If you've been watching Game of Thrones season 8, you'll know that there are dozens of Game of Thrones theories buzzing across the internet, from the somewhat plausible to the outright bonkers, but there's one in particular that – as the Battle of Winterfell draws near – we just can't shake from our noggins.
Disclaimer: we'll be getting into full spoilers for Game of Thrones season 8 beyond this point. Ready? Good. So, season 8's second episode, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, saw our heroes at Winterfell prepare for the incoming siege by The Night King and his army of White Walkers, and we learn that the women and children of the North are being sent into the Stark crypts below the castle to stay safe from the chaos.
Except... we know two things. A) The Night King can raise deceased human corpses from the dead to fight for him, and B) Winterfell's crypts are full of dead Stark graves dating back centuries, potentially including the corpse of Catelyn Stark herself (the show has never confirmed what happened to her body after the Red Wedding). Add these two facts together, and you're given the very real possibility that The Night King will be bringing back a fan favourite character in the worst way possible, and if you're thinking that this all sounds a little ridiculous, know that there's a precedent for it in George R. R. Martin's novels, as noted by this Redditor.
That's right, Jon Snow himself has dreamt about the dead kings of Winterfell rising forth from their graves, while the Game of Thrones season 8 trailer shows Arya running away from some unknown foe through the blackened corridors of the crypts. Also in the books, Catelyn Stark returns as a resurrected (but very different) version of herself known as Lady Stoneheart, so this could be HBO's winking subversion of that high concept character. What's more, to see Catelyn return as a headless zombie chasing her own daughter is the most Game of Thrones way of paying homage to its own lineage that I can think of.
The Game of Thrones season 8 episode 3 trailer, meanwhile, is giving away close to nothing, so we'll find out if this theory holds any truth to it once The Battle of Winterfell takes place across our screens this weekend. One things for sure: A lot of people are going to die, and most of us will need at least two boxes of tissues to cope with it all.
Game of Thrones is one of the best new TV shows of 2019 to watch right now. Watch the video below to watch a recap of the latest episode in season 8.
