Home | About | Archives

Got GOT?

April 20, 2014 10:39 am

Game of Thrones (“GOT”) is the most popular fantasy series today, and deservedly so.  I enjoy the books and am thrilled that the TV series is so well done.

I am looking forward to tonight’s episode, but mostly wanted to post this meme I just made and also to share my George R.R. Martin story.

I met George R.R. Martin at a convention last fall where we were both guest authors.  Well, him more than me.  (If you don’t know about my novels, click here.)   I had previously met him probably ten years ago at another convention — before the Game of Thrones TV show — but we never spoke at that time.

As it turned out, Martin’s room was right down the hall from mine and we kept ending up in the elevator together.  He knew I wasn’t stalking him because most of those times, I was in the elevator before him.

The first time there were some other fans on the elevator who asked for a picture with him, and he obliged.  They got off before our floor, so it was just us.  We walked out and headed down the hall and the conversation went like this:

Martin:  I do get tired of posing for pictures all the time.

Me:  Well, you’re quite famous now.

Martin:  I wasn’t unknown before.

Me:  True, among us.  But you were never a guest on Conan before.

Martin:  True.

Around the third time we were on the elevator together, he pushed he button for our floor and then asked the others what floors they needed, and then after everyone left, he turned to me.

Martin:  I always wanted to be an elevator operator.  If the writing thing hadn’t worked out…

We both laughed and went on to our rooms.

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!

So there you have it.  If we ever learn why Hodor says “Hodor” (which, as readers know, is not his given name) and it has something to do with elevators, remember:  You read it here first.

EDIT: Follow-up years later (with a special guest appearance by George RR Martin)

Posted by Michael A. Ventrella

Categories: Entertainment

Tags: Game of Thrones, George R.R. Martin, George R.R. Martin elevator story, Hodor, Hodor means "hold the door", Hodor prediction, What Hodor really means

« Older Newer »

111 Responses to “Got GOT?”

1. Considering that the episode leaked to torrent sites yesterday morning, I’m calling bullshit.

   LikeLike

   By Sean Kethcart on May 23, 2016 at 2:25 pm

   1. Look at when this blog was posted.

      LikeLiked by 1 person

      By Peter Cheeks on May 23, 2016 at 4:07 pm

      1. Look at my next comment.

         LikeLike

         By Chicago's Dj FREQ on May 23, 2016 at 4:08 pm

2. Whoops, I just realized this was posted years ago. *begs mercy*

   LikeLiked by 1 person

   By Chicago's Dj FREQ on May 23, 2016 at 2:26 pm

   1. no mercy for you it seems

      LikeLike

      By Aleksander Gullanger on May 27, 2016 at 1:58 pm

   2. Get rekt scrub.

      LikeLike

      By Hodor on May 30, 2016 at 11:07 am

3. […] Michael Ventrella managed to guess the meaning of Hodor’s name during a conversation he had with Martin back in […]

   LikeLike

   By George R.R. Martin Told A Guy The Truth About Hodor Years Ago – Daily News Trendz on May 23, 2016 at 3:04 pm

4. […] Sur Reddit, des utilisateurs ont également retrouvé un petit malin qui tenait le bon bout dès 2013 et l’a écrit sur son blog en avril 2014. […]

   LikeLike

   By Un internaute avait trouvé la signification de « Hodor » dans « Game of Thrones » dès 2008 – Presse Algérienne – Revue de Presse et Journaux en Algérie on May 23, 2016 at 3:10 pm

5. The best part about this blog post is that it helped me discovered your blog! I know nothing about US politics but still enjoy reading your articles 🙂

   LikeLiked by 1 person

   By sankyyu on May 23, 2016 at 3:29 pm

6. […] twist behind “The Door” years forward of time. IGN bought the scoop about a author from VentrellaQuest who shared a idea about Hodor with Match of Thrones creator George R.R. Martin back in […]

   LikeLike

   By Watch This fan appropriately predicted the Hodor twist years ago - vodlocker.review on May 23, 2016 at 3:59 pm

7. […] about the encounter on his website, stating, “Martin’s room was right down the hall from mine and we kept ending up in the […]

   LikeLike

   By This guy called out George R.R. Martin on Hodor's heartbreaking fate in 2014 on May 23, 2016 at 4:09 pm

