How The Wall Was Built (Game of Thrones - Song of Ice and Fire Theory)

I think I have found the way the wall was built in game of thrones and a song of ice and fire.
The key to all of this came with a realization about The Nightfort and the well within it. The black gate and all of George R. R. Martin's hints he left us point me to this theory. The heart tree is at the heart of it all of course.
So let me know in the comments what you think of this theory and be sure to subscribe for part 2 where we talk about the old ways and how they help feed the magic of the wall.
It would appear I am a real KZbinr now and me and my pets need to eat... If you would like to help support me and say thank you for the videos you can do that here.
/ michaeltalksaboutstuff
For now view the Patreon as a tip jar to say thank you for the videos if you have enjoyed them and to support me and let me know they are appreciated. Little bits of money would be very helpful for the time spent and could help spoil myself or my pets which would be very nice of you all.
#gameofthrones #thewall #asoiaf #Thenightswatch #houseofthedragon #weirwood #Hearttree #godsword

[@0bskureference]

This is the only theory about the wall’s construction I’ve heard that is comprehensive

[@InterestingNerdClub]

Extremely good and extremely hyped

[@SpiritGirlSF]

I'd hype it up too if I could come up with such an extremely good theory.😉 @TheInterestingNerdClub

[@EpicMother249]

If this isnt canon. GRRM should be rewriting his books to include this now. Best theory in years. I am picturing an Xray of the wall in my head. Like a windbreak of weirwoods. Also a " Weir" is a type of damn. So a line of "Weir"woods daming the the path of the whitewalkers is ironic. Great work

[@michaeltalksaboutstuff]

Thanks for the high praise. As for the weir meaning I didn't even know that but honestly ever since I realized this it just keeps lining up in more ways. I honestly do think it is Canon and the way he is going at least on some level. There feels like there is just so much there. The longer I sit with it the more true it feels.

[@Mwezi828]

@@michaeltalksaboutstuff A weir is basically a dam, the key difference being a weir generally allows the water to flow over the top (or sometimes underneath some sections) JUST like your theory describes. Since a weir traps water, you could even say its frozen water (aka ice) so it all lines up.

[@Feltox18]

GRRM aint even writing Winds of Winter.... The person who said ¨hope never dies¨ clearly hadn´t met GRRM

[@kai_plays_khomus]

Interesting, didn't know that "weir" had that meaning - but actually it's pretty obvious given that it is "Wehr" with the same meaning in my mother language. 😅

[@Shiftdougler]

Weirwoods are likely named “Weir” because of Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead, GRRMs favorite band. “Dark Star” and “Direwolf” are also Grateful Dead songs.

[@samuelschonenberger]

It's like the titans in Attack on Titan but instead of Stone covering giant humanoids it's ice covering trees, very interesting

[@aldraone-mu5yg]

I wonder what the connection is there? Probably just an odd coincidence, but that series is really smart sometimes.

[@rcrc3131]

This could tie into the 79 "sentinel" warriors stuck facing north in the wall

[@bebethebard]

Perhaps the tied-up sacrifices become the tree faces. (Tree grows around them) I’ve never bought that the children “carved” them literally, but perhaps metaphorically (stabby stab)

[@telenkevichpolina3759]

+explains why most of faces are crying and generally suffering.

[@pyramidion5911]

Yes, yes, yes. And the wall is most likely made out of giants sacrificed onto giant trees (probably to protect the children of the forest from humans). The first book mentions giants buried in the hills of the north over and over again. Plus, we learn from Ygritte that there used to be many more giants alive in the past. The size of the face on the black gate seems to support this theory as well.

[@stysner4580]

Or they were carved later as a tribute, and people kept the tradition forgetting why. The whole weirwood thing reeks of tributes to the sacrificed. Meaning the three eyed raven is just the last living / exposed sacrifice.

[@theduxabides9274]

Worth noting that Leaf says the caverns below Bloodraven's cave run down to a sunless sea; the Weirwoods in the wall could be the conduits movibg water from this sea above ground, where the cold temperatures and spells hold the water in place as ice. A sunless sea would explain why the wall is salty, if these seas contain salt water

[@catelyntalks]

👏🏻👏🏻

[@NoConsequenc3]

I wonder if this water connection has anything to do with the Deep Ones

[@skyedavies1042]

@@NoConsequenc3what kind of connection?

[@captainmaim]

If Bran can use any Weirwood to travel, I think they're all one tree, like a giant mat of fungus with mushrooms

[@stysner4580]

​@captainmaim making the roots of the oldest weirwood the focalpoint, that's why the three eyed raven was there...

[@kendallbabbitt1532]

No way, this is amazing... David lightbringer needs to listen to these immediately. And you need a thousand times the views

[@MrFredstt]

I think a stream collab would be great

[@pyramidion5911]

He's mentioned this channel and theory since then.

[@GeronimoPlaz]

Lightbringer hates your guts if you're not a liberal. I used to follow him on Twitter. Just a heads up lol

[@cyrilmeynier5688]

I like the idea of the wall being a weirhedge. The wording seems to point to that too. Georges doesn't write the wall is "leaking water", but "weeping". The weirwood are said to "weep" too.

[@aaronabarca4919]

Maybe it's one organism and the well at the Night Fort is the OG tree, like a cottonwood forest that spreads as it clones itself making new trees but at the end is only one tree. It also parallels Blood Raven with his "a thousand eyes and one".

[@stysner4580]

Isn't it hinted that all weirwoods are connected by their roots, not just the ones in the wall? Also are the faces meant to represent the child of the forest or human encased in each tree?

