The wind, rustling of leaves, & the howl of wolves

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wizzthesmith
Drogon

@wizzthesmith
Posts: 554
Likes: 258
2017 Golden Dragon Awards: 1 Time Nominee

The wind, rustling of leaves, & the howl of wolves Feb 23, 2017 20:41:05 GMT -5 alcasinoroyale, Diablotion, and 2 more like this

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Post by wizzthesmith on Feb 23, 2017 20:41:05 GMT -5

THE WIND, RUSTLING OF LEAVES, & THE HOWL OF WOLVES.

Osha studied him. "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 [old] gods?"

INTRODUCTION

Hi everyone. As the title suggests I will be looking at the rustling leaves, the howling wolves and wind connection, and the personified wind itself in this essay series. I think we may be able to link these three facets [trees, wind and wolves] together as working in harmony for the sake of the old gods/BR/Bran. In fact I think this has been set up as early as the AGOT prologue, and in various guises GRRM has laid hints for us to find and follow throughout the novels. The format we will take is as follows…

PART I: Rustling leaves enabling a voice. [The best known example, so a good place to start]

PART II: The Howling Wind and Wolf Connection. [The wind howling, biting, snapping etc]

PART III: A Presence in the Wind. [An attempt to show BR and then Bran are inhabiting the wind]

So without further ado, let’s jump right in…….

PART I: Rustling leaves enabling a voice

Here are a couple of passages from the [Potentially very important] AGOT prologue that I think are our first clues for the rustling leaves technique.……

A cold wind was blowing out of the north, and made the trees rustle like living things. All day, Will had felt as though something were watching him…….

This is the first time the wind is mentioned in the series, and straight away we are told that it makes the leaves rustle and the trees seem like living things. To follow this potential set up, we get plenty of rustling in this chapter, including one example that hints at the rustle/voice connection……

“Down below, the lordling called out suddenly, “Who goes there?” Will heard uncertainty in the challenge. He stopped climbing; he listened; he watched.
“The woods gave answer: the rustle of leaves, the icy rush of the stream, a distant hoot of a snow owl”.

The woods gave answer to the question, ‘who goes there?’ as if it had gained a voice. Quickly followed by the rustle of leaves that enables the old gods that voice. In fact

Osha informs us further later in AGOT…….

Osha studied him. "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?" She seated herself across the pool from him, clinking faintly as she moved. Mikken had fixed iron manacles to her ankles, with a heavy chain between them; she could walk, so long as she kept her strides small, but there was no way for her to run, or climb, or mount a horse. "They see you, boy. They hear you talking. That rustling, that's them talking back." [Bran VI, AGOT]

This one is planted right in front of us in the dialogue. Osha explains that the weirwood can see and hear him and confirms that the rustling is them talking back. I think this is perhaps the best known example within the fandom.
The other bit of text highlighted was the, who do you think sends the wind, if not the gods? This is the sentence I have used in my quote to open the essay, and backs the notion that there may be some old gods influence on the wind. It certainly supports all that I am proposing.

There are other times the weirwoods show the ability to speak, ones well known to the fandom, namely the Ned and Theon examples. With those in mind, here is Bran’s last chapter when he sees Ned through the WF Heart Tree…………

"Father." Bran's voice was a whisper in the wind, a rustle in the leaves. "Father, it's me. It's Bran. Brandon."

Eddard Stark lifted his head and looked long at the weirwood, frowning, but he did not speak. He cannot see me, Bran realized, despairing. He wanted to reach out and touch him, but all that he could do was watch and listen. I am in the tree. I am inside the heart tree, looking out of its red eyes, but the weirwood cannot talk, so I can't. [Bran III, ADWD]

Again there is a rustle in the leaves to facilitate Bran’s voice as a whisper in the wind. Once back in the cave BR explains that no-one could hear him, but the way Ned lifted his head certainly suggests otherwise. As Bran continues his development and training I can see him starting to have more subtle influence than BR thinks possible.
In fact I think we see some development in Theon’s ADWD chapters. When Bran sees Ned through the WF Heart Tree he wanted to reach out and touch him, but he could only watch and listen. We will re-visit that notion in our second Theon example. But let’s keep in chapter order for now…..

"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. [Prince of Winterfell, ADWD]

True to form the voice was associated with the rustling leaves. The next bit of text I highlighted as it comes up again and helps explain some parts of my third essay. Theon thinks of this voice as being a god’s voice, or a ghost’s, which is rather poignant as Bran pretty much is the old gods at this point.

The thought it may be a ghost’s voice is also apt considering Theon is being watched and seemingly spoken too by a tree rustling in the wind. There is also a play on the word ghost going on here. We have met two characters with the name Ghost, Jon’s direwolf and The Ghost of High Heart. Both of whom are albinos and likened to the weirwood trees, white skin and red eyes. I think there is a connection between the three which we can link to the ghostly feel around the weirwoods, and also apply to BR and Bran in the form of the wind as it grabs or plucks with ‘ghostly fingers’. We will touch on that again in Part III, ‘a presence in the wind’.

Onto the next Theon chapter……………

The night was windless, the snow drifting straight down out of a cold black sky, yet the leaves of the heart tree were rustling his name. "Theon," they seemed to whisper, "Theon."

