Hooded man/Theories

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  1. Stated as questions or possibilities.
  2. More appropriate for another article.
  3. Illogical or previously disproven.
  4. Proven by canon source, and moved to main page.
  5. Speculative and lacking any evidence to support arguments.
  6. Responding to another theory (use discussion page instead).
  • This does not include responses that are also standalone theories.
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During the events of A Dance with Dragons, Theon Greyjoy, then known as "Reek", encounters a nameless hooded man at Winterfell, who recognizes the Greyjoy and is hostile towards him. When Theon reveals his left hand, maimed by Ramsay Bolton, the man laughs and leaves him alone. Theon wonders if the man is responsible for the recent deaths of Yellow Dick and Roger Ryswell's groom.

Readers have long speculated about the identity of this mysterious person. This is a list of some characters who have been theorized to be the hooded man.

A random northerner

Supporting evidence

  • There are no clear hints that the hooded man is a relevant character.[1]

Evidence against

  • The hooded man seems to personally know Theon, who might not have recognized him because of the hood.[1]

Theon Greyjoy's alter ego

Supporting evidence

  • The mysterious man wears a hooded cloak, just like Theon does at the beginning of his character arc in A Clash of Kings,[2] and walks in the opposite direction of Greyjoy, which may be an allegory for Theon's former self.[1]
  • Theon's odd lack of fear when he is threatened by the hooded man may indicate that the mysterious character is actually a figment of Greyjoy's imagination. The same thing may apply for Theon not hesitating to show him his maimed hand.[1]
  • The hooded man laughing at the sight of Theon's maimed hand is consistent with Greyjoy's old habit of finding everything amusing.[3]

Evidence against

  • Even though Theon experiences an identity crisis because of Ramsay's tortures, there are no hints that he has a dissociative personality disorder.[1]
  • Theon is aware of being a turncloak, having betrayed Robb Stark, but he is not a kinslayer, since he actually did not kill Bran and Rickon Stark.[4]
    • However, it may be that the alter ego accuses Theon of being "false" because he lied about the young Starks' deaths,[4] or it may be an allusion to the possibility that at least one of the miller's sons whom he killed were actually his children (as speculated by some readers, see also: Miller's sons#Theories).[5]

Septon Chayle

Supporting evidence

  • Chayle is described as a cheerful person, and the hooded man seems to have a certain sense of humor, since he laughs at Theon.[6]
  • Apparently Chayle died when the Ironborn threw him in a well in Winterfell, but it is possible that he did not drown, since the septon is said to be a strong swimmer.[7][8]
  • Differently from Gynir Rednose, the Ironborn who was also thrown in a well in Winterfell, it is unknown if Chayle's dead body was retrieved.[4]

Evidence against

  • Since he threatens Theon with a dagger, the hooded man seems to be a violent person, which is inconsistent behavior for a septon.[1]
  • Even if Chayle is a strong swimmer, it is improbable he survived the fall into the well.[8]

Hallis Mollen

Supporting evidence

  • Catelyn Stark gave him the order to take Eddard Stark's bones to Winterfell, but not a word has been heard from him since then. It is possible that Hallis arrived in the castle incognito.[9]
  • Catelyn thought Hallis has a loose tongue and a tendency to state the obvious. For that reason, it is possible that he decided to risk his cover as a nameless hooded man to speak to Theon, repeating common insults against him.[10][11][12]
  • According to Big Walder, before his death Little Walder was looking for a White Harbor knight who owed him silver from a game of dice, and previously Hallis is seen playing dice.[11][5]

Evidence against

  • It is unclear why Hallis would have decided to go inside Winterfell and where he would have left Ned Stark's bones.[9]
  • The man who killed Little Walder is probably the same Big Walder, and his story about a White Harbor knight might be a lie to divert suspicion from himself (see also: Walder Frey (son of Jammos)/Theories).[5]

Harwin

Supporting evidence

  • Theon Greyjoy lists Harwin among a number of men he believes to be dead;[5] however, it is hinted that Harwin is still alive,[13][14] so, if he were the hooded man, he would appropriately be a “ghost in Winterfell,” after the title of the chapter in which the mysterious character makes his appearance.[1]
  • The Brotherhood Without Banners has been searching for Arya Stark for a long time.[15] Harwin knows the girl well and would be a suitable envoy to investigate whether Arya really married Ramsay Bolton at Winterfell, and in case rescue her.[16]

Evidence against

  • It is implied that Harwin is still with Lady Stoneheart in the Riverlands during the events of A Feast for Crows. This would make his presence at Winterfell during the events of A Dance with Dragons unlikely, although not impossible.[13][14]
  • It is uncertain whether the marriage between Ramsay and the fake Arya (Jeyne Poole) came to the Brotherhood's knowledge.[13]

