Game of Thrones season 8 ‘Valonqar’ theory: Will Jaime kill Cersei?

If one thing’s certain about Game of Thrones season eight – which continues this weekend – it’s that a whole host of characters won’t make it to the end.

Many theories are doing the rounds, a handful of which we have broken down here, but one is predicting the death of one of the show’s longest-serving characters, Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey).

Ever since the announcement of Cersei’s pregnancy in season seven, people have been speculating how this could corroborate the “Valonqar” theory, which would spell the end for the queen of Westeros – but could it be at the hands of someone unexpected?

The theory calls back to the disturbing prophecy told to her by fortune teller Maggy the Frog when she was a young girl: that she will die at the hands of the Valonqar, which translates from High Valyrian as “little brother”.

Thrones fans have long assumed this means her brother Tyrion (Peter Dinklage). Cersei’s hatred of Tyrion has been apparent since the very beginning of the show and one of the reasons behind her treating him so badly could be because she expects him to be the one who will ultimately kill her.

However, there was a big hint last season that Jaime – her twin and the father of her unborn child (still weird) – will be the one to “wrap his hands about [her] pale white throat and choke the life from [her]”. Jaime was born seconds after Cersei so this would indeed fulfill the “little brother” prophecy, though this can be debunked based on the fact Jaime has just one hand. It would be quite difficult to “choke the life” from Cersei without both hands.

A spin on the theory predicts that the “little brother” may not be her own, but the unborn sibling of her three deceased children meaning she could die in childbirth. That is even if Cersei is pregnant and not just lying in an attempt to keep Jaime on side (the last we saw he was riding north to help the troops in the impending battle with the Night King).

It should be pointed out that Cersei has misinterpreted the rest of the prophecy throughout the show. Maggy the Frog told her she would marry the king, not the prince and that a “younger more beautiful” queen will take all that’s dear to her (she suspected this to be Margaery when it was most likely referencing Daenerys).

The prophecy also predicted all three of her children will die, something that saw Cersei go to extreme lengths to protect them – actions that inadvertently led to their deaths.

All of the above goes against another popular theory that predicts Cersei to be the unlikely saviour of Westeros in the battle the show has been building to ever since its very first scene.

Could Cersei’s pregnancy be the thing that keeps the Night King from killing everyone? We know that the White Walkers accept young babies as sacrifices, having seen the wildling named Craster (Robert Pugh) hand his sons over to them in season two.

This particular theory goes that Cersei could sacrifice her child to the Night King in the hope that he’ll return to his domain. It’s very possible – and would be a huge twist that one of the show’s biggest villain is the character to save the day.

Knowing Cersei, it would most likely be a choice inspired by the promise of unlimited power – and will most likely end with the Night King killing her. Moreover, if this does happen and the theory that the youngest living Stark child, Bran, ends up becoming the Night King after a warg-gone-wrong comes true, then this would *fulfill the Valonqar theory*.

And breathe.

The final season of Game of Thrones continues every Sunday. You can find a rundown of the premiere’s most exciting reunions here.

You can find our extensive ranking of our favourite most shocking moments below.

The show will be available on Sky Atlantic and NOW TV in the UK.