Game of Thrones theory video: Does Tormund have a secret lover?

YouTube channel Alt Shift X has gained a reputation as one of the more clear-headed Game of Thrones theory channels out there (it has videos on other subjects, too). The videos are great — well-reasoned, easy to understand, and engaging. For his latest video, the proprietor of the channel has dived into the theory that Tormund Giantsbane, everybody’s favorite wildling warrior, may have been carrying on a secret love affair with a Northerner for years. But which one? Watch the video below.

So the theory goes that Tormund Giantsbane has been carrying on a love affair with Maege Mormont, the leader of Bear Island, for years. In both the show and the books, Maege is mother to Lyanna Mormont and aunt to Jorah Mormont. However, on the show, Maege is dead — recall that Lyanna spoke about her in the past tense when Sansa and Jon tried to recruit her in season 6. “My mother wasn’t a great beauty or any other kind of beauty. She was a great warrior though.” Maege died fighting for Robb Stark in the south, possibly at the Red Wedding, which explains why Lyanna is so willing to take down the Boltons.

Maege Mormont, seen briefly during Robb’s coronation in season 1.

In the books, Maege is alive, at least so far as we know — last we heard, she was seeking out Howland Reed in the Neck. Also, in the books, Maege has several daughters, whereas on the show she appears to have just the one: little Lyanna. If Tormund has been carrying on an affair with Maege — as Alt Shift X explains, Bear Island is near wildling lands, so Tormund would have access — he could well be Lyanna’s father. If he tells her, that would certainly make for an interesting scene in season 7.

And again, on the show, Maege is dead, meaning Tormund is technically free to pursue other women, like Brienne. Tormund, Brienne, and Lyanna ruling Bear Island together as a happy family? Sounds like a plan. (Or not, because Brienne seems repulsed by Tormund’s advances, but we can cross that bridge when we come to it.)

And let’s not forget that the show did include an abbreviated version of the story Tormund tells in the books, the one about him having sex with a bear. He tells it to Ygritte and company in “The Watchers on the Wall”…or he starts to, before an angry Ygritte cuts him off.

So are we headed for a revelation about Tormund and Lyanna, in the books or on the show? We’ll know soon enough.