Game Of Thrones Shows A Glimpse Into Hodor’s History

While it was the final scene that’s going to have the world abuzz, the “Home” episode of Game of Thrones also delivered some unexpected backstory on one of Game of Thrones‘ most beloved characters, Hodor.

All we’ve really known about Hodor is that he’s a simpleminded and lovable servant who worked at Winterfell and has been protecting Bran since the boy set out on his adventure. However, due to the fact that he can only say the word “Hodor,” which most had assumed was always his name, we’ve never known much about his history.

In “Home,” Bran used his powers as a Warg and a seer to look backwards in time with the Three-Eyed Raven. He visited a time when his father, Ned, was still a child. Ned was training younger brother Benjen to fight. When sister Lyanna arrived, they suggested Benjen should train with a stableboy named Willis.

Bran instantly recognized Willis as a young Hodor, though he had full speaking capabilities at the time. Knowing that, the question becomes, “How did Willis lose his ability to speak and become Hodor?” Unfortunately, I have a bad feeling that an accident involving the young Starks may be involved.

Game of Thrones airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO.