This “Game of Thrones” fan theory reveals who Hodor REALLY is, and it’s tragic

Perhaps a sign that I’m a heartless monster, I never really wondered where Hodor came from, or how Hodor came to be. I just took Bran Stark’s companion at face value — a not-quite-literal giant who can only say “Hodor” and is happy to give people piggy back rides. Which is clearly suspicious and out of the ordinary but, like, I don’t know, man, I was more distracted by dragons and White Walkers and stuff. What can I say, I’m the worst.

Despite my previous lack of curiosity regarding Hodor, Sunday night’s Game of Thrones episode, which gave viewers a brief moment of pre-“Hodor” Hodor, immediately peaked my attention. Hodor is, in fact, Wylis! A very sweet, verbal stable boy who is good with horses, willing to at least play-fight, and eager to please Lyanna Stark, all of which kind of support this GoT fan theory about Hodor and how Hodor came to be. You guys, this is intense.

Reddit users u/TazoGreenTea and u/gbinasia speculate that Wylis was a warg — a person who can enter the minds of animals and control their actions. Wargs often control animals with whom they are extremely close, as it deepens the warg/animal bond. In his vision, Bran learns that Wylis is a stable boy who works with horses and Lyanna, Ned Stark’s sister, who is first introduced to viewers riding a white horse. With the ability to warg comes the threat of remaining too long inside the mind of an animal and losing yourself. What if Wylis stayed as a horse, specifically Lyanna’s horse, for too long and is permanently damaged because of it?

As Hodor, he exhibits several horse-like attributes, including:

1. A fear of thunder and a penchant for carrying Bran on his back with a saddle.

2. And then there’s the hatred of fighting, which is where this Hodor fan theory really gets good and also heartbreaking. Perhaps Wylis, eager to please Lyanna, warged into her horse when she ran away/was abducted by Rhaegar Targaryen. Perhaps Lyanna’s horse was named Hodor. Perhaps Hodor the horse was slain in battle, and what remains in Wylis’ body are the remnants of both Wylis the boy and Hodor the horse.

If this theory works out, I will undoubtedly be crying for poor, sweet Hodor/Wylis this entire season and also eternity.