Warning: This article may contain potential Game of Thrones spoilers
While speculation about the true identity of the Prince that was Promised dominates Game of Thrones discussion worldwide, is it possible the fate of the series actually rests in the hands of one minor character?
We're not so sure, but we'll definitely be keeping an eye on the comings and goings of Winterfell's Old Nan in the final two seasons.
Also known as House Stark's oldest servant and the late Hodor's great grandmother, Nan (originally played by the late Margaret John in the HBO series) came to Winterfell to nurse Bran Stark after he was pushed from Winterfell tower by Jaime Lannister.
Nan has only appeared in four episodes of the show thus far but, believe it or not, she may be a major player in events to come.
In the book series, Old Nan bores Bran with tales from beyond the wall and, in the TV show Bran repeats these stories that seem to foreshadow later events.
After the Red Wedding, Bran relays a story Old Nan told him about 'The Rat Cook' – a legend in which a Night's Watch cook kills the son of a visiting king, and then serves him in a pie to the king himself.
Sound familiar?
It should, because this is pretty much what Arya did to Red Wedding maestro Walder Frey last season.
So, how does Nan fit into the future series? Well, in one GoT scene featured in the books, Bran gets frustrated and tells Nan he hates her stories, leading to this ominous conversation (via Time).
"I hate your stupid stories," Bran says.
"My stories?" says Old Nan. "No, my little lord, not mine. The stories are before me and after me, before you too."
Does this mean Old Nan knows what is to come in the future?
If so, you may want to pay attention to the fable of Bran the Builder, as it may actually be a major spoiler come series end.
'Bran the Builder' is a story told about a previous Brandon Stark, often mentioned by Old Nan in the book series, and in the story, it was this Brandon Stark that "raised Winterfell, and some said the Wall".
However, since time is non-linear in Old Nan's stories (and Bran has been known to time travel a time or two as well), some fans have inferred it is actually Bran who will go back in time at the end of the series and build the wall, thus becoming the Bran in the story.
This theory was alluded to in the DVD extras for GoT's previous season, as one scene shows 'Bran the Builder' being wheeled around in a device not so different from Bran's, insinuating he was also paralysed.
It also suggests Bran will actually become the inspiration for his own name in the present, as he tells people in the past his name, which then is recorded as the name in the fable.
Mental.
Does this mean Old Nan's stories will eventually help Bran defeat the White Walkers? Again, the jury's still out.
However, it may also mean that 'Valar Morghulis' can be taken at its most literal sense: If 'all men must die' at the end of the series, maybe the whole point of the show is to tell Bran's journey to save Westeros centuries before.
Guess we'll have to wait and see.
