Fan theory corner: Video explores the Grand Northern Conspiracy in detail

A Song of Ice and Fire and Game of Thrones fan Alt Shift X has a reputation as a clear-headed thinker who absorbingly lays out detailed GoT theories. His most recent video is about the Grand Northern Conspiracy, a popular theory which holds that, in the books, the Northern lords are are conspiring to unseat the Boltons and install a Stark (Rickon or Jon Snow, depending on the plot) as the new King in the North.

Before we get to the video, note that this theory applies to the books only. It involves characters who were cut from the show, like Lady Barbrey Dustin and Lady Stoneheart, and ones whose roles were drastically changed, like Wyman Manderly. It also features events that never happened on the show, like Robb Stark’s intention to make a will naming Jon Snow as his successor.

Enjoy:

As Alt Shift X notes, the latest book in the Song of Ice and Fire series — A Dance with Dragons — ends before we find out the truth of a lot of these theories. In Game of Thrones season 6, the objects of the conspiracy are achieved: a Stark (well, a Snow — close enough) is installed as the new King in the North, but it happens more as a result of happenstance (and of Lyanna Mormont shaming a bunch of Northern lords into remembering their loyalty) than because anyone is conspiring to make it so.

Considering the time constraints of the TV show, we were never going to get the Grand Northern Conspiracy in all its complexity, although I wish the producers had found a way to work more of it in. We’ll get more on the shape of these conspiracies when The Winds of Winter comes out.

I also think Alt Shift X’s conclusion is worth noting. “Are all these people secretly working together in unison? … Are all these people connected? Maybe, but probably not.”

"The evidence doesn’t support the idea of one big cohesive grand northern conspiracy. What it does support are several medium-sized, loosely overlapping plots in the North and Riverlands."

I know the idea of one huge, vastly complex conspiracy is seductive, but Alt Shift X has great points about the difficulty of communication between the parties and how hard it is to keep things under wraps when there are a lot people involved. The idea of several overlapping conspiracies fits much better with George R.R. Martin’s attempts to keep his story ground in reality.