[@connorwimer7467]

I really like this because George has said that he made the wall too big and it should be more like 200 feet which is around the same height as how tall red woods can grow. Although it’s a Fantasy book he does his research about how realistic a fantasy concept would convert to real life such as how his dragons aren’t four legged because no animal in nature has 4 legs and wings

[@LordDink]

Do you have a link to him saying this ? I'm quite curious.

[@wedding2710]

Many insects have four (or more) legs and wings

[@perfumedmanatee6235]

Insects can only teach a certain size, though, as they lack a circulatory system... Oh.

[@matthewparker9276]

​@@perfumedmanatee6235, that doesn't have anything to do with why they have more than 4 limbs though. All vertebrates have 4 limbs because they share a common ancestry and developing a different number of limbs is evolutionary expensive. Even snakes still have the genes for 4 legs, just repressed so the legs don't grow.

[@PinkyJustice]

​@@LordDinkI've seen the video interviews where he says these on KZbin. It's tough to have links over KZbin though so... There is an account on KZbin that reuploads lightly edited/stitched together interviews of him from other sources (usually without credit lol) but I can't remember what it's called. Some doofus shit like 'Aegon Targaryen" or something. "xXx_13daemonfyre666_xXx" or something. Which I think is canonically Daemon Blackfyre's AIM username

[@andrewgray5275]

Best explanation I’ve heard. And based on what George wrote very specifically I think you’re right. Perhaps the horn of winter shakes off the ice and reveals the giant line of weirwoods. Another commenter added “weir” is another word for dam, so “dam” trees 🌲🌲🌲

[@theEpicxY]

English often reverses grammar. So "tree dam"

[@Ali-gj5xz]

I've seen many theories, perhaps all of them But this theory is one of the most beautiful theories I have seen It's genius and realistic I can no longer imagine the wall without those trees inside it Thank you, my friend, and I appreciate your effort👋

[@Ussurin]

The theory is nice, definitly would explain how the Wall was built. My only issue is that I just never felt the need to explain how it never becomes smaller. My way of thinking was just that the Wall is weeping while it sunny and warm, becoming smaller over time, but whenever it is dark and raining/snowing, being so high up it just refreezes the rain. So during rains at night or during storms it regrowths the missing chunks over time. And just intensity of rains in the region is so high that it just keeps getting larger instead of smaller, but it's done in a fluid way, not always going one direction.

[@Randy.Bobandy]

Yeah The Wall not getting smaller doesn't really need an explanation. It's cold and it's implied it's magical.

[@X525Crossfire]

I like how this theory, if the stories about Bran the Builder having built the Wall and being the grandson of Garth Greenhand are true, ties Bran the Builder back to Garth by building the Wall through a feat of green magic rather than simply cutting and stacking blocks of ice. I think it's also possible that Bran the Builder was, not the son of Brandon of the Bloody Blade like some legends claim, but actually the Blade himself, *and* the Last Hero. Maybe, when the Long Night originally fell he set out from the Reach with twelve companions expecting to save the day through a good ol' fashioned mano a mano fight with the Others. But once he got to the north, he found out the only way to end the Long Night and save Westeros was to build the Wall. And since he was in a new place far from his old home, detached from his reputation as christener of Red Lake (maybe even ashamed of it), that he took on the moniker "the Builder" to establish a new legacy in the North. From there, he would go on to found House Stark and build the original iteration of Winterfell. Also, to reconcile your idea about the Wall being a line of weirwoods with the idea of there being fewer than 1 weirwood every mile or so - what about the Last Hero's twelve companions? What if they were used as the sacrifices for those weirwoods, and that was why the Last Hero/Bran was, well, the _last_ hero? And plot twist: Hajime Isayama (creator of Attack on Titan) is an ASOIAF fan and had this same theory 15 years ago, which inspired... *AoT spoiler alert* The walls being made from crystallized Titans.

[@MrFredstt]

This is actually the best and most interesting theory as to the construction of the Wall and just fits into the mythos so well. If GRRM hasn't already thought of this he should write in lol

[@jozorjohai]

Glad you mentioned the 79 Sentinels! I was thinking that the entire video long. Very interesting thoughts. I do think that the Wall rebuilding itself would not necessarily need a vascular system; every winter, the rains, snows, and storms would provide water that would refreeze to the exterior. The vascular system does have a lot of thematic resonance, though. It also aligns with the descriptions of Winterfell in AGOT, heated by warm water pumped through it like a heart. This theory would mean that those descriptions of Winterfell were providing hints about the Wall structure as well.

[@aldraone-mu5yg]

I’m sure you know this or maybe mention it later, but what you’re describing reminds me a lot of the wall from Attack on Titan. The citizens think it’s just a giant conventional wall but actually it’s thousands of titans using there ability to harden there skin forming a wall.

[@jacobsquare4812]

The sentinels in the Wall could literally just be a game of telephone through time for your theory, where details change but stories survive. GRRM loves time-telephone lol

[@MykeFahrenheit]

This is really good, best explanation I have heard The weirwoods are not really trees, they are more like a fungus. A "line" of them could all be connected underground, as one giant organism

[@Shiftdougler]

Prando trees are like a fungus in that sense

[@PipoZePoulp]

Could be both, IRL trees "communicate" through their roots which are covered in one giant organism fungus. The fungus is the network, the trees are nodes. And the red, bloodlike sap could be antifreeze.

[@tatertots3337]

Hot damn this is good, the implication that the only way to truly kill the Others is to burn the fucking weirwoods down (which might change the implication of the phrase "Burn them all!" if it turns out the Mad King wasn't talking about King's Landing) is chilling

[@FearTheRubicon-pi3ip]

Brandon The Breaker, broke “Guests Rights”. This is how he ended the rein of the Night King. It also parallels Robb’s downfall at red wedding. Seems like the final piece to your puzzle… Good luck!

[@michaeltalksaboutstuff]

Yooooo that is a very good thought! Big thanks for that both the support and that thought. That does seem to work into the story perfectly. I will for sure mention this in a future vid when it comes up.

[@aclockworkcranberry]

I’ve seen some theories in my time, but this is probably the best. Top 5. God, I hope George can finish the books. It’s been years since I’ve been into ASOIAF and it’s telling how quality the lore is when it can invest you so quickly and consistently.

[@tempertempernow]

You are fucking magic what a treat to have a new video that actually presents a new idea. This has to be real.

[@loooongneck]

This is possibly one of the best asoiaf theories I’ve come across, im shocked that this video is so recent and from such a small channel. Everything makes sense and seems supported by the text and the logic of in-universe systems. I feel like a lot of major asoiaf theories resort to straw grasping or tin foil to provide evidence for one of the main stipulations of the theory but there is none of that here! Earned a sub and a like from me :) Time for my own tin foil: What if the demons of the original long night aren’t even the Others, and the Others didn’t even come into existence until the heroes of the original long night created them simply as a step in the process for the construction of the wall? The wall might be to ward off some greater / more cosmic horror type of entity (whatever’s at the Heart of Winter?) that even the Others are now fleeing from. This could tie into the legends of the east and Azor Ahai as well. If the original flaming sword Lightbringer is a metaphor for a dragon, then it’s possible that the Doom of Valyria and consequent extinction of the dragons (and thus a reduction of overall fire magic in the world) is what allowed the Heart of Winter entity to stir once more, as ice magic to became a more dominant force. This would explain why only now the Others are warring south after thousands of years of seemingly cohabitating north of the Wall with wildlings, giants, and other sentient living beings. They are fleeing from an old power that’s stirring. I like this idea because it makes the Others actions entirely understandable, just like the theory about the Others coming south to free their kin trapped in the wall (which I think would be true in either theory). My only question about yours is if the Others were the demons of the Long Night then they already existed before they were created as wall building blocks. Why were they created originally then? Perhaps this nitpick lends more credence to the idea that Others were simply captured to be bound in the wall versus created for that purpose. Anyways thanks for the theory it clearly got me thinking hahaha

[@michaeltalksaboutstuff]

These are some interesting thoughts. I do cover in later episodes the idea that the creation of the wall was likely the thing that made the others. I have come around to that idea a lot more since I have looked back at the books with this idea of the wall in mind. The "others" inside are likely people and the others we see are shadows or ice demons created by that process. The idea of something even darker further north that scares the others is interesting

[@loooongneck]

@@michaeltalksaboutstuff I’ve watched some of your later videos and like your ideas better hahaha but it was fun to jump around. This is what I like about asoiaf one realization can recontextualize like the entire story and make you rethink everything hahaha Heart of winter referring to the wall itself makes way more sense in-universe and thematically. I was def stuck on the idea that Bran saw it north of the wall but your explanation about the specific syntax used in that passage and how the heart of winter is a separate thing from the north of the wall “curtain of light” stuff helped unstuck me!

[@DaemonJulian]

The wall is clearly full of colossal titans.

[@rebbeccahoneycutt7941]

So if this is true does that mean that the horn of winter that is supposed to break the wall actually sets free the walkers in the wall? That would be so cool!! I mean really bad for everyone, but super cool none the less.

[@hitrapperandartistdababy]

Damn… I’m genuinely impressed how on earth you came by all these incredibly vague hints! Very interesting theory, and oddly enough pretty solid!

[@simonholmes841]

The Wall grown from within makes sense of some huge problems with the accepted stacked-blocks-of-ice theory: Ice would melt under the weight of the Wall. Nobody sees a 300-foot tall, 300-mile long wall and decides that it's necessary to build another, taller wall directly on top. Builders spread gravel on top for grip (as they would need to if ice is depositing there, not melting away). I suspect that the Wall Weirwoods aren't injecting water into the center of the Wall, which would make big cracks as it freezes, but rather freezing water from the atmosphere or pumped to the top of the Wall. If, as I suspect, the weirwoods are the real Giants, then they aren't wrong to say that giants did most of the work building the Wall. Maybe Brandon the Builder is the Nightfort Weirwood itself. I also suspect the Winterfell heart tree is Brandon of the Bloody Blade.

[@oladirankazeem3535]

Do you mean giants became wierwoods

[@YarPirates-vy7iv]

This is so good. Awesome stuff man, very good ideas and analysis. You've got skills!

[@user-qv9wn2oq1n]

The only thing I think you missed is the barrels of gravel being slowly spread throughout the whole linear grove by patrolmen of the watch. 20 castles over 8000 years generates a lot of waste gravel, and 1-2 inches per of gravel and compacted snow per year gets you the wall’s eventual height in under 5000 years. Of course, fed and warded by the weirwoods who keep carrying water as high as the wall grows.

[@ReeceDee]

I've not seen an ASOIAF channel tell me anything new and interesting in years...this channel is ace bro. 👍🏾

[@Buford_T_Justice1]

Holy crap dude. You got me hooked! This is AWESOME!!!

