Tormund/Theories

Theories may be removed if ...

Stated as questions or possibilities. More appropriate for another article. Illogical or previously disproven. Proven by canon source, and moved to main page. Speculative and lacking any evidence to support arguments. Responding to another theory (use discussion page instead). This does not include responses that are also standalone theories. Usage of an indented bullet does not imply the statement is a response.

Tormund has been theorized to be the husband of Maege Mormont, and the father of at least some of Maege's children.

Supporting evidence

The following pieces of information can be seen as evidence:

• Tormund claims to once have drunkenly sought to sleep with a woman he knew "lived close by", but while he carried her home, she showed her "terrible temper" and "put up quite the fight", which matches the traits of Maege Mormont, who has also been described as short-tempered, strong, and a warrior. Furthermore, Bear Island is often raided by wildlings from the Frozen Shore who carry off the women they can, which constitutes a marriage in wildling culture, so it is perfectly possible that Tormund carried off Maege in a wildling raid, making them men and wife.
• In Tormund's story, he wakes up the next morning to find out that in his drunkenness, he instead actually had sex with a she-bear, but according to Alysane Mormont, who also has children from an unknown father, members of her House "turn into bears and find mates in the woods", and Maege has been described as a She-Bear. Tormund thus earned the nickname Husband to Bears, another hint to their wildling marriage.
• Tormund also said that he liked the she-bear because "never a woman gave me such a fight, nor such strong sons either", which indicates the she-bear is the mother of at least two of Tormund's four sons, who are the strongest ones. If she bore at least two of Tormund's sons, then it is also likely that he fathered at least some of Maege's daughters, if not all.
• No one knows who the father of Maege's daughters is or even if she ever married. However, none of Maege's daughters appear to be considered bastards, which suggests that she married (as previously explained), and all of her daughters carry the Mormont name, which suggests that Maege's husband does not come from nobility (like Tormund), in which case a woman can prefer to retain her own surname for herself and for her children. Tormund himself states in his story that the she-bear had a pair of cubs.
• A lasting relationship between Maege and Tormund might help explain why all of Maege's five children are daughters, while four of Tormund's five children are sons, as Maege could have preferred the daughters to raise them as warrior women, while Tormund preferred the sons. In fact, one of Maege's daughters, Alysane, also has children from an unknown father, a lesson she might have learned from her mother, and the positive way she talks about "mating in the woods" indicates how it is all consensual.
• Maege being carried off by wildlings might help explain why Maege's brother, lord Jeor Mormont, decided to abdicate his seat and lordship to join the Night's Watch.