Creating a comprehensive list of mysteries - the project goes on!

[Kyll.Ing.]

Whew, finally got around to salvage the previous thread. For the longest time, I was afraid that all the work had been lost.

Oh well, onto the gigantic OP:

Hello, speculators!

 

Based on another thread in the TWoW subforum, I figured it would be a good idea to create this here.

 

Now, as we all know, the books leave the readers with many questions unanswered. Many questions. We're fond to discuss them on these boards, trying to find answers to the numerous mysteries this series present to us.

 

This is not a thread for such discussion.

 

Rather, I want to try to count the mysteries. Instead of asking "where is character X?", I want a thread for "how many characters are missing, like for instance character X?". We already have dozens upon dozens of threads discussing the whereabouts of character X. And further dozens on character Y. But I've yet to find a thread summarizing how many characters are missing. Or listing all the little events/objects which might be of relevance to the plot. Yes, there is an excellent thread compiling theories. But I want to see a neat list of the little uncertainities brought up over the series. And for that, I'm going to need your help.

 

I've tried to summarize the mysteries in various categories and sub-categories. The listing isn't perfect, it might not even be pretty, but I think it's a decent start. Obviously, it isn't complete either. I bet any reader of this thread will find one of their favourite questions missing from the list. If so, don't hesitate to tell me here.

 

Now, not all questions are notable enough to warrant a listing. Questions such as "Where is Leslyn Haigh at the moment?" or "Does the door at the Lord's Chamber at The Sandstone open inwards or outwards?" aren't exactly relevant to the story. If possible, I'd like to restrict it to questions an unsavvy reader might find in the first read-through. That means that the question is either brought up on-page, implied to be of relevance, and/or have a non-satisfactory explanation in text. Certain prominent points of fan discussion might also be addressed. Please don't put the questions in the form of speculation either.

 

I don't think we should involve mysteries from The World of Ice and Fire, as that book is rife with unsolved mysteries as part of its writing style (to imply that the world is much grander or more complex than what can possibly be addressed in the book).

Also, keep the questions short and not overly specific. "Did Sandor Clegane really survive his wounds, become a monk at the Quiet Isle and dig graves during Brienne's visit?" would be narrowing it down too much. "Did Sandor Clegane really die?" is enough. "Who is the gravedigging novice at the Quiet Isle?" could be another question, although I didn't include it in the list (should I?) because the possible explanation is pretty widely known to anybody cunning enough to question Sandor's demise in the first place. Likewise, "Will Sandor Clegane return from the Quiet Isle to fight UnGregor" is speculation, not a theory.

 

Anyway, onto the list, shall we?

 

0. Index

1. People and identities
2. Plots and machinations
3. Prophecies and legends
4. Events in the far past (before the onset of A Game of Thrones)
5. Cliffhangers
6. Locations and Geography
7. Chekov's Guns

Appendix A - mysteries of minor importance

Appendix B - popular speculative mysteries

Appendix C - list of major plot lines

 

 

 

1. People and identities

1.1 People whose whereabouts are unknown

• Where is Tyrek Lannister? (went missing during the riot in King's Landing)
• What happened to Ned's bones? (sent northwards by land with the Silent Sisters, who could not pass Moat Cailin)
• Where is Benjen Stark? (never returned from a ranging shortly after Jon arrived at the Wall)
• Where is the Blackfish? (escaped Riverrun just before the castle was yielded to the Freys/Lannisters besieging it)
• Where is Stonesnake? (sent back from the Frostfangs to bring intel to the Night's Watch encamped at the Fist of the First Men)
• What has Howland Reed been doing all this time? (has arguably been holed up at Greywater Watch since Robert's Rebellion)

 

1.2 (presented) Characters of unknown identity

• Who is Lem Lemoncloak?
• Who is Robert Strong?
• Who is the High Sparrow?
• Who is (was?) Coldhands?
• Is Aegon legit?
• Who is the Dusky Woman?
• Who is Quaithe?
• Who is Septa Lemore?
• Who is really the three-eyed crow from Bran's dreams?

 

1.3 Characters of unknown ancestry

• Who are Jon Snow's parents?

 

1.4 Characters whose present is well known, but whose background is unclear

• What is Melisandre's backstory?
• What is the deal with Hodor?
• What happened to Patchface?

