With five episodes of the new season of Game of Thrones underway, fan theories are more numerous than a Dothraki horde. Even though Jon Snow’s resurrection laid to rest much speculation from earlier this year, there are still many questions that remain. Is the Hound alive? These are six of the most interesting Game of Thrones theories that are surprisingly credible.
1. Jon Snow is Azor Ahai
Melisandre, the Red Woman, spent a majority of her time supporting Stannis Barantheon because she believed she was the resurrection of the legendary warrior, Azor Ahai. Based on last season’s finale, Melisandre was dead wrong. Melisandre’s return to the Night’s Watch and subsequent resurrection of Jon Snow seems to indicate a strong connection between the two. Reddit user jacoZ123 posits that Jon Snow is, in fact, the resurrected warrior.
Azor Ahai was a legendary champion who famously defeated White Walkers during the Long Night. He wields a sword named Lightbringer. Thoros of Myr describes the prophecy of Azor Ahai as such:
“Our champion will be reborn to wake dragons from stone and reforge the great sword Lightbringer that defeated the darkness those thousands of years ago. If the old tales are true, a terrible weapon forged with a loving wife’s heart. Part of me thinks man was well rid of it, but great power requires great sacrifice. That much at least the Lord of Light is clear on.”
JacoZ123 uses some key scenes from the Tower of Joy battle to explain his theory.
“If the theory R+L=J is true then Jon’s lineage as a Targaryen is almost guaranteed after the events of Oathbreaker. One of the lines of prophecy concerning Azor Ahai states that he will ” be born under a bleeding star.” After Ser Arthur Dayne is stabbed from behind by Howland Reed, he falls to his knees clutching his sword Dawn which he then drops. It is picked up by Ned Stark who reluctantly kills Ser Arthur due to the dishonorable nature of the kill. The sword Dawn bears the Dayne sigil of a star on its pommel and was forged from a falling star, which is now dripping with the blood of Ser Arthur, known also as the Sword of the Morning, a play on Star of the Morning. Ned does not drop Dawn but while holding it runs to the stairs leading up the Tower of Joy when he hears Lyanna’s scream from the pain of Jon’s birth. He reaches the room holding the Bleeding Star.”
2. Bran is the Three-Eyed Raven
Bran has been one of the more intriguing characters on Game of Thrones because of his warg talents. Bran can control animals or humans and act through them. But there’s no reason why Bran cannot also access their memories, since he’s essentially controlling their brains. Though this has not been officially confirmed, it is logical to assume that Bran is reliving the past events at Winterfell and the Tower of Joy by accessing Hodor’s memories.
The Three-Eyed Raven is an ancient Warg who has been waiting for centuries to train Bran. He’s a new character to this season and offers more questions than answers. While it seems likely that he is simply a Gandalf figure for Bran, Reddit user 50ShadesOfStormborn suggests that they in fact may be the same person.
“I read an article where Isaac Wright made a comment that “We know from watching Doctor Who, that changing time can be dangerous.” or something along those lines. Maybe Bran accidentally created a time paradox, and the Three Eyed Raven is actually an old Bran trying to fix his mistake through present Bran. He seems very adamant about not staying in one vision for too long, as to not “get lost/stuck”. So perhaps he stayed in a vision too long, and literally got rooted to the tree.”
He continues by pointing out that the Three-Eyed Raven reacted strongly when Ned turned at Bran’s voice, and that Jojen Reed points out that the Three-Eyed Raven Bran keeps attempting to kill in his dreams is Bran himself. For the full post, click here.
3. Meera Reed is Jon’s Sister
It’s well-established in the Game of Thrones universe that the Reeds and the Starks were close during Robert’s Rebellion against the Mad King; Howland Reed and Ned Stark were close friends. The show continues to show this closeness through the two Reed children, Jojen and Meera, guiding Bran on his journey to the Three-Eyed Raven. But what if the Reeds and Starks are closer than simply friends?
Reddit user MikeTysonsLifeCoach posited that Meera and Jon are actually siblings. The actual post is too long to paste here, but these are some of the highlights: Meera was born in the same year as Jon and Robb, but little is known of her mother. She is physically similar to Lyanna and Arya’s description. Twins increase the chance of death during childbirth. The actress who plays Meera also looks very similar to Jon Snow.
The author does note some holes in the theory. For instance, Meera has green eyes, which no Starks or Targaryens have. Also, Meera does not show up in any prophecies. This theory is entirely up to your opinion as a viewer. Meera is still alive in the show so her character must have some purpose, but I wouldn’t put too much stock in this theory.
4. Robert Strong (Franken-Mountain) has Joffrey’s head
The Mountain was arguably the most violent character on Game of Thrones. A mammoth of a man who delighted in the brutal slaying of other men, he reportedly had no problem slaying the entire Targaryen family during the sack of King’s Landing. He even burned his brother’s face as a child.
The Mountain met his demise after being poisoned during a trial by combat against Oberyn Martell. However, the queen’s creepy Maester, Qyburn, had other plans. Qyburn tampered with the corpse and suddenly a new gigantic Queensguard called Robert Strong has appeared. Most people presumed that it was simply the Moutain’s reanimated corpse, but some have noticed curious things about Ser Strong, such as his eye and skin color. One reddit user noticed that Joffrey has the same eye color and skin discoloration has Ser Strong. Even for the Game of Thrones writers, this is pretty terrifying.
5. The Hound is alive
Sandor Clegane, also known as The Hound, was always a strangely ambiguous figure. Uncompromisingly vicious and violent, he seemed resigned to the horrors of the Game of Thrones universe. Yet, he would occasionally show some heart and compassion for others. For instance, he rescued Sansa from rapists and protected Arya as they searched for her family. The Hound was mortally wounded by Brienne of Tarth in the season four finale and Arya left him for dead. But there’s no body, and if there’s no body, there’s no guarantee of death.
There’s a theory that The Hound is alive and living as a novice in a monastery on the Quiet Isle. Click here for all the evidence. This theory corresponds to actor Ian McShane’s spoilers earlier this year. Mcshane will play a, “priest in his 40s or 50s. A gruff ex-soldier who found religion, now a no-nonsense rural priest who ministers to the poor of the countryside. He’s a salt-of-the-earth man who has weathered many battles.” This fits the description of book character, Septon Meribald, who alleges to the Hound being alive.
6. Cleganebowl
This theory is entirely dependent on the two before it being true. It boils down to a Clegane vs. Clegane trial by combat. Ser Robert Strong, the reanimated corpse of The Mountain, and his brother The Hound, the presumed dead Sandor Clegane, finally settling their sibling rivalry. There is no love lost between the brothers, especially considering the origins of the Hound’s scars. The Mountain would fight on behalf of the Lannisters, fighting for Cersei and Margaery, and The Hound, because of his new-found religion, would be fighting for the High Sparrow.
This post was originally written by Patrick Dodd.
