Board Thread:TV Show Discussion/@comment-29325269-20160812000609/@comment-27542229-20160812210015

Wait, you said, "If being paralyzed was considered an equivalent disqualifier to being castrated, like Theon Greyjoy, from inheriting a lordship, the Stark's would have made Rickon the heir over Bran." I'm saying being paralyzed is not a disqualifer at all. Even your example - Theon's castration - is not a disqualifer. Everyone, including Yara who knows what happened to him, thought Theon was going to claim being the King of the Iron Islands. Yara didn't say to Theon that he couldn't claim it because he was castrated - he had to tell her and everyone else that he wasn't claiming it. In other words, he was not disqualified.

But you make it out that having children is the over-riding consideration and go as far to say, "Since they operate by laws of inheritance, the age of the heir is irrelevant. Even in war-time" and that the Norhern lords would just appoint a regent. So you really think it would be likely that in the middle of war, the Northern lords would gather to debate who should be Rickon's regent while older brother Bran, who had shown himself to be capable leader, is moved aside? This goes against what even the show has shown when Stannis offered to make Renly his heir. The same thing would have happened with Bran and Rickon - yet you're coming up with a scenario where Northern lords would instead try and appoint a regent for Rickon.

Plus, your example of Joffrey is not a good one since he did not have an older brother. Joffrey was the oldest - he had to have a regent since there was no alternative.

In regards to Bran, good to know what the books say since I haven't read them and think the show has short-changed what is really going on with Bran. So my theory (really just speculation) is based on only teh hew pieces of information that the show has given out. But, obviously, the show has changed a lot of the story. We only have to wait a year to find out what happens next.