Game Of Thrones' Night King: A Stark in the Ice? Unraveling the Mystery!
The Night King's Mysterious Origins: A Stark Connection?
Game of Thrones left many unanswered questions. The most perplexing involved that iconic villain – the Night King. The show never definitively reveals his identity, yet existing clues might just suggest a surprising connection with the mighty Stark family; creating an even deeper storyline and narrative layer that creates an unexpectedly profound impact.
The Starks are fundamental to Game of Thrones (and George R.R. Martin's books). They’re crucial to defeating the Night King but also appear linked to him in subtle, significant ways. While the show only gives brief hints of the Night King's past (season 6, episode 5; that Bran vision shows a human—a First Man), and this moment could greatly impact many later storyline decisions that lead up to the climatic battle, combined with the Night King's history in A Song of Ice & Fire; this sets the stage for much greater exploration regarding his possible connections to those seemingly disconnected families! This possible relationship remains one of the more compelling aspects explored around the Night King’s identity, with many finding this more likely than that other far less developed theory suggesting some possible relation with the Targaryen family, completely rejected due to its low potential as an origin point, compared to other much more well developed narratives such as the possibility of Stark lineage.
Why the Night King Could've Been a Stark
That Bran vision? It depicts a First Man—potentially a Stark. The Starks are among Westeros' oldest houses—descendants of those First Men. Unlike the later Targaryens, their ancestry aligns with the timeframe of that pivotal Night King creation scene, showcasing a stronger tie than many viewers might've anticipated initially, and an extremely important revelation.
Look at the visuals and this might just make a lot of sense! That man looks like a Stark; resembling characters like Robb and Rickon. And he’s clearly from the North! A Stark Night King would also explain his focused targeting of several Starks throughout the show: the major rivalry against Jon, his pursuit of Bran, and Arya’s final victory over him all fit in this surprising narrative. It gives a profound thematic layer suggesting a much deeper reasoning and motivation behind all his terrible actions throughout the Game of Thrones narrative.
The Books' Night's King: Further Clues of a Stark Ancestry
A Song of Ice & Fire hints even stronger! The Night's King in Martin's books (a different character; the similar names are intriguing!) had some direct ties to White Walkers: He’s revealed as the 13th Lord Commander of the Night's Watch— who fell in love with a White Walker and co-ruled, doing horrible things, creating immense implications in many subsequent stories which help set up those conflicts throughout that entire storyline. The character appears long before the current Game of Thrones timeline!
That book lore however presents potential ties with the Starks. Their history's entwined with the Night's Watch, many were Lord Commanders. Old Nan's claims (A Storm of Swords) even suggest a Stark connection – that Night's King is the brother of Brandon the Breaker; a powerful Stark king. While unconfirmed, it adds important thematic unity, furthering that potential lineage and creating additional possible interpretations that help emphasize and strengthen the underlying argument. It showcases an otherwise ignored possibility.
The Missing Prequel: Bloodmoon's Potential to Explain It All
Game of Thrones didn't explicitly state anything about the Night King's past, creating that enduring question for long time Game of Thrones fans, yet that possible lack of depth creates opportunities for prequels which were once intended by HBO! But HBO's canceled Bloodmoon prequel was intended to be a Game of Thrones prequel dedicated to showing the development of White Walkers; providing significant avenues for showcasing possible backstories which could provide definitive answers which have until recently remained entirely absent.
Despite Bloodmoon's cancellation and it’s relatively early termination, hope isn't lost; even the possibility remains likely as House of the Dragon (another HBO prequel series featuring a far more central Targaryen-related family and that important time in the history leading to some events relevant to that much bigger overarching story in the Game of Thrones timeline), has mentioned those White Walkers and the Song of Ice & Fire prophecy, these potential revelations and implications remain largely unexplored and suggest great possibilities regarding those upcoming stories; and given there's even more prequels and other storylines being explored surrounding Game of Thrones’ world, the question and possibilities related to the Night King's identity remains intriguing.
Conclusion: The Enduring Enigma of the Night King’s Identity
Game of Thrones leaves the Night King's origins mysterious, yet compelling details in the show, the source material and its possible development even outside the existing shows’ current storytelling potential hint at a surprising revelation; a possibly Stark ancestry! This seemingly simple suggestion generates huge impacts to this narrative and that Game of Thrones’ extensive storytelling legacy. It adds significant intrigue. It presents a thrilling puzzle awaiting resolution, a moment possibly addressed within this existing series and even its greater world— potentially adding another storyline within future productions.
