“They swept through cities and kingdoms, riding their dead horses, hunting with their packs of pale spiders big as hounds…” That’s Old Nan back in season one of Game of Thrones, terrifying young Bran, in his pre-Three-Eyed Raven days, with stories of Ice Spiders. What is an Ice Spider, you might be asking? Well, it’s a spider… but ice. The White Walkers rode them when they first descended on Westeros during the Long Night (when the upcoming Game of Thrones prequel series takes place); they haven’t been seen since, at least until the 2020 A Song of Ice and Fire calendar that George R.R. Martin debuted on his Twitter.
“Here’s an official sneak peak of John Howe’s cover art of our 2020 SoI&F calendar featuring the legendary ice spiders which haunt old Nan’s creepiest bedtime stories,” the author tweeted, leading to speculation that we might see the eight-legged creatures in the eighth and final season of Game of Thrones.
After all, the White Walkers have invaded Westeros again, and they might need more than a single (ice) dragon. As for Martin, the author recently made a vow to finish the final two books in the A Song of Ice and Fire series. “I am back in my fortress of solitude, and back in Westeros. It won’t be tomorrow, and it won’t be next week, but you will get the end of A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE.” He added that the final season of Game of Thrones is coming, in April 2019, along with “a couple more shows still being scripted… and a few other cool things.”
Hopefully at least one of these things involves Ice Spiders.
Here's an official sneak peak of John Howe's cover art of our 2020 SoI&F calendar featuring the legendary ice spiders which haunt old Nan's creepiest bedtime stories. pic.twitter.com/5Tm0FbPFpC
— George RR Martin (@GRRMspeaking) December 13, 2018