Benjen Stark

[Greymoon]

I think it's possible that he's with the wildlings at Hardhome. As far as I know, there is absolutely no evidence for that, but I don't think there's any evidence at all about where he might be...

Still, I hope he is at Hardhome ;) Maybe he'll have one or two POV chapters, to describe the situation beyond the wall.

There is evidence if you look for it...alright...it's not really evidence. But speaking plot-development wise, what's the point of Hardhome, if not for Benjen to be there and rescued by Cotter Pyke?

One could argue that Hardhome's raison d'être in ASOIAF is for Jon to destroy the Night's Watch fleet, so that the Night's Watch is not only deprived of all its ships but finds itself in even greater depth towards the Iron Bank. It's also possible that Hardhome was invented to create more dissent among the Night's Watch brothers, thus leading to Jon's stabbing, while at the same time, taking yet another useful guy out of the picture, namely Cotter Pyke himself...but I think it makes more sense for Hardhome's to be the place where Benjen will be seen again.

[Brynden Bloodraven Rivers]

Why in the world would she lie about something that to her would be innocuous? What does she care if Bran & co might recognize him as Benjen Stark?

Who knows what Leaf, Bloodraven and Coldhands want? There are a lot of possibilities.

[jenerationx]

Who knows what Leaf, Bloodraven and Coldhands want? There are a lot of possibilities.

Well that argument could basically be used for pretty much everything on this forum.

The whole point is to use what we DO know and try to formulate some reasonable hypothesis from it. Not throw out possible but totally unsupported what-ifs other than to acknowledge something we all already know -- that yes, there are a lot of possibilities. That's not adding a whole lot of value.

[Katkara]

Ghost found a Night's Watch cloak at the Fist of the First men. It's possible that he recognized Benjen's smell, if the cloak is his, and led Jon to it, or maybe he found it for some other reason.

But if the cloak is Benjen's, that would mean he found dragonglass somewhere, and who still has dragonglass? The children of the forest :)

AGOT, page 248:

"The children will help him [benjen]", he [bran] blurted, "the children of the forest!"

[Prince of the North]

In that case, I do have to go back to the "he died long ago" statement, not to be contrary (okay, maybe a little, but also for the sake of discussion) but because it's the last remnant of evidence we have to make any kind of educated determination. The "person" who says it is Leaf, one of the Children of the Forest. She claims to be at least 200 years old. My natural assumption (could be wrong) is that someone who's been around that long's idea of a "long" time is even longer than a human would think. For someone that old to say that CH died a long time ago, to me, seems to indicate a really long time.

Oh, I completely understand where you are coming from here. Is I've said in other threads, I even started out myself believing that Leaf's "long ago" must be too long ago for Coldhands to be Benjen. Then I just had to level with myself. That's an assumption (as you say yourself). It has to be assumed that Leaf was putting that "long ago" statement in the context of her own lifespan or somehow linking it to how long she has been alive and there's just no proof of that. Furthermore, I don't believe anyone always links any reference to time they may make to the length of their own life. Also, there are several instances throughout at least AFfC and ADwD (I haven't searched through the other books) where short periods of time are nonetheless referred to as "long ago".

[TheTowerOfJoy]

Ghost found a Night's Watch cloak at the Fist of the First men. It's possible that he recognized Benjen's smell, if the cloak is his, and led Jon to it, or maybe he found it for some other reason.

But if the cloak is Benjen's, that would mean he found dragonglass somewhere, and who still has dragonglass? The children of the forest :)

AGOT, page 248:

"The children will help him [benjen]", he [bran] blurted, "the children of the forest!"

Have the context of that statement handy?

[Katkara]

Have the context of that statement handy?

Yoren wiped his fingers on his vest. "There's hard news, m'lords, and a cruel way to repay you for your meat and mead, but the man as asks the question must bear the answer. Stark's gone."

One of the other men said, "The Old Bear sent him out to look for Waymar Royce, and he's late returning, m'lord."

"Too long", Yoren said. "Most like he's dead."

"My uncle is not dead", Robb Stark said loudly, anger in his tones. He rose from the bench and laid his hand on the hilt of his sword. "Do you hear me? My uncle is not dead!"His voice rang against the stone walls, and Bran was suddenly afraid.

