To A Song of Ice and Fire readers, Jon Snow has seemingly been dead for 14 years and counting, and only The Winds of Winter can change that. George R.R. Martin dropped one of his greatest twists towards the end of A Dance with Dragons, as members of the Night’s Watch lined up to stab their Lord Commander, ostensibly to death. It’s been made even bigger by the long wait for The Winds of Winter’s release, which has so far not materialized.

Still, everyone expects a resurrection. After all, Game of Thrones brought Jon Snow back from the dead in season 6. And, well, it’s Jon Snow. He may know nothing, but we know he’s crucial to the endgame of this story, and one of its two main characters. The question isn’t if Jon Snow will be resurrected, but when and how. And one of the biggest, most compelling theories about what happens to him not only helps to answer those questions, but fixes a problem that plagued Game of Thrones.

Game Of Thrones Failed The Direwolves

They Should’ve Been A Bigger Part Of House Stark’s Story

The direwolves aren’t just one of my favorite parts of A Song of Ice and Fire, but an incredibly important one too, and were set up as such in Game of Thrones’ beginning as well. Unfortunately, after being found in the first episode, the direwolves’ stories diverged further and further away from the books as the show progressed. The wolves aren’t just companions and protectors of the Starks, but reflections of who they truly are, with arcs that mirror one another: Jon and Ghost are outsiders, Nymeria highlights Arya’s identity struggle, and so on.

What Happened To The Starks’ Direwolves In Game Of Thrones

Direwolf
Stark
Fate

Lady
Sansa
Killed by Ned Stark

Grey Wind
Robb
Killed at the Red Wedding

Summer
Bran
Killed by wights beyond the Wall

Shaggydog
Rickon
Killed by House Umber

Nymeria
Arya
Alive, last seen in the Riverlands

Ghost
Jon
Alive, with Jon going back beyond the Wall

This goes even further when considering that most of the Starks have some level of warging ability in the books. In Game of Thrones, only Bran warged into Summer, and even that happened quite sparingly. The creatures should be thematic, emotional, and narrative tethers between the members of House Stark, their home of Winterfell, and their arcs in the show as they leave it behind, and yet they were hardly used. The reason given for this is the difficulty (and cost) of getting the CGI right, but I don’t think it really excuses just how little they were used.

Will Jon Snow Be Living Inside Ghost In The Winds Of Winter?

The Theory Makes A Lot Of Sense

One of the most popular theories about Jon Snow’s resurrection in The Winds of Winter is that he’ll begin the book with his body dead, but his consciousness having transferred into Ghost. While it might sound a little far-fetched at first blush, it’s something the books have very much laid the groundwork for in Jon’s story. I mean, for starters, the wolf is literally called Ghost, indicating Jon existing after his own death, but there is more supporting evidence throughout.

Jon’s journey beyond the Wall involves him meeting Orell, a fellow skinchanger. When Orell is killed, his consciousness transfers into his eagle, even following Jon around afterward. Similarly, the prologue of A Dance with Dragons introduces Varamyr Sixskins, another warg who thinks about his “second life.” as a wolf. This is a fascinating piece of lore, that skinchangers can live on after their bodies die, and seems likely to have some importance given Martin doubles down on it.

If that’s not enough, then Melisandre – who brought Jon back to life in the show, and may well do so in the books too – has this vision of Jon, foreshadowing his death:

“The flames crackled softly, and in their crackling she heard the whispered name Jon Snow. His long face floated before her, limned in tongues of red and orange, appearing and disappearing again, a shadow half-seen behind a fluttering curtain. Now he was a man, now a wolf, now a man again. But the skulls were here as well, the skulls were all around him. Melisandre had seen his danger before, had tried to warn the boy of it. Enemies all around him, daggers in the dark. He would not listen.”

The books have shown Jon having dreams of himself as Ghost, highlighting him subconsciously warging into his direwolf. The moments of Jon’s death, meanwhile, also underpin this: his last word is “Ghost,” and when Jon is being stabbed, it’s noted that he felt the fourth knife, only the cold. While that could be because he is just 100% dead, I’m 99.99% convinced by the theory that he transferred into Ghost, and will begin The Winds of Winter inside his direwolf until his body is resurrected (which will presumably be more complicated, and likely involve some kind of sacrifice).

I Really Hope The Jon-As-Ghost Theory Is Correct

It Would Be Great For Jon Snow’s Resurrection

I’m not only confident in the GhostJon theory, but very much rooting for it. The books’ versions of the direwolves are already great, but they can add even more depth to them this way. And, coming after Game of Thrones’ failure, it will feel like The Winds of Winter is making up for that mistake. This isn’t just a prominent role, it’s literally making one of the direwolves a main character. There’s even a chance for full Jon-as-Ghost POV chapters, which should be fascinating.

Jon being Ghost for a spell in The Winds of Winter could – and should – make him a different character when he returns.

Beyond that, the theory can also play into Jon being changed when he’s resurrected. Death is supposed to change people who are brought back. In the books, Beric Dondarrion’s body is increasingly ruined, and he loses his memories of who he was before. When Catelyn Stark is resurrected as Lady Stoneheart, she’s essentially a non-verbal zombie consumed by a desire for revenge. None of that factored into the show, and certainly not with Jon. He came back a bit more reckless, but was otherwise the same heroic guy.

Jon being Ghost for a spell in The Winds of Winter could – and should – make him a different character when he returns. He will have lost some of himself, and become a little more wolf-like. That version of Jon ending up taking back Winterfell in some way, and leading the fight against the army of the dead, can be far more interesting, giving even greater meaning to having him live on through his direwolf. I’m pretty certain it’d be great, now we just need the book to release.