The Hooded Man is one of the.. strangest mysteries
in Game of Thrones. In the latest book, the Boltons have Winterfell. But Stannis Baratheon's army is coming to
attack them. So the Boltons rally their own army, with
the Freys and northern allies, crowding thousands of soldiers into Winterfell. And as a snowstorm falls, tensions rise. Cause these northern houses say they support
the Boltons, but most of them actually hate the Boltons – cause the Boltons and Freys
betrayed the Starks and killed hundreds of northmen at the Red Wedding – “The north
remembers” these Bolton crimes , so some northern lords plan to betray the Boltons. We know Wyman Manderly is against the Boltons
, and the Umbers and Dustins might be too. Ramsay marries a girl who the Boltons say
is Arya Stark , though she’s actually a girl called Jeyne. Mance Rayder and six wildling women infiltrate
Winterfell to rescue this girl. And Theon Greyjoy wanders the castle like
a ghost, broken by Ramsay’s torture. And all the while, Stannis and his army are
camped in the snow nearby. So there’s a lot going on in Winterfell. The Bolton-Frey-northern alliance is dangerously
unstable , the castle is full of plots, secrets, and lies – and a mysterious murderer walks
the castle at night. One morning, they find a dead man in Winterfell
– a Ryswell soldier with a broken neck, half-buried in the snow. Then, a dead Frey squire is found naked in
the castle graveyard , and a dead Flint soldier in the stables. Then one of Ramsay’s friends is killed,
a man called Yellow Dick. His dick was cut off and “stuffed … into
his mouth” so hard that his teeth broke. These murders get everyone suspicious, rumours
fly, and tensions rise between the northmen and the Freys. It really hits the fan after the fifth murder. Cause this victim isn’t just some random
soldier, it’s “Little” Walder Frey, the nine-year-old grandson of Lord Walder
Frey. The Freys accuse Wyman of the murder, and
the Freys and Manderlys start fighting, so to stop his army destroying itself, Roose
Bolton orders the Freys and Manderlys to go and attack Stannis , which is actually exactly
what Stannis wants – Stannis seems to be planning a trap for the Freys , which is explained
in our Pink Letter video. So these Winterfell murders may be a deliberate
plan to create conflict in Winterfell , to lure the Boltons into Stannis’ trap. Cause these five victims aren't random – they
seem very deliberately targeted. Cause most of the houses in Winterfell hate
the Boltons. The only ones that seem genuinely loyal to
the Boltons are the Freys, and the Ryswells. And those are the houses that get murdered
– Roger Ryswell's groom, Aenys Frey’s squire, Little Walder, and Ramsay’s friend. All these victims are close to a lord who’s
loyal to the Boltons. Except for this Flint soldier – the Flints
are a minor house, and we don’t know much about them. So maybe this Flint guy really was just “Kicked
by a horse” in the stables, and wasn’t murdered. But overall, these murders seem deliberately
targeted to piss off the Boltons and Freys, to create conflict, to help Stannis beat the
Boltons. The lords think the murderer must be working
for Stannis , or working for Wyman Manderly. Some think Theon is be the killer , but they
decide it can’t be Theon, cause he’s too weak – in the books, Ramsay’s torture
destroys Theon’s body. He’s starved and frail , with missing fingers
and toes , and he’s psychologically broken – he doesn’t have the strength to murder
five men. So who is the killer? Amidst the murders, Theon wanders Winterfell
aimless and alone. And one night, he sees a mysterious man in
a hooded cloak. The man recognises Theon, and calls him a
“Turncloak” and a “Kinslayer” – many northmen hate “Theon Turncloak” because
Theon betrayed the Starks and took Winterfell. Calling Theon a “Kinslayer” is unusual,
but it’s because everyone thinks that Theon killed Bran and Rickon Stark, who were Theon’s
“foster brothers” – so even though Theon and the Starks weren’t kin as in blood relatives,
it’s still kind of kinslaying. The Hooded Man puts a hand on his dagger , as
though he might attack Theon, but when Theon shows him his disfigured tortured hands , the
man laughs and leaves Theon to his torment. So Theon thinks this Hooded Man might be the
murderer in Winterfell – why else would he be striding around at night, with his cloak
and dagger? And the hooded man might not be working alone. There are only three characters in the series
who call Theon a kinslayer. First is the Hooded Man, then there’s Rowan
, one of the wildlings who helps Theon and Jeyne escape Winterfell. Then there’s Crowfood Umber – a northman
working for Stannis, who rescues Theon and Jeyne outside Winterfell. It’s very convenient that Crowfood just
happened to be outside Winterfell to grab Theon when Rowan helped him escape. So there’s a theory that Rowan and Crowfood
are connected. Rowan really hates Theon for supposedly killing
Bran and Rickon – she spits in Theon’s face and says he wasn’t punished enough
for killing the Starks. Which is weird, cause Rowan’s a wildling. The Starks and the wildlings have been enemies
for centuries. Yet Rowan makes a respectful comment about
“Lord Eddard’s words”. Why does this wildling respect Ned Stark? It’s mentioned that Crowfood Umber once
had a daughter who “was carried off by wildlings thirty years ago”. So maybe Rowan is that daughter. The Umbers are loyal to the Starks, so if
Rowan was raised as an Umber, that would explain why she respects Ned Stark, and why she hates
Theon for killing Ned Starks’s sons, and why she’s risking her life to save the girl
who she thinks is Ned Stark’s daughter. If Rowan is Crowfood’s daughter, they might’ve
been working together on this rescue – and that’s why Crowfood was outside the walls
at the right time. And the hooded man might also be involved. Cause the hooded man appears on the same night
that Crowfood arrives outside Winterfell – maybe they came together. And Crowfood calls Theon a turncloak and kinslayer
just like the hooded man calls him turncloak and kinslayer. Maybe the hooded man, Rowan and Crowfood are
all working together, to rescue Arya, and to murder soldiers to help Stannis beat the
Boltons. Remember that Rowan and the wildlings were
sent to Winterfell by Melisandre, who works for Stannis, just like Crowfood works for
Stannis. So how does the hooded man fit in this conspiracy
– and who is the Hooded Man? One possibility is Robett Glover, the brother
of Lord Galbart Glover. The Glover brothers fought for Robb Stark
in his war. But then Robett was screwed over by Roose
Bolton, who sent Robett into a trap at Duskendale. Meanwhile, Robett’s wife and children got
captured by Asha Greyjoy, who still has his kids as hostages on the Iron Islands. In Book 5, Robett works with Wyman Manderly
in his secret plan to betray the Boltons and help Stannis. So Robett’s already in an anti-Bolton conspiracy
– maybe he came with Wyman to Winterfell, and became the hooded man – committing those
murders, and maybe working with Crowfood and Rowan. When Robett plots with Wyman, Robett wears
a cloak , and uses a dagger – like the Hooded Man has a cloak and dagger. And it makes sense that the hooded man really
hates Theon Turncloak – cause the Greyjoy invasion of the north cost Robett his family
and home. So Robett Glover fits – he could be hooded
man – but there is a problem with this theory. Cause Robett Glover knows that Bran and Rickon
are alive. So if Robett is the hooded man, and he knows
Theon didn’t kill the Starks, why would he call Theon “Kinslayer”? You could argue that Theon is a kinslayer
cause he got some ironborn killed at Moat Cailin. And there is a crazy theory that Theon killed
his own sons – which.. we’ll get to. But it doesn’t make much sense for Robett
to call Theon “Kinslayer”. So who else could be the Hooded Man? Harwin was one of Ned Stark’s guards. He used to help Arya Jon and Robb learn to
ride horses – he’s a trusted and loyal servant of House Stark. In Book 1, Harwin was sent on a mission with
Beric and Thoros – but they were attacked, and the group became the brotherhood without
