So you claimed the wrong direwolf, what to do now?

I will say it does seem like Ghost and Shaggydog are special in some way, based on their coloring. The black and white stands out from their grey siblings. Also, those wolves have the red and green eyes that seem to hint at connections to the greenseer's of the CotF. But I am not sure that there was a mistake in the choosing of the wolves, after all, GRRM set it up that way. But it does make me question that both Jon and Rickon are very special. But Bran is the Stark that seems to be set up to magical from the start, so why did he not get one of the special wolves? I admit it makes sense if Bran would have gotten Ghost, as his coloring does tie to the weirwoods and wiernet so well, and Bran is currently connected to the weirnet. But GRRM gave Bran a grey wolf named Summer. Why?

I do think the wolf names are specifically tied to the Stark children who named them, so they do make sense. Your thoughts on Robb being a knight of summer do make some sense, based on Catelyn's idea's, yet Robb was never summer, despite his coloring and his quickness. He was like a fierce cold wind that blasts his enemies and then dies suddenly. And if it was for betrayal on many sides, internal enemies as well as external, he would probably have marched back north and taken the North back. That is what Roose needed to stop, hence his part in betraying Robb.

Another thought I have had on the wolves is that perhaps the two that are different colors hint at being bastard born. Jon certainly is set up that way, but Rickon doesn't make sense. Of all of the children Ned and Cat had together, Rickon is one I suspect least for being a bastard. So, why him for the black wolf? I came across an astrology site that discusses symbolism of wolves and it lists a black wolf as symbolizing the return of ancestral spirits who are trying to relay important spiritual messages. This does make some sense for Rickon, who seems connected to the crypts in some way, the place where his Stark ancestors lie. He seems connected and understanding on some level that we don't really understand, because of his youth and his lack of POV perspective. I have long felt that the green eyes on that wolf, tied to wild fire, are a hint about a connection with his grandfather Rickard, who died by wildfire in Kings Landing.

As to Ghost, the white wolf, this site claims that a white wolf signifies empowerment, positive energy and patience. This might eventually fit Jon, but I don't see him as particularly patient, especially early in the story. Empowerment might come for him eventually, and really, for a young man of 16, being the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch is pretty powerful, I am just not sure that Jon feels empowered by it. Yet.

Anyway, the site can be found here, and it probably needs to be taken with a good dose of salt.

But honestly, it does make sense if Bran would have gotten the white wolf while Jon got the black one, just based on how the story is set up. But I have a hard time thinking that GRRM made a mistake in this. Ghost was always different, born that way and noted from the start, and Jon was certainly set up to find Ghost. Jon is clearly different from the other Stark children, just based on his bastard status, but there is no doubt more that sets him apart. But the other wolf pups all looked the same as pups, grey and black, and it was only as they grew that their color's changed. So, I wonder if it was something within Rickon's personality that caused Shaggy to become the wild black wolf with burning green eyes? Or was Shaggy always destined to be the color and temperament that he is? 

The names of the wolves are interest, and Shaggydog could hint at a Shaggydog story, something that is lead up to be powerful but then just fizzles out or goes no where. I some ways, that fit's Robb's story more than any of the others, but if Rickon is never seen again in the story, then the hints of fighting unicorns might turn out to fit this fantastical "shaggydog" type of story just fine.

These names are one of the reasons I always suspected that it was Arya who was meant to be a queen, a ruler, not Sansa, no matter how much Sansa and Cat seem to want Sansa to be a queen. She is a lady, and that will be her ultimate role. Perhaps a very powerful lady, but not a queen. It is her fierce younger sister that is destined to be a warrior, a witch, and a queen.

I agree that Ghost was absolutely the direwolf meant for Jon Snow. It's hard to deny it with how the story works out. And I don't really ever see Ghost as a liability to Jon, sense I think Jon draws strength from Ghost, whether he can see or feel him or not.

