White Walker
White Walker | |
---|---|
A Song of Ice and Fire character | |
First appearance | Novel: A Game of Thrones (1996) Television: "Winter Is Coming" (2011) |
Last appearance | Television: "The Long Night" (2019) |
Created by | George R. R. Martin |
Portrayed by | Various actors |
In-universe information | |
Aliases | The Others The Dead |
Type | Non-human creature |
White Walkers are
White Walkers are also featured in the show's merchandising.Description
Martin introduces the Others in the prologue of A Game of Thrones (1996), describing them as "Tall ... and gaunt and hard as old bones, with flesh pale as milk" with eyes "deeper and bluer than any human eyes, a blue that burned like ice". Accompanied by intense cold, they wear armor that "seemed to change color as it moved", and wield thin crystal swords capable of shattering steel. The Others move silently, and they speak their own language; Martin writes that their voices are "like the cracking of ice on a winter lake".[4] In A Storm of Swords (2000), they are shown to be vulnerable to weapons made of dragonglass (obsidian),[5] as Samwell Tarly kills one this way:
The Other's armor was running down its legs in rivulets as pale blue blood hissed and steamed around the black dragonglass dagger in its throat ... where its fingers touched the obsidian they smoked ... the Other shrank and puddled, dissolving away. In twenty heartbeats its flesh was gone, swirling away in a fine white mist. Beneath were bones like milkglass, pale and shiny, and they were melting too. Finally only the dragonglass dagger remained, wreathed in steam ... Grenn bent to scoop it up and flung it down again at once. "Mother, that’s cold."[5]
In A Dance with Dragons (2011), Sam uncovers ancient record fragments which suggest that the Others are also vulnerable to something called "dragonsteel", which he and Jon Snow surmise is another term for Valyrian steel.[6]
Creatures killed by the Others soon reanimate as
Novels
In 2012, Chris Lackner wrote in Dose, "Fans of the novels are eagerly awaiting Martin's final two installments of the seven-part series. In particular, they are eager to learn more about the White Walkers—or The Others—a mysterious, undead race seemingly bent on humanity's destruction."[11]
Backstory
In the novels and the 2014 companion book
A Game of Thrones
As A Game of Thrones (1996) begins, the general belief across Westeros is that the Others are a legend to scare children, or else "gone eight thousand years".
A Storm of Swords
Sam Tarly kills an Other with a dragonglass dagger in A Storm of Swords (2000).
The Winds of Winter
Martin said in 2012 that readers will see more of the Others in his forthcoming novel The Winds of Winter.[16] He noted in a 2012 Dose interview, "[We'll learn more about their] history, certainly, but I don't know about culture ... I don't know if they have a culture".[11]
TV adaptation
The White Walkers portrayed on HBO's Game of Thrones differ slightly in appearance from their literary counterparts, but Aaron Souppouris of The Verge named them among "the most visually iconic creatures on the show".[3] In the TV series, the primary White Walker has been portrayed by Ross Mullan.[3][17] The show calls them "White Walkers" to avoid confusing "the Others" and "others" in speech.[10]
Their apparent leader is the
In the
In the
In the third episode "The Long Night", the Army of the Dead marches on Winterfell and nearly wipes out the combined armies of the living. The Night King eventually reaches the Godswood, kills Theon Greyjoy, and prepares to strike down Bran. However, the Night King is ambushed and killed by Arya Stark with the Valyrian steel dagger that Bran had previously given her ("The Spoils of War"), which causes both him and the other White Walkers to shatter and results in the complete obliteration of the Army of the Dead.
In House of the Dragon, the TV adaptation of Fire & Blood, it is revealed in the first episode "The Heirs of the Dragon" that Aegon the Conqueror was inspired to unify Westeros by a dream in which he saw the end of the world of the living coming from the cold northernmost reaches of the continent.[26]
Merchandising
In 2012,
See also
References
- ^ Egner, Jeremy (May 11, 2015). "On Game of Thrones, an Awkward Dinner and a Stony Encounter". The New York Times. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
- ^ Egner, Jeremy (June 1, 2015). "Game of Thrones Q. and A.: Birgitte Hjort Sorensen on Playing a Wildling Mother". The New York Times. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
- ^ a b c Souppouris, Aaron (June 17, 2014). "Becoming a White Walker: how one man turns into a terrifying Game of Thrones villain". The Verge. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-553-89784-5.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-553-89787-6.
