Coldhands: Death is No Obstacle to Fatherhood!

I'd like to point out that the blue rose was not the baby Bael left. The blue roses of Winterfell are flowers - so if you pluck one they die. When the Children or other believers of the old gods die they join the godhead. The white walkers and wights, which are undead, have blue eyes which seems to connect ice magic to their creation, which could be a connection back to the godhead and the act of dying in order to resurrect someone to a different sort of life. Brandon as Coldhands is someone resurrected to a different sort of life.

Duran, the Lord of Storm's End took the maidenhead of a divine being, Elenei, daughter of the god of the sea and goddess of the wind. Elenei chose to give up her maidenhead and marry Duran, and that choice included giving up her divinity and becoming mortal. Thus the act of relinquishing her maidenhead, her "blue rose" led to her mortality. The story does not mention a child. I think we're so focused on the child that Bael left that we overlook the rest of the story. Recall that Littlefinger blames the "singer" in Lyssa's death, but we know it wasn't his fault, which makes me wonder if the Bael story isn't a coverup for incest?

Could it be then that the blue rose is more closely associated with sacrificing "something" in order to achieve a different sort of life? "Death" has to be included in order to achieve this different sort of life. Elenei gave up her magical divinity and became a mortal human. She's a parallel inversion to the Other that the 13th Lord Commander saw from atop the Wall, and Duran built walls that could withstand angry gods. Later on we learn the Nights King's followers are sacrificing to the Others. What were they sacrificing? I think we can confidently conclude they were sacrificing human lives, and maybe even children if we're to recall Craster's "I'm a godly man" belief that caused him to sacrifice his sons.

It's the Stark blood that is special for ice magic, and while I acknowledge that it could be meaningful for Rhaegar to want a child with skinchanging ability, it would be a tidy reversal to take an undead father and a human mother, which is a reversal of Duran and Elenei AND the 13th LC and an Other, you might create a divine being.

Totally on board, because I believe Jon's father needs to be something or someone magical, supernatural, god-like etc. I thought Lyanna was the one who was Coldhanded - whatever that means - but the thought of a Coldhands being the babydaddy is good too!

1). For LOJ, I didn't have a specific Other in mind but I suspected whoever we call the Great Other. Also included in that idea is the Night King, if he's still alive. And by extension yes Coldhands, because it seems to me that the NK was "coldhanded" when he gave his corpse bride his seed and his soul. Whether the Coldhands we know in the book is the NK or Brandon, it's all good to me, as long as Lyanna's babydaddy was one of these supernatural ice men.
2). I'm warming to the idea of Starkcest
3). Totally open to CH being Brandon
4). You KNOW I think Bran is a Timelord
5). Not sure here
6). Going in another direction here
7). Yes - especially if she was carrying a magic baby

I'm thinking the Tunnels between Winterfell and the Wall may be the "chink" if chink means an opening or passageway.

The timing is off though, because Brandon was alive when Lyanna went missing. And Lyanna would need to visit Brandon in the crypts after his death. Ideas?

Yes, If Brandon is Coldhands and he impregnated Lyanna, then it's a reversal of the Nights King and his Other bride. He also works as Bael, because he's north of the Wall.

Maybe this time travel business with Bran is how Some Pig described Kang the time-traveling Conqueror where he leaves different versions of himself in time?

I'm not sure if this is exactly on point, but these passages struck me last night as I was doing a reread of AGOT.
First we have this passage



It's interesting that Bran states that this was his most disturbing crow dream. Even more disturbing than when he was falling, and more disturbing when he was climbing the tower and coming upon the Lannister like gargoyles. Then we have the reference to Hodor. With all the horse imagery surrounding Lyanna and Brandon, I wonder if Hodor, being a stable boy may be somehow associated with them. Perhaps Hodor came upon Brandon and Lyanna in the stables like the serving girl who came upon Jaime and Cersei. Perhaps they warged Hodor to serve as a lookout for them? (Hold the Door?)

Then they descend into the passage and we get this:



So Bran has a dream where Ned divulges something about Jon. Probably the same thing that had been haunting Ned about Lyanna's promise to him. Whatever it is, it's extremely disturbing. Perhaps this is symbolically played out when they go into the crypt. As Luwin peers into Ned's crypt, perhaps Shaggydog represents the awful secret that Ned has been keeping (or perhaps that Ned had even repressed). Then immediately after the secret is unleashed, the torch immediately goes to Brandon's statue. Then interestingly enough the torch blackens the legs of Brandon's statue (almost akin to the blackened extremities of Coldhands...)