Old, sour-smelling Yoren looked up at Robb, unimpressed. "Whatever you say, m'lord", he said. He sucked at a piece of meat between his teeth. The youngest of the black brothers shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "There's not a man on the Wall knows the haunted forest better than Benjen Stark. He'll find his way back." "Well", said Yoren, "Maybe he will and maybe he won't. Good men have gone into those woods before, and never come out."

All Bran could think of was Old Nan's story of the Others and the last hero, hounded through the white woods by dead men and spiders big as hounds. He was afraid for a moment, until he remembered how that story ended. "The children will help him", he blurted, "the children of the forest!"

Theon Greyjoy sniggered, and Maester Luwin said, "Bran, the children of the forest have been dead and gone for thousands of years. All that is left of them are the faces in the trees."

"Down here, might be that's true, Maester", Yoren said, "but up past the Wall, who's to say? Up there, a man cannot always tell what's alive and what's dead."

AGOT, page 247-248

[Tharvot]

I think he is long dead by now. Its been years that he has been up in the wilderness beyond the wall. I think we will see him through bran's dreams with weirwoods possibly, but thats about it. Perhaps he has left clues behind along the way.

[TheTowerOfJoy]

AGOT, page 247-248

Nice, great catch, and thanks!

[piesoftarth]

He's going to show up in the epilogue of A Dream of Spring and ask, "What have I missed? ".

It is known

heheheheheheheh

[grand old duke of stark]

My gut feel is that we will see Benjen again, in part because Jon thinks he's alive. However, GRRM regularly foreshadows and uses prophecy and visions to give us an idea of what's to come. I don't recall any clear foreshadowing of Benjen's reappearance, unless Coldhands himself is Benjen or a foreshadowing of Benjen. I'm currently re-reading GoT and will be on the lookout.

[Jaqen H'gcarl]

I could see grrm writing a scene where jon snow reborn comes across a wightified benjen and kills him. Though I'd prefer to see an alive benjen prologue from the land of always winter

That second scenario - yes please.

Other than that, im not sure I actually want Benjen back. I mean, I really like the dude, but I think it will get very very corny if everyone just keeps Popping back alive after we thought they were dead.

For example:

Jon (well..), Catelyn, Brienne (she did get hung), Gravedigger Sandor, Robert *Gregor* Strong, Theon, Asha, Davos, you could even argue Dany.

Some of them are rather vague, but you get the point, by the time Jon was stabbed in ADWD I wasn't even afraid of him dying... you know? All this bringing back is really making characters dying less dramatic.

[Dany Girl]

If we don't see him in some capacity I think he'd be the biggest red herring of the books. He needs to have his story completed in some way IMO. As we stand he just left and... nothing? I think he'll show back up at some point... alive or dead.

[Martini Sigil]

Gut feeling.... we'll see Benjen again.... alive.

But I am wrong a lot.

[Arya kiddin']

Benjen is a captifth in the Lands of always winter. It is known.

[2fingers]

I really do think he bit the dust (or snow) in the worst way. I mean seriously, what the fuck has he been doing all this time!?!

[TheTowerOfJoy]

Benjen is a captifth in the Lands of always winter. It is known.

That's been my thought.

[Roose The Weddingcrasher]

I have the impression, that he's been no more than a plot device for Jon's story. There are so many ways to die north of the Wall, we really shouldn't be surprised.

[koststerg]

I think we will see him again but whether he will be dead, undead or alive I have no idea. I believe he has at least two loose ends that he has to "explain" before George vanises him for good, the bag of dragonstone knifves and arrowheads that Jon found in the Fist (and I think there is a good possibility that this is part of Benjen's story) and the reasons why he joined the NW in the first place (George has promised that we will learn that at some point).

I personally like the idea (not very probable I admit) that Benjen in captured by the Others and he is part of their plan to break the Wall and take Winterfell (as him being a potential warg and a desentant of Bran the Builder and "there must always be a Stark at Winterfell" condition).

[mikey299]

I think hes either to going play a big role in the next book, or Bran or John will end up meeting him as a

wight and be all emotional and have to kill him