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You hear Game of Thrones, and chances are your mind goes straight to the big stuff: epic battles, shocking betrayals, fire-breathing dragons. Fair enough. But the truth is, there’s so much more hiding beneath all the fighting over thrones and kingdoms in Game of Thrones. If you peel back the layers, you’ll find an older, deeper part of this world, one full of ancient magic, mysterious beings, and stories most people barely even notice. And right there, tucked into that forgotten history, are the Children of the Forest, easily one of the most fascinating, and honestly, most overlooked parts of the entire saga.
These magical beings aren’t just background lore in Game of Thrones. Their existence shaped the entire history of Westeros long before humans even arrived. And the truth about who they are, what they did, and how their choices still ripple through the world is honestly mind-blowing.
Game of Thrones was never just about power or politics
People love to talk about the wars, the betrayals, the backstabbing, and yeah, sure, there’s plenty of that in the series. But the thing is, the show was never really just about who’s winning the next battle or stealing the next crown. There’s something else running underneath it all. This constant tension... between the old and the new. Between a world ruled by magic and one trying really hard to forget that magic ever existed.
And the deeper you go, season after season of the show, the more you start to realize it. Westeros? It’s not just about thrones and titles. There’s a whole hidden history quietly shaping everything. A side of this world most people barely notice… but it’s there. And it changes everything once you start paying attention.
A story that began long before Game of Thrones
The Children of the Forest didn’t just pop up out of nowhere in the series. They’ve been part of Westeros’ mythos since the very beginning, in the books that inspired the show. Long before we followed Jon, Daenerys, and Tyrion, the Children were shaping the land itself.
They appear throughout the literary saga A Song of Ice and Fire, mentioned in old tales, ancient legends, and whispered stories that the characters of Game of Thrones reference from time to time. Readers learned about them bit by bit, sometimes through Bran’s visions, sometimes through stories passed down by the maesters, and sometimes through ancient ruins left behind.
And it wasn’t just in the novels. The show eventually brought them to life, giving the show fans a visual glimpse of these mysterious beings and delivering some of the most jaw-dropping revelations in the process.
So… who are the Children of the Forest, really?
Way, way before the First Men ever set foot in Westeros, like, more than 12,000 years ago, the Children of the Forest were the only ones who called that land home. Tiny compared to humans, almost elvish in the way they looked, with deep green or golden eyes and skin that basically blended right into the trees, the rocks, the rivers… the land itself.
They didn’t build cities. Didn’t forge metal. Honestly, they had no interest in any of that. Their whole existence was tied to the earth, to magic, to the rhythm of the natural world that’s so often forgotten by the time the events of Game of Thrones take place. Their weapons? Made of obsidian, yeah, the same dragonglass we hear so much about later. And their connection to the world ran so deep that they could do things that, to humans, probably felt like pure fantasy. Talking to animals. Shaping parts of the land. Even catching glimpses of the future through something they called greensight.
One of the biggest twists in Game of Thrones: they created the White Walkers
Yes, one of the most shocking moments in the show was learning that the Children of the Forest were responsible for creating the White Walkers. Outnumbered and desperate to defend themselves against the invading First Men, they resorted to a dangerous kind of magic.
By driving a piece of dragonglass into the chest of a man, they unintentionally unleashed something far worse than they ever imagined. What was meant to be a weapon to save them turned into a threat that would haunt the world thousands of years later and become one of the greatest dangers ever faced in the series.
It’s the kind of twist that flips everything on its head. The monsters that everyone feared weren’t just random creatures; they were the result of an ancient conflict between nature and mankind.
A fragile peace that didn’t last forever
Eventually, after centuries of fighting, the Children of the Forest and the First Men realized that neither side was going to win. They agreed to what became known as the Pact, an agreement that allowed humans to keep the open lands while the Children would preserve the forests and sacred places.
For a while, it worked. But time moved on, and with the arrival of new human groups, like the Andals, and later the Targaryens, the balance tipped. By the time Game of Thrones begins, the Children had been pushed further and further north until they became little more than whispers in legends, surviving only beyond the Wall, far away from the growing kingdoms of men.
Their moments on screen and on the page
The Children of the Forest show up at key moments in Game of Thrones:
In Season 4’s finale (The Children), Bran finally meets the Three-Eyed Raven, and one of the last remaining Children.
In Season 6, Episode 5 (The Door), fans get the devastating reveal about how the White Walkers were created.
And in a handful of other scenes scattered throughout the later seasons of the show, offering glimpses into their magic and their role in the larger battle against the Night King.
In the books, their presence feels more like a ghost from the past, felt through stories, symbols, and the eerie weirwood trees with faces carved into them. But just like in Game of Thrones, their influence is undeniable.
Why they matter more than most people realize
They might not have ridden dragons or fought in the Battle of Winterfell, but the Children of the Forest are absolutely crucial to the story of Westeros. Without them, there would be no Wall, no Night’s Watch, no White Walkers, and honestly, no Game of Thrones as we know it.
They’re the reason magic exists in Westeros at all. The Starks’ ability to bond with direwolves? The power of the greenseers? All traces back to them.
They created the very threat that would one day force the living to unite, the White Walkers.
They’re the last protectors of the Old Gods, whose worship survives in the North and beyond the Wall, a faith that still plays a subtle but vital role throughout Game of Thrones.
Their story is a constant reminder that the battles we see on the surface, the fights for crowns and castles, are just one part of a much bigger, older, and more mysterious world.
How fans reacted, and why they still talk about it
When their backstory was finally shown on screen in Game of Thrones, it blew fans away. It added an entirely new layer of meaning to the fight against the Night King and reshaped how viewers understood the history of Westeros.
Of course, not everyone agreed with how much or how little time was spent exploring them. Some wished the show had gone deeper. Others loved the mystery and the sense that some parts of Westeros were meant to remain unknowable.
But one thing’s for sure, their appearance sparked massive discussions. Forums exploded with theories, debates, and questions about what other secrets might still be hidden in the history of Game of Thrones.
A legacy that’s still unfolding
Even now, years after the final episode of Game of Thrones aired, fans still wonder if the full truth about the Children of the Forest has ever really been told. Are there more of them hidden somewhere? Was the creation of the White Walkers the whole story, or just part of something even bigger?
With the growing number of spin-offs and prequels expanding the world of Game of Thrones, there’s always the chance that one day, viewers might get to travel even further back, to the Dawn Age, when Westeros belonged entirely to the Children and their magic shaped everything.
In the end…
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The Children of the Forest are more than just a piece of background lore in Game of Thrones. They represent something timeless, the clash between nature and civilization, magic and reason, the past and the future.
Their story isn’t just about the battles they fought or the mistakes they made. It’s a reminder that the roots of Westeros go far deeper than anyone ever realized, and that sometimes, the most important stories are the ones buried in the shadows of history.
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