The old gods, he thought. They know me. They know my name. I was Theon of House Greyjoy. I was a ward of Eddard Stark, a friend and brother to his children. "Please." He fell to his knees. "A sword, that's all I ask. Let me die as Theon, not as Reek." Tears trickled down his cheeks, impossibly warm. "I was ironborn. A son … a son of Pyke, of the islands."

A leaf drifted down from above, brushed his brow, and landed in the pool. It floated on the water, red, five-fingered, like a bloody hand. ‘’Bran,’’ the tree murmered. They know. The gods know. They saw what I did. And for one strange moment it seemed as if it were Bran’s face carved into the pale trunk of the weirwood, staring down at him with eyes red and wise and sad. Bran’s ghost, he thought, but that was madness. Why should Bran want to haunt him?

Looking for any progression in Bran’s powers, the night was windless and yet the leaves were still rustling Theon’s name. Is this evidence that Bran is controlling the tree with more ease now? Has his control over the leaves and tree progressed? With that in mind the next passage is interesting.

After the rustling of the leaves Theon clearly heard a voice as he thinks the old gods know him and his name. He then breaks down in a tear laden and heartfelt plea for some kind of mercy. In response Bran seems to send a leaf, red and five-fingered, like a bloody hand to mercifully brush his brow, as if in sympathy.
Remembering how Bran wanted to reach out and touch Ned earlier but couldn’t. This seems like he is reaching out to Theon with far more success. Still very subtle but a bloody hand brushes Theon’s brow as well as the tree muttering their names….

Bran says his own name, perhaps hoping to communicate, then Theon sees Bran’s face in the weirwood and again thinks it’s a ghost, Bran’s ghost. That’s twice he has thought of the hidden presence within the weirwood as a ghost. This could apply to BR as well.

The leaves rustling enabling the weirwood a voice has been consistent and bears fruit in the passages analysed above. But an author could perhaps play with this technique throughout the books to further hint at this link…….

HERE ARE SOME OTHER EXAMPLES

For a long moment there was no sound but the wind and the water and the creak of leaf and limb. And then, far far off, beyond the godswood and the haunted towers and the immense stone walls of Harrenhal, from somewhere out in the world, came the long lonely howl of a wolf. Gooseprickles rose on Arya's skin, and for an instant she felt dizzy. Then, so faintly, it seemed as if she heard her father's voice. "When the snows fall and the white winds blow, the lone wolf dies, but the pack survives," he said. [Arya X, ACOK]

This time the red leaves rustled when Arya was praying for the gods advice, and we get the wind and creak of leaf and limb just to emphasise the fact. Then after another sort of old gods voice in the howl of the wolf, before Arya hears that faint voice [enabled by the rustling] she thinks is her father’s relaying the pack survives line.

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"Fair." The raven landed on his shoulder. "Fair, far, fear." It flapped its wings, and screamed along with Gilly. The wights were almost on her. He heard the dark red leaves of the weirwood rustling, whispering to one another in a tongue he did not know. [Samwell III, ASOS]

Rather than hearing a name or faint voice Sam would recognise, the rustling leaves are whispering in a tongue he didn’t know. Presumably this being the True Tongue. The ravens whisper the True Tongue to Coldhands and of course the CotF use it. It’s said no man can speak the True Tongue so no wonder Sam didn’t understand it. But in fact it seems the True Tongue can perhaps be learnt, but only by a select few, including greenseers.

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The one-armed woman died at evenfall. Gendry and Cutjack dug her grave on a hillside beneath a weeping willow. When the wind blew, Arya thought she could hear the long trailing branches whispering, "Please. Please. Please." The little hairs on the back of her neck rose, and she almost ran from the graveside. [Arya III, ACOK]

A different take with this one as it is not a weirwood. Yet when the wind blew, the long trailing branches of the weeping willow gained a voice, a whisper in fact. This creeps Arya out, which is no mean feat. There is subtle variety in set up as well, the word rustle was replaced by the wind blowing through the trailing branches this time.
Martin occasionally plays with the normal trees, sometimes having them speak as shown above or they grab and tug, perhaps stand in battle formation… And sometimes the wind is present in some form to make the branches croak and groan, or stir, slightly different descriptions but basically the leaves are rustling.

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Silent as a shadow, she told herself as she moved through the trees. In this darkness she dared not run, for fear of tripping on some unseen root or losing her way. On her left Gods Eye lapped calmly against its shores. On her right a wind sighed through the branches, and leaves rustled and stirred. Far off, she heard the howling of wolves. [Arya V, ACOK]

This example is slightly different. The leaves are rustling but this time the voice or sigh is attributed to the wind. The rustle and stir of the leaves are still there to enable that wind a voice though. [Whisper, sigh] Words are wind.

Once the wind has been attributed a voice we get the howling wolves. The trees, wind and wolves are mentioned closely together in the text many times throughout the books.

I think it’s a hint that we can link the howling wind with the howl of the wolves. That will be the subject of my second essay ‘The Howling Wind and Wolf Connection’. I hope you join me.

Last Edit: Feb 23, 2017 20:44:26 GMT -5 by wizzthesmith

wizzthesmith
Drogon

@wizzthesmith
Posts: 554
Likes: 258
2017 Golden Dragon Awards: 1 Time Nominee

The wind, rustling of leaves, & the howl of wolves Feb 23, 2017 21:19:51 GMT -5 alcasinoroyale and Diablotion like this

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Post by wizzthesmith on Feb 23, 2017 21:19:51 GMT -5

THE WIND, RUSTLING OF LEAVES, & THE HOWL OF WOLVES.

