Who is Coldhands?

[Amy Stark]

We know Coldhands was once a Black Brother, and we know he is now undead. However we don't know much more about him. Any speculation on where he fits in this world in the future? For all we know he will end up a forgotten plot device, however George rarely does that to us. So any theories on who he is?

My personal opinion is that Coldhands will eventually be revealed as the late Benjen Stark, mostly because I figure the Starks natural warging ability might make a dead Benjen a perfect vessel to be used by someone like Bloodraven to control when he needs a human for something. Pure speculation I know, but I have always had a feeling Benjen would show up in some form by the end of the series, and this is first time since ACoK where GRRM has given me hope that I was right. Now going against this theory is, you'd think Bran would recognize his own uncle even with a big scarf over his face, but you never know. Benjen has probably been at the Wall all of Bran's life with very few chances to visit, so Bran may barely know the man.

[fuem]

I always thought he was Benji stark But it could just be a random plot twist

[ebevan91]

Coldhands is a secret Targaryen.

It is known.

[Muggle]

We know Coldhands was once a Black Brother, and we know he is now undead. However we don't know much more about him. Any speculation on where he fits in this world in the future? For all we know he will end up a forgotten plot device, however George rarely does that to us. So any theories on who he is?

My personal opinion is that Coldhands will eventually be revealed as the late Benjen Stark, mostly because I figure the Starks natural warging ability might make a dead Benjen a perfect vessel to be used by someone like Bloodraven to control when he needs a human for something. Pure speculation I know, but I have always had a feeling Benjen would show up in some form by the end of the series, and this is first time since ACoK where GRRM has given me hope that I was right. Now going against this theory is, you'd think Bran would recognize his own uncle even with a big scarf over his face, but you never know. Benjen has probably been at the Wall all of Bran's life with very few chances to visit, so Bran may barely know the man.

Its pretty unlikely that CH is Benjen. Leaf ACOTF is around 200 years old. The life span of a COTF is a long one. And she tells Bran and Co not to worry about CH because he died long ago. Long ago to a COTF is well a long time.

Bnejen has been missing for what three years? give or take.

I really like the idea that CH is Daemon Blackfyre

[Amy Stark]

I just reread The first book, and when Tuition returned to winterfell, on his way back down south. He gave bran the new saddle. He also told Robb and bran that benjen stark had not returned from his ranging and was missing and bran told everyone that he wasn't worried because the children of the forest would take care of uncle benjen and that spoke volumes to me but I was already convincedit was benjen.

[Dagon]

Its pretty unlikely that CH is Benjen. Leaf ACOTF is around 200 years old. The life span of a COTF is a long one. And she tells Bran and Co not to worry about CH because he died long ago. Long ago to a COTF is well a long time.

Bnejen has been missing for what three years? give or take.

I really like the idea that CH is Daemon Blackfyre

That would be beyond awesome, but how could that be? I'm closer to the side of CH being the Night's King when he had his "soul" taken from him when coupling with the ghostly woman.

[Jessica Rogers]

I think its a stark, I think something with the old god keeps them from turning into mindless zombies.

Do we know how Bran the builder died because I reading something about the night king and it was thought he was a stark and was killed by the king in the north who his brother, who also died.

[Muggle]

That would be beyond awesome, but how could that be? I'm closer to the side of CH being the Night's King when he had his "soul" taken from him when coupling with the ghostly woman.

Bryden Rivers took him to the wall to keep him as his prisoner.

I just like the idea.

I could theorize that Daemon having a drop of the Targ Magical blood "his dreams" could of caused a wight process to go wrong.

Or simply BR experimented on him trying to recreate the others wight process. Its been long suggested there is a link between TCOTF and The Others and how they both "skin change" I would not put it past BR to experiment to better understand his enemies. With people he has absolutely no love for. We see from early GOT BR is preparing for the war with the others recruiting Bran.

There has to be a reason why there is absolutely no mention or foreshadowing that BR is Lord Commander of the Night Watch. Absolutely none. You never hear some one say "Crap you think the Old Bears tough you should of met the targ bastard who was LC before him.

Some one as famous as Blood Raven. Former Hand of the King One of the Great Bastards. Being LC would of been thrown around. Hell we even get mance rayder's name dropped in Neds 1st or 2nd chapter.

[Hajk]

Maybe he is Azor Ahai the original edition. One who has been holding to his vows and killing those who break them even after "his watch is ended". Mix that with a very popular theory here and maybe he is Jon Snow the original version. Who knows what 8,000 years may do to a person's appearance and voice? Who knows if that one was also killed by rebellious NW men? Do we know who the "they" who killed him are?

[Catastrophe]

Prior to reading ADwD, I thought he might be Stone Snake. We never see what happens to Stone Snake, and the appendices indicate that he's still alive. Of course, the comment that he died a long time ago seems to contradict that.

