In the "A Ghost of Winterfell" chapter of "A Dance of Dragons," George R.R. Martin introduced
a mystery character. A man whom hardcore fans refer to as the Hooded Man since he had a
hooded cloak, flapping behind him. A cool interpretation of the Hooded Man is
that he is just one of Theon's split personalities shortly before Theon remembers who he really
is. But the line - How is it you still breathe?
- suggests that the hooded man was an actual man who was surprised that Theon Turncloak
was still alive. So who is the hooded man? There are a lot of options, which we will
cover. But one stands above the rest. As we went over in the last video, Jon Snow
had a vision of Benjen Stark dead in the snow. And although George R.R. Martin may have tried
to trick fans, Benjen is probably Coldhands. But even if you don't buy that, even if Benjen
is not Coldhands, it is unlikely that Benjen would be down in Winterfell since Benjen is
the definition of a loyal Crow through and through, honorbound to the Night's Watch more
than almost any other Crow. So if Benjen were still alive, he would be with or doing something
on behalf of his new brothers. The brothers of the Night's Watch.
Next up, Galbart Glover. Robb Stark sent Galbart Glover to Seaguard with Maege Mormont and
Jason Mallister and ordered them to connect with Howland Reed. We do not know what has
happened to Maege and Galbart, but Jason Mallison is now a prisoner in his own castle of Seagaurd.
And for what it's worth, Lady Catelyn thought that Galbart Glover lacked the Blackfish's
brilliance. So it could be him since he is M.I.A. right now, but it's probably someone
more important to the Winterfell subplots. Before we get to the two most likely candidates,
let's give a shoutout to Harwin son of Hullen, Winterfell's former Master of Horse. Harwin
was part of Lord Eddard's guard, but Ned sent Harwin out with Beric Dondarrion to make the
Mountain answer for his crimes. Ever since, Harwin has been part of the brotherhood without
banners. When the brotherhood found Lady Catelyn's
body, Harwin begged Thoros to give her the kiss of life, but Thoros refused to do it
as she had been dead too long. So Beric did instead, and the flame of life passed from
him to her. We don t know if Harwin is still with the
brotherhood under the leadership of Lady Stoneheart or if he decided to leave, but if Harwin were
to leave, Harwin's loyalties might still lie more with the smallfolk in the war torn riverlands
rather than with those Winterfell. So Harwin is also unlikely.
And then we've got Hallis Mollen. Hallis Mollen was last seen riding north with Ned Stark's
bones, so if it were him, then he may have returned Ned Stark's bones to the Crypts.
But he's not the only one who may have returned Ned's bones.
That leads us into the two most likely candidates. Bynden Tully AKA The Blackfish. And Ser Raynald
Westerling. When Jaime Lannister took over Riverrun, the
Blackfish swam under the portcullis. Similarly, Raynald Westerling was shot in the shoulder
and gut during the Red Wedding, but he managed to reach the wallwalk and throw himself into
the river. George R.R. Martin specifically had Jaime Lannister ask if they had found
his corpse afterward, and they had not. So Raynald Westerling and the Blackfish are two
great candidates for the Hooded Man of Winterfell. Which one is more likely?
Jaime had no doubt that the Blackfish meant to continue to fight. And Jaime even wondered
Where would I go, if I were the Blackfish. So the Blackfish definitely has a role to
play in the upcoming story, which is great news since the Blackfish is one of the coolest
characters in the story. And the Blackfish was fond of is niece Catelyn,
so there's an argument to be made that he went north to get revenge. However, if he
did, he wouldn't be casually walking around inside Winterfell without his hood even covering
his face, because a lot of people there would know who he was.
On top of that, Brynden's older brother Hoster Tully died. And his nephew Edmure Tully is
now effectively a prisoner. So odds are, The Blackfish's eyes are set on Riverrun.
Since The Blackfish was Knight of the Bloody Gate for years, he may go to the Vale for
a respite or to find allies, but regardless, it makes the most sense from a storytelling
perspective for the black sheep of the family, the Blackfish, to focus on getting back Riverrun.
Raynald Westerling, on the other hand, has a very specific reason to go north. Revenge
for Robb Stark. Raynald was Robb Stark's brother-in-law. According
to Lady Cat, Robb seemed to enjoy the company of Raynald and his younger brother Rollam.
It was as if young Rollam filled the place of Bran, and Raynald filled the places of
Jon Snow and Theon. The only times that Catelyn ever saw Robb smile and laugh during the war
was when he was the Westerlings. So Robb was fond of Raynald, and presumably,
Raynald was fond of Robb as well. Not just as his King, but as his friend. As his brother-in-law.
As his brother. Raynald did not know about the Red Wedding
plans. So he was blindsided by what transpired. When the Freys demanded his sword during the
Red Wedding, Raynald allegedly gave it over meek enough, but when the crossbowmen began
to feather Greywind, Raynald seized Whalen Frey's axe and cut Greywind loose of the net
they d thrown over him. That s when Raynald got shot twice and managed to reach the wallwalk
and throw himself into the river. So if Raynald survived, it makes the most
sense for him to rendezouz with Howland Reed and then sneak his way up to Winterfell. For
revenge against the Boltons and Freys who betrayed his brother, Robb Stark. He may even
have met up with Hallis Mollen and brought Ned's bones to Winterfell.
But more importantly, if Raynald was the hooded man, that would explain why the hooded man
put his hand on his dagger when he came face to face with Theon. Robb Stark's new brother,
Raynald, looking into the eyes of the brother who betrayed Robb. And Raynald thought about
killing him.