Using the Ravens (Spoilers Extended)

Background

In this post I thought it would be interesting to compare and contrast the different times that GRRM has used ravens as a plot device/deus ex machina to save the day in the series.

If interested: White Wings, Dark Words

Sam

Sam (who had just killed an Other) is dismayed as Gilly and he are surrounded by wights:

He crept to the door. The air was so cold that it hurt to breathe, but such a fine sweet hurt. He ducked from the longhall. “Gilly?” he called. “Gilly, I killed it. Gil—”
She stood with her back against the weirwood, the boy in her arms. The wights were all around her. There were a dozen of them, a score, more … some had been wildlings once, and still wore skins and hides … but more had been his brothers. Sam saw Lark the Sisterman, Softfoot, Ryles. The wen on Chett’s neck was black, his boils covered with a thin film of ice. And that one looked like Hake, though it was hard to know for certain with half his head missing. They had torn the poor garron apart, and were pulling out her entrails with dripping red hands. Pale steam rose from her belly.
Sam made a whimpery sound. “It’s not fair …”

but due to the speaking trees and ravens:

“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. The starlight itself seemed to stir, and all around them the trees groaned and creaked. Sam Tarly turned the color of curdled milk, and his eyes went wide as plates. Ravens! They were in the weirwood, hundreds of them, thousands, perched on the bone-white branches, peering between the leaves. He saw their beaks open as they screamed, saw them spread their black wings. Shrieking, flapping, they descended on the wights in angry clouds. They swarmed round Chett’s face and pecked at his blue eyes, they covered the Sisterman like flies, they plucked gobbets from inside Hake’s shattered head. There were so many that when Sam looked up, he could not see the moon.
“Go,” said the bird on his shoulder. “Go, go, go.”

the wights are killed:

Sam ran, puffs of frost exploding from his mouth. All around him the wights flailed at the black wings and sharp beaks that assailed them, falling in an eerie silence with never a grunt nor cry. But the ravens ignored Sam. He took Gilly by the hand and pulled her away from the weirwood. “We have to go.”
“But where?” Gilly hurried after him, holding her baby. “They killed our horse, how will we …”

before finally being saved by Coldhands:

“Brother!” The shout cut through the night, through the shrieks of a thousand ravens. Beneath the trees, a man muffled head to heels in mottled blacks and greys sat astride an elk. “Here,” the rider called. A hood shadowed his face. -ASOS, Samwell III

If interested:

The Cave of the Last Greenseer

As Bran and Co arrive at the Cave of the Last Greenseer they are attacked by wights and saved by ravens and children of the forest:

The world moved dizzily around him. White trees, black sky, red flames, everything was whirling, shifting, spinning. He felt himself stumbling. He could hear Hodor screaming, “Hodor hodor hodor hodor. Hodor hodor hodor hodor. Hodor hodor hodor hodor hodor.” A cloud of ravens was pouring from the cave, and he saw a little girl with a torch in hand, darting this way and that. For a moment Bran thought it was his sister Arya … madly, for he knew his little sister was a thousand leagues away, or dead. And yet there she was, whirling, a scrawny thing, ragged, wild, her hair atangle. Tears filled Hodor’s eyes and froze there. -ADWD, Bran II

If interested: "Hold the Door" in the Book Series

The Tree

Maybe not directly by the ravens, but at the end of TWoW, Theon I it seems like the Karstark ravens are directing Stannis to "the tree" (likely so he can encounter Bran/Bloodraven):

"Then do the deed yourself, Your Grace." The chill in Asha's voice made Theon shiver in his chains. "Take him out across the lake to the islet where the weirwood grows, and strike his head off with that sorcerous sword you bear. That is how Eddard Stark would have done it. Theon slew Lord Eddard's sons. Give him to Lord Eddard's gods. The old gods of the north. Give him to the tree."
And suddenly there came a wild thumping, as the maester's ravens hopped and flapped inside their cages, their black feathers flying as they beat against the bars with loud and raucous caws. "The tree," one squawked, "the tree, the tree," whilst the second screamed only, "Theon, Theon, Theon."
Theon Greyjoy smiled. They know my name, he thought. -TWOW, Theon I

If interested: Names Said by Ravens in the Series & Theon Greyjoy: Ravens, Dreams and Weirwoods

Brienne

We find out from a russian translation of an earlier version of Brienne's last chapter, that originally she was going to be saved by ravens:

“When we found her by the river Lady Catelyn was three days dead. Thoros said it had been too long and refused to give her the kiss of life, so Lord Beric put his lips to hers instead, and the flame of life passed from him to her, and our brotherhood fell apart… but the war goes on.”
“Enough, Harwin. Do we mean to hang the ugly bitch or talk her to death?” The one-eyed man snatched the end of the rope from the other outlaw and gave a yank. The rope dug into skin, lifting Brienne upward. If this is another dream, it is time for me to awaken. If this is real, it is time for me to die. From somewhere afar she heard the clapping of wings. The carrion crows are coming to feast at her corpse. About a dozen already are circling over her head, but for carrion crows these birds are too large. Ravens**, smiled Brienne.** How odd. No, it is a dream, and now she will awake. -AFFC, Brienne (russian draft)

This is interesting since GRRM obviously removed it. It makes it possible that he may have removed it or even delayed it for use at a different point in the plotline.

Other Thoughts

• Helping Coldhands

Coldhands has ravens that help him:

From a nearby oak a raven quorked, and Bran heard the sound of wings as another of the big black birds flapped down to land beside it. By day only half a dozen ravens stayed with them, flitting from tree to tree or riding on the antlers of the elk. The rest of the murder flew ahead or lingered behind. But when the sun sank low they would return, descending from the sky on night-black wings until every branch of every tree was thick with them for yards around. Some would fly to the ranger and mutter at him, and it seemed to Bran that he understood their quorks and squawks. They are his eyes and ears. They scout for him, and whisper to him of dangers ahead and behind. -ADWD, Bran I

and:

Men of the Night's Watch. "You killed them. You and the ravens. Their faces were all torn, and their eyes were gone." Coldhands did not deny it. "They were your brothers. I saw. The wolves had ripped their clothes up, but I could still tell. Their cloaks were black. Like your hands." Coldhands said nothing. "Who are you? Why are your hands black?" -ADWD, Bran I

Similar to Coldhands, Bloodravens may use ravens in a similar manner.

• Bran/Bloodraven

I often bring up how Bran/Bloodraven can interfere with different plotlines "using the trees":

The singers carved eyes into their heart trees to awaken them, and those are the first eyes a new greenseer learns to use … but in time you will see well beyond the trees themselves." -ADWD, Bran III

If interested: Bran/Bloodraven Interfering in Different Plotlines

• If you like Posts on Ravens

Ravens and the Word "Die"

Animals Screaming During "Magical" Events

The Princess' Ravens to Doran Martell

The Isle of Ravens in TWOW

TLDR: Just a quick post looking at some of the times that GRRM has used ravens to save the day.