I myself do not see Jon's hair turning silver or white. Or his eyes turning red or purple. But eventually, Jon's hair might end up a shade of white that could mirror Ghost, but I think we get hints of that in the storyline about Edrick Snowbeard, who I think was a Stark bastard who became a King in the North, who ruled the north for a very long time, just as I expect Jon will.



I think that level of stress on a young Rickon could be tempered by teaching and education. He is only a small child, but I think that Osha knows exactly what he is, and would try to get him to people who could help teach him. A Haggon type of character. But I can totally understand your worry about Rickon, since he is so young, and is now cast loose into the world without much to ground him. Even if GRRM had allowed his 5 year gap to develop, Rickon would only be eight or nine, which is pretty darn young. Yet that is the age that Bran and Arya start the story, and they are both pretty remarkable characters, despite their youth. So GRRM might not be afraid to make an eight year old Rickon a force to be reckoned with.

Elric has several parallel's in this story, at least I think so. danl and I have discussed this at length in one of these threads. Bloodraven is a clear parallel to Elric, in coloring as well as being a sorcerer. The Melnibonain society is a pretty clear link to Valyria, with dragons and wanton wealth and power and stunning physical beauty. Elric's sword Stormbringer also had parallel's in this story, probably to the Dawn sword (even if the swords are not the same color). But also in the idea that a demon's soul (or dragons) is captured in the sword, and many other swords like it (perhaps all of our Valyrian steel blades, hence why they need a drink of blood occasionally), including Stormbrigner's sister blade, Mournblade. There are even some hints about Jon Snow, but mostly that is in connection to Ghost, since Elric's is called the White Wolf. There are many more things that I have picked out. There is little doubt in my mind that Moorcock's writing in general was an influence to GRRM, but also the Elric tales specifically. As to that, it's hard not to see Moorcock's influence in much of what we look at as fantasy, and even scifi, literature. I see Moorcock as being as influencial in this genre as I do Tolkien.

Another character in fantasy literature that is a clear nod to Elric of Melnibone is Geralt of Rivia, although Andrzej Sapkowski denies this vehemently, and swears he has never heard of Elric when he started writing his stories, which is rather hard to beleive actually. In this case, I would say that GRRM's nods are homages, while Sapkowski's are a little deeper than that. 

As to similarities in the names Elric and Edrick, I suppose there could be some, but it could also be as vague as saying that Edric Dayne is named after Eddard Stark just because they share the same nickname. Nothing about the rest of Edrick Snowbeard's story connects with Elric's, as far as I can see. Elric was an albino that was always doubted by his people, even by himself, for his albinism and weaknesses, but was still given a kingdom to rule, which he then pissed away in one adventure after another until he actually brought on the physical destruction of Melnibone and the city of Imrryr and most of it's people, where as Edrick Snowbeard Stark ruled for 100 years which means he must have been doing something right, and left Winterfell stronger than it had been before when he had the outer walls built. Eventually old age and senility got King Edrick Stark, but he had quite a long reign. Of course, we don't really know much about him, and it's only my speculation that thinks Edrick was a Snow who became a Stark king, which is based on his nickname, and not much more. 



The only essay I have yet to read through is Jon and Ghost. Granted, there are things about Rickon that might seem neglected, but he is a small child. He is four when they flee Winterfell right, I don't think he was five yet. Most kids in our world are just starting preschool in the age range of 3-5, but most of them are age 4. Some developmental education is fine at that age, but a child has to meet certain developmental milestones before more formal education can begin, and some of that comes with age. We have no idea at what age in this world that a child might start formal education with a maester, but I am pretty sure it's not 3. That is what nursemaids are for with children of this age. Oh, and parents. And while Rickon is three at the start of the story, he is often referred to as a baby, and that could mean that he has just turned from 2 to the age of three, instead of being 3 going on 4, which could make a huge difference in his developmental milestones. Which GRRM might not really have thought about at all, honestly. But maester's have a wide variety of duties, and it's not just educating the children of the castle. As far as we know, even the older children might have only spent a couple hours a day under Maester Luwin's tutelage, let alone a three year old Rickon, who might not even be potty trained for all we know.