THE WIND in Martin’s ASoIaF

[evita mgfs]

“WORDS ARE WIND”

The WIND is a powerful force in Martin’s series ASoI&F, and one I nearly overlooked because I instead focused on the mystery of the White Walkers appearing in conjunction with the COLD. After carefully deconstructing passages in search of recurring language patterns associated with WINTER, the weather, the White Walkers, and the COLD, I could not ignore the relationship that the wind shares with the enigma that is the old gods, that is the heart tree, and that is winter.

In AGoT, Bran finds peace in the godswood with his direwolf Summer. Sitting beneath the heart tree, Bran prays to the old gods, asking them to protect his brother Robb and his retainers on their journey south:

"If Robb has to go, watch over him," Bran entreated the old gods, as they watched him with the heart tree's red eyes, "and watch over his men, Hal and Quent and the rest, and Lord Umber and Lady Mormont and the other lords. And Theon too, I suppose. Watch them and keep them safe, if it please you, gods. Help them defeat the Lannisters and save Father and bring them home."

Immediately following Bran’s prayer, Martin personifies the wind by endowing it with a voice that “sighs” and with leaves that “stir” and “whisper”:

“A faint wind sighed through the godswood and the red leaves stirred and whispered. Summer bared his teeth.”

Evidently, as is often the case, an animal will sense a presence or hear a sound that a human might not be able to sense. Summer baring his teeth indicates that he hears “something” out-of-the-ordinary that Bran as yet cannot hear.

Osha makes her presence known by asking Bran:

"You hear them, boy?" AND "They are my gods too . . . Beyond the Wall, they are the only gods."

Bran quizzes Osha: "Tell me what you meant, about hearing the gods."

"You asked them and they're answering. Open your ears, listen, you'll hear."

Bran listened. "It's only the wind," he said after a moment, uncertain. "The leaves are rustling."

"Who do you think sends the wind, if not the gods? . . . They see you, boy. They hear you talking. That rustling, that's them talking back" (577).

Martin establishes that the old gods send the wind that causes the leaves in the heart tree to rustle, or to “talk back”. Bran consequently understands that he will need to develop the insight to understand what the old gods are trying to communicate to him. More importantly, once Bran becomes a part of the godhood, he will have the wind at his disposal to make his presence known. Now, there is textual evidence that suggests that Bran can and does communicate with Jon Snow and Theon Greyjoy, but it depends on how the language choices are interpreted.

In ADwD, when Bran first slips his skin to go into the roots of the weirwood, he finds himself looking through the eyes of the heart tree in Winterfell’s godswood where Bran sees his father cleaning Ice:

“Lord Eddard Stark sat upon a rock beside the deep black pool in the godswood, the pale roots of the heart tree twisting around him like an old man’s gnarled arms. The greatsword Ice lay across his lap, and he was cleaning the blade with an oil cloth.

“Winterfell,” Bran whispered.

His father looked up. “Who’s there?” he asked, turning . . .” (457).

Bran returns from his “weirnet” visit to tell his companions what he has experienced. Lord Brynden’s advice to Bran echoes that which Osha says to him in AGoT:

“A man must know how to look before he can hope to see . . . Those were shadows of days past that you saw, Bran” (ADwD 458). Then, Lord Brynden explains that “time” is different for trees. Regardless, Bran insists his father heard him, to which BR says, “He heard a whisper on the wind, a rustling amongst the leaves” (ADwD 458).

Bran sees his father in the “past”, which retards his abilities to speak with him.

So, is it possible that Bran’s powers exceed BR’s in that those whom he speaks to in the “present” might be able to hear what the rustling leaves have to say in real time? This seems to be the case if we look at some of Martin’s language choices at “Winterfell” in ADwD.

Bran attends the wedding of Ramsay Bolton and “fake” Arya by watching through the eyes of the weirwood, from which he observes the mummer’s farce of a marriage. It is Theon who notices the heart tree’s expression, presenting a far different countenance from the “long and melancholy” features it wears in scenes depicted in AGoT.

“The weirwood’s carved red eyes stared down at them, its great red mouth open as if to laugh. In the branches overhead a raven quorked” (488).

The mouth indicating a laugh suggests that at least Bran can see some humor in the blasphemy playing out in the godswood. Or mayhap Bran is ruminating on an appropriate and viable plan for vengeance.

Moreover, Bran commands the attention of Theon Greyjoy, who is aware of supernatural forces that he suspects are taunting him. But the mischievous entity controlling the winds is Bran, and he has a bit of fun tormenting his late father’s ward, the turncloak who betrayed the Starks.

“It had been a lifetime since any god had heard him. He did not know who he was, or what he was, why he was still alive why he had ever been born.

“Theon,” a voice seemed to whisper.

His head snapped up. “Who said that?” All he could see were the trees and the fog that covered them. The voice had been as faint as rustling leaves, as cold as hate. A god’s voice, or a ghost’s? How many died the day that he took Winterfell? How many more the day he lost it? The day that Theon Greyjoy died to be reborn as Reek. Reek, Reek, it rhymes with shriek.

Suddenly he did not want to be here.

Once outside the godswood, the cold descended on him like a ravening wolf had caught him in its teeth. He lowered his head into the wind and made for the Great Hall, hastening after the long line of candles and torches. Ice crunches beneath his boots, and a sudden gust pushed back his hood as if a ghost had plucked at him with frozen fingers, hungry to gaze upon his face” (489).

