Twin Paths of Transgression
In part one of this analysis, we examined how Varamyr’s violation of skinchanging taboos granted him greater magical power. This follow-up is not a standalone discussion, so if you haven’t read part one yet, I strongly recommend checking it out first to get the full context.
Now, turning our focus to Bran Stark, we explore whether Bran’s own magical journey mirrors Varamyr’s path, whether consciously or not. Is Bran merely an exceptionally powerful, talented warg and skinchanger by birth or is breaking these taboos pivotal to unlocking his greenseeing ability?
Eating of Human Flesh in Wolf-Form
Bran, like Varamyr, breaks the taboo of eating human flesh while skinchanged. During their journey to the Children’s cave, Bran devours the bodies of the Night’s Watch mutineers killed by Coldhands while inhabiting his direwolf Summer:
He went from man to man, sniffing, before settling on the biggest, a faceless thing who clutched black iron in one hand. His other hand was missing, severed at the wrist, the stump bound up in leather. Blood flowed thick and sluggish from the slash across his throat.
The wolf lapped at it with his tongue, licked the ragged eyeless ruin of his nose and cheeks, then buried his muzzle in his neck and tore it open, gulping down a gobbet of sweet meat. No flesh had ever tasted half as good. When he was done with that one, he moved to the next and devoured the choicest bits of that man too.
(A Dance with Dragons, Bran I)
Bran/Summer engages in this consciously, even thinking that “no flesh had ever tasted half as good.” And even though the wolf-instinct is strong, Haggon’s warning about consuming human flesh while in wolf-form suggests that a merged skinchanger still has a measure of control and should be able to choose not to eat of that flesh. The lessons Bran learned from Jojen regarding warging did not include a lesson on skinchanger ethics but Jojen did try to impress the need to remember who he is while in wolf-form. Bran has been quite recalcitrant in this respect, however, never carrying out the simple tasks Jojen set him to remind him of his humanity:
“Did you mark the trees?” Bran flushed. Jojen was always telling him to do things when he opened his third eye and put on Summer’s skin. To claw the bark of a tree, to catch a rabbit and bring it back in his jaws uneaten, to push some rocks in a line. Stupid things. “I forgot,” he said. “You always forget.” It was true. He meant to do the things that Jojen asked, but once he was a wolf they never seemed important.
(A Storm of Swords, Bran I)
As we see here, Bran allows the wolf’s instincts to override his own. Arya displays a similar attitude regarding her wolf-dreams. These dreams, during which she is merged with Nymeria, often involve hunting with the pack and her diet has also included human flesh:
Some of her little grey cousins were afraid of men, even dead men, but not her. Meat was meat, and men were prey. She was the night wolf. But only when she dreamed.
(A Dance with Dragons, The Blind Girl)
Arya has received no tuition in warging at all. She is quite matter of fact about it. Men are prey and when she is in wolf-form, she like Bran, will eat without even considering the idea that she may be engaging in a form of proxy-cannibalism.
Varamyr’s chapter reveals that he was very much aware of his actions while in wolf-form. After hunting and killing a group of wildlings, including a child, he proceeds to feed upon them with his pack:
A child’s flesh, he thought, remembering Bump. Human meat. Had he sunk so low as to hunger after human meat? He could almost hear Haggon growling at him. “Men may eat the flesh of beasts and beasts the flesh of men, but the man who eats the flesh of man is an abomination.”
(A Dance with Dragons, Prologue)
He finds excuses for making this choice: his pack was hungry, killing the wildlings was a mercy because they would have died of exposure and hunger anyway … but I digress – the question is, does Bran’s skinchanging ability receive a boost after having unknowingly broken Haggon’s first taboo? I think so.
The episode with the mutineers occurs late in Bran’s arc, beyond the Wall, on the way to the children’s cave. Prior to this incident, Bran had not skinchanged any other animal that we know of. Indeed, earlier, while still south of the Wall, he tried and failed to claim an eagle:
Meera woke him up with a light touch on his arm. “Look,” she said, pointing at the sky with her frog spear, “an eagle.
