Source - http://fandom.wikia.com/
That tragic episode of Game of Thrones featured the death of everyone’s favorite giant with a speech impediment. Hodor‘s final sacrifice saved Bran and Meera‘s life. It was a tear-filled goodbye and the end of Hodor piggy-back-rides.
So Hodor’s disability led to his ultimate sacrifice, which in turn led to his disability, which in turn led to his ultimate sacrifice… uh… wait a second. Bran changed the past, to create the future, that let him change the past, to create the future… Huh? If you’re sensing something isn’t right here, you’re correct.
A causal loop is a paradox of time travel that occurs when a future event is the cause of a past event, which in turn is the cause of the future event. Both events then exist in space-time, but their origin cannot be determined. A causal loop may involve an event, a person or object, or information causal loop is also known as a boot-strap paradox, predestination paradox or ontological paradox in fiction
There are a couple of theories we can apply to Game of Thrones to find the source of the Hodor-dilemma. First, Game of Thrones could exist in a multiverse. If Bran isn’t warging into the past, but instead into an alternate universe, then we can kind of side-step the bootstrap paradox. This episode’s version would be one of many timelines and the loop would have a source, just not in our timeline or universe.
Similarly, if we hold to the theory that messing with the past creates a new timeline, then we can imagine a source-timeline in which Wylis does not suffer from single-word-syndrome. If so, perhaps Wylis still joined Bran north of the Wall, still encountered the White Walkers, and still had to “hold the door.” At which point, perhaps Bran warged into him anyway, causing the past Wylis to become Hodor, thus creating the causal loop and current Game of Thrones timeline we know and love.
Of course, all of this is a form of narrative gymnastics. This is the problem with causal loops. We have to come up with our own explanation.
That tragic episode of Game of Thrones featured the death of everyone’s favorite giant with a speech impediment. Hodor‘s final sacrifice saved Bran and Meera‘s life. It was a tear-filled goodbye and the end of Hodor piggy-back-rides.
So Hodor’s disability led to his ultimate sacrifice, which in turn led to his disability, which in turn led to his ultimate sacrifice… uh… wait a second. Bran changed the past, to create the future, that let him change the past, to create the future… Huh? If you’re sensing something isn’t right here, you’re correct.
A causal loop is a paradox of time travel that occurs when a future event is the cause of a past event, which in turn is the cause of the future event. Both events then exist in space-time, but their origin cannot be determined. A causal loop may involve an event, a person or object, or information causal loop is also known as a boot-strap paradox, predestination paradox or ontological paradox in fiction
There are a couple of theories we can apply to Game of Thrones to find the source of the Hodor-dilemma. First, Game of Thrones could exist in a multiverse. If Bran isn’t warging into the past, but instead into an alternate universe, then we can kind of side-step the bootstrap paradox. This episode’s version would be one of many timelines and the loop would have a source, just not in our timeline or universe.
Similarly, if we hold to the theory that messing with the past creates a new timeline, then we can imagine a source-timeline in which Wylis does not suffer from single-word-syndrome. If so, perhaps Wylis still joined Bran north of the Wall, still encountered the White Walkers, and still had to “hold the door.” At which point, perhaps Bran warged into him anyway, causing the past Wylis to become Hodor, thus creating the causal loop and current Game of Thrones timeline we know and love.
Of course, all of this is a form of narrative gymnastics. This is the problem with causal loops. We have to come up with our own explanation.
Here is what I believe, setting aside the messy time travel paradox.
When Wylis was young, he lived through his own death. In his final moments, as Hodor, he lived it again. He faced his fear, not as a warg under Bran’s command, but as Wylis, the stable boy who loved the Starks with all his heart. I believe he knew, in that moment and with sudden clarity, where his circuitous path had led. His sacrifice, the noblest one, was made with courage and the knowledge he had played his part as destined. Hodor died as Wylis, a hero, and no amount of time travel can change that.
Source - http://fandom.wikia.com/
Source - http://fandom.wikia.com/
