It's Called ForeshadowingHindsight is 20/20, and "Easter eggs" are inside jokes and references hidden for observant audiences, but there's a different name for the hints writers give at what's to come later in the story.
Updated June 15, 2019 13.3K votes 2.5K voters 251.5K views
Over 2.5K Ranker voters have come together to rank this list of Utterly Brilliant Foreshadowing In 'Game of Thrones' Most Fans Completely Missed
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Vote up the most mindblowing reveals on Game of Thrones.
Be warned: here be SPOILERS. Catch up on the HBO series before proceeding.
Daenerys Targaryen has entered into a pact with Jon Snow to fight the White Walkers, just as the two have struck up a romance. The army of the dead has breached the Wall with a fearsome ice dragon. Cersei Lannister still plays political games, unaware that the greatest threat to her power is one Aegon Targaryen, the very much living true heir to the throne.
With Game of Thrones nearing its exciting conclusion, fans are realizing just how many plot lines were hinted at seasons ago. Some of these clues were pretty subtle, so uncovering the hidden foreshadowing in Game of Thrones is outrageously rewarding for eagle-eyed viewers. There are lots of things you never noticed in Game of Thrones, from foreshadowing of major deaths to tiny hints about characters' destinies. The HBO drama isn't for the casual TV watcher; even a seemingly throwaway line can have major implications for the world of Westeros.
Are there instances of Game of Thrones foreshadowing you missed, or did you see all of these twists coming a mile off?
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903 VOTES
The Tale Of The Rat Cook Foreshadows Those Frey Pies
When Bran Stark is traveling with Hodor and the Reeds, he tells a lovely story about a Night's Watchman who once got revenge by killing a king's son, baking him into a pie, and feeding it to the king. He says the Rat Cook was cursed afterward because, "he killed a guest beneath his walls. That's something the gods can't forgive."
Walder Frey kills a lot of guests beneath his walls at the Red Wedding, and ends up paying the price when Arya Stark bakes all of his sons into a pie and feeds it to him before slitting his throat.
Theon Greyjoy unsuccessfully hunts for the escaped Stark children in Season 2. He grabs Maester Luwin and says, "I'm looking at spending the rest of my life being treated like a fool and a eunuch by my own people!" Truer words have never been spoken by someone about to lose their genitals.
642 votes
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649 VOTES
Margaery Jokes About Ending Up Tangled In A String Of Sparrows
While picking out a necklace in preparation for her wedding to Joffrey Baratheon, Margaery Tyrell jokes she'll end up with a "string of sparrows" around her neck if Joffrey has any say in the matter.
In many ways, the Sparrows – the militant religious zealots who essentially commandeer King's Landing – become a noose around Margaery's neck. They imprison her for lying about her brother Loras's sexual dalliances, and ultimately seal her fate by putting her on trial in the Great Sept when Cersei Lannister sets the place ablaze with wildfire. She dies surrounded by Sparrows.
When young Olly of the Night's Watch brings his concerns to Sam Tarly about Jon Snow being lost beyond the wall, Sam has some comforting words for him: "He always comes back." No kidding. Jon even comes back when he's killed – by the same kid worrying about him.
533 votes
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556 VOTES
Tywin Skins A Stag Before Stealing Power From The Baratheons
In Season 1, Jaime Lannister and his father Tywin have a conversation in their war camp while the older man skins a deer. This hints at the Lannisters taking the power from the Baratheons, who are symbolized by the stag. Indeed, Robert Baratheon dies later in the episode.
556 votes
6
605 VOTES
The Story Of Tyrion's First Marriage Foreshadows The Murders Of Tywin And Shae
Tyrion Lannister tells Shae and Bronn about his first marriage, to a woman he didn't realize was a prostitute. To show Tyrion the truth, his father, Tywin Lannister, paid her to sleep with his guards. In response, Bronn says, "I would have killed that man who did that to me."
Shae chides Tyrion for not realizing the woman was a prostitute in the first place. When Tyrion claims he was young and stupid, she answers, "You're still young and stupid."
Shae is right. Tyrion has fallen into the exact same situation, giving his heart to a prostitute. But this time he finds her with his father, not just his guards, and that drives him to murder "the man who did that to him" as well as his onetime love.
