Main Theories about the Others!

[Taenqyrhae]

When Lann tricked the Casterly's out of their castle, they vowed to get revenge. The Night King heard that they would do anything to get back at the Lannisters, so they made a deal - if they worshipped the Others and gave them offerings, they would provide Casterly with an army made up entirely of his decendents that would wipe the Lannisters off the face of the planet. Casterly set up a small keep north of the Wall to meet his end of the deal.

It took longer than expected, so long that the Casterly name has been corrupted by Casterly's descendents, but they have kept the blood line true and the Others now have a large enough army to invade, and the timing is perfect as a Lannister sits on the Iron Throne now.

I know this by greenseeing the 8th book in the year 2026,

[Justin Amey]

I personally think the others were starting to come back because magic is becoming strong again. So they themselves being magical creatures are now strong enough to launch a real attack. The whys a more difficult question I've heard a theory that they were created by the children to fight back against men. You should check out some heresy threads, I haven't read a lot.of them but I'm sure there'll be something there to answer some of your questions.http://asoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/topic/98456-the-heretics-guide-to-heresy/

I don't think that true. Ned Stark took that one ranger's head off well before magic as you say starting coming back. You have to understand that the other have been preparing for thousands of years. I believe they feel themselves ready for conquest.

[dread pirate davos]

I don't think that true. Ned Stark took that one ranger's head off well before magic as you say starting coming back. You have to understand that the other have been preparing for thousands of years. I believe they feel themselves ready for conquest.

Yeah I have no proof, I agree they've been preparing and now that magic is back and they're stronger theyve decided to attack, I personally see the dragons as a symptom of the return of magic.

[Narvi]

I've always thought the others as elemental magical creatures. They never went away more like hibernated. The summer that just ended was the longest in living memory. The felt summer ending, awoke and started their plans. I believe the wall is responsible for the screwed up seasons. What ever their motives one thing is pretty clear, they hate the living no matter what. They turn all living creatures (mammals anyways) into thralls. Still almost nothing known about them after 5 books so I hope for some answers in the next book. Hard to tell anything from folk lore 8000 years old.

[Ingelheim]

The Others are the fighters of Ice.

I think the Others are alive. They are not dead; you need to be alive to be turned into an Other. That's why dead men only turn into wights. The Others are either ancient humans or COTF who gave themselves into the purest Ice magic.

I think the Show gave us a really big spoiler.

[Lion Of The Night]

I don't think that true. Ned Stark took that one ranger's head off well before magic as you say starting coming back. You have to understand that the other have been preparing for thousands of years. I believe they feel themselves ready for conquest.

We don't know that!

We only have a rather limited POV. Magic in and of itself quite possibly have been growing. We do know that the others have been preparing, but that may be also due to the fact that they are feeling their own powers growing.

[Justin Amey]

I've always thought the others as elemental magical creatures. They never went away more like hibernated. The summer that just ended was the longest in living memory. The felt summer ending, awoke and started their plans. I believe the wall is responsible for the screwed up seasons. What ever their motives one thing is pretty clear, they hate the living no matter what. They turn all living creatures (mammals anyways) into thralls. Still almost nothing known about them after 5 books so I hope for some answers in the next book. Hard to tell anything from folk lore 8000 years old.

Winter has been coming and going for thousand years, but beyond the wall has remain cold. people have been dying beyond the wall for centueries and they have been reanimating their corspe to fight when ready, they feel ready now.

[Witch]

But, what do they want?

[Justin Amey]

We don't know that!

We only have a rather limited POV. Magic in and of itself quite possibly have been growing. We do know that the others have been preparing, but that may be also due to the fact that they are feeling their own powers growing.

I know magic has never left, but it has been said numerous of times, that magic has been booming since the re-arrival of the red comet.

[Justin Amey]

But, what do they want?

If you were preparing an army for a long time, what would you do with it?

[Witch]

If you were preparing an army for a long time, what would you do with it?

Probably fight. I just don't understand their motive.

[Justin Amey]

Probably fight. I just don't understand their motive.

war, they want to wipe everyone out, if a night watchmen want to go up to a Wright and ask them what are their motives, more power to them, my thing is if you are warm blooded, kill all Cold blooded

[Narvi]

if a night watchmen want to go up to a Wright and ask them what are their motives

Jon was trying to do that with the bodies in the ice cells he brought back.

[Justin Amey]

Jon was trying to do that with the bodies in the ice cells he brought back.

those are the foot soldiers, he should ask those blue people.

[Narvi]

those are the foot soldiers, he should ask those blue people.

Neither one seems very forthcoming.

[Archmaester Drew]

When Lann tricked the Casterly's out of their castle, they vowed to get revenge. The Night King heard that they would do anything to get back at the Lannisters, so they made a deal - if they worshipped the Others and gave them offerings, they would provide Casterly with an army made up entirely of his decendents that would wipe the Lannisters off the face of the planet. Casterly set up a small keep north of the Wall to meet his end of the deal.

It took longer than expected, so long that the Casterly name has been corrupted by Casterly's descendents, but they have kept the blood line true and the Others now have a large enough army to invade, and the timing is perfect as a Lannister sits on the Iron Throne now.

I know this by greenseeing the 8th book in the year 2026,

The Crasterlys! ;)

[Iulian Fedot]

The Others are the fighters of Ice.

I think the Others are alive. They are not dead; you need to be alive to be turned into an Other. That's why dead men only turn into wights. The Others are either ancient humans or COTF who gave themselves into the purest Ice magic.

I think the Show gave us a really big spoiler.

I wouldn't exactly think that the Children could have joined to be the Others, I'd rather think that some of the First Men may have actually gone so far North that the power of Ice has gotten to them.

I know magic has never left, but it has been said numerous of times, that magic has been booming since the re-arrival of the red comet.

I thought the red comet symbolises the coming of dragons!

Winter has been coming and going for thousand years, but beyond the wall has remain cold. people have been dying beyond the wall for centueries and they have been reanimating their corspe to fight when ready, they feel ready now.

But I wonder why now, why not say, in 20 years time or why not during the reign of King Aerys!

[Liaraeyne]

I once heard a theory about the wildlings opening a lot of graves and thus awakening something, but I don't know whether that's just wights or included Others. It was something Ygritte said at some point. No idea if it's true.

Love this topic though, the Others fascinate me :)

[Taenqyrhae]

I was thinking about how the arrival of humans in the Americas caused an extinction of Pleistocene megafauna like the dire wolf and the mammoth, and how in Westeros those animals are usually only found north of the Wall. It made me think that maybe the Others are there to make sure humans don't wipe out all those animals - maybe the CotF created the Wall and the Others to protect the far north from the human invaders. The Others might even be a splinter group from the original Nights Watch, cold-adapted super rangers for hunting down humans who made it past the Wall.

[RainGhost]

I don't think it's a coincidence that the Others are invading when the realm is at the weakest it's ever been, otherwise it's just too much of a coincidence. But that's as far as my theory goes unfortunately.

It could have something to do with magic coming back into the world. I think Dany hatching the dragons and surviving the inferno was the result of magic being back in the world, not the cause of it. The Others were already back before this and Dondarrion was arleady brought back. The dragons may make magic even more prevalent though.

It might have something to do with the Night's King who I think is most likely Coldhands and who I think was a Stark (Old Nan's always right, which is another interesting point in itself), so the Starks may have some connection as well: 'there must always be a Stark in Winterfell'. Why? And there isn't one there now.

Or, it could all be Craster's fault. Craster could have caused the downfall of humanity by giving them his (probably many) sons to boost their numbers. What a selfish man.