As far as tinfoil "Game of Thrones" theories go, this one is, by far, the craziest one I've ever come across. Not only does this theory (courtesy of Sandford Anson) delve into what's probably the biggest mystery of the series - the Night King's identity, but it also offers quite a unique explanation of what's really going on in "Game of Thrones." So without further ado, let's jump right in.

Who is the Night King?

According to this theory, the Night King is none other than Torrhen Stark, the last official King in the North, known to history as the King Who Knelt.

Now, for those of you who are not up to speed with "Game of Thrones" history and lore, here's a quick rundown of what the books say about the King Who Knelt.

According to "A Wiki of Ice and Fire," Torrhen Stark was the King in the North at the time of Aegon's Conquest, who marched down south to the Trident with every intention of fighting the Conqueror. It's worth noting that by the time Torrhen arrived, Aegon had already burned down Harrenhall, won the decisive Field of Fire where he decimated the Lannister forces, and completely obliterated House Gardener.

With that in mind, Torrhen sent his half-brother Brandon Snow who previously offered to kill the dragons, along with three maesters, to negotiate with the young Dragonlord.

It is said that the entire night the messages went back and forth. However, the next morning Torrhen crossed the Trident himself where he bent the knee to Aegon, thus earning the nickname the King Who Knelt. And that's pretty much it, as far as the official records are concerned.

However, this theory suggests that Torrhen Stark never intended to swear fealty and that's why he was killed in his encampment by a Faceless Man who then used Torrhen's face to submit to Aegon.

The grand Faceless Men conspiracy

The theory then goes on to explain the appearance of the Night King and his White Walker generals.

"Looking at all the Night King's commanders, they all have something similar, they are all missing their faces," the theory states, "they are all Starks or even the head of all the highborn houses that were killed by the Faceless Men at the Trident.

This is what the north remembers even though the current generation has forgotten. Winter is coming is a warning of revenge."

Wights, on the other hand, are comprised of dead wildlings, dead Night's Watch members, and all the bodies that the Faceless Men dumped in the far north.

It's worth noting that Arya asked several times in the show while in the House of Black and White, what happens to the bodies of people the Faceless Men kill. She never gets an answer.

So basically, this theory states that the Faceless Men have been killing and replacing people all over Westeros and Essos. They are the ones that have been controlling the realm behind the scenes. And the Night King is out to get them.

The Faceless Men have been monitoring the Night King and the White Walkers for quite some time and when they found out the dead were coming back to life they needed to mobilize the continent.

But how could they do that without telling everyone what they did? The answer is by spreading disinformation about the White Walkers with a goal of scaring the population into thinking that there is no time to understand, only to fight.

My opinion

No matter how interesting (and creepy I might add) this theory may sound, I don't think there's any validity to it, mainly because of the simple fact that we saw the Night King's creation in the show.

The Children of the Forest plunged a dragonglass dagger into a man's chest, thus transforming him into what he is today - a fully fledged leader of the White Walkers. And while it's totally possible that the Children of the Forest and the Faceless Men are allies, working together to bring down mankind, I don't think the Faceless Men had anything to do with the creation of the Night King. But if you are interested in finding out more about this mind-blowing theory, check out the link below.
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