Game Of Thrones Theories: 6 Reasons To Get Hype For CleganeBowl

5. The Gravedigger

In A Feast for Crows, when Brienne is journeying (and journeying and journeying, because it never ends) around the Riverlands, she is guided by Meribald, a wandering Septon, to the Quiet Isle. An island at the mouth of the Trident, it's home to a monastery where a number of men go to seek penance, undertaking a vow of silence while there. She meets the Elder Brother, the leader as it were, and the only one actually allowed to speak. He fills Brienne in on the Hound's death, with some pretty choice wording. He tells her that the man she seeks is dead, confirming that he found him at the river, and "the Hound died there," in his arms. However when she states that Sandor Clegane has died, the Brother replies "he is at rest." Later, he speaks of his own 'death' at the Trident while fighting for Prince Rhaegar. Since he is very much alive at this point, it's clear he is speaking of being reborn as a follower of the Seven, and that death has a very different meaning for him besides just the literal sense. This could be the same for Clegane as well; the Hound is dead, but Sandor lives as a changed man. Another key indicator is the fact that his horse, Stranger, is tied up on the Isle. It is said that he's uncontrollable by anyone by his master, so how is he so calm now if Sandor's truly dead? The final clue comes as Brienne is about to leave, and sees a novice gravedigger. She notes that he is wounded, and bigger than she is, but a scarf covers most of his face. When a dog goes over to him, he bends down to pet him. The description certainly fits that of Sandor - there aren't too many men bigger than Brienne, and it makes sense he'd be lame - while the dog is taken as a hint to his Hound nickname. A clue to this happening in season 6 was in the leaked casting call, with a character fitting the description of some sort of cross between Meribald and the Elder Brother.