7 intriguing mysteries from A Song of Ice and Fire

From the hooded man in Winterfell to Ashara Dayne to Dany’s house with the red door, there are lots of mysteries yet to be solved in the pages of A Song of Ice and Fire.

The first book in the mega-hit fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire was released in the summer of 1996. In the quarter century since, fans have poured into online communities to discuss the ever-growing list of mysteries at the heart of George R. R. Martin’s famous fantasy epic. With five released books, a few sample chapters from the sixth book, and no end in sight, these mysteries are far from solved.

And keep in mind: a mystery is different than a theory. There are a lot of theories out there about A Song of Ice and Fire, but mysteries are the questions that are too difficult to answer. From Westeros to Essos, let’s examine seven of them, and see if we can’t crack any.

What happened to Ashara Dayne’s body?

Anyone in A Song of Ice and Fire with purple eyes is of immediate interest, and Ashara Dayne is no exception. She was a lady to Princess Elia Martell and present at the tourney at Harrenhal. During the tournament, Brandon Stark approached her on behalf of his younger brother, Eddard. It’s said Ashara danced with Eddard. According to Ashara’s little sister Allyria, they fell in love at Harrenhal.

Ser Barristan Selmy was also in love with Ashara, although he never told her about his feelings. According to him, Ashara was “dishonored” by a man at Harrenhal. Barristan also said that Ashara “looked” at a “Stark” following the final tilts at the tourney, although he doesn’t identify which one.

A few years after the tourney, Eddard Stark slew Ashara’s own brother Arthur in the waning days of Robert’s Rebellion. Eddard traveled to Starfall to return Arthur’s greatsword, Dawn, to House Dayne. Shortly afterwards, Ashara jumped from the top of one of the towers of Starfall and into the sea.

Up north in Winterfell, the rumor spread that Ashara was the mother of Eddard’s bastard son, Jon Snow. Catelyn Tully heard these stories and confronted Eddard, who refused to confirm or deny anything regarding Jon’s mother, and silenced all talk of Ashara in Winterfell.

Several characters have cited possible reasons for Ashara’s decision to commit suicide: a broken heart, her stillborn daughter, a stolen child, something related to whoever dishonored her at Harrenhal, or grief over Arthur’s death. No matter the speculation, one thing remains certain: her body was never found, so perhaps we should add “she didn’t actually die” that list theories.