The Others

The Others are a race of supernatural, inhuman beings that dwell in the frozen wastes beyond the Wall, the northernmost boundary of the Seven Kingdoms. They are the central existential threat of the story, a force of cold and death that has not been seen for eight thousand years, and their return heralds a winter that could destroy all life in the realm. Unlike the mundane political conflicts of the southern kingdoms, the Others represent a primordial, apocalyptic danger that challenges the very survival of humanity.

Appearance and Nature

The Others are described as tall and gaunt, with flesh as pale as milk and eyes of a deep, burning blue that is "deeper and bluer than any human eyes, a blue that burned like ice" . Their armor seems to change color as they move, appearing white as new-fallen snow, black as shadow, or dappled with the deep grey-green of the trees, with patterns that run like moonlight on water . They carry longswords unlike any human metal—alive with moonlight, translucent, a shard of crystal so thin it seems almost to vanish when seen edge-on, with a faint blue shimmer and a ghost-light that plays around its edges . These blades are sharper than any razor and can shatter ordinary steel on contact . The Others make no sound when they move , and their voices, when they speak, are like the cracking of ice on a winter lake . They are associated with an unnatural, piercing cold that intensifies in their presence .

First Encounter and Hostility

The Others are first encountered in the prologue, when they attack a ranging party from the Night's Watch led by Ser Waymar Royce. They emerge silently from the woods as pale shapes, gliding through the darkness . Ser Waymar, though young and inexperienced, faces them bravely, but his castle-forged steel longsword shatters against the Other's blade . After he is wounded, the Other speaks in a mocking language, and then the watchers—other Others who had been standing silently around—move forward together and butcher him with their pale blades, which slice through ringmail as if it were silk . The encounter establishes the Others as merciless, powerful, and utterly alien, with a chilling intelligence and a capacity for cruelty.

Mythological and Historical Context

Within the world of the story, the Others are known primarily through ancient legends and tales. Old Nan, the Stark family's storyteller, recounts that during the Long Night, a generation-long winter, the Others came for the first time, riding pale dead horses and leading hosts of the slain. They swept over holdfasts and kingdoms, felling heroes and armies, and no sword could stay their advance. They hunted maidens through frozen forests and fed their dead servants on the flesh of human children (E02138–E02142). The Wall was built to defend against them, and the Night's Watch was founded to guard the realms of men. Most educated people, like Maester Luwin, dismiss the Others as a myth, claiming they died out eight thousand years ago . However, the events of the story prove that the legends are true, and the Others are returning.

The Threat of the Others and the Coming Winter

The Others are inextricably linked to the concept of winter, both literal and metaphorical. The Stark words, "Winter is Coming," take on a new, terrifying significance as the Others' re-emergence signals the approach of a long, deadly winter. Lord Commander Jeor Mormont of the Night's Watch is deeply concerned by reports of strange events beyond the Wall—wildlings fleeing south, direwolves and mammoths appearing, and the disappearance of rangers—and he believes the Others are the cause . The wildling woman Osha, who has lived beyond the Wall, confirms that the cold winds are rising and that men who go out into the woods sometimes return as wights, with blue eyes and cold black hands . The Others are the ultimate source of this undead threat, as they can reanimate the dead to serve them. The narrative makes clear that the political squabbles of the Seven Kingdoms are a dangerous distraction from the true enemy that is gathering in the north.