Warning this article contains spoilers from the most recent season of Game of Thrones as well as speculation about the upcoming sixth season of the HBO series!!
For some Game of Thrones fans, this holiday season meant re-watching the HBO series or playing with your new direwolf pup and for others it meant refreshing George R.R. Martin‘s blog every 30 seconds waiting for an update on The Winds of Winds, the sixth installment in the Song of Ice and Fire series.
Unfortunately, fans’ hopes went up in smoke like Shireen Baratheon when Martin announced that The Winds of Winter will not be finished before the sixth season of Game of Thrones airs this spring. As Game of Thrones book readers navigate the seven stages of grief, there are some things that they’re just going to have to accept.
The past is already written, the ink is dry. Here are five things Game of Thrones is definitely going to spoil from the books.
1. Jon’s Resurrection
In season 5, Sam tells Olly, “I’ve been worrying about Jon for years. He always comes back.” This couldn’t have been a clearer reference to Jon’s stabbing unless Sam turned to the camera and winked. Despite Kit Harington‘s insistence that Jon is dead, it’s clear to pretty much everyone that Jon Snow will return to Game of Thrones in some form or another.
The only real question left is how Jon will return and there are many different theories on the subject. Some people believe Melisandre will resurrect him, while others believe Jon Snow is now trapped inside the body of his direwolf, and some fans even believe Jon will return as an Other and fight alongside the White Walkers.
We’ll also probably get an answer to question, “Who is Jon Snow’s mother?” One of the oldest theories in the Song of Ice and Fire fandom is R + L = J which suggests that Jon Snow is the son of Prince Rhaegar Targaryen (Daenerys’ brother) and Lyanna Stark (Ned’s sister). Martin has stated that Jon will learn who his mother is before the series is over and with only two books left, it’s likely that the secret will be answered sooner rather than later. How? Well we have one theory…
2. Bran’s Powers
While book readers are left debating about whether or not Bran ate his friend Jojen Reed, the show is going to reveal more about Bran’s powers than ever before. Although he was absent from season five, it’s pretty clear that Bran spent the time training with the Three Eyed Raven.
Bran Stark is back for #GameOfThrones season 6 and he’s grown up A LOT: https://t.co/o8TgCZowyn pic.twitter.com/irqfOGSxlj
— Entertainment Weekly (@EW) December 28, 2015
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, actor Isaac Hempstead-Wright stated, “Previously Bran’s seen tiny glimpses of future or past but never has he been very much in control in the situation,” Hempstead-Wright told EW, “Now we’re given looks into very important events in the past, present and future of this world and Bran is beginning to piece them together like a detective, almost as if he’s watching the show. Equally, he’s now discovering how crucial he could be in the Great War. It’s quite Inception-y.”
In season five, Game of Thrones used a flashback for the first time to show the story of Cersei’s encounter with Maggy the Frog. Moving forward, we can expect a lot more flashback thanks to Bran’s powers and his connection to the weirwood.net. Specifically, fans should look forward to a flashback of the infamous Tower of Joy scene, which could reveal the secret of Jon’s parentage.
3. Cersei’s Trial
Get hype! One of the most anticipated events of season six and The Winds of Winter is Cersei Lannister’s trial by combat. Cersei clearly intends to use Robert Strong (the re-animated corpse of Gregor Clegane possibility with Rob Stark’s head) as her champion, so the only question left is who the Faith of the Seven will choose as their champion. Possibilities include Cersei’s former boy toy, Lancel Lannister, and Sandor Clegane aka The Hound.
Last time we saw The Hound, he was left for dead by Arya Stark in season four, but a popular Game of Thrones fan theory argues that The Hound is still alive and that he will serve as the faith’s champion in Cersei’s trial. This would mean that Sandor Clegane would fight the re-animated corpse of his own brother. Given the fact that The Hound’s actor has been spotted on set, it’s a strong possibility
4. More Details About The White Walkers
George R.R. Martin has said that The Winds of Winter will go farther north than any other book. We’ve already learned more about The Others in the show than we ever did in the books including what they do with Craster’s boys as well as a first hand account of the events at Hardhome. In season six, we can expect to learn even more about the White Walkers, possibly including what they want.
5. The Battle of Fire
While writing A Dance With Dragons, Martin removed two major battles from the end of the book and added them to the start of The Winds of Winter: the Battle of Winterfell (nicknamed by fans “The Battle of Ice”) and the Battle of Meereen (aka “The Battle of Fire”).
At the end of season five, we saw The Battle of Ice which ended in a slaughter of Stannis’ forces, despite his moral boosting, pre-battle BBQ. However, fans can still look forward to The Battle of Fire which will include some thrilling civil unrest, Meereenese politics, and possibly dragons (woo!)
At the end of season five, Daenerys is surrounded by a horde of Dothraki horselords. It’s long been speculated that Daenerys would use her dragons to take control of the Dothraki and reign down fire upon her enemies. Earlier this year, a Game of Thrones actor accidentally leaked part of a season six script that hints at the rest of this theory being at least partially correct.
a new #goT actor ellie haddad accidentally shared a picture on instagram [now deleted] you can see some details pic.twitter.com/RKFhRgF9tL
— andee olivares (@o3flasho3) November 5, 2015
