Game of Thrones: Bran’s Name Teased The Three-Eyed Raven Twist

Bran Stark becoming the Three-Eyed Raven in Game of Thrones was set up early on, but his name served as the first clue to the twist. While a great deal of Game of Thrones focused on the ongoing fight to sit on the Iron Throne and rule the Seven Kingdoms, one of the many companion stories followed Bran Stark. After his fall at the end of the first episode left him paralyzed, Bran soon began to have vivid dreams and visions involving a three-eyed raven.

Game of Thrones took its time to truly reveal what these dreams meant, as Bran spent much of the first four seasons traveling across the Seven Kingdoms with the hope of learning more. It was also during this time that his abilities as a warg continued to grow. When Bran finally reaches the cave of the Three-Eyed Raven, he learns that he is meant to take his place and begins training to harness Greensight. While Bran becoming the new Three-Eyed Raven was a surprise to him and some viewers, it shouldn’t have been based on his name.

There is a meaning behind every single name, and even though they are not always selected with that meaning in mind in fiction, it is clear that Bran’s was. The name Bran is of Welsh origin and has an incredibly fitting meaning for the purposes of Game of Thrones: Raven. Even though the millions of Game of Thrones fans might not be well-versed in the meaning of every name, it turns out that knowing the origin of Bran’s name could have spelled out his destiny.

Bran becoming the new Three-Eyed Raven and exploring his powers was the source of some major fan theories as Game of Thrones‘ final few seasons played out. One of the more popular theories was that Bran actually was the original Three-Eyed Raven. The theory suggested that the old version of the Three-Eyed Raven was an older Bran. Some fans believed that Bran would actually become the Night King, explaining their strong connection.

While none of those theories turned out to be true, Bran was at the center of one of Game of Thrones‘ final surprise twists. He might not have been the Night King, but Bran did become a king in the finale. Game of Thrones season 8 ended with Bran as the King of the Six Kingdoms, after Sansa made the North an independent kingdom. Fans weren’t expecting such a twist to come, but as the Three-Eyed Raven, Bran knew that this would be his fate.

About The Author

Cooper Hood
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Cooper Hood is a news and feature writer for Screen Rant. He joined Screen Rant in late 2016 following a year-long stint with MCU Exchange, which came after first developing an MCU blog of his own. He graduated college in 2016 with a Bachelor’s degree in Media & Public Communication, with a minor in Media Production. Cooper’s love for movies began by watching Toy Story and Lion King on repeat as a child, but it wasn’t until The Avengers that he took an invested interest in movies and the filmmaking process, leading him to discover the world of film journalism. Every year Cooper looks forward to seeing the latest blockbusters from the likes of Marvel, DC, and Star Wars, but also loves the rush to catch up on Oscar films near the end of the year. When he isn’t writing about or watching new releases, Cooper is a fantasy football obsessive and looking to expand his Blu-Ray collection – because physical media is still king! Follow Cooper on Twitter @MovieCooper.

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