One Game of Thrones theory that the HBO show skirted around could be confirmed in George R.R. Martin’s book The Winds of Winter. The wait for the sixth A Song of Ice and Fire book goes on, with 13 years having passed since the last, A Dance with Dragons, was released. There have been several The Winds of Winter updates from Martin in that time, but the novel seemingly remains a long way off. In its absence, what hopeful readers have to go on for what will happen next – besides the events of Game of Thrones – are theories.
Even after Game of Thrones’ ending, there are several theories that remain in play due to the differences between the two properties. Some, like R+L=J (that Jon Snow is the son of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark) were confirmed in the show, but many others are still plausible. Among them is one particularly grim – yet darkly interesting – theory about Jojen Reed, Bran Stark, and the Three-Eyed Raven. It’s one Game of Thrones avoided, but the book could, arguably should, and quite possibly will confirm.
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The Jojen Paste Theory In A Song of Ice and Fire Explained
The story of Bran Stark traveling with Jojen and Meera Reed is broadly similar in A Song of Ice and Fire and Game of Thrones, until around the end of season 4 of the show. There, Jojen is killed by wights helping Bran reach the cave of the Three-Eyed Raven, but no such death happens in the books. Instead, Jojen makes it to the cave with Meera, but is then notably absent when things start to take an even weirder turn, which leads to the theory known as “Jojen Paste,” that covers a few key points:
- Jojen Reed is increasingly withdrawn, despondent, and seemingly knows when he will die.
- Meera Reed is extremely worried about her brother’s behavior and mood, and that it didn’t improve when they reached the cave.
- Bran Stark is given a paste designed to awaken his gifts, with Jojen’s exact whereabouts unknown at this point.
- There is foreshadowing in A Song of Ice and Fire of Bran having to consume a friend.
- Bran sees visions connecting the weirwood trees and blood sacrifice.
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Jojen Paste is a name that is disturbingly literal: that Jojen Reed was killed and used to make a paste… that Bran Stark ate. In Bran’s final chapter in A Dance with Dragons, the Children of the Forest give him a paste made of weirwood tree seeds that is designed to further unlock and boost his greenseer abilities. As Bran notes, though, there could be more to it than just being made from the tree:
“Something about the look of it made Bran feel ill. The red veins were only weirwood sap, he supposed, but in the torchlight they looked remarkably like blood.”
That itself doesn’t confirm anything, but does come at a point when Jojen has increasingly not been himself, isn’t present to Bran, and has long seemed accepting of his fate. By this point, Jojen has made references to knowing when he dies, and clearly believes Bran’s life is far more important than his own. When they reach the cave, he even says his “part in this is done.”
Meanwhile, the Children of the Forest, though presented as being on the side of the good, are largely mysterious and their true motives unknown. Game of Thrones showed the Children of the Forest created the White Walkers, which could also be book canon. Even if not, there’s no sign they can be trusted 100%. It’s plausible that they either murdered Jojen, or he willingly allowed himself to be sacrificed, in order to help awaken Bran’s own gifts.
The Children of the Forest are connected to the Old Gods, and there’s evidence of blood sacrifice and blood magic being used to serve them. This includes a vision Bran has after eating the paste, wherein he sees flashes of someone being sacrificed at the weirwood tree in Winterfell’s Godswood, his blood flowing on it. It’s a vision that, tellingly, ends with: “Brandon Stark could taste the blood.”
Bran having to eat his friend is alluded to earlier in A Dance with Dragons, in reference to the elk of Coldhands. In that case, it finds Bran thinking: “He had told himself he would not eat, that it would be better to go hungry than feast upon a friend, but in the end he’d eaten twice, once in his own skin and once in Summer’s.” Martin loves foreshadowing and, combined with the other evidence, this could well be a dark instance of that.
Why The Winds Of Winter May Confirm The Jojen Paste Theory
Though it didn’t happen in Game of Thrones, there is reason to believe The Winds of Winter will confirm the theory about Jojen Paste. Jojen’s part in the story certainly seems to be over – he himself believes as much, his greendreams have served their purpose in finding Bran and helping him to the Three-Eyed Crow, and his death in the TV show suggests he isn’t integral to the plot going forward. With that, him dying in some way makes a lot of sense, making the theory very plausible despite the gross fact that it’s, well, arguing Bran ate the blood of his friend.
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Killing Jojen would have an emotional impact on both Bran and Meera, strengthening her own resolve to not let her brother’s death be for nothing, while at the same time being used to further his detachment from “Bran” as he trains to become the Three-Eyed Crow. It would also make the Children of the Forest and the Crow’s own murkier too, suggesting if not a darker purpose, then at least that they’ll go to dark lengths to achieve their goals. Very little is black and white in Martin’s world, so this would very much fit with that.
Why Did Game Of Thrones Avoid The Jojen Paste Theory?
If the Jojen Paste theory is true, then it begs the question of why Game of Thrones didn’t include it. However, not only did the show frequently make changes to the book – especially coming to this point in the story – but particularly with Bran it seemed unsure of what to do and where exactly to take things. After all, Game of Thrones season 5 cut Bran entirely, and even by the end it never truly got a handle on what him being the Three-Eyed Raven meant or how his powers worked.
The Jojen Paste theory also isn’t essential: it’s possible to just have Bran been trained, for the paste to actually just be made of weirwood seeds and sap, without changing the direction of travel. It loses something in terms of details and strengthening the characters and the world as a whole, but the show had to expedite things (arguably too much, at times) in a way Martin’s books do not.
Game of Thrones killing Jojen when they did allowed for a dramatic moment that worked on TV, and did perhaps better serve the story than going down this route would have done, especially with Bran missing season 5. But the show and books are different, which is why The Winds of Winter has a much stronger chance of confirming it.
Game Of Thrones
Created by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, Game of Thrones is a TV series based on the book “A Song of Ice of Fire” by George R. R. Martin. It tells the story of the ongoing battle between the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros – as they fight for control of the coveted Iron Throne. Friction between the houses leads to full-scale war. All while a very ancient evil awakens in the far north. Amidst the war, a neglected military order of misfits, the Night’s Watch, led by House Stark’s Jon Snow, is the first to encounter icy horrors that threaten all realms of men. The series premiered on HBO in the United States on April 17, 2011, and quickly became one of the biggest event series in the “Golden Age” of TV. Winner of 38 Primetime Emmy Awards, Game of Thrones has attracted record viewership on HBO and has a broad, active, international fan base.
- Release Date
- April 11, 2011
- Cast
- Emilia Clarke , Lena Headey , Richard Madden , Michelle Fairley , Kit Harington , Maisie Williams , Alfie Allen , Peter Dinklage
- Seasons
- 8
- Franchise(s)
- Game of Thrones
