There are fans, and then there are Game of Thrones fans. Right from its first season, there has been no denying that the series enjoys a legion of fans like none other. And, ever since it became official that the storyline of the show would significantly deviate from The Song of Ice & Fire by George RR Martin, the loyal followers took it upon themselves to come up with theories before the start of every season. While some theories have been spot on (consider the whole R+L=J theory), others have remained tucked away in the darkest corners of the internet. Now, with the last and final season of the show set to air (starting mid-April), there’s no time like now to analyse some of the hottest trending conspiracy theories floating around, and seek out a few answers for pressing dilemmas faced exclusively by GoT fans. No, there aren’t any spoilers here. Or are there? We won’t know until the show airs, given that both the production house and the cast have been keeping everything utmostly hush-hush. For a quick catch-up on what fans are theorising about Season Eight of Game of Thrones,
Melisandre will bring in her own army to the Great War
Melisandre has done some pretty bad things, but she has also partly redeemed herself, as fans vouched for her to bring Jon back. But the last time we saw Melisandre was when she shot a threat at Varys, “I will return, dear Spider, one last time. I have to die in this strange country, just like you.” She then announced that she would be sailing across the Narrow Sea to Volantis, which is one of the Free Cities of Essos. Point to be noted — Melisandre is a Red Priestess in the religion of R’hllor, the Lord of Light, which has played a supporting role throughout the series. Volantis is home to one of the largest Red Temples in the religion of R’hllor, and also happens to be where Kinvara—the Red Priestess is from.
To jog your memory, Kinvara was the one who met Tyrion and convinced him that Daenerys was the ‘Princess that was promised’, stating that she would convince her people to follow Dany too. This is a huge deal as Kinvara earlier identified herself as High Priestess of the Red Temple of Volantis, the Flame of Truth, the Light of Wisdom, and First Servant of the Lord of Light. Obviously, both Melisandre and Kinvara’s paths will merge.
With one supporting Jon and the other, Dany, they’re both playing for the same team. So, it won’t come as a surprise if they merge to bring an army of their own — one that is quite lethal, we might add. Volantis is guarded by a massive army called the Fiery Hand, which Tyrion sees in the episode, A Dance with Dragons. That means, an army that follows a fire god — pretty useful in a battle against undead ice monsters!
Arya will go to King’s Landing as Petyr Baelish
Petyr Baelish aka Littlefinger died within the walls of Winterfell, and no one in King’s Landing knows that. Even if he’s a tad bit unwelcome there, Arya could easily use his face as a mask, to get closer to her enemies in the South. Watch out, Cersei!
Clegane Bowl. Clegane Bowl. Clegane Bowl.
There! Said it thrice and now we need to tap our heels, and hope it comes true. One of the most-anticipated events on the show, Clegane Bowl didn’t take place in Season Seven, as was expected.
But it is believed to finally transpire in Season Eight. Remember The Hound’s conversation with his brother, The Mountain in Season Seven — “What did they do to you? Doesn’t matter. That’s not how it ends for you, brother. You know who’s coming for you. You’ve always known.” We have seen the hatred they share for each other as Littlefinger unravels their story in Season One, while talking to Sansa.
However, apart from Clegane Bowl being a theory itself, there’s another theory rooted in this one. It is believed that Arya will manage to kill Cersei and use her face as a mask in King’s Landing, which The Mountain soon realises, owing to the amount of time he has spent under Cersei’s regime and by her side. In a quest to save her, The Hound and The Mountain will finally duel it out in Clegane bowl!
Tyrion is a Targaryen
Now we know, and can finally heave a sigh of relief with the knowledge that Jon Snow is indeed Lyana Stark and Rhaegar Targaryen’s son (L + R = J). The next is the theory that Tyrion might also be a Targaryen: A + J = T. It was earlier stated that the Mad King, Aerys Targaryen, was obsessed with Joanna, and it is believed by fans that Aerys impregnated Joanna who died while giving birth to Tyrion, much like the mothers of the siblings, Jon and Daenerys .This would also finally put an end to the questions that arise with Tywin’s last words to Tyrion, “You’re no son of mine”. To top it all, Tyrion’s interaction with the dragons were somewhat questionable too!
Ned Stark is alive, and will return!
One of the biggest and most anticipated theories ever is that our good ol’ man Ned Stark is alive, and will return. This is one of the craziest theories we know, but a leading entertainment magazine that was on the sets of Game of Thrones reported that they saw a number of characters they didn’t expect to see again. One can’t help but wonder if Ned is one of them, and if Catelyn will finally make an appearance
too! Of course, we all saw Ned’s severed head on a stick in King’s Landing, but remember one tiny yet important detail — Ned Stark and JaqenH’Ghar were in the same cell, and Varys visited them too. It was pretty easy to not think twice when Arya met Jaqen for the first time, but later, when we finally start seeing the things that he is capable of doing, how could it have been so easy for The Faceless Man to be imprisoned like that? It is believed that Jaqen was captured on purpose, to help replace Ned Stark at his execution, and that Ned is somewhere far away and safe (for now), working for Varys to pay off the debt owed to Jaqen!
