Coldhands is The Night's King

[Full-Faced Braavosi]

How can Stannis be journeying south to Winterfell and North to the cave at the same time?

Where did Stannis come from??

[Naathi Prince]

agreed. I like this theory a lot, if only for it simply being an alternative to the Ben Stark is CH theories that have no backing at all in the text.

that people insist on mindlessly repeating in one sentence posts with no backing whatsoever!

[Isalie]

Where did Stannis come from??

I'm sure it was half a joke with a nod towards the Stannis as the Nights King theory.

[ysTooCool]

My guess was that the tale about the nights king was only partially true. My theory would be that he found the secret of the others and used it to transform him into an cursed undying creature that cannot be aged or killed, at the same time still kept his sane. After he was exiled he was abandoned by both sides of the wall. Maybe the green seer promised to free him from the curse after serving bran.

[pestor]

Wouldnt they(Stark and Jormaun) have chopped off the Night King's head of when he was defeated? I mean for him to be Coldhands imo they would of had to exile him beyond the wall which imo i do not see as likely as Jormaun helped bring him to justice

[Lord Damian]

I certainly like the idea of the Night's King being Coldhands. "Yes, he may be on a redemptive arc. It is also poetic that he was a Stark, undoubtably a younger brother to the king in the north. boy, Some Starks have risked and lost much due to the passion for a woman. The others strike me as ice vampires, do they not?

[Lost Melnibonean]

All three are guesses. I'll go with Redwyn, I don't see why Martin has to clear anything up. Wouldn't be much traffic on these sites if he did...

[Gloinssohn]

I'm having trouble with the timeline here. If Coldhands were the Nights King, he would have been roaming around north of the Wall for multiple thousands of years (NW was established around 8000 years before current events).

Since the NK had a human body, I find it hard to believe that it wouldn't have rottted beyond recognition. The body of Brynden Rivers (=3EC) certainly decayed to an extent already and he is "only" 125 years old (and still alive).

Same point goes for Redwyn, who lived before the last King in the North (Torrhen Stark), so at least more than 300 years ago.

Anyone who was/is part of the current events is IMO too young to have motive to help the 3EC. That includes Benjen, Waymar Royce and Will.

So IMHO that leaves 2 theories on Coldhands' history

(Crackpot warning ! At least partially...) :

1. Coldhands was human and is now a sentient "wight":

Coldhands describes his condition in Bran II (aDoD). He says that his blood drained to his extremities, leaving them black and the rest of his skin white. Based on the description given of him through Bran, I would put his age no higher than a hundred years, assuming that he is of human origin.

He was a brother of the NW (black cloak) and Bloodraven was a Lord Commander, so he could have been a ranger, that served under Bloodraven and died during the ranging that ultimately put Bloodraven in position as the 3-Eyed-Crow.

The motivation for that ranging could have been Bloodravens supposed infatuation with magic, sparking an attempt to reconnect with the COTF. Because of his heritage (Blackwood mother) he could have already been a greenseer and known through visions (like Jojen) where to look for them.

During the ranging they could have been attacked by Others/Wights, which makes sense if the cave of the COTF is very far north (debatable, I know). Bloodraven survives and rescues himself into the cave. Somehow Bloodraven figures out, how to "create" Coldhands from a fallen black brother. That would also explain why there are wights of other black brothers near the cave of the 3EC (Bran III aDwD).

Summary 1:

Coldhands is essentially a wight transformed by the magic of Bloodraven or the COTF into a sentient being. That would explain why he can't enter the cave or go through the portal under the Nightfort (both warded against dead things). His identity remains unknown/not relevant to the plot. His allegiance lies with Bloodraven/3EC because he was Bloodravens subordinate in the NW, when he was alive.

2. Coldhands is the offspring of the Nights King:

According to the legend of the Nights King, he mated with an Other. The child would be part Other and part human. The body of Coldhands is clearly described as human in the Bran chapters. But if I remember correctly Bran also describes him as

Cold. Cold all over.

That could be his Other side. The same could account for a live span of thousands of years with very little decay to the physical body. The explanation for his black hands could simply have been intended to calm Bran/Meera/Jojen (Bran II aDwD), so they would continue on to the cave of the 3EC.

Summary 2:

Coldhands is the offspring of the Nights King and a female Other. His allegiance to the 3EC comes from a desire to atone for the sins of the father (redemptive arc).

Just my two cents...

[CorkyRogers]

i was digging on the idea that coldhands = nights king. but being the offspring of the nights king seems just as plausible. very nice work. :thumbsup:

[Quiet Isle]

and if the posts above are true, then CH is working for the Others, and if he is controlling BR in some way, it means he may control Bran. I'm seeing a metaphysical battle of the minds at the end.

