Names Said by Ravens in the Series (Spoilers Extended)
As far as I know there are only a few names said by ravens in the series:
Benjen Stark
Back in AGOT, the ravens say Uncle Benjen's name after he goes missing:
Quorin Halfhand took a captive in the depths of the Gorge, and the man swears that Mance Rayder is massing all his people in some new, secret stronghold he's found, to what end the gods only know. Do you think your uncle Benjen was the only ranger we've lost this past year?"
"Ben Jen," the raven squawked, bobbing its head, bits of egg dribbling from its beak. "Ben Jen. Ben Jen."
"No," Jon said. There had been others. Too many -AGOT, Jon IX
While this happens way back in AGOT, it should be noted how few other characters names are said. Although it could just be Bloodraven influencing Jon or GRRM just creating a scene.
Theon
"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." -TWOW, Theon I
This ties nicely with Bran's encounter with Theon through the weirwood:
The night was windless, the snow drifting straight down out of a cold black sky, yet the leaves of the heart tree were rustling his name. "Theon," they seemed to whisper, "Theon."
The old gods, he thought. They know me. They know my name. I was Theon of House Greyjoy. I was a ward of Eddard Stark, a friend and brother to his children. "Please." He fell to his knees. "A sword, that's all I ask. Let me die as Theon, not as Reek." Tears trickled down his cheeks, impossibly warm. "I was ironborn. A son … a son of Pyke, of the islands." -ADWD, A Ghost in Winterfell
Both these quotes seem to prelude well to the likely upcoming "showdown at the tree" between Stannis/Theon/Bloodraven/Bran.
If interested: Accessible Weirwood/Heart Trees and Animals Screaming During "Magical" Events
Jon Snow
Jon Snow or "Snow" (but definitely directed at Jon at least most of the time), is repeated over and over by the ravens:
When they entered the solar, the raven spied them at once. "Snow!" the bird shrieked. Mormont broke off his conversation. "Took you long enough with those maps." He pushed the remains of breakfast out of the way to make room on the table. "Put them here. I'll have a look at them later." -ACOK, Jon I
and:
When the cage jerked to a halt, Jon swung down onto the ground and rattled Longclaw's hilt to loosen the bastard blade in its scabbard. The gate was a few yards to his left, still blocked by the splintered ruins of the turtle, the carcass of a mammoth ripening within. There were other corpses too, strewn amidst broken barrels, hardened pitch, and patches of burnt grass, all shadowed by the Wall. Jon had no wish to linger here. He started walking toward the wildling camp, past the body of a dead giant whose head had been crushed by a stone. A raven was pulling out bits of brain from the giant's shattered skull. It looked up as he walked by. "Snow," it screamed at him. "Snow, snow." Then it opened its wings and flew away. -ASOS, Jon X
and:
He rose and dressed in darkness, as Mormont's raven muttered across the room. "Corn," the bird said, and, "King," and, "Snow, Jon Snow, Jon Snow." That was queer. The bird had never said his full name before, as best Jon could recall. -ADWD, Jon XII
There are numerous other Jon quotes but you get the picture.
Pate
While this is about the white ravens (the white and black ravens hate each other), here is another situation:
In the apple tree beside the water, a nightingale began to sing. It was a sweet sound, a welcome respite from the harsh screams and endless quorking of the ravens he had tended all day long. The white ravens knew his name, and would mutter it to each other whenever they caught sight of him, "Pate, Pate, Pate," until he wanted to scream. The big white birds were Archmaester Walgrave's pride. He wanted them to eat him when he died, but Pate half suspected that they meant to eat him too. -AFFC, Prologue
If interested: White Wings, Dark Words
Shireen
While I'm sure the Lady could reference someone else, the raven responds about her:
"I'll see to your breakfast now," Pylos announced. Cressen nodded. "This is the Lady Shireen," he told the raven. The bird bobbed its pale head up and down, as if it were bowing. "Lady," it croaked. "Lady."
The child's mouth gaped open. "It talks!"
"A few words. As I said, they are clever, these birds." -ACOK, Prologue
Some quotes about the ravens:
You will never walk again," the three-eyed crow had promised, "but you will fly." Sometimes the sound of song would drift up from someplace far below. The children of the forest, Old Nan would have called the singers, but those who sing the song of earth was their own name for themselves, in the True Tongue that no human man could speak**. The ravens could speak it, though. Their small black eyes were full of secrets, and they would caw at him and peck his skin when they heard the songs**.
...
"Do all the birds have singers in them?"
"All," Lord Brynden said. "It was the singers who taught the First Men to send messages by raven … but in those days, the birds would speak the words. The trees remember, but men forget, and so now they write the messages on parchment and tie them round the feet of birds who have never shared their skin."
Old Nan had told him the same story once, Bran remembered, but when he asked Robb if it was true, his brother laughed and asked him if he believed in grumkins too. He wished Robb were with them now. I'd tell him I could fly, but he wouldn't believe, so I'd have to show him. I bet that he could learn to fly too, him and Arya and Sansa, even baby Rickon and Jon Snow. We could all be ravens and live in Maester Luwin's rookery. -ADWD, Bran III
Conclusions
There could be numerous explanations for each one, but the common theme is that the ravens are instruments of the old gods/bloodraven/coldhands, etc. even though they are used by lords to communicate.
GRRM uses the ravens speaking to emphasize things, so maybe its not the name being said that its important, but the context. For instance we see the ravens say normal words that actually mean a lot: "Yet" (Stannis holding the better ground in The Battle of Ice), or even not using ravens, but using echoes in a cave, "Dead" (Arianne in TWOW)
Are there any other characters names that are said by ravens? If so what do you think the meaning behind it is?
As of now the best ties among the characters are death/sacrifice/resurrection.
Posted Mar 24, 2021, 1:58 PM UTC