- ISBN 978-0-553-90565-6.
- ^ a b c d Martin. "Chapter 52: Jon". A Game of Thrones. pp. 533–536, 545–548.
- ^ a b c Martin. "Chapter 46: Samwell". A Storm of Swords. pp. 534–535.
- ISBN 978-0-553-89785-2.
- ^ a b Baird, Scott (August 24, 2017). "Game of Thrones: 15 Things You Didn't Know About the White Walkers". Screen Rant. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
- ^ a b Lackner, Chris (March 23, 2012). "Interview: Author George R.R. Martin eager to see his world again on Game of Thrones". Dose. Archived from the original on March 3, 2013. Retrieved June 7, 2015.
- ^ Martin. "Chapter 24: Bran". A Game of Thrones. pp. 232–234.
- ^ a b c Martin. "Chapter 56: Bran". A Storm of Swords. pp. 761, 770–771.
- ^ Martin. "Chapter 2: Catelyn". A Game of Thrones. pp. 21–22.
- ^ Martin. "Chapter 60: Jon". A Game of Thrones. p. 635.
- ^ Roberts, Josh (April 1, 2012). "Game of Thrones Exclusive! George R.R. Martin Talks Season Two, The Winds of Winter, and Real-World Influences for A Song of Ice and Fire". Smarter Travel. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
- ^ Finestone, Nathaniel (August 12, 2014). "Manchester Comicon – How to catch a White Walker in his Natural Habitat". The Prince Arthur Herald. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
- ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (June 27, 2016). "Game Of Thrones David Benioff & D.B. Weiss On Shocking Season 6 Finale". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
- ^ Shanley, Patrick (June 1, 2015). "Game of Thrones ventures beyond books in a big way". CNN. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
- ^ Poladian, Charles (June 1, 2015). "Game Of Thrones Season 5 Spoilers: Night's King, White Walker Meaning And Jon Snow's Fate After 'Hardhome'". International Business Times. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
- ^ Robinson, Joanna (May 31, 2015). "Why Does the Night's King Matter on Game of Thrones?". Vanity Fair. Retrieved September 18, 2015.
- ^ Trumbore, Dave (June 11, 2015). "GAME OF THRONES Decoded: Valyrian Steel, White Walkers, and the Night's King". Collider. Retrieved September 18, 2015.
- ^ Prokop, Andrew (August 21, 2017). "Game of Thrones season 7: the White Walker twists of 'Beyond the Wall', explained". Vox. Retrieved October 15, 2017.
- Vox. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
- ^ Egner, Jeremy (May 22, 2016). "Game of Thrones Season 6, Episode 5: Hold the Door". The New York Times. Retrieved May 22, 2016.
- ^ Louis, Brandon (August 22, 2022). "Aegon's White Walkers Dream In House Of The Dragon Came From GRRM". Screen Rant. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
- ^ Lenihan, Nick (September 5, 2012). "Game of Thrones Funko Pop". ActionFigureFury.com. Retrieved July 28, 2014.
- ^ "2014 Funko Game of Thrones Mystery Minis Vinyl Figures". CardboardConnection.com. 2014. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
- ^ "Dark Horse Officially Unveils the Game of Thrones White Walker Statue!". Dark Horse Comics. June 19, 2013. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
- ^ "Dark Horse Comics Reveals Game of Thrones White Walker Statue". Cosmic Book News. June 17, 2013. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
- ^ "Review of White Walker - Game of Thrones figure". MWC Toys. November 7, 2014. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
- ^ Pickett, Daniel (February 11, 2014). "Funko To Launch Game of Thrones Legacy Collection". ActionFigureInsider.com. Retrieved July 28, 2014.
- ^ Lenihan, Nick (February 11, 2014). "Game of Thrones Legacy Collection 6-inch Figures Announced by Funko". ActionFigureFury.com. Retrieved July 28, 2014.
- ISBN 9781642500127. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
Further reading
- Landau, Neil (December 4, 2013). "Establish the Mythology". The TV Showrunner's Roadmap: 21 Navigational Tips for Screenwriters to Create and Sustain a Hit TV Series. ISBN 978-1-134-62132-3.