Jojen and Meera as the most courageous and noble characters….

[yasasbandara]

Anybody else feel that Jojen and Meera are two of the most courageous and noblest characters of the story?

When most of the other characters in the story go after personal glory or personal gain, these two children set off just to help someone they’ve never seen before. They were never after money, lands, recognition, glory, titles or even favors.

They have never traveled far from their homes before. Their people are not in a habit of traveling far from homes. The dangers were totally unknown.

Fully knowing that a great danger is going to fall upon Winterfell, they still didn’t run away. True to their oath, they stayed with Bran.

They displayed a lot of courage and bravery most adults would not show during the sacking of Winterfell, the long and dangerous journey to the wall and even beyond that.

Going for days without food, Jojen almost dying, they never complained. We didn't see anybody snapping at another. They showed a lot of discipline than most of the other characters.

[ab aeterno]

I think you could make a very strong argument for this, yes. They've always been two of my favorite characters, and given their ages and the fact that they choose to go - especially knowing some of the bad things that await them, but not all -yes, I'd say they've among the very bravest and most noble.

[Ser Lepus]

Pretty much. Unless GRRM trolls us all and turns them into some kind of religious fanatics with a sinister secret agenda, or something like that.

[direwienerdog]

They are sent by the only man who knows more of the need to get Bran to the 3 eyed crow, Howland Reed. Jojen is has green dreams but Howland is said to be even more powerful. It is rumored Howland can move the Grey watch keep and make it invisible.

The Reeds follow the Old Gods even as Winterfell has forgotten about the powers given to to them and the crannogmen.

Jojen dreams of the 3 eyed crow when he takes a fever and is close to death. Much as Bran does when in a,coma from Jamie's love push only sooner.

Jojen knows his death is not today as he states several times to Meera. He begins to suspect his death will happen at Bloodraven's cave. At this point he wants to go back home. But it's too late and his sacrifice is to become the weirwood paste to enhance Bran's powers.

[Gizzelle]

Jojen seems to know exactly how his death will ocurr from the start. He doesn't suddenly become aware of it when they reach the cave. So from that point of view it is a huge sacrifice on both their parts (even if it does appear he has kept Meera in the dark about the exact nature of his death somewhat)

Meera is a little too perfect as a character though. She's basically Arya without any of the character flaws.

[Arya kiddin']

They can be seen as such, but for courage and selflessness I always liked Davos Seaworth.

[winteristheseason]

It seems pretty likely that Jojen was grounded up into the weirwood paste. I believe in the world of ASOIAF, magic comes at a cost.

[ab aeterno]

Meera is a little too perfect as a character though. She's basically Arya without any of the character flaws.

I'm not sure this is true, to be honest. There are plenty of relative minor characters for whom we've seen relatively few flaws, partly because they're not put in sufficient situations for those flaws to become apparent. For one, Meera lacks her bother's patience, caution and wisdom, but she is a better fighter. I don't think either of them are "too perfect," but was far as their character goes, as opposed to physical issues, I'd say Jojen is actually closer to the mark.

[Frozentree]

Jojen is actually not very brave. He is not afraid because he knows his death and knows he is not really in much danger. Selfless? Technically, they need Bran to become a greenseer to save the kingdom, themselves included, form the others. Don't get me wrong, I really like the Reeds, but they are not as brave and selfless as you think.

[ab aeterno]

Jojen is actually not very brave. He is not afraid because he knows his death and knows he is not really in much danger. Selfless? Technically, they need Bran to become a greenseer to save the kingdom, themselves included, form the others. Don't get me wrong, I really like the Reeds, but they are not as brave and selfless as you think.

Jojen has seen his own death, and knows that he is not going to die yet, but I don't believe that he has seen Meera's as far as I can recall. She is coming with him to protect her brother. They're also sacrificing everything they have - their family, their friends, their home, to go on a dangerous journey that might not even save the world; they're brave enough to try. By your definition, someone like Frodo or Sam from Lord of the Rings isn't particularly brave, Frodo may not know when he will die, but all the same things apply, and Sam's position isn't that dissimilar to Meera's.

Accepting your death takes a lot of bravery in itself. Most people aren't brave enough, and a great many people aren't even brave enough to make wills. So I don't think any of this really makes Jojen or Meera any less brave.

As for selflessness, I don't truly believe such a thing can exist, but insofar as they're putting 'the world' ahead of their own material comfort, or an attempt to escape and survive somewhere else, then I'd say they're relatively selfless, especially compared to many other characters.

[Le Cygne]

Accepting your death takes a lot of bravery in itself. Most people aren't brave enough, and a great many people aren't even brave enough to make wills. So I don't think any of this really makes Jojen or Meera any less brave.

Agreed, the undiscovered country and conscience does make cowards of us all. It makes him braver, I think.

[WeirwoodTreeHugger]

We might get to see more of Meeras flaws when she finds out what happened to Jojen (if he is indeed paste). Is she going to accept that Jojen had to be sacrificied? Or is going to go into a rage?

[bloodsteel bitterraven]

They are two of my favorite characters for sure.

[yasasbandara]

The important thing is with all the crap they had to go through (danger, fear, hunger, sleeplessness, attacks by others, almost dying etc.) they remain unmoved throughout their adventure.

We don’t see them exchanging angry words. We don’t see them blaming each other. We don’t see them pissed at the world and praying for the death of some king or some lord.

It seems to me that they accept pain and pleasure, gain and loss, victory and defeat as part of life and have the discipline not to fall apart when things go wrong. This is the kind of discipline and wisdom that most of other characters lack.

Out of the thousand named characters of the story, only a handful are capable of putting the good of the realm before themselves and personal gain. From those few, Jojen and Meera are probably the youngest. Others are matured, older people who have made their mistakes and earned their wisdom with age. This makes their characters special for me.

Jojen knowing his death doesn’t make his less brave. There are other worse things than death (Ex- Ramsay playmate, Bolton dermatology clinic). Also he had no idea what kind of things could happen to his sister. If Ramsay had caught her, imagine what could have happened to her.

[Night'sQueen]

I agree with the OP and would add that they are wise beyond their years.

Accepting your death takes a lot of bravery in itself. Most people aren't brave enough, and a great many people aren't even brave enough to make wills. So I don't think any of this really makes Jojen or Meera any less brave.

Well said.