In Game of Thrones, the icy beings are called White Walkers in the television series and the Others in George R. R. Martin’s books. They are not the same as wights, the dead people and animals they raise to fight for them. Knowing the difference clears up a common source of confusion.
This article explains the names, how the creatures differ, and what the show reveals about their origin. It also covers the Night King, the books’ different terminology, and which weapons can stop the dead. That way, you can tell who is who whenever the threat beyond the Wall comes up.
what are the frozen people called in game of thrones?
In the HBO television series, the icy supernatural beings are called White Walkers. In the novels that inspired the series, they are called the Others. The two names refer to the mysterious beings from the far North, not to every corpse that marches with them.
The creatures they raise from the dead are called wights. A wight is a dead body animated by supernatural power and controlled by the Others or White Walkers. So, if a dead person stands back up and attacks, that person is a wight—not a White Walker.
The distinction matters because the beings and their undead followers are different kinds of threat. White Walkers can create and command wights, while wights are the bodies used as their army. The show gives the White Walkers a more defined look and story than the books do.
White Walkers, Others, and wights: what each name means
These terms are easy to mix up because the story often shows the creatures together. Use this quick comparison to keep them straight:
| Name | What it refers to | How it appears | Best way to identify it |
|---|---|---|---|
| White Walker | An icy supernatural being in the TV adaptation | A pale, humanoid figure with a cold, otherworldly appearance | It is a powerful creature, not a reanimated human corpse |
| Other | The name used for the corresponding beings in the novels | Mysterious beings associated with the cold and the far North | It is the book term; the novels reveal much less about them |
| Wight | A dead body brought back to serve the Others or White Walkers | A reanimated person or animal | It was once alive and now acts as part of the undead army |
| Night King | A major leader of the White Walkers in the TV series | A distinct figure who commands the undead threat | He is one character, not another name for all White Walkers |
A simple memory aid is White Walkers command; wights are commanded. In book discussions, replace White Walkers with Others unless you are talking specifically about the television adaptation.
Why the show says White Walkers and the books say Others
Martin’s novels call the icy beings the Others. The TV adaptation uses White Walkers, a different name for the same broad kind of creature, while calling their animated dead servants wights. The change helps viewers distinguish the supernatural beings from the people they raise.
The word “Other” also fits the books’ strange, unsettling tone. The beings are presented as an ancient, poorly understood presence rather than as a group whose history is fully explained. Their motives and nature remain mysterious, so the name does not give away much about what they are.
In the show, “White Walker” is easier to understand at a glance. Their pale appearance is visually distinctive, and the phrase became the familiar label for the main icy enemies. Still, the terminology is not interchangeable in every sentence: a White Walker is not a wight, even when both appear in the same battle.
When comparing the series with the novels, be alert to this adaptation difference. Someone discussing “the Others” may be talking about the books, not a separate faction that the show forgot to include. Conversely, someone referring to “White Walkers” is usually using the television series’ name.
How the White Walkers differ from the wights they raise
White Walkers are supernatural beings with their own bodies and agency. In the show, they can lead forces, fight with weapons, and raise the dead. Wights are the reanimated bodies in those forces. They do not have the same independent role or status.
A wight may have been a person who died in the cold lands beyond the Wall, but the term is not limited to human remains. The series also depicts reanimated animals. That is why “undead army” is often a more useful description than “army of frozen people.” The creatures are not simply people preserved in ice.
The distinction also explains why different tactics work against different enemies. A wight is vulnerable to fire, which can destroy its body. A White Walker is a tougher supernatural opponent: in the television series, dragonglass and Valyrian steel can kill one. Defeating a White Walker can also cause wights linked to it to fall, making the leader a higher-priority target during a fight.
That last point is particularly useful when following the series’ battles. The dead army may look like one enormous mass, but a White Walker is not merely a stronger-looking wight. It is a separate kind of creature with the power to raise the dead and a different set of weaknesses.
Where the White Walkers came from in the TV series
The television series gives the White Walkers an origin story. They were created by the Children of the Forest, an ancient people who used dragonglass against a captured First Man. The Children intended to make a weapon against the First Men, who were encroaching on their lands.
The creation did not remain under control. The new being became the first White Walker, later known as the Night King, and the threat spread. The Children eventually allied with humans against the forces they had helped create. The story presents this history as a disaster with consequences that outlast its creators.
This origin is specific to the show’s version of events. The novels have not provided the same detailed explanation for the Others. They remain more mysterious, and readers should not assume that every element of the TV backstory is confirmed in the books.
The series also links the Night King to the White Walkers’ larger threat. He is not a generic label for the creatures, but a particular leader with a central role in the show’s account. His existence and detailed origin should not be treated as established book canon.