banners. When Arya meets the brotherhood, she reunites
with Harwin – and it’s an emotional moment, with Arya and Harwin reconnecting with their
past lives at Winterfell. Harwin’s fond of Arya, and protective of
her, but they split when Arya leaves the brotherhood. In Book 4, Harwin’s in the brotherhood group
led by Lady Stoneheart – the resurrected corpse of Catelyn Stark. Stoneheart seems to be searching for her daughter
Arya, questioning captives about her. And by now, Stoneheart must have heard the
news that Arya has married Ramsay Bolton. So maybe Stoneheart sent someone to rescue
Arya. And Harwin is the perfect man for the job
– he knows Arya, he knows Winterfell, he’s loyal to the Starks. So maybe Harwin went to Winterfell – and
when he realised Ramsay’s bride isn’t really Arya, he coulda become the hooded man
– murdering Boltons, getting involved with Rowan and Wyman’s conspiracies. Since Harwin knew Theon and the Starks as
they grew up together, so it makes sense that Harwin would see Bran and Rickon as Theon’s
brothers, and would hate Theon as a kinslayer. An argument against Harwin is that he and
Theon knew each other for years – so why doesn’t Theon recognise Harwin? It’s not like the Hooded Man’s hood covers
his face, because Theon and the man come “face-to-face” and “their eyes [meet]”. Then again, Theon fails to recognise his own
sister earlier – mistaken identities are a theme in his story. And Arya has trouble recognising Harwin – cause
he’s thinner and got a new beard. So maybe Theon just didn’t recognise Harwin. Harwin might be the hooded man – originally
on a mission to save Arya, and now involved in murder and conspiracy in Winterfell. And unlike Robett Glover, Harwin has an emotional
connection to the Stark characters, so it could be a more meaningful reveal if he’s
the hooded man. Another possibility is Hallis Mollen, another
Winterfell guard. He guards Catelyn Stark during Robb’s war
in the south , until Catelyn gets Ned Stark’s bones. She wants her husband’s bones to rest in
the crypt at Winterfell, so she sends Hal to take the bones north. But as far as we know, Hal never arrives at
Winterfell – Catelyn thinks Hal might’ve been blocked off from the north at Moat Cailin. In Winterfell, Barbrey Dustin tells Theon
that she’s watching for Ned’s bones, cause she wants to feed them to her dogs – but
Barbrey hasn’t found the bones either. So where is Hal? If he was blocked at Moat Cailin, he could’ve
ended up in nearby Greywater Watch, the home of Howland Reed, who happens to be the one
man alive who would know that Jon Snow is the son of Prince Rhaegar. Also last we saw Robett’s brother Galbart
Glover, he was sent to Howland Reed – and Galbart knows about Robb Stark’s will that
makes Jon King in the North. The point is that Hal could get involved in
a bunch of potential conspiracies. And if Hal did eventually make it to Winterfell,
he could play the role of the Hooded Man – killing Bolton soldiers, returning Ned’s bones. Like Harwin, Hal knew Theon and the Starks
as they grew up, so it makes sense that Hal would hate Theon as a “Kinslayer”. But Hal’s personality might be a problem
– he has “a loose tongue” , and tends to “loudly” “[state] the obvious”. He doesn’t sound like the ideal person for
a secret hooded mission? But it’s possible that Hal is the hooded
man. So Hal or Harwin or maybe Robett Glover could
all could be the Hooded Man –. Some fans think that Brynden Blackfish, or Benjen Stark
could be the Hooded Man. It could kind of be anyone who loved the Starks,
and maybe that’s the point. One of the themes in the story is that even
though the Starks are defeated, their legacy lives on. “The north remembers” Ned Stark's leadership,
and that's why so many northmen still fight and die in his name , and are trying to save
his daughter. Maybe the Hooded Man is the embodiment of
the north’s loyalty, living proof that the north remembers. He could be just an unnamed unknown northman. Maybe it doesn’t matter who’s under the
hood. [like V for Vendetta]
But here’s the thing – whoever the Hooded Man is, he’s probably not the Winterfell
