This chapter gives us a nice taste of just how cold it really is beyond the Wall. This is something we haven't had since Jon Snow and the other Night's Watchmen ventured out to find the Wildlings and their king. Bran and his companions are frozen half to death. Jojen is nearly ready to die, but they march on led by the mysterious Coldhands. I love Coldhand's name just because it's such a descriptive one. All we know about this guy is that he has ice cold hands, thus he is Coldhands. It's funny in a way.
Bran, like Jon, is clearly comfortable warging inside of Summer, but he's also fine warging inside of Hodor when he feels like it. I wonder what it feels like to have someone else controlling you like that. I suppose it's not something most people can have happen since they aren't as dumb as simple Hodor. I still wonder if there is a danger to becoming too comfortable jumping inside the body of an animal. Is this why Martin gave us a prologue with Sixskins - to show us where Jon and Bran might be headed?
The fight between Summer and the other wolves was pretty cool though it left me with a very nagging question. Did the other wolf know that Bran was inside of Summer? It certainly seemed to when the wolves' eyes met. If so, was there someone inside of it? It was the only one of the three not afraid of Summer. Perhaps it was thinking with a human brain instead of an animal one.
This chapter left me desperately wanting more information about Coldhands. He's been a mystery for a while now, but this was the first time (that I can recall) where we were told flat out that Coldhands didn't breathe or eat or do anything that would prove that he was alive. I was surprised it took Bran and the others this long to stop trusting him, but perhaps it took these kinds of circumstances to do so. I wish Coldhands had removed the covering of his face. I really want to see what he looks like. Personally, I still think it's Benjen Stark under there and that's why he won't let Bran see his face.
If it is Benjen, then how did he turn into an Other while keeping his humanity? Was it the Stark blood or their connection to the Old Gods? Did he really keep his humanity or is he just a puppet of this greenseer that is related to the three-eyed crow? We have so many characters going in so many different directions and yet Martin really has me deeply interested in each of their paths.
The fight between Summer and the other wolves was pretty cool though it left me with a very nagging question. Did the other wolf know that Bran was inside of Summer? It certainly seemed to when the wolves' eyes met. If so, was there someone inside of it? It was the only one of the three not afraid of Summer. Perhaps it was thinking with a human brain instead of an animal one.
This chapter left me desperately wanting more information about Coldhands. He's been a mystery for a while now, but this was the first time (that I can recall) where we were told flat out that Coldhands didn't breathe or eat or do anything that would prove that he was alive. I was surprised it took Bran and the others this long to stop trusting him, but perhaps it took these kinds of circumstances to do so. I wish Coldhands had removed the covering of his face. I really want to see what he looks like. Personally, I still think it's Benjen Stark under there and that's why he won't let Bran see his face.
If it is Benjen, then how did he turn into an Other while keeping his humanity? Was it the Stark blood or their connection to the Old Gods? Did he really keep his humanity or is he just a puppet of this greenseer that is related to the three-eyed crow? We have so many characters going in so many different directions and yet Martin really has me deeply interested in each of their paths.
I have not started Dance with Dragons yet... I started it and had no clue what was going on since it's been so long since I read the series, so I'm re-reading. Anyway... I saw your post when I was searching info on Coldhands. I was really wishing we would get more information in this new book. Maybe we do in later chapters, but I'd better stop here before I ruin the book for myself. I will definitely check back on your blog to see what your thoughts were. Helpful! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment! I am still not all that far in the book so we might get more info later. I hope we get some, too. He's a really interesting character/mystery.
ReplyDeleteHave fun re-reading and I'll be looking forward to your return. :)
Larry, Larry, Larry. The one eyed wolf was Sixskins after he died (remember he went into the older wolf with one eye). So since it "just" happened he could probably still think somewhat as a human would. Not sure if animals can sense a Warg, but from the wight looking at Sixskins after he went into the wolf, it sure seems like they can. So he probably DID know that Summer was a Warg.
ReplyDeleteWell, yeah, that's who I was thinking of when I said that, but I'm lazy so I didn't go back to the prologue to verify. Notice the 2 weeks between this post and the one about the prologue. hahaha I had already forgotten some of the minor details.
ReplyDeleteAlso, it doesn't really matter that it was Sixskins in the long run. At least not in this book.