[@galdo06]

Duude! I’ve seen 100s of videos about ASOIAF with ks of views. This one blew my mind and has only a few hundreds of views. This has to be pumped

[@chadbailey3623]

This is great. It describes the “vasculature” of the wall, though not necessarily the pressure source that drives the water.

[@iidentifyasanapacheattackh3626]

The tree itself is the pressure source, it sucks up an underwater well/river

[@chadbailey3623]

@@iidentifyasanapacheattackh3626 It’s the photosynthesis reaction that causes a pull on the tree’s vasculature. Water won’t flow without sunlight and chlorophyll. But magic.

[@theduxabides9274]

​@chadbailey3623 Could be that the moon is the source? The moon's gravity affects the tidal forces of the sunless seas beneath the earth, forcing the water upwards so that the trees can pump it into the wall as a whole? Would explain why it looked to Bran as though the tree was trying to pull the moon into the well?

[@OldSchoolSoundscape]

on the off chance youre still reading comments on this vid lemme just share that, while watching your vids, I thought "hey Jon's blood was spilled at Castle Black so his blood is now part of the weirwood system:)" idk if it really matters just thought it was a neat idea and wanted to post (: lol thanks for all the quality vids man; im loving binging your channel rn

[@solutanbrun]

This is an amazing theory! Good job!

[@johnbuxton4484]

Hey man just stumbled across your channel and I'm seriously impressed with how amazing this theory is! Definitely got a sub from me, I look forward to working through your videos, thanks man!

[@Mwezi828]

Amazing theory, I'm sold and subscribed!

[@kashhusain8154]

I congratulate you for your thorough work. Thank you for this. Genuinely novel and interesting.

[@LoLotov]

Just watched you make interesting nerd club sus this out themselves, and was so floored at the reveal I had to come watch this one... The warm walls of winterfell were always weird to me before this theory: no pumps are ever mentioned, the tech seems too advanced ESPECIALLY with the age of the castle, and if its water from hot springs like catelyn thinks, it would be so corrosive that the pipes would need constant maintenance. Winterfell has a noticeably odd and sprawling layout, so the implication to me is that it was built over and around exposed weirwood roots. The real question is whether they built their fortress over the roots before or after the long night was ended... was it just the physical warmth of the tree that made it a place to make a stand, or do the weirwoods actually weaken or affect the others? Genuinely love the theory, going to relisten to the whole series just keeping this one in mind.

[@inthefade]

It would make sense that there is a Weirwood growing through all the ancient walls of Winterfell; That is a great way to spy on all the inhabitants. I wonder if those walls are the ones that are strongest and the most long lasting too, or if there are other hints.

[@brownei23]

The fact that Attack on Titan and ASOIAF can have a similar plot twist fully independent of one another. Makes me feel better when I write something for a character and realize it’s kinda been done already.

[@oiroliv]

this isnt cannon so dont think the walls are actually titans or trees, we would've seen the trees when the night king burned down the wall

[@jacobsquare4812]

Also this just adds another parallel to another modern story I love, Attack on Titan. Time travel, giants in the wall(s), important knowledge/memories lost. Wait a minute. Are you a fan of attack on titan lmao

[@michaeltalksaboutstuff]

I am not but I have had a few people I have talked to about this mention it is similar, also have heard good things so will probably check it out eventually.

[@kiri101]

Every time I click on this playlist: THE WALL- xD

[@loooongneck]

Hearing you say there would probably be 3 or 4 parts to this series is funny in retrospect

[@michaeltalksaboutstuff]

I have learned a lot from GRRM. Promise them a nice quick trilogy and then never stop expanding.

[@CJusticeHappen21]

I believe that this theory works best if it's in concert with the theory that the wall was formed by the "Hammer of the Waters" (ie: a massive rainstorm) that also brought water down from above, increasingly the amount of water/ice needed to freeze the trees, which now serve as the foundation and maintainence. It's s really smart theory. Basically they took the enemies inborn nature as an entity of entropy and used that as the means by which to construct their own defences. The White Walkers bring the cold, so their own nature freezes the very wall that keeps them North.

[@bailbondbidsnow]

Think your channel is new? Great stuff. Great insight from the book content. All these little insights give so much value to the HBO and Books that I have yet had time to read but am trying to find time to listen to.

[@michaeltalksaboutstuff]

Thanks glad you like it! The books are very worth it if you find the time. I have a few more connections to making sense of some things that happen in the show in the works for later in the series so I hope you stick around!

[@fried2styles]

This is an amazing idea! Very cool!!!

[@user-ym2ne1zg1b]

It all makes so much more sense now! A really interesting theory.

[@cadewilliams3857]

Best damn theory I've heard in awhile. Take a bow. I hope this blows up for you

[@Markadown]

This is so amazing!

[@RoastedToasted0]

Damn amazing theory, good work.

