Who is the 3rd Shadow?

[King Aegon The Conqueror]

I'm on my re-read of a game of thrones and as I was scrolling through Bran's chapter I came across this:

"One shadow was dark as ash, with the terrible face of a hound. Another was armored like the sun, golden and beautiful. Over them both loomed a giant in armor made of stone, but when he opened his visor, there was nothing inside but darkness and thick black blood.

He lifted his eyes and saw clear across the narrow sea, to the Free Cities and the green Dothraki sea and beyond, to Vaes Dothrak under its mountain, to the fabled lands of the Jade Sea, to Asshai by the Shadow, where dragons stirred beneath the sunrise."

who is this third shadow? the first is the hound while the 2nd is Sir Barristan the bold. But who is the 3rd?

Another thing to note is as it says "Asshai by the Shadow, where dragons stirred beneath the sunrise."

This is non related to the thread but I think that perhaps in Asshai there may be dragons there. How it this related to the whole story? I don't know. Just something that has never occurred to me before. what are your thoughts on the potential dragons in Asshai?

[ghosts in winterfell]

I'm pretty sure it's Gregor, the Mountain that rides.

[King of Winters]

It's been thought that the 3rd shadow is Ser Robert Strong, as he is the reanimated corpse of The Mountain and could also be headless. Also I think the second shadow could be either Jaime or Oberyn, as Ser Barristan wears white armour as he's the LC of the KG and Jaime wore golden armour.

The dragons in Asshai could be either Bran thinking there are dragons in Asshai, because of one of Old Nan's tales; there are actual dragons in Asshai which is why magic is practiced openly there, as it's stronger from the dragons; or there's a theory that the dragons in Asshai could be a symbol for Targs or some other Valyrians there.

[Jon's Queen Consort]

^^ I agree that he means UnGregor Strong.

[JonCon's Red Beard]

As far as I've been able to read here, there is two options:

1. The Mountain, the most obvious. So, it's not.

2. Littlefinger

[yolkboy]

"Over them both loomed a giant in armor made of stone, but when he opened his visor, there was nothing inside but darkness and thick black blood."

Compared with Robert Strong:

“The silent giant.” Lord Randyll grimaced.

(He's called 'the silent giant' and is 8ft tall)

"His armour was plate steel, enameled white"

(Never takes off his armour, it's huge and very distinctive, specially made)

“The crest atop it was a stone fist”

(An allusion to Gregor, he wore 'stone' on his armour)

“long parapets built into the very stone of the mountains”

(Mountains are made of stone, this is a cryptic nod that it's formerly Gregor)

“Whatever the face hidden behind Strong’s helm, it must remain hidden for now.”

('opening visor' is something Strong hasn't done yet, and we know he's hiding something)

“I am sending Balon Swann to Sunspear, to deliver him the head of Gregor Clegane.”

(Whether that head was real or not, I think we suspect there's no head on RStong)

“But this venom has been thickened somehow, so as to draw out the Mountain’s dying.”

“Thickened? Thickened how?”

(The dream insinuates the giant has thick black blood - RV thickened the black poison he put into Gregor's blood. The poison seemed to spread and turned his insides black)

“When Oberyn spun the shaft between the palms of his hand, they glistened black. Oil? Or poison?”

(Again, the poison in Gregor's bloodstream was black)

“Be that as it may, his veins have turned black from head to heel.”

(RStrong's blood seems to have been turned black by the venom. RS has black poison for blood)

Overall, a giant armoured in stone with no head and thick black blood fits Robert Strong perfectly.

RE 'it's too obvious' ... well it wasnt obvious for a long time, this is from GoT.

[finger]

I see it otherwise.

The golden knight is Jaime, IMO.

Both Sandor and Jaime are meant to look after Joff. So, I'd say the third shadow might be him. Let's see.

Joff was king. He loomed over the other two, who guarded him.

His armor is made of stone, that's the Red Keep in KL.

In the end, he was a bluff.

The dragon stirring in Assahi is Aegon.

One more among the many clues pointing to Aegon having fled to Asshai, that people refuse to see. :dunno:

[Waylin Stark]

It's most likely Ser Robert Strong.

Some people think it might be Littlefinger, I've forgotten why. Something to do with his family sigil being the Titan of Braavos, although there were more reasons to it.

[TheCrannogDweller]

IMO, the three shadows are:

1. Sandor Clegane

2. Jaime Lannister

3. Gregor Clegane

The reason why Gregor is described so mysteriously is because, unlike the other two, Bran hasn't seen Gregor in person.

The more interesting question here is, why does he see those three shadows together?

[Pod The Impaler]

I'm pretty sure it's Gregor, the Mountain that rides.

[TheSnape]

You know, I think the third is Tyrion.

And this isn't me being a fanboy.

And you. A small man with a big shadow, snarling in the midst of all.

-Adding to Maester Aemon noting Tyrion might be a giant, and that Jon Snow noticed Tyrion had a large shadow

[Luddagain]

I think the shadow refers to someone or something identifiable in the three books. Robert strong is a later addition, I suspect NOT part of the original plan.

There are three people identified with giants in the first three books.

Gregor Clegane - the obvious but he seems too low level a player to be Bran's giant vision.

Tyrion - many hints BUT he was NOT present at the scene and at that time was not a player. He became one later. Remember that Tyrion was still quite a young man by our standards (he can have been no more than 24) and emotionally his shift to adult hood was delayed by his treatment by Tywini

Littlefinger - His family has a stone giant as its sigil.

I think the three shadows are the three influences on Joffrey who is the instrument of the Starks downfall. The hound is joffrey's and taught him, Jaime is Joffreys's dad and hero and LF well who can say but I am very much of the view that it was LF who manipulates joffrey into killing ned and I suspect the attempt on Bran's life.

[Lost Melnibonean]

I'm on my re-read of a game of thrones and as I was scrolling through Bran's chapter I came across this:

"One shadow was dark as ash, with the terrible face of a hound. Another was armored like the sun, golden and beautiful. Over them both loomed a giant in armor made of stone, but when he opened his visor, there was nothing inside but darkness and thick black blood.

He lifted his eyes and saw clear across the narrow sea, to the Free Cities and the green Dothraki sea and beyond, to Vaes Dothrak under its mountain, to the fabled lands of the Jade Sea, to Asshai by the Shadow, where dragons stirred beneath the sunrise."

who is this third shadow? the first is the hound while the 2nd is Sir Barristan the bold. But who is the 3rd?

Another thing to note is as it says "Asshai by the Shadow, where dragons stirred beneath the sunrise."

This is non related to the thread but I think that perhaps in Asshai there may be dragons there. How it this related to the whole story? I don't know. Just something that has never occurred to me before. what are your thoughts on the potential dragons in Asshai?

Petyr of House Baelish. The first two are Jaime and the Hound. And yes there are wild dragons in the Lands Beyond Asshai.

[The Kinkslayer]

1. Gregor

2. Oberyn

3. The giant of Lannister, I mean Robert Strong

[lidsa]

Why does it have to be Jaime or Sandor?

Bran sees the Hound's helmet (which we already know is donned by another person) and a golden armor, not Jaime and Sandor.

Melisandre sees "Renly" in her fires, when really she only saw a green armor and it turned out to be Garlan.