Still wonder if we'll see Stone Snake again before the end of the series. Wonder what happened to him?

[Dagon]

I'd actually completely forgotten about Daemon II Blackfyre. Really wanted to know what became of him. He was my favorite character in that story. Very honorable.

[Matoro]

I hope he's some ancient Brandon Stark.

[naik2902]

Benjen is gone to extreme far of north to solve bigger mysteries. if coldhands was Benjen then he would have told Bran that he is his uncle. he rides stag. do we know any baratheon who joined NW ??

[Muggle]

Benjen is gone to extreme far of north to solve bigger mysteries. if coldhands was Benjen then he would have told Bran that he is his uncle. he rides stag. do we know any baratheon who joined NW ??

TCOTF rode elks and CH is working with the children so him on an elk is not a mystery

[Darkbringer]

I expect the nights king to have been pretty finally dealt with, ie beheaded or similar, but I guess we have no proof as all records were purged.

[MasterJack]

I expect the nights king to have been pretty finally dealt with, ie beheaded or similar, but I guess we have no proof as all records were purged.

I think a lot of ghosts (delcared dead) of the previous eras are still around and GRRM is just waiting the last book to expose them to us clearly (BR^done, Shiera^{ties with mel?}, the Blackfyres^{aegon or varys?}, Bittersteel^GC, first AA or NK ^coldhand?, Arthur Dayne^HM?, Gerion Lannister^{Corsair king?},Tysha^{that bravoos whore?}.

Anyway Coldhand HAS to be someone we already know about, I wont care even if this is Ned's ghost, this late in a serie is the time for revelations, not introductions and as an author you cant waste this golden oppotunity with a nobody (random #28453 NW ranger)

[BloodRider]

plot twist, he's a random no-name crow brought back as a wight and being warged by bloodraven

This is my belief, too. So when Leaf says "He died long ago" he is referring to the man that made the corpse, not to his current animus.

[Parallaxus]

ColdHand (and the HM btw) wont be just some random characters since GRRM wont let slip by an occasion to link an interesting background to them.

Sure he will. You just don't notice the tens or hundreds of times Martin introduces nobodies and they actually turn out to be nobodies. It's right up his alley (which, his alley is unpredictability) to pique readers' interests in the character and we NEVER find out if he's someone we've heard of. If you don't believe Martin has done that lots of times go back and read through all of the books. For the sake of unpredictability, Martin has introduced lots of characters that we never hear from again, and have no clue, whatsoever, whatever happened to them and never will. He does NOT want us thinking we know what will happen in the book and he'll do anything, including throwing lots of named or nameless characters at us, making us think they're relevant when they aren't and vice versa.

[Parallaxus]

If Coldhands is not Benjen, then where is Benjen? JRRM is happy to kill characters, but he tells you when does. If Benjen wasn't meant for something why not just have his corpse show up as one of the White Walkers attacking Jon Snow or the Mormont's raiding party to add to the menace of land beyond the wall. That would have been pretty epic actually.

I think that Benjen died beyond the wall, but as a Stark he had a connection to the Old Gods and was able to resist the corruption of becoming a mindless white walker and is instead a mindful white walker.

NO he doesn't!!! You OBVIOUSLY only remember the ones he DOES tell us about. There are so many unknown statuses of characters in Martin books, I can't even take a ball park guess at how many there are.

[Parallaxus]

We know Coldhands was once a Black Brother, and we know he is now undead. However we don't know much more about him. Any speculation on where he fits in this world in the future? For all we know he will end up a forgotten plot device, however George rarely does that to us. So any theories on who he is?

My personal opinion is that Coldhands will eventually be revealed as the late Benjen Stark, mostly because I figure the Starks natural warging ability might make a dead Benjen a perfect vessel to be used by someone like Bloodraven to control when he needs a human for something. Pure speculation I know, but I have always had a feeling Benjen would show up in some form by the end of the series, and this is first time since ACoK where GRRM has given me hope that I was right. Now going against this theory is, you'd think Bran would recognize his own uncle even with a big scarf over his face, but you never know. Benjen has probably been at the Wall all of Bran's life with very few chances to visit, so Bran may barely know the man.

All of this stuff you're claiming we know, unless Martin told you this himself or you read something I haven't, we don't KNOW any of this. It seems OBVIOUS that Coldhands was a brother of the Night's Watch because of his clothes, we don't KNOW squat. Just because something SEEMS obvious you need to make the distinction between the two. It seems obvious, we DON'T know it. It SEEMS obvious he's undead, but we don't know he's undead. Not nitpicking. Trying to prevent spreading of circumstantial evidence as fact, which it isn't. And this book series, A Song of Ice and Fire, is a prime example of when we as humans need to show our wisdom by realizing the difference between what we REALLY know and what we don't, because Martin loves to throw us off, so we have to be cautious with our assumptions.