Post by elifsu on May 27, 2021 20:56:23 GMT
Inside the Bloodraven's cave, Bran stark the greenseer looks through eyes of Winterfell's Weirwood tree and sees visions about history of House Stark.
First he sees his father, Eddard, praying
"… but then somehow he was back at Winterfell again, in the godswood looking down upon his father. Lord Eddard seemed much younger this time. His hair was brown, with no hint of grey in it, his head bowed. "… let them grow up close as brothers, with only love between them," he prayed, "and let my lady wife find it in her heart to forgive …"
"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. "
Like the first time he saw his father cleaning Ice, Bran tries to talk to his father who is now much younger, his prayer seem to be about Jon and Robb, and Catelyn forgiving him, Bran actually stays to listen to his prayer
"Eddard Stark resumed his prayer. Bran felt his eyes fill up with tears. But were they his own tears, or the weirwood's? If I cry, will the tree begin to weep?"
This reminds me about Bran's dream of his father in Winterfell crypts, iirc that dream wasn't pleasant too although we aren't giving any details. Next Bran sees two children playing
"The rest of his father's words were drowned out by a sudden clatter of wood on wood. Eddard Stark dissolved, like mist in a morning sun. Now two children danced across the godswood, hooting at one another as they dueled with broken branches. The girl was the older and taller of the two. Arya! Bran thought eagerly, as he watched her leap up onto a rock and cut at the boy. But that couldn't be right. If the girl was Arya, the boy was Bran himself, and he had never worn his hair so long. And Arya never beat me playing swords, the way that girl is beating him. She slashed the boy across his thigh, so hard that his leg went out from under him and he fell into the pool and began to splash and shout. "You be quiet, stupid," the girl said, tossing her own branch aside. "It's just water. Do you want Old Nan to hear and run tell Father?" She knelt and pulled her brother from the pool, but before she got him out again, the two of them were gone."
We know this vision happens earlier than Eddard's youth when Old Nan is servant of Winterfell, Old Nan come to Winterfell to be a wetnurse for a Brandon Stark, this Brandon is believed to be son of William Stark and Lyanne Glover, and the children are Lyanna and Benjen. But Bran thinks the boy is him which matters more to me than the girl being Arya, Bran has Tully look with blue eyes and red hair, Benjen is said to have blue-grey eyes of course but his hair color is never mentioned, if he is Benjen than where did the red hair come from? From House Locke? And Lyanna who is said to resemble Arya is also never described.
But the visions are coming faster now and we move into a vision of a pregnant woman praying for a son to avenge her. This woman is said to be one of She Wolves of Winterfell, even Lorra Royce
"but a woman heavy with child emerged naked and dripping from the black pool, knelt before the tree, and begged the old gods for a son to avenge her."
The woman wants God to avenge herself and unlike the fandom I think this woman could be Serena Stark, daughter of Rickon and Jeyne Manderly, who couldn't rule Winterfell after his father's death and was snubbed and married to a younger uncle Edric who never ruled Winterfell, she did give birth to twin sons though. But if the Knight in next vision is Dunk, can this place Serena earlier in time? If yes the woman could be Robyn Ryswell, I am skeptical of Myriame Manderly due to them believing in Faith, Ryswell lands were certainly raided by Dagon Greyjoy, Robyn would want someone to avenge her although w have no children listed for her.
"Then there came a brown-haired girl slender as a spear who stood on the tips of her toes to kiss the lips of a young knight as tall as Hodor."
Dunk & Egg come to Winterfell when Beron Stark call men to defend North, Old Nan would come to Winterfell later for son of Lyanne Glover, I think the girl with Dunk could be Beron's sister Arsa, Serena has two daughters, but they are married to an Umber and a Cerwyn, Beron's daughte would be younger than Donnel so I think the girl is Arsa Stark whose husband and children aren't listed.
"A dark-eyed youth, pale and fierce, sliced three branches off the weirwood and shaped them into arrows. "
This man is identified as Brandon Snow, bastard brother of Torrhen Stark, who wanted to shoot dragons, if this is Brandon then he doesn't described with Stark look, dark eyes and pale but where is long face and grey eyes? And if this is Brandon, why there is a big gap between visions of First Lord Stark's time and Beron Stark's time? Could this man be Lonnel Snow instead who will be old enough to fight against Ironborn?
"And now the lords Bran glimpsed were tall and hard, stern men in fur and chain mail. Some wore faces he remembered from the statues in the crypts, but they were gone before he could put a name to them. "
This vision is about Stark Kings, Bran knows abot Jon Stark, Rickon Stark, Brandon the Shipwright, Brandon the Burner, Theon the Hungry Wolf, but here he can't name them here.
"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."
This vision is before Andals brought Iron to Westeros, is this actually about Winterfell's founding, the first time men sacrificed to Weirwood after the Pact, are they sacrifing Brandon Stark or is it about Brandon Stark sacrifing someone?
