If you’ve been living under a rock or if the medieval, fantasy drama just couldn’t be further from your interests, then you may have missed the long-awaited Game of Thrones Season 7 premiere last night. In true GoT spirit, a couple hundred soldiers were massacred, dragons filled the sky and feces had a cameo. While none of these things was surprising, some fans did a double-take when famous pop star Ed Sheeran appeared in the forest. For the most part, Sheeran’s character seemed insignificant—just another face among the group of Lannisters with whom Arya feasts on rabbit. But fans of A Song of Ice and Fire, the book series that inspired GoT, know there’s more to the brief encounter.
Arya hears Sheeran’s character before seeing him, and he’s singing a song that appears in the books. In the books, the song is called “Hands of Gold,” and it’s used to foreshadow a dark incident involving Tyrion Lannister; someone is about to be blackmailed or maybe even killed. Perhaps, it means the same in the television series. The lyrics mention a secret relationship. Since Tyrion has moved away, fans are suspiscious of whether Sheeran’s song could foreshadow a bad event happening to Jamie, the other Lannister brother who just happens to have a gold hand.
I’m positive that diehard fans will be theorizing about its significance for weeks, and I can’t wait to tune in next week.