Random Insanely Convincing Fan Theories About The White Walkers' Motivation (14 items)

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  (#1) The White Walkers Are Simply Carrying Out Their Purpose

  The Night King was created by the Children of the Forest as a weapon of mass destruction to help them in their fight against the First Men. It may be, then, that the White Walkers are just carrying out the very task they were designed to do: kill all humans.

  Unfortunately, they have not been as easy to control as the Children of the Forest envisioned. How did the two groups become enemies? At some point, the White Walkers may have turned against their creators. Alternatively, the Children may have felt threatened by their power and joined with the First Men to destroy them. The creators of the show have already explained they believe the Night King is not evil, but just a force of nature like Death, doing exactly what he was created to do.
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  (#2) They're Attacking Due To The Dissolution Of An Ancient Pact

  Most people assume the Last Hero who ended the first conflict with the White Walkers was a great warrior, able to defeat them in battle. However, this theory by Redditor u/c_forrester_thorne suggests the ancient leader was actually a seasoned diplomat. The Last Hero negotiated a peace with an enemy that had almost destroyed the civilizations of the First Men and the Children of the Forest. In this sense, the War for the Dawn might have ended through a series of negotiations. Compare this to the manner by which the First Men and the Children of the Forest were able to come to an agreement to peacefully co-exist.

  The Children agreed to stop producing fire magic and promised to stay south of the Wall. In exchange, the White Walkers agreed to stay in the extreme north of Westeros. However, circumstances have changed, leading White Walkers to believe the pact has been broken. For starters, Dany Targaryen brought living dragons back into existence. Meanwhile, the Lord of Light has gained followers all around the world. Human Wildlings and the Night’s Watch have spread to the far north beyond the Wall. In this light, the White Walkers' attacks seem like efforts to remind humanity of their obligations and attempts to secure their home from invaders.
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  (#3) The Others Are Trying To Stop Azor Ahai From Being Reborn

  According to legend, Azor Ahai was a hero who managed to defeat the White Walkers in an ancient battle. Now, he is prophesied to finish the battle, resurrected as The Prince That Was Promised. However, this version of the prophecy has a decidedly human perspective. Westeros.org forum user Falrinn believes the White Walkers may have a very different opinion of Azor Ahai, and could even see him as some sort of demon or harbinger of doom.

  With that in mind, it follows that the Night King may want to try to stop this "hero" from being reborn or amassing more power. To the White Walkers, stopping The Prince That Was Promised is essential to their very survival. They may be willing to go to extremes to do just that.
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  (#4) Their Ultimate Goal Is To Stop Daenerys

  Redditor u/the-original-slimjim suggests the ultimate aim of the White Walkers and the Night King may be to stop Daenerys Targaryen. There are two main pieces of evidence for this. The first is that the White Walkers only seemed to start amassing their strength and marching south when Dany’s dragons hatched. As they grow larger and her army increases, the strength of the Night King has increased to match her own. At this point, he even has his own dragon—and she has one less.

  Secondly, it seems like the White Walkers are set up to be the oppositional ice to the Targaryen fire. Their very existence may be intrinsically linked to the magic of dragons, and so they want to prevent them from returning to Westeros.
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  (#5) The Night King Is Coming To Take His Place As King In The North

  One fan theory proposed by u/Megatron_McLargeHuge on Reddit posits that the Night King is an ancient Stark who is making his way to Winterfell to reclaim his title as King in the North. The argument rests on some folklore from the novels: the Wall was originally built by a Stark known as Bran the Builder, and that the ancient northern house might be intimately tied with the White Walkers.

  The theory postulates that the Starks and the Night King made a compact with one another. While there was "always a Stark in Winterfell," the White Walkers had to remain north of the Wall. However, events of the previous seasons saw Starks flung to all corners of Westeros. Meanwhile, the Boltons took Winterfell for themselves. This may have broken the Starks' agreement with the Night King, allowing him to return and claim Winterfell for himself.
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  (#6) The White Walkers Are Trying To Increase Their Numbers

  It's clear that the White Walkers are intimately linked with humans. The Children of the Forest created the Night King from a captured human, and the White Walkers make wights from humans, including Craster's sons.

  As Redditor u/RPMadMSU argues, the Others need humans to reproduce and thus grow their population. Their military campaign and upcoming invasion of Westeros may simply be a species trying to increase their population—not just an effort at wiping out humanity.
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  (#7) They Want The Same Thing As Everyone Else: To Rule

  One of the most common motives for characters throughout Game of Thrones is the desire to accrue more power. The ultimate goal for many is to sit on the Iron Throne and rule Westeros as its supreme leader. u/SSWBGUY from Reddit believes the Night King and his White Walkers may just want the same thing.