8. […] Read enough Game Of Thrones fan theories and you’re bound to stumble across correct predictions now and again. For instance, while last night’s Hodor “twist” caught many fans off guard, a fantasy sci-fi writer/Poconos lawyer named Michael A. Ventrella correctly guessed it (kind of) three years ago, as he detailed on his blog. […]

   LikeLike

   By Great Job, Internet!: One guy predicted last night’s Game Of Thrones twist 3 years ago - The Daily Jobard on May 23, 2016 at 4:28 pm

9. […] con el origen del peculiar nombre! En el 2014, Michael A. Ventrella, un conocido escritor, contó, a través de su blog, que tuvo una breve conversación con George Martin, donde le aseguraba que el origen de Hodor […]

   LikeLike

   By Un fanático adivinó hace 8 años uno de los grandes misterios de Game of Thrones: El nombre de Hodor | Actualidad + Tendencia on May 23, 2016 at 4:28 pm

10. […] Michael Ventrella told a story on his personal blog in April 2014 about meeting George R. R. Martin at a convention in the fall of 2013 and sharing a not-very-funny […]

    LikeLike

    By How did three different Game of Thrones fans predict that Hodor surprise? | BH on May 23, 2016 at 4:29 pm

11. […] Michael Ventrella told a story on his personal blog in April 2014 about meeting George R. R. Martin at a convention in the fall of 2013 and sharing a not-very-funny […]

    LikeLike

    By How did three different Game of Thrones fans predict that Hodor surprise? – Iconic Moment on May 23, 2016 at 4:31 pm

12. […] George RR Martin himself might have confirmed another accurate guess, this time to a fellow author at a literary festival they were both appearing at. Author Michael Ventrella blogged about interacting with Martin on an elevator: […]

    LikeLike

    By Amazingly, Game of Thrones fans correctly guessed Hodor’s origin 8 years ago - GeekMag on May 23, 2016 at 5:18 pm

13. HOLD THE DOOR! :.(

    LikeLike

    By demirt on May 23, 2016 at 5:37 pm

14. […] Sur Reddit, des utilisateurs ont également retrouvé un petit malin qui tenait le bon bout dès 2013 et l’a écrit sur son blog en avril 2014. […]

    LikeLike

    By » Un internaute avait trouvé la signification de « Hodor » dans « Game of Thrones » dès 2008 on May 23, 2016 at 6:11 pm

15. […] Michael Ventrella told a story on his personal blog in April 2014 about meeting George R. R. Martin at a convention in the fall of 2013 and sharing a not-very-funny […]

    LikeLike

    By How did three different Game of Thrones fans predict that Hodor surprise? | Cek the Space on May 23, 2016 at 7:21 pm

16. […] o segredo 3 anos antes. Em uma convenção de fãs, Michael A. Ventrella, um redator do site VentrellaQuest encontrou Martin no elevador e numa breve conversa Martin disse que caso não fosse escritor […]

    LikeLike

    By GAME OF THRONES: Significado do nome Hodor já tinha sido descoberto a 3 anos | Broscorp on May 23, 2016 at 7:53 pm

17. […] 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, […]

    LikeLike

    By Someone Basically Guessed The Latest Game Of Thrones Episode's Ending To George RR Martin In 2014 | Kotaku Australia on May 23, 2016 at 8:31 pm

18. […] Sur Reddit, des utilisateurs ont également retrouvé un petit malin qui tenait le bon bout dès 2013 et l’a écrit sur son blog en avril 2014. […]

    LikeLike

    By Un internaute avait trouvé la signification de "Hodor" dans "Game of Thrones" dès 2008 – INTELLINEWS on May 23, 2016 at 8:44 pm

19. […] both guest authors, and he predicted what the word “hodor” actually meant. Ventrella wrote an article about his conversation with Martin back in April 2014. After running into each other frequently in […]

    LikeLike

    By Someone Predicted Last Night’s Game of Thrones Ending Two Years Ago | HalfSteam.com on May 24, 2016 at 12:17 am

20. Could it be you actually gave Martin that idea???

    LikeLike

    By Dorho on May 24, 2016 at 12:56 am

    1. Oh there’s no way. He wouldn’t create a character named Hodor, have him say nothing but that, and have absolutely no plan whatsoever as to why or what it meant.

