This season of “Game of Thrones” has been a godsend for fans who love to craft theories about what big twists lie ahead. Bran, Tyrion, and Sansa have all been the subjects of theories with major ramifications. But for every “Tyrion Targaryen” theory, there’s another one that has either been disproved by recent events or is so preposterous it would make Robert Baratheon roar with laughter.
One theory that doesn’t hold water suggests that Lord Varys is a merman. Either he’s lying about being a eunuch to hide his identity or he was turned into one by the sorcerer that castrated him. The key evidence is a throwaway line from the books where Varys did not flinch at Tyrion’s threat to throw him into the water.
A theory that lasted for a while suggested that Hodor was the Great Other who controlled the White Walkers, the icy counterpart to the Lord of Light which some fans believed Winterfell had been built to contain. This theory got debunked when the true origin of the word “Hodor” was revealed … right as the White Walkers killed the poor stable boy.
There have been a bunch of theories suggesting that Ned Stark survived his execution by warging out of his body just before his execution. These theories suggest he’s warged into Tywin, Joffrey, and even his greatsword, Ice. Of course, Tywin and Joffrey are now dead and Ice was melted down into new swords. Ned’s long gone.
On the “Song of Ice and Fire” subreddit, there’s a theory that suggests that Tyrion is Drogo and Daenerys’ son thanks to some fetus switching in the first season courtesy of Mirri Maz Duur and some time travel magic. It has to be read to be believed.
The most popular GoT theory is the “RLJ” theory that suggests Jon Snow is the child of Lyanna Stark and Rhaegar Targaryen, a fact Ned Stark hid to protect Jon. A much more icky version of this theory is that Jon is the product of an incestuous relationship between Ned and Lyanna. Apparently some fan thinks that incest isn’t just the domain of Lannisters and Targaryens.
Jorah Mormont has been competing for the attention of Queen Daenerys with Daario Naharis, but one crazy theory suggests that the two are the same person, a la “Fight Club.” The idea of the handsome, powerful Daario being a Tyler Durden-esque illusion that Jorah unconsciously uses to sleep with Dany is funny, but totally impossible.
Another Daario theory suggests that he is Benjen Stark, who ditched the Night’s Watch as the White Walkers advanced and traveled to Essos to find a new life. Instead, events this season have revealed that Benjen has been beyond the Wall all this time, ready to serve Bran.
Roose Bolton was once believed by some fans to be a half-human, half-Other, skinchanging immortal who used the magic of the Faceless Men and the skins of the enemies he flayed to disguise himself over the centuries. Ramsay’s treachery this season brought an end to that theory.
This season, we are learning more and more about Bran’s warging powers, which has led some to wonder just how much of an impact he has on the past. But some theories take this too far, such as one that suggests that Bran has warged into every single character in the story and has influenced their actions.
If you know anything about internet fandom, you know about “shippers,” fans that love creating romances between unlikely characters. One shipping theory suggests that Robert Baratheon had a secret relationship with — or at least held feelings for — his foster brother, Ned Stark.
If you go looking around long enough, you’ll find theories on a wide range of characters secretly being Targaryens. Along with Jon and Tyrion, there are theories that Sam Tarly, Mance Rayder, and even Hodor are the blood of the dragon.
After Arya was stabbed by the Waif, there were growing murmurs around a theory that claimed the Waif wasn’t real, but rather a figment of Arya’s imagination. Now that Arya killed her and put her face on the wall, it’s clear that the Waif is no Tyler Durden.
At the start of season 6, some fans were wondering whether Sansa was pregnant with Ramsay’s child after being raped. Some preview photos and dialogue stoked the theory, but as the story went on, it became more and more unlikely that this theory would become reality. The theory was finally shut down by Liam Cunningham in an interview.
But perhaps the wildest “GoT” theory ever devised is the one that imagines Westeros as J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-Earth thousands of years after the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy. Along with Gandalf’s sword seemingly making its way into the Iron Throne, fans of both series have turned to maps and “The Silmarillion” to imagine a scenario where the geology of Middle-Earth warped into Westeros and Essos.
