A new theory is sweeping the Internet, and it could even make Hodor say "damn."
Besides the whole Jon Snow thing on Sunday's episode of "Game of Thrones," there was one other moment that was almost as shocking:
Hodor talked.
And by talked, we mean he said a hella lot more than "Hodor."
In the scene, which was one of Bran's visions into the past, we see Hodor, whose real name is apparently Willis, actually talk to Ned Stark's sister, Lyanna. Sure, he's probably not the sharpest sword in the armory, but he's savvy enough to pick up on a young Benjen Stark's fighting tendencies.
Bran was as surprised as us to discover that Hodor could talk, so how did Willis become the Hodor we know and love today?
Well, Redditors gbinasia and TazoGreenTea have a theory that seems so ridiculous, it actually makes sense.
The theory: Hodor was a warg and stayed in his animal so long that he lost himself.
Whoa-dor.
According to the theory, Hodor was a warg/skinchanger as a kid, but he may have spent too much time in his animal, causing him to lose a part of himself (something Jojen Reed once warned Bran about).
There's also the possibility that Hodor's animal was killed while he was warging into it, which is a traumatic event for a skinchanger. This could've led him to lose his mind.
But if Hodor was a warg, what animal would he change into? Gbinasia explains that the obvious choice is Lyanna's horse:
As a stable boy, it would make sense that his choice would be to warg into a horse since, like dogs, they are docile and are accustomed to his presence. And if the (possibly) only girl treating him nicely was Lyanna, it would make complete sense that this is the horse he would warg into.
From the books, we know Lyanna died at the Tower of Joy. Could Hodor, as her horse, have died there, as well? Or was he perhaps killed in some battle? Is this the real reason Hodor became ... well ... Hodor?
The evidence
1. A whole section in George R.R. Martin's books compares Hodor to a horse.
Redditor PliersD3 points out that in Martin's second book in the Song of Ice and Fire series, A Clash of Kings, Hodor is straight-up called a horse:
Little Walder cast his splintered lance aside, spied Bran, and reined up. “Now there’s an ugly horse,” he said of Hodor.
“Hodor’s no horse,” Bran said.
“Hodor,” said Hodor.
Big Walder trotted up to join his cousin. “Well, he’s not as smart as a horse, that’s for certain.”
Is this a hint into the truth about Hodor?
There's more, too. Little Walder even speculates that Hodor means "I love you" in horse. Plus, in Martin's novel, A Game of Thrones, there's a line where Maester Luwin says, "Hodor is a man, not a mule to be beaten.”
Uh, no offense, Luwin, but this theory begs to differ, bruh.
2. Hodor has taken on the characteristics of a horse.
After Bran loses the use of his legs in the book, he's often described as riding around on Hodor's back. Also, Hodor appears to fear the dark and lightning like horses might, as revealed in this excerpt from A Storm of Swords:
The lightning flashed again, and this time the thunder came at six. “Hodor!” Hodor yelled again. “HODOR! HODOR!” He snatched up his sword, as if to fight the storm.
3. Wargs can lose their minds when their animals are killed.
A precedent has already been set for when a warg's animal is killed. In Martin's books, Melisandre kills an eagle that has a wildling warg in it. The wildling goes mad because of it, losing control of his other animals.
4. The three-eyed raven has been watching Hodor all along.
Redditor TazoGreenTea brings up a scene from Season 4 where the three-eyed raven tells Hodor, Bran and Meera, "I've been watching you -- all of you -- all of your lives."
Why would the raven be watching Hodor if there wasn't a reason to? Did Hodor once have visions like Bran did?
In the Bran flashback scene, we see Lyanna on a horse, Hodor talking and the three-eyed raven warning Bran not to stay in visions too long. It seems a little random, but if the theory is true, then it all makes sense. If Bran stays in visions or wargs for too long, he may lose himself like Hodor.
When The Huffington Post once asked George R.R. Martin about the origins of Hodor, he wouldn't reveal the answer. Could this theory be the reason why Hodor is Hodor? Or are we barking up the wrong Hodor?
The only thing we know for sure is "Hodor."
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