As one of the only characters with true honor and humbleness, Jon Snow is the hero of Game of Thrones — it is known. But John Bradley, who plays his loyal friend Sam Tarly, disagrees.
In an interview with CNET on Friday, Bradley spoke about the intriguing theory that the entire story is being told from Sam’s perspective. This theory was prompted by Sam’s trip to the Citadel at the end of Season 6.
As he looks around the library, the camera pans up to a gyroscope. It looks like the same one that shows up in the Game of Thrones opening credits, which pan around a three-dimensional map of the Seven Kingdoms and the current episode’s relevant locations. It could be a simple wink to observant fans, but many think it’s something more.
After the Citadel scene in Season 6, many fans suggest that this means the final season will reveal that a “song of ice and fire” is actually a story that a future Maester Sam Tarly will write.
Here’s Sam at the Citadel:
Sam and the gyroscope at the Citadel in Season 6
And here’s the gyroscope in the opening credits:
The gyroscope in the 'Game of Thrones' opening credits
About this theory, Bradley said,
It’s a fascinating theory….It will contextualize everything that’s gone before if that is the case. If Sam does prove to be the narrator of the story, then that serves as a doubt bomb for everything else, because you know that you’re hearing everything through Sam’s interpretation of it. And does that necessarily mean Jon Snow has been the hero that he’s been, or is that Sam just paying lip service to that man that he loves so much?
Sam is more loyal to Jon than anyone else in the world, save for Arya. If the story is told through Sam’s eyes, he’s wearing rose-colored glasses. In reality, Jon Snow could be significantly less honorable and heroic than he seems.
In other words, Jon Snow might really know nothing — and John Bradley is on board with this suggestion.
Game of Thrones Season 7 premieres July 16 on HBO.
