Why is letting the free folk south now a good idea?

[King Tam Stark]

After thousands of years of keeping the wildings out what's changed?

The NW have recognised the real threat is from the others which is sensible but have the reasons they have fought the wildings been worked out or have Jon and Stannis exposed Westeros/The North badly?

Can they really be trusted or should the NW have just left them to there fate? Is thousands of wildings causing havoc worse than the threat of them returning as wights and and can giants return as wights?

[Mladen]

The answer is obvious. It's about the Others. Simply, it's better to have more hands fighting them, than to have more wights you fight against.

[King Tam Stark]

The answer is obvious. It's about the Others. Simply, it's better to have more hands fighting them, than to have more wights you fight against.

I get that but the wildings where a major threat to westeros a short time ago and that was in small raiding party's who had made it over the wall now you have thousands of them free to do as they please, I remember its said its better than them returning as wights but why not just kill them rather than have them cause a lot of trouble to the north?

Its a nice idea to make friends with them but the clash of cultures is going to make that difficult the reaction of the NW will be the same throughout westeros and could cause a lot of trouble

[Mladen]

I get that but the wildings where a major threat to westeros a short time ago and that was in small raiding party's who had made it over the wall now you have thousands of them free to do as they please, I remember its said its better than them returning as wights but why not just kill them rather than have them cause a lot of trouble to the north?

Its a nice idea to make friends with them but the clash of cultures is going to make that difficult the reaction of the NW will be the same throughout westeros and could cause a lot of trouble

Because you are weak, and you need all the help you could find. Wildings and Northerners also, aren't that different. When Others come, and they are real enemy here, it's best to have more soldiers to fight them. Also, people from 7 Kingdoms showed them how they could be beaten with even smallest force like Stannis'.

[Mrs_Darcy]

I get that but the wildings where a major threat to westeros a short time ago and that was in small raiding party's who had made it over the wall now you have thousands of them free to do as they please, I remember its said its better than them returning as wights but why not just kill them rather than have them cause a lot of trouble to the north?

Its a nice idea to make friends with them but the clash of cultures is going to make that difficult the reaction of the NW will be the same throughout westeros and could cause a lot of trouble

Well, he has hostages to ensure their good behaviour. When talking to the chiefs of the mountain clans, Jon leaves no doubt, that he will kill some of he hostages, should the wildlings not keep to the rules that he has imposed on them.

Additionally, most wildlings should be aware, that they can only win against the others, if they fight together and anything such as raiding etc. would increase the chance of a victory of the Others.

[King Tam Stark]

But that's what I'm trying to get my head around, will they be a help due to having a common cause/enemy or will they carry on living the only way they know how, that was the reason they where a threat before

For example carrying off people wives/daughters etc is just normal to them but will cause outrage

They basically lied about changing religion but as soon as they settled reverted to what they knew the old gods and I imagine it will be the same for every other aspect of there life

[King Tam Stark]

Well, he has hostages to ensure their good behaviour. When talking to the chiefs of the mountain clans, Jon leaves no doubt, that he will kill some of he hostages, should the wildlings not keep to the rules that he has imposed on them.

Additionally, most wildlings should be aware, that they can only win against the others, if they fight together and anything such as raiding etc. would increase the chance of a victory of the Others.

I forgot about the hostages but I still don't see how they can suddenly totally change the way they live and have done all their lives

[mankytoes]

Remember, the wildlings know all about the Others. It's pretty sound logic that they'd put fighting them above raiding the northmen. After all, if the Others win, they're all dead too. Exceptional times call for exceptional measures and alliances. Jon has the right of it, Bowan is a fool.

[mankytoes]

I forgot about the hostages but I still don't see how they can suddenly totally change the way they live and have done all their lives

We're prioritising short term here. Yes, if the NW and wildlings defeat the Others after there will probably be chaos, but who cares? The whole of humanity won't face genocide. That has to be the priority.

[mindchap]

I think their threat to the Realm has been greatly exaggerated in recent years, the reason Mormont thought they were such a threat was because they were gathering and no one knew what for, it was just assumed that they were planning a war when in reality they were just trying to get south. As for the people themselves to me they don't seem any worse than some of the Mountain Clans.