[@jillds4715]

I totally buy a weirwood treeline as basis for a "wall", but much of what you point out actually convinced me now that the ice Wall was not the cotf and Brandon's doing whatsoever, but a counter move by the Others. In the explanation of your water pump, you use the Black Gate's "weeping" to come up with the idea, but it actually contradicts it. The black gate as the base of this giant weirwood tree is at the heart of the ice wall, right. So, if its tear is warm when it touches Bran, this means that the weirwood is not cold. You use a heart tree's warm tear at the heart of the Wall to argue that it's weeping on the outside but needs to refrozen at the heart of it. The warm tear from the Black Gate actually suggests it's being heated from the inside. Maybe the trees are trying to melt the ice wall? Which brings me to a working ward that proves the cotf or a greenseer has no need of ice or a wall, for a ward to work: Bloodraven's cave. The entrance of the cave is open: any living creature can come and go - ravens, people, cotf, wolves. But wights (and Others) cannot enter, not even an allied wight such as Coldhands. But over the months, more "cold servants" arrive outside the cave (wighted ravens, snowbear, people), bringing the cold, and towards the end of Bran's 3rd chapter snow is being blown against the entrance, building a wall of snow against the invisible ward against wights. Summer digs tunnels through that secondary snow wall to get out, kill wights to live on their marrow, and then back in via this tunnel. In other words, a ward is supposed to only restrict the movement of wights and Others: keep them from entering Bloodraven's cave, or going south. But the Others build a counter wall to restrict the movement of Bloodraven's cave dwellers and from people freely traveling north. In other words, there was never any need or intention by the cotf and Brandon the Builder to build an ice wall. They made an invisible ward which allowed animals and peeople's free movement back and forth, but would keep the Others and their wights from going south of it. But the Others used their cold powers and the weirwoods as a structural basis to create a physical barrier. And thus the weeping of the Wall are the weirwoods trying to free themselves from their icy prison.

[@jillds4715]

I also find the majority of the quotes about sentintels and tree soldiers as evidence of Others being cotf's soldiers very flawed: none of the sentinels and tree soldiers you quoted (Will's tree, Deepwood Motte) are frozen or iced. They are men camouflaged with green bushes, or (ever)green trees. No ice.

[@michaeltalksaboutstuff]

@@jillds4715 some respectable points and I could see the weirwoods wanting to be free as well. In terms of the sentinels being icy you wanna take a look at the turncloack Dance with dragons chapters for the snowy Sentinel references. I do want to do at some point a whole focus on all the sentinel quotes and see if people agree that holds up as foreshadowing or if we can figure out more hidden meaning there. Both of the following refer to icy sentinels on a wall, even directly saying the "inner wall" "Above, he could see some squires building snowmen along the battlements. They were arming them with spears and shields, putting iron halfhelms on their heads, and arraying them along the inner wall, a rank of snowy sentinels. "Lord Winter has joined us with his levies," one of the sentries outside the Great Hall japed … until he saw Theon's face and realized who he was talking to. Then he turned his head and spat." "More snowmen had risen in the yard by the time Theon Greyjoy made his way back. To command the snowy sentinels on the walls, the squires had erected a dozen snowy lords. One was plainly meant to be Lord Manderly; it was the fattest snowman that Theon had ever seen. The one-armed lord could only be Harwood Stout, the snow lady Barbrey Dustin. And the one closest to the door with the beard made of icicles had to be old Whoresbane Umber."

[@nyet_maker7948]

That follows grrm's sentiment against armrace. 🤷‍♂️

[@martinkrog5943]

What if it was giants pinned to the giant trees making up the wall They say giants 'helped' Bran build the wall It would be very 'GRRM' to have 'helped' have some sorta double meaning... Hmm.. could the song 'I am the last of the giants' be sung by The Wall itself? If it can weep, maybe it can sing too Thanks for food for thought :) Keep up the good work

[@michaeltalksaboutstuff]

I really like the idea of giants chained to the trees. Possibly used in some magic way to make the trees themselves grow so giant. Also the Umber sigil of the giant with the broken chains will look different in hindsight if there are giants chained to the trees haha

[@martinkrog5943]

Right! The Umber sigil :D How very very cool Know that your work is very much appreciated, ser I'm LOVING this theory!

[@Bukejuice22]

Makes sense since the Horn of Winter is supposed to bring down the wall and wake giants from the earth.

[@WaywardWhiteWalker]

Ah shit. I'm about to binge watch your stuff. This is freaky and awesome. Nice

[@mack_taylor]

Great video. I subbed 😊

[@organic723]

This is brilliant!

[@NightDweller]

Incredible stuff

[@michaeltalksaboutstuff]

Thanks! I was really excited to put this one together

[@TheTruBatman]

I absolutely live for this theory. It makes so much sense (and I love the entire series, FYI) Side Note: Wonder if you noticed that in the very first episode (while GRRM was still involved) there is a little girl impaled by a branch on a tree...? Don't know if there's anything there or not but never really noticed it as anything other than "creepy/scary" movie BS until your theory. Georgie likes his symbolism and could see him putting this little nugget in as a little 'nudge-nudge'.

[@michaeltalksaboutstuff]

That is a very good catch I had forgotten about. I had noticed there is also the scene late on where they find Ned Umber stabbed up to a wall with the same symbol there and they have to burn him... They removed all the magic stuff but they might have left little bits and pieces behind when they did bother to do things, they just didn't make sense of it. The scene in the first episode though is a much stronger connection though.

[@TheTruBatman]

@@michaeltalksaboutstuff Yeah didn't think about that until you mentioned it. The last season is so conflicting to me. I think I blank it out a lot and mostly just remember the hr & and half LONG night and the face Danny made before they destroyed her entire character....but to their defense there is a LOT of source material to try and cover (reasonably) in roughly an hour (and coffee cups to edit out). HAHA. Thank you again for such great content!!!

[@Noleme]

"We put them every mile or so" Damn Bran, you fucking killed her.

[@Sprite8822]

I love this theory! I hope we get 'The Winds of Winter' at some point and this can be confirmed

[@waynethompson6667]

Pretty cool theory!

