The Sixth Direwolf in the Snow (Spoilers Extended)

Here is another passage that has always stood out to me:

"He must have crawled away from the others," Jon said.

"Or been driven away," their father said, looking at the sixth pup. His fur was white, where the rest of the litter was grey. His eyes were as red as the blood of the ragged man who had died that morning. Bran thought it curious that this pup alone would have opened his eyes while the others were still blind.

"An albino," Theon Greyjoy said with wry amusement. "This one will die even faster than the others." -AGOT, Bran I

Obviously there are some pretty straightforward explanations, but also some wording that is just begging to be theorized about.

Lets discuss, theorize about a very early Bran quote

---

While discussing anything from AGOT (written in 1996) its important to remember (at least to me) that there are plenty of "first bookisms" or things that it seems GRRM ended up abandoning.

Let's get to the quote:

#Standard Interpretation

While reading the quote in the context that the rest of the chapter:

You have five trueborn children," Jon said. "Three sons, two daughters. The direwolf is the sigil of your House. Your children were meant to have these pups, my lord."

Bran saw his father's face change, saw the other men exchange glances. He loved Jon with all his heart at that moment. Even at seven, Bran understood what his brother had done. The count had come right only because Jon had omitted himself. He had included the girls, included even Rickon, the baby, but not the bastard who bore the surname Snow, the name that custom decreed be given to all those in the north unlucky enough to be born with no name of their own.

Their father understood as well. "You want no pup for yourself, Jon?" he asked softly.

"The direwolf graces the banners of House Stark," Jon pointed out. "I am no Stark, Father." -AGOT, Bran I

And combine it with other quotes like this:

He dreamt he was back in Winterfell, limping past the stone kings on their thrones. Their grey granite eyes turned to follow him as he passed, and their grey granite fingers tightened on the hilts of the rusted swords upon their laps. You are no Stark, he could hear them mutter, in heavy granite voices. There is no place for you here. Go away. He walked deeper into the darkness. "Father?" he called. "Bran? Rickon?" No one answered. A chill wind was blowing on his neck. "Uncle?" he called. "Uncle Benjen? Father? Please, Father, help me." Up above he heard drums. They are feasting in the Great Hall, but I am not welcome there. I am no Stark, and this is not my place. His crutch slipped and he fell to his knees. The crypts were growing darker. A light has gone out somewhere. "Ygritte?" he whispered. "Forgive me. Please." But it was only a direwolf, grey and ghastly, spotted with blood, his golden eyes shining sadly through the dark . -ASOS, Jon VIII

and this:

Craven or not, Samwell Tarly had found the courage to accept his fate like a man. On the Wall, a man gets only what he earns, Benjen Stark had said the last night Jon had seen him alive. You're no ranger, Jon, only a green boy with the smell of summer still on you. He'd heard it said that bastards grow up faster than other children; on the Wall, you grew up or you died. -AGOT, Bran VI

---

#Bloodraven/The Others

This quote is just full of imagery wrt to Bloodraven and the Others

"He must have crawled away from the others," Jon said.

"Or been driven away," their father said, looking at the sixth pup. His fur was white, where the rest of the litter was grey. His eyes were as red as the blood of the ragged man who had died that morning. Bran thought it curious that this pup alone would have opened his eyes while the others were still blind.

"An albino," Theon Greyjoy said with wry amusement. "This one will die even faster than the others." -AGOT, Bran I

The amount of theorizing you can do with the above quote knowing that:

• Bloodraven (who has a ton of parallels to Night's King) disappeared on ranging in 252 AAC:

Bloodraven would rise to become Lord Commander of the Night's Watch in 239 AC, serving until his disappearance during a ranging beyond the Wall in 252 AC. -TWOIAF, The Targaryen Kings: Aegon V

• Bran's story seems to be headed down a pretty dark path and it could get worse if he breaks the third "rule" of the "Skinchanger's Code"

• GRRM originally had Bran and Jon becoming bitter enemies

• Its possible or even likely that Bloodraven was the one who directed the mother direwolf south of the wall and to the Starks (Bloodraven intervenes in Jon's story almost as much as Bran's) and the above thoughts about Bloodraven are even more likely if you believe this.

• Like Jon, Bloodraven is a "song of ice and fire". Both of their fathers were Targaryen princes/kings and both of their mothers were from "northern" houses (houses that worship the old gods).

• As of now Bloodraven's intentions are still ambiguous.

• Jon's choice of name/Ghost being silent:

Benjen watched Ghost with amusement as he ate his onion. "A very quiet wolf," he observed.

"He's not like the others," Jon said. "He never makes a sound. That's why I named him Ghost. That, and because he's white. The others are all dark, grey or black." -AGOT, Jon I

---

Also keep in mind a portion of this quote is in the comic adaption (and there is a quote from the beginning of AGOT, that GRRM told Abrams to put back in that had some meaning at the end).

TLDR: Thoughts and theories on a quote from AGOT, Bran I about Ghost and the other direwolves