Osha studied him. "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 [old] gods?"

PART II: THE HOWLING WIND AND WOLF CONNECTION

In this section I will attempt to link the wind, or more specifically the howling wind, to the wolves. I hope to show that the wind is sent by the old gods/BR/Bran in rather wolfish tones. The Stark’s are synonymous with the wolves and we can easily link Bran to a wolfish wind. And for the sake of this essay here are a couple of examples in the text where the CotF and Bloodraven are linked to wolves.

In the White Wood, where supposedly the children of the forest emerged from beneath a hollow hill to send hundreds of wolves against an Andal camp. [TWOIAF]

How many eyes does Lord Bloodraven have? The riddle ran. A thousand eyes and one. Some claimed that the King’s Hand was a student of the dark arts who could change his face, put on the likeness of a one-eyed dog, even turn into a mist. Packs of gaunt grey wolves hunted down his foes, men said, and carrion crows spied for him and whispered secrets in his ear. [The Mystery Knight]

The children use the wolves against the Andal’s…

As for BR and his description, we have seen him change his face in D&E, skinchange one-eyed creatures and there’s talk of him using the mist, again in D&E. We also know that carrion crows spy for him and whisper their secrets in his ear [Or Coldhands ear] and we also have the wolf link attached to this quote.

The wolf/wind connection started back in the AGOT prologue, and I think George subtly insinuates that the wind has a presence through clever use of personification. Here’s that text from the prologue……..

[Gared] ‘’Everyone talks about snows forty foot deep, and how the ice wind comes howling out of the north, but the real enemy is the cold.’’

A small time later….

Somewhere off in the wood a wolf howled

This is the first time in the series that the wind is howling, Martin then gives us the wolf howl almost instantly, just a page or two later in fact. I think it is an early hint at the howling technique. This idea is strengthened further when we get this next passage in the prologue………

Will could feel it. Four years in the Nights Watch and he had never been so afraid. What was it?

‘’Wind. Trees rustling. A wolf. Which sound is it that unmans you so Gared?’’

The wind. Trees rustling. And a wolf. We’ve looked at rustling trees in Part one. Add to this the wolf and wind mentions, and we have all three facets central to the clues I’m looking for in these essays. And we have it all from the first chapter in the entire series.
This is another great wolf/wind example from AGOT……………

Above snow, the wind was a living thing, howling around them like a wolf in the waste, then falling off to nothing as if to lure them into complacency. [Catelyn VI, AGOT]

The wind was a living thing and howling like a wolf! This is a potential link, so I needed some more examples. With that in mind here are two more good examples of this technique before we explore some other options….

That night the wind was howling almost like a wolf and there were some real wolves off to the west giving it lessons… [ASOS, Arya VIII]

I particularly like this one, the wolves are giving the wind lessons, awesome! But most importantly for this line of enquiry, they are working together. Strengthening the idea that this relationship between wolf and wind is one to follow. The howling wind is showing wolfish attributes again.
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‘’You were on Pyke not long ago, and saw the King,’’ said Goodbrother. ‘’Did Balon say aught to you of the succession?’’

‘’Aye’’. They had spoken in the Sea Tower, as the wind howled outside the windows and the waves crashed restlessly below. Balon had shaken his head in despair when he heard what Aeron had to tell him of his last remaining son. ‘’The wolves have made a weakling out of him, as I feared. I pray god that they killed him, so he cannot stand in Asha’s way.’’ [The Prophet. AFFC]

We are hearing Aeron/Damphair’s thoughts here, so a slightly different angle. But notably The howling wind was present for this important discussion regards Iron Isles succession. Then we get a wolf reference when Balon refers to the Stark’s. Again the wolves are mentioned next to a howling wind. And these particular wolves are the symbol of the North and old gods belief…the Stark family itself.

There are various ways an author could hint at this wolfish wind…

HERE ARE SOME OTHER EXAMPLES

Tyrion remembered a cold night under the stars when he'd stood beside the boy Jon Snow and a great white wolf atop the Wall at the end of the world, gazing out at the trackless dark beyond. He had felt—what?—something, to be sure, a dread that had cut like that frigid northern wind. A wolf had howled off in the night, and the sound had sent a shiver through him.

Don't be a fool, he told himself. A wolf, a wind, a dark forest, it meant nothing. And yet . . . [Tyrion VI, ACOK]

Tyrion thought of the northern wind and then he remembered the wolf howling off in the night. Again the two mentioned so closely in the text. Subsequently, when evaluating his thoughts, we have those three familiar descriptions again. A wolf, a wind, a dark forest…
This is very similar to the trio we see in the AGOT prologue. Wind. Trees rustling. A wolf… I definitely think we are supposed to link these three things together.

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In the godswood she found her broomstick sword where she had left it, and carried it to the heart tree. There she knelt. Red leaves rustled. Red eyes peered inside her. The eyes of the gods. "Tell me what to do, you gods," she prayed.

For a long moment there was no sound but the wind and the water and the creak of leaf and limb. And then, far far off, beyond the godswood and the haunted towers and the immense stone walls of Harrenhal, from somewhere out in the world, came the long lonely howl of a wolf.

