"Winter is coming" alternative meaning

[Thia Stark]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think we only ever see the Stark words interpreted by characters that are not part of the family (for example Catelyn I AGoT where she contemplates how the Starks are the only ones whose motto is not a battle cry, and when maester Aemon says that the Starks are always right in the end - meaning that winter always comes eventually). But since we know that the Stark kings before Aegon's conquest were called the Kings of Winter, isn't it more logical to interpret it as a battle cry - in the sense "We are the winter and we're coming (for you)"? The Starks are of the North and they endure winter much better than southron houses/people. Winter is their strong spot and winter is coming. Could it also hint at a possible connection between them and the Others? Are the Starks derived from the First Men intermarrying with the Others?

Would love to hear other people's opinions!

[King Hotah]

I think the origins of the words would likely have been battle cries of the Stark lineage, but even in the modern world interpretations and meanings of 'mottos' change. End of the day those are the Stark words and I suppose you can take them however you like

[Jaemi Greysnow]

It might not be an important distinction, but the Kings Of Winter were only the really ancient Stark kings, and the more recent ones dropped in favour of King In The North, certainly a bit more down to earth, as Ygritte says "Winter's got no King". Or maybe Osha... anyhoo.

I wouldn't say Catelyn wasn't part of the family, personally. Eddard interprets the words as meaning "the hard times" are coming, they certainly now mean that. I agree, that it would be cool if something to do with the Long Night/Last Hero was more of a diplomatic situation than straight out war, maybe even some connection between the historical Night's King,the 13th Lord Commander of the Night's Watch and the Last Hero, like maybe he stopped the fighting by adopting some of the Others' way of doing things.

Catelyn mentions that the Valyrian Steel sword Ice is named after an ancestral sword of the same name, so I imagine a pact being signed like the one with the Children Of The Forest, with the Others gifting the Stark king with one of their ice swords. Maybe it's what's in the Winterfell crypts that everybody seems to want to look for, and what is perhaps calling to Jon in his dreams, or someone is trying to tell Jon with dreams to go and get it. 

[Thia Stark]

10 hours ago, Jaemi Greysnow said:

It might not be an important distinction, but the Kings Of Winter were only the really ancient Stark kings, and the more recent ones dropped in favour of King In The North, certainly a bit more down to earth, as Ygritte says "Winter's got no King". Or maybe Osha... anyhoo.

I wouldn't say Catelyn wasn't part of the family, personally. Eddard interprets the words as meaning "the hard times" are coming, they certainly now mean that. I agree, that it would be cool if something to do with the Long Night/Last Hero was more of a diplomatic situation than straight out war, maybe even some connection between the historical Night's King,the 13th Lord Commander of the Night's Watch and the Last Hero, like maybe he stopped the fighting by adopting some of the Others' way of doing things.

Catelyn mentions that the Valyrian Steel sword Ice is named after an ancestral sword of the same name, so I imagine a pact being signed like the one with the Children Of The Forest, with the Others gifting the Stark king with one of their ice swords. Maybe it's what's in the Winterfell crypts that everybody seems to want to look for, and what is perhaps calling to Jon in his dreams, or someone is trying to tell Jon with dreams to go and get it. 

I, personally, believe that Rhaegar's harp is in the Winterfell crypts. I read a great theory about it on reddit. It says that Jon will slash Lyanna's statue in rage (because she and Rhaegar started a war) and find Rhaegar's harp inside, which will serve as proof to the realm that he is, indeed, Rhaegar's son.

[Jaemi Greysnow]

Yeah that one's a nice idea, I'm not sure I subscribe to it though, I suppose I'd file it in my mind under the title "maybe", it's a bit too Fantasy a resolution for my taste, if you take my meaning.

[Aderyn]

For me, the Stark motto is both a warning and a threat. A warning in a sense that the Starks, as historical Kings of Winter / Kings in the North as well as Wardens of the North know the true meaning of winter. The northerners are always prepared for hard times (winter) because of their habitat. But I also like the idea that it's a battle cry, where winter means bad things, death and destruction for the enemies. Or it could also be a nod towards some connection between the Starks and the Others. 

As a side-note, I really like how the Stark words and the beginning of the Night's Watch vows sort of seem to mirror each other: 'Winter is coming' and 'Night gathers'. So both cold and darkness are on their way. Certainly ominous.

[Seams]

I suspect the author wants the words to have multiple meanings and interpretations.

My instinct is that the Stark words don't refer to the Stark family's prowess in battle or status as the Wardens of the North or former Kings of the North. They are a sort of puritanical "big picture" warning for everyone that something bad and beyond our power is always on the horizon. A Calvinist view of the universe.

I also wonder whether there is wordplay around "winter" and "inter." Burial (or lack thereof) after death is a constant topic - burning of bodies in the North beyond the Wall, the Winterfell crypt, heads on spikes outside gates, funeral pyres, cairns, missing bones, etc.

On another level, I think "Winter is coming" has the same meaning as "All Men Must die" (Valar Morghulis). Winter is often a metaphor for old age and death. It reminds me of the ancient "Dies Irae" chant from the medieval Christian church - Dies iræ, dies illa, / Solvet sæclum in favilla... (The day of wrath, that day / Will dissolve the world in ashes...).

I hope there will be a counter-argument in the Dayne family words, once they are revealed. Something about the sun always rising, or spring always returning.