murderer – the wildlings are. Jon Snow and Melisandre sent Mance and these
women to Winterfell, to rescue Jeyne, who they think is Arya. But even if Rowan is an Umber, there’s no
way all these wildlings would risk their lives just to save Arya Stark. Jon thinks they must have some other hidden
plan in Winterfell – which is probably to help Stannis beat the Boltons by murdering
these soldiers. We know these wildling women can fight – they
kill several guards while Theon and Jeyne escape. Theon accuses the women of the murders , and
Rowan says they didn’t kill Little Walder , but she basically admits that they did kill
Yellow Dick and the others. In the escape, the women use their sexuality
to get guards in a vulnerable positions so they can kill them. And they probably used the same strategy on
these murder victims – like, Yellow Dick has his cock is his mouth, and this Frey squire
is found “naked” – the women must have lured these men with sex before killing them. That explains most of these murders. But what about Little Walder – if the wildlings
didn’t kill him, who did? There's a theory that Little Walder was killed
by his cousin Big Walder. Big Walder is just nine years old , but he’s
ambitious and brutal. He’s always talking about the line of succession
in House Frey, and how he’s determined to become Lord of the Crossing. And it sounds like he’s willing to kill
for it – he talks casually about murdering other Freys. And when Little Walder’s body is found,
Big Walder’s gloves are “caked with his cousin’s blood” – bloody hands are a
classic symbol of guilt. So it seems likely that Big Walder killed
Little Walder to move up the line of succession. The wildlings killed Yellow Dick and the Ryswell
and Frey as part of their conspiracy, and this poor Flint guy was probably just kicked
by a horse. Murder mystery solved. But if these are the murderers, what’s the
point of the Hooded Man? Like he could just be helping Rowan and Crowfood
or Wyman or something, but surely this mysterious figure has some deeper meaning. Theon’s story in this book is about escaping
his identity as Reek, and becoming Theon Greyjoy again. Reek is broken – weak and afraid and obedient
to Ramsay. Theon is the man he used to be – proud and
strong, a Greyjoy. Ramsay’s torture and control has forced
him to supress his identity as Theon. Reek thinks of Theon as a different person
to himself. “Theon Greyjoy died”, and Reek is a new
man , born in Ramsay’s dungeon. While Theon struggles with this identity crisis
, he’s haunted by “ghosts” – Winterfell is “full of ghosts for Theon Greyjoy”. Cause Winterfell is where Theon grew up with
the Starks – and it’s where he betrayed the Starks when he took their castle. Theon killed northmen and ironborn here, people
who trusted him – and their “ghosts” are “angry”. Theon hears ghostly voices in the godswood
, and he sees Bran’s face in a weirwood tree. So with all his guilt and trauma, Theon is
seeing stuff, he’s hearing voices, he’s haunted by ghosts, he doesn’t know who he
is, in this crisis between Theon and Reek. And it’s during this crisis that Theon sees
the hooded man – he comes “face-to-face” with this mysterious figure “alone” in
the snow , and strangely, Theon is “not afraid”. There’s a theory that the hooded man is
a ghost – a vision or hallucination in Theon’s tortured mind, and a representation of his
identity crisis – like, maybe the hooded man is the ghost of who Theon used to be. The hooded man acts a lot like Theon once
did – he’s confident, and purposeful, and kind of a dick. Cause the man laughs at Theon’s disfigured
hand. Which is like how Theon used to laugh at people. Like, in the TV show, Theon kind of always
was a sensitive sad boy. But in the books, Theon started as this confident
smug, sometimes cruel young man. He was known his “sly smile” and his mocking
contemptuous laugh – just like the hooded man laughs at Theon’s misfortune. Also in Book 2, at the height of Theon’s
confidence and pride, he wore a hooded cloak , like the hooded man. Maybe by facing the hooded man, Reek faces
the ghost of Theon Greyjoy, as part of his journey from Reek back to Theon. The ghost also represents his guilt and self-hatred
– cause the man is hostile, accusing Theon of his crimes. It’s like the ghosts in Shakespeare – in
Hamlet and Macbeth, characters are haunted by ghosts which represent the characters’
inner conflicts, guilts and doubts. The hooded man could also represent death. In the Faith of the Seven, the god of death
appears as a hooded man called the Stranger. This hooded man is a Stranger, who threatens
Theon – but Theon defies him, saying “The gods are not done with me”. Theon faces death and tells him ‘not today’
– instead choosing life as Theon, and escaping Winterfell. So the hooded man is an important moment in
Theon’s character arc from Reek to Theon. Given the psychological turmoil Theon’s
in, and all the talk of ghosts, it’s possible that this hooded man is some kinda vision
or hallucination. But there are problems with this theory. The Hooded Man calls Theon a kinslayer. But Theon thinks he’s not a kinslayer, because
he didn’t actually kill Bran and Rickon. If the Hooded Man is just in Theon’s mind,
why would he accuse himself of a crime he didn’t commit ? There is a theory that Theon
is a kinslayer after all. Cause in Book 2, Theon fails to find Bran
and Rickon. So instead, Theon kills two other boys of
the same age, and burns them, and says their bodies are Bran and Rickon’s. The mother of these boys is a woman called
the miller’s wife. And Theon mentions that he had sex with her
a couple times. So maybe one or both of the children Theon
killed are actually Theon’s sons. In Book 2, Ygritte tells the story of a man
who unknowingly killed his own father – she says “the gods hate kinslayers, even when
they kill unknowing”. If Theon unknowingly murdered his own children,
it’s similar to how he unknowingly tried to have sex with his own sister – there’s
an Oedipal Freudian thing going on here. Maybe, deep down, Theon knows that the kids
were his. And he supresses this deep dark secret to
his subconscious, not wanting to believe he’s a kinslayer. At one point he tries not to remember something
about these boys – “There were things too hurtful to remember”. Maybe the hooded man calling Theon “Kinslayer”
is the externalisation of that supressed memory, a subconscious spectre of guilt. It’s a cool theory, but there’s not much
evidence that the sons are Theon’s. And you’d think that if it was true, it
would’ve been revealed by the end of the book, when Reek became Theon. So maybe the real meaning of the of the kinslayer
stuff is to explore the question of who Theon’s kin is – were the Starks his family , or
the ironborn? Was Winterfell his home? Did he betray the only people who ever loved
him? These are the questions at the heart of Theon’s
arc, and that’s probably why this kinslayer idea keeps coming up. But if Theon didn’t slay his kin, it doesn’t
make sense for Theon’s ghost to call him “Kinslayer”. So maybe the hooded man is a real person after
all. There’s no one answer to the mystery of
the Hooded Man. The man could be Harwin or Hal or maybe Robett
Glover, in a plot against the Boltons with Rowan and Crowfood and Stannis. But the murderers in Winterfell are probably
the wildlings and Big Walder, so it’s not clear what the hooded man does. The man might be a ghost or delusion, but
that theory has problems too. Maybe we’ll find out in the next book. Maybe we’ll never know the truth. But one thing is certain. When you’re infiltrating a castle, you’ve
gotta protect your privacy and security. So you can wear a hooded cloak, or you can
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for free by clicking the link in the description. Thanks for watching. Please like and subscribe, and comment below
who you think the Hooded Man is. Thanks to the artists – their links are
below. This video topic was chosen by our Patreon
supporters. Thanks to Patrons Tunichtgut, Teresa Blagg,
Myrdred, Nik Hunter, Joshua Gerrard, Eric Hilgendorf, Esther, and Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Cheers.
