The three-eyed raven or crow is a mystical figure that appears to Bran Stark and guides him on a mission to become one of the greatest greenseers alive. Though mysterious throughout a Song of Ice and Fire, he later gets revealed when Bran and his friends arrive at his cave. On reaching him, the young prince and his companions discover a secret hidden from everyone in Westeros for centuries. When Bran Stark suffers a terrible accident, he dreams of a crow telling him it can teach him how to fly. As Bran’s warg abilities heighten, he begins seeing visions of a tree with red eyes; this leads him to begin a journey beyond the Wall.
Three-Eyed Raven Relevance in A Song of Ice and Fire
A Game of Thrones
When Lord Eddard Stark learns of a Night’s Watch deserter’s arrest, he takes his sons, Bran, Robb Stark, and Jon Snow, to deliver judgment. After executing Gared, Ned learns that Lord Jon Arryn is dead and King Robert is traveling to Winterfell. When the King arrives in the northern castle, he asks Ned to become the Hand of the King, and he agrees.
Ned plans to take Bran and his daughters, Arya and Sansa. Though elated he will someday become a knight of the Seven Kingdoms, tragedy strikes as Bran stumbles across Queen Cersei Lannister sleeping with her brother. To prevent him from talking, Jaime Lannister throws Bran from the tower window, and the young boy enters a coma.
While in a coma, Bran dreams and sees a crow with three eyes. The bird tells him it can teach him how to fly and guides him out of his coma. Bran continues getting prophetic dreams of the three-eyed raven telling him to fly. When he tells Luwin, the maester narrates the history of Westeros.
With Eddard Stark arrested in King’s Landing, Bran gets a dream where the three-eyed raven guides him into the crypts of Winterfell. When Bran tells Luwin, he goes into the tombs to see his younger brother, Rickon Stark. They later learn that their father got killed on orders of King Joffrey Baratheon.
A Clash of Kings
With Bran and Rickon left in Winterfell, they invite the Stark’s bannermen for the Harvest Feast. Jojen Reed and his sister, Meera Reed, arrive and swear their loyalty on behalf of their father. After dreaming of a weirwood tree with the three-eyed crow in it, Jojen tells Bran of a dream where he saw a chained-winged wolf and a three-eyed crow trying to help the wolf escape. Later, Jojen tells Bran that he knows where to find the three-eyed crow.
A Storm of Swords
When Theon Greyjoy betrays Robb Stark, he diverts Ser Rodrik Cassel’s attention from Winterfell and secretly takes the castle. With help from Osha, Bran, Rickon, Hodor, Jojen, and Meera sneak into the tombs and hide out. After the Sack of Winterfell by Roose Bolton’s bastard, Ramsay, they escape, and Osha takes Rickon and his direwolf to an unknown place while Bran and his other companions travel beyond the Wall.
A Dance with Dragons
Before crossing the Wall, Bran meets Samwell Tarly and Gilly. He meets Coldhands, a mysterious figure, after crossing the Wall. With Coldhands’s help, Bran and his friends arrive at the cave of the three-eyed crow in the Haunted Forest.
Before they enter, they get attacked by wights, and after defeating them, Bran meets a pale skeletal-looking man with white hair on a weirwood throne. The man introduces himself as lord Brynden Rivers. The man tells Bran he cannot heal his legs but can teach him how to fly.
In the three-eyed crow’s cave, Bran learns about greensight and skin-changing. Brynden gives him a special paste prepared by one of the Children of the Forest, Leaf, and on taking it, Bran’s inner abilities awaken, granting him the power to see the past.
Appearance in Adaptation
In HBO Max’s Game of Thrones, the three-eyed raven was crucial to defeating the Night King and White Walkers. Before he gets the power, Bran travels beyond the Wall, where he meets Lord Bloodraven, a man with pale skin and a red birthmark on his cheek. The lord teaches Bran how to see the past, and in one of his visions, Bran sees Lyanna Stark getting married to Rhaegar Targaryen; this makes him realize that Aegon Targaryen is Jon Snow and he is the true heir to the Iron Throne, not Daenerys.
Three-Eyed Raven: The Open History
The three-eyed crow is a character that will likely have a crucial role in the upcoming battle between the realm of men and Others in the future books of A Song of Ice and Fire. His power makes him the link connecting the fictional elements of George R. R. Martin’s world to the political. However, it is too soon to grasp what awaits in ‘The Winds of Winter.’
FAQs
What is the three-eyed raven?
The three-eyed raven is a magical being also known as the last greenseer. He has the ability of green sight and can warg into animals. Because of the ability to enter a weirwood tree, the three-eyed raven can see into the past and present.
How did Bran become the three-eyed crow?
Bran is not yet the three-eyed crow in A Song of Ice and Fire. However, he learned how to fly and see into the past and present. The young prince got his abilities from his ancestry. The First Men interacted with the Children of the Forest, who probably gave them greensight. Bran Stark inherited that power.
Does the three-eyed crow have any fighting abilities?
Yes. Because the three-eyed crow can possess an animal and even a human, he can fight using. However, the process can be mentally damaging as it is a traumatic experience if the animal possessed dies.
How did the three-eyed crow know Bran?
Brynden Rivers knew Bran because he had the most incredible warging in Westeros. The three-eyed crow could sense his gift and came to him in his dreams. Also, Brynden could see the past and present and should have known what happened in the Seven Kingdoms. He knew he had to find Bran before the Others came.