This post will contain spoilers for Game of Thrones up to and including Season 6 Episode 5, "The Door" which aired on May 22nd, as well as lore from A Song of Ice and Fire.
In the most recent episode of Game of Thrones, it was revealed that the Children of the Forest created the White Walkers. In the scene, Bran and the Three Eyed Raven view the past and see a group of Children using Dragonglass and Old Magic to turn a captured human painfully into The Night King, now leader of the White Walkers. The defense they use is that they created them as weapons to defend themselves against Men.
Even if you have read the books or been devoted to the show, you probably still have questions. In this post, I will dive into the lore of Game of Thrones and A Song of Ice and Fire to explain who exactly these Children of the Forest are, why the created the White Walkers, and why all of this ancient history truly matters today.
Wait, Children of the What?
The first question we need to tackle is who exactly these Children of the Forest are. The only time they have been seen in the series is with Bran in the cave, defending him with powerful magic unseen in the rest of Westeros. To grasp their origin, we need to go back thousands of years to the first days of life in Westeros. The earliest records talk about two distinct races: The Children and The Giants.
As seen in the show, the giants were large and powerful, often violent and harsh. This contradicts with what is known about the Children who were small and frail creatures, devoted to religion and preservation of the earth. They existed mostly in uneasy peace with each other, the Children living off the lands and the Giants plundering it. It is believed by most of Westeros that both are now extinct, although as viewers we know otherwise.
WARGS AND WEIRWOODS
The most interesting and plot-significant aspect of the Children revolves around their magical abilities and their religion. Many Children of the Forest were wargs and greenseers, who could control the minds of animals and have visions of the past and future. As we have seen in the show, wargs and greenseers like Bran are still in Westeros, but are a very small rarity. This makes Bran significantly connected to the Children in some way, being one of the few living Men who shares some of their magical abilities.
If you remember from the series, large weirwood trees with carved faces, such as the one at Winterfell or in Bran's cave, are viewed as sacred in the North. One can be seen prominently in this scene from the first season. These trees are left over from the Children, who believed they were connected directly to their countless, nameless gods. This religion is still practiced today, but only in the North, with houses like the Starks praising The Old Gods and praying to the weirwoods. Why is this religion only practiced in the North, and why are there no more Children of the Forest? That brings us to the first big turning point in history: the arrival of The First Men.
The First Men were vastly overpowering the Children with their combat ability and weapons, and as more Men came into Westeros and more Children died, the war seemed nearly over and the Children would soon be extinct. It is most likely in this moment that the Children made a desperate decision in an attempt to defend themselves against their enemy; a decision that changed Westeros forever.
There are still many questions to ask about this event and what it means overall. White Walkers were not seen until hundreds of years after the war with the First Men. Where have they been for those few centuries? It is also interesting that they were forged with Obsidian/Dragonglass, which we have known for years is their weakness. This was possibly done on purpose by the Children as a fail-safe for their weapon.
As seen in the show, the giants were large and powerful, often violent and harsh. This contradicts with what is known about the Children who were small and frail creatures, devoted to religion and preservation of the earth. They existed mostly in uneasy peace with each other, the Children living off the lands and the Giants plundering it. It is believed by most of Westeros that both are now extinct, although as viewers we know otherwise.
WARGS AND WEIRWOODS
If you remember from the series, large weirwood trees with carved faces, such as the one at Winterfell or in Bran's cave, are viewed as sacred in the North. One can be seen prominently in this scene from the first season. These trees are left over from the Children, who believed they were connected directly to their countless, nameless gods. This religion is still practiced today, but only in the North, with houses like the Starks praising The Old Gods and praying to the weirwoods. Why is this religion only practiced in the North, and why are there no more Children of the Forest? That brings us to the first big turning point in history: the arrival of The First Men.
FOLLOWING THE LIGHT OF THE SUN
The First Men are the early settlers of humanity as we know it. They existed in the far South and in Essos, but around ten to twelve thousand years ago, they marched north into Westeros. Coming in from the farthest south in what is now Dorne, The First Men marched north, quickly and easily destroying any resistance from the Children. The Children used magic and other abilities to fight, but they were no match against the then-modern weapons the Men used. As they pushed North, they built farms and cities, destroying the preserved land and cutting down weirwoods as they went. Some historians believe that the Men cut the weirwoods because they were afraid that the greenseers could spy on them through the eyes of the faces, although most people in Westeros today believe it was simply a religious statement. As we know from the series, the first scenario is a strong possibility.
The First Men were vastly overpowering the Children with their combat ability and weapons, and as more Men came into Westeros and more Children died, the war seemed nearly over and the Children would soon be extinct. It is most likely in this moment that the Children made a desperate decision in an attempt to defend themselves against their enemy; a decision that changed Westeros forever.
IT'S ALIVE!!
In Season 6, we learn that the Children of the Forest created the White Walkers. We have not been given much time to explore this realization, but the explanation given by the Children in the cave was that it was defense against Man, which makes sense in the larger context of history between the Children and The First Men. With quickly falling numbers and a war against an enemy who is destroying their land, culture and beliefs, turning to a deadly magic they do not fully understand is a reasonable if morally grey course of action. It's also possible that the war caused the death of their most powerful magic-users and that the loss of weirwoods in the South weakened their powers, which added to the clearly unsuccessful act of dark magic. They were on the edge of extinction and made a desperate decision in an attempt to preserve themselves.
