The world of Game of Thrones is expansive and quite dangerous. There is no shortage of terrible things that can kill you in the wide world of Westeros, from maniacal kings drunk with power to fire-breathing dragons serving at the behest of a vengeful queen. Things are especially dangerous in the North, where the conditions are harsh and even the summers exist in a frigid facsimile of the warmer Southlands. Yet the North would be far more dangerous if not for one ancient wonder protecting the world from something far worse than anyone could imagine. At the border of the Northern Territory of Westeros sits an impressive wall of ice, separating Westeros from the wild lands beyond.

Helmed by the brothers of the Night’s Watch, the Wall is a massive structure completely coated in thick ice year-round. Considered by many to be the “edge of the world,” the Wall stretches for about 300 miles across the border of the North and stands over 700 feet tall. It is by far the most impressive structure in the Seven Kingdoms, even beyond the Red Keep in King’s Landing. Though many in Westeros easily forget the protection that it affords them and therefore take it for granted, the Wall is a fixture of the Seven Kingdoms. Yet, very few seem to know how the impressive structure was built. The history of the Wall stretches back before Aegon’s conquest and may have been built by a surprising group with which Game of Thrones fans might be familiar.

Giants May Have Helped Construct The Wall In The North

Giants Were Mostly Considered Fantasy Creatures By The Time Of Aegon’s Conquest

Fantastical Creatures From North of the Wall:

White Walkers

In The World of Ice and Fire, a companion to George R.R. Martin’s book series fleshing out the world of Westeros in greater depth, Maester Yandel offers several explanations for how the Wall came to be. Most sources agree that the Stark forebear Brandon the Builder had been involved in the construction of the Wall, but human hands alone could not have made such an impressive structure, especially in a time when they lacked construction tools for moving large materials. While Brandon the Builder’s structures were impressive, even he would have trouble constructing a massive Wall of ice, especially in such harsh conditions. An old Westerosi legend suggests that the Wall was not built by Brandon alone, but rather that the Stark king received help from the giants and the children of the forest.

The world of Game of Thrones was once filled with mythological creatures, magic, and other elements of High Fantasy. However, by the events of the series, many of these tall tales and legends had faded away to the realm of myth, with many discounting that they ever existed to begin with. By the beginning of the series, the world mostly resembles our own, with a few notable exceptions. Many suggested that giants had never existed at all or, that if they did, they were not nearly as large in stature as certain legends claimed. However, later seasons reveal that giants indeed existed long before the First Men came to Westeros, lending credence to the idea that they had been involved in the construction of the Wall. Had giants indeed been involved in the construction of the Wall, it would explain how the structure could be so large and impressive while also standing for thousands of years when many other ancient buildings crumble. Even so, most Westerosi don’t believe in such tales.

The Wall May Have Originally Been Made Of Stone–And Magic

There Is More To The Northern Wall Than Meets The Eye

The Seven Kingdoms of Westeros

Territory
Ruling House

The North
House Stark

The Vale
House Arryn

The Riverlands
House Tully

The Stormlands
House Baratheon

The Westerlands
House Lannister

The Reach
House Tyrell

Dorne
House Martell

The World of Ice and Fire also suggests that there is more to the Wall in the North than mere ice. Had the structure been entirely made of ice, it no doubt would have broken down at some point in the thousands of years that it stood protecting the North. Some suggest that the Wall was built with stone first, then later covered with sheets of ice as an extra barrier. There is little to support this theory and, if it is true, there would have to be enough ice that one could no longer see the stone beneath. Nevertheless, there is also not much reason to doubt this theory either, as it would be reasonable to assume that Brandon the Builder and his helpers would want a solid foundation for the Wall.

Another theory suggests that the children of the forest cast magical spells on the Wall to keep it standing and to lend it extra protection against anything that might try to tear it down. The idea that the Wall has magical components is laughable to the people of the South, but Northerners, who are more connected to the land’s history, know that such is possible. Given what viewers know about the history of Westeros, it is likely that the children of the forest indeed cast spells on the Wall to protect the kingdoms to its south from the White Walkers that occasionally marched from the North. If the Wall had magical components, it would explain how it was able to last so long and why so few individuals were able to get through it over the years.

The Wall Was Key To The Seven Kingdoms’ Survival

Without The Wall, Westeros Would Have Fallen

The Game of Thrones Franchise

Series
Years
IMDb Rating
Rotten Tomatoes Rating

Game of Thrones
2011-2019
9.2/10
89%
Max

House of the Dragon
2022-Present
8.4/10
86%

The people of the Seven Kingdoms believe that the Wall was built to protect them from the wildlings, who dwell in the icy northern region outside of Westerosi territory. This is partially true, as bands of wilding raiders have been known to pillage and plunder anything they can reach. At times, different wildling clans have even joined forces under a “King in the North,” who always vows to bring them south of the Wall and conquer the Seven Kingdoms. Thanks to the Wall and the brothers of the Night’s Watch, none of these movements has succeeded, though some wildlings have made it over the Wall on occasion.

While the Wall protects the Seven Kingdoms from wildling raiders, it also serves a much more important purpose. The Wall was built to protect the realm of the living from the realm of the dead. There exists an army, known in Weterosi legend as “The Others,” that is said to march from the North to destroy the Seven Kingdoms. These are the White Walkers, led by the villainous Night King, an army of the dead that come in the dead of winter. Most people in Westeros no longer believe in the White Walkers, but the men of the Night’s Watch know that they are real and, without the Wall, the Seven Kingdoms would be overrun in a matter of days.

The Wall is often forgotten by the people of Westeros, but it protects their way of life every day. Built long before Aegon’s conquest, the Wall has a storied history that delves into the realm of myth and legend.