Warning: This article contains spoilers for Game of Thrones season 8
Game of Thrones season eight, episode three arrives on screens tonight and tomorrow night and fans are expecting a bloodbath of a battle.
Endless theories about what will happen at the Battle for Winterfell have been explored at length; from the Night King’s potential King’s Landing plan to the dead rising from the crypts, fans have analysed every detail but a new theory suggests Bran (played by Isaac Hempstead Wright) could have a magical plan he hasn’t revealed yet.
As battle plans were drawn out in episode two, Bran told Jon (Kit Harington) and Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) that he was marked by the Night King (Vladimir Furdik) meaning he always knows where to find him.
So Bran offered to act as bait to lure the threat to him at the Weirwood tree, with the help of Theon (Alfie Allen) for protection.
But one fan on Reddit has suggested that this is a ruse and that Bran is planning on performing a blood sacrifice ritual to the Old Gods to somehow stop the Army of the Dead.
Smarf_Starkgaryen writes: ‘Bran has something up his sleeve and his plan isn’t to be just bait. During the battle of Winterfell, he will conduct a sacrifice under the heart tree in order to do some blood magic.’
They continue: ‘Bran will warg into Theon and all the Ironborn protecting him, say “What is dead May never die” and then have them slit their own throats or kill each other to fuel Bran’s blood magic to be used during the battle of Winterfell.
‘TLDR: The old gods have a history of blood magic. Bran will do a mass sacrifice under the heart tree to fuel his abilities during the battle.’
Blood magic has been used a few times before on Game Of Thrones and there are examples of such sacrifices taking place at Weirwoods in the books.
Season one saw a witch perform blood magic on Khal Drogo (Jason Momoa) with dire consequences.
Melisandre (Carice Van Houten) is also known to perform blood magic – who could forget the leech ritual she used on Gendry (Joe Dempsie) or when she had Shireen (Kerry Ingram) burned at the stake?
Cersei (Lena Headey) had a brush with blood magic herself as a child when a woods witch used blood magic to predict her future.
Tonight’s episode may well feature Bran using the practice himself.
Back in season one, Mirri Maz Duur (Mia Soteriou) tells Daenerys: ‘It is not a matter of gold, this is blood magic. Only death pays for life.’
‘Only death pays for life’ seems quite relevant to the fight against the Army of the Dead.
Game of Thrones season eight, episode three airs tonight on Sky Atlantic and NOW TV at 2am and will air again at 9pm on Monday.
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