[@subliminal-damage]

You may never read this comment but this is an amazing theory, thank you for sharing it. I wanted to add some possible strength to this theory. GRRM draws a lot of inspiration from real world history. In our real world, there are cultures across the globe who have held the belief that in order to build a structure and have it stand intact, an offering or sacrifice had to be given to appease the gods/spirits of the land. This sometimes meant immurement, which means walling someone up alive. There is evidence of, and enduring folklore to this effect. Check out "The Building of Skadar" for one of the most well known epic poems about this practice. The same story exists in many different forms from all over the world, Additionally, Bran The Builder always reminds me of Brân The Blessed from Welsh mythology. (GRRM may have stated Brân as his inspiration, I really don't know.) Bran is a name with origins from Irish and Welsh, meaning "Raven" from either origin. He was a king and also a giant who was so tall that he could cross the ocean by simply walking through it. When he was mortally wounded, he told his brothers to cut off his head and return it to their land, with instructions to bury his head facing towards France, prophesizing that this would protect Britain from invasion so long as it remained undisturbed. I think this historical lore ties in nicely with what you've presented here. And you're right, this fits really well thematically. It also makes the repeated importance of the trees make way more sense besides just the Old Gods vs New, if this is the origin of the wall itself!

[@dim391]

What I find amazing, though maybe I’m looking into things too much, is that I see some similarities between ASOIAF and Attack on Titan (for anyone that’s into the manga and/or anime). SPOILERS AHEAD: So we ultimately find out that there were Colossal Titans inside of the walls of Maria, Rose, and Sina set up by the king at that time. And in ASOIAF, there may be a line of giant Weirwood Trees inside of the Wall and/or Greenseers, White Walkers, Children of the Forest, or some other beings attached and connected to them (or maybe the Wall Weirwood Trees are connected to the Children inside of Bloodraven’s cave who are attached to Weirwood roots), which all could’ve been set up by the King in the North and King Beyond the Wall at the time as well as by the Children, etc. And also in AOT we have main character(s) who somehow might resolve the final conflict not just in the real world, but also in an ethereal realm connected to a “magical” tree (the tree where the first Titan emerged). In ASOIAF, one of our main characters might help in the War of the Dawn by spending more time in the Weirwood Net and learning (and also maybe other characters might help out by also connecting to the Net via dreaming next to or on Weirwoods). SIDENOTE - not to mention when the first Titan in AOT is created, the king at the time (King Karl Fritz) took advantage and used the Titan for his own goals/power, and spread the Titan gene down through his offsprings and so on. And history was changed to paint King Fritz in a positive light and hide the truth. Perhaps there’s a similar manipulation of history in ASOIAF relating to the White Walkers, King in the North and Beyond the Wall, the Children, etc. Again, I might be reading too much into it, but I can’t help myself and wonder. Not to mention the creator of AOT is a huge ASOIAF fan and maybe in his own way he has theorized how ASOIAF might end, maybe. ALSO, I HAVE ONLY WATCHED AOT ANIME AND I HAVEN’T READ THE MANGAS, SO NO FURTHER SPOILERS PLEASE. THANK YOU.

[@michaeltalksaboutstuff]

Thank you for this! That does really track and hearing he is a big ASOIAF fan makes me wonder the same thing. I haven't seen Attack on Titan and didn't know anything about it. Many people have mentioned how similar this theory is without going into detail on it. It really is very similar to what I believe is going on in a lot of ways. I want to watch it and definitely will at some point. Also I would be lying if I hadn't thought about the fact that solving the end of these books and then beating GRRM to the finish by just making your own version of the story wouldn't be a great move. Would be very funny if on any level that is what he did. Also they could be referencing similar legends and ideas. We all know GRRM loves to take references and add his own twists. They might be using a lot of the same base ingredients in their world/story construction.

[@Bones1220]

Wow LOVE this theory

[@SheppDawgg]

Awesome theory! Commenting for the algorithm

[@surtur9861]

I'm 8 minutes in and i'm already impressed

[@DeshHolmes]

I think both theories could be true at the same time, many trees would make more sense from a world building perspective but having one core tree does take in to account all of the symbolism and lends itself to the whole elden ring lore connection (one erdtree with many minor sprouts) but amazing theory and excellent video, keep up the great work 😊

[@stefanjanjic9902]

I like this theory alot. Given all of the imagery and connection of blood magic and sacrifice to the weirwoods. Think of all the bloody conflicts over the thoudands of years in westeros where those trees have received their bloodright.

[@thesagepilgrim4441]

Fascinating

[@Michaelonyoutub]

There is some of your evidence that is very flimsy in my opinion, but the core of the theory, of weirwoods producing the water for the wall and potentially using others as a source of cold, is pretty good. Instead of the weirwoods being inside the entire height of the wall though, they could instead be only at the bottom or underneath the wall, and as they produce ice the wall grows up instead of out sideways. This would fit better with weirwoods being not that tall and that nightfort weirwood's trunk being underground. Problems arise with all of the Night's Watch infrastructure built into the wall, like the stairs and lifts, because then they would rise with the wall as it grows and that would likely be noticeable, but if growth is extremely slow, like a foot a generation or so, then it might not be that noticeable. Another thing which might support this theory, the height of the wall varies with some areas that aren't permanently manned being less than 700ft high. It is also mentioned that the trees have grown right up to the base of the wall in unmanned areas. Combining these two facts with the theory, perhaps trees growing close to the wall affect the supply of ground water to the weirwood trees, thus affecting that section's height. There are some unmanned areas that are even higher than 700ft, mostly hilly areas between Castle Black and the Shadow Tower, that might poke a hole in this theory, but those heights are a bit unclear when they are specified and might be measured from the base of the hill they are on. Also if the wall grows extremely slowly, then these effects would involve/require areas to be unmanned/undermanned for centuries, and we don't have clear records of garrisons over enough time to check this.

[@db7213]

The Interesting Nerd club also had a theory that Dawn is made of Other "skin" (both being described as milkglass colored), and I noted that if Azor Ahai and the Night's King are the same person (different people remembering different aspects of the same event), then Nissa Nissa would be an Other that was murdered to make the sword, whose soul is now supposedly trapped in it. So it tracks that the wall would also be made from Others. And that the Others would be pretty pissed about all this.

[@albarron4022]

Interesting theory but I don’t think you “just grow” a hedgerow of weirwoods that span across an entire continent…it would take longer than one human lifetime to do that. Cool idea though for sure

[@Tyler-2839]

Fascinating! This is legit, this is what the wall is. Ugh! I lost interest in ASOIAF once I'd read the books and watched the show. There's so much incredible lore to explore but it just doesn't feel worth doing when the story's never going to be completed 😢. This video is triggering some conflicting feelings.

[@aes0p895]

I like this theory, but just to add another botanical piece of info that might slightly change your theory: Dicot plants (like trees) only have 3 types of 'parts': roots, shoots, and leaves. Technically speaking, the trunk of a tree and a branch are the same type of part, and they can spring from any part of another shoot. The significance of this is that it could also be the case that the original tree was cut down and the 'small tree' is the type of regrowth you can see when you cut down a tree IRL, which generally looks like multiple shoots coming out from the original trunk. It could also be from a wierwood falling down and having the saplings grow from the log. You can see some examples with a 'tree trunk sprouting' google search.

[@troyheymanwhatsup2996]

That is so sick

[@Thecrimsonking01]

I agreed until white walkers frozen in the wall. Great theory work through looking fwd to more

[@Shiftdougler]

I like the scientific mechanical way you approached this. GRRM is a sci fi writer first and foremost and he approaches things, a least in his other books, like Arthur C Clarke (any tech sufficiently advanced…)

[@bernhard7087]

I was pretty skeptical, but the symbolism of the nights watch deserters that were interred into the wall is pretty convincing..

[@theduxabides9274]

3:57 Also worth noting that George lives in Santa Fe, California, which is located in the southwestern part of the state, very near to the locations of numerous "Tunnel Trees," which are huge Redwood Trees with tunnels bored through their lower trunks to allow people and vehicles to pass under them. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunnel_tree

[@sunyacharoenying5183]

I like it. I still am on the fence(no pun intended) about the purpose of the wall. I think The Wall is actually on Team Others. If you take the spirit of a tree and pt it into a person, what would the person work against said trees? Aren't they family now? Why make the other species warship the trees and give them blood and have the al set up to offer sacrifices to the things on the other side that you despise and fear? Also, "They were pulled FROM THE DARK OF THE WOOD." Look closely at the HBO scene. That can't be an accident and I can't believe no one has picked up on it. That bark isn't bone white. That tree is light brown. You can even see a hint of a greenling branch with a red leaf on it. The trees were corrupted by this use of blood magic and the others went rogue and started killing humans AND CotF. They made a deal with the trees once there were almost no beings left to worship and feed them blood and babies. Otherwise... I think you are spot on with everything else. That's some really good theorizing. Did you see it somewhere or come up with it yourself? Where is a good place to read some theories? I only watch a few of you streamers and am getting into it and want to see what else I didn't see when I was reading.

[@solidkake8411]

You ever out in public and just look at a person and wondered, "i wonder when the last time they farted was?". Also nice video

[@judithbradford9130]

Did you notice that the "glass candles" are obsidian? Just what the children of the forest used to make Others?

[@Randy.Bobandy]

Did you notice that The Wall is really big?

[@ridskog]

Awesome!

[@PinkyJustice]

I haven't watched the video yet, but God DAMN i can't wait. I'm so here for this Edit: halfway through and yeah, you right you right Edit 2: i thought it was 700-900 ft tall because it's FLAT but it goes over hills and through valleys... Either way, growing them and hacking a height down level and then letting them grow from there using elf magic seems easier than dragging cubes

[@Nlwalker487]

This video doesn't have nearly enough likes. I mean, this all makes so much sense. This should be exploding within the fandom

[@michaeltalksaboutstuff]

Haha thanks, hopefully in time it will get spread far and wide

[@FerretJohn]

Actually it was hinted in the first book, the story being a bit of both parts of the two stories. Bran the Builder and the Children of the Forest started it, laying down the base and wrapping the Old Magics in its roots, after that it was old fashioned hard work, the thousands of Night Watch Builders building on the Wall one block at a time for 8000 years. The original Wall was probably a lot like the Great Wall of China, maybe 50 ft. high if that, but the Brothers just kept building it up.

[@targaryen-timelord3093]

Ive never heard this theory before. It makes so much sense, holy crap!!!!

[@AThousandYoung]

The trees should need light to function. Maybe that's why they need blood...because they've become carnivorous due to lack of sunlight

[@michaeltalksaboutstuff]

Yeah there is so much hinting that weirwoods are corrupt trees, leaves like blood because they use blood magic where as they should be green using green magic.

[@Abdullah_Ayad]

hmm...attack on titan vibes, great theory.