[…] He tried to reach the eagle, to leave his stupid crippled body and rise into the sky to join it, the way he joined with Summer. The greenseers could do it. I should be able to do it too. He tried and tried, until the eagle vanished in the golden haze of the afternoon. “It’s gone,” he said, disappointed.
(A Storm of Swords, Bran II)
Bran tried his best but could not do it then. Yet in Bloodraven’s cave, after having meanwhile broken the taboo on feeding on human flesh while in wolf-form, he successfully skinchanges a raven on his second attempt, mastering the art very quickly after that. Coincidence? Or does this echo Varamyr’s transformation from Threeskins to Sixskins after eating Haggon’s heart and drinking his blood?
Okay, how about Hodor, I hear you ask? Hodor is a special case, we’ll get to why Bran is able to possess him so easily later.
Breaking the Taboo of Cannibalism
“Pork” served by Coldhands
Bran likely engages in cannibalism unknowingly when Coldhands provides “pork” to the starving group. During the journey, Coldhands leaves to confront Night’s Watch mutineers and returns with meat he says is pork, which the famished group eagerly eats. Later, while warged into Summer, Bran discovers the scene of the skirmish but finds no trace of pig at the site, only smells of blood, urine, dead skin, bird droppings, feathers, and wolf. There is no mention of pig! That Coldhands served up the flesh of the mutineers he killed to the travellers is highly likely, in fact, almost certain.
Mysterious Meat in the Cave
Further, the suspicion arises that the children of the forest may be serving their guests meals spiked with human flesh. The origin of the meat in the stews is unclear. Bran speculates if it could be squirrel or rat:
Under the hill they still had food to eat. A hundred kinds of mushrooms grew down here. Blind white fish swam in the black river, but they tasted just as good as fish with eyes once you cooked them up. They had cheese and milk from the goats that shared the caves with the singers, even some oats and barleycorn and dried fruit laid by during the long summer. And almost every day they ate blood stew, thickened with barley and onions and chunks of meat. Jojen thought it might be squirrel meat, and Meera said that it was rat. Bran did not care. It was meat and it was good. The stewing made it tender.
(A Dance with Dragons, Bran III)
A close read of Bran’s chapters reveals no mention of rats or squirrels inside the cave, or indeed outside of it. Certainly, Summer, gaunt as he becomes, does not appear to have caught any. Meera, an expert hunter, catches only the blind fish that populate the underground river. The children could of course resort to killing a goat from time to time but that’s unlikely, seeing as they are kept for the milk and cheese they provide. So, what kind of meat is served to Bran and company?
It’s a bit of a mystery and we can only speculate, but it will not surprise me if we eventually find out that Coldhands is tasked with supplying the inhabitants of the cave with meat and while this may include animal flesh, it’s clear this is increasingly difficult to find in the dire winter landscape. He has resorted to providing human flesh before. More worrying still, would he specifically kill humans for food if nothing else is available?
Jojen’s Blood?
This list would not be complete without including the weirwood paste Bran is asked to eat to awaken his gifts and wed him to the tree:
The boy looked at the bowl uncertainly. “What is it?” “A paste of weirwood seeds.” Something about the look of it made Bran feel ill. The red veins were only weirwood sap, he supposed, but in the torchlight they looked remarkably like blood. He dipped the spoon into the paste, then hesitated. “Will this make me a greenseer?” “Your blood makes you a greenseer,” said Lord Brynden. “This will help awaken your gifts and wed you to the trees.” (A Dance with Dragons, Bran I)
Considering all previous hints, the red veins in the paste are probably human blood, specifically Jojen Reed’s blood. I don’t believe Jojen’s remains were mixed into the paste as some versions of the Jojen Paste theory suggest. However, I suspect his blood was added to the weirwood paste because Jojen’s greensight is a trait crucial to Bran’s “wedding the tree” and awakening as a greenseer. Bloodraven speaks of magical traits such as warging, greensight and greenseeing as being “in the blood.” Recall also the ancient belief that consuming an enemy’s blood or heart could transfer their strength and courage to the victor discussed in part one. Might ingesting the blood of one blessed with the greensight facilitate the process? If the intention behind adding blood was solely related to cannibalism, it would seem more practical to utilize Hodor or Meera, who were physically stronger than the weakened Jojen, as a source of blood.
