Why did Benjen Stark join the Night's Watch?

[The Knight of Flowers]

Was just wondering if there were any popular theories on this?

Sorry if this topic has been discussed before, I tried a search but the function didn't seem to work. There doesn't seem to be anything about it in the FAQ of the Citadel either.

[Iron Captain]

I'll probably screw this up, but the short version of the most popular theory is is something like...

Benjen and Lyanna were very close, and he helped her find armor to wear (as the Knight of the Laughing Tree) for the joust at the tournament at Harrenhall during the year of the False Spring. Rhaeger was infatuated with her after her success, named her the Queen of Love and Beauty, they ran off together, a war started and she died. Benjen felt guilty about helping cause all this, and took the black.

Or maybe he was just a third son who wanted to look for glory at the wall! :dunno:

[Zeke]

He was the youngest brother (i.e. little to no hope of inheritance) in a noble family with a tradition of joining the Night's Watch.

[Dornish Hen]

Do we know how long Benjen has been at the Wall?

[Daemon23]

Do we know how long Benjen has been at the Wall?

I don't think it was ever explicitly stated. But long enough to have become First Ranger, and long enough to take the occasional trip home without fears of his deserting.

And how does that work, anyway? If the Men of the Night's Watch renounce family, how is it that Benjen is visiting his? Or is it merely that House Stark is the most supportive friend that the Night's Watch has?

[Lord Damian]

I think that the Starks are a little but more important. Especially when you are a 3rd true born son of the former premier lord and warden of the north and brother to the current. Also, his rank too. Also, When the King makes a very rare trip to Winterfell, it is good to have a representative of the Nights watch there. I think Robert was the first reigning king to visit Winterfell since a Targ over 100 years ago, so it was pretty significant.

[Jon Snow's Bastard]

I don't think it was ever explicitly stated. But long enough to have become First Ranger, and long enough to take the occasional trip home without fears of his deserting.

And how does that work, anyway? If the Men of the Night's Watch renounce family, how is it that Benjen is visiting his? Or is it merely that House Stark is the most supportive friend that the Night's Watch has?

It is as an ambassador to the king. The night watch is not proud, it needs support, and who better to be heard than someone who will be automatically seated at the kings table? There is no longer many deserving of such an honor among the Nights Watch.

Samwell Tarly is in Oldtown, where he spent considerable time in his youth. They go where sent.

And as for how long Benjen has been a ranger, I thought he participated in putting down the Iron Islands rebellion before taking the black, but I am not sure.

[Lord Jon Connington]

When Catelyn was giving birth to all these sons, it was pretty much game over for Benjen.

[Tammy]

I don't know how long Benjen's been in the NW, but I would imagine he lived for a bit before joining. And I only think that because when the possibility for Jon to join came up, Ned initially rejected because he was so young. He said it would be different if had been able to experience life and then decide to join, but not before. I think that's a pretty good indication that Benjen was at least in his 20s wen he joined.

[Joe Reed]

I wish Benjen was a bigger character. A Benjen POV would have been great and we might have gotten a more satisfying answer to this question in the books too.

I like the theory that Ser Tar mentioned and I like that he joined after fighting the Ironmen though both turning out to be true seems doubtful.

[Dornish Hen]

I like the theory that Ser Tar mentioned and I like that he joined after fighting the Ironmen though both turning out to be true seems doubtful.

Me too. That's why I was wondering about the time line. When, or if, we find out how long Benjen has been at the wall, it might be easier to figure out why he went.

[Yakman]

When Catelyn was giving birth to all these sons, it was pretty much game over for Benjen.

yeah, but Benjen seems to have joined only after Robb's birth (he's been on the wall for a long time). he's still 3rd in line until Bran and Rickon show up, and Bran is only 8 or so when the books start. Benjen isn't mentioned fighting the Greyjoys, so he may well have taken up the Black already at that point, and Bran wasn't born yet.

my guess is that it's something that he felt he was obligated (or wanted) to do once the Stark line was secure with Robb and maybe Sansa born.

[Jude-the-Obscure]

It's my impression that the Stark family doesn't see the Night's Watch the same way as people from the south - they don't view it as a place for criminals, misfits and no-hopers. They seem to think that joining the night's Watch is an honourable truth and a way to do something good for all the inhabitants of the Seven Kingdoms. If I've got this right, then it is quite possible that like Jon, Benjen simply wanted to join the watch. Maybe he wanted to fight wildings and protect people. Don't forget there are men out there who genuinely don't want a family, and have a low sex drive so celibacy isn't a major hassle. If Benjen is one of these men, and he also has a bit of a yen to see the exotic and unusual then going to the wall would be a reasonable choice. And if he's a born fighter then that makes the choice even more likely.

To sum up - I don't think we need to look for a life-event or twist of fate to explain why Benjen is at the wall.

