Difference between revisions of "Others"

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The '''Others''', also known as '''white walkers''', are a species of humanoid beings that exist in the north [[beyond the Wall]]. As they had not been seen for eight thousand years, they were considered to be extinct.
 
[[File:Marc Simonetti an Other ice sword.jpg|Blue-eyed Other gripping the pommel of a crystal sword - by Marc Simonetti © |thumb|400px|right]]
 
[[File:Marc Simonetti an Other ice sword.jpg|Blue-eyed Other gripping the pommel of a crystal sword - by Marc Simonetti © |thumb|400px|right]]
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==Appearance and Characteristics==
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:''See also: [[:Category:Images of the Others|Images of the Others]]''
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[[File:White walkers by reneaigner.jpg|thumb|300px|Other or white walker. Art by Rene Aigner©]]
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The Others are tall and gaunt, with flesh pale as milk.{{ref|AGOT|0}} They have cold blue eyes that have been described as burning like ice,{{Ref|AGOT|0}} or being as bright as blue stars.{{ref|aCoK|23}} According to [[George R. R. Martin]], the Others ''"are strange, beautiful… think, oh… the [[w:Sidhe|Sidhe]] made of ice, something like that… a different sort of life… inhuman, elegant, dangerous."''<ref name=graphic>[http://books.google.com/books?id=i_SorqUvsOEC&lpg=PT203&ots=5oK3EkTd8Y&pg=PT203#v=onepage&q&f=false A Game of Thrones: The Graphic Novel, Volume 1]</ref> Further, although [[Old Nan]] describes the Others as "dead things",{{Ref|AGOT|24}} Martin has stated that the Others are not dead.<ref name=graphic/> However, the [[Night's King]]'s queen, presumably an Other due to her blue eyes and pale skin, is described as a "corpse queen" on account of her white, cold skin.{{Ref|ASOS|56}}{{Ref|TWOIAF| The Wall and Beyond: The Night's Watch}}
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The Others wear delicate, reflective, camouflaging armor that shifts in color with every step, and can make them .{{ref|agot|0}} According to comic book artist [[w:Tommy Patterson|Tommy Patterson]], Martin told him that ''"the reflective, camouflaging armor"'' is able to pick up ''"the images of the things around it like a clear, still pond."''
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The Others appear to be superior swordsmen, wielding thin crystal swords.{{Ref|agot|0}} The pale swords are extremely sharp, capable of moving through ringmail as if it is silk.{{ref|agot|0}} The swords are alive with moonlight and have a faint blue glow to them.{{Ref|agot|0}}{{ref|ASOS|18}} When the sword touches a steel blade, only a high, thin sound, similar to an animal screaming in pain, can be heard instead of the sound of metal on metal.{{Ref|agot|0}} When the blades brush the flames of a torch, a screech as sharp as a needle can be heard.{{ref|asos|18}} When asked what substance the swords of the Others are made from, Martin answered ''"Ice. But not like regular old ice. The Others can do things with ice that we can't imagine and make substances of it."''<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20051103091500/nrctc.edu/fhq/vol1iss3/00103009.htm/ "Interview with the Dragon" Copyright © 2003 Robert Shaw.]</ref> The blades the Others use seem to be rather cold; They are able to cover a metal blade in frost, and shatter a steel blade.{{Ref|AGOT|0}}{{Ref|AFFC|5}}
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The Others are capable of resurrecting the dead. These resurrected men or creatures are known as [[wights]].{{Ref|AGOT|52}} Only burning the bodies of the deceased can prevent the Others from resurrecting them.{{Ref|AFFC|5}} Martin has refused to answer whether or not the Others control these resurrected people and animals in the same way a [[warg]] or [[skinchanger]] can control an animal.<ref>[[So Spake Martin]]: [http://www.westeros.org/Citadel/SSM/Entry/1282/ Conjose (August 29, 2002)]</ref> There are tales of Others riding the corpses of dead animals such as bears, direwolves, mammoths, and horses.{{ref|affc|5}} Some tales also speak of Others riding "[[giant ice spiders]]".{{ref|AFFC|5}}
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The Others go lightly on the snow and leave no prints to mark their passage.{{Ref|ASOS|18}}{{Ref|ADWD|13}} Their movements can be lighting quick and gracefull.{{ref|asos|18}} Extreme cold accompanies them,{{Ref|AGOT|0}}{{ref|asos|18}} cold so extreme that it hurts to breath and it feels like there is a knife in one's chest,{{Ref|ADWD|39}}{{Ref|ADWD|58}} but it is unknown whether the Others only come when it is so cold, or whether they bring the cold with them.{{Ref|ASOS|33}}{{Ref|AFFC|5}} White mist also rises when they come.{{Ref|ADWD|58}} They might appear during snowstorms or mist, and melt away when the skies clear.{{Ref|AFFC|5}} They hide from the light of the sun and emerge at night;{{Ref|AFFC|5}}{{Ref|ADWD|7}}{{ref|ADWD|58}} although once again some stories claim that their coming brings the night.{{ref|affc|5}} They are said also hate iron and fire.{{Ref|AGOT|24}} The [[languages|language]] the Others speak is unknown, but has been described as sounding like "the cracking of ice on a winter lake", and their laughter as being as sharp as icicles.{{Ref|AGOT|0}}
 
[[File:John_Picacio_the_Others.jpg‎| The Others ‎- © 2012 John Picacio|thumb|350px|right]]
 
