Board Thread:TV Show Discussion/@comment-29325269-20160812000609/@comment-5308269-20160819132330

Ser Shield McShield wrote: 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.

"Nobody at the Kingsmoot knew for sure about Theon's castration until Euron Greyjoy brought it up. Had they known, they wouldn't have considered electing a eunuch to rule the Iron Islands. We at least know that Theon can't further the Greyjoy line, but Bran's condition doesn't exactly match that of Theon. We don't know how extensive Bran's paralysis goes. We don't if he can get erections, has control of his bladder or his bowels. If he has been in the wilderness for years with these problems, one might think he would have died from an infection long ago.

Bran is a hereditary lord. If his condition affected his entire lower body than just his legs, that would have put his fitness as an heir into question. Yes having children is PRECISELY an overriding consideration for inheriting a lordship. They're HEREDITARY. The Bolton lordship of the Dreadfort was hereditary. The Umber lordship of Last Hearth is hereditary. Mormont rule over Bear Island is hereditary. Manderly rule over White Harbour is hereditary. The Glover lordship over Deepwood Motte is hereditary. The qualification to rule in the North, as it is with every other realm in Westeros, is not based on the character or abilities of the ruler. They're not a meritocracy. Bran could have been mentally-retarded (although if he was, and Robb was alive, that would be a reason to pass him over - just not after the fact) and he still would have had the strongest claim - so long as he could father children that is! The Northerners need a king, whether to lead them through strife, or to act as a figurehead for their regimes. Yes, Bran is intelligent and proved himself competent to rule. But it was solely by birth that he was in that position. If he was infertile, there would be no point in him succeeding to Winterfell, or contracting a marriage.

"Your example of Joffrey is not particularly good because he lacked an older brother."

Joffrey did not become king because of his ability to rule. If that was how Westeros chose their kings, then Stannis would have become king anyway, thus eliminating the likelihood of a rebellion from him. As for Stannis promising to make his brother heir, we don't know if that was a lie, or if he was reconsidering his own daughter, due to her bout with Greyscale (apparently, the show creators hadn't even cast Shireen and were still debating whether to introduce her into the show).