Game of Thrones' Night King is a terrifying villain.
But he may have a connection to one of Westeros' most noble families: House Stark.
In both the books and TV series, there are plenty of hints indicating that the Night
King could actually be a Stark.
To understand the connection between House Stark and the leader of the Others, it's important
to understand the beginnings of each.
According to The World of Ice and Fire, the Long Night was a winter that lasted for an
entire generation, thousands of years before the story we know takes place.
During the Long Night, the Others terrorized the First Men, the humans who had settled
in Westeros.
After much fighting with the Others, one of the First Men reached an agreement with the
magical beings called the Children of the Forest, and joined forces with them to repel
the Others.
"Who are you?"
"The First Men called us the Children, but we were born long before them."
No one knows for certain who that person was, but it's hinted that this legendary hero was
Bran the Builder, the first Stark, who helped establish the Night's Watch.
Bran would go on to work with the Children to build the magically-protected Wall to help
defend against the Others.
Though this battle and the wall's construction was the first interaction between the Starks
and the Others, it was far from the last.
Before we go any further, there's an important distinction to be made between two key figures:
the Night King, and the Night's King.
The Night King is the leader of the White Walkers in the Game of Thrones TV series.
The Night's King, however, is someone briefly touched upon in the Song of Ice and Fire books.
The Night's King was a human, and the 13th Lord Commander of the Night's Watch.
To give you an idea of how long ago this was, Jon Snow is the 998th Lord Commander.
Or, was.
Briefly.
While serving as Commander, the Night's King fell in love with a mysterious woman, and
together they began making human sacrifices to the Others.
After 13 years, with the help of House Stark, the Night's King and his otherworldly wife
were both defeated.
The similar names have led some to speculate that the two may be the same person.
But when asked about the possibility, George R.R. Martin asserted otherwise, writing,
"As for the Night's King… in the books he is a legendary figure, akin to Lann the Clever
and Brandon the Builder, and no more likely to have survived to the present day than they
have."
So, that's that.
They're two different people.
But they also may be deeply connected, by a lot more than just their similar names.
So, who is the mysterious woman who won the heart of the old Night's King, turning him
to the Others' side?
It's said that the 13th Lord Commander saw this woman from atop the Wall.
In A Storm of Swords, she's said to have "skin as white as the moon and eyes like blue stars,"
with skin as cold as ice.
The description heavily implies that she was one of the Others, sharing their frigid, pale
skin and glowing blue eyes.
When Bran tells the story of the Night's King in A Storm of Swords, he indicates that the
man gave more than just his love to the woman.
He gave his soul as well.
The official histories of the Seven Kingdoms, as represented in The World of Ice and Fire,
speculate that the Night's King came from one of the Northern families, of which there
are many.
But when Old Nan tells the story to Bran, as Bran recalls in A Storm of Swords, she
puts all other possibilities to rest, saying without a doubt,
"He was a Stark, the brother of the man who brought him down."
The idea that the Night's King from long ago was a Stark suggests that the modern-day Night
King might have a similar origin story, possibly being a Stark himself when he was still a
normal man.
One of the most heinous taboos in Westeros is slaying one's own kin.
Only in the most extreme of circumstances would such an act be considered justifiable.
Brandon the Breaker had no problem killing his brother the Night's King, but what if
the Night's King and his mysterious lover had a child?
As Old Nan confirms to Bran in the novels, it's entirely possible, with human-White Walker
couplings resulting in what she calls, quote, "terrible half-human children".
Slaying the Night's King is one thing, but an innocent offspring?
That seems like a line that a Stark wouldn't cross.
And supposing further that Bran spared this child's life and then raised them as a Stark,
it could mean that the Night's King's coupling with an Other introduced the blood of the
Others into the Stark line from very early on in the family's history.
If that theory is true, the family's affinity for the cold feels pretty natural.
As Catelyn Stark put it in the books,
"The Starks were made for the cold."
The seventh season finale, "The Dragon and the Wolf," ends on an ominous note, as the
White Walkers break through the Wall and march into Westeros.
During the scene, the camera shows a bird's eye view of the Army of the Dead marching
forward.
What's interesting about this shot is that the White Walkers march in a formation that
appears highly reminiscent of the Starks' house sigil.
The image is flipped, but the resemblance is uncanny.
There's clearly some sort of connection between the Stark House and the White Walkers - and
by extension, the Night King.
A common theme in A Song of Ice and Fire is the burden placed on characters by their ancestors.
Tyrion tries to prove his worth to his father, but ultimately has to come to terms with his
disapproval.
Jon Snow grows up thinking he's illegitimate, denied the knowledge that he's heir to the
Iron Throne.
And Daenerys lives in the shadow of her father, the Mad King Aerys II, and his terrible actions,
which led to the near-destruction of the Targaryen house.
"I'm not my father."
"No, Your Grace.
Thank the gods."
If the 13th Lord Commander of the Night's Watch was a Stark who fell in love with one
of the Others, it's not a stretch to imagine that other members of the family could have
crossed over to their side as well.
We know from the show that the Night King used to be a man, and considering the history,
it makes the most sense that the Night King was a Stark.
If it's true, it'll be a real cold reckoning for the surviving members of House Stark.
It would be especially stressful for Jon Snow.
It's one thing to find out he's related to his girlfriend, but his mortal enemy too?
It's almost too much to keep track of.
"That's why I read so much, Jon Snow."
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