One of the biggest questions that carried throughout Game of Thrones was the reasoning behind the White Walkers' decision to spare Samwell Tarly in season 2. Actor John Bradley portrayed the character for all eight seasons of the HBO series based on the books by George R.R. Martin. Here's a breakdown of the season 2 scene and a possible explanation into why Sam came out of it unscathed.

At the start of Game of Thrones season 2, Sam joined the expedition, the Great Ranging, alongside members of the Night's Watch to travel beyond the Wall. After traveling months, the group arrived at Craster's Keep where Sam met and fell in love with Gilly. With Jon Snow scouting another location, Sam continued marching to the Fist of the First Men, a landmark the Night's Watch used to orient themselves. While at the Fist, Sam found a horde of Dragonglass, one of the only substances capable of killing White Walkers. He eventually joined two other men to forage for fuel when three horns blared indicating that White Walkers were near.

Sam was unable to keep with his allies following the warning and instead, found himself stuck in a blizzard. As the other men traveled back to the Fist of the First Men, Sam took refuge behind a rock as several White Walkers and an army of wights approached. A White Walker riding atop a horse seemingly looked directly at Sam before letting out a screech and leading its army to the Fist to close out season 2. To date, there have never been any true explanations into why that specific White Walker didn't kill Sam, but there have been some compelling thoughts surrounding the subject.

Speculations On Why The White Walkers Let Sam Live


One popular belief was that Sam was spared to serve as a messenger to the living. Since Sam saw firsthand the enormity of the White Walkers and their army, he could spread the truth which would result in more fear. Essentially, the White Walkers could have wanted Sam to travel back to the Wall and inform the Night's Watch of what was coming. This would follow with another encounter that occurred earlier in the series.

At the start of the Game of Thrones pilot, three men traveled beyond the Wall to search for a Wildling camp. They encountered a White Walker, and two of the three men were killed. The lone survivor was considered a Night's Watch deserter but it was likely he was spared to act as a messenger for what existed north of the Wall. It's also plausible that the White Walker in both situations viewed the ranger and Sam as fearful men with no urge to fight. As an act of pity, the White Walkers may have chosen these targets weren't worth their time since weren't viewed as an immediate threat.

Some have argued that the White Walker on the horse didn't actually see Sam. The humanoid turned his head but that could have been a method to look in the direction of the camera to instill fear in viewers as they contemplate what will happen next. Either way, sparing Sam turned out to be detrimental in taking down the Night King, the White Walkers, and their army. If it wasn't for Sam and his research, Jon Snow, Daenerys Targaryen, and their forces would have never been able to protect Westeros from their invasion in Game of Thrones' final season.