Samwell Tarly is Azor Ahai
Our sweet, loyal Sam is actually the ‘Prince that was promised’! Yes, it does sound crazy, but it is believed that Samwell is actually a Targaryen too, and was the son of Rhaegar and Elia Martell (Rhaegar’s wife before Lyanna Stark). He could be AzorAhai (the ‘Prince that was promised’, described as the ‘One who fought against (the darkness) with a red sword’ and ‘arose to give courage to the race of men and lead the virtuous into battle with his blazing sword Lightbringer.’
If one thinks about it, Samwell was there in the battle of Hardhome witnessing the White Walkers. He later makes his way to the Citadel, and is the one who finds out where all the dragon glass is. He is also the one who figures out that Jon is Rhaegar and Lyana’s son, and that they were duly married before Jon was born! Moreover, it was mentioned that Samwell had inherited his mother’s Dornish looks and most of her character — kind and clever, with a gentle heart and sweet wit, though with delicate health — exactly like Ser Barristan Selmy had described Elia!
Bran Stark is the Night King
Granted, this is the most absurd of all the theories, but the attires of both Bran and the Night King have drawn attention to this theory. Moreover, the man whom the Children of the Forest used to create the first White Walker, was believed to be a Stark.
Bran built the wall
Season Six revealed that Bran could not only see the past, but he could manipulate it too — case in point, Hodor! But it’s not just this. There are a number of theories that consider the endless possibilities here. One is that Nan, who sat by Bran’s bedside and told him stories all the time, confused Bran sometimes with Brandon, the baby she nursed all those years ago, and sometimes with Bran’s uncle Brandon, Ned’s brother, who was killed by orders of the Mad King, before Bran was even born.
So much so that Robb mentions how their mother had told him once that Nan had lived so long that all Brandon Starks had become one person in her head. Now, we all know that the show doesn’t put anything in there that holds no meaning, and with all the mystery surrounding Bran, this is a strong possibility!
Q&A
With only six episodes left to playout in the series finale, will this season give us answers to all the questions we have, which the previous seven seasons could not resolve? Here are some of the most pressing questions that every fan wants the answer to...
Who will sit on the Iron Throne?
The fight has lasted seven seasons so far, with Cersei holding on with her dear life even as Daenerys claims that the right to the throne is with her. Amidst all of this, there have been others who have come and gone, and nobody else has lasted this far on the show. Now, with Jon’s true parentage being revealed and Gendry’s about to come out, it’s a threat to both Cersei and Daenerys, while Varys and Melisandre are on a mission of their own!
What does the Night King want? Will Westeros defeat him?
Of course, the Night King has a plan — and at this point, it pretty much looks like he is leading the way for the complete destruction of Westeros. But does he want that? Is he actually a saviour by the end of it all? And what about the Wall that was built thousands of years ago, and sealed with magic? No matter how much Westeros huddles up together, winning this war against the Night King, who seems like he has it all, certainly seems like a task! With Cersei driving an agenda of her own, does Westeros have a chance against the Night King?
What is Gendry here for?
While Cersei and Dany think they are the only competitors in the running for the throne, everyone is yet to find out about Jon’s true parentage. Then, of course, there is the Baratheon bastard child Gendry, who everyone has a thousand theories about. But they’ve only been theories up until Season Seven, where he turned up rowing his boat. Even then, Gendry went missing in the finale episode. Such little screen time helped no one — just ask Rickon Stark! So, what is Gendry’s role, finally? Does he even stand a chance to ascend the throne? Or is he a means to an end in this Great War?
Who is Azor Ahai – The prince that was promised?
A big question posed since the early seasons of the show was, Who is Azor Ahai? According to the prophecy, Azor Ahai would be the prince that was promised, and who would save Westeros. There were theories about it being Jon, and then it moved to Beric Dondarrion. If you don’t remember the name, hint: The flaming sword. So who will this be? Knowing the show’s many twists and turns, we know there won’t be a straight answer to this one either.
Will there be a second dragon rider?
There are two dragons left and one rider — Dany herself. The theory about dragon riders has been long-standing. So who will it be? Tyrion, who the dragons have previously opened up to interacting with? Or will it be Jon, who is now revealed to be a Targaryen himself? Or will it be Bran, with all the ‘warging’, who will take control of the dragon? Arya looked mighty impressed when she sees the dragons in the Season Eight trailer. Will the fearless assassin ride the dragon instead? No matter who, anyone who takes the seat next to Dany is sure to look like one mighty warrior!
What will finally transpire between Jon and Daenerys?
Jon and Daenerys clearly got together in the last and final scene of Season Seven of the show, and Tyrion looked none too happy about it! We also see Bran discussing Jon’s true parentage with Samwell Tarly, and they’re clearly not about to hide it from Jon when he arrives at Winterfell. Whatever Jon’s plans are, clearly he has yet another issue coming his way that he needs to deal with — the talk! Will Jon tell Dany about it once he knows? Are they going to be all too disgusted about it, or will the plot about their romance go on — seeing as we have that Targaryens are all for having romantic relationships within their families, and with their family members?
Can Daenerys save Viserion?
Dany has always treated her dragons like her own children. So will Viserion and Dany tap into that bond to break free from the Night King’s control or will it be Drogon and Rhaegal against their brother Viserion?