Skinchanger

A skinchanger or beastling is a person with the ability to enter the minds of animals and control their actions. Skinchangers must bond with animals in order to enter their minds easily. The relationship between a skinchanger and an animal influences both of their personalities. If a skinchanger does not actively fight his animals' influence, he can become more feral and animalistic. It is also possible to enter a simple human’s mind, though this is difficult for the skinchanger and traumatic for the person. Skinchangers must be asleep or meditating to enter the mind of a creature. It is possible to do so without meaning to or realizing that it is occurring. If a skinchanger is killed while inhabiting a creature, a part of his consciousness will remain in the creature for the rest of its life. Skinchangers are sometimes mistakenly believed to be shapechangers.

A skinchanger that is bound to a wolf is also called a warg. The Stark children exhibit warg-bonds with their direwolves.