DIssecting Bran of House Stark (ADWD Spoilers)

[The Imp]

Originally Posted by Tywin

Okay, I did a search of the wiki of ice and fire with "revenge" and "stark" in the search line and it brought me almost immediately to the story of Bael the Bard with this info:



That's not a direct quote from the text, just paraphrasing, but that story would fit for the pregnant woman right up until the end.

Well done Tywin

[Rufio]

I'd heard that before but dismissed it because she returned to Winterfell with a baby, not pregnant. But I forgot that they never left Winterfell (which of course is the key part of the story, relating to Bran and Rickon, oops). But if she loved the bard, no need for revenge. If she didn't, what's he doing letting her wander around the place?

[Tywin]

The revenge part is the strange part, especially if she killed herself in grief after her son brought back his head.

[Young stormlord]

I have a theory about weirwoods...

Let's say that they are like books to Children of the forest, only they store memories of dead people, not words. They sort of live through weirwood. Is it too much of a stretch to think that not every weirwood stores memories? That there are empty books waiting to be written? In that case, the memories have to start somewhere.

When greenseer dies, he goes into the weirwood and that tree now has his personality, it can watch and remember. So, my take on this

Then, as he watched, a bearded man forced a captive down onto his knees before the heart tree. A white-haired woman stepped toward them through a drift of dark red leaves, a bronze sickle in her hand.
“No,” said Bran, “no, don’t,” but they could not hear him, no more than his father had. The woman grabbed the captive by the hair, hooked the sickle round his throat, and slashed. And through the mist of centuries the broken boy could only watch as the man’s feet drummed against the earth … but as his life flowed out of him in a red tide, Brandon Stark could taste the blood.

is: the man was greenseer. Winterfell's weirwood was nothing special until his death; afterwards it could see and remember. Notice that in all the previous visions, Bran was always the weirwood. In the last one, he was the man being executed. And there is also this, which I posted in Not so important connections thread:

ASOS, one of Samwell chapters (before the death of Old Bear):

Sam stumbled. “Jon found more, on the Fist. Hundreds of arrowheads, spearheads as well . . .”
“So you said. Small good it does us there. To reach the Fist again we’d need to be armed with the weapons we won’t have until we reach the bloody Fist. And there are still the wildlings to deal with. We need to find dragonglass someplace else.”
Sam had almost forgotten about the wildlings, so much had happened since. “The children of the forest used dragonglass blades,” he said. “They’d know where to find obsidian.”
“The children of the forest are all dead,” said Mormont. “The First Men killed half of them with bronze blades, and the Andals finished the job with iron. Why a glass dagger should—”
The Old Bear broke off as Craster emerged from between the deerhide flaps of his door. The wildling smiled, revealing a mouth of brown rotten teeth. “I have a son.”

[Katrina Stark]

Notice that in all the previous visions, Bran was always the weirwood. In the last one, he was the man being executed.

I'm not sure I agree with your take on this - I think Bran was in the tree like for the other visions, after all, he was seeing the man's feet, and he tasted the blood when it touched the ground and (probably) the tree's roots.

Of course, that does not invalidate your theory about dead greenseers inhabiting weirwoods.

[Silvise]

Originally Posted by TPA

The question, then, is what is Brandons roll as a tree in the overall story?

He can be a source of information, kinda like a Westerosi internet, but how will he communicate it to anyone who matters?

Maybe he could use trees to warg animals across long distances?

Maybe he develops a portable tree interface so he does not have to tie into a permanent location like the current dude?

You know, Brandon, having overcome so much, has to be an important player, so playing out his story could be interesting.

At one point Bran manages to communicate with Jon through a weirwood, though I think Jon thinks it's a dream.

[Keebs411]

Its seems we have all been thinking that bran is just seeing people of the past that were only atarka or in winterfell. How ever what if the 3 eye crow ( who i also beleive is bloodraven) is sharing his own memories and historys? There is still so much back stpry about blood raven and his family. Even thought they whorahip the 7 in the south they still have gods woods all over. Blood raven was more then fwindly w his bastard half sister shiera seastar. Did they possible create a child we dont know about? There is so much back story we have yet to learn about him. But i think the visions bran had are not juat of hia blood line and winterfell i think blood ravens putting in some of his own

[Ursa major]

That's a good point. Bran has been brought to that place for a purpose; what is happening to him, and what he sees, could be part of the process by which he's induced to work towards that purpose.

Being so young (in the books), Bran is probably a perfect candidate for brainwashing: he's probably still at the age when he can be persuaded to see things in black and white terms.

[Needle]

As you all know I have long been rambling about my distrust of all things Rhallor and my sense that the Old Gods and the Others are connected. Plus we are pretty sure now that Bran is about to become one of these Old Gods and I will not believe Bran is or will become evil. So, I came across this in Mel's first POV:

A face took shape within the hearth. Stannis? she thought, for just a moment... but no, these were not his features. A wooden face, corpse white. Was this the enemy? A thousand red eyes floated in the flames. He sees me. Beside him, a boy with a wolf's face threw back his head and howled.

Your thoughts on the meaning of this?

[Keebs411]

Originally Posted by Needle

As you all know I have long been rambling about my distrust of all things Rhallor and my sense that the Old Gods and the Others are connected. Plus we are pretty sure now that Bran is about to become one of these Old Gods and I will not believe Bran is or will become evil. So, I came across this in Mel's first POV:



Your thoughts on the meaning of this?

Im with you Needle. Im also weary of rhallor and his followers. Just somthinng nagging in my gut that says dont let down all my defences on that one. However i havent fully gone against it. As u stated you think the old gods are connected to the others. Do u mean on the same side?? If so my only hesitation comes from when they mention that its believed that the children of the forrest worked with the the first men to make the wall and fight the others last time( but we all know the truth can be twisted and changed creating a diff story) But maybe the children of the forest are Sweden, nutral. They dont take sides except that time because they thought it was in the best choice? Only for men to turn against them after driving them into hidding. Now perhaps their opionon and stance has changed? Man has buthered the land and the trees. Plus fire burns wood and trees i cant see the children of the forest being a fan of a god of fire.

I think the red eyes mel sees is blood raven whos the current attachment to the tree network and she sees bran behind him the person to come? Seeing him Howl places the wolf attachment and she doent realize the connection to the starks because she doesnt know the back story and about them all having a dire wolf?? Plus every one thinks bran and rickon are dead so why would she think its jons brother??

And also i agree i dont think bran is evil or will become so. i do think that he is at an age and possition to have people who want to manipulate or brain wash him but in the end i think he will do all he can to help guide and save his siblings.