       LikeLike

       By Michael A. Ventrella on May 24, 2016 at 10:07 am

21. […] E se credete sia una stronzata che si sono inventati D&D, sappiate che è stata più o meno confermata dallo stesso Giorgino […]

    LikeLike

    By Tutta colpa di Bran – Il Sociopatico on May 24, 2016 at 2:00 am

22. […] behind “The Door” a long time ahead of time. IGN received the scoop about a writer from VentrellaQuest who shared a theory about Hodor with Recreation of Thrones creator George R.R. Martin back in […]

    LikeLike

    By Watch This enthusiast properly predicted past night’s Hodor twist a long time back - vodlocker.review on May 24, 2016 at 3:03 am

23. […] George RR Martin himself might have confirmed another accurate guess, this time to a fellow author at a literary festival they were both appearing at. Author Michael Ventrella blogged about interacting with Martin on an elevator: […]

    LikeLike

    By Amazingly, Game of Thrones fans correctly guessed Hodor’s origin 8 years ago | Top Gadget Gifts on May 24, 2016 at 7:07 am

24. […] Michael Ventrella Predicted The Future …Check Out His Books […]

    LikeLike

    By Geek Radio Daily May 24, 2016 | Geek Radio Daily on May 24, 2016 at 7:11 am

25. the backstory of hodor is soul scrushing 😦

    LikeLike

    By Clara Ingewati on May 24, 2016 at 9:31 am

26. Kupon yap ev araba basalim reis

    LikeLike

    By Türk sanat müziği on May 24, 2016 at 9:34 am

27. […] few years ago, I had a conversation with George R.R. Martin, made a joke, and blogged about it here.  “Hodor is short for ‘Hold the […]

    LikeLike

    By Hodor! on May 24, 2016 at 9:41 am

28. […] Credits: Edited by Alias A Song of Ice and Fire by Alpine Universe Kellen the Undying by Drumurboy Greg’s Notes Two years ago, GRRM told a guy that he wanted to be an elevator operator. That guy correctly guessed… […]

    LikeLike

    By VoK 295: DragonCast – “The Door” (S06E05 Review) | Vassals of Kingsgrave on May 24, 2016 at 10:02 am

29. […] (https://ventrellaquest.com/2014/04/20/got-got/) […]

    LikeLike

    By HODORHODORHODORHOLDOORHOLDTHEDOOR :'( | DARK IN THE BOY on May 24, 2016 at 10:44 am

30. […] One fan’s interaction with Martin in 2014 and how he guessed the meaning of Hodor’s name […]

    LikeLike

    By Hold on – there’s time travel in Game of Thrones? | The Time Travel Nexus on May 24, 2016 at 2:04 pm

31. […] summarized the conversation in a blog post as […]

    LikeLike

    By ‘Game of Thrones’: This Fan Predicted the Meaning of Hodor 8 Years Ago – Diashmond on May 24, 2016 at 4:21 pm

32. I was skeptical at first because you can easily change the post date/time in WordPress. But I looked it up on the Internet Archive: Way Back Machine and there’s a snapshot from July 2014.
    Kudos!

    https://web.archive.org/web/20140717082036/https://ventrellaquest.com/2014/04/20/got-got/

    LikeLiked by 2 people

    By Ali Jamar Taylor on May 24, 2016 at 5:48 pm

    1. I’m not smart enough to know how to change dates and times!

       Also, I do have witnesses and have told the story many times at conventions over the years. 🙂

       LikeLike

       By Michael A. Ventrella on May 24, 2016 at 8:47 pm

33. Best prediction Ever.

    LikeLiked by 1 person

    By Taç nevresim on May 24, 2016 at 6:54 pm

34. I remember reading this a few months ago, and when I saw Sunday’s episode, I was like, “I CALLED IT!”

    LikeLike

    By Natalie on May 24, 2016 at 8:48 pm

    1. You didn’t call it.

       LikeLike

       By Shan Panners on May 29, 2016 at 9:08 am

35. […] In my post-episode dive into the internet to find out as much as possible I found this awesome story: https://ventrellaquest.com/2014/04/20/got-got/ […]

    LikeLike

    By Hodor – Blake Smisko on May 25, 2016 at 11:32 pm

36. […] Visitamos el blog Ventrella Quest donde aparece una entrada con fecha de 20 de abril de 2014 titulada Got GOT? en la que el autor, un tal Michael Ventrella, explica que asiste a una convención de literatura en […]

    LikeLike

    By Review Game of Thrones: The Door on May 26, 2016 at 7:16 am

37. orada dur dedi lan yanlış biliyonuz amk

    LikeLike

    By KCB on May 26, 2016 at 11:49 am

38. […] to predict the origin’s of Hodor’s name, either. In 2014, writer Michael A. Ventrella shared a story on his blog about a time he met George R. R. Martin at a […]