[jobey3149]

At the beginning of GoT there is mention of the Royce kid being the youngest son and thus joining the Watch. His family still sent him the best of everything. I see Benjen being the same way. There's also old Mormont who joined even though he was a lord. The Watch is seen as being filled with criminals but I think the long history still attracts some nobility to its cause.

[house stark and baratheon]

he went because he is the 3rd son and the honor... it would always be good for a stark to be on the wall and i think they all knew that

[estrellas]

Because he's a MF'in STARK and that's what they do. Good for the sake of being good.

[Boy and Girl Wadish]

What if Benjen is actually Jon's father? Meh.

I think you can move up high on the ranks fast enough as Jon Snow did from being a steward, to a squire, to being the lord commander. Benjen might have been with the NW not that long (say, 20 years or 15 or something). He probably lived a little, and got laid as well. As for the reason why he joined the NW, I have no idea.

[daenerys snow]

^ he probably did live a little before taking the black. the way he was trying to talk jon into waiting would suggest that. and lord eddard's reluctance to send him off would as well.

[assjfjgjsgjljljglgjfjsduar]

I like the idea that he joined in penance for what happened at Harrenhal, but the other theories are equally valid. We know he was the Stark in Winterfell during the war, so he had to have joined after that.

[Ghost Rider]

I see that whenever this topic is discussed, the same same answers to the questions are presented and none of them really convincing, imho.

1. He went to the night's watch because he was the third son and thus wasn't needed.

Hmmm... Nope. When he went he was actually the second son having stayed in Winterfell during the war. A war in which 3 of the 5 then existing Starks were extingished.

2. He went after Ned and Cat had children and therefore had no hope to inheriting Winterfell.

Ok... Let's see. He joined after Rob's birth. Do you really have the impression that even after the War against Targaryen rule life was so unperilous that Ned could not have died in another war e.g. or of a disease? Benjen really did endanger the continuity of the Stark dynasty by leaving.

Just have a look at what happened during the time of the books: Ned dead, Rob dead, Rickon and Bran dead. Small chance of that, you say? Well, there still is a chance anyway.

Not to start of the need of men that can be trusted. Just imagine, Rob would have had men like Benjen Stark by his side instead of Roose Bolton. ;) The Red Wedding maybe wouldn't have happened. And in these times you wouldn't need trustworthy second-in-commands just for war, but for administration in peaceful times as well. How else would you be able to determine what the Boltons at the Dreadfort were up to? :D

3. The Starks/ the North had a different look at the Night's Watch. They still think it honourable. Benjen joined for honour just like Jon wanted to.

While I concur that joining might be considered honourable in cases like Mormont's who joined when he had already lived most of his life, I disagree about the same thing for very young men. I just can't see what could possibly be honourable about serving in an institution that is actually Westeros equivalent of life-long prison together with the worst scum the seven kingdoms can find. Granted - some of the criminals assembled there, might still be rather agreeable fellows.

What we see is that exactly for that reason, the Watch is viewed with contempt by almost all characters we have seen. No way, the north or the Starks for that matter wouldn't know about that.

But I don't see what a young nobleman could possibly gain from being there. Sure, he would probably rise higher in a shorter time, since birth still counts at the Night's Watch contrary to their propaganda. But Benjen served what? 13 years there? And now he's first ranger - "great" achievement!

Now on to Jon and his "wish" to join the Watch.

Well, first off - he had a better reason to join because he was (seen as) a bastard. And still it was NOT his wish to join. Remember the conversation he had with Benjen in aGoT. The boy was drunk, unhappy with his life, and then there's Benjen who brought up the subject (I wonder why?), appealing to Jon's pride. ("We could use a MAN like you on the Wall") Understandably Jon was very proud at being lauded and for being called a man and in a spur of a drunken moment ("in a sudden rush") decided to offer to join. Not to mention that he had been fed half-truths about the place.

While Benjen seemed to disagree, I am not entirely sure, he really did since his next line rather serves to further draw the boy to his cause. ("a hard place for a boy")

In Bran II, you see that Jon obviously was very unhappy with the final decision that was either made without him or he felt he couldn't go back from his word. "Jon seemed to be angry at everyone these days."

So I basically argue that Jon was NOT willing to join and neither was probably Benjen.

4. He wanted to make his own life.

I think that's a rather modern sentiment of self-realization that wasn't really important in the times we're discussing. In those times you live for your clan and the honour of your clan and do what's best for it. (back to numbers 1 and 2 :))

I argue that the question is not as simple as it seems at first sight, because I really think the reasons above are not valid on their own. Maybe he really had to atone for past sins. Maybe he did even help Lyanna escape. Maybe he had an argument/disagreement with Ned. You don't have to hate/ not talk anymore with your siblings after arguments, just maybe see, that a parting of ways is necessary.

He probably knew about Jon, I can't imagine he couldn't figure it out on his own if he's not totally thick. I mean, he knows all people concerned, it's not that hard from there. I guess that may be the one of the reasons he wants Jon on the wall, but who knows? :)