Nobody can deny that the most iconic aspect of HBO’sGame of Thrones,an adaptation of theSong of Ice and Firebook series byGeorge R. R. Martin, is its fantastical creatures. After all,Game of Thrones' iconic dragonsare beloved icons of modern television. Yet before these fire-breathing lizards hatched, audiences had the direwolves of the north to latch onto. Initially found by Lord Eddard Stark (Sean Bean) as newborn puppies next to their dead mother, the direwolves become companions to each of his children.
Throughout the show, the direwolves would grow to the size of horses and develop unbreakable bonds with their humans. Unfortunately, as the dragons also got bigger and became the show’s mascot,the direwolves found themselves being written out of the plot, and their importance diminished compared to their book counterparts. Still, even with their diminished roles, there is a lot of strong symbolism in the direwolves and their relationships with the Stark children.Each direwolf develops a unique personality that compliments their ownersand helps them stand out from one another.
Game Of Thrones
Nine noble families fight for control over the lands of Westeros while an ancient enemy returns after being dormant for millennia.
6Shaggydog
Bonded to Rickon Stark
The only wolf born with black fur, Shaggydog is bonded to the youngest of the Stark children, Rickon (Art Parkinson). Mirroring Rickon’s emotional state, Shaggydog becomes aggressive and volatile, snapping and growling at anyone who isn’t his owner. Unfortunately, his aggression couldn’t keep Rickon safe when he and Osha (Natalia Tena) went to stay with Smalljon Umber (Dean S. Jagger), who killed Shaggydog to show his loyalty to Ramsay Snow (Iwan Rheon).
Shaggydog might have had more screen time than other direwolves, buthis impact on the series is negligible. This is in large part due to Rickon’s young age preventing him from having an impact on the plot and his departure at the end of Season 3. His name references a trope called the Shaggy Dog Story, used to describe when a plot point is given a lot of attention and buildup, only to end in an anticlimax, which lines up with Rickon’s final moments before the Battle of the Bastards. One can only hope that he gets up to more in the book, where Rickon went to hide on the island of Scaggos instead of with the Umbers, and Shaggydog was last seen in a dream hunting a unicorn.
Bonded to Sansa Stark
Of all the direwolves, none of them matched as perfectly with their owner as Lady did with Sansa (Sophie Turner). Just as Eddard’s eldest daughter took more to the culture of her mother, Catelyn Stark (Michelle Fairley), and loved songs, romance, and courtly life, Lady took the most to domestication. She was gentle, showed no signs of aggression and was the most trusting to strangers. Sadly, after Arya’s (MaisieWilliams) wolf Nymeria attacks Prince Joffrey Baratheon (Jack Gleeson), Queen Cersei (Lena Headey) demands that Lady be killed, which Eddard begrudgingly carries out.
While Lady was the first wolf to die, she has a lot of symbolism linked to her passing, making her stand out more than Shaggydog.Her death represented the end of Sansa’s innocence: it was the first time that she saw her gallant prince, Joffrey, hadan evil side to him, and how bitter and spiteful the beautiful and cultured queen could be. It also showed that those who belong in the North, like the Starks, should remain there, as going south would lead to pain and tragedy.
Bonded to Arya Stark
Named afterthe famous Rhonyar queen Nymeria, who sailed her people across the Narrow Sea to Dorne to escape the Valyrian Empire, Arya’s wolf mirrors her playful and fierce personality. After Nymeria attacks Joffrey’s arm when he threatens Arya, she is sent into the wild by her tearful owner. Years later, Arya finds Nymeria in the wilderness, now the leader of a wild pack of lesser wolves. Just as Arya found a new path in life separate from her family’s, Nymeria found a new life separate from Arya, and the two part ways again.
Much like how Lady’s death was the death of Sansa’s innocence,Arya driving Nymeria away is the beginning of the loss of her Stark identity. Unfortunately, Arya never has any wolf dreams in the show, so audiences don’t get to see Nymeria create her pack and become more savage, to the point where she regularly hunts humans. This reflects Arya’s loss of humanity, as around the same time as Nymeria is hunting humans, Arya is becoming desensitized to killing them.
3Grey Wind
Bonded to Rob Stark
When Robb Stark (Richard Madden) began training his direwolf, he named him Grey Wind after noticing how he appeared like a gray blur while running. He quickly takes to Robb’s training, becoming the most disciplined and responsive of the wolves. When Robb leads the armies of the North and the Riverlands in the War of the Five Kings, Grey Wind is always by his side, killing just as many men as Robb in battle. Unfortunately, Grey Wind waskilled at the Red Wedding, and his severed head was hooked onto Robb’s body in a mocking display.
The show toned down Grey Wind’s involvement compared to the book; however, when he did show up, his best qualities shone through.Grey Wind was among the most protective of the direwolves, biting off the fingers of Greatjon Umber (Clive Mantle) when he threatened Robb. The worst part of his adaptation is probably how the show handled his death. Rather than getting killed while in his kennel as in the show, book Grey Wind was released by one of Robb’s loyal supporters and killed and maimed several Frey soldiers and hounds before he was brought down.
Bonded to Brandon Stark
When a Catspaw (Lalor Roddy) armed with a Valyrian Steel dagger tries to kill the comatose Brandon Stark (Isaac Hempstead Wright), his direwolf aided Catelyn in killing the attacker. Upon awakening, Bran names him Summer, and the two become inseparable. As Bran develops his warg powers, he frequently jumps inside Summer’s body to move and hunt with the speed and power of a wolf. Summer follows Bran to the cave of the Three-Eyed Raven (Struan RogerandMax von Sydow), where he dies defending Bran from the armies of the Night King (Richard BrakeandVladimir Furdik).
Summer’s personality is the calmest and most collectedof the direwolves: he’s friendly to most people but more than willing to rip the throat out of anyone who threatens Bran.Summer’s relationship with Bran is complex, as while he is a loyal protector and helps Bran to walk again through skin-changing, the more often Bran does it, the more he loses his humanity. This, in a way, could be seen as a foreshadowing of what would happen after Summer’s death, withBran becoming little more than an emotionless robotwho knew all but said little starting with Season 7.
Bonded to Jon Snow
It was Eddard’s bastard son, Jon Snow (Kit Harrington), who convinced him to give a direwolf pup to each of his children, intentionally excluding himself. However, a sixth puppy, an albino runt, was discovered not far off from the mother’s corpse, with Jon claiming him. Naming him Ghost for his coloring and how little noise he made, Jon took his direwolf with him to the Wall when he joined the Night’s Watch.
Ghost doesn’t always stick close to Jon, but he shares his master’s love for his friends and saves Samwell Tarly (John Bradley) several times from dangers such as rival Nights Watch members and undead wights. No matter where he wanders off to, Ghost always returns to Jon, andthe two’s mutual trust and love is perhaps the strongest of all the Stark-direwolf pairings. Part of this is due to their mutual status as outcasts in their families who go on to achieve great things together. Fans were so outraged that Jon sent Ghost north with the wildlings without so much as a pet goodbye that the production teamhastily included a scene of Jon petting Ghost in the finale.
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