Disclaimer: There are no spoilers in this article. I have only read the first three books and I have no knowledge of what transpires in the show moving forward. Any views or content expressed are solely personal theories, opinions and insights.

SAMWELL, THE CITADEL AND WHAT IT ALL MIGHT MEAN

There is always so much going on in Game of Thrones, that we often miss over smaller points of an episode, because they simply don’t stick out in our mind after we think about all the bigger things that happened in a given episode. And often, parts of an episode which may seem insignificant, later turn out to be very important breadcrumbs that were left for the viewers to pick up on. For instance, as we talked about in the finale episode recap, the most perceptive viewers might’ve noticed that the wildfire explosion that consumed the Sept of Baelor was actually already shown to us in a quick glimpse of Bran’s visions many episodes earlier this season. Of course, with everything else that happened in that episode and the other more obvious visions he had, most of us probably did not recognize this, much less think about it at the end of the episode.

Well, this very same thing may have just happened in the finale episode, perhaps in a larger way than ever before. When we reflect back on the finale, we are thinking about Cercei’s wildfire explosion and ascension of the Iron Throne, Arya’s return to Westeros and murder of Walder Frey, Jon Snow becoming King in the North, and Khaleesi’s grand departure for the Westeros. Each one of these events were hugely significant and powerful to watch. What may have slipped through the cracks, though, was Samwell Tarly’s arrival to the Citadel. After all, it was sandwiched between so many other huge revelations, most of us probably forgot it even happened. No doubt, some of your questions have gone unanswered. What is the Citadel? Where is the Citadel? What happens there? Why is Sam there? What is the significance of what he saw there? And so on… For starters, let’s try to answer some of those questions. Then, let’s move on to a deeper analysis of why this event might be so incredibly significant.

For the basics… The Citadel is located in the city of Oldtown, which is located in the far southwest of Westeros, next to Dorne. Oldtown is actually the second largest city in all of Westeros, and by far the oldest, dating back thousands of years to the First Men. As such, there is immense history and culture to be found in the ancient city of Oldtown. But, the most important feature of Oldtown is that it is the home of the Citadel. So what is the Citadel? The Citadel is where the ancient Order of the Maestars train and study to become Maestars. Think of it as an ancient and sacred university where men from all over the world come to learn the disciplines of science, medicine, astrology and so on. Most of these Maestars then go on to serve various houses of the world, so that each house may have a wise man who can treat the sick and offer scholarly advice across the many areas they’ve been trained.

In addition to training new Maestars, the Citadel is also the seat of the council of archmaestars, the wisest and eldest Maestars which provide knowledge and wisdom to the rest of the Seven Kingdoms. For instance, in the finale episode, the archmaestars sent a white raven to Winterfell (and presumably elsewhere), officially advising that summer has come to an end and winter is now here. The archmaestars have been around for thousands of years, providing invaluable knowledge and wisdom to every corner of the Seven Kingdoms.

In the books, Oldtown and the Citadel is a major location where a lot more of the story takes place. In the show, we did not see this location until the very end of the sixth season, when Sam arrives with Gilly and the baby. The show could’ve left this location out altogether like they have with many other parts of the books, but they chose not to, which means it has an important role to play. And that they chose to include it in the finale episode, alongside all the other significant things that happened, only underscores the importance of Sam’s arrival at the Citadel.

So where does this leave us, what else can we takeaway from the glimpse we got of the Citadel and how does Sam play into all of this? Well, for starters, we know that the Citadel houses tens of thousands of books which cover the history of the known world. We see the massive library that Sam walks into, and it was a magical moment to say the least. To think of the rich detail of the history of the world that is contained inside those books is pretty powerful. Point is, this is where history is recorded and ultimately retold.

But upon further analysis, there are some even deeper takeaways for those who really look very close. As Sam walks into the grand library, he sees giant hanging objects which appear to reflect light into the library, but also look to serve some other purpose of measurement or science. These objects are called astrolabes and are used to measure the movements of the stars to understand the change in seasons. They probably serve other purposes as well. What’s more interesting, is that upon comparison, you will realize that these objects that Sam sees are the very same objects that are so prominent in the opening credits of Game of Thrones (see below).

Now, for an even closer look:

For quite some time, you’ve probably been wondering what that glowing object was that you’ve been seeing for six years throughout the opening credits. Well, now you know. So while larger and more obvious reveals were thrown at us, like Cercei ascending the Iron Throne, a much quieter, but arguably more significant one was whispered for us to hear, if we were listening. And no doubt, you can bet that if this object is so prominent in the opening credits, that there is a great significance to finally finding it in the show.

So now we know what this object is and we’ve also connected it to the opening credits of the show, so we know it’s important. But is there anything more? Well, if you dig a bit deeper into the opening credits, you’ll notice that many of the areas of the maps are being looked at through some type of lenses. It gives the feel that we are not just looking at locations on a map, but rather that somebody is adjusting several lenses which allow us to then see these locations. See below:

Well, it just so happens that we saw a bunch of lenses surrounding these objects as well:

So, in the opening credits, there is some sort of astrolabe figure which appears several times, and there are also clearly lenses that are focusing in on the different parts of the map that we see. In the finale episode, Sam encounters what appear to be these very same objects, with lenses surrounding them. The opening credits tell us that that this object and its lenses allow us to see the different parts of the world. Applying this to the real-life objects that Sam sees, perhaps these objects and their lenses can be manipulated by the Maestars to see the different parts of the world as well. Perhaps this is how they know what’s going on around the world, and maybe even beyond the known world.

But yet, there is perhaps another layer to it. These were not the only lenses we saw in the finale episode. The photo below shows another set of lenses, and these lenses allowed a Maestar to better view and understand the history of whatever he was reading:

So, another interpretation of the opening credits could be that somebody is looking through another set of lens to understand the history and story that is being told. Now, one more time, let’s look at Sam’s position relative to all of this:

Clearly, Sam is positioned right in the thick of all of this, even if we don’t yet understand what it all means. So, when you connect all of these dots, my hypothesis is that these objects are some way of not only understanding, but also recording the stories that are happening around the world. And, if you now subscribe to the idea that Samwell is going to be in the middle of all of this, it leads to an interesting conclusion: Samwell Tarly will be the Maestar to record and ultimately retell the Game of Thrones story. Perhaps, today, it is him adjusting the lens that we see in the beginning of the Thrones credits and it is he who is telling us the story as it unfolds. Who knows how this story will end. Maybe with glory, maybe with defeat…But however it ends, there will need to be someone to tell it. And we may have jus discovered who that person is.