[[File:John_Picacio_the_Others.jpg‎| The Others ‎- © 2012 John Picacio|thumb|350px|right]]
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According to Old Nan, the Others hate ''"every creature with hot blood in its veins"''.{{Ref|AGOT|24}} [[Stannis Baratheon]] calls them "demons made of ice and snow and cold".{{Ref|ASOS|78}} [[Melisandre]], a priestess of [[R'hllor]], believes that the Others are the "cold children" of the [[Great Other]],{{ref|ASOS|78}} allegedly an evil god of darkness, cold, and death who wages eternal war against [[R'hllor]].{{ref|asos|25}} According to Tommy Patterson, ''"[Martin] spoke a lot about what [the Others] were not, but what they were was harder to put into words."''.<ref name=graphic/> The [[wildlings]] believe the Others and their wights can smell life, or rather its warmth.{{ref|asos|46}} According to the stories of Old Nan, the wildlings give the women they steal from the [[Seven Kingdoms]] to the Others, and used to lay with the Others during the [[Long Night]] to birth half-human children.{{ref|aGoT|1}} According to his wives, the wildling [[Craster]] leaves his sons for the Others, who he calls "the gods", come the "white cold", and, when he does not have any sons to give, gives them sheep.{{Ref|acok|23}} Craster's wives believe that Craster's sons become Others as well.{{Ref|ASOS|33}} Craster calls himself a godly man, and as such believes he does not have to fear any attacks from the Others or their [[wights]].{{Ref|ASOS|33}} 
  
The '''Others''', also known as '''white walkers''', are a species of humanoid beings that exist in the north [[beyond the Wall]]. At the start of ''[[A Song of Ice and Fire]]'', the Others have supposedly not been seen for eight thousand years.
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[[File:Samwell Dragonglass.jpg|400px|thumb|[[Samwell Tarly]] with an obsidian dagger - by Amok ©]]
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The Others have a few known weaknesses that are recorded in ancient texts. One is obsidian,{{ref|AFFC|5}} otherwise called [[dragonglass]]{{Ref|ASOS|43}} or "frozen fire".{{ref|asos|78}} When [[Samwell Tarly]] accidentally stabs an Other with an obsidian dagger, he hears a sound similar to the cracking of ice beneath one's foot. The Other's armor, flesh, ad bones melt away as a result, dissolving away until nothing remains.{{ref|asos|18}} Ancient texts also record a weakness to "dragonsteel",{{ref|affc|5}} which Samwell Tarly and [[Jon Snow]] think to be [[Valyrian steel]].{{ref|affc|5}} When asked about the ability of Valyrian steel to kill an Other, George R. R. Martin simply replied that "the Night's Watch would like to know as well".<ref>[[So Spake Martin]]: [http://www.westeros.org/Citadel/SSM/Entry/1201 Magic, the Darrys, and POVs (February 28, 2002)]</ref> Fire is known to dismay the Others.{{Ref|AFFC|5}} [[Mance Rayder]] and his wife [[Dalla]] expresse belief that the [[Wall]] prevents the Others from crossing into the Seven Kingdoms.{{ref|asos|73}}
  
 
==History==
 
==History==
 
: {{See also|The Long Night|Night's Watch}}
 
: {{See also|The Long Night|Night's Watch}}
  
According to legend, the Others first appeared approximately 8,000 years before the [[War of Conquest]], during a winter that lasted a generation and a period of darkness known as [[the Long Night]]. Eventually they were defeated, supposedly by the [[Night's Watch]] in the [[Battle for the Dawn]], and [[the Wall]] may have been raised as a defense against them.  
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According to legend, the Others came from the [[Lands of Always Winter]] six or eight thousand years ago, and brought with them cold and darkness that lasted a generation: the [[Long Night]]. They resurrected dead men and animals to serve them. In the [[Battle for the Dawn]], they were finally defeated, by the first men of the [[Night's Watch]] and the [[children of the forest]], an alliance made possible by the [[last hero]].{{Ref|twoiaf| Ancient History: The Long Night}}{{Ref|TWOIAF| The Wall and Beyond: The Night's Watch}} When asked whether there was a closer relationship between the Others and the children of the forest than there thus far has seemed to be, Martin replied that it was possible, and that the topic would be explored later on in the story.<ref>[[So Spake Martin]]: [http://www.westeros.org/Citadel/SSM/Entry/Asshai.com_Interview_in_Barcelona/ Asshai.com Interview in Barcelona (July 28, 2012)]</ref>
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[[Night's King]], the thirteenth [[Lord Commander of the Night's Watch]], is said to have married a woman with pale skin and blue eyes, matching the description of the Others. Reportedly, she was a sorceress. He brought her to the [[Nightfort]], where he proclaimed himself king and her his queen, and bound his [[Night's Watch|Sworn Brothers]] to his will. After a thirteen-year reign, he was defeated by [[Brandon Stark (Breaker)|Brandon Stark]], "the Breaker", and [[King-Beyond-the-Wall]] [[Joramun]], after which it was discovered that he had been sacrificing to the Others.{{Ref|ASOS|56}}{{Ref|TWOIAF| The Wall and Beyond: The Night's Watch}}
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In his ''[[Lies of the Ancients]]'' [[Archmaester]] [[Fomas]] speculates that the Others were a tribe of the [[First Men]] who had been living in the far north. Fomas suggests that the Long Night pressured these men, the ancestors of the current [[wildlings]], to migrate south. Over the years, they became more and more monstrous in the telling of the tales about them, because the Night's Watch and the [[House Stark|Starks]] wanted to seem heroic. However, ''Lies of the Ancients'' is little regarded nowadays, as it contains erroneous claims about [[Valyria]], the [[Reach]]], and the [[westerlands]].{{Ref|twoiaf| Ancient History: The Long Night}}
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The [[Wall]] was built to protect the people of the realms in [[Westeros]] from the threats of the north,{{Ref|TWOIAF| The Wall and Beyond: The Night's Watch}} specifically the Others.{{Ref|ADWD|44}} However, the Others have not been seen since the Long Night ended, and are now regarded as nothing more than fairy tales to frighten the little children.{{ref|asos|18}} They are often mentioned in curses, such as "The Others take his eyes."{{ref|AGOT|1}}
  