 

1.5 Characters close to death, one way or another (note: incidents of substantial doubt only, brought up in-universe or heavily implied)

1.5.1 Characters thought to be dead or dying, but which might be alive (and in various stages of wellbeing)

• Is Sandor Clegane still alive? (Left to die, but found by an extremely competent healer)
• Is Gregor Clegane somehow still alive? (Last seen/heard screaming in death throes while necromancer Qyburn was tinkering with him)
• Did Mance's spearwives all die? (As was claimed in the notoriously dubious Pink Letter)
• What happened to Marillion? (Claimed by Littlefinger to have jumped from the Eyrie's Sky Cells)
• Is Stannis Baratheon really dead? (Claimed in the Pink Letter) (note: other deaths implied if the Pink Letter is true, will not be listed)

1.5.2 Characters claimed to be alive, but which might be dead or dying

• Is Robert "Sweetrobin" Arryn terminally ill?
• Is Jojen Reed dying?
• Were the wounds Wyman Manderly received at Winterfell fatal?

 

2. Plots and machinations

2.1 Agendas of known characters

• What is Jaqen H'ghar up to?
• Who is Ser Shadrick loyal to?
• What is Littlefinger's end game? Does he have any at all?
• What is Varys'/Illyrio's endgame?
• What is Moqorro's/Benerro's agenda?
• What is Quaithe's agenda?
• What is Marwyn's agenda?
• What is Tom of Sevenstreams doing at Riverrun?
• What is Aeron "Damphair" up to?
• What plans do Euron "Crow's Eye" have?
• What does the Three-Eyed Crow want with Bran?
• What is Leyton Hightower and his daughter doing, having been holed up in the Hightower for more than a decade?
• What is Doran Martell's plan for getting revenge on the Lannisters?

 

2.2 Multi-person plots

• To what extent are the Northern lords cooperating?
• Who controls the Sons of the Harpy? Is there a Harpy at all?
• Who are the Faceless Men and what is their role in the remainder of the story?
• What plans do the Faceless Men have for Arya?
• How many people - apart from herself, Theon and Littlefinger - know that Jeyne isn't Arya?
• Who are the Golden Company's "Friends in the Reach", and what do they imply?
• Likewise, who are Doran Martell's "Friends at court"?

 

2.3 Plots of unknown origin/extent

2.3.1 Unknown plots

• Does the Iron Bank have any grand plans for Westeros?
• What are the Faceless Men (or just Man?) doing in Oldtown? Will this have any implication for Samwell?

2.3.2. Known plots, unknown perpetrators

• Who poisoned Daenerys' locusts?
• Who sent the dagger to kill Bran?
• Who was behind Mandon Moore's attack on Tyrion?
• Who ratted out Arianne?

2.4 Unsolved murders and deaths

• Was Balon Greyjoy really murdered? If so, by whom?
• Who murdered Little Walder Frey?
• Who really killed Joffrey?

 

3. Prophecies and legends

3.1 Prophecies - general

• Can prophecies be trusted to always come into fruition?
• Can prophecies have a truly mundane outcome? (for instance, Robert Arryn's doll being the "savage giant" Sansa slays)
• Is there reason to believe Azor Ahai/The Prince That Was Promised will come again, or that history will repeat itself with another Long Night?

 

3.2 Terms and allegories (words of uncertain meaning or prophecies not blatantly referring to a specific person)

• Who (or what) is the valonqar (and why the hell can't people seem to spell the word correctly?)
• Who (or what) is the perfumed seneschal?
• What (or who) is "the mummer's dragon?"
• What is the Song of Ice and Fire?
• What does "waking dragons from stone" mean?
• What (or who) is the "sphinx" (that is the riddle) that Maester Aemon speaks about before he dies?
• What are the "three treasons" Daenerys will know?
• Who/what is the "savage giant" Sansa slays?
• Who/what is the "girl in grey on a dying horse" seen by Melisandre?

 

3.3 Prophecies referring to specific people

• Who is "the younger, more beautiful queen"? (Maggy's prophecy to Cersei)
• Who is "the prince that was promised"? (prophecy mentioned by Rhaegar, among others)

 

3.4 Objects recurring in prophecies or legends

• Is there a Horn of Winter/Horn of Joramun? Where is it?
• What is Lightbringer?

3.5 Legends - general

• Why are the Others returning?
• Why is magic returning to the world?

3.A. Index of prophecies

1. By Quaithe
2. By the Ghost of High Heart
3. In the House of the Undying
4. By Patchface
5. By Melisandre
6. By Teora Toland (TWoW)
7. By "Maggy the Frog"
8. Dreams
9. Jojen Reed's greendreams and prophesies

 

4. Events in the far past (before the onset of A Game of Trones)

4.1 Who were...

• Who were the Knight of the Laughing Tree?
• Who were the Night's King?
• Who were the King's Hand who had the tunnel between the Red Keep and Chattaya's brothel constructed?

 

4.2 Unexplained events of the past

4.2.1. Before the reign of Aerys II

• What was the Long Night, and what caused it?
• What happened during the destruction of Hardhome?
• What caused the Doom of Valyria? Did the Faceless Men play a role?
• What caused the fire at Summerhall?
• Maester Aemon claims to have gone through three "tests". Two of them have been explained, but what was the first one?
• What were the last four visions Bran saw through the weirwood?
• What caused the estrangement between Rhaenrya Targaryen and Cristan Cole?
• Was the Harrenhal Fire of 120 AC an accident or a murder plot? If the latter, who orchestrated it?
• Why did Qarl Correy kill Laenor Velaryon?

4.2.2. During and after the reign of Aerys II, up to the start of A Game of Thrones

• Was the Tourney at Harrenhal really supposed to be a cover-up for Rhaegar to plot a coup?
• What were Rickard Stark's "Southron Ambitions?"
• What became of the Wildfire Plot?
• What happened at the Tower of Joy?
• How did Howland Reed save Ned's life?
• Why did Ashara Dayne throw herself into the sea? Did she at all?
• How did the pregnant direwolf end up south of the Wall?
• How did Gared cross the wall after the A Game of Thrones prologue? Was it related to the direwolf, above?

 

 

4.3 Fates of characters from before ASoIaF (note: not always likely to be revealed in this series, but listed here anyway for completion's sake)

4.3.1. Historic characters

• What was the fate of Nettles?
• What happened to Brandon the Shipwright?
• What happened to Alys Rivers?
• How did Prince Daeron the Daring die?

4.3.2. Characters in the near past (their closest kin still around to remember them)

• What happened to Gerion Lannister?
• What happened to Tysha?
• What became of Wylla, Jon's alleged wet nurse?
• Was Domeric Bolton poisoned by Ramsey, or was he genuinely ill?
• Did Cersei Lannister kill Melara Hetherspoon?

 

4.4. Items/artifacts lost to history

• Where are the Valyrian swords Brightroar, Blackfyre and Dark Sister?
• What happened to Aegon I's crown after Daeron I died in Dorne?
• What happened to the ancestral blade of House Hightower, called "Vigilance"?
• Ned Stark's sword "Ice" is said to be a copy or replacement of the lost ancestral blade of the Starks. What happened to the original Ice?

 

5. Cliffhangers (as per the most recent chapter)

5.1. Stuff that has happened

• Did Ser Hyle and Podrick survive the encounter with the Brotherhood without Banners?
• Who wrote the Pink Letter?
• Was Pate of Oldtown replaced by a Faceless Man?
• What are the "dead things in the water"?

 

5.2. Stuff that is happening

• Will Jon Snow survive the stabbing? If so, how?
• Did Wun Wun survive the mutiny at the Wall?
• What is going on at Hardhome?
• Is there blood in the drink given to Bran by Bloodraven? If so, whose?
• Jaime and Brienne were last seen stealing away, alone, with Brienne possibly working for Lady Stoneheart. Who will survive the ordeal, if any?

 

5.3. Stuff that will happen soon

• What is Stannis' plan for "The battle of ice"?
• Can wights traverse across water, or otherwise circumvent the Wall?

 

6. Locations and geography
(NOTE: No "what lies beyond..." questions, as those places can summarily be dismissed as irrelevant to the story)

• Why are the seasons of Planetos so irregular?
• Do Grendel's Tunnels actually cross the Wall? If so, where do they surface?
• What became of Valyria after the Doom?
• What's the deal with the Isle of Faces?

 

7. Miscellaneous mysteries

 

7.1 Chekhov's Guns - Stuff brought up often, or implied to be of major importance (practically speaking: stuff a non-savvy reader would pick up during the first read)

• What will happen with Nymeria's pack?
• "Impregnable" Eyrie
• Where do whores go?
• What is up with the obsidian horn Jon found at the Fist, currently in Sam's possession?
• Who hid the cache of obsidian weapons by the Fist of the First Men?
• Why is Darkstar "the most dangerous man in Dorne"?
• What exactly makes a man "the Sword of the Morning"?
• Does the house with the red door (Dany's childhood home) have any significance? Is it even located in Braavos?
• What happened to Robb's will? Who is the heir of the North?
• Will we ever see a Kraken?

7.2 Less noticeable items/phrases/happenings

• What was that book Roose burned at Harrenhal?
• What is the deal with the hunting tapestries Littlefinger had sent over from King's Landing?
• Did the Hound really kiss Sansa?
• The Hound's helmet keeps appearing after his death. Does this signify anything for the future?
• Does Sansa still have the hairnet, and does it still contain poison?
• Will the (as of yet un-wighted) corpses kept in the Ice Cells play a significant role later?
• Will the armed and battle-hardened Mountain Clans have any noticeable impact on the Vale upon their return?
• What was the "winged serpent" Summer saw at Winterfell?

 

 

Appendix A: Mysteries of minor importance

 

Definition: Things where an explanation won't be missed if not addressed further because no impact on the plot is expected. The existence of such loose ends would be considered bad form usually, but in ASOIAF their introduction can be justified as world building, and the lack of closure would feel organic because of the POV structure.

Example: Weasel

(Definition courtesy of First of the First Men)

NOTE: As a rule of thumb, this section concerns characters or locations we've seen very little of, which is not implied to be of major importance, and which is not commonly expected to be seen again.

A.1. People and identities (whose disappearance from the story would not necessarily detract from it)

 

A.1.1. Characters whose whereabouts are unknown

• What happened to Weasel? (fled into the woods as Arya and co. were captured by Gregor Clegane's men)

• What happened to Syrio Forel? (last seen facing Meryn Trant, as Arya fled the turmoil in the Red Keep)

• Are Shagga and the Stone Crows still in the Kingswood? (were last heard to prefer the Kingswood over returning to the Mountains of the Moon, but long time has passed)

• Where are the rest of the Bloody Mummers, like Urswyck and Zollo? (the company disbanded and left Harrenhall after Vargo Hoat become mortally sick)

A.1.2. Characters of unknown identity

• Who is the Sailor's Wife?

• Who is the Ghost of High Heart? (possibly to be resolved in D&E)

• Who are all the people Bran saw through the Weirwood?

A.1.3. Characters of unknown ancestry/parentage

• Did Black Walder father Annara Farring's children?

A.1.5. Characters close to death, one way or the other

A.1.5.1. Characters thought to be dead or dying, but which might be still alive

• Is Raynald Westerling actually dead? (Fell into the river after being peppered by crossbow bolts during the Red Wedding. Body never found)

A.2. Plots and machinations (of little importance)

• (No entries)

 

A.3. Prophecies and legends

 

A.3.5. Legends - general

• How is Valyrian steel made?

• What are the exact conditions required for hatching dragon eggs?

• How do you really tame a dragon?

• Where do dragons come from?

A.4. Events in the far past (before the onset of A Game of Thrones)

• All entries relegated to main section to avoid cluttering

A.5. Cliffhangers

• Per definition, a cliffhanger is a too major event to be included in this section

A.6 Locations and geography

• What is the deal with the Penny Tree in Pennytree?
• Why does the Rhoyne seem to run backwards at Chroyane?
• Why are the Shadow Lands beyond Asshai so shadowy? Did anything happen there?

A.7. Chekhov's Guns

• Does the Kraken Horn on Claw Isle work as advertised? Will it have an impact on the story?

 

Appendix B: Prominent speculative mysteries

 

Definition: Things that have been subject to debate among fans, triggered by e. g. what at least some people perceive as foreshadowing or a Chekov's Gun. The mystery is not addressed explicitly in the text. No loose ends remain if the view that takes things at face value should be confirmed.

Example: Myrcella being more injured by Darkstar's attack than what is described in the text

(Definition courtesy of First of the First Men)

NOTE: To be included, mysteries must be quite commonly discussed on the forums over an extended period of time. The General (ASoIaF) forum has more than 36,000 threads as of writing this, so to avoid cluttering we have to be restrictive with what to include.

 

 

B.1. People and identities (who are commonly speculated about, but neither explicitly stated to be of importance, nor addressed again in text)

 

B.1.1. Characters whose whereabouts are unknown

• What happened to Syrio Forel? (last seen facing Meryn Trant, as Arya fled the turmoil in the Red Keep)

B.1.2. Characters of unknown identity

• Who is the hooded man in Winterfell?

B.1.3. Characters of unknown ancestry/parentage

• Is Robert "Sweetrobin" Arryn the son of Jon Arryn at all?

• Is Tyrion, Jaime and/or Cersei children of adultery between King Aerys II and Joanna Lannister?

• Who is Darkstar's parents? ("official" parentage disputed by fans)

B.1.4. Characters whose present is well known, but whose background is unclear

• Is Missandei just a very talented girl, or is there more to her?

 

B.1.5. Characters close to death, one way or the other

 

B.1.5.1. Characters thought to be dead or dying, but which might be still alive

• Is Ser Loras Tyrell actually dying? (Claimed to be mortally wounded after storming Dragonstone)

• Is Quentyn Martell still alive? (Last seen roasted by a dragon, but the body found was impossible to identify)

• Did Septon Chayle survive being thrown into the well of Winterfell? (Chayle is a skilled swimmer, having grown up at the Stepstones)

B.1.5.2. Characters claimed to be alive, but which might be dead or dying

• Did Darkstar's attack on Myrcella mortally wound her? (note: Dornishmen favour poisoned blades)

 

B.2. Plots and machinations (which are not explicitly addressed in text)

 

B.2.2. Multi-person plots

• Is there a conspiracy at the Citadel of Oldtown?

B.2.3. Unknown plots

• Was Tywin Lannister poisoned?

• Is the story of Ser Loras' demise true? If not, who made it up and why?

 

B.3. Prophecies and legends

• By their nature, prophecies are speculative in general. All prophecies relegated to the main section to avoid cluttering.

B.4. Events in the far past (before the onset of A Game of Thrones)

• All entries relegated to the main section to avoid cluttering

B.5. Cliffhangers

• Per definition, a cliffhanger is a too major event to be included in this section

B.6. Locations and geography (note: No "what lies beyond..." questions here either)

• Is there a tunnel out of the crypts of Winterfell?
• Is anything important hidden in the crypts of Winterfell?

B.7.Chekhov's Guns

• (No entries yet)

 

 

Appendix C: List of plot threads/lines (note: no questions here, just listing off the things going on as of the end of ADWD)

 

C.1 In Westeros

• The Others invasion
• Castle Black and the mutiny
• Stannis Baratheon's siege of Winterfell:
• Davos Seaworth's search for Rickon

• Everything going on in King's Landing
• Areo/Darkstar/Obara plotline
• Lady Stoneheart/Jaime/Brienne
• Things going on at the Citadel in Oldtown
• Aeron/Euron
• Edmure Tully on the run
• Jon Connington and Aegon's invasion

 

C.2 Across the narrow sea

• Daenerys' encounter with the Dothraki
• Arya's training with the Faceless Men
• The siege of Meereen
• Tyrion, Jorah and Penny at the Second Sons
• Victarion and the Dragon Horn
• Volantene slave revolt

 

 

Feedback would be greatly appreciated.

 

Also, any posts trying to answer all the questions would clearly be missing the purpose of this thread. We have tens of thousands of threads for that purpose. In here, speculation is a report-worthy offense.

[sweetsunray]

I've got another identity speculation: Timett son of Timett of the Burned Men being the son of the 4th Waynwood-Arryn daughter that got kidnapped by the Burned Men in the Vale. I argue for it in my essay of "Sansa and the Giants" (prediction 2) in my sig. But I was not the first to suggest it. 

Anyhow for this thread the mystery could be: Who could be the 4th Waynwood-Arryn daughter's son or daughter and possible rival to Harry the Heir.

