White Walkers

The White Walkers are a mythological race mentioned in ancient legends and stories from the time of the First Men and the Children of the Forest. Eight thousand years before Robert's Rebellion, a winter known as the Long Night lasted a generation. In the darkness and cold of the Long Night, the White Walkers descended upon Westeros from the farthest north, the polar regions of the Lands of Always Winter. None knew why they came, but they killed all in their path, reanimating the dead as wights to kill the living at their command. Eventually the peoples of Westeros rallied and in a conflict known as the War for the Dawn, the White Walkers were defeated and driven back into the uttermost north, with the Wall raised to bar their return.

 

In the present day, most believe they never existed and are just myths, spoken of in the same breath as ghosts, goblins, "Grumpkins and Snarks". Even the few who believe they did once exist think they went extinct thousands of years ago. Certainly, none was seen for thousands of years after the Long Night.

 

Just before the outbreak of the War of the Five Kings, however, disturbing reports began to reach the Night's Watch from the wildlings who live beyond the Wall that the White Walkers had returned. Having enjoyed a decade-long summer Westeros seems due for an equally long winter, and the White Walkers seem to be spreading with it. With the Seven Kingdoms embroiled in a petty civil war, the dwindling and under-supported Night's Watch realizes that they are all that guards the realms of men against the return of these legendary demons of ice and death.

 

While having an overall humanoid appearance, White Walkers differ greatly from humans. They are taller than humans and have long wispy white hair. They have pale grey-white skin which is wrinkly but stretched taut across their frames, giving them a somewhat gaunt and mummified appearance despite their overall bulky size. Their most notable trait, however, are their glowing blue eyes.

 

At least one White Walker bears some physical differences to the rest: this one has skin of a paler white and a less mummified appearance than his cohorts. A circle of what appear to be small horns adorn his hairless head. It is unknown what these differences signify and whether or not this is the only White Walker to possess them.