The scene from the Game of Thrones Season 2 finale, where Sam Tarly freezes in fear while witnessing the army of the dead, still raises questions. Why did the White Walkers ignore him amidst the bloody chaos around? Let’s explore the main theories and propose our own.
White Walkers in Game of Thrones Leave Witnesses
This explanation seems logical. In the beginning of the Game of Thrones book, the White Walkers spare one Night’s Watch scout so he can return and tell what he saw. Perhaps they did the same with Sam — his panicked tale could spread fear and chaos among the Watch, which indeed happened. However, there’s a catch: Sam didn’t seem like someone who would run off to warn the world about the impending nightmare. He was terrified, unarmed, and clearly posed no threat.
Poor Cinematography in Game of Thrones
Many fans believe the scene was just poorly edited, suggesting that Sam hid behind a rock and the Walkers technically didn’t see him. But White Walkers aren’t blind zombies. They have intelligence, magical abilities, and control over the dead. They can see in the dark, sense living flesh — missing Sam in that scene seems odd. Yet, in the first episode of Season 3, Sam hid from the dead, and after the mutiny at Craster’s Keep, a Walker didn’t intend to spare him, which led to its own demise.
Theory: Dragonglass Might Have Shielded Sam
Remember, Sam carried a dragonglass dagger — the very weapon capable of killing White Walkers. In both the books and the show, dragonglass is closely tied to magic, and perhaps its presence made Sam invisible to the enemy or forced them to keep their distance.
An additional argument: in the scene where the Night King raises the dead during the Battle of Winterfell, Jon Snow somehow remains alive when he could have been killed instantly. Maybe he also possessed something that interfered with the Walkers’ magic. However, this theory falters when recalling how many fighters with obsidian weapons were killed that night.
Most likely, the White Walkers spared Sam to spread fear and weaken the Night’s Watch’s morale. Or perhaps the book-loving Sam had a secret magical protection yet to be revealed.
