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What happened to all of the direwolves in Game of Thrones and how did the Starks get their direwolves? The direwolf was the animal featured on the House Stark direwolf sigil and thus incredibly important to the Northern rulers. Direwolves are portrayed as a species of wolf, but much larger and significantly more intelligent. Back in Game of Thrones‘ premiere, a litter of direwolves was discovered by the Stark children, who patriarch Ned allowed them to take care of. At first, only five pups were present, but Jon Snow found the albino runt of the litter and claimed that one for himself. The Game of Thrones direwolf and its siblings quickly bonded with their corresponding owners. However, many of them faced troubles throughout the series, prompting many to wonder, is every GoT direwolf dead?
To some, the Game of Thrones direwolf might have just been viewed as pets to the main characters, but they were much more than that. The Stark direwolves were beautiful creatures, but they served a much greater purpose. They had a major impact on Game of Thrones, to the point viewers began demanding direwolves appear within the show on a regular basis (even as budgetary concerns kept their role minimal). A direwolf’s death was sometimes harder to handle than the death of a popular human character, and many wondered “is every GoT direwolf dead?”. At times, the animals became prominent figures in the plot, but not all of them made it to the end of Game of Thrones. With House of the Dragon finishing its first season, there’s no better time to look back at the Stark’s totems on GoT. Here’s the answer to “how did the Starks get their direwolves?” and a detailed fate of each direwolf in Game of Thrones.
Grey Wind (Robb Stark)
Grey Wind is a Stark direwolf that was very protective of his owner Robb. The Game of Thrones direwolf accompanied Robb and his army and played a role in the Battle of Oxcross by sneaking onto the enemy camp, killing guards, and scaring horses. Unfortunately, Grey Wind was present for the Red Wedding in season 3. Arya tried to set Grey Wind free, but it was too late; he was decapitated and had his head planted on Robb’s body.
Lady (Sansa Stark)
Lady was the first of the Game of Thrones direwolves to die. After Arya’s direwolf, Nymeria, bit Joffrey in Game of Thrones season 1, Cersei ordered the animal to be executed. When they couldn’t find that exact direwolf, Lady was killed in her place. Ned executed Lady at the request of Robert Baratheon, horrifying Sansa and making people wonder “is every GoT direwolf dead?”.
Nymeria (Arya Stark)
When Cersei’s men were searching for Nymeria to punish the direwolf for biting Joffrey, Arya secretly sent her away. Nymeria wasn’t seen again until Game of Thrones season 7 when Arya ran into her while traveling back to Winterfell. The direwolf was revealed to be the leader of her own pack. Arya tried to get her old companion to follow her home, but she understood why the direwolf wanted to stay behind in the Riverlands.
Summer (Bran Stark)
Summer constantly stayed by Bran’s side after Winterfell was taken over. When Bran’s group made it north of the Wall, they traveled to the cave of the Three-Eyed Raven. While there, a horde of White Walkers and wights invade the cave. Summer tried to protect Bran by fighting off the Night King’s forces. The direwolf was killed in the season 6 attack, but she gave Bran enough time to escape.
Shaggydog (Rickon Stark)
Shaggydog also accompanied Rickon, Bran, and Summer when the group left Winterfell. Rickon, Osha, and the direwolf eventually split to seek refuge through House Umber. The Umbers later betrayed Rickon and killed Shaggydog to give to Ramsay Bolton as a gift. Ramsay disgustingly turned the direwolf into a fur rug. Shaggydog marked the second direwolf to be killed in Game of Thrones season 6, much to the dismay of viewers.
Ghost (Jon Snow)
Besides Nymeria, Ghost was the only other direwolf to survive the events of Game of Thrones. Despite being the runt, Ghost grew to be the biggest direwolf of the pack. He was with Jon during his time with the Night’s Watch and followed his owner Beyond the Wall. Ghost also participated in many fights, including the Battle of Winterfell. At the end of Game of Thrones, Jon reunited with Ghost, and they traveled north of the Wall.
How The Direwolves’ Fates Connect To Their Stark Owners
Many of the Starks shared similarities with their direwolf counterparts, to the point that Game of Thrones fans began to theorize that the fate of the direwolves would connect to the outcome of their owners. The theory may not have played out as many had predicted, but there are some correlations. For example, Game of Thrones‘ Arya is a leader and fiercely protective of her family, but decided to leave them behind and venture forth on her own. Nymeria’s arc was similar, as she was forced to leave her home at a young age and learned to fend for herself.
Ghost was the odd one out as the albino of the litter, something that Jon struggled with as the bastard child of the Starks. The Direwolf needed a role in the world, just as it seemed Jon was destined to work for the Night’s Watch. Robb and Rickon were killed in a despicable fashion just like their direwolves. Summer sacrificed herself just as Bran gave up his mind and body to become the Three-Eyed Raven. Then there’s Sansa, who often suffered the consequences of other people’s actions, just like Lady. The Stark never had a chance in her early life but she grew into an admirable woman. The death of her direwolf was another motivator for Sansa to overcome her oppressors.
Direwolf Differences in A Song of Ice and Fire
The fate of the Stark direwolves didn’t exactly play out on-screen in the same fashion as it did in George R.R. Martin’s Game of Thrones book series, A Song of Ice and Fire. In the novels, only Grey Wind and Lady have been killed thus far. Nymeria was chased away by Arya just as she did in the HBO show but Summer, Shaggydog, and Ghost are continuing to serve as companions to their respective owners.
It’s not surprising that Game of Thrones changed from the books with direwolves, as the show did so with multiple elements. That’s not to say that some of the direwolves won’t meet their deaths in the future. Readers will have to wait until George R.R. Martin finally releases his forthcoming novel The Winds of Winter to see if the beloved direwolves make it to the end of another installment within the epic tale.
House Of The Dragon Can Fix GoT’s Direwolf Misuse
The Stark direwolf is not only on the family’s sigil, but the creatures had massive importance in the books which was wasted in Game of Thrones — but House of the Dragon has the chance to change that. In the books, the Starks have the ability to warg into their pets, something not really explored in the television show. The appearance of the direwolves grew less and less with each passing season, to the point that they were virtually nonexistent by Game of Thrones‘ ending. Essentially, direwolves are to Starks as dragons are to Targaryens. While House of the Dragon has been mainly focused on the latter family, season 2 promises to bring Game of Thrones‘ most iconic House back into the spotlight.
House of the Dragon has only really explored three families: the Targaryens, the Velaryons, and the Hightowers. However, now that the setup is largely over, the scope is expanding, and HotD will bring Cregan Stark into the mix, with the character playing a big role in the Dance of the Dragons. Bringing House Stark back into HotD gives showrunners the opportunity to properly use the direwolves. The special bond between Stark and direwolf portrayed in the books finally has a chance to be shown on the screen, something that Game of Thrones sorely missed out on.
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