The [[Night's King]] appears to have married a white walker, but the Others have not been heard of again since his defeat. They are regarded south of the [[Wall]] as nothing more than fairy tales to frighten the little children. They are often mentioned in curses, such as "The Others take his eyes."{{ref|AGOT|1}}
 
 
 
==Recent Events==
 
==Recent Events==
 
===''A Game of Thrones''===
 
===''A Game of Thrones''===
 
[[File:Waymar Others.jpg|300px|thumb|[[Waymar Royce]] discovers the Others - by Amok ©]]
 
[[File:Waymar Others.jpg|300px|thumb|[[Waymar Royce]] discovers the Others - by Amok ©]]
During a ranging [[beyond the Wall]], Ser [[Waymar Royce]] is slain by Others. He then rises as a [[wight]] and kills [[Will]].{{ref|AGOT|Prologue}} [[Gared]] is able to escape and flee south of the [[Wall]], but he is executed for desertion by Lord [[Eddard Stark]].{{ref|AGOT|1}}
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During a ranging [[beyond the Wall]], Ser [[Waymar Royce]] is slain by Others.{{ref|AGOT|0}}
  
Lord Commander [[Jeor Mormont]], in conversation with [[Tyrion Lannister]] at [[Castle Black]], refers to white walkers being glimpsed by fisherfolk on the shore near [[Eastwatch-by-the-Sea]], with little concern.  He does not say whether they were glimpsed on the shore north of the Wall or the shore south of it.  Tyrion, unable to hold his tongue at the mention of white walkers, replies that fisherfolk of [[Lannisport]] often glimpse [[merling]]s.{{Ref|aGoT|21}} The conversation then moves to the movements of the [[wildlings]] which they consider a more pressing concern.
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Lord Commander [[Jeor Mormont]], in conversation with [[Tyrion Lannister]] at [[Castle Black]], refers to white walkers being glimpsed by fisherfolk on the shore near [[Eastwatch-by-the-Sea]].{{Ref|aGoT|21}}
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[[Bran Stark]] encounters two wildlings and two black brother’s who deserted the Night’s Watch, who discuss whether to take him hostage and return north to sell him to [[Mance Rayder]]. Out of fear for encountering the white walkers, one of the men decides not to do so.{{Ref|AGOT|37}}
  
 
===''A Clash of Kings''===
 
===''A Clash of Kings''===
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===''A Storm of Swords''===
 
===''A Storm of Swords''===
The brothers of the [[Night's Watch]] are attacked by [[wights]] in the [[Battle of the Fist of the First Men]].{{ref|ASOS|Prologue}} During the retreat back to Craster's home, [[Samwell Tarly]] kills an Other with a [[dragonglass]] dagger in the [[haunted forest]].{{ref|ASOS|18}} During the [[mutiny at Craster's Keep]], one of Craster's wives warns Sam that Craster's sons will soon arrive for [[monster|Gilly's newborn]].{{ref|ASOS|33}}
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The brothers of the [[Night's Watch]] are attacked by [[wights]] in the [[Battle of the Fist of the First Men]].{{ref|ASOS|Prologue}} During the retreat back to Craster's home, [[Samwell Tarly]] kills an Other with a [[dragonglass]] dagger in the [[haunted forest]].{{ref|ASOS|18}} During the [[mutiny at Craster's Keep]], one of Craster's wives warns Sam that Craster's sons will soon arrive for [[monster|Gilly's newborn boy]].{{ref|ASOS|33}}
  
 
===''A Dance with Dragons''===
 
===''A Dance with Dragons''===
Lord Commander of the Night's Watch [[Jon Snow]] and [[Tormund Giantsbane]] discuss their foe, the Others.  Jon asks if the Others troubled the wildlings on their march to the Wall.  Tormund informs him that they never came in force, but they were with them all the way.
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[[Jon Snow]], now the [[Lord Commander of the Night's Watch]], and [[Tormund]] discuss their common foe, the Others, when Tormund's four thousand wildlings cross the Wall. Jon asks if the Others troubled the wildlings on their march to the Wall, and Tormund informs him that the Others had been with them all the way, though never attacked the wildlings in force.{{ref|ADWD|58}}
 
 
==Characteristics==
 
:''See also: [[:Category:Images of the Others|Images of the Others]]''
 
[[File:White walkers by reneaigner.jpg|thumb|300px|Other or white walker. Art by Rene Aigner©]]
 
The Others appear in ''[[A Game of Thrones]]'' as tall and gaunt with flesh pale as milk.{{ref|AGOT|0}} In ''[[A Clash of Kings]]'' [[Gilly]] tells [[Jon Snow]] they have cold blue eyes bright as blue stars.{{ref|aCoK|23}} The [[Night's King]]'s corpse queen is similarly described as having skin as pale as the moon and eyes like blue stars.{{ref|ASOS|56}} [[Old Nan]] declares them to be cold dead things, hating all life.{{ref|AGOT|24}}
 
 
 
In an email to the comic book artist Tommy Patterson, [[George R. R. Martin]] wrote
 
{{Quote|The Others are not dead. They are strange, beautiful… think, oh… the [[w:Sidhe|Sidhe]] made of ice, something like that… a different sort of life… inhuman, elegant, dangerous.<ref>[http://books.google.com/books?id=i_SorqUvsOEC&lpg=PT203&ots=5oK3EkTd8Y&pg=PT203#v=onepage&q&f=false A Game of Thrones: The Graphic Novel, Volume 1]</ref>}}
 
They wear reflective armour that shifts in colour with every step - rather like the stealth armour once said to have been worn by the [[children of the forest]].
 
