Maybe a GoT question? Maybe a spoiler? Maybe?

[Orrex]

Earlier today a friends posted this on Facebook: "Hold the door."

Someone else responded with: "The sad thing is I called this a year ago."

I don't watch Game of Thrones, but I suspect that they're referring to it. Am I right? What does it mean?

[Baitball Blogger]

1. The meaning behind Hodor's name was the twist of last night's episode.

Chk the GoT thread in the lounge.

[Orrex]

2. Thanks!

[intrepidity]

3. I would like to read where someone called this a year ago

I've read many of the theories behind Hodor's story, but never this one.

[herding cats]

5. They may have meant only the "hold the door" part.

The rest was unforeseeable, since we didn't know Bran would have visions which could affect the past until S6E3.

Bran being responsible for Hodor's condition was not something anyone could have guessed a year ago. No matter how deeply they followed the books or the TV series. We just never had the clues laid out before us to piece it together back then.

[Ron Obvious]

4. I don't like this explanation

For one thing, it's clear GRRM did not have this in mind, as Hodor was called Walder in the books, and his grandmother (old Nan?) said he simply couldn't pronounce that name and settled on Hodor as the closest he could get.

Second, this seems contrived and tacked on. Almost a cheap pun. Whatever language they speak in Westeros is certainly not English and this play on words seems very much like they're making it up as they're going along. How many dozens of languages is this series translated in? This is going to cause problems in lots of them. If this had been the plan all along, we'd have seen different names for Hodor in those languages since the beginning. Of course that would have given the game away quickly, but I still suspect they just came up with that explanation very recently.

[herding cats]

6. Apparently it came from GRRM's own notes.

“It was just one of the saddest and most affecting things,” executive producer D.B. Weiss told IGN, recounting the moment that he learned about the origins of Hodor’s name from Martin. While it’s possible that the author will have a change of heart and perhaps allow Hodor to live in the books, the idea for that scene was one of the guiding points that Martin gave to Game of Thrones‘ showrunners to help them plan out future seasons. Executive producer David Benioff recalls:

“We had this meeting with George Martin where we’re trying to get as much information as possible out of him, and probably the most shocking revelation he had for us was when he told us the origin of Hodor and how that name came about. I just remember Dan and I looking at each other when he said that and just being like, ‘Holy s–t.'”
http://screenrant.com/games-thrones-hold-door-hodor/

[Ron Obvious]

7. Thanks. I confess it felt tacked on and not something that grew organically from the story

I got the impression from the books that Hodor was always simple. Apparently GRRM was fooling us.

[herding cats]

9. Hodor's been around since the beginning.

It could just be GRRM stumbled a bit here and there as the character has evolved in his mind, but more than likely, considering the source, it was mostly a deliberate act of deception on his part. He does love playing with his readers.

I can only imagine what has been going through GRRM's mind as Hodor grew to internet fame with the GoT series fans!

[some guy]

8. I jus copied this from my ebook

“Theon Greyjoy had once commented that Hodor did not know much, but no one could doubt that he knew his name. Old Nan had cackled like a hen when Bran told her that, and confessed that Hodor’s real name was Walder. No one knew where “Hodor” had come from, she said, but when he started saying it, they started calling him by it. It was the only word he had.”

Excerpt From: George R. R. Martin. “A Game of Thrones.” Bantam Books, 1996. iBooks.
This material may be protected by copyright.

Check out this book on the iBooks Store: https://itun.es/us/9p7bz.l

Ooh, I kinda like how the cite got tackd on, I didn't do that.

[Ron Obvious]

10. Thanks

But no mention of Hodor once being perfectly able to speak normally. Hmmm... I still have some misgivings about this. It seems a little too pat to me.

[some guy]

11. I can't say

As I haven't seen the episode.

Your mention of Walder sounded vaguely familiar to me, so I went looking. (That is a nice thing about ebooks, they're very searchable.)

From reading about the season, it all seems kind of *really?* that's what you're going with?

Warging as a time travel option? I may be missing some of the subtleties involved, but it sounds bizarre.