Arya Stark, Superwarg?

[Greggles]

I was on another thread discussing Arya warging the cat in tHoBaW when something struck me.

Arya was able to warg the cat and still control her own body!

In all the Bran chapters where he's warging, he always loses awareness and control of his own body while warging into Summer. To the point where he's repeatedly warned by Meara and Jojen that he may starve to death, since he would be unaware of his own bodies needs if he stays warged into Summer too often, for too long.

We all know by this point that Arya is on the path to turning into one of the greatest bad-asses in GRRM's world, but I'm wondering about the implications of her seemingly unique ability.

ETA: first new topic I've ever posted, I look forward to it either going wildly off topic or falling to the bottom of the list.

[The Dornishman's Wife]

I totally agree that Arya demonstrates remarkable warging abilities, even for a Stark kid. The most shining example you give in your post. Also impressive is her abiltiy to connect to Nymeria even though she's on the wrong continent. If I'm not totally mistaken, none of her siblings ever demonstrated anything close to that kind of range (only Bran, when the bloody paste had given him access to the weirnet and he could use it for farseeing). And of course she does that without any effort... which on the other side however may also indicate that she isn't that conscious of her abilities yet.

I'm actually not totally sure exactly how well she knows what she does and can do. I mean, she made a deliberate decision not to tell the kindly man of the cat through which she saw him, so she knew she saw through its eyes. But does she know her wolf dreams are real? She suppresses her identity strong enough not to even think about the wolf dreams in great detail, so it's hard to tell what she actually thinks about them - if there is some indication I have missed it.

Also, what level of conscious control does she have over the warged creature? Is she just a bystander and was it coincidence that the cat followed her home to serve as a spying vessel or is she actually able to influence the cat to come with her?

[Ludd]

Perhaps Arya will warg Dany, ha ha

[Greggles]

I totally agree that Arya demonstrates remarkable warging abilities, even for a Stark kid. The most shining example you give in your post. Also impressive is her abiltiy to connect to Nymeria even though she's on the wrong continent. If I'm not totally mistaken, none of her siblings ever demonstrated anything close to that kind of range (only Bran, when the bloody paste had given him access to the weirnet and he could use it for farseeing). And of course she does that without any effort... which on the other side however may also indicate that she isn't that conscious of her abilities yet.

I'm actually not totally sure exactly how well she knows what she does and can do. I mean, she made a deliberate decision not to tell the kindly man of the cat through which she saw him, so she knew she saw through its eyes. But does she know her wolf dreams are real? She suppresses her identity strong enough not to even think about the wolf dreams in great detail, so it's hard to tell what she actually thinks about them - if there is some indication I have missed it.

I think that Arya is definitely aware that something happened, but is obviously unaware of the implications for her wolf. She hasn't even tried to spy on people through her newfound abilities with the cat in tHoB&W. One thing that I tend to forget while watching her trajectory towards bad-assedness, is that she's still a child in odd circumstances. And odd events that occur may not stick in her consciousness the way they would with an adult.

I don't doubt however that knowledge of this weirdness is going to grow and stick in her consciousness and the implications of the wolf dreams will become clearer to her, bringing her back into the Stark fold.

[Quiet Isle]

this, with Needle, will bring her back.

[moonrise]

But does she know her wolf dreams are real? She suppresses her identity strong enough not to even think about the wolf dreams in great detail, so it's hard to tell what she actually thinks about them - if there is some indication I have missed it.

Near the end of ASOS she quits looking for her mother after one of her dreams. I think she might be conscious that those dreams are real, perhaps because they "feel" different.

[Arry Underfoot]

I was on another thread discussing Arya warging the cat in tHoBaW when something struck me.

Arya was able to warg the cat and still control her own body!

In all the Bran chapters where he's warging, he always loses awareness and control of his own body while warging into Summer. To the point where he's repeatedly warned by Meara and Jojen that he may starve to death, since he would be unaware of his own bodies needs if he stays warged into Summer too often, for too long.

We all know by this point that Arya is on the path to turning into one of the greatest bad-asses in GRRM's world, but I'm wondering about the implications of her seemingly unique ability.

ETA: first new topic I've ever posted, I look forward to it either going wildly off topic or falling to the bottom of the list.

I think this is a great observation. The only instance I can think of is when Bran and co. are in the crypts and he checks to make sure it is daylight outside. He describes it as having double vision.

[Ice Turtle]

Well Jon also can feel trough Ghost's senses - smell, while in his own body.

[Titus Andronicus]

I totally agree that Arya demonstrates remarkable warging abilities, even for a Stark kid. The most shining example you give in your post. Also impressive is her abiltiy to connect to Nymeria even though she's on the wrong continent. If I'm not totally mistaken, none of her siblings ever demonstrated anything close to that kind of range

Well to be fair, Jon's inability to sense Ghost was due to the Wall separating them. I don't really recall any of the other siblings ever being unable to sense their wolves due to distance.

[Black Wolf Smith]

There is a theory that a trauma must happen to really open the warging powers. The ones that we know that have real power are Bloodraven, 6skins and Bran. BR lost his eye in battle, 6skins had the whole thing with his parents,and Bran lost his legs from the fall. When Arya lost her sight, it was a bit traumatic to her. When it happened she reached out and found the cat, which we know from 6skins that cats are the easy to control. 6skins also did not have any trouble with multiable creaturs he had power over.

If you take that theory a bit further, it shed new light in to Jon being stabbed, and who might want it.

[Lion of Judah]

Well to be fair, Jon's inability to sense Ghost was due to the Wall separating them. I don't really recall any of the other siblings ever being unable to sense their wolves due to distance.

Arya can only do this in her dreams, it is not a spontaneous thing that she can trigger. Not that it's not impressive, but distance really has nothing to do with her connection with Nymeria. Even Jon I believe has dreams of Ghost, but he really suppresses the idea that he is a warg.

[Errant Bard]

In all the Bran chapters where he's warging, he always loses awareness and control of his own body while warging into Summer.

I think this is a great observation. The only instance I can think of is when Bran and co. are in the crypts and he checks to make sure it is daylight outside. He describes it as having double vision.

Just for reference:

Never moving his broken body, he reached out all the same, and for an instant he was seeing double. There stood Osha holding the torch, and Meera and jojen and Hodor, and the double row of tall granite pillars and long dead lords behind them stretching away into darkness... but there was Winterfell as well, grey with drifting smoke, the massive oakand-iron gates charred and askew, the drawbridge down in a tangle of broken chains and missing planks. Bodies floated in the moat, islands for the crows.

Clearly a basic warging power.

[irishtemper]

Yeah, I have been beaten to it by people posting Bran's double vision chapter quote.

But what I wanted to argue was that Bran is a cripple and really doesn't like facing that reality...and he has the ability to escape that reality by concentrating solely on what's happening in Summers skin and shutting out his own world. For that reason I think it should be fairly obvious that Bran is the superwarg as even the CoTF said it: "one person in a thousand is a warg, and one warg in ten thousand is a greenseer."

[Greggles]

Just for reference:

Never moving his broken body, he reached out all the same, and for an instant he was seeing double. There stood Osha holding the torch, and Meera and jojen and Hodor, and the double row of tall granite pillars and long dead lords behind them stretching away into darkness... but there was Winterfell as well, grey with drifting smoke, the massive oakand-iron gates charred and askew, the drawbridge down in a tangle of broken chains and missing planks. Bodies floated in the moat, islands for the crows.

Clearly a basic warging power.

Thanks, I'd forgotten about this episode in the crypts. So, far from super warg, it looks like Arya just had a standard warg experience that she is busily repressing.

[woodstock1220]

The 4 Stark kids warging all started with their wolf dreams.

We don't know how Rickon has progressed yet but the other 3 have all had different paths in their warging experience.

Bran- Was told by Jojen he was in fact a warg

Was coached by Jojen on the trip north to be able to control Summer rather that just "being in" Summer

Learned to expand his powers and control Hodor as well

Jon- Was explained to by a wilding(or black bother, i forget) that he was a warg

Met a few wilding wargs, so he is aware of some of the possibilities of warging

Has learned to take advantage of Ghost's senses while still being fully in his human body

Arya- Has never had someone explain to her that she was a warg(unless I am forgetting something)

Telling the Hound that she knew her mother was dead shows that she had learned on her own that the wolf dreams are real

Arya using the cat's sight is the same as Jon using Ghost's senses, thus explaining why was she still in her body. It was when Bran "controlled" Summer or Hodor that his body became useless. I'm sure he will learn to control others and retain hisself as well.

One other thought on Arya discovering she could use the cat's sight:

It is known that when someone loses a sense that the other senses become enhanced, which was the purpose of the kindly man taking her sight. Warging being like a sense enhanced in her as well.

[scurvy]

Robb and Grey Wind in battle seemed to be fighting as a team, the implication that Robb, subconsciously was controlling Grey Wind. Arya is just doing it with a little more awareness. Jon seems to do this with Ghost from time to time as well.

[Ludd]

We really have no idea how strong Robb's warging was/is.

By the way is there any clear evidence that Grey wind is dead. We know there was a wolf's hear - but was it a dire wolf?

[Arry Underfoot]

We really have no idea how strong Robb's warging was/is.

By the way is there any clear evidence that Grey wind is dead. We know there was a wolf's hear - but was it a dire wolf?

In ASOS epilogue Merit confesses that grey wind killed four bloodhounds and ripped the arm off the kennelmaster, even after filling him with quarrels. Then it goes something like this : "So you cut his head off and sewed it on Rob Stark's neck?" "That was my father's work + 12 more Walders." Also in ASOS there is a Bran chapter, at the Nightfort, "The dream he had.... The dream Summer had had.... I musn't think about that dream. He had not even told the Reeds, though Meera at least seemed to sense that something was wrong. If he never talked of it maybe he could forget he ever dreamed it, and then it wouldn't have happened and Robb and Grey Wind would still be....". In ADWD (Jon's POV), "The wolf dreams had been growing stronger, and he found himself remembering them even when awake. Ghost knows that Grey Wind is dead."

So I think it is safe to say he is dead.

[Whitering]

Most people have some degree of difficulty with maneuvering their hand to the right place with use of a mirror, I can't imagine trying to do it through the view of a third party.

What's the name of the warg that Mel burned? The guy in the prologue of ADWD? I think he could warg and move his own body, but maybe I am wrong.

I think Arya is aware that she is connected to Nymeria, though she doesn't seem to have spent much time reflecting on that fact.

So far she has only connected to animals she has made a close connection to. Obviously she is connected to Nymeria and the cats through her time selling seafood.

[The Red Hand]

Brans a far more powerful warg than Arya. At least at this point.