According to Patterson,
 
{{Quote|Had many talks with George. He told me of the ice swords, and the reflective, camouflaging armor that picks up the images of the things around it like a clear, still pond. He spoke a lot about what they were not, but what they were was harder to put into words.}}
 
The Others appear to be superior swordsmen, wielding thin crystal swords said to be so cold as to shatter any object they touch, including the steel blades favoured by the [[Night's Watch]].{{Ref|aGoT|Prologue}} The sword of the Other that Samwell Tarly slays gleams with a faint blue glow. When the ice blue blade brushes the flames of [[Grenn]]'s torch a screech as sharp as a needle stabs Sam's ears.
 
When asked if he knows what substance an Other sword is made from Martin answered,
 
{{Quote|Ice. But not like regular old ice. The Others can do things with ice that we can't imagine and make substances of it.<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20051103091500/nrctc.edu/fhq/vol1iss3/00103009.htm/ "Interview with the Dragon" Copyright © 2003 Robert Shaw.]</ref>}}
 
 
 
The Others go lightly on the snow and leave no prints to mark their passage.  Their movements can be lighting quick.  Their [[languages|language]] is unknown, although readers have speculated that it may be the [[Old Tongue]]. When one speaks in the prologue his voice is said to sound like the cracking of ice, but this may simply have been a figure of speech. The [[wildlings]] believe the Others and their wights can smell life, or rather its warmth.  [[Old Nan]] used to say that there were wildlings that would lay with the Others to birth half-human children.{{ref|aGoT|1}}{{ref|aCoK|23}}
 
 
 
The old stories reveal uncertainty whether the Others come when it is cold or that it becomes cold when they appear, during snowstorms or mist and melt away when the skies clear. They hide from the light of the sun and emerge at night; although once again some stories claim that their coming brings the night.
 
 
 
There are tales of Others riding the corpses of dead animals such as bears, direwolves, mammoths, and horses.  The Other that [[Samwell Tarly]] slays is riding [[Mawney]]’s dead horse. Hoarfrost covers it like a sheen of frozen sweat, and a nest of stiff black entrails drag from its open belly.  On its back is a rider as pale as ice. The Others can be accompanied by "[[giant ice spiders]]" as big as hounds.{{ref|AFFC|5}}
 
 
 
[[Melisandre]] thinks that Others are servants of the [[Great Other]], allegedly an evil god of darkness, cold, and death who wages eternal war against [[R'hllor]].
 
 
 
As the wildlings are passing through [[the Wall]] to settle on the [[Gift]], Lord Commander of the Night's Watch [[Jon Snow]] asks [[Tormund Giantsbane]] to tell him of their foe, the Others.  He tells him he wants to know all there is to know of the Others.
 
 
 
Tormund is plainly uncomfortable with the mention of the Others; he tells Jon that he does not want to discuss them, not here, not on the northern side of the Wall. He then glances uneasily towards the trees in their snowy white mantles.  He says to Jon:
 
{{Quote|They’re never far, you know. They won’t come out by day, not when that old sun’s shining, but don’t think that means they went away. Shadows never go away. Might be you don’t see them, but they’re always clinging to your heels. {{Ref|ADWD|58}}}}
 
Jon asks if the Others troubled the wildlings on their way to the Wall.
 
Tormund informs him that they never came in force, if that’s what Jon is meaning, but they were with them all the same, nibbling at their edges.  They lost more outriders than he cares to think about, and it was worth your life to fall behind or wander off.  Every nightfall they would ring their camps with fire.  Tormund says they don’t like fire much:
 
{{Quote|When the snows came though…snow and sleet and freezing rain, it's bloody hard to find dry wood or get your kindling lit, and the ''cold'' … some nights our fires just seemed to shrivel up and die.  Nights like that, you always find some dead come the morning. ‘Less they find you first.{{Ref|ADWD|58}}}}
 
He says to Jon:
 
{{Quote|A man can fight the dead, but when their masters come, when the white mists rise up … how do you fights a ''mist'', crow?  Shadows with teeth … air so cold it hurts to breathe, like a knife inside your chest … you do not know, you cannot know … can your sword cut ''cold''? {{Ref|ADWD|58}}}}
 
 
 
==Weakness==
 
[[File:Samwell Dragonglass.jpg|400px|thumb|[[Samwell Tarly]] with an obsidian dagger - by Amok ©]]
 
The Others have a few known weaknesses that are recorded in ancient texts. One is obsidian, otherwise called [[dragonglass]] or "frozen fire". When [[Samwell Tarly]] accidentally stabs an Other with an obsidian dagger, its flesh and bones melt away leaving only an icy puddle. Ancient texts also record a weakness to "dragonsteel", which several have taken to be [[Valyrian steel]]. [[Mance Rayder]] expresses belief that magic wards in the [[Wall]] prevent the Others from crossing into the Seven Kingdoms.
 
 
 
After listening to [[Tormund]]’s words [[Jon Snow]] remembers all the things that Sam had told him, the things he’d found in his old books.  He thinks to himself that [[Longclaw]] had been forged in the fires of old Valyria, forged in dragonflame and set with spells.  ''Dragonsteel'', Sam had called it.  Stronger than any common steel, lighter, harder, sharper … But he thinks that words in a book were one thing.  He knows that the true test comes in battle.
 
 
 
==Wights==
 
:{{main|wights}}
 
[[Wights]] are dead men or creatures raised up by the Others, seemingly when touched by the cold that accompanies them. {{Ref|aGoT|52}} They are thralls to the Others.  Men who fall in battle against the Others must be burned, or else the dead will rise again as their thralls.
 
