Here’s What Ned Stark Whispered in ‘Game Of Thrones’

The North remembers the moment that Ned Stark lost his head, and now fans are finding out what the Lord of Winterfell whispered in his final moments.

HBO’s Game of Thrones has been full of unexpected moments. From the shock of the now infamous Red Wedding to John Snow’s resurrection to the revelation that the King of the North and the Mother of Dragons are related, but the moment that started it all was the moment that Ned Stark, the Lord of Winterfell, lost his head.

Ever since the sword struck him, theories about what Ned Stark whispered before he was beheaded have run rampant. Some fans have speculated that he whispered one of the show’s favorite lines, “Valar Morghulis,” which translates to “all men must die,” while others speculate that he said, “I kept my promise,” a phrase that would link to Jon Snow’s parentage.

According to Sean Bean, the actor who portrayed Ned Stark, the truth of what was uttered isn’t as exciting, as he was “just saying a little prayer.”

“I couldn’t be too specific, because I don’t know if religion [like that] was around in those days, whatever they were. I just thought, ‘What would you do if this were really gonna happen?’ You probably would pray. You probably would murmur some words and you’d keep it quiet. You’d keep it to yourself,” Bean told The Huffington Post in a recent interview.

“It’s quite subtle in that many people wouldn’t pick it up. It was an interesting thing to do for me at that point. There’s not much you can do really, you’ve got your head on a block. That’s about the only thing you can do is murmur,” he added.

While some may still be reeling over the Lord of Winterfell’s death, HBO executives are already teasing that the eighth and final season will be bloody. The premium cable network’s Vice President of Drama, Francesca Orsi, said that the last season is something of a sob-fest, as many characters in the main cast die off “one by one,” though she wouldn’t give any hints as to who those characters may be.

Game of Thrones season 8 is set to premiere in 2019.