That sure was an episode of Game of Thrones, huh? As it turns out, at least one guy saw the ending coming.
SPOILERS AHEAD: Don’t go any further if you haven’t seen Game of Thrones Season 6 episode 5, “The Door.”
On April 20, 2014, ASOIAF fan Michael A. Ventrella wrote a blog post saying he kept running into author George RR Martin in the elevator at a convention. And then, well:
The final time we ended up together, the conversation went like this:
Me: I finally figured out why you have a character named “Hodor.”
Martin: Oh?
Me: I was thinking about your comment about wanting to be an elevator operator. It’s clear to me now that “Hodor” is short for “Hold the door.”
Martin: (laughing) You don’t know how close to the truth you are!
I don’t know what’s sadder: Hodor’s truth or the fact that George RR Martin had to watch it happen on HBO before he could reveal it himself. Finish the book, George.