Game of Thrones, much like the book series that inspired it, is a series that introduces fans to a world with its own history, culture, and most importantly, mysteries. There are several plot threads that have led fans to create complicated theories regarding the outcome of certain characters’ journeys or ways to interpret the story to get a better understanding of how it might end. One such theory found on Reddit actually provides a new way to interpret the corruption that is so prevalent within the Great Houses of Westeros, as well as how it directly connects to the threat of the White Walkers.
Far from being some conspiracy theory connecting the dots between the actions of the Houses and their connections to the supernatural, this theory takes a real-world religious persepctive to better comprehend how each of the houses may have been unknowingly contributing to their own destruction. While the theory itself is likely not a perfect summation of what George R.R. Martin intended, the thought process behind it is actually quite fascinating. There is solid reasoning behind it that can paint the decisions made by families such as the Lannisters and the Starks in a new light and thus it deserves a chance to make its case to a skeptical audience.
The Sins of the Great Houses of Westeros
From the Starks to the Targaryens, Not One Family Was Safe
The first step to understanding this theory is knowing through knowing the biblical Seven Deadly Sins. Most people would know them as Pride, Lust, Greed, Sloth, Gluttony, Wrath, and Envy. By applying one to each of the Great Houses of Westeros, their behaviors and actions throughout the story actually become somewhat easier to interpret and explain how they ultimately fell. The Starks, though beloved by many and considered as Game of Thrones‘s main protagonists, are not exempt from being assigned a sin.
Theirs is Pride, specifically relating to how their stubbornness has often caused them more problems rather than created solutions. They believe in honor and loyalty, but in a world as treacherous as Westeros, such beliefs only have merit, so long as the enemy does as well. If they do not, then… well, what happened to all the Stark children in the ensuing years following Ned’s death is more than enough proof of how costly it is to be «honorable» in a dishonorable world.
House Tyrell was given the sin of greed for constantly changing sides to join the house that could benefit them the most.
The Starks aren’t the only ones free of these assignments. Other major families, such as the Lannisters and Targaryens, were also assigned such roles. In the Lannisters’ case, they predictably got the sin of Lust. While this is mostly regarding the incestuous relationship between Cersei and her twin brother, Jaime, it can also apply to how the Lannisters frequently lust after power, often without consideration how their actions harm those around them and may incur vendettas that will come due at some point.
The Targaryen family, in the meantime, embody the sin of Envy. This would likely be a recent development for them following their ousting from Westeros during Robert’s Rebellion. The envy they feel towards those who have the Iron Throne can be easily seen in both Viserys and later Daenerys, signifying how the desire for power can ruin the good inside a person.
The one area that this theory sort of flops in is its application of Sloth to House Frey. This isn’t because House Grey isn’t lazy, they are in fact very lazy and only put in the bare minimum effort to accomplish a task, relying more on others to do their dirty work. The main issue with House Frey being Sloth is that it is not a great house. They are a powerful one to be sure, but ultimately not great, despite what their lord’s ambition would say.
Other than that, the Freys perfectly encapsulate the idea of laziness and incompetence. Their lack of ambition takes center stage when Jaime Lannister sneaked an army into the Freys’ «siege camp» and he saw how poorly maintained the entire operation was. Needless to say, the Freys were rightly hated, and their refusal to actually participate in the hard work makes them so vilified.
The White Walkers Are Here to Punish Humanity
The idea that each of the Great Houses is directly connected to a deadly sin explains what is wrong in Westeros. If true, then, of course, the country would be a hot mess. If the major leaders of the nation were entirely ruled by a singular sin that keeps having them repeat the same awful behavior, then corruption would eventually settle in. Nothing would be too far for anyone, and it had shown by the time the War of the Five Kings began.
Corrupt leaders make for a corrupt country, and Westeros’ depravity could be heartbreaking and appalling, depending on the circumstances, but was ultimately a consequence of its iconic villains. This does, however, nicely connect to the question of the White Walkers. While the show may have portrayed them as the result of the Children of the Forest altering normal men to turn them into weapons against their own, it actually flies in the face of what George R.R. Martin himself said about the White Walkers.
The White Walkers are known as «the Others» in the books and have not revealed a leader yet.
They are neither good nor bad, they simply are. He likens them more to a force of nature. A blizzard is not evil, even if it can kill someone, it is simply a force of nature. That’s what the Night King and the White Walkers are: a force of nature merely acting according to their ultimate purpose. Which leads to the actual cause of the White Walker invasion. Taking inspiration once again from religion, the theory speculates that, much like the Great Flood God sent down to punish humanity, the White Walkers themselves function in a similar way.
The theory postulates that they are the creations of the Old Gods of Westeros, who created the White Walkers to punish humanity for their many sins. The White Walkers would wipe away the sins of humanity by getting rid of them entirely. It certainly plays into the idea that the White Walkers are more a consequence of humanity’s actions more than anything else and still comes back around to the concept that they were made in response to humans rather than being some innate force of evil.
The Flaws of this Dark Game of Thrones Theory
While the theory itself is definitely fascinating and can even provide more insight into the show’s characters and monsters, it doesn’t completely hold up with the foundational ideas that led to its creation. The conflict between the Starks and Lannisters was originally inspired by the historical event known as the War of the Roses, a decades-long dispute over the throne of England between the houses of York and Lancaster. As for the White Walkers themselves, George R.R. Martin always equated them as akin to climate change.
They were the consequence of a changing world, implying that humans had something to do with their original appearance, as well as their return. So, the theory lines up with the idea that the White Walkers are a punishment for humanity. Where it differs is that the White Walkers were created with a specific purpose in mind. Whereas the show and the books’ interpretation is that, while they are terrifying, they are simply acting within their nature with no more malice than a hurricane.
In the show, the White Walkers were created as a line of defense against the First Men during their war with the Children of the Forest.
It may be destructive, but there’s no real direction to the harm it causes. The idea that the Great Houses connect to deadly sins is not without its flaws. An example of this is how it equates House Martell with Gluttony. While Oberyn might have been an example of this to an extent, by and far they were far from ravenous in their appetites.
Oberyn’s many affairs were considered almost typical for a Dornishman, and with Dorne’s perception of illegitimate children being less cruel, this makes it seem more like a virtue than a sin. The other sins attributed to the major houses are actually quite spot-on. No one in the show was without fault and all of them had flaws that were motivated by the basic emotions that inspired those sins. Failing to overcome them, it led many characters to their downfall, whether or not they deserved it.