Martin describes the “cold” descending upon Theon “like a ravening wolf had caught him in its teeth.” The simile comparing the cold to a wolf definitely suggests a very STARK influence in the godswood. The airy force which is commanded by Bran seemingly taunts Theon in a mischievous way that definitely hints at Bran.

Note that a “sudden gust” [of wind], which IS Bran, pushes back Theon’s hood as “if a ghost had plucked at him with frozen fingers” and the ghost is “hungry to gaze upon his face.”

Martin creates an eerie ambience in the godswood with the persistent mention of the color “grey” and the mists, and these “mists” appear in Bran’s three-eyed-crow dream in AGoT, wherein Martin describes a grey mist that surrounds and seemingly protects Bran until he returns to his bed, then it dissipates. Six times is the grey mist referenced in Bran’s dream, so the appearance of the mist indicates the presence of Bran and the three-eyed-crow.

“He had never seen the godswood like this, though – grey and ghostly, filled with warm mists and floating lights and whispered voices that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere” (487)

“The mists were so thick that only the nearest trees were visible . . .”

“Then the mists parted, like the curtain opening at a mummer show to reveal some new tableau” (487).

I cannot help wondering if the WIND is a force that is part of Bran’s powers and that Bran, either consciously or unconsciously, is governing IT to a purpose.

One other note about the WIND: it appears that the WIND is also behind Jon turning back to find his direwolf Ghost:

“Halfway across the bridge, Jon pulled up suddenly.

“What is it, Jon?” their lord father asked.

“Can’t you hear it?”

BRAN COULD HEAR THE WIND IN THE TREES, the clatter of their hooves on the ironwood planks, the whimpering of his hungry pup. But Jon was listening to SOMETHING ELSE” (AGoT 20).

Apparently, the wind in the trees, which indicates the old gods, is the power that harkens Jon to return and to find his direwolf pup Ghost.

The oft-repeated expression “words are wind” takes on a deeper meaning IF the powers that are the old gods are, or will be using the wind to cause problems with drifting snows, as we see at Winterfell, the Wall, and Stannis’ army’s location.

Just at a cursory glance, in the Prologue of AGoT the ‘wind’ is mentioned over 10 times – and it figures in the arrival of the White Walkers. As Waymar and the WW face off, the wind ceases. Then, it is not mentioned again. Hmmm.

[Cressen's Fury]

An interesting additional mention: Bran (and IIRC the rest of his party too) is actually blinded by wind at some point while he goes North.

Of the four elements, Air, and its manifestation wind, is by far the least mentioned, so I would be interested if there is a deeper meaning as there is for fire, water and earth.

[King Aegon The Conqueror]

this is actually quite interesting. 1 would view it as a weapon of the old gods being the wargs etc etc

[Queen‍‍‍‍‍‍ Alysanne‍‍™]

Words are wind.

[Ser Creighton]

The Words of Winter, or the Story of Winter. A feast of Crows was not all that symbolic of Crows or them feasting or feasting on them or death. A Dance with Dragons really didn't have a Dance with Dragons unless the Dance was avoidnace. Not so sure how important the titles are. Winter has already come and Wind could easily represent change as it often does.

[blood of the dragoon]

Hmm. Need to ruminate.

[evita mgfs]

An interesting additional mention: Bran (and IIRC the rest of his party too) is actually blinded by wind at some point while he goes North.

Of the four elements, Air, and its manifestation wind, is by far the least mentioned, so I would be interested if there is a deeper meaning as there is for fire, water and earth.

:bowdown: :bowdown: CRESSON'S FURY: AWESOME IDEA!

The blinding wind storm most certainly sounds like a symbolic event. Do you recall the chapter or POV? I have been tracking several motifs on my reread, and even though it is time-consuming, I can see “patterns” developing. In regards to the wind, Martin frequently uses the phrases like rustling or whispering leaves, and the wind “howls”, has “teeth”, and other animal and human-like character traits.

I do not think every time the wind is referenced that it means something significant or foretelling; however, I know there are several events I am looking forward to revisiting, especially in ADwD. Scenes playing out at the Wall involve the wind, as do scenes that take place at the Eyrie, in the wolfswood and kingswood, on and near a water source – so very much to look at, and I work at a snail’s pace.

You touched upon the very thing I believe comprises the old gods and Him-of-Many-Faces, which I think are one in the same: the godhood IS part of nature, specifically the elements, as you say! Actually, I met a group of awesome posters on two fabulous threads that bonded us, although some of the amazing scholars left Westeros for tumblr. The threads were Arya and the Water Motif / Braavos AND Arya’s Destiny. We had a wonderful time sharing ideas and coming up with theories. Anyway, our evidence regarding Arya’s relationship with water is remarkable – so we thought Arya’s path will involve water, and her allies will be Howland Reed and the Drowned God. [There is a lot of “water” so many watchers are needed.]

We discussed Bran as “earth”, trees, stones, roots, so he will have powers to move earth, shatter rock, uproot trees and graves, even girdle a landmass with ocean.

Sansa was “air” since she is the Little Bird, Little Dove, and a parrot ensconced in an Eyrie, or an “eagle’s nest”. Rickon is as wild as a winter storm, says Bran, and Shaggydog is as wild as Rickon – so I think Rickon will be rocking the snow fall, white outs, burials, deep freezes. Jon is both fire and ice, and Khaleesi is “fire”, blood of the dragon.

Sorry I rambled on – and feel free to add more. I am often very inspired by what others have to say. :blushing: