The Hooded Man new (?) theory...(possible spoilers)

[Skoboe]

Does anyone else think Sarah Jenice is hot?? lol...as to her (awesome) post;

One glaring omission in my opinion - Sandor Clegane.

I know many people are 100% sure the Hound is the Gravedigger, but what if that's just a red herring?

What would Sandor know about Theon? Only what he's been told by Sansa and Arya, that he's a turncloak and kinslayer.

After a lifetime of hating his brother then babysitting a monster, who are the only two people Sandor felt some form of affection for? Sansa and Arya

Which two young girls, while fearing his reputation, relied on Sandor time and time again? Sansa and Arya

Get my drift?

Now, after losing everything - his gold, his place in KL, his horse...and if the Elder Brother is correct, his identity...where is he going to go? I'd put money on him travelling to the one place where he feels he might see the two girls again - Winterfell.

He could have learned the layout of WF and the entrance to the crypts of Arya, or he may have even learnt where the entrance was when he was there with King Robert. He's a killer who could easily have accounted for the guardsmen that are dead and he's twisted enough to make the murders appear a bit theatrical.

Above all, he's desperate enough to feel the same way he felt when he gave his white cloak to Sansa or when he rescued Arya from certain death at the Freys, that he's prepared to hide in WF and pick off Bolton's men one by one until the Stark girls return home.

In some way, those two girls ARE his family.

[ghosts in winterfell]

I do not recall what makes HM a "pivotal" character, and I'm not trying to be a smart ass about this. Can someone make a top-of-mind summary of what makes or foreshadows that the HM will turn out to be a "pivotal" character? Btw, I don't know that any of us are asserting that it can't turn out to be a major character.

Thanks,

Fed

Next to nothing, really. The encounter between the Hooded Man and Theon only lasted a paragraph, and we never see him or hear of him again. His overall mysteriousness is what caught people's attention. There are some solid theories about who he might be, but he might just be no one at all (made a thread about this). He could be someone important, but all we can do now is speculate. We'll just have to wait until WOW to find out. :dunno:

[WTF's a Lommy]

I hope not. Some random stone carver would be pretty lame and disappointing.

[Clariana]

I like this theory. It somehow fits with GRRM's story telling style, and certainly the HM character interaction with Theon can fit Jaime. If only we can get the timeline to work.

Thank you so much for restating this!

I was going to set it out myself once again but thought it might be little short of abuse to be so insistent... I am not arguing this from a logical point of view, but rather a narrative one... What if it is Jaime, what if he is working for SH and enjoying it? What will he think of Mance, of Bolton of Ramsey?

So, muchas gracias!

PS Someone pointed out that Jaime is now an amputee... Well, of course, but the HM by definition is not going about his business openly... He just can't resist teasing Theon a little on his way in... We know from FfC that Jaime has been discovering new layers to his personality, cunning, astuteness, diplomacy, his new parameter for behaviour is "What would Tyrion do?" and this fits in very well with what is happening at Winterfell.

[Ramsay's Bitch]

I still think that the hooded man/The Ghost of Winterfell is Theon himself. It's a hallucination, Theon's conscience, his inner struggle manifesting.

I agree with this. The exchange between Theon and the HM was odd, I thought. He seemed too relaxed with him when talking about his fingers and the fact that Ramsey was not done with him yet. He was never so comfortable exposing his fingers to others before.

[silvering74]

The figure in the the hood is mace raider he's there to save aria aka(jane poole) from ramsay snow,,,he had his spear wives with him

[Clariana]

The figure in the the hood is mace raider he's there to save aria aka(jane poole) from ramsay snow,,,he had his spear wives with him

Not unless Mance is capable of bi-location... He's performing in the hall as HM enters Winterfell.

[PeacockB]

What about this idea. The only person who knows Winterfell like the back of his hand........

Little Bran possessing some witless fool to purge his home of traitors.

:) :P

[Stark11]

Howland Reed. No evidence, just a hunch.

[Uldra I]

**SPOILERS**

This is probably one of the favorite mysteries of these forums. There always seems to be a post trending about the hooded man. Guesses have included Benjen, Blackfish, Theon Durden, Glover, a ghost from the crypts, etc...

I have read game of thrones twice now and now im listening to it on audio book on my long drive to school/work.

My new theory, and I'm not really sure if it has or has not been thought of before (probably has), is that the hooded man is the crypt statue carver. This is a person who knew the Starks well. Let us assume he carved the statues for Rickard, Brandon, Lyanna, and lastly Ned. He would have known all about Theon, but Theon would not have given a stone-carver a second glance, which would explain Theon not recognizing him. The stoen carver would know all the in and outs of, at minimum the crpyts, if not all Winterfell. He would know if there was a passage into, or out of, Winterfell via the crypts.

Also, all the talk of ghosts in the crypts could very well be him. Logically, this makes more sense to me than any of the other theories. Previously, I supported Tyler Durden, which still could be true. The stone-carver, in my opinion, makes mroe sense than Blackfish, Glover, and Benjen for sure.

:agree:

Going back to OP I must say this is the most convincing idea I've heard yet! Couldn't make more sense.

1) He'd have to be around the family all the time to be able to carve such good likenesses from memory. The stone carver could be the regular stone mason at Winterfell during the years the Starks lived there. He may have been the son of the stone mason that lived with and worked for the Starks before him. A common medieval type arrangement for skilled laborers. This would explain the familiarity and the loyalty of the HM as well.

2) Someone argued that the Boltons slew all the Stark men, but Bran & co. were saved by hiding in the crypts, why not the stone carver as well? I imagine also there must be secret passages in those crypts that our POV characters don't know about, but the castle stone mason would definitely know.

3) If he grew up at Winterfell and was treated well by the Starks... as anyone would have been treated there, then he would definitely have developed a loyal fondness for the family. Also, if the stone carver had a family of his own at Winterfell that was wiped out by the Bolton/Freys, he'd definitely want vengeance. Plus if he lost everything in the burning of Winterfell, he has nothing left to lose by going for revenge.

4) A stone carver would have the strong hands necessary for breaking a human neck.

5) In the conversation between Theon and the HM: A Dance with Dragons - A Ghost in Winterfell/Theon Pages 611-612:

Farther on, he came upon a man striding in the opposite direction, a hooded cloak flapping behind him. When they found themselves face-to-face their eyes met briefly. The man put a hand on his dagger. "Theon Turncloack. Theon Kinslayer."

"I'm not. I never...I was ironborn."

"False is all you were. How is it you still breathe?"

"The gods are not done with me," Theon answered, wondering if this could be the killer, the night walker who had stuffed Yellow Dick's cock into his mouth and pushed Roger Ryswell's groom off the battlements. Oddly, he was not afraid. He pulled the glove from his left hand. "Lord Ramsay is not done with me."

The man looked, and laughed. "I leave you to him, then."

HM was surprised Theon was still alive. It is obvious the HM hadn't seen Theon since he was taken by Ramsay to the Dreadfort with all the other captives. Neither would the carver if he stayed at Winterfell. He refers to Theon as Kinslayer, which could mean the HM felt the Starks as close as family even if they weren't related by blood. And finally, when he sees that Ramsay is still torturing Theon, the HM decides to leave Theon to Ramsay's torture rather giving him a quick death.

I'm not saying he's the only one participating in the murders, but it just makes so much sense that the HM would be the stone carver. Such an easy, logical fit. Thanks for the original post. :)

[Lady Arianne Martell]

What about Lady Dustin being the HM?

I could easily see her doing what she has been doing. I think her whole "MEHMEHSTARKSHATETHEWORLD" pretense is nonsense. I also think that explains how she got past the guards, etc.

[First of My Name]

What about Lady Dustin being the HM?

I could easily see her doing what she has been doing. I think her whole "MEHMEHSTARKSHATETHEWORLD" pretense is nonsense. I also think that explains how she got past the guards, etc.

Not too bad an idea, but I think Theon would have remarked on the man sounding like a woman.

[Mithras]

My personal favourite is HM = Septon Chayle

[Lady Arianne Martell]

Not too bad an idea, but I think Theon would have remarked on the man sounding like a woman.

CRACKPOT

Maybe she's a Faceless WoMan. LOL.

[Uldra I]

My personal favourite is HM = Septon Chayle

OMG Paper Waver! I finally thought I'd found the answer to a riddle that has bothered me for years, and there you go and give me another idea that is equally enticing. :read:

Love the HM = Septon Chayle theory, but now the stone carver idea is in question again. *sigh* If it is the septon, then why is he roaming around Winterfell unless he wants revenge? What are his motivations, and why would he be risking himself by being visible?

Thanks for the confusion! Love good ideas on all the puzzles GRRM left us. :)

[Arya Gendry]

I know that I'm tardy to the party here, but I'm going to throw out one that I haven't seen before. The HM is Maester Luwin. Evidence:

• In the show or the book, no one witnesses Osha delivering the mercy cut. We never "see" Luwin die.
  
• Luwin has the Valyrian steel ring on his chain for the higher mysteries (magic).
  
• He discourages Bran from believing in magic, possibly due to an unsavory experience with it?
  
• Luwin's cloak, like all Maester's cloaks, had a large cowl that could be a hood.
  
• He "dies" under the weirwood in sight of the gods.
  
• He knows the secrets and hidden passages of Winterfell better than anyone.
  
• The chapter is "A Ghost in Winterfell." The HM could actually be a ghost (of Luwin).
  
• He knows everything that Theon did. Even though he knows that Theon isn't actually a kinslayer, everyone else thinks of him as one, and he sometimes thinks of himself as one. Luwin tried so hard to help Theon save himself. He would be a perfect person to taunt him and stir up his guilty feelings.
  
• HM says "how is it that you still breathe?" - Does the HM breathe, or is he truly a ghost, asking why Theon deserves life when he doesn't have it?
  
• Theon says "The gods are not done with me." He answers the scientist's question with an answer of religion.
  
• "Oddly, (Theon) was not afraid." Theon wouldn't fear Luwin, who he knew to be a good man.
  
• When Theon names several of the ghosts, and says that they are angry, he omits Luwin's name.
  

There it is. I'm not nearly as versed in all of the legend and lore as many of you are, so feel free to tear it apart. :cheers:

[unitron]

A big feature of life in a society like that is "deference".

Commoners grow up learning that they have "betters", and "knowing their place".

Remember Gendry freaking out when he found out Arya was an "Your Ladyship"?

Theon is the son of a king, so he is someone to whom deference is owed by the "little people", and that's an ingrained habit that's very hard to break.

The HM doesn't strike me as someone accustomed to practicing deference--he speaks with the air of someone for whom Theon would only have been a social equal prior to his degradation as Reek.

So the HM is someone "highborn".

Like Raynald Westerling or Howland Reed, or Blackfish.

[Dya of Oldstones]

Does anyone else think Sarah Jenice is hot?? lol...as to her (awesome) post;

One glaring omission in my opinion - Sandor Clegane.

I know many people are 100% sure the Hound is the Gravedigger, but what if that's just a red herring?

What would Sandor know about Theon? Only what he's been told by Sansa and Arya, that he's a turncloak and kinslayer.

After a lifetime of hating his brother then babysitting a monster, who are the only two people Sandor felt some form of affection for? Sansa and Arya

Which two young girls, while fearing his reputation, relied on Sandor time and time again? Sansa and Arya

Get my drift?

Now, after losing everything - his gold, his place in KL, his horse...and if the Elder Brother is correct, his identity...where is he going to go? I'd put money on him travelling to the one place where he feels he might see the two girls again - Winterfell.

He could have learned the layout of WF and the entrance to the crypts of Arya, or he may have even learnt where the entrance was when he was there with King Robert. He's a killer who could easily have accounted for the guardsmen that are dead and he's twisted enough to make the murders appear a bit theatrical.

Above all, he's desperate enough to feel the same way he felt when he gave his white cloak to Sansa or when he rescued Arya from certain death at the Freys, that he's prepared to hide in WF and pick off Bolton's men one by one until the Stark girls return home.

In some way, those two girls ARE his family.

I would love for it to be Sandor, but I don't think it is, since it's not his style of killing. If some of the dead men were sliced in half from shoulder down, he would be on the list of possibilities.

I'm going with someone much more familiar with Winterfell, so I don't think it's Blackfish either. My favorite theories are it's Benjen, Septon Chayle or Maester Luwin but I'm liking the stone carver theory as well. Problem is, it could be any number of people but I do think it's a Northerner.

ETA: I don't think it's anyone who's had extensive battlefield experience either, again from the way they were killed...that might rule Benjen out.

[Poppa Chase]

It's Mance Rayder. He is not in glamor mode, so he doesn't look like Rattleshirt or Abel.

Theon recognizes him from the last time he saw him. Winterfell two years ago when he came for Roberts arrival.

Mance has learned from his connection to the Liddles and umbers, that the Starks are still alive. So he's toying with theon about it.

[Lady Baela Targaryen]

It's Mance Rayder. He is not in glamor mode, so he doesn't look like Rattleshirt or Abel.

Theon recognizes him from the last time he saw him. Winterfell two years ago when he came for Roberts arrival.

Mance has learned from his connection to the Liddles and umbers, that the Starks are still alive. So he's toying with theon about it.

Abel looks like Mance.