Robett Glover

Supporting evidence

  • Robett Glover is last seen at White Harbor with Lord Wyman Manderly. He may have tagged along with the Manderlys' men in disguise.[17]
  • It is possible that the hooded man's dagger is actually Robett's dagger, which is used by Wex Pyke, Theon's former squire, at White Harbor.[17]

Evidence against

  • As far as the readers know, Robett remained in White Harbor, waiting for Davos Seaworth's return with Rickon Stark from Skagos.[17]
  • Robett knows that Theon is not dead, while the hooded man is surprised to see him alive.[17]

Roger Ryswell

Supporting evidence

  • Theon avoids eye contact with both the hooded man and Roger Ryswell, focusing instead on their cloaks.[1]
  • While Barbrey Dustin and Aenys Frey show interest in Theon's maimed hand, Roger pays it no attention; it is possible that he had already seen it, when he was disguised as the hooded man.[1]
  • While investigating the mysterious deaths at Winterfell, Roger Ryswell makes assumptions about the culprits, which later turn out to be all incorrect (for example, he rules out the possibility that the killers were women). It is possible that Roger was willfully sabotaging the investigation.[1]
  • Before the start of the killing streak, Theon encounters Rickard Ryswell in the company of Frenya, one of Mance Rayder's spearwives. Since Theon struggles to distinguish Roger and Rickard, perhaps he actually saw Roger Ryswell and it is possible there is a link between Roger and the spearwives.[18][19]

Evidence against

  • The Ryswells and the Dustins are the first Houses to declare for Roose Bolton when he is named Warden of the North.[20]
  • It is also possible that the real Roger Ryswell was killed and replaced by an impersonator (see below).[1]

Mors Umber

Supporting evidence

  • Mors Umber calls Theon Greyjoy "a turncloak and a kinslayer" with a "lying tongue",[21] words that are nearly identical to those used by the hooded man about Theon ("Theon Turncloak. Theon Kinslayer. False is all you were").[1]
  • Since it is possible that Rowan, one of Mance Rayder's spearwives, is actually Crowfood's only daughter, abducted by the wildlings years ago, Mors may have infiltrated Winterfell with the help of Mance's party.[22]

Evidence against

  • Mors has a deep hatred for the free folk, thus he may have no interest in partnering with Mance Rayder even if Rowan was his daughter.[22]
  • Mors Umber is missing an eye, while Theon notices, even though for only a brief moment, that the hooded man has two eyes.[1]
    • However, Crowfood may have disguised himself, borrowing Mance Rayder's enchanted cuff. Theon had seen Frenya flirting with Rickard or Roger Ryswell, and after that the corpse of a presumed Ryswell groom was found, hidden in the snow and with a face made unrecognizable by Ramsay Bolton's dogs: the dead man may be the real Roger Ryswell, replaced by Mors Umber.
    • Other hints about the involvement of a glamor are that Theon focuses on Roger's iron horsehead brooch, which could be an anchor for spells much like Melisandre's ruby choker or the moonstone brooch worn by Maynard Plumm in The Mystery Knight, as well as the parallels of appearance and history between Crowfood and Bloodraven, another supposed wearer of glamors (see also: Maynard Plumm/Theories).[23][1][19]

See also

The following links are a selection of theories about the hooded man:

References

  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 46, A Ghost in Winterfell.
  2. ↑ A Clash of Kings, Chapter 41, Tyrion IX.
  3. ↑ A Game of Thrones, Chapter 1, Bran I.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 A Clash of Kings, Chapter 56, Theon V.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 51, Theon I.
  6. ↑ A Storm of Swords, Chapter 35, Catelyn IV.
  7. ↑ A Clash of Kings, Chapter 35, Bran V.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 A Clash of Kings, Chapter 50, Theon IV.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 A Storm of Swords, Chapter 45, Catelyn V.
  10. ↑ A Game of Thrones, Chapter 63, Catelyn X.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 A Clash of Kings, Chapter 31, Catelyn III.
  12. ↑ A Clash of Kings, Chapter 22, Catelyn II.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 A Feast for Crows, Chapter 42, Brienne VIII.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Reddit: (Spoilers Extended) Brienne in a parallel world: GRRM's draft of her last two chapters recovered from Russian translation
  15. ↑ A Storm of Swords, Epilogue.
  16. ↑ A Storm of Swords, Chapter 13, Arya II.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 29, Davos IV.
  18. ↑ A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 20, Reek II.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 41, The Turncloak.
  20. ↑ A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 15, Davos II.
  21. ↑ The Winds of Winter, Chapter , Theon I (The Winds of Winter).
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 17, Jon IV.
  23. ↑ A Clash of Kings, Chapter 16, Bran II.
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