Gooseprickles rose on Arya's skin, and for an instant she felt dizzy. Then, so faintly, it seemed as if she heard her father's voice. "When the snows fall and the white winds blow, the lone wolf dies, but the pack survives," he said. [Arya X, ACOK]

Forgive the second use of this passage, I like this one. The leaves are rustling when Arya asks the old gods what to do? And before she faintly hears what sounds like her father’s voice, we get all three clues again. The wind. The creak of leaf and limb. [Rustling leaves] And the howl of a wolf. It seems all three were activated before the faint answer from the old gods was enabled.

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The press of spectators parted. A narrow weirwood door stood between two slender marble pillars, a crescent moon carved in the white wood…..One man removed the heavy bronze bars; the second pulled the door inward. Their blue cloaks rose snapping from their shoulders, caught in the sudden gust of wind that came howling through the open door. [Tyrion V, AGOT]

There are various examples of the wind using gates and doors throughout the series, showing a civility beyond a normal wind. This one caught my eye as the howling wind uses a weirwood door to announce itself and it is showing wolfish tendencies by way of snapping in the wind. The howling wind seems very active in The Vale and the Eyrie.

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There was ice underfoot, and broken stones just waiting to turn an ankle, and the wind was howling fiercely. It sounds like a wolf, thought Sansa. A ghost wolf, big as mountains. [Alayne II, AFFC]

This one’s similar to the Cat example in AGOT, we are given the howling wind and then the plain explanation that it’s a wolf, or sounds like a wolf in this case. We get the added bonus of the ghost connection as well, this time it’s a ghost wolf. Cool. If the earlier representations do resemble BR/CotF then this chapter is late AFFC and therefore could involve Bran. The ‘ghost wolf’ hint certainly supports this idea.

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Across the river wolves were howling, and the wind was gusting through a stand of willows, making their branches writhe and whisper. [Jaime V, AFFC]

The howling wolves and gusting wind are followed by the branches writhing [rustling] All three of the clues for this essay series laid out closely in the text again. There is also a whisper which supports my first essay, the rustle of leaf enabling that voice, sigh, howl, whisper etc...

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They were on the far side when they heard the howl, a long rising wail that moved through the trees like a cold wind. Bran raised his head to listen. ‘’Summer’’, he said. No sooner had he spoken than a second voice joined the first. [Bran V, AGOT]

This howl is compared to the wind directly. Not just that, but a wind that moves through trees as Bran and BR do. There are other examples of this type, but are there any different clues to add variety to this wolfish wind idea any further?

SOME BITING EXAMPLES

Another way to keep subtly insinuating a wolfish presence in the wind is to give it a bite…

He found a comfortable spot just beyond the noise of the camp, besides a swift-running stream with waters clear and cold as ice. A grotesquely ancient oak provided shelter from the biting wind. [Tyrion II, AGOT]

Keeping it simple with this example, just using the phrase the biting wind. There are plenty of these, and this subtle change to a bite works well with the howling wind/wolf examples. But there are other avenues to explore……

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The dogs huddled together miserably on the riverbank as the wind snapped at them. Chett felt it too, biting through his layers of black wool and boiled leather. [Prologue, ASOS]

This one is rather more descriptive. Before the wind is biting it snapped at them. [The dogs] The term snap or snapped has been used to describe a lunge or physical warning from the wolves throughout the series.

Grey Wind snapped at his arm, teeth ripping at his sleeve and tearing loose a scrap of cloth.

I had to use Grey WIND as my example. Snapping teeth and tearing at the sleeve leads me nicely into the next example…………………

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At four hundred feet the wind had teeth, and tore at his black cloak so it slapped noisily at the iron bars. At seven hundred it cut right through him. [Jon VII, ADWD]

This works really well. The wind had teeth, and tore at more clothing insinuating that biting wind again. And this text is very similar to the Grey Wind example I gave above, snapping teeth tearing at a sleeve/cloak.

The wind replicates the wolf’s actions, and there are subtle language choices repeated between wolf and wind. Snap, tear, bite, teeth etc………..

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When at last day came to Braavos, it came grey and dark and overcast. The girl had hoped for fog, but the gods ignored her prayers as gods so often did. The air was clear and cold, and the wind had a nasty bite to it. [The Ugly Little Girl, ADWD]

The Ugly Little Girl is after Bran III, his last chapter. Therefore we could perhaps expect to see Bran in some of these techniques we have been examining. Possibly a training in progress if you will.
The day is described as grey, a Stark colour. And the wind had a nasty bite, as befits an actual wolf of the north, Brandon Stark.
This example has possible Bran connections and we will examine this idea further in my final essay ‘A Presence in the Wind’.

Thank you for getting this far, [If indeed that is the case] I hope you'll join me in part III.

Last Edit: Feb 23, 2017 21:22:05 GMT -5 by wizzthesmith

wizzthesmith
Drogon

@wizzthesmith
Posts: 554
Likes: 258
2017 Golden Dragon Awards: 1 Time Nominee

The wind, rustling of leaves, & the howl of wolves Feb 24, 2017 11:43:26 GMT -5 alcasinoroyale likes this

Quote

Post by wizzthesmith on Feb 24, 2017 11:43:26 GMT -5

THE WIND, RUSTLING OF LEAVES, & THE HOWL OF WOLVES.

Osha studied him. "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 [old] gods?"

