The stage has been countersink for Game of Thrones ’ final time of year , as a abominably divided Westeros face up an invasion by the White Walkers … but this wo n’t be the first clock time they ’ve tried to eradicate humanity . Here ’s everything we know about the first warfare between humans and the Walkers — and what it can enjoin us about the warfare to do next season .
Westeros Before the Long Night
It ’s been over 8,000 years since the White Walkers stalked Westeros — one thousand of age before Aegon Targaryenlanded on its shores and claimed the region for his family . The Westeros we see in Game of Thrones was much different from the one that faced the Long Night all those age ago — a landwhere sorcerous and unusual creatures still existedin copiousness . The White Walkers came to a Westeros that had spent the last two millennia in proportional peacefulness after the Children of the Forest and the First Men who ’d land in the neighborhood sign an agreement ring the Pact , which saw the two societies live in harmony after the First Men ’s arrival had run to the forests of the Children being cut down for forest . But the arrival of a long winter , one that spanned generation of tiddler and valet alike , heralded a menace that nearly wiped both races out altogether .
In the books , the source of the Others — the corporate name for the wights and their undead armies , which could include everything from zombie homo to jumbo freeze wanderer — in the northernmost point of the land are still unknown . They could just be a natural entity found in the far frozen north , rarely meet over the years because of the impossible hostile mood they exist in , or they could be a clan of First Men kill and resurrected by dark magic for some mysterious rationality . Either way , the long wintertime — eventually denote to as the Long Night — allowed them to adjoin further south into the lands lodge in by the Children and the First Men , sacking their villages and turn the survivors into wights like themselves .
The Last Hero
When the Others first invaded the due south , the Children and the First Men were outmatched by a unrelenting ground forces that could n’t die , but only grew stronger with every person they killed , and both society were pushed further and further into the S of Westeros . Legends from the northern area of current Westeros land that in the darkest day of the Long Night , the First Men discovered that wights could be killed by dragonglass , the weapon of choice coveted by the Children of the Forest . A figure known only as the Last Hero purportedly trekked through the White Walker - occupied regions to plead with the Children to lend their dragonglass weapon to vanquish back the Others , with all of his companions — down to his faithful dog — give-up the ghost over the course of the journey , until he reached the Children and gained their corporate trust .
With the ability to fight back against the White Walkers , the alliance between the First Men and the Children pushed back the Others bit by scrap . A group of humankind used the shared dragonglass to struggle back against the Others alongside the Last Hero , becoming an former personification of the Night ’s Watch . Eventually , the White Walker horde was pushed back into the northerly wastes it come from in a idealistic battle called the Battle for the Dawn , ending the Long Night and resoundingly rout the Others . It was then that Bran the Builder — the legendary father of House Stark — supposedly raised the Wall , a social structure of ice and Children magic that extend across Westeros , and entrust the Night ’s Watch to guard it , ensuring that the Others could never threaten Westeros again .
The Rise of the Night King
regrettably , the newly shape Night ’s vigil about failed in their Modern quest almost immediately ( or , at least “ immediately ” in the high-minded scheme of 8,000 years ) . The 13th air force officer of the Watch fell in passion with a cryptic woman with wan patrician eyes and icy skin , widely think to be a distaff White Walker . After making making love to the cleaning lady , the Commander ’s soul was bind to hers , and he render to the Watch to place his man under their thrall , declare themselves their King and Queen and committing countless atrocities . When it was discovered that the Night King was make sacrifice to the Others beyond the Wall , the Free Folk and House Stark made an alliance to kill the King and his force out . When the Night ’s Watch resumed its duties take after their triumph , the Commander ’s name and history was stricken from their records , cast apart and forbidden to be spoken of ever again . Up until the recent event of Game of Thrones , it would be the last meter the Others would threaten the public security of Westeros for thou of yr .
The idiot box show has bring out its version of the Night King to have been a human who was turn into the first White Walker by the Children of the Forest . His purpose was to be used as a arm against the First Men after the Children magically embedded a dragonglass obelisk in his torso , revealed in the season six episode “ The Door . ” This version intelligibly contradict the Night King discourse in the books , as the Night ’s Watch would not be create until many long time after this event .
The Long Night Beyond Westeros
In “ modern ” Westeros — at least , before Jon and his varicoloured gang brought back a Isle of Wight to ditch in front of Cersei Lannister — the tarradiddle of the Long Night has faded into fairytale , and the seven land are not the only post that have myths surrounding the Others ’ invasion . In Essos , the Long Night is believed to have been the case that stimulate the Rhoyne , one of the primary rivers in the westerly side of that continent , to block over only , indicate the events of the contemporaries - long winter even impacting lands beyond the Narrow Sea . In Rhoynar folklore , however , there were no White Walkers behind the events , and alternatively it ’s believed that the Long Night was ended by an unnamed Hero of Alexandria unite the people who lived along the river to whistle a song that thawed its waters .
Even further East into Essos , taradiddle of the Long Night intermingle with theAsshai legend of Azor Ahai , the legendary warrior who wield a flare sword called Lightbringer . In Yi Ti , it is believe that the Long Night was brought about when a goddess called the Maiden - Made - of - Light turned her back on the existence , unleash the Lion of the Night , a demon who hassle the world with frigid and wickedness until Azor Ahai — seemingly conflated with the Last Hero of Westerosi folklore — united humanity to defeat the Lion of the Night ’s force . Thanks to Melisandre and her fellow followers of R’hllor , we know the caption of Azor Ahai guide hold and spread to Westeros , with the prophecy that his takings to deliver mankind once again would come when the Others made their front known again .
Although chiliad of long time have passed since the Others last invaded , it ’s hard to say that Westeros is more disposed for their return now than they were when the Long Night began all those millennia ago . If anything , this sentence there seems to be less Leslie Townes Hope — season seven ’s finalewas all about spotlight just how fractured the various major power of the seven kingdom are at the moment , a stark contrast to the unity of the First Men that finally saw the Others repelled . On top of that , this time the Children are n’t around to help campaign back against the oncoming hordes .
We ’ll have to wait for the eighth and final season of Game of Thrones ( and that might bea middling serious wait at this point ) to see how — or if — humans will shoot down the White Walkers and their forces for the 2d time . Suffice it to say , their luck do n’t look good .
Game of Thrones
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