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The Winds of Winter is famously long overdue, but George R.R. Martin has revealed several plot details to provide a taste of the upcoming fantasy epic. Martin finds himself in a peculiar situation with his books, as the television adaptation has already come and gone, providing vast TV audiences with an interpretation of his ending before he delivered his own. A lot went wrong with Game of Thrones season 8, but details Martin has shared, as well as events from his already released volumes, reveal that the book ending will be drastically different.
Over the years, George R.R. Martin has made numerous comments about The Winds of Winter, including tidbits of information regarding the novel. There are several events toward the end of Game of Thrones that are commonly believed to be in the author’s interpretation of the story, but this will only compile things that Martin has directly shared, corresponding specifically to The Winds of Winter, not A Dream of Spring.
12
Jeyne Westerling Will Be In The Prologue
Robb Stark’s Widow Has Information To Reveal
Jeyne Westerling is the widow of Robb Stark, and unlike the TV show’s version (Talisa), she survived the Red Wedding. Martin has confirmed that Jeyne will be a character in the prologue, though there’s no confirmation that she’s the POV character in it, which would imply her impending death, as the previous five books’ prologue POVs have. Jeyne’s presence can clarify two lingering questions: whether she’s carrying Robb Stark’s child, and whether she really met Jaime in A Feast for Crows, or if that was an impostor. She could also offer insight on Robb Stark’s will.
|
ASOIAF Book |
Prologue POV Character |
|---|---|
|
A Game of Thrones |
Will |
|
A Clash of Kings |
Maester Cressen |
|
A Storm of Swords |
Chett |
|
A Feast for Crows |
Pate |
|
A Dance with Dragons |
Varamyr |
11
The Book Will Begin With A Battle Of Ice & A Battle Of Fire
Battles Will Happen In The North & In Slaver’s Bay
A Dance with Dragons notably left readers hanging with multiple cliffhangers, including two major battles.
A Dance with Dragons notably left readers hanging with multiple cliffhangers, including two major battles. A battle between Stannis Baratheon and the Boltons is about to transpire in the North, and Victarion Greyjoy’s fleet has arrived in Meereen. These sequences are intended to play out very early in the books, with Victarion’s POV chapter happening just five minutes after the previous book ended. Sample chapters preceding these battles have already been released, with POVs from Theon, Barristan, Tyrion, and Victarion in their respective locations.
10
Young Griff Will Take Storm’s End
Aegon Targaryen Is Advancing Toward King’s Landing
Another chapter that’s already been revealed follows Arianne Martell as she travels to the Stormlands to meet the boy known as Aegon Targaryen, or Young Griff. She arrives at Griffin’s Roost to hear that the Golden Company has already taken Storm’s End, giving Young Griff a powerful foothold in Westeros. Mace Tyrell is bringing forces south from King’s Landing to meet Aegon in battle, so Arianne and Jon Connington should provide us with POVs of the events surrounding the Baratheon castle.
9
Daenerys & Tyrion Will Finally Cross Paths
How Different Will It Be From The Show?
In an EW interview from 2014, George R.R. Martin discussed the anticipated meeting between Daenerys and Tyrion, who had only glimpsed at each other at the arena in A Dance with Dragons. He states, “Tyrion and Dany will intersect, in a way, but for much of the book they’re still apart,” referring to Dany now being with the Dothraki, suggesting it will be a while before she returns to Meereen. It’s unclear what he means by “intersect,” but he also adds that “they’re both coming home,” suggesting that both characters could be crossing the sea by the book’s end.
Related
Varys’s death in Game of Thrones season 8 was among the worst in the show, but The Winds of Winter will presumably take a different direction.
8
The Winds Of Winter Will Introduce Unicorns
Yes, Unicorns Exist In Game Of Thrones
This might come as a shock to TV fans who haven’t read the books, but there have been notions about the existence of unicorns in previous volumes. In 2019, Martin mentioned, “I have an interesting take on unicorns coming up in the new books” (via Winter is Coming), suggesting we’ll see them on-screen. Unicorns are known to live on Skagos, an island off the coast of the North, in Martin’s world, which is notably the location Rickon Stark has been brought to by Osha. They could appear in Davos Seaworth’s POV chapters, as he’s been tasked with retrieving the boy.
