Why Does the Night King Prefer Wights to White Walkers?

The portrayal of the Night King in Game of Thrones and A Song of Ice and Fire has always been intriguing. While it is clear that the Night King primarily raises the dead as wights, one might wonder why he doesn't hold captives and turn them into White Walkers. Let's delve into the reasons behind this decision.

Transformation Process

Creating a White Walker is a complex and rare process. Unlike wights, a living human being must be touched by the Night King during a specific ritual to be transformed into a White Walker. This process is not one that can be performed on just anyone. The transformation seems to be a selective process, meaning not every captive can be turned into a White Walker. This added complexity and selectivity may be reasons why the Night King prefers to raise the dead as wights instead.

Quantity vs. Quality

Another key reason for the Night King's preference for wights is their ease of creation in large numbers. Wights can be quickly summoned from fallen soldiers and other deceased beings, allowing the Night King to rapidly form a vast army. This overwhelming force is incredibly effective in instilling fear and chaos. In contrast, maintaining a captive population of White Walkers would be much more complicated, as these beings possess greater intelligence and autonomy compared to wights.

Nature of White Walkers

White Walkers are far more intelligent and autonomous than wights. While wights are mindless and semblantly zombies, White Walkers have their own goals and motivations. By creating a large number of wights, the Night King can maintain control over a vast army without the complications arising from having many sentient beings. This control is essential for his strategic goals.

Strategic Goals

The Night King's primary objective seems to be the extermination of humanity. Wights serve this purpose well by creating fear and chaos, while also being easier to manage. There is no need for the intricacies involved in managing a population of White Walkers. Furthermore, the practicalities of warfare favor the large, mindless army of wights over the smaller, more intelligent force of White Walkers.

Narrative Focus

From a storytelling perspective, the depiction of wights as mindless hordes enhances the horror and urgency of the threat posed by the Night King. It emphasizes the overwhelming nature of his army, creating a sense of dread for the living. The narrative is more compelling with the vast and terrifying wight army rather than a smaller, more strategic force of White Walkers.

Only human males, such as Craster's sons, can be turned into White Walkers, while all others are turned into wights. This limitation is notably demonstrated in Season 8, Episode 3: "The Long Night." In this episode, Arya Stark fights the Night King, and although he could have killed her and turned her into a wight, he could not turn her into a White Walker. The Night King gloated over this moment of triumph, ensuring Arya's victory while showing his preference for easier and more numerous wights.

Despite the convenience and strategic benefits of having White Walkers, the Night King's preference for wights aligns with the practicalities of warfare, narrative storytelling, and the mechanics of the Night King's powers. The Night King's decision to raise wights rather than transform captives into White Walkers is a result of these factors, providing a grounded and narratively compelling approach to his military strategy.