  
 
==''Game of Thrones''==
 
==''Game of Thrones''==
 
[[File:Other HBO WhiteWalker.jpg|thumb|300px|White Walker as depicted in ''[[Game of Thrones]]'']]
 
[[File:Other HBO WhiteWalker.jpg|thumb|300px|White Walker as depicted in ''[[Game of Thrones]]'']]
{{Note|<br>This section of the article is in need of references and a rewrite<br>{{fact}}}}
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There are notable differences between the Others in the novels and HBO's television adaptation ''[[Game of Thrones]]''. In the television adaptation, the Others are known only as '''White Walkers'''. While the term "the Others" appeared in early drafts of the pilot episode's script,{{fact}} the name "White Walkers" was ultimately settled upon for the final version of the TV series. In the audio commentary for "[[Winter Is Coming]]", producers [[w:David Benioff|David Benioff]] and [[w:D.B. Weiss|D. B. Weiss]] explained that the change was made to avoid confusion that may arise between references to the race known as the Others and "others" meaning other groups or people within the show. Additionally, [[George R. R. Martin]] has stated that the change was decided upon early in the development process when they all agreed that [[w:ABC|ABC]]'s show [[w:Lost|Lost]] had sort of made it impossible to use the term "the Others" without causing possible confusion and such, as the show used the name for the mysterious habitants of the island on which the show mostly takes place.<ref>[[So Spake Martin]]: [http://www.westeros.org/Citadel/SSM/Entry/12432 Stockholm and Archipelacon Report (June 28, 2015)]</ref>
The Others are known only as '''White Walkers''' in the television adaptation ''[[Game of Thrones]]''. Unlike the strange beauty Martin describes them as having in the book series, they are depicted with frightening, emaciated appearances. They also lack the camouflage armor from the books; most wear little armor, and whatever protection they do wear is black. Their spoken language is called [[Skroth]], which resembles the cracking of ice.
 
  
While "the Others" appears in early drafts of the pilot episode's script, "White Walkers" was ultimately settled upon for the final version of the TV series. In the audio commentary for "[[Winter Is Coming]]", producers [[David Benioff]] and [[D. B. Weiss]] explained that the change was made to avoid confusion that may arise between references to the race known as the Others and "others" meaning other groups or people within the show. Benioff and Weiss explain:
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Unlike the strange beauty Martin describes them as having in the book series, the white walkers in the TV series are depicted with frightening, emaciated appearances. In ''[[Valar Morghulis]]'', the tenth and final episode of the [[Season 2|second season]], Others appear looking like undead men without skin, their bones and muscles white from ice and snow. Their eyes are bright blue. They wear little armor and no camouflage.{{Ref|hbogot|s02e10}} In "[[Oathkeeper (TV)|Oathkeeper]]", several white walkers appear dressed all in black.{{Ref|hbogot|s04e04}}
  
{{Quote|We call them White Walkers in the show, more often known as the Others in the books and the reason for the change is simply that people would refer to 'the Others' and viewers who didn't know the books would think: 'Which others are we talking about? The other whats?'}}
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The language spoken by the Others, unnamed in the book series, is called [[Skroth]] in the TV Series.<ref name=blackwater/><ref name=screenertv>[http://screenertv.com/television/game-of-thrones-language-creator-white-walkers-dont-speak/ ‘Game of Thrones’ language creator explains why White Walkers don’t speak]</ref> Although it was created for the first episode of [[Season 1]] by [[w:David J. Peterson|David J. Peterson]], it was eventually not used. The language has been described to sound "ice-cracking" and "pretty scratchy".<ref name=blackwater>Entertainment Weekly: [http://ew.com/article/2012/05/27/game-of-thrones-blackwater-2/ 'Game of Thrones': How producers pulled off 'Blackwater' (May 27, 2012)]</ref><ref name=screenertv/>
  
Moreover, the episode "[[Oathkeeper (TV)|Oathkeeper]]" give two major revelations about the White Walkers that have not been featured in the novels so far:
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The leader of the white walkers is known as the [[Night King]] in the TV series. He is first seen in "Oathkeeper", transforming Craster's last son,{{Ref|hbogot|s04e04}} and next in the [[Season 5]] episode "[[Hardhome (TV)|Hardhome]]". He differs in appearance by having a ring of small icy horns atop his skull that form a natural crown.{{Ref|hbogot|s05e08}} The synopsis for "Oathkeeper" on the HBO Viewer's Guide originally listed this specific character as the [[Night's King]], a legendary figure that has been mentioned a few times in the novels, though this was later removed. It is unknown whether this was due to an error in identification or the fact that this would be a major spoiler.
 
 
The fate of Craster's sons is revealed when a White Walker riding an undead horse takes the last son of Craster and carries him towards a shattered mountain in the [[Lands of Always Winter]]. Once inside, the White Walker approaches an icy altar ringed by large icy spikes and places the baby upon the altar. In the distance, a group of thirteen black-garbed White Walkers are revealed to be viewing the proceedings from afar. One of them breaks from the middle of their number and approaches the altar, stopping to regard the human child for a moment before gently gathering him in its arms. The baby immediately calms, staring into the face of the White Walker. It places its index finger upon the baby's cheek, causing the child's eyes to slow turn to icy, depthless blue and his skin to grow pale, transforming him into another White Walker.
 
 
 
In the novels as of ''[[A Dance with Dragons]]'', there has been no evidence so far on what actually happens to the babies, though [[Craster's wives]] believe that the baby boys given by Craster to the Others are, in turn, transformed into new Others. Old Nan's tale's simply state that the Others feed human children to the wights.
 
