Game of Thrones answered many of A Song of Ice and Fire‘s biggest questions. (Who was Jon Snow’s mother? Where did the White Walkers came? Is Melisandre really old?) But even with eight seasons, the series didn’t answer all of our questions. Not even ones raised at the beginning of the show. Here are nine from Game of Thrones‘ first season that we never got closure on.
Was Cersei lying about a black-haired son who died?
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Cersei was capable of doing or saying anything. So what she lying when she spoke to Catelyn Stark, who was sitting by Bran’s side after his “fall”?
Cersei said she lost her first child, a little “black-haired beauty.” But if true, that would seemingly negate Maggie the Frog’s otherwise highly accurate prophecy about Cersei’s life, which stated she would have three children with the King.
We’ll never know if Cersei was lying to Catelyn, or if she really did have a legitimate son with her husband. And honestly, it’s a testament to Cersei’s skills of manipulation. Even after eight seasons, she still has us guessing.
Was Drogon or Daenerys the “Stallion Who Mounts the World”?
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After Daenerys successfully ate a raw horse heart, the Dosh Kaleen declared her unborn son would be the “Stallion Who Mounts the World,” the “Khal of Khals,” prophesied to unite all the Dothraki Khalasars and conquer the world. That didn’t happen.
Mirri Maz Duur, the witch who betrayed Daenerys, made sure Daenerys’ son Rhaego died during birth. Duur did not want him grow up and fulfill that destiny. But was the Dothraki prophecy true in a different way?
Was Drogon, “birthed” by Daenerys, technically the Stallion? Or was it Daenerys, who did unite all the Khalasars? You can make a case for either, or argue the prophecy was wrong entirely. But we’ll never know for sure.
Did Mirri Maz Duur really curse Daenerys from ever having children?
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Speaking of Mirri Maz Duur, Daenerys believed the witch cursed her, making it so Daenerys could never have children. Duur never actually said that in season one, but she does in George R.R. Martin’s first book. That idea was introduced to the show by Daenerys in later seasons, and it was a big deal.
Tyrion feared the line of succession; meanwhile, Jon didn’t believe in the curse at all, which suggested Daenerys might have a child one day. So what was the truth? Any chance of finding out, at least on the show, died with the Khaleesi.
Did Bran save himself from the Catspaw assassin?
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The Stark’s direwolves were fiercely loyal and protective. Ghost came to Jon’s aid repeatedly, and no wanted to mess with Robb’s Grey Wind. That said, the first time a direwolf rescued a Stark plays very differently in retrospect.
Bran’s direwolf, Summer, saved him from the would-be “Catspaw” assassin who came to murder Bran while he was in a coma. In the moment it seemed like Summer was just being a good wolf. But considering Bran became a warg who frequently entered Summer’s mind during dangerous situations, is that what happened with the Catspaw? Did Bran warg into Summer, even unconsciously, and save himself? The answer wouldn’t change anything, but it’s fun to think about.
What happened to Illyrio Mopatis and his grand plans?
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Daenerys and Viserys were living at the Pentos manse of Illyrio Mopatis in the pilot. Later in season one, Arya spotted him in the recesses of King’s Landing talking to Varys about killing Ned Stark. Illyrio clearly wanted to install a friendly Targaryen on the Iron Throne. But that was the last time we saw or heard from him. (He allowed a fleeing Varys and Tyrion to stay at his manse in season five, but Illyrio was out of sight.)
What happened to the grand schemer? Did he abandon his plans? Why did he care the already rich and powerful Mopatis a Targaryen ruled Westeros at all? He could have just as easily backed the Lannisters when they assumed power. The true motivations of the show’s Illyrio will never be known.
Was Old Nan right about the White Walkers riding ice spiders long ago?
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Old Nan’s tales about the first Long Night turned out to be true. Except for one specific part. She told Bran the White Walkers once rode giant ice spiders “big as hounds.” If you thought they looked scary on zombie horses, imagine seeing the Night King on the back of a monster ice spider.
Unfortunately that didn’t happen. David Benioff and D.B. Weiss entertained the idea “for 30 seconds” before deciding it would be impossible to make them look good on screen. But that’s an issue of production. Even if we didn’t get to see them, we want to know if Old Nan was right. (We really do want to see them, though! And while we’re at it, are grumkins and snarks real too? Give us all of Westeros’s mythological creatures!)
Where did dragons originally come from?
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Old Valyria, history’s greatest empire, gained its power from dragons. The old tales say shepherds in Valyria found the first dragon eggs in a ring of volcanoes. But even if that’s true, how did they get there? There are plenty of stories from around the world, but in Game of Thrones’ first season Daenerys’ servant Doreah tells a story she heard from a Qarth trader.
He said dragons came from the moon, because once there were two moons. One was an egg that got too close to the sun and cracked, pouring out thousands of dragons. The Dothraki women laughed at this story and said the moon “is no egg.” But that doesn’t tell us where the most powerful creatures ever, “fire made flesh,” actually came from.
What happened to Tyrion’s first wife?
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The night before Tyrion was supposed to lead his unruly crew of mountain clans into battle, he told Bronn and Shae about his first wife, Tysha. The two immediately married after he rescued her from an attempted rape. Only, Jaime then told him the whole thing was a setup to get a 16-year-old Tyrion into bed with a woman. Tywin Lannister then ordered a horrific punishment for Tysha and Tyrion never saw her again.
This was a defining moment in Tyrion’s life. It partially led to him killing his father. And the marriage was still referenced in season eight. But what happened to Tysha? Where did she go? Her memory is even more important to Tyrion in the books, as is the question of where she went. (Especially when he learns Jaime was lying and Tysha really did love him.) Her whereabouts on the show are lost to time, though.
Did Syrio Forel survive his encounter with Meryn Trant?
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The former Braavosi Water Dancer helped Arya escape the clutches of Meryn Trant and the Lannisters. But he paid for his bravery with his life. Or did he? Some viewers and readers have long wandered if the talented swordsman, no sword or not, escaped that duel.
While it certainly seemed like Syrio perished, especially since he never reappeared on the show, we know two things about Game of Thrones. One: death is not permanent. And two: unless we saw you die on screen, anything is possible. We learned that lesson when the Hound returned from his “fatal” encounter with Brienne.
But any further lessons will come from the books. We hope. At least we know how Game of Thrones ended.
Featured Image: HBO
