25 Game of Thrones theories fans need to know for season 8

Episode 64 (season 7, episode 4), debut 8/6/17: Isaac Hempstead Wright, Maisie Williams.

photo: Helen Sloan/courtesy of HBO

Bran is Bran the Builder

Another well-known Bran theory suggests that Bran and Bran the Builder are actually the same person, another feat made possible by the fact that Bran can travel through and influence time. Fans who hold to this theory also believe that Bran went back in time to prevent the White Walkers from attacking, but they also suspect that Bran used his time travel to help create the Wall. This accomplishment is usually attributed to Bran the Builder, who has the same name.

Believers of this theory also pointed out that a video detailing the history of Westeros, which was included as a feature in the Game of Thrones home releases, depicts Bran the Builder being carried on a platform. This would suggest that he was unable to walk, another attribute that he has in common with Bran Stark.

There’s also a passage from the second book in the A Song of Ice and Fire series, A Clash of Kings, that supports the idea of Bran being Bran the Builder:

"A seventh castle he raised, most massive of all. Some said the children of the forest helped him build it, shaping the stones with magic; others claimed that a small boy told him what he must do, a boy who would grow to be Bran the Builder."

It’s interesting that this passage describes Bran the Builder as a “small boy,” and it’s more interesting that Bran the Builder’s advice almost sounds prophetic. He knows what must be done, but how? Perhaps it’s because he can see into the past and future, just like Bran. Perhaps this small boy is Bran, interfering with the past from the future. It wouldn’t be the first time.