  Rather than being inherently evil, the Others simply share the same lusts as their human counterparts. They have deemed themselves superior, and they want to claim what they believe is their rightful place as the rulers of Westeros. The upcoming war between the Night King and the army of the living may be a power struggle similar to those between enemy households.
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  (#8) The Night King Wants To Go To The Isle Of Faces

  The Isle of Faces is one of the most significant locations in all of Westeros, despite the fact that it has never appeared onscreen (or even mentioned) in Game of Thrones. The Isle of Faces is where the Children of the Forest and the First Men sealed their pact of non-aggression. In the modern age, it holds special significance for the Children thanks to its network of weirwood trees.

  One theory proposes that the island is a place of interest for the Night King. After all, it's important to the creators of the White Walkers themselves. In fact, he may want to travel south past the Wall just to reach it. All of the White Walkers' actions are part of a plan to make the long journey from the Lands of Always Winter to the Isle of Faces. There is likely some strong magic related to the Children of the Forest—and maybe even a way for the Night King to reverse his transformation, or at least find some measure of peace.
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  (#9) The White Walkers Are Trying To Save The World From Evil Men

  Redditor u/c_forrester_thorne theorizes that the White Walkers no longer trust men. In ancient times, the two species coexisted by a sacred pact, but those terms have since been broken. It has eroded the peace that has existed for thousands of years. White Walkers now believe humans are a force for evil that, if left unchecked, will cause untold misery to the realm.

  Consider how much damage has been done by various parties trying to take the Iron Throne for themselves. In this instance, the White Walkers see themselves as saviors, ridding the world of a menace that could very well destroy it.
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  (#10) They Want Gilly's Baby

  Redditor u/Sabreblades believes the White Walkers are after Sam, one of the last Craster kids. Why would the Night King sick his army of wights on poor Gilly's child? Because in the books, Gilly's child has a claim to be king beyond the wall. With toddler Sam out of the way, the Night King can successfully lay claim to all of the land. 

  Others also posit that taking Sam will fulfill the speculated Night King/Craster deal where Craster gives the Night King his people to become wights. 
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  (#11) They Want To Escape The Prison They Have Been Forced To Live In

  According to Redditor u/Sanomiya, the White Walkers may simply be trying to escape a prison they have been confined to for thousands of years. The Wall that separates Westeros from the icy lands in the true North acts as a physical and magical barrier, preventing the Others from leaving. They are effectively imprisoned in a location against their will, forced to live in a place that is objectively unpleasant. Direct conflict with the Wildings and the Night’s Watch may be their only way of freeing themselves from this prison.

  Since they have breached the Wall, the White Walkers may not necessarily want to continue fighting. There may come a point when they are willing to coexist with men, come to peace, and integrate into human society.
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  (#12) The White Walkers Are Fleeing Something Terrible In The North

  Why are the White Walkers moving south? Numerous people, like Redditor u/Griddamus, think they are migrating to flee something even more terrifying than themselves. They want to bring down the Wall not to invade Westeros, but to escape their traditional home and find a safer place to live.

  In the last several years (of Game of Thrones time), the White Walkers have had a huge resurgence. Not only are they building an army, but they have claimed their own dragon to destroy the Wall. They have built up their strength in order to survive and move south.
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  (#13) The Night King Is Leading A Political Uprising Against His Creators

  Elena Nicolaou of Refinery29 believes the Night King’s ultimate goal may be a political uprising against his creators. The Children of the Forest created the White Walkers as a weapon to fight against the First Men.

  Though he started life as a human, the Night King was forced to morph into a new type of being. Now he fights against his own species at the behest of the Children of the Forest. Little wonder, then, that he chose to rebel and rise up against the dominant powers in Westeros with his army of White Walkers and wights. It is entirely possible he and the rest of the Others just wanted to make the most of the terrible situation they were put in, and take some measure of control back for themselves.
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  (#14) The White Walkers Are Moving South To Avoid The Coming Winter

  It is common belief that White Walkers rise to power with the coming winter, and they may even be responsible for bringing it. However, Redditor u/ByzantineBasileus advocates a contrasting theory: the White Walkers only appear to have a resurgence when winter comes. That is because during this time, they are more active outside of—south of—their traditional home.

  See, when winter comes, the Others need to move away from their already-cold lands. The freezing temperatures and violent conditions during these times make the north completely inhospitable, even for them. During their previous efforts to leave the north during winter, White Walkers have encountered resistance from the First Men and the Children of the Forest. This time, however, they have amassed an army to ensure they can defend themselves. After all, they don’t appear to indiscriminately kill everyone they come across—only those who pose a threat to them.

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