Winter is coming sooner than we expected with official confirmation that Game of Thrones will be back on April 14. HBO dropped a ‘chilling’ new look at Season 8 of the fantasy epic, but did you spot a callback to days gone by in the echoing Winterfell crypt?
It was a who’s who of Thrones favourites as Jon Snow gathered with Sansa and Arya Stark beneath the Stark homestead. The crypt at Winterfell featured stony tributes to fallen family like Lyanna Stark, Ned Stark, and Catelyn.
Things got a bit meta as the trio reached their own statues, suggesting they could also fall in the final six episodes — let’s be honest though, Jon and Arya probably aren’t going anywhere.
The big callback goes all the way back to the Game of Thrones pilot in 2011. The aptly named “Winter is Coming” saw King Robert Baratheon journey to Winterfell and ask old friend Ned to become the Hand of the King. Thrones aficionados will know that Robert had a thing with Lyanna Stark and was due to marry her before that untimely death in the Tower of Joy. Jon Snow was the legitimate offspring of her relationship with Rhaegar Targaryen and is now in line for the Iron Throne.
During Robert’s Winterfell visit, he placed a single feather on top of Lyanna’s statue as a tribute to his true love. The same feather is seen in the promo, falling to the floor after Jon Snow walks past. The promo ends with ice encroaching on the crypt, the feather freezing before our eyes, and the trio of Starks readying themselves for battle.

Weirdly, the feather was last seen in the hands of Sansa in Season 5. While touring the crypt with the sinister Petyr Baelish (RIP), Sansa picked up the feather and told the story of Lyanna’s famous tourney at Harrenhal. Could the feather represent some sort of fall for Sansa? Well, we’ve seen her wardrobe make use of feathers in the past for some pretty impressive costumes.

Elsewhere, Bran Stark has been heavily involved with the Lyanna story thanks to his Back to the Future time travel AND is currently adopting the mantra of being the Three-Eyed Raven. Raven…feathers…get it? Either way, expect to find out more about Lyanna’s history and the relationship she never had with her son.
Ultimately, the feather is probably just some well-timed imagery to bring the sprawling saga full circle. Fans already know the Season 8 premiere will hark back to “Winter is Coming” with several callbacks to the early days of the show.
[Featured Image: HBO]