PART III: A PRESENCE IN THE WIND

Hey everyone, hopefully I have been able to show a link between the wind, the trees rustling enabling a voice, and the howling wind being rather wolfish and on the side of the old gods. Now I would like to investigate the possibility that BR and Bran can inhabit the wind itself.
The first examples I give are designed to show where I think Bloodraven is in the wind. And secondly, the potential examples of Bran in the wind. Let’s get going…….

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A cold wind whispered through the trees. His [Royce’s] great sable cloak stirred behind like something half alive.
Will could feel it. Four years in the Nights Watch and he had never been so afraid. What was it?

‘’Wind. Trees rustling. A wolf. Which sound is it that unmans you so Gared?’’ [Prologue, AGOT]

Again we start with the AGOT prologue. The cold wind 'whispered through the trees' just as Bloodraven does. Then the wind makes Royce’s cloak look like 'something half alive' just as Bloodraven is described to look. These clues describe his appearance and abilities, and I think this is potentially the first time he is shown to be a presence in the wind in the series.

Here’s another description of BR in the wind…….

The elk went where it would, regardless of the wishes of Meera and Jojen on his back. Mostly he stayed beneath the trees, but where the shore curved away westward he would take the more direct path across the frozen lake, shouldering through snowdrifts taller than Bran as the ice crackled underneath his hooves. Out there the wind was stronger, a cold north wind that howled across the lake, knifed through their layers of wool and leather, and set them all to shivering. When it blew into their faces, it would drive the snow into their eyes and leave them as good as blind.

There is a cold north wind howling, which I have tried to link to the wolves/old gods. Then we get two descriptions in the wind that fit BR’s history. He was of course 'knifed' in the eye by Bittersteel and this left him as 'good as blind', losing one of his eyes.
A wind whispering through trees, the half alive reference on top of the knifed and good as blind descriptions and we start to form a picture of Bloodraven. In support of this example there’s another clue he may be inhabiting the wind in this same chapter……

‘’Who sent you? Who is this three-eyed crow?’’

‘’A friend. Dreamer, wizard, call him what you will. The last greenseer.’’ The longhall’s wooden door banged open. Outside, the night wind howled, bleak and black. The trees were full of ravens, screaming. Coldhands did not move. [Bran I, ADWD]

This scene plays out like an introduction of sorts. As soon as Coldhands had answered the question of ‘who is this three-eyed-crow’, the 'longhall’s wooden door banged open as the wind howled'. Perfect timing, just as CH’s finishes with ‘The last greenseer’ BR seems to appear by use of the door banging open in the wind.

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The second set of Bloodraven examples are spread out across two Arya chapters, both of which are based at High Heart in the Riverland’s. The Arya chapter that sandwiches this one is important as well, we will briefly look at that afterwards. George drip feeds us the information this time, and we can link it to BR. Let’s start with a couple of times the wind is showing that presence at High Heart……..

Yet even so, the hair on the back of her neck stood up that night. She had been asleep, but the storm woke her. The wind pulled the coverlet right off her and sent it swirling into the bushes. When she went after it she heard voices.

Besides the embers of their campfire, she saw Tom, Lem, and Greenbeard talking to a tiny little woman, a foot shorter than Arya and older than Old Nan……… [Arya IV, ASOS]

The wind/Bloodraven/old gods seem to have a genuine influence on events in this scene. The coverlet was blown off her, it’s as if the wind wanted Arya to hear this conversation.

From up here she could see a storm raging to the north, but High Heart stood above the rain. It wasn’t above the wind, though; the gusts were blowing so strongly that it felt like someone was behind her, yanking on her cloak. Only when she turned, no one was there.

Ghosts, she remembered. High Heart is haunted. [Arya VIII, ASOS]

The gusts of wind are really strong, and are yanking on Arya’s cloak, showing that personification again. Arya thinks it is ghosts, which we can link to Bloodraven as that ghostly figure behind the eyes of the weirwood, and possibly inhabiting the wind.
But we need more clues of Bloodraven’s presence at High Heart to be able to link him directly to these examples of wind. Well there are actually a lot of Bloodraven clues to be found at High Heart……

When the wind gusted it blew about her head in a fine cloud. Her flesh was whiter, the color of milk, and it seemed to Arya that her eyes were red, though it was hard to tell from the bushes. ‘’The old gods stir and will not let me sleep,’’

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She cackled again. ‘’Look in your fires, pink priest, and you will see. Not now, though, not here, you’ll see nothing here. This place belongs to the old gods still…they linger here as I do, shrunken and feeble but not yet dead.

The Ghost of High Heart tells us that the place belongs to the old gods still and that they will not let her sleep, which immediately conjures thoughts of Bloodraven. These gusts of wind seem interested in the Ghost of High Heart and there is a parallel to drawn. She is a prophetic albino named ‘The Ghost’ living amongst weirwood stumps atop a hollow hill, and is seemingly an agent of the old gods. There is also an allusion to her being a CotF, all very much old gods/BR sounding information.

Next, and more descriptively we get the phrase 'shrunken and feeble but not yet dead' which is a perfect description of Bloodraven himself. Withering away in his cave shrunken and feeble, sitting his weirwood throne, whispering in the darkness, and living beyond his mortal years, but not yet dead.

Talking of Bloodraven whispering in the darkness of his cave. We have already seen the wind whispering through trees, so I think this next clue again backs his presence……

[Thoros] I did not see them in the flames. This wedding the old one spoke of, a wedding on the Twins…she has her own ways of knowing things, that one. The weirwoods whisper in her ear when she sleeps. If she says your mother is gone to the Twins…’’

In this instance the phrase ‘whisper’ is used to describe the weirwoods influencing her dreams. And we know that Bloodraven specializes in the dream department. And also whispering it seems.

The Arya chapter that falls in between these two is Arya VI ASOS and also screams BR. There is another parallel to be drawn, this time involving Beric and again the ubiquitous Bloodraven. We are reintroduced to Beric and throughout the chapter he is described as……...

A one-eyed scarecrow of a man, wearing a ragged black cloak, sitting a weirwood throne in a cave full of weirwood roots. With tunnels all around, possibly two miles long, all the while there are little children and singers present.

Bloodraven and the clues surrounding his presence are everywhere at High Heart, and I think it is entirely reasonable to link him to the first two examples I gave. The wind showing agency and tugging at clothing or blowing off the coverlet.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Moving away from the RL’s, still looking for Bloodraven in the wind……

It was bitingly cold up here, and the wind pulled at his clothes like an insistent lover. The top of the Wall was wider than the kingsroad often was, so Tyrion had no fear of falling…… [Tyrion III, AGOT]

There is that biting wind again, and it’s pulling at Tyrion’s clothes. The description of like an insistent lover may sound a little odd, but describes Brynden's early days rather aptly. He was Shiera Seastar’s lover for many a year and was constantly asking for her hand in marriage only to be rejected. So the description of an insistent lover is actually a pretty accurate one.

That is the only time the phrase insistent lover has been used to describe the wind. But what about the word insistent? Bran/BR’s presence within the weirwood tree has been described as ghostly, and this next quote shows a distinct similarity between the two descriptions…….

‘’I will’’ Arya said in a small voice. The wind tugged at her cloak, insistent as a ghost. It was time she was away….. [Arya I, AFFC]

The wind is tugging at Arya’s cloak and is described as insistent as a ghost. This is the second and last time insistent is used to describe the wind, and again it could allude to Bloodraven/old gods. I think this is good evidence to link the two.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On their iron spikes atop the gatehouse, the heads waited.

Theon gazed at them silently while the wind tugged on his cloak with small ghostly hands. The miller’s boys had been of an age with Bran and Rickon, alike in size and coloring, and once Reek had flayed the skin from their faces and dipped their heads in tar, it was easy to see familiar features in those misshapen lumps of rotting flesh...

As Theon parades Winterfell contemplating the sight of the miller’s boy’s heads, and his horrific actions, we get a familiar personification. The wind tugged at Theon’s cloak with ghostly hands ala BR. Bran is hiding in the crypts at this point, therefore we can probably link this example to BR/old gods.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The trees were sparser up here, and the wind blew more vigorously, sharp gusts that tugged at her clothing and pushed her hair into her eyes. [Catelyn VI, AGOT]

Here’s another tugging wind, and the gusts of wind are playing with the clothing again. Then it pushes Cat’s hair into her eyes, perhaps making her half blind? As we’ve seen, there are many hints hidden in the wind, so these potentially direct examples to Bloodraven are few, likewise Bran, and here is a look at some of the Bran possibilities….

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BRAN IN THE WIND

To best understand the clues laid down for Bran in the wind, here is a brief look at some of the bird imagery that has built up throughout his arc. There are many Bran/bird examples, the following have been taken from Bran II AGOT alone……

The rooftops of Winterfell were Bran’s second home……

Straight away we see he is comfortable on the rooftops enabling him a bird’s eye view.

Bran could see all of Winterfell in a glance. He liked the way it looked, spread out beneath him, only the birds wheeling over his head while all the life of the castle went on below. Bran could perch here for hours

…

Again he is seeing as the birds do, and this time we are told he perches up there, a very bird like description.

They next morning, Bran was nowhere to be seen. They finally found him fast asleep in the upper branches of the tallest sentinel in the grove…

Bran being in the upper branches of the tree could also be perceived as bird like behaviour.

There were crows’ nests atop the broken tower, where no one ever went but him, and sometimes he filled his pockets with corn before he climbed up there and the crows ate right out of his hand……

Bran is friendly with the crows and feeds them. Also no one ever went there but him and the crows, and he thinks on the secrets of Winterfell that he and the birds know given the view this vantage point has enabled them.

These next two examples are from Jon II AGOT and are self-explanatory…….

She was holding one of his hands. It looked like a claw. This was not the Bran he remembered……

She was cradling one of Bran’s hands. He took the other, squeezed it. Fingers like the bones of birds.

Furthermore, the translation of the name Bran literally means crow or raven in welsh/Gaelic. And the wicker basket Hodor carries Bran in is very much like a bird's cage, and is often seen swaying.

So there is a lot of bird imagery that has built up around Bran, and I think we see some of these hints come to fruition in the form of the clues laid for Bran in the wind. Plus we see some more familiar hints as well.

This passage is from Jon VII, and this is the chapter immediately after Bran III ADWD, the ‘last’ time we see him in the series. A lot happened in that cave, but if you would be so kind, I would like you to recall Bran’s first attempt at flying the skinchanged raven. It was not very successful and he crashed into the cave wall. Without further ado, Bran in the wind……

The sun had broken through near midday, after seven days of dark skies and snow flurries...............

