Yesterday HBO began the Game of Thrones onslaught in the traditional way. By giving an exclusive first look to Entertainment Weekly. One photo in particular — of Dany riding a huge Drogon — set the tone for what will inevitable be an epic battle between fire and ice. While the dragons (and their three riders) make up the fire side of the equation, what of the Night King and his horde of undead ice minions who assumedly want to destroy the world? Don’t worry, winter is still coming. According to this new motion poster, it’s already here.
#GoTS7 begins 7.16 on @HBO. #GameofThrones pic.twitter.com/N3L2HJuEnZ
— Game of Thrones (@GameOfThrones) May 23, 2017
I’ve speculated at length about both the Night King and the White Walkers’ connection to the dragons over the years, but it wasn’t until this glorified GIF that I realized the Night King has dragon-esque eyes. So much so that at first I thought the screen would fade from black to reveal what fans have long suspected; that the White Walkers have ice dragons.
But now I question if they are one in the same. Without getting bogged down in the details, mythology within the Game of Thrones universe hints that at one time dragons had human forms. In fact, Dany’s stillborn son might have been the closest thing to a Dragonkin in thousands of years. Now, assuming Martin didn’t sprinkle red herrings all over the history of his world, it isn’t out of the realm of possibility that whatever the Children of the Forest did to create the White Walkers also gave them other abilities. Or that the whoever the Night King is (my money is on a Stark), he was a shapeshifter. Or perhaps his lover the mysterious Night’s Queen was Dragonkin. Or maybe the Game of Thrones effects team just likes that eye shape.
Whatever the case, all I’m saying is there better be some ice dragons before this war is over.
