During last week’s episode of Game of Thrones, “The Door,” we learned that the Children of the Forest were responsible for the creation of the White Walkers. When Bran confronts Leaf, she says, “We were at war. We were being slaughtered. Our sacred trees were cut down. We needed to defend ourselves from you, from men.” The conflict she’s likely referring to is the Children’s war with the First Men. Let’s explore more about the war and the circumstances leading to the truce that followed.
According to The World of Ice and Fire, the First Men landed in Dorne 8,000-12,000 years ago. Prior to their arrival, giants and the Children of the Forest were the only two races in Westeros. During their settlement, the First Men made use of their resources by farming the land and raising villages. In the process, they also began chopping down weirwood trees, including those with carved faces. The Children worshipped the trees and saw men as a significant threat to their survival, so they attacked.
The Children fought with weirwood bows and snares made of grass. It’s also said their greenseers employed magic to call animals to fight on their behalf, including direwolves, monstrous snowbears, and mammoths. The Children battled ferociously but the men were larger, stronger, and fought with bronze weapons. The war lasted for generations until the Children accepted it was a fight they could not win. The First Men, also weary from war, wished for peace.
The chief rulers and heroes from both sides met on the Isle of Faces in the Gods Eye to form the Pact. The Children agreed to give up all the lands in Westeros except for the deep forests. For their part, the First Men promised they would stop cutting down the weirwoods. All of the weirwoods on the Isle of Faces were then carved with faces so the gods could witness the signing of the Pact.
Once the Pact was made, the Dawn Age came to a close and the Age of Heroes began. Peace reigned for 4,000 years until the arrival of the Long Night, and the White Walkers with it. The Children and men once again went to war, only this time as allies. They fought side by side in the Battle of the Dawn, eventually forcing the White Walkers back to the Lands of Always Winter.
Thus far, in both the A Song of Ice and Fire novels and in The World of Ice and Fire, there’s no mention of the origin of the White Walkers. Perhaps The Winds of Winter will reveal whether the Children really did have a hand in creating them. Regardless, it will be interesting to see what role the Children will continue to play on the show, and if they’ll aid Westeros in the wars to come.