Seven hundred feet up Jon Snow stood looking down upon the haunted forest. A north wind swirled through the trees below, sending thin white plumes of snow crystals flying from the highest branches, like icy banners………

A sudden gust of wind set Edd's cloak to flapping noisily. '' Best go down, m'lord. This wind's like to push us off the wall, and I never did learn the knack of flying.''

The beginning of the chapter has the wind swirling through the trees, and showing a lot of that bird imagery we are looking for. The 'thin white plumes' of snow crystals are a description of feathers, and they are 'flying from the highest branches of the trees' as birds do. [We’ve seen Bran in those high branches as well] A gust of wind then sent Edd’s cloak to 'flapping noisily', and we’ve seen examples of the birds doing this various times throughout the series.

Furthermore, I think we get confirmation that we can link this windy bird imagery to Bran directly. Dolorous Edd says ’This wind’s like to push us off the wall’ which is exactly what happened to Bran back in AGOT.
And somewhat more recently, [The last chapter in fact, Bran III] the phrase ‘I never did learn the knack of flying’ again fits with Bran. His failed flight seems to have been linked in the text almost instantly. Just a few pages later in fact, although in a different chapter.

After this initial set-up, we also see Bran possibilities in the wind that blows the winch lift at the Wall……..

They rode the winch lift back to the ground. The wind was gusting cold as the breath of the Ice dragon in the tales Old Nan had told when Jon was a boy. The heavy cage was swaying. From time to time it scraped against the Wall, starting small crystalline showers of ice that sparkled in the sunlight as they fell, like shards of broken glass.

As they rode the winch lift back down the 'wind was gusting' again. I love the cold as the breath of the Ice dragon description as well, this is Jon’s chapter after all. But more importantly for this line of enquiry, the wind was causing 'the heavy cage to sway' just as Bran is described to have done in his cage/basket on Hodor’s back.

There is another really good example of Bran in the wind in A Ghost in Winterfell, ADWD…………..

“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”

We have looked at the first part of this passage in Part I, the leaves enabling a voice essay. The ghost/god connection is actually realized instantly in the second passage here, as is Bran in the wind. Winterfell’s godswood certainly seems haunted in this scene, and Theon did not want to be there. It seems the ghost in Winterfell is perhaps Bran.

Anyway, once Theon had left the godswood [Away from the eyes of the weirwood] the cold and wind descended on him like a ravening wolf had caught him in its teeth. The description ravening wolf could not be more apt for Bran, and he catches Theon in his teeth as we’ve seen the howling wind have a tendency to do. As Theon stoops through the wind towards the Great Hall we get the ghostly Bran in the wind. This ghostly wind plucked at Theon’s hood with frozen fingers, Bran is showing a keen interest in Theon.

Furthermore, as my friend Ravenous Reader pointed out to me, the term 'plucked' is also more bird terminology. [Among many other things] We have seen such examples in the series……..

‘They’d even stick the other half in the fire and crisp it up for you, so long as you plucked the feathers yourself.’

----------------------------------------------------

Moving away from Westeros, we see a lot of these same clues in the wind as far away as Braavos. Perhaps to be expected with all the BR hints we already have there, including a bridge of a thousand painted eyes and of course all that mist and fog…

The mists of Braavos did queer things to sounds as well, she had found. Half the city will be half-blind tonight.

Bloodravens’s association with mist and fog, and the 'half-blind' reference can potentially link him as a presence in Braavos. But what about Bran? I mentioned such an example at the end of my second essay……

Here is another example from Braavos in support of Bran's presence...

She did not intend to enter. Instead she perched atop a wooden piling twenty yards away as the blustery wind tugged at her cloak with ghostly fingers. Even on a cold grey day like this, the harbour was a busy place.................... A red priest swept past, his scarlet and crimson robes snapping in the wind. [The Ugly Little Girl, ADWD]

Arya is described as being 'perched atop the wood piling', which reminds us of Bran and his bird symbolism. Next, and as if in confirmation of Bran’s presence, the wind instantly 'tugs at her cloak with those ghostly fingers' we can associate with our ravening wolf/Bloodraven/old gods. Also the day is described as 'cold and grey', both synonymous with the Stark’s. Then we have another clue in the clothing as the priest’s robe 'snaps' in the wind, replicating the howling wind and wolves from earlier examples.

Talking of the howling wind amongst Bran evidence, this next passage is enticing…..

The winds came howling from the north and drove them slavers inside to huddle round their fires, and whilst they warmed themselves the new king come down on them. Brandon Stark this was, Edrick Snowbeard’s great grandson……… [Davos IV, ADWD]

The howling winds aid the new king as the wind drives the slavers inside. This could be coincidence, or perhaps the old gods helping in a battle? Or more exciting an option in my opinion is...was this old King of Winter, Brandon Stark a greenseer himself? And could he control the winds in battle? The potential is there considering all we've looked at in this essay series.

Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed a look at all things wind, rustling leaves and wolves and would love to hear any thoughts or new ideas.

