'GoT' Theories That George R.R. Martin Debunked

One of the greatest things about being a fan of Game of Thrones has to be knowing that you are part of a passionate and wily group of like-minded humans. One of the fandom's most beloved pastimes is most certainly coming up with various Game of Thrones fan theories based on intense observation from the books or the television series. After all, as part of the world that George R.R. Martin has created, it's basically in our DNA to speculate and theorize between reveals. But, some of the theories that were once widely held up have since been debunked by either the author himself.

Luckily for fans, George R.R. Martin seems to really love speaking to people about the conspiracy theories, but unfortunately he doesn't like to give much away. Fear not, because there are still plenty of crazy and not so crazy theories to hang onto for the next book and for the next couple of seasons of the show. There are some, however, that have already been snuffed out either by insane episode reveals or just by George R.R.Martin shooting them down completely.

Here are some of the theories that have since been debunked by the man himself. Hang on tight.

1. Benjen Stark Is Coldhands

This has been a long held theory with book readers, especially. Coldhands is a character from the books that fans have long associated with Benjen Stark. The character is said to have the appearance of a White Walker, but is lucid and intelligent like anyone else. It's also thought that he is probably a member of the Night's Watch since in the books he wears the black and refers to Sam as "brother." It seemed like this theory was confirmed in the show during Season 6 when Benjen returned with a tale that basically matches Coldhands' story. He was killed by a wight and brought back by the Children of the Forest.

Unfortunately, the books may not go the same direction, since George R. R. Martin has already denied the validity of this theory, according to Latin Times. When writing the book, his editor wrote on a page of the book manuscript that describes Coldhands, "Is this Benjen? I think this is Benjen." Martin wrote in red pen, "No." So, that's all he wrote!

2. George R.R. Martin Has Already Finished The Books

Not all theories are about secret Targaryens and characters surviving death. According to Cinema Blend, a lot of fans have speculated that the author has already finished the books and allegedly has been hiding them away from publishers and fans for the purpose of extorting more cash out of the deal. But, it's simply not the case. Martin had this to say about this theory, according to Cinema Blend.

"From my point of view, the craziest one is the people who believe that I've actually finished all of the books, and I'm just sitting on them for some reason in order to get more money or increase the value, you know, to release them an appropriate point. That's a pretty crazy one, but there seem to be people who actually believe that."

3. Roose Bolton Is Immortal

Yup, that's actually a big theory. It's basically saying that Roose Bolton is a skinchanger/vampire who is immortal and just steals the bodies of his victims to stay alive. That's why his sigil is the flayed man. Well, that one got shot down this past Season 6 when Ramsay murdered Roose and the world cheered. Redditor Jen_Snow posted an interview with co-authors of The World Of Ice And Fire book in which they confirmed that this theory was bogus.

4. Targaryens Are All Fireproof

This one makes sense to most people considering Dany has walked out of flames twice now as of Season 6. The problem arises when it's generalized to include all Targaryens. In an online forum interview way back in 1999, George R.R. Martin supposedly shot this down.

"Thanks for asking that. It gives me a chance to clear up a common misconception. TARGARYENS ARE NOT IMMUNE TO FIRE! The birth of Dany’s dragons was unique, magical, wonderous, a miracle. She is called The Unburnt because she walked into the flames and lived. But her brother sure as hell wasn’t immune to that molten gold."

So, there's that. Dany is a special Targaryen, guys. As if we needed that confirmed.

Fan theories usually play out and reveal themselves to be true or false at some point or another but some might just hang around for the foreseeable future. Martin will only confirm or deny so much, so nothing gets ruined before it's time. I guess all we can do is watch closely and wait it out.

Images: HBO