[divspark]

Love the post. What about the idea that Coldhands is the child of the Night's King and the Other? It is hard to imagine the King in the North and the King-Beyond-the-Wall teaming up and not destroying the Night's King (i.e. burning his body).

I think we have a winner... This makes the most sense to me, and I think all of the others (haha) have serious flaws.. Benjen would be recognized by Bran; that is the simplest and never answered question with this theory.. why doesn't Bran recognize his uncle if Ben is Coldhands?? Bran was certainly old enough to remember him.. I don't think the other suggestions of Redwyn, or the Early Stark king have any evidence to suggest them..

That is, IF there is a NightKing connection.. There may not be.

The other theory is that Coldhands is an Other, who used to be a Brother of the Watch who is being warged (for lack of a better term) in order to go get Bran. It is very possible that he and all of his raven friends and maybe the Elk as well, were all being used by Skinchangers.. except, yea, you would need many skinchangers to control that many beings.. And BANG! there is the hole. There just doesn't seem to be that many skin changers in league with the Children. Could Bloodraven really control all of them? Is there any evidence of that?? Not that I'm aware of..

If Coldhands is the NK's son there is still a problem.. Where did he get the clothes from the Night's Watch? Would they have let a half-Other take the vows?

[LynnS]

I think the Greenseer himself fits the bill for Coldhands; especially if he is also Brynden Targaryen, previous Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch. There is nothing saying that the Greenseer can’t be both characters.

All we know about him is that he is an animated corpse and not a wight; that he refers to Samwell as “brother”; implying that he is or was a member of the Night’s Watch and that Leaf, says that they killed him long ago (referring to the body). His identity is hidden by covering his face; his eyes are not the blue of the wight’s eyes and he controls an elk and a murder or crows.

He also tells Bran: I am your monster; Brandon Stark; triggering memories of Old Nan’s tales. We also know that he cannot physically go beyond the wall due to the magic that stop the wights.

One theory is that Coldhands is Bran’s uncle Benjen who has disappeared beyond the wall on a ranging. But Bran does not recognize him when they meet although it‘s possible that covering his face would distract from recognition. But I think that’s rather thin. We know that bodies can be reanimated from the episode of Thyros of Myr and Dondarrion; but Coldhands is not reanimated by fire magic; he is an animated dead body.

The second favorite theory is that Coldhands is the Night’s King of the legends and would seem to fit the bill of having been killed long ago; an old monster story that Old Nan used to scare Bran before bedtime.

But it’s a very long time for the 13th Lord Commander to be hanging around. He would have to be recently animated otherwise one suspects that the Wildings would have crossed paths with Coldhands before now.

I suspect that Coldhands is a body appropriated by a powerful skinchanger; the body having been preserved in the ice for a long time. I think it is the Greenseer himself; Brynden Targaryen who was Lord Commander of the Night’s watch. In some ways; he is also Bran’s “monster”. I doubt that he would reveal his true identity to Bran in this form.

The Geenseer is highly motivated to protect and guide Bran to the cave of the children of the forest and it makes sense to me that he would have knowledge of the hidden gate and the whereabouts of the hidden cave.

He is also aware of the location of both Samwell and Gilly and Bran's company. The timing of Coldhand's arrival to assist both groups can't be coincidence. The Greenseer is after all the watcher with a thousand eyes and one.

We know that skin changers can animate control more than one animal at a time from the first chapter Dance with Dragons and that the Greenseer is the most powerful of them all.

His control over a corpse, an elk and a murder of crows is a demonstration of his power.

[naik2902]

why night's king hand turned cold. what he did to his wife ?

[Morienthar]

Summary 2:

Coldhands is the offspring of the Nights King and a female Other. His allegiance to the 3EC comes from a desire to atone for the sins of the father (redemptive arc).

This one is good,I like this one.

[Rishav Banka]

I think the Greenseer himself fits the bill for Coldhands; especially if he is also Brynden Targaryen, previous Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch. There is nothing saying that the Greenseer can’t be both characters.

All we know about him is that he is an animated corpse and not a wight; that he refers to Samwell as “brother”; implying that he is or was a member of the Night’s Watch and that Leaf, says that they killed him long ago (referring to the body). His identity is hidden by covering his face; his eyes are not the blue of the wight’s eyes and he controls an elk and a murder or crows.

He also tells Bran: I am your monster; Brandon Stark; triggering memories of Old Nan’s tales. We also know that he cannot physically go beyond the wall due to the magic that stop the wights.

One theory is that Coldhands is Bran’s uncle Benjen who has disappeared beyond the wall on a ranging. But Bran does not recognize him when they meet although it‘s possible that covering his face would distract from recognition. But I think that’s rather thin. We know that bodies can be reanimated from the episode of Thyros of Myr and Dondarrion; but Coldhands is not reanimated by fire magic; he is an animated dead body.

