Cersei Lannister is, without a doubt, one of the most complex characters in "Game of Thrones." She is a brilliantly written villain with an immensely intriguing story. Her journey to becoming the Queen of Westeros was one filled with cruelty and madness. But boy did she pay the price. Her children all died horrible deaths, and a younger, more beautiful Queen landed on the shores of Westeros. Maggy the Frog's Prophecy seemed to be coming true, but then all of a sudden Cersei got pregnant, and the new hope was born that the prophecy might not come true after all.
Because of her pregnancy, Cersei now thinks that she, of all people, will have the happy ending, while in truth she can't be more wrong. The prophecy will come true which, according to today's theory, means that she will die twice. Let's find out why.
Why didn't 'Game of Thrones' include the last part of the 'Valonqar' prophecy?
"Game of Thrones" Season 5 opened up with Cersei's flashback. And we learned that she went to see the woods witch by the name of Maggy the Frog when she was a girl. Cersei asked the witch three questions not knowing that the answers would change her life forever. "You'll have three children," Maggy said, "gold will be their crowns, and gold their shrouds." And now her children are dead.
"You'll be Queen for a time until there comes another, younger, more beautiful to cast you down and take all that you hold dear," the witch said right before she burst into laughter. This was where the flashback ended. But in the "A Song of Ice and Fire" books, there is one last, more sinister part that predicts Cersei's death.
"And when your tears have drowned you the "Valonqar" shall wrap his hands about your pale white throat and choke the life from you."
"Valonqar" is the High-Valyrian word for little (younger) brother, or sister for that matter, because the language is gender neutral, as we learned in "Game of Thrones" Season 7. There are two theories that explain why the last part of the prophecy wasn't included in the show.
The first one is that the show-runners will have Cersei killed by someone else. But then again, the meaning of the word Valonqar implies that it could be anybody's younger brother or sister. The second theory revolves around the fact that she will be killed by her younger brother (Jaime or Tyrion) and the show-runners wanted it to be a surprise.
Who could be the 'Valonqar?'
In the books, Cersei thinks it's Tyrion. But since that is too straightforward for obvious reasons, the majority of "Game of Thrones" fans think the "Valonqar" is actually Jaime. According to that theory, Jaime will first kill his sister and then himself. After all, they came together into this world, and they might just as well die together.
However, the prophecy states that the "Valonqar" will wrap his hands, and Jaime only has one.
Another candidate is Euron Greyjoy. He is a younger brother himself, and a rather unpredictable character who is more than capable of killing someone in cold blood. In the books, Cersei and Euron are nowhere near each other, but that doesn't mean they won't be. There is also this vision from "The Forsaken," a pre-release sample chapter of "The Winds of Winter" with Euron sitting on the Iron Throne with a "shadow in woman's form beside him, long and tall and terrible, her hands alive with pale white fire." This could be Cersei for all we know. She is often described as long and tall and "pale white" sounds an awful lot like Cersei's throat from the valonqar prophecy.
In the show, of course, Euron and Cersei are allies, and they will probably get married, now that Jaime is gone. But more on that later. Now let's shift our focus to the specific part of the prophecy and how it could imply that Cersei will die two times.
The truth behind the 'Valonqar' prophecy
"After your tears have drowned you," the prophecy states. Fans think this part is only a metaphor for her grief. But what if it isn't? After all, drowned in tears means being absolutely bereft and yet somehow we don't see Cersei being bereft anymore, even if she loses her baby in "Game of Thrones" Season 8.
According to Chris from YouTube channel Smokescreen, this part actually predicts Cersei's first death.
After all, drowning means death, does it not? Now, let's see how this could play out. Euron Greyjoy, a character often associated with the Drowned God, could slip the poison called Tears of Lys in Cersei's drink, or he could hire a Faceless Man. Perhaps even Arya. And that's when Cersei will die her first death.
The big twist
"The Valonqar shall wrap his hands about your pale white throat and choke the life from you." Given the fact that the expression "pale white" is associated with the wights and the White Walkers, this could mean that Cersei will become one of them. Especially if her death occurs at the same time as the Night King's invasion of King's Landing. She could be raised as a wight, but if the Night King is around, he could turn her into the Night Queen.
But eventually, the "Valonqar" will be able to choke the life from her.
Now, if you think that Cersei becoming a wight or a White Walker is too much of a stretch, just watch the "Game of Thrones" Season 7 "Long Walk" teaser trailer. You can clearly see Cersei's cold breath toward the end of the video, right before a giant blue White Walker eye appears. Check it out once again down below.
Cersei's second death: An alternative theory
Now, however interesting and thought-provoking this theory seems to be, there is one major flaw. As Jon Snow explained in "Game of Thrones" Season 7, wights can be killed by either fire or dragonglass. So wrapping hands around the throat doesn't seem like a reliable option to kill Cersei in her new form.
There is, however, a different theory. Once she dies the first time, Cersei could be resurrected by Qyburn. Maybe he will somehow give her a second life, just like he did with the Mountain. So in the end, she may not be turned into a wight or a White Walker, but her throat might just as well be pale and white. And that's when the "Valonqar" (most likely Jaime) will wrap his hands around it and choke the life from her, thus fulfilling Maggy the Frog's prophecy.
What do you think about this theory? Let us know in the comments below and don't forget to check out Smoke Screen's video for more details.
