Consensus on Long Night causes?

[level52]

To me, the greatest mysteries of the entire book series are what caused and what ended the Long Night.  And it’s frustrating but fascinating that no one has put together a really compelling theory.

But just focusing on the cause of the Long Night for now, what’s the popular consensus?

Where the humans converted into Others by the CotF?  Or we they conjured or created in some other way by the Children?  And if so why, since the first man and COTF lived at peace during the Pact?  Does the Night’s King’s story okay a role?  Or did the Others just arise unexpectedly from the far north and bring death and destruction down through Westeros?  Did the dark magic practiced in ancient essos have anything to do with it?

What do you guys think?

 

[corbon]

1 hour ago, level52 said:

To me, the greatest mysteries of the entire book series are what caused and what ended the Long Night.  And it’s frustrating but fascinating that no one has put together a really compelling theory.

But just focusing on the cause of the Long Night for now, what’s the popular consensus?

I don;t think there is one.

GRRM has said the cause is magical, not natural, and it will be resolved - if I remember correctly.

1 hour ago, level52 said:

Where the humans converted into Others by the CotF?  Or we they conjured or created in some other way by the Children?  And if so why, since the first man and COTF lived at peace during the Pact?  

These are popular but very speculative ideas, with almost no data foundation. We simply don't know at this stage.

1 hour ago, level52 said:

Does the Night’s King’s story okay a role?  

Unlikely, since he was the 13th Lord Commander. So it sounds like the Watch was already a thing - therefore the thing they were founded to guard against was already a thing.
I'm not sure whether the Nights King stories are there to give us information, or simply to provide veracity - for immersive reality there must be legends and lore in this universe.

1 hour ago, level52 said:

Or did the Others just arise unexpectedly from the far north and bring death and destruction down through Westeros?  Did the dark magic practiced in ancient essos have anything to do with it?

There is certainly a lot of very interesting pre-history in Essos, and around the entire world. There are some very well thought through theories involving ancient civilisations predating anything in Westeros (although the slick black rock fortress on which Higtower is built, and which the Seastone chair is carved from, shows up in other significant places around the world too, for example) that possibly have a great deal to do with the Long Night. I suggest you look up some of LmL's threads. Sorry, don't remember too much detail.