Does Jon Snow's Team Represent the Faith of the Seven?
Tormund's the Maiden?
The fifth episode of Game of Thrones Season 7 may have been called “Eastwatch,” but we only actually got to the titular Night’s Watch castle at the very end of the episode. That’s when Jon Snow, Jorah Mormont, Gendry, the Hound, Beric Dondarrion, Thoros of Myr, and Tormund headed north of the Wall. Fans have already started to joke that this unlikely pairing of major characters are a “Magnificent Seven,” but maybe there’s something more to it. Seven is an auspicious number in Westeros, chiefly because of the religion Faith of the Seven. Cersei may have blown up the Sept of Baelor, but the Faith still has a robust presence in Westeros.
It’s possible that Jon’s all-star team reflect the Father, the Mother, the Maiden, the Crone, the Warrior, the Smith, and the Stranger, but some of the comparisons are a bit of a stretch. That said, here’s our best shot at matching man with god.
Gendry = the Smith
Obviously, Gendry, a literal smith, occupies the role of the Smith in this mini pantheon. The Smith embodies creation and craftsmanship, which the Baratheon bastard has in spades, as evidenced by his warhammer.
Beric = the Stranger
Beric is the second-easiest member of Jon’s party to pair with an aspect of the Seven. Since he’s died six times and feels less and less alive each time he comes back from the other side, he’s a natural stand-in for the Stranger, who represents death and the unknown.
The Hound = the Crone
This is where the analogues start to become a little trickier to figure out. Thanks to the vision he saw in the flames in the season premiere, Sandor Clegane has some similarities with the Crone, who represents wisdom and foresight. He’s also similar to the Crone because the Hound is all scarred and limping and fucked up.
Jorah = the Warrior
As an anointed and proven knight, one driven by duty and honor, Jorah’s a good match for the Warrior, who represents strength and courage.
Thoros = the Mother
Okay, bear with me. The Mother represents mercy, peace, fertility, and childbirth. Thoros brought Beric back to life six times, so he’s probably the closest thing to the life-giving Mother we’re going to get amongst this bunch.
Tormund = the Maiden
Crap, it’s all starting to come undone. Umm, well, the Maiden represents purity, innocence, love, and beauty. Tormund isn’t exactly innocent or pure, but just look at how infatuated he is with Brienne and how much he brags about fucking Sheila the bear. You can’t deny that Tormund’s a lover.
Jon = the Father
There’s only one member of the team and one aspect of the Seven left, so I guess they match by default? The Father represents divine justice and he judges the souls of the dead. Jon takes after Ned Stark in that he has a very strict sense of justice. Also, he’s the leader of the group, and the Father is kind of the leader of the Seven. Good enough.
Season 7 of Game of Thrones continues on Sunday nights at 9 p.m. Eastern on HBO. Tune in to see if this — or some other equally far-fetched theory — has any truth to it.