[@martinkrog5943]

By Baldur's strapping buttocks! These vids blow my mind 2-3 times per vid :D

[@AdThe1st]

Yep, makes sense

[@holliegould3463]

i'm now imagining someone looking at the wall with the sun behind it and being able to see the faint shadows of absolutely massive trees! did any of you know that the Coastal Redwood can live more than 2000 YEARS and often grow taller than the Statue of Liberty?

[@milkmilk2328]

Solid.

[@edsr164]

It makes sense

[@umwha]

Here’s the thing.. trees pump up water to their branches sure. But this theory requires that the trees pump the water out of their branches , which they don’t do. The water would have to flow through the tree rather than be contained by the tree which is what normally happens. Also, if there are Others bound on the weirwoods , and they cause the water to freeze… how do the trees pump the water up through the trunk, when that’s where the ice-coolers are? It should feeeze in the trunk . Also, the trees aren’t getting any light so they should be dead. Are the trees wighted as well?

[@michaeltalksaboutstuff]

You have been leaving a bunch of good questions on the whole series. Idk that I will get to all of them before I have to go to work but will try to answer some more as I have thoughts on them or maybe even use some in a future Q and A video if I make one of those. A lot of good questions. As for some of these questions... I think a lot of this has to do with the weirwoods being manipulated to be trees used for this blood magic. I think in their current form the thing they drink is blood so while normally a tree drinks water these ones pump out the excess water as long as they get enough blood. (or some similar magic system to explain it enough to suspend disbelief) Also for them not dying in the wall the weirwoods being like basically a big connected fungal type organism to me makes sense that the ones in the wall could have nutrients fed in to make up for their lack of light if you want to go with a semi-scientific explaination. It could also just be something weird about weirwoods that allows it in the same way a weirwood never dies if undisturbed. Maybe it is something like that where they are harder to kill than normal and light isn't needed as much as we think. But also they could certainly in some form be undead type trees in there too. As for it not freezing in the trunks maybe some does and as it freezes it pushes its way out of the tree and only the stuff in the middle of the trunk makes it up further kept warm by the tree. We see the water that leaks out of the black gate is warm.

[@umwha]

@@michaeltalksaboutstuff Yes, the black gate water being warm is a very incongruous detail. Your theory, good though it is, cannot explain why that water would be warm. The only explanation is some form of Fire magic. David Lightbringer has theorys about how often 'dragon people' are associated with the others, or the weirnet. Bloodraven in the CotF cave, Dany and the dragons in the Grass Sea, Velaryon sea-dragons etc. So, maybe those 'Others' inside the wall were fire-people, who through some process (resurection/ soul trapping?) had that magical affinity flipped, to become ice batteries. This still wouldnt easily explain the warm salty water on the black gate, but it would place fire-magic somewhere near.

[@michaeltalksaboutstuff]

I think the thing we see in the show shoved in the night king might be a glass candle. Which would be a fire magic tie in. In an unused draft at least GRRM mentions binding life to a glass candle so that as long as the flame burns the man cannot die. It seems he might have some idea that ice and fire magic come together in the glass candles and the weirwoods but I don't know if we have enough info to be more detailed than that. But I could certainly see some fire magic in there in some fashion if not that. I mentioned in response to a different commenter I think fire magic is on some level another form of life magic. You have the idea of the fire of life and the birth of the dragons but also the fact that fire literally burns bodies(AKA life) to do blood magic or burns wood(life/tree magic) so fire magic is basically a tied in branch of life/green magic in the same way blood and shadow magic are tied into it all. Life/green magic as the real power source. But also GRRM mentions it like the fire is a power source all its own and a life force almost when talking about the glass candles in those drafts. I do think there is a decent chance there is some old fire magic involved in some way. I am open to adjustments on the finer magical step by step details of the theory. I think the general themes however line up and also give a central magical problem to solve that ties in all the plots to the wall itself. Which to me feels like it ties the whole narrative together around the wall and old ways. It is also helpful in imagining a way to wrap this all up somehow in two big books. The wall coming down is suddenly a lot closer to solving the problem. Also removes the need for anyone to spend a lot of time to go much further north in the future books to solve some heart of winter that is way out there beyond the map.

[@pranavpallekhi2491]

Wow!!! This makes so much sense. I really hope this comes true in Winds. Btw, are you an AoT fan, because... *spoiler alert* This is literally what happens there!

[@callumdunphy4846]

Genius

[@JurassicDog11]

wall-ter cycle had me 🤣

[@jimhart4488]

possibly there is a "well tree" inside of each castle on the wall? The Nightfort was the first castle but is not the only castle.

[@joshcoughx]

One part that is still confusing to me is - How is the well a weirwood trunk if it's hollow? And the tunnel, also hollow. Tree trunks aren't hollow. Can you explain that to me because I'm missing something. But otherwise I am loving your theories, thank you Michael.

[@michaeltalksaboutstuff]

The idea is the tree was there and the well was constructed by digging down into it hollowing out the trunk. Which is why the gate is in the walls of the well and the walls look white. So imagine a big immortal tree trunk hollowed out with stairs carved on the inside. This is speculation and who knows exactly why they built the gate into the trunk of the tree. It seems like that could be a part of the plan or could have been done by the Night's King to harm the trees if he was trying to end the old ways in some way himself. It certainly seems like digging a big hole into the world tree might damage the system as a whole.

[@joshcoughx]

@@michaeltalksaboutstuff Interesting. Thanks. I think you skipped over that thought in the video. Maybe I missed it.