Five Song of Ice and Fire theories that may come true in The Winds of Winter

Tyrion Lannister official. Courtesy: HBO

The Sailor’s Wife

In both the books and on the show, Tyrion married Tysha, a commoner, in a fit of youthful passion, and the love they shared was genuine. But his father Tywin, incensed that his son would marry so beneath him, recruited Jaime into teaching Tyrion a terrible lesson. He and Jaime convinced Tyrion that Tysha was in fact a prostitute Jaime had hired to bed Tyrion. Then, Tywin made Tyrion watch as Lannister soldiers went to bed with Tysha, and she left for parts unknown.

In the books (though not on the show) Jaime reveals the truth to Tyrion after freeing him from his prison in the Red Keep, near the end of A Storm of Swords: what Tyrion and Tysha shared had been genuine, and the prostitute story a lie. After learning that, Tyrion marches up to his father’s bedchamber to find out more. With a crossbow. Only one of them leaves alive:

"‘What did you do with Tysha?’ ‘Tysha?’ He does not even remember her name. ‘The girl I married.’ ‘Oh, yes. Your first whore.’ Tyrion took aim at his father’s chest. ‘The next time you say that word, I’ll kill you.’ ‘You do not have the courage.’ ‘Shall we find out? It’s a short word, and it seems to come so easily to your lips.’ Tyrion gestured impatiently with the bow. ‘Tysha. What did you do with her, after my little lesson?’ ‘I don’t recall.’ ‘Try harder. Did you have her killed?’ His father pursed his lips. ‘There was no reason for that, she’d learned her place… and had been well paid for her day’s work, I seem to recall. I suppose the steward sent her on her way. I never thought to inquire.’ ‘On her way where?’ ‘Wherever whores go.’ Tyrion’s finger clenched. – A Storm of Swords"

Ever since, the whereabouts of Tysha have been one of the biggest mysteries from the books. The question consumes Tyrion in A Dance with Dragons, and drives many of his actions. Depressed and alone, he is constantly searching for wherever whores go. Luckily for Tyrion, a fan theory could hold the answer. Enter the Sailor’s Wife.

The Sailor’s Wife is a courtesan from Braavos with a peculiar way of doing business — we first hear of her in A Feast for Crows during Arya Stark’s stay in the city. Her real name is unknown, but she earned the name everyone knows her by because she marries every man she takes to bed. She requires this, so the story goes, in tribute to her first husband, who she claims was “lost at sea.”

"They said she went to pray for her first husband, her true husband, who had been lost at sea when she was a girl no older than Lanna. She thinks that if she finds the right god, maybe he will send the winds and blow her old love back to her. – A Feast for Crows"

The book’s appendix confirmed that the Sailor’s Wife has a daughter named Lanna, a 14-year-old with long, blonde hair. She is about the right age, and has the right hair color, to have been fathered by Tyrion, although his age has been hard to nail down. But it is her name that truly strikes suspicion.

“Lanna” is a name commonly associated with House Lannister. There is a Lanna Lannister in Westeros already, and after Tywin’s death, a lady of the court approaches Cersei to ask the queen’s leave to name her child Lanna if it’s a girl. If Tysha is still hung up on Tyrion, it would make sense to name her child after him.

And there you have it, folks: Tyrion might be a father.