Game of Thrones as myth: Hero's Journey update for Season 6

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BRANDON STARK

Brandon Stark’s character has some catching up to do. Left out of Season 5 entirely, Season 6 found him a much older-looking boy with many hours of the Three-eyed raven’s greensight training under his belt. When we left Brandon at the end of his Season 4 journey, he was deep in the Belly of the Whale and Road of Trials stages, essentially the middle of Part 2 (Initiation) of the monomyth cycle.

Bran spends much of Season 6 continuing his metamorphosis in the Belly of the Whale stage:

"“The idea that the passage of the magical threshold is a transit into a sphere of rebirth is symbolized in the worldwide womb image of the belly of the whale. The hero, instead of conquering or conciliating the power of the threshold, is swallowed into the unknown and would appear to have died. This popular motif gives emphasis to the lesson that the passage of the threshold is a form of self-annihilation. Instead of passing outward, beyond the confines of the visible world, the hero goes inward, to be born again.” —Joseph Campbell"

Bran also continues to endure his Road of Trials (the series of tests the hero must undergo before transformation):

"“Once having traversed the threshold, the hero moves in a dream landscape of curiously fluid, ambiguous forms, where he must survive a succession of trials. This is the favorite phase of the myth-adventure . . . The hero is covertly aided by the advice, amulets, and secret agents of the supernatural helper he met before his entrance into the region . . . Dragons have now to be slain and surprising barriers passed—again, again and again. Meanwhile there will be a multitude of preliminary victories, unretainable ecstasies and momentary glimpses of the wonderful land.” —Joseph Campbell"

But does Bran progress? He does suffer many trials, such as witnessing his father’s less-than-heroic win over Ser Arthur Dayne at the Tower of Joy, and other disturbing greensight visions. Due to the nature of Bran’s situation and the lack of a love affair with the only available female around, Meera, it seems as though Bran will skip The Meeting with the Goddess stage (or it will appear later).

But Bran experiences the Woman as Temptress stage, if we consider woman as a metaphor for the temptation that threatens to derail the hero’s quest. Bran is continually trying to remain too long inside his own gift. During his visit to the Winterfell of the past in “Home,” Bran is frustrated when the Three-Eyed Raven yanks him back to the present:

"Three-eyed raven: “Time to go.” Bran: “Please. Just a little longer.” (The Three-eyed raven delivers Bran back to the cave.) Bran: “You finally show me something I care about, and then you drag me away.” Three-eyed raven: “It is beautiful beneath the sea. But if you stay too long, you’ll drown.”"

Bran’s next stage is Atonement with the Father (Stage 9). Here, the hero must confront someone with the ultimate power over his life, often a father figure. (The confrontation between Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader in Star Wars is a great example of this stage.)

The idea of atonement offers interesting possibilities for Bran. He has lost his biological father (Ned), and at first glance it appears that the Three-Eyed Raven has taken that role in his life. “I was here waiting for you,” he tells Bran in “Oathbreaker.” But the Three-Eyed Raven seems more like a “supernatural helper” (Mentor archetype) than a figure that has “ultimate power” over Bran’s life whom he must confront. For that, we must look to Bran’s archenemy: the Night King.

Bran seems to be running through a lot of stages at once, perhaps because the story must make up lost time after Season 5. We all expect a much bigger confrontation between Bran and the Night King in the future, so this atonement stage may only be resolved in the final battle, as it is in the Star Wars example.

One can also say that Bran has entered Apotheosis (Stage 10): the hero suffers a death, either spiritually or physically, and achieves a state of knowledge and understanding to equip him upon his return. He now views the world in a radically different way.

Bran’s journey involves obvious womb-imagery. He enters the Three-Eyed Raven’s cave in the Belly of the Beast stage, and ultimately emerges from it amidst fire, blood, and violence. On Game of Thrones, Apotheosis is often violent, such as Jon Snow being stabbed or Daenerys walking out of a burning building. (Also see Tyrion rolling out of a feces-smeared crate.) As Bran is forced into a premature rebirth in “The Door,” the Three-eyed raven admits the unfortunate situation:

"Three-Eyed Raven: “The time is come . . . for you to become me.” Bran: “But, am I ready?” Three-eyed raven: “No.”"

Despite his incomplete training, Bran may have reached the beginning of the Ultimate Boon (Stage 11)–the goal of his quest—which is to gain the wisdom and knowledge needed to help defeat the White Walkers. Bran’s new status is confirmed by Benjen in “Blood of my Blood”:

"Benjen: “You are the Three-eyed raven now.” Bran: “I didn’t have time to learn. I can’t control anything.” Benjen: “You must learn to control it before the Night King comes . . . One way or another he will find his way into the world of men. And when he does, you will be there waiting for him and you will be ready.”"

It is difficult to ascertain exactly where Bran is on his metamorphosis timeline since we have yet to see his story play out. He is obviously well on his way to reaching his full transformation and achieving the Ultimate Boon, but its likely he will be further changed by the challenges lying ahead. It took time for the well-established wizard Gandalf the Grey to be resurrected as Gandalf the White in The Lord of the Rings, and it’s going to take a lot longer for the new kid to become the next Three-Eyed Raven.

As for Refusal of the Return (Stage 12), Bran is similar to Daenerys, as they’re both committed to doing what they have to do in order to fulfill their destinies, even if Bran doesn’t know exactly what that is yet.

The Magic Flight (Stage 13): This ongoing stage is important to Bran’s story. Bran must escape with his new knowledge and the White Walkers and their army are determined to stop him. By the end of Season 6, the Night King is surely still in full pursuit, although the magic built into the Wall may be holding him at bay for now.

Rescue from Without (Stage 14): Bran has always needed a lot of help, and his escape from the White Walker assault on the Three-Eyed Raven’s cave in “The Door” was accomplished only through the combined efforts of Meera, Benjen, Summer, the Children of the Forest, Hodor, and the Three-Eyed Raven himself. Several of those helpers gave up their lives to see Bran safely away. If the measure of the sacrifice is any indication, Bran will become an extremely valuable player in the struggles to come.

With his accelerated journey, Bran now appears to be on track to eventually arrive at the third part of the hero’s journey: The Return.

The first stage in Part Three is The Crossing of the Return Threshold (Stage 15). The hero must retain the wisdom gained on his quest while he struggles to return to normal life and learns how to share the wisdom with the rest of the world.

Bran’s roller-coaster ride should continue with him and Meera making their way south of the Wall and returning to the familiar world of Westeros. Perhaps Bran will be able to reunite with Jon and Sansa, though his journey may prove a more spiritual than geographical one. The Master of Two Worlds stage looms in the future, and that should get interesting.

Bran knows what kind of horrors are coming, summing up his own future the last time we see him in Season 6: “I am the Three-eyed raven now. I have to be ready for this.”

And there we have it. I will be continuing the Hero’s Journey series while we wait for Season 7, tackling some more complicated Game of Thrones characters such as Jaime Lannister and Arya Stark. I’ll also take a look at some more character archetypes, including Hodor, Ser Davos, and Brienne. Please feel free to suggest any characters you’d like to see explored in the comments below. I’ve also included the links to the articles in my Game of Thrones as Myth series if you’d like to take a look at them.