Time=Larger Undead Army theory

[Shadow Cat 75]

I was reading this post about why the others would choice now to launch their attack on Westeros when an idea came to me. Do we have any idea just how large the army of the others is? Is it say 10,000 strong or 20,000 strong we just don’t know. Also the wights seams very, very weak to me, their strength comes really in numbers and not feeling pain nothing more. We have never seen them run, shot an arrow or ride a horse and they burn like dry leaves when touched by a small amount of fire. So their strength is in numbers, the larger the undead army the better you are off.

The Others are not brainless monsters they are planners, they would know this as well and would take steps to build up their army to the largest it could be, but how given the small population of the lands beyond the wall. The answer is in my view to wait and let their enemies do the work of raising an army for them before launching an attack if the largest army Westeros and the world has ever seen.

Here is my line of thinking.

Others launch attack on remote village in the middle of the night, kill the Wildlings turn them into Wights and then fall back to the lands of always Winter. Any other Wildlings would pass it off to a possible sickness which claimed the village or slavers or some other thing at first. Meanwhile the wights can stay in the cold for years maybe others could arm them with weapons and armor of their own design.

Repeat process multiple times over decades allowing the Wildlings to repopulate the area and replenish themselves before launching another raid, and turning them.

Over and over this process would go with each raid the Others would gain more soldiers for the battle to come. It may also explain why Others where so far South at the very start of Game of Thrones but didn’t stay there, they were chasing down the Wildlings to add to their army and they were not there to hold the ground but to gain more soldiers before marching back to the Lands of always winter.

This may also explain what happened at the first Hardhome, a true town beyond the wall would be a tempting target for an other raid to get the most wights possible and a possible dry run for the types of assaults they would carry out in the south. The fires seam from on top of the wall may have been from the locals trying and failing to stop the Others and the wights.

Now that they have this massive army of undead made up over the generations all that is left is to removing the last Wildlings from beyond the Wall, which is what they are doing now before taking on the seven kingdoms.

I hope you found my idea at least someone interesting.

[Hammermen's Revolt]

I disagree with your assessment that wights are weak: didn't the wight in Castle Black have superhuman strength?

It stands without question though that the longer the Others wait, the stronger in force they become. That's why not being attacked by others is as scary as being attacked: you know the eventual attack will be just the bit extra brutal.

[The Reckoner]

Well, Westeros just coming out of a war + Lady Stonheart hanging people = loads of shock troops for the Others.