GoT Theory: The Secret Identity of Ser Bronn of the Blackwater!

Possibly the last Tarbeck heir, Reyne heir of Castamere, and maybe the last blood relative of Cersei, Jamie, and Tyrion!

Ser Bronn of the Blackwater, as depicted by Jerome Flynn on HBO's series Game of Thrones.

NOTE: Contains references to both book and show events.

In a story rife with fleshed-out characters, The Song of Ice and Fire is woefully remiss in providing any information on Ser Bronn of the Blackwater - being careful to never reveal his surname or very little information about his background. I found this very strange while rewatching the GoT series again and, decided to do some research about Bronn via canon lore, which I will share here via screenshots and reference links.

First of all, I found it strange that Bronn has sung two songs during the series - one before the Battle of Blackwater and, the other while in a cell in Dorne with the Sand Snakes present. One of the Sand Snakes commented that he had a good singing voice - THAT got me thinking ... (besides the fact that Jerome Flynn is a known singer)

I discovered that some fans on YouTube and Reddit propose that he is the sole remaining Reyne of Castamere but, the timeline doesn't work out for that. The Reynes were wiped out before he was born. In short, Bronn isn't old enough to be a Reyne. But, in studying the history of House Reyne, I did discover that Ellyn Reyne had been married to Tion Lannister (before he died), and then hastily chased off of Casterly Rock and married to Lord Walderan Tarbeck. The Tarbeck's oldest daughter, Rohanne, had a son who (some stories claim), "was smuggled to Essos, and became a bard popular for his sad ballads." THAT BOY would be about the same age as BRONN. And, according to the lore canon about Rohanne Tarbeck, her 3-year-old son went missing during the assault on the Tarbecks by Tywin Lannister. No further information is available about him, except for the bard story.

What I find interesting is that the boy was reported to be smuggled into Essos. What famous sellsword company resides in Essos? THE GOLDEN COMPANY. Nearly all the Reynes and Tarbecks were anointed knights known for their fighting skills in battle. Hmmm ... if you'll recall, Bronn told Jamie in GoT season 7 that he spent his entire life around soldiers.

Could it be that the family that fostered Rohanne's boy was in some way connected to The Golden Company, or perhaps the boy was discovered to have a gift for fighting, and went to train with them? This is where we get into conjecture, as there is no canon or lore to support it or fill in the blanks. But for lack of any other explanation as to WHY Bronn is such a good singer, and knows full length songs a bard would know - sad ones at that, like The Rains of Castamere - one could say that it is very well possible that Bronn is Rohanne's son. And if you stretch the story a bit further, it could also be possible that Rohanne was actually Tion Lannister's daughter, and not Walderan Tarbeck's, as Ellyn was swiftly removed from Casterly Rock and married to a Tarbeck after Tion's death. Perhaps she was pregnant with Tion's daughter at that time, and Gerold Lannister didn't want any heir of Tion's to get in the way of the line of succession at Casterly Rock that he already had planned out. THAT sounds like some conniving that a Lannister WOULD DO, don't you think?

Now imagine ... BRONN was told this information by his foster parents, or someone who knew the Reynes and Tarbecks before their demise (both families were destroyed by the Lannisters) - it may have even been the person who smuggled him to Essos, for all we know. Now what more "poetic justice" would there be for him, if the Lannisters were the very ones to give him back everything that they took away that was his birthright? It makes perfect sense as to WHY Bronn has attached himself to the Lannisters, and is constantly insisting that they keep their promise of giving him a lordship with a castle and high-born bride. It also makes sense as to why he won't give anyone his true surname. If this theory is true, Bronn could actually be Jamie, Tyrion, and Cersei's cousin by blood. Or, at the very least, he would be the last remaining Tarbeck heir. Genealogy Charts for Reynes, and Tarbecks:

REFERENCES: * House Reyne History: https://awoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/House_Reyne * House Tarbeck History: (via Tion Tarbeck) https://awoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/Tion_Tarbeck * The Last Lord Tarbeck: https://awoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/Last_Lord_Tarbeck * The History of Ellyn Reyne/Lannister/Tarbeck: https://awoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/Ellyn_Reyne * History of Rohanne Tarbeck: https://awoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/Rohanne_Tarbeck * Bronn's known history: https://awoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/Bronn ~ Valar Dohaeris