The second favorite theory is that Coldhands is the Night’s King of the legends and would seem to fit the bill of having been killed long ago; an old monster story that Old Nan used to scare Bran before bedtime.

But it’s a very long time for the 13th Lord Commander to be hanging around. He would have to be recently animated otherwise one suspects that the Wildings would have crossed paths with Coldhands before now.

I suspect that Coldhands is a body appropriated by a powerful skinchanger; the body having been preserved in the ice for a long time. I think it is the Greenseer himself; Brynden Targaryen who was Lord Commander of the Night’s watch. In some ways; he is also Bran’s “monster”. I doubt that he would reveal his true identity to Bran in this form.

The Geenseer is highly motivated to protect and guide Bran to the cave of the children of the forest and it makes sense to me that he would have knowledge of the hidden gate and the whereabouts of the hidden cave.

He is also aware of the location of both Samwell and Gilly and Bran's company. The timing of Coldhand's arrival to assist both groups can't be coincidence. The Greenseer is after all the watcher with a thousand eyes and one.

We know that skin changers can animate control more than one animal at a time from the first chapter Dance with Dragons and that the Greenseer is the most powerful of them all.

His control over a corpse, an elk and a murder of crows is a demonstration of his power.

Skinchangers cannot warg into dead corpses. i think that was made clear in the Varamyr's chapter. If a skinchanger could warg into a dead corpse then if he made his second life into a corpse then wouldn't he be able to live forever?

oh and one question that continues to bother me is that how did NK get his OTHER bride to the other side of the wall?

Shouldn't the wall stop an other from crossing it?

Was this an example of Night's watch stopped being true and thus an other was able to pass??

[Gloinssohn]

oh and one question that continues to bother me is that how did NK get his OTHER bride to the other side of the wall?

Shouldn't the wall stop an other from crossing it?

Was this an example of Night's watch stopped being true and thus an other was able to pass??

Why would he have to bring his bride on the south side of the Wall ? He could have build (her) a "palace" on the north side in direct vicinity to the Wall and "expanded" the Nightfort. This structure would have been thoroughly destroyed after the Night Kings fall.

The magic in the ice of the Wall would have lived on, because the NW didn't exactly stop existing, it was put under the spell/rule of the Night's King. Or at least the garrison of the Nightfort was. This would also explain, why Coldhands (if he is the son of NK and Otherwife) would have been a member of the NW (see post 68, summary 2).

[Juli]

Ok, can not remember the name but was there not a noble that came with bloodraven to the wall?

[Roadside Rose]

I believe Coldhands is Nights King.

I have a few reasons why I believe the same.

1> Bran the Builder built the Wall. Then he builds Winterfell and becomes the first King in the North.

2> The 13th LC of the Nights Watch betrays his oath for a woman (described as the Others) and takes the Nights Watch as his personal army. Old Nan believes the name of the Nights King is Bran.

But I find it highly unlikely that Bran the Builder would raise a Wall fighting the Others and then fall in love with one of their women. So I think it his son or brother named Bran.

3> A stretch of land was once given to the Nights Watch called Brandon's gift. Some say this was given by Bran the Builder, the King in the North. Though the maesters say it was another Brandon Stark.

So there seems to be another Brandon/Bran Stark living around the time Bran the Builder lived. And it wouldn't be surprising that the Nights King as a Stark gifted this land to the Nights Watch.

4> Later he fell in love with a woman "with skin as white as the moon and eyes like blue stars", he chased her and loved her though "her skin was cold as ice", and when he gave his seed to her he gave his soul as well.

If giving his soul away to the Others killed him, he could be among the undead. Coldhands is undead. "He died a long time ago...but seems to be living."

[Scipio Africanus]

Summary 2:

Coldhands is the offspring of the Nights King and a female Other. His allegiance to the 3EC comes from a desire to atone for the sins of the father (redemptive arc).

I don't think so, both his dress and his manner of speaking to Sam leaves me to believe that whoever Coldhands was, he is an ex-Ranger.

An offspring of the NK and an Other probably wouldn't be Ranger material.

This is besides the problem that we don't know how the Others reproduce.

[Ittiz]

I don't think so, both his dress and his manner of speaking to Sam leaves me to believe that whoever Coldhands was, he is an ex-Ranger.

An offspring of the NK and an Other probably wouldn't be Ranger material.

This is besides the problem that we don't know how the Others reproduce.

I think the Other's reproduce by stealing the babies (a life for a life). Otherwise what use would they have for the babies? A baby wight would be pretty useless.