[Good Guy Garlan]

Don't know if I missed it, but did you include who left the cache of obsidian arrowheads and knives and the cracked horn so close to the Fist? Was it meant for Jon to find? 

[Kyll.Ing.]

Can't believe I missed the obsidian cache in the previous thread. Thanks! Added it under "Miscellaneous", section 7.1.

 

As for "identity speculation", I've tried to keep that to a minimum, as there is nothing outright indicating that there is a mystery with Timmett. And "who is the Xth son/daughter of..." is a question you could state for pretty much every other parent in the entire series. If you could refer to a specific line of text pointing it out as an explicit mystery, I might include it, but I'm trying to keep the list from being too cluttered.

[Adam Yozza]

Daeron the Daring was burned alive in his tent at the second Battle of Tumbleton before he could even join the battle, wasn't he? I don't think it's really a mystery unless I'm forgetting something.

[cgrav]

I want to know what the Squishers really are. I'm hoping for a really big Squisher reveal in WoW.

[Lord Vance II]

I would include Manderly's army under the "Checkov's Guns." One of the largest, relatively intact fighting forces in Westeros that got teased the hell out of when Davos went to White Harbor. We know where Manderly is, is his army nearby? Laying in wait for Roose to come out? I hope so. 

 

 

 

[YOVMO]

Who is the elder brother and what did he mean when talking about Rhaegar's rubies (6 have been found but they are waiting for one)

Is Arthur Dayne truly dead (although this may fall under How did HR save ned at TOJ)

Did Jorah Mormont lie about the provenance of Longclaw and, if so, why?

(great post btw)

[KnightTime]

What happened to the eggs of the summer hall fire?

[Nevets]

Who, outside of Littlefinger's household knows (or suspects) that "Alayne Stone" is really Sansa Stark?

What are the conditions of the Iron Bank's loan to the Night's Watch?  Is there anything unusual in it?  how do they expect to get paid back?  (Chekhov's loan agreement; Contents withheld)

Can you reach the West coast of Westeros by going east from Qarth?

Who was the father of Ashara Dayne's supposedly stillborn child.  Was there actually a child, and, if so, what happened.

Who is the Elder Brother?

Who tortured Jeyne Poole and why?  (Chekhov's whip-marks)

 

 

[Daendrew]

Thank you for compiling all this together. 

[El Guapo]

1.5.2 Characters claimed to be alive, but which might be dead or dying

Shouldn't Myrcella be on this list?  If I am not mistaken we only have Doran's word that she was just wounded and not an actual POV confirmation that she is alive.

[Daendrew]

40 minutes ago, El Guapo said:

1.5.2 Characters claimed to be alive, but which might be dead or dying

Shouldn't Myrcella be on this list?  If I am not mistaken we only have Doran's word that she was just wounded and not an actual POV confirmation that she is alive.

I think fake Myrcella may have had her ear chopped off, the Lannister cousin.

[OtherFromAnotherMother]

Awesome post!

I may have missed it but:

Are there dragon eggs on Dragonstone?

[Ashes Of Westeros]

How to heal a greyscale?

Are there dragon eggs in Winterfell?

What happened to Rhaella and Dae and their children?

Are there any more Blackfyres left?

 

[Lost Melnibonean]

This is a really cool topic. It should be pinned. 

[LokisRaider]

I didn't see it up there, but under "1.5.1 Characters thought to be dead or dying, but which might be alive (and in various stages of wellbeing)"

I think "Is/was Loras Tyrell really injured in the siege of Dragonstone?" is usually a talked about theory.

[The Bastards Giant Friend]

What about Old Nan? She seems like an unimportant character, but we get so many legends/stories/theories from her, she is related to hodor, remarkably old, spectacularly ugly, and missing/presumed dead.

[Annarkie]

What happened to the Hound's cloak that he left with Sansa? Last mention was that she kept it hidden under her chest under her summer silks.

But I would think Cersei or someone would have searched every inch of Sansa's and Tyrion's living quarters and would have had some reaction to finding it.

[Lady White Wolf]

58 minutes ago, Annarkie said:

What happened to the Hound's cloak that he left with Sansa? Last mention was that she kept it hidden under her chest under her summer silks.

But I would think Cersei or someone would have searched every inch of Sansa's and Tyrion's living quarters and would have had some reaction to finding it.

doesn't she have it at the Eryie?