First he sees his father, Eddard, praying
"… but then somehow he was back at Winterfell again, in the godswood looking down upon his father. Lord Eddard seemed much younger this time. His hair was brown, with no hint of grey in it, his head bowed. "… let them grow up close as brothers, with only love between them," he prayed, "and let my lady wife find it in her heart to forgive …"
"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. "
Like the first time he saw his father cleaning Ice, Bran tries to talk to his father who is now much younger, his prayer seem to be about Jon and Robb, and Catelyn forgiving him, Bran actually stays to listen to his prayer
"Eddard Stark resumed his prayer. Bran felt his eyes fill up with tears. But were they his own tears, or the weirwood's? If I cry, will the tree begin to weep?"
This reminds me about Bran's dream of his father in Winterfell crypts, iirc that dream wasn't pleasant too although we aren't giving any details. Next Bran sees two children playing
"The rest of his father's words were drowned out by a sudden clatter of wood on wood. Eddard Stark dissolved, like mist in a morning sun. Now two children danced across the godswood, hooting at one another as they dueled with broken branches. The girl was the older and taller of the two. Arya! Bran thought eagerly, as he watched her leap up onto a rock and cut at the boy. But that couldn't be right. If the girl was Arya, the boy was Bran himself, and he had never worn his hair so long. And Arya never beat me playing swords, the way that girl is beating him. She slashed the boy across his thigh, so hard that his leg went out from under him and he fell into the pool and began to splash and shout. "You be quiet, stupid," the girl said, tossing her own branch aside. "It's just water. Do you want Old Nan to hear and run tell Father?" She knelt and pulled her brother from the pool, but before she got him out again, the two of them were gone."
We know this vision happens earlier than Eddard's youth when Old Nan is servant of Winterfell, Old Nan come to Winterfell to be a wetnurse for a Brandon Stark, this Brandon is believed to be son of William Stark and Lyanne Glover, and the children are Lyanna and Benjen. But Bran thinks the boy is him which matters more to me than the girl being Arya, Bran has Tully look with blue eyes and red hair, Benjen is said to have blue-grey eyes of course but his hair color is never mentioned, if he is Benjen than where did the red hair come from? From House Locke? And Lyanna who is said to resemble Arya is also never described.
But the visions are coming faster now and we move into a vision of a pregnant woman praying for a son to avenge her. This woman is said to be one of She Wolves of Winterfell, even Lorra Royce
"but a woman heavy with child emerged naked and dripping from the black pool, knelt before the tree, and begged the old gods for a son to avenge her."
The woman wants God to avenge herself and unlike the fandom I think this woman could be Serena Stark, daughter of Rickon and Jeyne Manderly, who couldn't rule Winterfell after his father's death and was snubbed and married to a younger uncle Edric who never ruled Winterfell, she did give birth to twin sons though. But if the Knight in next vision is Dunk, can this place Serena earlier in time? If yes the woman could be Robyn Ryswell, I am skeptical of Myriame Manderly due to them believing in Faith, Ryswell lands were certainly raided by Dagon Greyjoy, Robyn would want someone to avenge her although w have no children listed for her.
"Then there came a brown-haired girl slender as a spear who stood on the tips of her toes to kiss the lips of a young knight as tall as Hodor."
Dunk & Egg come to Winterfell when Beron Stark call men to defend North, Old Nan would come to Winterfell later for son of Lyanne Glover, I think the girl with Dunk could be Beron's sister Arsa, Serena has two daughters, but they are married to an Umber and a Cerwyn, Beron's daughte would be younger than Donnel so I think the girl is Arsa Stark whose husband and children aren't listed.
"A dark-eyed youth, pale and fierce, sliced three branches off the weirwood and shaped them into arrows. "
This man is identified as Brandon Snow, bastard brother of Torrhen Stark, who wanted to shoot dragons, if this is Brandon then he doesn't described with Stark look, dark eyes and pale but where is long face and grey eyes? And if this is Brandon, why there is a big gap between visions of First Lord Stark's time and Beron Stark's time? Could this man be Lonnel Snow instead who will be old enough to fight against Ironborn?
"And now the lords Bran glimpsed were tall and hard, stern men in fur and chain mail. Some wore faces he remembered from the statues in the crypts, but they were gone before he could put a name to them. "
This vision is about Stark Kings, Bran knows abot Jon Stark, Rickon Stark, Brandon the Shipwright, Brandon the Burner, Theon the Hungry Wolf, but here he can't name them here.
"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."
This vision is before Andals brought Iron to Westeros, is this actually about Winterfell's founding, the first time men sacrificed to Weirwood after the Pact, are they sacrifing Brandon Stark or is it about Brandon Stark sacrifing someone?