In this context, it is likely that Bloodraven and the children of the forest sought to enhance the paste’s effectiveness by incorporating Jojen’s magical blood.
Blood tasted across the ages
A fourth hint at cannibalism comes when Bran has a series of visions through the eyes of the weirwood. The final vision shows an ancient victim being sacrificed beneath the Winterfell weirwood. Bran is horrified by the sight but remarkably, he can taste the victim’s blood.
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.
(A Dance with Dragons, Bran III)
Bran here is already in communion with the weirwood. Perhaps tasting the sacrificial victim’s blood through the ages cements his union with the tree.
Mating in Wolf-Form
Unlike Varamyr, Bran has not yet mated while skinchanged into a wolf, but this potential still exists. Summer now leads Varamyr’s former pack, including the female Sly. Should such a union occur, the taboo would be broken. If Varamyr’s experience is anything to go by, it could grant Bran the ability to send familiar beasts to act on his behalf, as Varamyr did with his shadowcat. Indeed, I suspect this kind of control over animals could extend to humans and is perhaps even the key to remote controlling the undead. Check out part one for more insights into this claim.
Possessing Hodor
Bran’s initial possession of Hodor occurred out of necessity at Queen’s Crown during a storm, where Hodor’s loud cries threatened to alert the wildlings nearby. After failing to calm him through other means, Bran managed to enter Hodor’s mind and control his actions. This initial experience was almost accidental but led to Bran frequently possessing Hodor’s body when required or desired. From Bran’s perspective, it is evident that Hodor initially attempted to resist, though not with significant effort. Presently, Hodor passively submits to Bran’s intrusion, concealing his consciousness deep within himself until Bran relinquishes control.
Bran attempts to reassure Hoder by reminding him that he will always return control of his body. Even so, the ethical breach is undeniable. Bran overrides Hodor’s will and possesses his body, a taboo Haggon called the gravest of all. Unlike Varamyr, who tried to seize Thistle permanently, Bran’s use of Hodor is habitual but also partial. He does not oust Hodor’s soul, rather the giant withdraws his persona deep down while Bran is inhabiting him. Still, it signals a progression into the most dangerous kind of magic and as implied by Varamyr’s final moments, mastery of human possession is probably a prerequisite to becoming one with the weirwood.
One wonders why Hodor never put up that much of a fight, especially since Varamyr’s shadowcat and bear resisted the skinchanger so vehemently. There are several possible reasons. For one, Hodor grew up at Winterfell, grandson of Old Nan, a trusted and decades-long member of the household. He had known Bran since his birth and was familiar with him. Hodor is also known for his gentle and utterly unaggressive nature and is unable to fight even when beaten or threatened. Most of all, he is simple-minded and perhaps not equipped with the psychological strength to counteract a spiritual attack. These factors together probably make him easy game even for a novice skinchanger. Could Varamyr have taken over Hodor as easily as Bran did? I suspect so.
The Role of Bloodraven and the Children of the Forest
Bloodraven and the Children of the Forest appear to be more than passive mentors in Bran’s training. They are subtle orchestrators, ensuring that he unwittingly walks the same path of taboo-breaking that led Varamyr to more power. From serving mysterious “meat” that likely includes human flesh to administering the weirwood paste with its blood-like veins (potentially containing Jojen’s blood), they seem to be facilitating the actions necessary for Bran to awaken his greenseeing gift.
Furthermore, Bloodraven, as a powerful skinchanger and greenseer himself, would likely be able to sense Bran’s use of Hodor. That he neither stops nor warns Bran suggests consent, or even encouragement.
Bloodraven certainly has good reason to hasten Bran’s development. When Bran finally arrives at the cave Bloodraven remarks that “the hour is late”:
“And now you are come to me at last, Brandon Stark, though the hour is late.”
