We recently wrote about a Game of Thrones theory involving astrolabes, the show's opening sequence and Sam Tarley's recent visit to the Citadel.

Advertisement

It's slightly complicated, but basically boils down to the idea that the whole of George RR Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire is actually a story being read from a book by Maester-in-training Sam.

It's a pretty solid theory (read the full details here to see if you agree). So much so, in fact, that Sam himself – or rather John Bradley, the actor who plays him – seems to think it works...

“One theory is that what we're seeing now and how we're experiencing Game of Thrones is Sam telling the story of Game of Thrones,” said Bradley. “If you take the logic of the story now, the story of Westeros and the story of the battle for the Iron Throne, it would be a book in that library. The visual motif of that is you're about to be told a story — the sense of an idea of being told a story, and people gaining that knowledge, the way Sam is absorbing knowledge in the library.”

Bradley also makes the good point that putting in place a theme in the show's title sequence that is not referred back to until the end of the sixth season demonstrates great planning on the part of series creators David Benioff and DB Weiss.

More like this

"The one thing I found moving about that object being the same in the Citadel and in the opening titles is that it's a testament to their foresight, that they can plan something that only comes to fruition much later on," Bradley told The Hollywood Reporter. "It shows an incredible kind of long game, in terms of giving people drips of information and being brave enough to puzzle people for a while. I think once that becomes apparent, that this is something we've seen every week, and now we're finally having it explained to us at the end of season six, shows us how much control they have as writers and how in charge of the form and structure they are. They'll only give out information when they feel you should get that information. I think it's a testament to the pace and the overall detail of the show."

Advertisement

And of course, it means there may be more secrets planted in the early days of the show that are yet to be revealed...

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement