This Game Of Thrones Fan Theory Will Change The Way You See Tyrion

Warning: this article contains a Game of Thrones fan theory that, you never know, might end up being a spoiler. Proceed with caution…

So, what makes Tyrion so important then? Well, people are theorising that he’s not a Lannister after all - he’s actually a Targaryen, and - come the end of the series - that he’s the one who’s going to end up on the Iron Throne.

Erm, what? Why don’t people think that he’s a Lannister? If you think about it, Tyrion does not look much like the other Lannisters: while Jaime and Cersei are green-eyed and golden-haired, Tyrion is described in the books to have one black eye, and almost white hair.

Then there’s the fact that Tywin hated Tyrion. While this was supposedly because Tyrion’s mother - Joanna Lannister - died giving birth to him, Tywin went so far as to try to have his son executed for Joffrey’s murder (of which he knew he was innocent). No matter how much he hated Tyrion, Tywin was executing his only heir (as part of the King’s Guard, Jaime could never own land, marry or have children), and that’s a bold move.

No matter how cold-hearted Tywin Lannister was, surely he wouldn’t stoop to trying to execute his son and only heir over something that happened when he was just a newborn baby? Surely there must be another reason…

So people think that Tywin actually hated Tyrion because he wasn’t really his son? Yes - the last words that Tywin ever said to Tyrion (before he was murdered by him) were “you’re no son of mine”, and there’s a good chance that he meant it literally.

But then whose son is Tyrion? Well, the theory goes that he’s actually the child of the Mad King, Aerys Targaryen. Aerys was besotted with Joanna Lannister, and it’s not beyond the realms of possibility that he would have impregnated her (be it consensually or not). This would explain why Tywin hated Tyrion so much (forced to raise the son of another man), and why he treated him so badly.

There was also the thing with the dragons - they didn’t scorch Tyrion when he freed them from the catacombs last season. The Targaryens are the only family in the Seven Kingdoms who can control dragons, and Tyrion getting on well with Drogon and co strongly suggests that there’s some Targaryen blood in there somewhere.

Okay, so Tyrion Lannister is actually Tyrion Targaryen. Surely it’s irrelevant (as no one alive knows), and either Jon or Daenerys will end up on the throne? Well, that’s where the theory gets even more interesting. There’s some speculation that Tyrion might be the resurrected Azor Ahai - an ancient warrior, whose return has been foretold in a prophecy.

As Uproxx points out, the prophecy said Azor would return “amidst salt and smoke” - during the Battle of Blackwater, Tyrion was knocked out and we all thought that he was done for, but he came around, and set a fire trap for Stannis’ fleet: smoke and salt (water).

It’s also said that Azor needs to “free dragons from stone” (Tyrion freed Daenerys’ dragons) and “kill the woman that he loves” (poor old Shea)…

So if Tyrion turns out to be the resurrected Azor Ahai, he gets the Iron Throne? It’s not a guarantee, but if it turns out that Tyrion is both a secret Targaryen, and the resurrected Azor Ahai, it’ll make him a major player in the fight for the Iron Throne.

Let us know what you think in the comments!

All images via HBO