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| Dragonglass dagger |
Their weapon clearly did not work out for the Children. The First Men won the war, signing a peace pact that banished the Children to only live in the thick forest of Westeros (hence, Children of the Forest). The Children have not been seen since, any many historians believe that their existence was greatly exaggerated and they are long extinct. As viewers, we know that they are wrong. The Children are still around, even if they have small numbers, and their magical ability is undeniable.
WHY IT MATTERS NOW
The Children, after a brutal war, created the White Walkers through sacrificing The First Men in dark magic. Thousands of years later, the Children are virtually gone and the White Walkers have returned in full force. It is clear from the final scene that the Night King has an interest in stopping Bran and the Children. He came with a full army to kill the Children, the Three Eyed Raven, and Bran. There are probably major events in the past that the White Walkers do not want to get out, and perhaps they are motivated by a poetic revenge against their creators.
What could hide in the past that the Night King does not want modern humanity to know? Azor Ahai, also called The Prince that was Promised, was a historical warrior who defended humanity against the White Walkers after their first invasion. He is idolized by many in Westeros, particularly those who follow the Lord of Light like Melesandre. Various theories about the Prince that was Promised are hoping for Azor Ahai to return, reincarnated through a modern hero. We had a scene in this episode where a Red Priestess tells Tyrion that Dany Targaryen is Azor Ahai. Melesandre once believed that Stannis Baratheon was Azor Ahai, and now believes that Jon is.
My theory is that the White Walkers want to stop Bran from discovering more about Azor Ahai, which would lead him to the key to their defeat. They know that Bran can go to the past and witness their ancient defeat at the hands of Azor Ahai and they do not want that to happen. Bran's goal from now on will be to learn the past of the White Walkers in search of a way to defeat them, which will lead him to discovering which character, if any, is Azor Ahai returned. The White Walkers will target him in their own attempt to find Azor Ahai 2.0 to secure their victory over the world. If they can kill Azor Ahai 2.0 before they even know they're Azor Ahai and destroy anyone who might know of their weakness, nothing could stop them. If you want to know more about Azor Ahai and theories around him, watch this fantastic video from Alt Shift X.
The final and really the most probable implication involves the Night King marking Bran and the magical barrier protecting the cave. As we saw in the season 4 finale, there is an invisible magic barrier blocking the cave's entrance. When wights try to enter, their obliterated instantly. When the Night King touches Bran in his vision, however, the White Walkers are instantly honed to his location and the barrier is gone.
What many may not know is that a similar magic barrier is placed on The Wall to keep the White Walkers north of Westeros. The Wall was built by Bran the Builder (an early Stark) with Azor Ahai, the original Prince that was Promised. The magical barrier was placed by the Children of the Forest. If the Night King was able to get through the barrier at the cave by tagging Bran, would he be able to do the same thing with the larger barrier at The Wall? Bran may need to stay north of the Wall from now on in order to avoid the risk of letting the White Walkers through. Another possible way they could get through the Wall is if this battle at the cave resulted in the full extinction of the Children. With no Children left, could their ancient spell on the Wall be moot? A lot of questions with very few answers. If this magic barrier is destroyed, very little is blocking the White Walkers from invading a nearly empty Castle Black and easily taking a chaos-filled North.
The final and really the most probable implication involves the Night King marking Bran and the magical barrier protecting the cave. As we saw in the season 4 finale, there is an invisible magic barrier blocking the cave's entrance. When wights try to enter, their obliterated instantly. When the Night King touches Bran in his vision, however, the White Walkers are instantly honed to his location and the barrier is gone.
What many may not know is that a similar magic barrier is placed on The Wall to keep the White Walkers north of Westeros. The Wall was built by Bran the Builder (an early Stark) with Azor Ahai, the original Prince that was Promised. The magical barrier was placed by the Children of the Forest. If the Night King was able to get through the barrier at the cave by tagging Bran, would he be able to do the same thing with the larger barrier at The Wall? Bran may need to stay north of the Wall from now on in order to avoid the risk of letting the White Walkers through. Another possible way they could get through the Wall is if this battle at the cave resulted in the full extinction of the Children. With no Children left, could their ancient spell on the Wall be moot? A lot of questions with very few answers. If this magic barrier is destroyed, very little is blocking the White Walkers from invading a nearly empty Castle Black and easily taking a chaos-filled North.
A SHORT HISTORY OF EVERYTHING
The Children of the Forest were a peaceful people from the dawn of life in Westeros and were crushingly defeated by The First Men in an ancient war. They desperately created the White Walkers and Night King, a decision that was ultimately a failure. The White Walkers are back and hunting down Bran Stark, probably to stop him from discovering the truth about their past and identifying Azor Ahai. This was a big reveal with fascinating implications in the past and future of Westeros. How this will all play out is yet to be discovered, and I am beyond excited to see how it grows as we get closer and closer to the end of the epic Game of Thrones.
If you are interested in diving into the lore of A Song of Ice and Fire/Game of Thrones, I recommend The World of Ice and Fire, a Westeros history encyclopedia written by George R.R. Martin. If you want to read more of my writing, including weekly reviews of Game of Thrones and prediction posts, you can follow me on Blogspot at The Film Fan Awakens. I am also on Facebook at Facebook.com/TheFilmFanAwakens and on Twitter @FilmFanAwakens .
I'm Tristan Mayer from The Film Fan Awakens.
Thanks for reading!
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