    LikeLike

    By A ‘Game of Thrones’ fan predicted the meaning of Hodor’s name back in 2008 | MassCentral, Boston on May 26, 2016 at 4:43 pm

39. […] Ventrella wrote on his blog in 2014 about the conversation he had with Martin in the elevator at Capclave. You can […]

    LikeLike

    By This Guy Unknowingly Learned Hodor’s Secret From George R.R. Martin Years Ago – Viraltor on May 26, 2016 at 11:46 pm

40. So I met George again and he remembered me…

    LikeLike

    By Michael A. Ventrella on May 29, 2016 at 1:44 pm

41. […] Funfact: Bereits vor drei Jahren hatte der Schriftsteller und Blogger Michael A. Ventrella einen Verdacht, was es mit dem Begriff Hodor auf sich haben könnte. Bei einer gemeinsamen Aufzugsfahrt erzählte ihm GoT-Erfinder George R. R. Martin am Rande einer Tagung nämlich einst, dass er immer Liftboy werden wollte, falls es mal mit der Schreiberei nicht klappt. Als Ventrella ihn bei einer weiteren gemeinsamen Aufzugsfahrt dann mit seiner These konfrontierte, dass „Hodor“ für „Hold the Door“ stehen könnte, erwiderte dieser: „You don’t know how close to the truth you are!“ […]

    LikeLike

    By Hold the Door: Wie Game of Thrones den Fahrstuhl eroberte - Senkrechtstarter on June 1, 2016 at 8:42 am

42. So the older comment is from May 22, 2016? The guy wrote this post one year ago and no one ever commented this before? It doesn’t make any sense. Everyone knows it’s possible posting something right now like it was 1988 A.C.

    LikeLike

    By Jéssica Risi on June 8, 2016 at 9:25 pm

    1. I am not sure what you’re saying. My original post was two years ago or so. That’s been verified by many people and can be found by doing one of those internet searches that show you what the blog looked like two years ago (if you go up the comments, you’ll see someone who did that and he posts the link as well).

       I mentioned the conversation on the day it happened on my Facebook page. I have witnesses who were with me who also commented on it.

       Some people apparently saw the episode before it aired, remembered my post, and responded that afternoon, before it aired and long before I even saw it.

       I saw George the weekend after the episode aired (hence the picture above) and he remembered the conversation and posed for the picture.

       I know it’s a good idea to be a skeptic on the internet, but this one’s true. When the media contacted me about it, they also checked to make sure before posting anything.

       If you read my blog, it’s mostly about law and politics. I am a middle aged lawyer who doesn’t know how to do computer things like changing the dates. I’m not some kid trying to scam people on the internet for no gain, and I’m not about to ruin my reputation by lying, especially about something so stupid. It was just a joke!

       LikeLike

       By Michael A. Ventrella on June 8, 2016 at 9:40 pm

43. […] 2014, Michael Ventrella wrote a WordPress post about a conversation with GRRM. This guess, though just as impressively accurate as the others, is […]

    LikeLike

    By Holding the Door – A Time Capsule of Ice and Fire on February 4, 2017 at 6:06 am

44. […] also predicted that Hodor was a shortened version of “hold the door”, sharing on his blog a story about meeting George R.R. Martin, who joked withhim that if he hadn’t been a writer, […]

    LikeLike

    By A GOT Fan Guessed The Meaning Of Hodor’s Name Back In 2008 | Civil Attorney Group on February 4, 2017 at 11:32 pm

45. […] la literatura de George R.R. Martin, que el pasado 20 de abril de 2014 escribió una curiosa entrada en su blog. En dicha entrada, comentaba cómo no dejaba de encontrarse con el propio autor de […]

    LikeLike

    By Juego de Tronos: Un fan vaticinó el final del último episodio en 2014 - Alfa Beta Juega on November 13, 2018 at 12:46 pm

46. […] tempo, alguns fãs já haviam descoberto parte da charada. Em 2014 este escritor encontrou Martin em um hotel em que os dois estavam hospedados para uma convenção. Os dois […]

    LikeLike

    By George R. R. Martin comenta revelação sobre a origem de “Hodor” – Gelo & Fogo on March 21, 2019 at 11:28 pm

Leave a Reply

Mobile Site | Full Site

Get a free blog at WordPress.com Theme: WordPress Mobile Edition by Alex King.