 
 
Another revelation is the White Walker's master, the one who transformed the baby. He and his ilk differ in appearance from regular White Walkers in that they wear black armor, and he is revealed to also have bone-white skin—as opposed to grey—and a ring of small horns atop his skull that form a natural crown. ​Whether or not he is their master or simply one of the collective group remains to be seen, yet he appears to hold a position of particular importance amongst their number, being the only ruling White Walker of the thirteen shown to approach the altar. The specifics of the power to change humans into White Walkers, and if it is unique to this White Walker, are as yet unknown. This [[Night King]] then leads the attack against the [[free folk]] in the episode "[[Hardhome (TV)|Hardhome]]".
 
 
 
The synopsis for "Oathkeeper" on the HBO Viewer's Guide originally listed this specific character as the [[Night's King]], a legendary figure that has been mentioned a few times in the novels, though this was later removed. It is unknown whether this was due to an error in identification or the fact that this would be a major spoiler.
 
 
 
In the novels, there has not yet been any mention of the Others having a leader or any kind of hierarchy.
 
 
 
Further, in the episode "[[The Door]]", Bran sees a vision of the [[Children of the Forest]] creating an Other from a captured [[First Man]] as a defense against the invasion of the First Men.
 
  
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While in the novels, the backstory of the Others has barely been revealed, the [[Season 6]] episode "[[The Door]]" has [[Bran Stark]] seeing a vision of the [[children of the forest]] creating an Other from a captured [[First Man]], in an attempt to create a defense against the invasion of the First Men.{{Ref|hbogot|s06e05}}
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==Quotes==
 
==Quotes==
 
{{Quote|The Others are as dead as the [[children of the forest]], gone eight thousand years. Maester [[Luwin]] will tell you they never lived at all. No living man has ever seen one.{{Ref|aGoT|2}}}} – [[Eddard Stark]], to [[Catelyn Stark]]
 
{{Quote|The Others are as dead as the [[children of the forest]], gone eight thousand years. Maester [[Luwin]] will tell you they never lived at all. No living man has ever seen one.{{Ref|aGoT|2}}}} – [[Eddard Stark]], to [[Catelyn Stark]]
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{{Quote|'''Melisandre''': Necromancy animates these [[wights]], yet they are still only dead flesh. Steel and fire will serve for them. The ones you call the Others are something more.<br>'''Stannis''': Demons made of snow and ice and cold. The ancient enemy. The only enemy that matters.{{Ref|aSoS|78}}}} – [[Melisandre]] and [[Stannis Baratheon]], to [[Samwell Tarly]]
 
{{Quote|'''Melisandre''': Necromancy animates these [[wights]], yet they are still only dead flesh. Steel and fire will serve for them. The ones you call the Others are something more.<br>'''Stannis''': Demons made of snow and ice and cold. The ancient enemy. The only enemy that matters.{{Ref|aSoS|78}}}} – [[Melisandre]] and [[Stannis Baratheon]], to [[Samwell Tarly]]
  
==References and Notes==
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==References==
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{{References|2}}
{{EnWP|Night's Watch|small=yes}}
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{{Template:Creatures}}
 
{{Template:Creatures}}
  

Revision as of 14:03, 31 March 2017

The Others, also known as white walkers, are a species of humanoid beings that exist in the north beyond the Wall. As they had not been seen for eight thousand years, they were considered to be extinct.

Blue-eyed Other gripping the pommel of a crystal sword - by Marc Simonetti ©

Appearance and Characteristics

See also: Images of the Others
Other or white walker. Art by Rene Aigner©

The Others are tall and gaunt, with flesh pale as milk.[1] They have cold blue eyes that have been described as burning like ice,[1] or being as bright as blue stars.[2] According to George R. R. Martin, the Others "are strange, beautiful… think, oh… the Sidhe made of ice, something like that… a different sort of life… inhuman, elegant, dangerous."[3] Further, although Old Nan describes the Others as "dead things",[4] Martin has stated that the Others are not dead.[3] However, the Night's King's queen, presumably an Other due to her blue eyes and pale skin, is described as a "corpse queen" on account of her white, cold skin.[5][6]

The Others wear delicate, reflective, camouflaging armor that shifts in color with every step, and can make them .[1] According to comic book artist Tommy Patterson, Martin told him that "the reflective, camouflaging armor" is able to pick up "the images of the things around it like a clear, still pond."

The Others appear to be superior swordsmen, wielding thin crystal swords.[1] The pale swords are extremely sharp, capable of moving through ringmail as if it is silk.[1] The swords are alive with moonlight and have a faint blue glow to them.[1][7] When the sword touches a steel blade, only a high, thin sound, similar to an animal screaming in pain, can be heard instead of the sound of metal on metal.[1] When the blades brush the flames of a torch, a screech as sharp as a needle can be heard.[7] When asked what substance the swords of the Others are made from, Martin answered "Ice. But not like regular old ice. The Others can do things with ice that we can't imagine and make substances of it."[8] The blades the Others use seem to be rather cold; They are able to cover a metal blade in frost, and shatter a steel blade.[1][9]

The Others are capable of resurrecting the dead. These resurrected men or creatures are known as wights.[10] Only burning the bodies of the deceased can prevent the Others from resurrecting them.[9] Martin has refused to answer whether or not the Others control these resurrected people and animals in the same way a warg or skinchanger can control an animal.[11] There are tales of Others riding the corpses of dead animals such as bears, direwolves, mammoths, and horses.[9] Some tales also speak of Others riding "giant ice spiders".[9]

