Game of Thrones Season 6 Episode 6: Why did Benjen serve Bran a cup of rabbit's blood for breakfast?

I've watched this scene five times. And it's no mistake. While talking to Meera and Bran, Benjen kills a rabbit, skins it, AND squeezes it's blood into a cup. He talks for a while more, tells his story. Then he walks over to Bran and serves him a cup of blood. 

I have searched the Net (long and hard, for almost a minute)looking for anyone talking about this. And nothing.

Now I can see the need for a warm mug of something hearty on a cold day in the Haunted Forest. But why not just heat up some snow?  I mean, I suppose you would get some nourishment out of blood but it seems so…yucky. Is it just that? Or something more.

There is some suggestion that Greenseers and weirwoods survive on the blood of human sacrifice in the books.

• Eddard Stark, in his first visit to Winterfells's weirwood wipes his bloody sword on the grass at the weirwood's feet.(AGOT Catelyn)
• In White Harbor, Davos learns of the old Northern practice of sacrificing criminals to weirwood, and Bran sees a vision in A Dance with Dragons in which he witnesses a human sacrifice at Winterfell.(ADWD, Davos)
• And then there is the Jojen-paste theory, which I used to love, but lately have discounted, but…The taste of blood fills Bran's mouth when he witnesses a sacrifice at Winterfell's weirwood.(ADWD, Bran)
• Then of course, there is the scene from WOW where Tyrion finds the white weirwood cyvasse piece drenched in blood(WOW Tyrion)
• And Brienne burying the Bloody Mummers at the weirwood roots at the Whispers in AFFC(Theon).
• Asha insisting that the sap on the weirwood tree is not sap but blood(ADWD-The Sacrifice).
• The insistence of the talking ravens to sacrifice Theon to the weirwood tree in the Winds of Winter.(WOW, Theon)

But the show usually eschews such gruesome details. I mean, the North Remembers. These are the good guys, aren't they? The show usually stays away from the the creepier manifestations of the Old Faith in the books.

Is this the show's confirmation, subtly done, almost unnoticed in the wake of Benjen's revelation, that green dreams, or (Three-eyed Ravenhood in show parlance) are fueled by blood?

I think it is. But maybe it is just considered a good hearty drink north of the wall.

The instant Benjen squeezes it out, Bran sits up, as if he has just smelled some freshly brewed coffee. The best part of waking up...and during the conversation he looks at the cup o' blood several times. As if to ask: Are you going to share that?

Some people will doubtless point to this as evidence that the Jojen paste theory is back on the menu. So to speak.Others will say, 'no, it's a wholesome health drink.' 

But if it  were me, and if I had the power to set an iron flail on fire with magic instantly,  I would have just whipped up a fire, (wight repellant, by the way), cooked the rabbit and drunk melted snow.

 Those northmen are hard.

Written May 31st 2016