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‘Game of Thrones’ Season 8 Teaser Trailer Explained: Top Theories

HBO has just released a Game of Thrones teaser trailer for Season 8, and it’s time for some speculation about what the trailer symbolizes for Season 8. The teaser is leaving a lot of clues that are making fans very worried. Here’s a quick look at and explanations about the main points from the trailer that you might want to dig into deeper.


What Is Arriving in the Crypts & What Does It Mean?

HBO

This is the most fascinating symbolism to me. The icy cold arriving in the crypts that Sansa, Arya, and Jon are preparing to face could mean many things. It could symbolize Bran arriving in the form of the Night King (which might explain why he’s not there with them.) It could symbolize the Night King arriving but not Bran (i.e. some fans think Bran becomes the Night King, but even if he doesn’t, the Night King might still be arriving in the crypts.) It could just be symbolic of Arya, Jon, and Sansa’s greater fight against winter.

But I personally like the idea that the scene is hinting at something much darker happening in the Winterfell Crypts. Heavy has explored this idea several times in previous articles. First, Heavy wrote about whether a dragon might be hidden in the crypts of Winterfell. (See the story here.)

Heavy also shared a story about The Crypts of Winterfell and whether they might hide a “great other.” (See the story here.) Using quotes from the books, we mulled over the idea that a great darkness was shut inside the crypts by Bran the Builder. If Arya, Jon, and Sansa can explore other parts of the crypts that were once inaccessible, it might mean that the magic that was holding this Great Other in place is no longer working. (Perhaps that magic fell when the Wall fell.)

The idea is that the God of Winter literally fell at Winterfell, and this is why the Starks are the Kings of Winter. They have power over the God of Winter, who is in the crypts. This might also be why it was very important that “There must always be a Stark in Winterfell.” The theory is quite fascinating, so you should head on over to the story here to read the whole thing.


The Feather Was Left in the Crypts by Robert

King Robert left behind the feather that you see in the teaser. He put it in the hand of Lyanna’s statue, because she loved that particular type of exotic bird. In Season 5, Sansa found the feather and wondered about it. You can read a detailed story about this in Heavy’s article here. Here’s the scene when Robert left the feather:



Why Does Jon’s Statue Look So Old? And Why Are the Statues There?

HBO

Compared to everyone else’s statue, Jon’s looks really old. Sansa and Arya look young and Jon looks like he’s seen a lot. Maybe it’s just poor construction. But it might also mean that Arya and Sansa died before Jon did. Maybe he outlived the rest of the Starks, which would be a bittersweet conclusion for the King of the North.

Of course, that also leaves us wondering why the statues are there in the first place. It could just be symbolizing that all the Starks are going to eventually die, or maybe they’ll all die in Season 8. However, perhaps in the show those statues are really there too, left in a part of the crypts that was normally inaccessible. And if so, maybe they were left a long time ago, by Bran the Builder. This might mean that Bran Stark traveled back in time and became Bran the Builder, as many fans think, and made those statues in memory or in honor of Jon, Arya, and Sansa.


Why Isn’t Bran’s Statue in the Crypts?

This question is bothering a lot of fans, and there are quite a few theories about what’s happening. Perhaps Bran is the only one left alive at the end of Season 8. Maybe he travels back in time (or at least his mind does) and he becomes Bran the Builder. Or perhaps after he becomes the Three-Eyed Raven, he doesn’t actually die. So of course, a statue is not made in his honor. Or maybe, as the Three-Eyed Raven, he isn’t truly a Stark anymore so he wouldn’t be in the crypts anyway.

Others think that Bran becomes a new Night King or, while traveling back in time, somehow becomes the Night King. If that’s the case, this could also account for why he’s not seen in the crypt. Still others believe that the icy wind arriving is Bran himself, in a new form, ready to meet Sansa, Arya, and Jon. This theory was brought up on Reddit today by u/TheUnknown285, who pointed out that Jon, Arya, and Sansa entered the crypts in order of age, and Bran could be the youngest Stark, entering last and in the form of winter.

Are there any other questions not addressed in this post? Let us know in the comments below.

READ NEXT: Is a dragon in the crypts of Winterfell?

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Here are the top explanations and theories about that Game of Thrones teaser trailer that HBO just dropped.