White Walkers Origin
Winter is coming.
Known as 'the Others' by the people of Westeros and the Children of the Forest, these ancient ice-bound beings are a malevolent race from beyond the Wall. They serve as the primary existential threat to humanity in the North, commanding vast legions of wights—reanimated corpses—to wage war against the living. For millennia, they were believed to be mere myths used to frighten children, until their sudden return shattered the fragile peace following the Long Night.
- Name
- The Others (White Walkers)
- Origin
- Beyond the Wall
- First Appearance in Story
- A Game of Thrones / Season 1
- Leader
- Unknown (Referred to as 'The Night King' only in the TV adaptation; distinct from the historical Lord Commander known as the Night's King)
- Weaponry
- Crystal Ice Blades
- Weaknesses
- Dragonglass (Obsidian)
Lore & Background
After the Long Night ended and the Night's Watch was founded to guard against them, the Others vanished into the deep winter of the far North. They remained dormant for thousands of years, only to re-emerge as the summer stretched too long and Westeros forgot their terror. Their return heralds not just war, but an eternal winter that threatens to snuff out the fire of life itself.
In Their Own Story
The wind howled across the frozen tundra, carrying with it a silence so profound it felt like a physical weight. Ser Waymar Royce adjusted his cloak, his breath pluming in the frigid air as he stared into the white void ahead. 'Do you see them?' he asked, his voice trembling slightly. His brothers of the Night's Watch nodded grimly, their eyes wide with a terror they could not name. Then, from the swirling snow, figures emerged—not men, but something far worse. Their armor shimmered like frost on glass, and their eyes burned with a pale blue fire that seemed to drain the warmth from the very air around them. As the leader stepped forward, the temperature plummeted, and the snow beneath his feet did not crunch; it simply ceased to exist.
Reader's Guide
The history of the White Walkers is deeply intertwined with the mythology of Westeros, specifically the ancient war between the First Men and the Children of the Forest. While the Night's Watch was established to keep them at bay after the Long Night, their true origins remained a mystery for centuries until recent visions brought them back into focus.
According to legend, the creation of the Others stemmed from desperate measures taken by the Children of the Forest. Seeking a weapon powerful enough to stop the First Men's encroachment on their sacred lands, they performed a ritual involving driving a shard of dragonglass into the heart of a human prisoner. This act inadvertently birthed a race that would eventually threaten all life.
The return of the Others marks the beginning of the end for the current political struggles in Westeros. While lords and kings fight over the Iron Throne, a far greater threat gathers in the North. Their army of wights grows with every death they cause, making them an unstoppable force unless specific weaknesses like dragonglass or Valyrian steel are exploited.
The narrative arc involving the White Walkers shifts the story from a political drama to a survival horror epic. It challenges the characters' prejudices and forces former enemies to ally against a common foe. The conflict underscores the theme that internal division makes humanity vulnerable to extinction.
Did You Know?
- 'White Walkers' is a term primarily used by the Children of the Forest; Westerosi generally refer to them as 'the Others'.
- In the book canon, Dragonglass (obsidian) has been proven effective against the Others, while Valyrian steel's ability to destroy them remains theoretical and unconfirmed on-page.
- The Others do not speak any human language, communicating instead through strange, musical clicking sounds.
- Their return coincides with an unusually long summer in Westeros, suggesting their arrival is tied to climatic cycles.