Oneorobertsbastards Posted January 22, 2014 Share Posted January 22, 2014 I don't think they're evil. They're elementals, ice faeries. Guardians of the cold. I think they serve "the cold". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rysler Posted January 22, 2014 Share Posted January 22, 2014 They want to break free of the oppression and segregation that is the Wall! They want to tear down apartheid and hang out in public places! They want justice, equality and civil wights rights to everyone! Nah, they're just supernatural jerks with god-complexes who want to screw things over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Pellinore Posted January 22, 2014 Share Posted January 22, 2014 They want brains, BRAINS, BRAINS!!!!! Oh wait, that's zombies. I guess they want whatever the leader of the Wights wants. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheButcherCrow Posted January 22, 2014 Share Posted January 22, 2014 To be taken to a leader. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dead Wolf Posted January 22, 2014 Share Posted January 22, 2014 They want to know if Tormund's member is really as big as he says Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CallmeLordofLight Posted January 22, 2014 Share Posted January 22, 2014 I don't get how they are this unstoppable force and they keep making pauses on their attacks. Couldn't they just wipe out everyone? They are basically necromancers, what they kill, they can reanimate for their purposes. So they pretty much have a never ending supply of infantry. What is stopping them? They must have some other plan, they must be unto something. But what is it? What do we know of them? Probably nothing.What do we know of the people who oppose them? Now there is more to build on. We know the watch is all about protecting the realms of men, so we know that there is something to protect against. So not only do they need to protect the men, they need to protect the Realms of men. So the political factor is important for the watch to protect. So it must be important to the Others as well. Why the political factor? Because it means an open and organised resistance, so that is an obstacle for them. Why? Maybe they want to expand their power to the south. Maybe there's something of their interest there. Maybe they seek to destroy all the source of knowledge to positively wipe out the humans, by leaving them defenceless since they won't know how to resist them (no Other slaying tutorials). There must be something more, especially from the point of view of the COTF. They have some motives to resist the Others as well but I don't remember well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steelcan Posted January 22, 2014 Share Posted January 22, 2014 What do the Flood want? What do zombies want? What do the Reavers want? What do the Orcs want? What do the Reapers want? Actually, scratch that last one Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Queen Whore Posted January 22, 2014 Share Posted January 22, 2014 There are some really interesting heretic theories on this.I am inclined to say that the Others are a nature force and the wights are created, not by them, but in association with them (despite what the show says). As for their divine purpose...maybe to rid the world of dragons? I've no idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wolfmaid7 Posted January 22, 2014 Share Posted January 22, 2014 What do they want???TO TAKE OVER THE WORLD PINKY! !!!I kid ofcourse, they just trying to do their jobs keep bad shit from entering the world of men, else it will be shit for all.They are not evil but elementals essential to keep the balance and to ensure the Wight population North of the Wall doesnt get out of hand by keeping humans out the way of "The Cold" . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King of Vaes Tolorro Posted January 22, 2014 Share Posted January 22, 2014 To usher in the good old days before the First Men and Andals and Rhonyar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greywind617 Posted January 22, 2014 Share Posted January 22, 2014 I have two possible examples to draw upon that I think are interesting. First I thought about a historical context that GRRM might be drawing upon. The main one that came to mind is the Hunnic invasion of Europe. The Wildlings would be playing the role of the Visigoths, a people being driven out of their homelands by some other, much more powerful force. The Huns had no motivation to rule over the lands they conquered, they simply wanted to sack and raid to grow their own wealth and power. In a way the Others could be like this, an overwhelming force finally coming together by the beginning of a new winter, with a motivation to stretch their legs and destroy all thats around them. This doesn't really solve the motivation question however but brings some thoughts to the table. The second thing that came to mind were cicadas and locusts. Cicadas are known to have life-cycles that lead them to emerge from the ground after a prolonged period of time to mate. I almost imagine the Others to act in a similar fashion, emerging from the ice at the outbreak of winter. Now they probably aren't emerging to mate (though who knows, could be an interesting documentary...) but perhaps turning the living to wights fills some deep seeded need for a type of procreation. They also exhibit locust tendencies of swelling their population to their available food source, leaving widespread devastation behind. Other random musings: I think their motivations and state of mind must be linked to the ritualistic, maybe even spiritual, designs they make in the snow out of body parts (the designs always reminded me of ancient Celtic practices). None of what has been stated yet even goes into the huge discussion of if the Others are synonymous with "the Great Other" from the religion of R'hllor what might that say about their goals? Also their acceptance of Crastor's arrangement might lead one to conclude their ultimate goal may not simply be death. They continued to spare his life along with his daughters given he appease their true desire, his infant sons. This might mean there is something to the blood of the innocent, or who knows but if their goal was simply to bring death to everyone it wouldn't make sense that they'd be interested in this situation. One more thing I just thought about, if the Night's King could fall in love and actually have an ongoing relationship with one of the Other's... that actually says a lot to their character... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daken Blackfyre Posted January 22, 2014 Share Posted January 22, 2014 Are saying that Santa is the Great Other? woah that just made me think in another direction but anyway the other want everything to be cold to expand their territory?? well it makes sense i mean after all these years they must be facing population problems living in the small region of winter and all Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dagon Posted January 22, 2014 Share Posted January 22, 2014 I have two possible examples to draw upon that I think are interesting. First I thought about a historical context that GRRM might be drawing upon. The main one that came to mind is the Hunnic invasion of Europe. The Wildlings would be playing the role of the Visigoths, a people being driven out of their homelands by some other, much more powerful force. The Huns had no motivation to rule over the lands they conquered, they simply wanted to sack and raid to grow their own wealth and power. In a way the Others could be like this, an overwhelming force finally coming together by the beginning of a new winter, with a motivation to stretch their legs and destroy all thats around them. This doesn't really solve the motivation question however but brings some thoughts to the table. The second thing that came to mind were cicadas and locusts. Cicadas are known to have life-cycles that lead them to emerge from the ground after a prolonged period of time to mate. I almost imagine the Others to act in a similar fashion, emerging from the ice at the outbreak of winter. Now they probably aren't emerging to mate (though who knows, could be an interesting documentary...) but perhaps turning the living to wights fills some deep seeded need for a type of procreation. They also exhibit locust tendencies of swelling their population to their available food source, leaving widespread devastation behind. Other random musings: I think their motivations and state of mind must be linked to the ritualistic, maybe even spiritual, designs they make in the snow out of body parts (the designs always reminded me of ancient Celtic practices). None of what has been stated yet even goes into the huge discussion of if the Others are synonymous with "the Great Other" from the religion of R'hllor what might that say about their goals? Also their acceptance of Crastor's arrangement might lead one to conclude their ultimate goal may not simply be death. They continued to spare his life along with his daughters given he appease their true desire, his infant sons. This might mean there is something to the blood of the innocent, or who knows but if their goal was simply to bring death to everyone it wouldn't make sense that they'd be interested in this situation. One more thing I just thought about, if the Night's King could fall in love and actually have an ongoing relationship with one of the Other's... that actually says a lot to their character... Great post, I feel similarly. My two guesses were reclaiming territory from before the Wall was put up, or a natural force that's necessary to create a balance. All of the other accounts, such as the Craster situation, the Night's King, and even Waymar Royce's encounter with them, leads me to conclude that they are not mindless killing machines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moseisley Posted January 22, 2014 Share Posted January 22, 2014 They're secret Targaryens Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barbossa Posted January 22, 2014 Share Posted January 22, 2014 One more thing I just thought about, if the Night's King could fall in love and actually have an ongoing relationship with one of the Other's... that actually says a lot to their character... This is what bugs me the most about them, its clear that they are not mindless, but why do we know only of one female other? Maybe they have like a ants like society, they lost their one and only queen and are now looking for her.(probably not) My best guess is that its not really that complicated, the books are name a " song of fire and ice" . They simply another humanoid species who serve their god, and their god is at war with the god of men, so its probably just self defence in their perspective. I really don't think they hate men, they do probably hate the fire god. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Stark Posted January 22, 2014 Share Posted January 22, 2014 They are the side that lost the war a long, long time ago. Imagine if it had been the other way around. Imagine if mankind had lost. And the world was cold. And these ethereal/glass like creatures ruled the lands, and then mankind came back. We were reborn. And with us came fire and heat, which terrified the White Walkers (who I'm assuming have a more majestic name for themselves). We, mankind, would want our revenge as well and to take back what we felt was ours. So I guess what I'm saying is that I don't think the Others are evil, in the sense that I don't believe that they are killing humans just because they are evil and their dark lord, the Great Other, has commanded it. I think they are a people who were betrayed by the Realms of Men as well as the Children of the Forest, and they want their revenge. I'd go further and say that they might be fighting for survival, which will make them that much stronger of an opponent. I'd go even further and say that the CotF's magic was somehow tied to the Other's magic, so when they betrayed them by uniting with mankind, they hurt magic as a whole, and thus hurt themselves in the end. And of course, mankind being mankind, we destroyed the CotF and took the world for ourselves while only some men kept to the old gods. So in a way, mankind is the bad guy here. Although we don't see it that way. But the Others do. They are coming back to take "their" lands, and destroy the Realms of Men who are the great enemy and true threat to magic beings (including dragons). EDIT: Actually, I'm pretty sure this is what happened. A few thousand years ago the Realms of Men betrayed the Others (then known by a different name) at the "Blue Wedding", often times called the "Ice Wedding". :cool4: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhaegar's Second Son Posted January 22, 2014 Share Posted January 22, 2014 Maybe to bring balance to the seasons? Or create an always winter world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redriver Posted January 22, 2014 Share Posted January 22, 2014 Fiery Dornish peppers and fearsomely strong cider. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alienarea Posted January 22, 2014 Share Posted January 22, 2014 To know where whores go? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheButcherCrow Posted January 22, 2014 Share Posted January 22, 2014 Maybe they just want to be friends: Other A - WTF is up with these humans man?!?!Other B - I know right?!?! We keep bringing their dead back for them and they just keep freaking the fuck out!! Like, don't they want to be immortal?!?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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