[King Tam Stark]

Remember, the wildlings know all about the Others. It's pretty sound logic that they'd put fighting them above raiding the northmen. After all, if the Others win, they're all dead too. Exceptional times call for exceptional measures and alliances. Jon has the right of it, Bowan is a fool.

Learning about the others from them is a big benefit just like Jon was trying to do via Sam and if Jon and the NW could police the wildings effectively it could work, thinking out loud it is a sensible but exceptional measure but also highly dangerous, the threat from them is still there but now the NW are policing them and trying to work with them

[King Tam Stark]

I think their threat to the Realm has been greatly exaggerated in recent years, the reason Mormont thought they were such a threat was because they were gathering and no one knew what for, it was just assumed that they were planning a war when in reality they were just trying to get south. As for the people themselves to me they don't seem any worse than some of the Mountain Clans.

Just like Osha and her party

The similarity is there of not knowing the purpose of the wildings and the purpose of the others maybe there's something even more threatening than the others and that's what's woken them although with them being supernatural I very much doubt it

[mindchap]

Just like Osha and her party

The similarity is there of not knowing the purpose of the wildings and the purpose of the others maybe there's something even more threatening than the others and that's what's woken them although with them being supernatural I very much doubt it

Personally I think Mance has more to do with the Others than we know yet. But the Wildlings lack of orginization is their biggest weakness, as Jon points out to Ygritte, a handful here and there can harm some folks but as for being a serious threat to the realm as a whole, I just don't see it.

[DaveSnow House Stark]

Long term there will be some issues, short term, they had to come south to help. If the North is able to be separate from the South then I would think the wildlings would settle in better since they share a lot of the same values.

[danm_999]

The Wildlings and the Northmen have worked together in the past to fight the Others (or what we strongly suspect were the Others controlling the Night's King), so I don't see why it's so unreasonable this time around when the threat earnestly appears even greater.

Yes, the Wildlings may eventually renege on the promises they've made to get south, or the Northmen might, but what's changed after thousands of years is that the Others will end human life on Planetos if the Wall is not properly manned, and the Others' source of wights is not diminished.

[King Tam Stark]

Personally I think Mance has more to do with the Others than we know yet. But the Wildlings lack of orginization is their biggest weakness, as Jon points out to Ygritte, a handful here and there can harm some folks but as for being a serious threat to the realm as a whole, I just don't see it.

Its there biggest weakness but deeply ingrained in there culture, if they where well organised they wouldn't be free and now by entering south of the wall they aren't as free and will have rules and laws to abide by and must adapt and become kneelers, I'm fairly certain it's not something they are capable of doing

What makes you think Mance has more to with the others than we know?

[The Weirwoods Eyes]

Because as Jon said, we didn't build a 700 ft wall to keep Wildlings out. (paraphrased.)

[The Don Dadda]

Because Jon realises that wildlings aren't inherently different from those that live in the realm

[Kienn]

Why is OP so sure that "they can't change their ways"? Sounds like a sitcom cliche.

Here's how it works... if a person's situation doesn't change (i.e. they're living in the same location, with the same people and the same problems[the classic sitcom cliche]) then the person doesn't change.

If a person's situation does change (i.e. they move south of the 700 foot wall that was blocking their way south their entire life and are treated as allies rather than enemies by the military force that used to keep them there...) they might change.

[King Tam Stark]

Why is OP so sure that "they can't change their ways"? Sounds like a sitcom cliche.

Here's how it works... if a person's situation doesn't change (i.e. they're living in the same location, with the same people and the same problems[the classic sitcom cliche]) then the person doesn't change.

If a person's situation does change (i.e. they move south of the 700 foot wall that was blocking their way south their entire life and are treated as allies rather than enemies by the military force that used to keep them there...) they might change.

fair enough its just my opinion that people don't change it's like you get a person who constantly changes location to escape there problems without realizing they are the problem be it a bad drink, drugs or gambling habit or whatever

being treated differently will obviously help but just living further south won't and neither will associating with the same people