He isn't alive. He definitely isn't a White Walker. He rides a giant elk, smells like rotted meat, and hides his face behind a thick wool scarf. If you only watched the HBO show, you probably think you know who Coldhands Game of Thrones fans talk about—you’re thinking of Uncle Benjen Stark.
But you'd be wrong. Mostly.
George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series is packed with enigmas, but few carry the weight of this frozen, undead ranger. When Benjen Stark saved Bran and Meera in Season 6, the showrunners basically collapsed two distinct characters into one for the sake of simplicity. It worked for TV. It didn't work for the lore. In the books, Coldhands is a terrifying, silent figure who leads Samwell Tarly and later Bran Stark through the haunted woods beyond the Wall. He’s a corpse that breathes no air. His hands are black because the blood has pooled and congealed in his extremities.
The mystery isn't just "who is he?" It's "why did the show run away from him?"
The Benjen Stark Problem
Let's address the elephant in the room. Or the elk.
In the show, Benjen Stark shows up, swings a flaming flail, and admits he was "turned" by the Children of the Forest to prevent him from becoming a wight. It was a clean, easy wrap-up. However, book purists have a massive piece of evidence that says Coldhands is absolutely not Benjen Stark.
Back when the original manuscript for A Dance with Dragons was being edited, Martin’s longtime editor, Anne Groell, asked a direct question in the margins. She noted a passage where Leaf, a Child of the Forest, says of Coldhands: "They killed him long ago." Groell scribbled a note asking if this was Benjen. Martin’s handwritten reply was a blunt, underlined "NO."
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That's about as definitive as it gets in the world of Westeros.
If he isn't Benjen, who is he? The timeline is the biggest clue. Leaf is over two hundred years old. For a creature that lives as long as she does, "long ago" doesn't mean three years prior when Benjen went missing. It implies decades, maybe centuries. This suggests the figure known as Coldhands Game of Thrones enthusiasts debate is someone from the distant past of the Night's Watch. Maybe a fallen Lord Commander. Maybe even the legendary Night's King (the book version, not the blue-eyed show villain).
A Different Kind of Undead
Coldhands is weird. Like, really weird.
Wights—the standard zombies of the series—are mindless drones controlled by the Others. They have glowing blue eyes. Coldhands has black eyes. He retains his speech, his tactical mind, and his loyalty to the "Three-Eyed Crow." He calls Samwell Tarly "Ser" and understands the complex political structures of the Night's Watch. He can't pass through the Wall because of the ancient spells woven into the ice.
There's a gritty, visceral horror to his scenes that the show missed. He kills Night's Watch deserters and... well, he feeds them to Bran and his companions. He calls it "sow's meat," but the implication is much darker. He's a pragmatist. He's a monster who serves the "good guys," which makes him a perfect example of Martin’s love for moral gray areas.
Why does he hide his face? Why won't he show his eyes?
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Some theorists suggest he's a skinchanger who died while inside his animal and then returned to his own dead body. Others think he’s a prototype. A "fire wight" but for the ice. Think Beric Dondarrion, but instead of being brought back by R'hllor's flame, he was sustained by the old magic of the North.
Why the Elk Matters
In the books, he doesn't just walk. He rides a prehistoric Great Elk. This isn't just a cool visual. The elk represents the ancient, primal power of the First Men and the Children of the Forest. It’s a massive beast, strong enough to carry multiple people, but even it eventually tires. When the elk finally collapses from exhaustion and hunger, Coldhands performs a ritualistic kill and feeds the animal to the starving children.
It’s brutal. It’s sad.
The show swapped this for a horse and a quick rescue. By removing the elk and the mystery of his identity, the show stripped away the feeling that the Far North is a place where time doesn't move linearly. In the books, the North is haunted by the literal ghosts of its history. Coldhands is a walking history book with the pages ripped out.
The Raven Connection
Coldhands is constantly surrounded by a murder of ravens. They act as his eyes and ears. Through these birds, the Three-Eyed Crow (the book version of the Three-Eyed Raven) directs his movements. This connection is vital. It shows that the "Old Gods" have a physical agency in the world.
He isn't just a stray ranger. He's a soldier in a cosmic war that has been going on since the Long Night.
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When you look at Coldhands Game of Thrones lore, you start to realize that the Children of the Forest are much more manipulative than they appeared on screen. They have their "monster" who does their dirty work. Coldhands kills without hesitation. He's the grim reaper of the tundra.
What Most People Get Wrong About His Death
People often assume he was killed by a White Walker. While likely, we don't actually know. We know he died in his Night's Watch blacks. We know his hands are frozen black. But the most interesting theory is that he was a traitor—or perceived as one.
There’s a popular idea that he might be the 77th Lord Commander of the Night's Watch. Or perhaps a member of the Raven's Teeth, the elite guard of Brynden Rivers (Bloodraven). If he was one of the men who went North with Bloodraven when he disappeared, it would explain his undying loyalty to the man in the tree.
He’s a man who has outlived his name. He has no identity left other than his function.
Actionable Insights for Lore Hunters
If you're trying to piece together the truth before George R.R. Martin finally releases The Winds of Winter, here is how you should evaluate the evidence:
- Ignore the show's Benjen reveal. Treat it as a "variant" timeline. Martin has explicitly denied the connection in his private notes.
- Focus on the "Long Ago" quote. Look for characters in the Night's Watch history who disappeared at least 50 to 100 years before the start of the series.
- Watch the ravens. In any chapter featuring Coldhands, pay attention to what the birds are doing. They often communicate things he won't say.
- Analyze the "Fire Wight" parallel. Compare Coldhands to Lady Stoneheart and Beric Dondarrion. They all share the trait of being "single-minded" toward a goal they had in life. Coldhands' goal is the protection of the realms of men, specifically through the service of the Three-Eyed Crow.
The mystery of Coldhands isn't just a fun trivia point. It's a window into how magic works in Westeros. It's proof that death isn't a hard ceiling, but a door that can be opened if you have the right keys—or the right enemies. Whether he’s an ancient Stark or just a nameless ranger who refused to quit, he remains the most haunting figure in the true North.
To truly understand the depth of this character, re-read the "Bran I" and "Bran II" chapters in A Dance with Dragons. Focus specifically on the descriptions of his clothing and the way the ravens interact with his speech. There's a cadence to his dialogue that feels archaic, almost like a man speaking a language he hasn't used in a century. That is where the real answer hides.