Who is the Night King, and is he in the books?
In the TV series, the Night King is the leader of the White Walkers and the central figure behind their attack on the living. The show identifies him as the first White Walker and gives him a distinctive appearance and powers. His actions help explain why the army of the dead can threaten the kingdoms south of the Wall.
The novels do not feature this same on-screen character as a present-day leader. They do mention a figure called the Night’s King in an old legend, but that is not proof that he is the same character as the television Night King. The names are similar, yet the stories and roles should not be conflated.
This is one of the most common points of confusion between the books and the series. The Night King as viewers know him is a TV creation. The Night’s King is a figure from Westerosi history and legend in the books, with a different context.
So, if you are asking about the leader seen in the show, call him the Night King. If you are discussing the old book legend, use Night’s King and explain the context. That small distinction prevents a lot of mistaken claims about what the novels have confirmed.
What can kill White Walkers and wights?
In the television series, dragonglass and Valyrian steel can kill White Walkers. Dragonglass is a form of volcanic glass, also called obsidian. It is not just an ordinary sharp stone: the story establishes it as a weapon that can destroy these supernatural beings.
Wights have a different weakness. Fire can burn their bodies and stop them. This makes flame useful for dealing with the reanimated dead, but it does not mean fire is the reliable answer to a White Walker. The difference between the two enemy types affects what characters need to carry and how they plan a defense.
The show also depicts a connection between White Walkers and the wights they raise. When a White Walker is killed, the wights it has raised can collapse as well. That makes attacking the source of the undead force strategically important, although reaching a White Walker can be far more dangerous than fighting ordinary wights.
For the novels, be more cautious about stating rules as settled facts. The Others are mysterious, and the book series has not established every detail shown on television. Dragonglass is associated with fighting them, but show-specific scenes and explanations should not automatically be treated as book canon.
How to tell which creature a scene is showing
If you are watching the series or reading a discussion, look at the creature’s role rather than relying only on its color or setting. These simple checks usually make the terminology clear:
- Ask whether it was once alive. If it is a dead human or animal brought back to move and attack, it is a wight.
- Look for independent leadership. A supernatural being commanding the dead is a White Walker in the show, or an Other in the books.
- Check which version is being discussed. The show uses White Walkers; Martin’s novels use Others.
- Separate the leader from the group. The Night King is the TV series’ particular leader, not another name for every White Walker.
These checks are more reliable than calling every pale or undead creature a White Walker. The distinction is about what the creature is and what it does, not just its appearance.
Common mix-ups about the frozen beings
Are White Walkers the same as zombies?
Wights are similar to zombies in the broad sense that they are dead bodies moving again. However, “wight” is the story’s specific term, and the bodies are controlled by the Others or White Walkers. The White Walkers themselves are not zombies; they are the supernatural beings behind the undead threat.
Are the Others and White Walkers different species?
They are the book and television names for the corresponding icy beings, not two separate groups introduced in the same version of the story. Use “Others” when discussing the novels and “White Walkers” when discussing the show, unless you are explaining the naming difference.
Are wights frozen people?
Not exactly. Wights are dead people or animals reanimated by supernatural power. Cold and ice are closely associated with the threat, but the term does not mean a body that was merely frozen and preserved.
Is every White Walker the Night King?
No. The Night King is a specific leader in the TV series. The other White Walkers are separate beings within the group, and the books have not established the same Night King character.
Why the book and show differences matter
A Song of Ice and Fire and Game of Thrones share a world, but the adaptation changes, expands, or simplifies parts of the story. The White Walkers’ origin and the Night King’s role are examples of details that the show develops in its own way. Readers should keep the two versions distinct rather than assuming one automatically fills gaps in the other.
This matters most when discussing the Others’ history and purpose. The show gives viewers a direct explanation of how the first White Walker was made. The novels keep the beings more mysterious, so claims about their full origin or motives should be labeled as speculation unless the text confirms them.
It also helps to be precise when using the word “wight.” In some fantasy stories, that word can refer to a supernatural creature in a broader way. In Game of Thrones and the books’ world, it commonly means a reanimated corpse. Context makes it clear whether a conversation is about the undead servants or the icy beings who control them.
If you only remember one distinction, remember this: Others and White Walkers are naming differences across versions; wights are the raised dead. That rule answers most questions about who the frozen enemies are and what their army consists of.
The answer to what are the frozen people called in game of thrones depends on the version: the show calls the icy beings White Walkers, while the books call them Others. The dead bodies they raise are wights, and the Night King is a particular leader in the television series.
Next time you discuss the story, identify whether you mean the books or the show, then use the matching name. If the creature was once a person or animal and has been reanimated, call it a wight.