Jaqen H’ghar Was Hired To Kill Ned Stark & 4 More Game Of Thrones Theories About Why He Was Really In King’s Landing
Jaqen H’ghar plays a prominent role in Arya Stark’s story throughout Game of Thrones, but the series never answers a key question about his introduction: why he’s a prisoner in King’s Landing in the first place. Arya meets Jaqen when she accompanies Yoren and the new Night’s Watch recruits out of King’s Landing, though she doesn’t realize he’s a Faceless Man at the time. She learns about Jaqen’s unique skill set after she saves him in Game of Thrones season 2, a decision that puts the assassin in her debt — and results in him offering to take three lives for her.
After their time in Harrenhal, Jaqen also gives Arya a coin that will grant her passage to Braavos, which she later uses to travel to the House of Black and White and train with the Faceless Men. Game of Thrones leaves many questions about the group unanswered, but among the biggest is what Jaqen was doing in King’s Landing. Fans have come up with some interesting theories to explain his crossing paths with Arya, including the idea that he was actually there to kill her father.
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Littlefinger Hired Jaqen H’ghar To Kill Ned Stark
This Would Explain Why He Was A Prisoner In King’s Landing
One Reddit theory posits that Jaqen H’ghar was in King’s Landing to kill Ned Stark, suggesting Littlefinger facilitated his assassination. After all, Cersei initially intended to send Ned to the Wall, where he’d be able to contact or see his family eventually. If Ned survived, he’d be able to tell Catelyn how Littlefinger betrayed him. This would put a dent in Littlefinger’s machinations, making it more difficult for him to manipulate the North and its allies. And Littlefinger had connections to Braavos, both because his great-grandfather came from there and due to his dealings with the Iron Bank.
Jaqen being hired to kill Ned also makes sense of his whereabouts in Game of Thrones season 1, as he’d need to infiltrate the Black Cells.
Jaqen being hired to kill Ned also makes sense of his whereabouts in Game of Thrones season 1, as he’d need to infiltrate the Black Cells to access Ned after his arrest. It seems unlikely the assassin would be caught or held against his will, but if one of his targets was imprisoned in King’s Landing, Jaqen may have been caught intentionally. Joffrey deciding to execute Ned would have thrown off his mission, however, potentially leaving him stuck as a prisoner until Arya helped free him.
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Robert Or Varys Hired Jaqen H’ghar To Get Rid Of Daenerys Targaryen
They Wanted To Assassinate Her In Game Of Thrones Season 1
Robert Baratheon kept tabs on Daenerys and Viserys Targaryen in Game of Thrones season 1, and he tasked Varys with having Daenerys killed. As none of their attempted assassinations worked, it’s possible Varys enlisted Jaqen H’ghar to get rid of Daenerys for them. This could explain why he was in King’s Landing rather than Braavos in season 1. However, something clearly went wrong if he ended up in the Black Cells — and eventually headed North, in the opposite direction of where Daenerys was.
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Given where Jaqen ended up, this is among the weaker theories about what he was doing in King’s Landing. However, Robert Baratheon did float the idea of using the Faceless Men to get the job done in the Song of Ice and Fire books. It supposedly cost too much, but there’s a chance that Varys pushed Robert away from this idea because he didn’t actually want Daenerys to die. Varys played multiple sides throughout Game of Thrones, and his and Robert’s conflicting wants and goals could have led to Jaqen’s circumstances.
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Syrio Forel & Jaqen H’ghar Were The Same Person All Along
Game Of Thrones Never Showed Syrio’s Death
Another theory that could explain why Jaqen H’ghar was in the Black Cells of King’s Landing is that he and Arya’s dancing master, Syrio Forel, were the same person all along. This theory has cropped up on Reddit numerous times, and it’s founded on the fact that we never actually see Syrio’s death on-screen. Although it’s implied that Meryn Trant killed him after Arya ran, the lack of a body made it possible for him to return — or even to be revealed as someone else. Game of Thrones didn’t go there, but that hasn’t stopped people from speculating about it.
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If Syrio was arrested and taken to the Black Cells, he could have assumed a new face to avoid a harsher punishment than going to the Wall. It seems unlikely, given that Cersei’s soldiers killed most of the people in the Starks’ service. But it is an odd coincidence that Arya’s swordsmaster was also from Braavos, and having him secretly be Jaqen would add a fascinating layer to her journey throughout the show and books.
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Jaqen Was Hired To Kill Someone In The Night’s Watch
Being Transported As A Prisoner Would Be A Safer Way To Travel
It would make the most sense for Jaqen’s target to be in the Black Cells of King’s Landing, but it’s possible that he was hired to kill someone at the Night’s Watch instead. This would explain why he’d allow himself to be imprisoned and travel with Yoren. As one Redditor notes, traveling with Yoren and his recruits would likely have been the safest and easiest way to get to Castle Black without getting wrapped up in all the fighting happening on the Kingsroad. And he would have been more inconspicuous, arriving with so many others.
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One Reddit theory even posits that someone could have figured out that Jon Snow was a Targaryen and sent Jaqen after him because of it. But this is something that the series would likely have mentioned eventually. And while traveling with Yoren might have been the simplest means of getting to the Night’s Watch, Jaqen didn’t necessarily need to be a prisoner to do it. He certainly didn’t need to take the face of one of the more dangerous criminals in King’s Landing, getting himself transported in a cage.
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He Was Caught & Imprisoned On A Mission Unrelated To Game Of Thrones’ Main Story
This Explanation Is Fitting For ASOIAF’s World
While many complex theories have cropped up to explain Jaqen H’ghar’s presence in King’s Landing, just as many viewers believe he was simply caught doing something he wasn’t supposed to. Although the Faceless Men are powerful opponents, they aren’t infallible. And a world like George R.R. Martin’s constantly proves that even the strongest and smartest characters can falter. Therefore, this theory does hold some weight.
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After all, getting imprisoned is a pretty extreme way to achieve most of the goals people attribute to Jaqen H’ghar and the Faceless Men. Being in the Black Cells to assassinate someone who’s already there is the only way Jaqen intentionally getting arrested makes sense. Unfortunately, Game of Thrones never elaborates on his original mission, so viewers are left to wonder about what it was.
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Emilia Clarke, Peter Dinklage, Sophie Turner, Kit Harington, Lena Headey, Maisie Williams, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Iain Glen, John Bradley, Alfie Allen, Conleth Hill, Liam Cunningham, Gwendoline Christie, Aidan Gillen, Isaac Hempstead-Wright, Rory McCann, Nathalie Emmanuel, Jerome Flynn, Rhys Ifans, Matt Smith, Graham McTavish, Fabien Frankel, Steve Toussaint, Eve Best, Emma D’Arcy, Matthew Needham, Olivia Cooke, Milly Alcock, Emily Carey
