Game of Thrones Predictions: Greyscale and White Walkers -- Is There a Connection?

Warning: Spoilers for both the A Song of Ice and Fire books and the TV show Game of Thrones! Spoilers! Spoilers!

An Average White Walker

Where do White Walkers come from? 

This is an often asked question in the A Song of Ice and Fire (ASOIAF) universe that has never been answered to my satisfaction. If you're unfamiliar with ASOIAF/Game of Thrones, the White Walkers are super scary ice/magic creatures/people that lead an army of zombies. (Cool story, right?)

An Average Stone Man (Person with Greyscale)

The most obvious origin of the White Walkers, of course, is magic. But, as easy as it is to write the White Walkers off as an inexplicable creation of a fantasy world, that's never really been George R.R. Martin's (GRRM) style. In the ASOIAF universe, magic is not unconquerable and it's not an excuse for miraculous, crazy, and inexplicable things to happen. Magic exists, but it has consequences, problems, and failings. For example, Melisandre, the Red Woman, can give birth to a magical shadow baby who can kill Renly Baratheon, but she can't magically put Stannis on the throne. Similarly, Dany can receive magical prophecies in the House of the Undying, but that doesn't mean she can interpret or understand them. Similarly, I don't think White Walkers are just supernatural creatures that come from nowhere. I think they're afflicted by a rare and aggressive form of greyscale. (If you're unfamiliar with greyscale, it's an aggressive disease akin to leprosy that is almost always fatal. Those who have greyscale grow greyish black scales all over their skin; the scales make their skin hard and stony. The disease eventually spreads to vital organs and kills those who contract it. Only a few people survive greyscale, including Stannis Baratheon's daughter, Shireen.)

Anyway, I started thinking about this theory when I read A Dance with Dragons a few years ago. Most of my evidence for this comes from the books, though the TV show has confirmed my suspicions. In A Dance with Dragons, Val, Mance Rayder's sister-in-law, tells Jon Snow that Shireen, Stannis' daughter, should be killed because of her greyscale. She insists that Shireen is dead already and that she is not clean. Check out this conversation between Val and Jon Snow from A Dance with Dragons:

“The maesters may believe what they wish. Ask a woods witch if you would know the truth. The grey death sleeps, only to wake again. The child is not clean!”

“She seems a sweet girl. You cannot know—” 

“I can. You know nothing, Jon Snow.” Val seized his arm. “I want the monster out of there. Him and his wet nurses. You cannot leave them in that same tower as the dead girl.” 

Jon shook her hand away. “She is not dead.” “She is. Her mother cannot see it. Nor you, it seems. Yet death is there.” She walked away from him, stopped, turned back. “I brought you Tormund Giantsbane. Bring me my monster.”

A lot of people have written off this interaction because the Wildlings tend to be less learned than other cultures in the ASOIAF universe. I'm not so sure though. True, the Wildlings are not as educated as the Maesters, but Val is nobody's dummy. It's noted multiple times in the books that she's shrewd and capable; she even finds Tormund and the other Wildlings when no one else can. Furthermore, the Wildlings have WAY more experience with White Walkers, wights, and other supernatural things than the average Westerosi maester or knight. So, when a Wildling gives you a cryptic warning about something that sounds vaguely supernatural, you should LISTEN TO THEM. Like, why would GRRM dedicate a full page of text to something that means absolutely nothing and is never going to be pertinent? It's like that saying about theatre: 'If there's a gun in act one, it had better go off in act three.' Plus, people are always nay-saying the Wildlings, and the Wildlings always turn out to be right. For example, Jon Snow and the other Night's Watch members thought that the Wildlings were pretty silly for believing in the White Walkers and the Army of the Dead. That is, until the Army of the Dead started coming for them. You're one for nil, Jon.

Anyway, I think that this conversation is subtle foreshadowing that something horrible is going to happen to Shireen related to her greyscale (in the books), and I think that that horrible thing is Shireen becoming a White Walker -- or something of that nature. There are a number of similarities between those afflicted with greyscale and White Walkers:

1) Both behave in non-human ways. While one could argue that White Walkers act with a sort of internal logic, it's pretty obvious that their behavior is non-human. When they become afflicted with greyscale, sufferers begin to act irrationally and animalistic; sometimes they are violent. Obviously, the disease effects their brains in some way -- I'm thinking White Walkers have a similar problem.

2) Those with greyscale are 'stony' to the touch; their skin becomes hard and 'stone-like' to the touch. White Walkers appear to be made of ice; their skin also appears to be hard to the touch. This similarity is especially evident in the show, in which they are styled somewhat similarly. Visually, their skin appears to have a similar texture -- although one is made of ice and one is made of stone.

3) They do not feel pain. Obviously, it's impossible to know what White Walkers feel and don't feel, but we know that greyscale removes sensation from  the affected areas. Sufferers of greyscale cannot feel blades, even if they bleed. Similarly, it appears that White Walkers are immune to most weapons and sensations.

4) It spreads by skin to skin contact. This fact has been confirmed for sure in the case of greyscale; we know that skin to skin contact with an infected person is the easiest way to contract greyscale. The books don't reveal much about the creation of White Walkers; however, there is an interesting scene in the show where Craster's sons are turned into White Walkers via skin to skin contact. As GRRM has a fair amount of control over the show's content, it seems to me that this has the ring of truth.

Obviously, a lot of these factors are somewhat circumstantial and don't necessarily mean anything, but, given Val's dark words, I think it's enough evidence for concern.

This week's episode of Game of Thrones, during which Shireen was burned alive, gives me further cause for concern. In the 'inside the episode' feature about Season 5 Episode 9, the showrunners hinted at the fact that they had discussed Shireen's death with GRRM and that GRRM told them that it was going to happen (watch the video if you don't believe me). If that's true, then I have one prediction to make: she's not dead yet.

I could be completely wrong, but I predict that Melisandre is either going to bring her back to life (we know that she can do this because Thoros of Myr does it repeatedly with Beric Dondarrion) or Shireen is going to bring herself back to life -- as a White Walker. Trust me, the final scene of the finale episode of this season is going to be Shireen's burned body in the snow. Then, all of the sudden, she's going to open her eyes and their going to be glowing blue. Or, maybe she'll only have one eye since she only had greyscale on half her face.

Either way, none of this is going to end well.

Just sayin'