Last Edit: Feb 24, 2017 11:45:36 GMT -5 by wizzthesmith

wizzthesmith
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The wind, rustling of leaves, & the howl of wolves Feb 24, 2017 12:12:36 GMT -5 Lady Sansa's Direwolf likes this

Quote

Post by wizzthesmith on Feb 24, 2017 12:12:36 GMT -5

I wrote this essay series in collaboration with my friend Ravenous Reader and she supplied support essays to all three of mine. In truth they are far more than support essays and look at some of the deeper literary inspirations behind this story arc. They are a really great read and add so much that I shall post links here for everyone to read and have easy access too.

PART I

asoiaf.westeros.org/index.php?/topic/132143-bran’s-growing-powers-after-his-final-pov-in-adwd/&do=findComment&comment=7723939

PART II

asoiaf.westeros.org/index.php?/topic/132143-bran’s-growing-powers-after-his-final-pov-in-adwd/&do=findComment&comment=7727085

PART III

asoiaf.westeros.org/index.php?/topic/132143-bran’s-growing-powers-after-his-final-pov-in-adwd/&do=findComment&comment=7843025

I highly recommend reading Ravenous Reader's essays, especially if you want to dive deeper into this line of enquiry. I appreciate it is a long read, so having it here for constant reference seemed a good idea.

Thank you

moiaf Mother of Dragons @admin Posts: 6,194 Likes: 6,494 2017 Golden Dragon Awards: 4 Time Winner moiaf #9618a9 Female Mother of Dragons 1 0 1 Apr 29, 2020 17:41:53 GMT -5 6,494 moiaf 6,194 Vhagar Jun 20, 2016 18:58:43 GMT -5 June 2016 admin 4 Time Winner	The wind, rustling of leaves, & the howl of wolves Feb 24, 2017 21:11:14 GMT -5 day dreamer and wizzthesmith like this Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by moiaf on Feb 24, 2017 21:11:14 GMT -5 I need time to read this but it looks great I'm going to tag day dreamer who is a huge fan of Bran.
	Last Edit: Feb 24, 2017 21:11:47 GMT -5 by moiaf

wizzthesmith
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The wind, rustling of leaves, & the howl of wolves Feb 25, 2017 16:53:35 GMT -5 moiaf and day dreamer like this

Quote

Post by wizzthesmith on Feb 25, 2017 16:53:35 GMT -5

Feb 24, 2017 21:11:14 GMT -5 moiaf said:

I need time to read this but it looks great I'm going to tag day dreamer who is a huge fan of Bran.

Hey moiaf.

I hope you and Queen Carol enjoy the essays. It is basically a culmination of all that went before in round up to the re-read thread 'Bran's growing powers' at Westeros. Another friend Evita mgfs started the thread and really laid out some great evidence for the wind technique [among other things] Re-reading the books with these techniques in mind is awesome, the wind becomes a living thing!!

The AGOT prologue in particular seems like a set up for these techniques, as I touch on in my essays. That is definitely worth a re-read with this in mind if you get time. I was really pleased to find the wolf/wind connection and the prologue was an important starting point for evidence. Anyway, I can't wait for TWOW so we can search for more clues.

day dreamer Syrax The strongest trees are rooted in the dark places of the earth. @queencarol Posts: 2,164 Likes: 3,653 2017 Golden Dragon Awards: 1 Time Nominee day dreamer inherit Female 68 0 Jun 11, 2020 21:57:01 GMT -5 3,653 day dreamer The strongest trees are rooted in the dark places of the earth. 2,164 Syrax Jul 12, 2016 16:29:36 GMT -5 July 2016 queencarol 1 Time Nominee	The wind, rustling of leaves, & the howl of wolves Feb 26, 2017 9:33:49 GMT -5 via mobile moiaf and wizzthesmith like this Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by day dreamer on Feb 26, 2017 9:33:49 GMT -5 moiaf thanks for tagging me! wizzthesmith I'm look forward to reading this, Bran is one of my favorites.
	Last Edit: Feb 26, 2017 9:34:17 GMT -5 by day dreamer

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The wind, rustling of leaves, & the howl of wolves Feb 26, 2017 18:35:07 GMT -5 day dreamer likes this

Quote

Post by wizzthesmith on Feb 26, 2017 18:35:07 GMT -5

Feb 26, 2017 9:33:49 GMT -5 day dreamer said:

moiaf thanks for tagging me!

wizzthesmith I'm look forward to reading this, Bran is one of my favorites.

I hope you enjoy it. If you have any questions/queries/disagreements then please feel free to post away.

For me this is one of the subjects that can really influence the way one reads the books moving forward, there seems to be a multitude of 'key words' that George is using around greenseer powers. To make the wind, mist, trees come to life in the text he uses subtle personification for us to pick up on. The wind is often 'whispering' or the rustling of leaves enables that voice or human trait... ''Theon'' for example. Or it is howling-biting-snapping-pulling-tugging-pushing etc... All very human/animal like behaviour.

Then there's the bird symbolism to be found in the text around the wind, flying-flapping-perching-high branches-screaming-plumes etc... More direct references like 'half blind' for Bloodraven, or 'pushed off a wall' for Bran are like gold dust and few. But we can get a feel for George's word choices and techniques following this line of enquiry.

In the AGOT prologue, when the leaves rustle the trees actually grab and tug at clothing...''When the leaves rustle the trees seem like living things''

Anyway, loads to talk about and many different angles to explore. Thanks day dreamer . :cheers:

Last Edit: Feb 26, 2017 18:49:36 GMT -5 by wizzthesmith

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The wind, rustling of leaves, & the howl of wolves

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