The unicorn is the sigil of House Brax of the Westerlands.
7
The Dothraki Will Play A Major Role In The Book
Daenerys Could Win Over The Dothraki With Fire & Blood
The Dothraki are a major part of A Game of Thrones and one of the most recognizable cultures in Martin’s worldbuilding. At the end of A Dance with Dragons, Khal Jhaqo finds Daenerys and Drogon in the Dothraki sea, suggesting that a narrative could play out similar to that of Game of Thrones season 6. In that same EW interview, Martin directly mentioned that the Dothraki will return “in a big way,” and he elsewhere shared that Dany would live up to the Targaryen “Fire and Blood” moniker, suggesting her hostile takeover of the khalasar.
6
Quaithe Will Play A Role In The Winds Of Winter
Quaithe Won’t Be Written Off In The Books
Quaithe is one of the most mysterious characters in A Song of Ice & Fire, and her story was almost entirely unresolved in Game of Thrones, never returning after season 2. In the books, however, Daenerys has seen Quaithe in dreams, offering her cryptic messages since departing from Qarth. In a 2022 blog post, Martin shared a bunch of details about how his books will differ from the show, mentioning, “Quaithe still has a part to play.”
5
The Winds Of Winter Will Explore The Others And The North Further
We’ll See Some Major Lore About The Others
Speaking with SmarterTravel in 2012, George R.R. Martin shared that “What lies really north in my books—we haven’t explored that yet, but we will in the last two books.” The mysteries surrounding the Others are still prevalent in Martin’s text, and ventures beyond the Wall could be telling of their origins, motivations, and how to defeat them in ways that far surpass the complexity of the TV show. He also mentions in the same interview that readers will see more of the Others in The Winds of Winter.
4
Nymeria’s Wolfpack Will Return
The Wolves Are A Chekhov’s Gun
Jon Snow had a wolf dream of Nymeria, who now has hundreds of wolves following her.
Nymeria’s pack was shown in Game of Thrones season 7 during a brief scene, but they’ve been mentioned since A Clash of Kings in the books. In A Dance with Dragons, Jon Snow had a wolf dream of Nymeria, who now has hundreds of wolves following her. Speaking with Mashable in 2014, Martin said, “You don’t hang a giant wolf pack on the wall unless you intend to use it.” This is a reference to the narrative principle of Chekhov’s gun, implying that Martin will unleash the wolves for a major event sometime soon.
3
Euron Tortures Aeron & Sets Out For A Naval Battle
Euron Is Up To No Good In The Reach
Another early chapter of The Winds of Winter shows Euron Greyjoy admitting to the murder of Balon and two of his other brothers to an imprisoned Aeron Damphair. Aeron has some visions of Euron, including one that shows him as a kraken-humanoid mixture sitting upon the Iron Throne. Euron then sets out for his naval conflict against House Redwyne, and Aeron believes his brother to be wearing Valyrian steel armor.
2
“Hold The Door” Will Happen In A Different Context
Season 6’s Most Painful Moment Will Happen In The Books
In James Hibberd’s book, “Fire Cannot Kill a Dragon,” which shares behind-the-scenes stories about the making of Game of Thrones, Martin revealed that the season 6 Hodor death sequence is an idea he shared from his books, but that it will play out differently. He explains that the novels play out the sequence with Hodor’s size and physicality, while his version of Hodor will wield a sword, which Bran has been practicing with by warging Hodor’s body. He says, “Telling Hodor to ‘hold the door’ is more like ‘hold this pass.'”
1
Stannis Will Burn Shireen
Season 5’s Most Painful Moment Will Happen In The Books
Another quote from “Fire Cannot Kill a Dragon” saw George R.R. Martin discussing a meeting he had with David Benioff and D.B. Weiss in 2013, where he revealed some of the pivotal moments from his not-yet-released novels, such as “Stannis’s decision to burn his daughter.” This may come as a source of confusion to readers, given that Stannis left Shireen behind at the Wall in the book, but Martin will find a way to fulfill the promise in The Winds of Winter.
Sources: EW, NotaBlog, Winter is Coming, SmarterTravel, Mashable
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