were a lot of wild dragons in Westeros at the time. In regards to Bran warging a corpse, that does seem like what Others do with the wights, but I am not sure it provides much use or utility for Bran to warg one.

[Bullrout]

The ability to warg is bonded to the physical body.  Bran can jump in and back as long as his body remain alive.  Should his body die while he's in Hodor.  His vocabulary will be permanently reduced from then on.  He's trapped in Hodor.

[Lyanna<3Rhaegar]

I agree with the other posters that it would depend on the ability of the warg & the strength of the mind he/she is trying to warg into. 

Why would dragons be harder to warg than dragon riders? It doesn't seem to have anything to do with the size of the beast, only the strength of the mind. Hodor is very large but Bran is able to take control of him with an underdeveloped ability & almost no teaching. Varamyr tries to warg a small woman & has had years of practice & teachings but is unable because she fights him out. 

I haven't seen anything to suggest Dragons have more intelligence than direwolves or any other beast.