The Unforgettable Saga of Game of Thrones: Unraveling the Mysterious Night King and the Menacing White Walkers

Highlights

In "The Lion and the Rose," Bran Stark experiences visions of past, present, and future events, and the Night King is shown for the first time.

In "Oathkeeper," it is revealed that the Night King transforms Craster's infant into a White Walker, confirming their malevolent intentions.

"The Door" delves into the origins of the White Walkers - the Children of the Forest brought them into existence to battle against the First Men, but the Walkers eventually revolted and transformed into merciless creatures.

In Game of Thrones season 4, episode 2 "The Lion and the Rose," the notorious Purple Wedding takes place, resulting in the assassination of King Joffrey Baratheon. However, amidst this event, Bran Stark has a series of visions while communing with a Weirwood tree. These visions include various images from the past, present, and future of the show, such as swarming crows, the Three-Eyed Raven, a dragon's shadow flying over King's Landing, and Ned's imprisonment. Additionally, the first appearance of the Night King, the leader of the White Walkers, is shown. This episode provides some insight into the Night King and the White Walkers, but it is in Game of Thrones season 4, episode 4, "Oathkeeper," where further details are revealed.

In "Oathkeeper," a Night's Watch mutineer named Rast abandons Craster's last baby boy in the woods. A White Walker discovers the infant and takes him to the Lands of Always Winter. There, the Walker places the baby on an ice altar, and the Night King touches him with his fingernail, turning the baby's eyes blue. This chilling scene signifies the sinister intentions of these ice zombies. Though the Breaching of the Wall occurs a few seasons later, it becomes evident that the Night King and his White Walkers are driven by a desire to destroy the living. In the Game of Thrones prequel, House of the Dragon, King Viserys I Targaryen explains this destructive purpose to his heir, Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, quoting Aegon's prophecy about the "absolute darkness" that seeks to annihilate humanity.

'Tis the start of a dreadful winter, as the howling winds blow fiercely from the far-off North. Aegon perceives an eerie darkness carried upon those gusts, foreboding the annihilation of the realm of the living. In order for mankind to endure, it is imperative that a Targaryen assumes the throne of Iron.

Who Made The White Walkers

"Hardhome," episode 8 of Game of Thrones season 5, showcases the chilling arrival of the Night King and his loyalists, the White Walkers. Accompanied by their freezing undead army known as the Wights, they ruthlessly invade the Free Folk settlement, Hardhome. This harrowing event, dubbed the Massacre at Hardhome, unfolds as Jon Snow and the Night's Watch attempt to evacuate the Free Folk from the impending danger. Tragically, the Wights mercilessly slaughter the Wildlings, while the Night King effortlessly adds tens of thousands of fallen Free Folk to his ranks. However, amidst the chaos, Jon manages to eliminate a White Walker with his Valyrian steel sword - Longclaw, allowing the survivors to pass through the protective Wall. Beyond the heroic act, Jon and Samwell Tarly discover the effectiveness of Valyrian steel in combating the White Walkers.

In Game of Thrones Season 6, Episode 5 "The Door," the origins of the White Walkers are explored. Bran travels back in time and witnesses the Children of the Forest, including Leaf, gathered around a Weirwood tree with a man tied to it. Leaf fatally stabs the man with a shard of dragonglass, turning his eyes into icy blue. Shocked, Bran realizes that they were responsible for creating the White Walkers. When Bran questions their motives, Leaf explains that they were at war and needed to defend themselves from men like Bran.

In "The Door," Bran returns to the same location, but it is now a frozen wasteland overrun by the Army of the Dead. He encounters the Night King and the White Walkers, mounted on their dead horses. When the Night King locks eyes with Bran, he forces him to scream and abruptly ends his vision. The Three-Eyed Raven warns Bran that the Night King is aware of his presence and is on his way to the cave, urging him to flee.

The First Men Invaded Westeros

In Game of Thrones' "The Door," it is revealed that the White Walkers were created by the Children of the Forest to aid them in their war against the First Men. However, the White Walkers eventually turned against their creators and became ruthless monsters. Thousands of years before Aegon's Conquest, the living side successfully fought and defeated the White Walkers during the Age of Heroes, which led to the Long Night. During this period, the Walkers invaded Westeros from the far North, resulting in the Battle for the Dawn.

After being pushed back to the Lands of Always Winter, the Wall was constructed with the assistance of giants and the Children of the Forest to keep the White Walkers out. The Night's Watch was formed to protect the realms of men from their threat. The existence of the Walkers was initially dismissed as legend by those in the South of Westeros, until various members of the Night's Watch and the Free Folk witnessed them.

The first person to speak about the Walkers was a ranger named Will, who was executed by Ned Stark in the first episode of season 1, titled "Winter Is Coming." Ned deemed him to be "a madman" and did not believe his claims. However, Jon and his allies repeatedly affirmed the reality of the Night King and the Army of the Dead, who posed a significant threat to the living. In the Battle of Winterfell, the Night King and his army were ultimately defeated by a coalition of the living, with Arya Stark delivering the fatal blow by plunging a Valyrian steel dagger into his chest. As a result, the Night King, his lieutenants, the undead Viserion, and the mindless Wights all perished, securing a victory for the living side in the Great War.