(A Dance with Dragons, Bran II)
Bran must be prepared to counter the threat of the Others. Turning a blind eye to Bran’s possession of Hodor, surreptitiously supplying meals with human flesh, all point to an uncomfortable truth: certain spiritual thresholds must be crossed to fully “wed the tree.”
This reveals a brutal layer beneath the magic: the path to greenseeing demands sacrifice and the violation of spiritual and societal norms. Like Varamyr, Bran breaks the taboos of his magical kind.
Speculation on Human Possession and Cannibalism
We can begin to speculate on why cannibalism and human possession might be essential to the process of “wedding” a weirwood and, ultimately, unlocking the full powers of greenseeing. These acts are not merely abominations in the ethical sense; they may function as magical rites of passage, deeply connected to the spiritual architecture of the Old Gods and the weirwood network itself.
Cannibalism as Magical Synchronisation
My working hypothesis is that participation in cannibalism magically synchronises the aspiring greenseer with the weirwood consciousness. Why would this be so? Because weirwoods appear to require blood sacrifice. Historical accounts and visions throughout ASOIAF suggest that human sacrifices were not rare in the age of the First Men, and they were often performed beneath the carved faces of heart trees.
Bloodraven’s existence reflects this requirement. He is, quite literally, a living sacrifice to the tree in the cave. His body is atrophied, yet he lives on way beyond a normal lifespan, sustained by the weirwood. This relationship appears symbiotic: his blood and body feed the tree, and the tree in turn sustains his life-force.
Cannibalism may mirror this exchange. Just as the tree absorbs the blood of sacrifices, the greenseer candidate consumes human flesh, ingesting death in order to be bound to the consciousness that thrives on death. One must taste the essence of what the tree remembers.
Additionally, if as the Children of the Forest claim, the souls of the deceased reside within the trees, then they may not welcome all intruders. Cannibalism may be a spiritual currency, proving to the tree that the greenseer-to-be has already crossed an important boundary. Not just anyone can merge with the weirnet. It may demand a kind of blooded initiation, the willingness to consume as the tree consumes.
Not all skinchangers may be willing to go that far. Varamyr does reiterate that he never ate of human flesh “with his own teeth.”
Human Possession as Magical Dominance
The reason for breaking the taboo of possessing another human being may appear more straightforward, but it also bears deeper significance. Varamyr’s arc shows a distinct progression of difficulty:
- He begins by warging wolves – his natural kin, his “brothers”.
- He then moves to more resistant animals like a shadowcat and bear, requiring greater force and unnatural power.
- Eventually, he attempts to possess Thistle, a human being. and nearly succeeds.
Each of these steps seems to require more spiritual dominance, more magical strength, and more risk. We might think of each level of skinchanging as requiring more supernatural power to overpower another soul.
If merging with a weirwood represents the final threshold, then entering a plant consciousness that is ancient and alien may be the most difficult transition of all. The weirwood is not an animal with instincts comparable to a human’s; it is a vessel of endless memory, possibly housing countless spirits. To merge with it is to become part of it while retaining one’s own agency (can one get “lost” within the consciousness of a weirwood?).
Possessing another human may thus function as a necessary rehearsal for this dynamic. It proves that the greenseer-to-be can:
- Penetrate a conscious system that fights back.
- Override and integrate another self, not just observe or control.
- Achieve unity not through harmony, but through magical conquest.
Bran succeeds not only because he is naturally gifted but because he performs all the “rites” albeit unknowingly. And surreptitiously, he is aided by Bloodraven and the children of the forest. He eats the human flesh both in wolf-form and in person, he possesses Hodor, and he consumes the seed-paste. Each stage prepares him for finally entering the weirwood network.
In the end, breaking these taboos might be twisted and corrupt, but it’s also a kind of initiation. A dangerous, morally murky path that somehow ties your soul to the living memory of the Old Gods.
Podcast Summary
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Read Part I of the analysis here: The Hidden Power Behind Breaking Skinchanging Taboos