--- title: Sean Bean on Ned Stark's Game of Thrones Beheading Death description: The Ned Stark actor has revealed what he whispered in that climactic Game of Thrones scene. canonical: https://time.com/5203015/sean-bean-ned-stark-beheading-praying/ author: Lena Grossman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-03-16T15:35:28.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:51:27.049Z og:title: We Now Know What Ned Stark Whispered on Game of Thrones og:description: No, it wasn't 'I want some Oreos' og:url: https://time.com/5203015/sean-bean-ned-stark-beheading-praying/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt77ff9c137005e62d/69892b0722fb85b11ce2515f/sean-bean-ned-stark-beheading-praying.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3749 og:image:height: 2109 og:image:alt: BAFTA Television Awards 2017 In London og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: We Now Know What Ned Stark Whispered on Game of Thrones twitter:description: No, it wasn't 'I want some Oreos' twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt77ff9c137005e62d/69892b0722fb85b11ce2515f/sean-bean-ned-stark-beheading-praying.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # We Finally Know What Ned Stark Whispered on _Game of Thrones_ and It Wasn't About Cookies > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME The Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition The Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors. The Brief brings TIME's perspective to the day's most important stories, helping readers understand not just what is happening, but why it matters. It combines original reporting and analysis with the best of TIME, spanning politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=08b1caed-8505-43e3-84e9-16759fe4e258&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Daily | TIME, August 2026 | | Subscribers | 540,000 | TIME, August 2026 | | Open rate | 45.6% | TIME, August 2026 | | Click rate | 3.3% | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Richard Hall, Editor | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership The informed consumer. A scaled audience of readers who turn to TIME to stay informed and make sense of the world, with meaningful reach across education and research, nonprofits and civic life, media and communications, government and public institutions, and business and professional services. ### TIME The Brief: key statements * The Brief is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * The Brief is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=08b1caed-8505-43e3-84e9-16759fe4e258&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/subscribe?i=08b1caed-8505-43e3-84e9-16759fe4e258&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is TIME's daily news newsletter? The Brief is TIME's daily newsletter, edited by Richard Hall. It curates the day's top headlines with TIME's reporting and analysis across politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It reaches 540,000 subscribers with a 45.6% open rate as of August 2026. It is free to join at time.com/newsletters. #### How do I sign up for The Brief? The Brief is available free at time.com/newsletters, where readers can select it along with any of TIME's other six newsletters. There is no subscription required to receive it. #### Is The Brief free? Yes. The Brief is a free daily email newsletter from TIME. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes The Brief? The Brief is led by editor Richard Hall and draws on reporting from TIME's newsroom. Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically. by [Lena Grossman](https://time.com/author/lena-grossman/) ## Lena Grossman Mar 16, 2018 3:35 PM UTC  Sean Bean attends the Virgin TV British Academy Television Awards ceremony at the Royal Festival Hall on May 14, 2017 in London, United Kingdom. Sean Bean attends the Virgin TV British Academy Television Awards ceremony at the Royal Festival Hall on May 14, 2017 in London, United Kingdom. Wiktor Szymanowic—Barcroft Media/Getty Images by [Lena Grossman](https://time.com/author/lena-grossman/) ## Lena Grossman Mar 16, 2018 3:35 PM UTC **Warning**: This post contains spoilers for _Game of Thrones_. _Game of Thrones_ fans finally have their answer to one of their most pressing questions. Sean Bean, the actor who played Ned Stark on [_Game of Thrones_](http://time.com/game-of-thrones-2017/), has revealed the truth to _Huff Post_ on [what he muttered](https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/ned-stark-whispered-during-his-game-of-thrones-death-sean-bean%5Fus%5F5aa6d99fe4b009b705d522e3) during the [season 1, episode 9 “Baelor”](https://www.buzzfeed.com/crystalro/sean-bean-just-put-your-fan-theories-to-rest-about-what-ned?utm%5Fterm=.taLM1WnR1#.waygNyYON) moment before his beheading. It is indeed a show known for its [gruesome deaths](http://time.com/4892186/game-of-thrones-gruesome-deaths/). Per typical _Game of Thrones_ style, Stark’s mysterious musings launched a stampede of [theories](https://www.buzzfeed.com/andyneuenschwander/ned-starks-last-words-might-confirm-a-game-of-thrones-theory?utm%5Fterm=.fa7lXrodX#.lfBl16NY1). Some fans believe he said, “I kept my promise” in terms of the [R+L=J Jon Snow theory](http://time.com/4401097/game-of-thrones-aemon-targaryen-rlj/). Others think he may have whispered that popular _Game of Thrones_ line “Valar Morghulis,” which means “all men must die.” According to Bean, however, it was none of the above. Before the sword came down and the camera cut away, Bean revealed that he was “just saying a prayer.” He told _Huff Post_, “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 noted that his whispering and praying was subtle and “many people wouldn’t pick it up.” So although, no, he didn’t say “I want some Oreos” as [some speculate](https://www.ablogofthrones.com/what-were-ned-starks-last-words/), he merely remained in tune with where his character was at that moment: “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.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5203015/sean-bean-ned-stark-beheading-praying/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5203015/sean-bean-ned-stark-beheading-praying/"},"headline":"We Finally Know What Ned Stark Whispered on Game of Thrones and It Wasn't About Cookies","datePublished":"2018-03-16T15:35:28.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:51:27.049Z","description":"No, it wasn't \"I want some Oreos\"","url":"https://time.com/5203015/sean-bean-ned-stark-beheading-praying/","keywords":["Newsfeed","game of thrones"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt77ff9c137005e62d/69892b0722fb85b11ce2515f/sean-bean-ned-stark-beheading-praying.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Lena Grossman","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/lena-grossman/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt77ff9c137005e62d/69892b0722fb85b11ce2515f/sean-bean-ned-stark-beheading-praying.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"BAFTA Television Awards 2017 In London","caption":"BAFTA Television Awards 2017 In London","creditText":"Wiktor Szymanowic—Barcroft Media/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5203015/sean-bean-ned-stark-beheading-praying/","name":"We Finally Know What Ned Stark Whispered on Game of Thrones and It Wasn't About Cookies"}}]}] ```