The Others go lightly on the snow and leave no prints to mark their passage.[7][12] Their movements can be lighting quick and gracefull.[7] Extreme cold accompanies them,[1][7] cold so extreme that it hurts to breath and it feels like there is a knife in one's chest,[13][14] but it is unknown whether the Others only come when it is so cold, or whether they bring the cold with them.[15][9] White mist also rises when they come.[14] They might appear during snowstorms or mist, and melt away when the skies clear.[9] They hide from the light of the sun and emerge at night;[9][16][14] although once again some stories claim that their coming brings the night.[9] They are said also hate iron and fire.[4] The language the Others speak is unknown, but has been described as sounding like "the cracking of ice on a winter lake", and their laughter as being as sharp as icicles.[1]

The Others ‎- © 2012 John Picacio

According to Old Nan, the Others hate "every creature with hot blood in its veins".[4] Stannis Baratheon calls them "demons made of ice and snow and cold".[17] Melisandre, a priestess of R'hllor, believes that the Others are the "cold children" of the Great Other,[17] allegedly an evil god of darkness, cold, and death who wages eternal war against R'hllor.[18] According to Tommy Patterson, "[Martin] spoke a lot about what [the Others] were not, but what they were was harder to put into words.".[3] The wildlings believe the Others and their wights can smell life, or rather its warmth.[19] According to the stories of Old Nan, the wildlings give the women they steal from the Seven Kingdoms to the Others, and used to lay with the Others during the Long Night to birth half-human children.[20] According to his wives, the wildling Craster leaves his sons for the Others, who he calls "the gods", come the "white cold", and, when he does not have any sons to give, gives them sheep.[2] Craster's wives believe that Craster's sons become Others as well.[15] Craster calls himself a godly man, and as such believes he does not have to fear any attacks from the Others or their wights.[15]

Samwell Tarly with an obsidian dagger - by Amok ©

The Others have a few known weaknesses that are recorded in ancient texts. One is obsidian,[9] otherwise called dragonglass[21] or "frozen fire".[17] When Samwell Tarly accidentally stabs an Other with an obsidian dagger, he hears a sound similar to the cracking of ice beneath one's foot. The Other's armor, flesh, ad bones melt away as a result, dissolving away until nothing remains.[7] Ancient texts also record a weakness to "dragonsteel",[9] which Samwell Tarly and Jon Snow think to be Valyrian steel.[9] When asked about the ability of Valyrian steel to kill an Other, George R. R. Martin simply replied that "the Night's Watch would like to know as well".[22] Fire is known to dismay the Others.[9] Mance Rayder and his wife Dalla expresse belief that the Wall prevents the Others from crossing into the Seven Kingdoms.[23]

History

According to legend, the Others came from the Lands of Always Winter six or eight thousand years ago, and brought with them cold and darkness that lasted a generation: the Long Night. They resurrected dead men and animals to serve them. In the Battle for the Dawn, they were finally defeated, by the first men of the Night's Watch and the children of the forest, an alliance made possible by the last hero.[24][6] When asked whether there was a closer relationship between the Others and the children of the forest than there thus far has seemed to be, Martin replied that it was possible, and that the topic would be explored later on in the story.[25]

Night's King, the thirteenth Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, is said to have married a woman with pale skin and blue eyes, matching the description of the Others. Reportedly, she was a sorceress. He brought her to the Nightfort, where he proclaimed himself king and her his queen, and bound his Sworn Brothers to his will. After a thirteen-year reign, he was defeated by Brandon Stark, "the Breaker", and King-Beyond-the-Wall Joramun, after which it was discovered that he had been sacrificing to the Others.[5][6]

In his Lies of the Ancients Archmaester Fomas speculates that the Others were a tribe of the First Men who had been living in the far north. Fomas suggests that the Long Night pressured these men, the ancestors of the current wildlings, to migrate south. Over the years, they became more and more monstrous in the telling of the tales about them, because the Night's Watch and the Starks wanted to seem heroic. However, Lies of the Ancients is little regarded nowadays, as it contains erroneous claims about Valyria, the Reach], and the westerlands.[24]

The Wall was built to protect the people of the realms in Westeros from the threats of the north,[6] specifically the Others.[26] However, the Others have not been seen since the Long Night ended, and are now regarded as nothing more than fairy tales to frighten the little children.[7] They are often mentioned in curses, such as "The Others take his eyes."[20]

Recent Events

A Game of Thrones

Waymar Royce discovers the Others - by Amok ©

During a ranging beyond the Wall, Ser Waymar Royce is slain by Others.[1]

Lord Commander Jeor Mormont, in conversation with Tyrion Lannister at Castle Black, refers to white walkers being glimpsed by fisherfolk on the shore near Eastwatch-by-the-Sea.[27]

Bran Stark encounters two wildlings and two black brother’s who deserted the Night’s Watch, who discuss whether to take him hostage and return north to sell him to Mance Rayder. Out of fear for encountering the white walkers, one of the men decides not to do so.[28]

A Clash of Kings

At Craster's Keep, Gilly tells Jon Snow that Craster gives up his infant sons to the cold gods; Jon determines she is speaking of the Others.[2]

A Storm of Swords

The brothers of the Night's Watch are attacked by wights in the Battle of the Fist of the First Men.[29] During the retreat back to Craster's home, Samwell Tarly kills an Other with a dragonglass dagger in the haunted forest.[7] During the mutiny at Craster's Keep, one of Craster's wives warns Sam that Craster's sons will soon arrive for Gilly's newborn boy.[15]

A Dance with Dragons

Jon Snow, now the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, and Tormund discuss their common foe, the Others, when Tormund's four thousand wildlings cross the Wall. Jon asks if the Others troubled the wildlings on their march to the Wall, and Tormund informs him that the Others had been with them all the way, though never attacked the wildlings in force.[14]

