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

The Hound Official. Courtesy: HBO

The Gravedigger

Long before Sandor “The Hound” Clegane returned a changed man and sacrificed himself to bring vengeance upon his brother Gregor “The Mountain” Clegane in Game of Thrones, he was grievously injured. Denied mercy by Arya Stark, he was left to die in the countryside before being rescued by a kindly septon.

On the show, Sandor is nursed back to health by Septon Ray before rejoining the game of thrones with a new attitude on life and chivalry. Although those scenes were created for the show, it isn’t too far off from what might occur in the books.

Skip to the next book in the series, A Feast for Crows. There’s a very peculiar Brienne chapter that’s drawn a lot of attention. On her quest to find Sansa Stark, Brienne, Podrick Payne, Septon Meribald and Ser Hyle travel to the Quiet Isle, an upthrust island that sits at the mouth of the Trident, near where the Hound is left for dead in the books. The Quiet Isle serves as a refuge for those sworn to the Faith of the Seven.

It’s here that the characters encounter a lame man digging graves. The theory of “the Gravedigger” argues that this man is Sandor Clegane, who is very much alive and living in seclusion on the Quiet Isle, which has been spared the worst of the war.

What’s the evidence? First, the Elder Brother, a healer and leader of the sept on the Quiet Isle, claims to have been there when the Hound died. The Hound’s warhorse, Stranger, is even in the stable. The Elder Brother chooses his words very carefully (“The Hound is dead. Sandor is at rest.”), leading some to wonder if he’s being metaphorical: the Hound died, sure, but Sandor Clegane was reborn as a withdrawn man of god(s).

He also knows too much about Sandor if all he did was keep him company in his final moments. The Elder Brother is familiar with Sandor’s habits, his nature, and his personal struggles. This implies the two have been working together to help Sandor get past his very deep-rooted issues. Finally, the Elder Brother is considered an excellent healer and is known to be able to cure wounds Maesters could not, maybe even infected wounds of the kind inflicting Sandor.

Then there are the physical similarities between the hound and the gravedigger. Brienne is larger than most men, but she describes the gravedigger as bigger than she. Brienne also notes that he walks with a limp, possibly the result of injuries the Hound sustained before Arya leaves him for dead. The man also seems to like dogs and is implied to be a newcomer to the Quiet Isle.

Fans were treated to CleganeBowl on the show, and with this theory, it seems likely we’ll see it on paper, too.