A song of Ice and fire discussion (spoilers incl A Dance with Dragons)

[fool-ish]

Help please! What's the difference between a 'wight' and an 'other'?? Is there a difference between the two? I assumed they were one and the same until someone said an 'other' or a 'wight.'

['thul]

Not sure, but could it be that wights are the unburned dead claimed by the others (white walkers)?

[fool-ish]

Ah yes, possibly that is so. Hopefully, it won't matter in the grand scheme of things. At least they have one thing in common..they're cold!

['thul]

That is true.

Oh, and theory verified... 'thul checked the wiki of ice and fire...

Wights are dead men or creatures raised up by the Others, seemingly when touched by the cold that accompanies them.[3]

[fool-ish]

Ah, ok. Something akin to being 'turned' by a vampire, only colder! Wights are perhaps trainee others? My next question would be how the Others came to be? As far as I'm aware GRRM hasn't explained this thus far and mayhap he never will, but I'd surely like to know.

['thul]

A bit like that, but more like the semi-typical zombie, only with at least some minds left. Vampires are, for the most part, portrayed as having fairly functional higher brain functions, whereas the wights are not portrayed as having that in beyond using whatever knowledge the body might have had as intel.

[fool-ish]

Yeah, now I come to think of it, they are more zombie-like. I wonder if it was some sort of 'infection' then, like in many zombie films? Though, it has to have something to do with the unforgiving cold, I would think.

['thul]

not likely to be infection. Probably more related to magic. After all, Wildfire is somewhat magic-based, and it worked far better after Daenarys' dragons hatched, despite there being no tangible connection across such great distance...
These beings theorize that Corpses that remain unburned within certain distance of the white walkers get utilized by them. Hence why the free folk burn their dead.
Thus, the infection is not some contagion, but magic.

[fool-ish]

I was loathe to mention magic as it's so looked down upon in this particular world. GRRM needs to tell us before he wraps the story up for good!

['thul]

Magic might be looked down upon, but that doesn't mean it does not wish to exist...