Game of Thrones

White Walker as depicted in Game of Thrones

There are notable differences between the Others in the novels and HBO's television adaptation Game of Thrones. In the television adaptation, the Others are known only as White Walkers. While the term "the Others" appeared in early drafts of the pilot episode's script,[citation needed] the name "White Walkers" was ultimately settled upon for the final version of the TV series. In the audio commentary for "Winter Is Coming", producers David Benioff and D. B. Weiss explained that the change was made to avoid confusion that may arise between references to the race known as the Others and "others" meaning other groups or people within the show. Additionally, George R. R. Martin has stated that the change was decided upon early in the development process when they all agreed that ABC's show Lost had sort of made it impossible to use the term "the Others" without causing possible confusion and such, as the show used the name for the mysterious habitants of the island on which the show mostly takes place.[30]

Unlike the strange beauty Martin describes them as having in the book series, the white walkers in the TV series are depicted with frightening, emaciated appearances. In Valar Morghulis, the tenth and final episode of the second season, Others appear looking like undead men without skin, their bones and muscles white from ice and snow. Their eyes are bright blue. They wear little armor and no camouflage.[31] In "Oathkeeper", several white walkers appear dressed all in black.[32]

The language spoken by the Others, unnamed in the book series, is called Skroth in the TV Series.[33][34] Although it was created for the first episode of Season 1 by David J. Peterson, it was eventually not used. The language has been described to sound "ice-cracking" and "pretty scratchy".[33][34]

The leader of the white walkers is known as the Night King in the TV series. He is first seen in "Oathkeeper", transforming Craster's last son,[32] and next in the Season 5 episode "Hardhome". He differs in appearance by having a ring of small icy horns atop his skull that form a natural crown.[35] The synopsis for "Oathkeeper" on the HBO Viewer's Guide originally listed this specific character as the Night's King, a legendary figure that has been mentioned a few times in the novels, though this was later removed. It is unknown whether this was due to an error in identification or the fact that this would be a major spoiler.

While in the novels, the backstory of the Others has barely been revealed, the Season 6 episode "The Door" has Bran Stark seeing a vision of the children of the forest creating an Other from a captured First Man, in an attempt to create a defense against the invasion of the First Men.[36]

Quotes

The Others are as dead as the children of the forest, gone eight thousand years. Maester Luwin will tell you they never lived at all. No living man has ever seen one.[37]

Eddard Stark, to Catelyn Stark


If the Others ever come for us, I pray they have archers, because you lot are fit for nothing more than arrow fodder.[38]

Alliser Thorne, to the Night's Watch recruits


The Others are only a story, a tale to make children shiver. If they ever lived at all, they are gone eight thousand years.[10]

Jon Snow's thoughts


The cold gods. The ones in the night. The white shadows.[2]

Gilly, to Jon Snow


Melisandre: Necromancy animates these wights, yet they are still only dead flesh. Steel and fire will serve for them. The ones you call the Others are something more.
Stannis: Demons made of snow and ice and cold. The ancient enemy. The only enemy that matters.[17]

Melisandre and Stannis Baratheon, to Samwell Tarly

References

  1. 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 A Game of Thrones, Prologue.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 A Clash of Kings, Chapter 23, Jon III.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 A Game of Thrones: The Graphic Novel, Volume 1
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 A Game of Thrones, Chapter 24, Bran IV.
  5. 5.0 5.1 A Storm of Swords, Chapter 56, Bran IV.
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 The World of Ice & Fire, The Wall and Beyond: The Night's Watch.
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.7 A Storm of Swords, Chapter 18, Samwell I.
  8. "Interview with the Dragon" Copyright © 2003 Robert Shaw.
  9. 9.00 9.01 9.02 9.03 9.04 9.05 9.06 9.07 9.08 9.09 9.10 9.11 A Feast for Crows, Chapter 5, Samwell I.
  10. 10.0 10.1 A Game of Thrones, Chapter 52, Jon VII.
  11. So Spake Martin: Conjose (August 29, 2002)
  12. A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 13, Bran II.
  13. A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 39, Jon VIII.
  14. 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 58, Jon XII.
  15. 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 A Storm of Swords, Chapter 33, Samwell II.
  16. A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 7, Jon II.
  17. 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 A Storm of Swords, Chapter 78, Samwell V.
  18. A Storm of Swords, Chapter 25, Davos III.
  19. A Storm of Swords, Chapter 46, Samwell III.
  20. 20.0 20.1 A Game of Thrones, Chapter 1, Bran I.
  21. A Storm of Swords, Chapter 43, Arya VIII.
  22. So Spake Martin: Magic, the Darrys, and POVs (February 28, 2002)
  23. A Storm of Swords, Chapter 73, Jon X.
  24. 24.0 24.1 The World of Ice & Fire, Ancient History: The Long Night.
  25. So Spake Martin: Asshai.com Interview in Barcelona (July 28, 2012)
  26. A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 44, Jon IX.
  27. A Game of Thrones, Chapter 21, Tyrion III.
  28. A Game of Thrones, Chapter 37, Bran V.
  29. A Storm of Swords, Prologue.
  30. So Spake Martin: Stockholm and Archipelacon Report (June 28, 2015)
  31. Game of Thrones, Season 2, "Valar Morghulis".
  32. 32.0 32.1 Game of Thrones, Season 4, "Oathkeeper".
  33. 33.0 33.1 Entertainment Weekly: 'Game of Thrones': How producers pulled off 'Blackwater' (May 27, 2012)
  34. 34.0 34.1 ‘Game of Thrones’ language creator explains why White Walkers don’t speak
  35. Game of Thrones, Season 5, "Hardhome".
  36. Game of Thrones, Season 6, "The Door".
  37. A Game of Thrones, Chapter 2, Catelyn I.
  38. A Game of Thrones, Chapter 19, Jon III.