Warning: This article contains spoilers for Game of Thrones.
The Game of Thrones battle that we’ve been looking forward to (rather, dreading) since the White Walkers first showed their creepy selves years ago culminated in Sunday night’s episode, “The Long Night.” Arya Stark emerged as the battle’s—and the Seven Kingdoms’—biggest hero, killing the Night King in a trick move using that infamous Valyrian steel dagger. No one saw it coming.
Except for Melisandre, that is, and the Daily Dot’s resident Game of Thrones expert Michelle Jaworski wrote in detail about how the Red Woman’s prophecy led to the surprising end of the war with the dead here.
Twitter was filled with reactions of shock and exhilaration, celebrating Arya’s heroism. A lot of fans’ tweets were also filled with nostalgia, as they recalled how her journey from a little Stark girl to a skilled assassin led to the very end of the Night King and his dead army—who shall now all remain dead forever. On social media, users had receipts that show Arya was made for this moment—in the form of GIFs and clips.
Arya’s training
Twitter fans called back Arya’s best moments, trials, and training in the past—starting with Jon Snow giving her Needle, Ned Stark allowing her to learn how to use it with master swordfighter Syrio Forel, the Hound teaching her where to hit to kill (i.e. the heart), and Jaqen H’ghar and the Waif training her to become an assassin with the Faceless Men.
@She_DreadzMe aptly called them Arya’s “coaching staff.”
Matter of fact shoutout to #Arya whole coaching staff! #GameOfThrones pic.twitter.com/irnISvMjYP
— she_dreadzme (@She_DreadzMe) April 29, 2019
As far as these Twitter fans are concerned, Arya’s Faceless Men training is for this very purpose: “They said no one could kill the Night King, so Arya became No One.”
https://twitter.com/camilasmoon_/status/1122739848811560961
https://twitter.com/wizamby/status/1122745012154970112
We became particularly emotional when fans honored Arya by remembering Ned Stark and “how proud he would have been of Arya. Turns out those ‘dancing lessons’ with Syrio would pay off,” opines @danyskylo.
https://twitter.com/danyskylo/status/1122715124186349568
https://twitter.com/vhagar_v/status/1122728217981464579
https://twitter.com/MichaelCarrar10/status/1122698527728119809
Fans remember that one of Syrio’s biggest lessons—“there’s only one thing we say to death: not today”—is what Melisandre used to jog Arya’s memory and prompt her into action to go after the Night King.
https://twitter.com/NickBVlogs5/status/1122728661453377536
And of course, fans called back this particular sparring session with Brienne of Tarth—where we had our first glimpse of her ability to drop her dagger from her dominant left hand to her right.
https://twitter.com/DahddyHoe/status/1122716066885640192
Callback to Melisandre’s prophecy
Syrio’s last words were not the only thing Melisandre reminded Arya of. The Red Woman also mentioned a portion of her own prophecy about Arya back in season 3’s “The Climb” episode which aired in 2013: She listed the eye colors of the people Arya is destined to kill, “Brown eyes… green eyes… and blue eyes.”
Melisandre telling Arya that she will kill the Night King back in Season 3 #GameofThrones#AryaStark pic.twitter.com/nly1csktMy
— Abhishek Bhardwaj (@Abhishe42374030) April 29, 2019
While nobody but Melisandre saw how Arya would bring the Night King down, fans were quick to celebrate how they knew it was Arya all along.
https://twitter.com/AngryBlacktina/status/1122718271453712384
https://twitter.com/areyastarkk/status/1122741184315551745
Somehow, fans also took this to mean that, after killing Walder Frey (who has brown eyes) and the Night King (with blue eyes), she’s set to kill Cersei (supposedly who has green eyes and is definitely on Arya’s kill list).
https://twitter.com/laugh_8k/status/1122734171233898496
Melisandre’s prophecy from season 3, you’re welcome #GameofThrones #GOTS8E3 pic.twitter.com/Gaq1PVYUuf
— Missy (@MissNadeline) April 29, 2019
Fans also have receipts for how Beric Dondarrion’s purpose for always being resurrected from death has been served, as Melisandre pointed out: to save Arya.
THE LORD OF LIGHT KEPT BRINGING BACK BERIC DONDARRION BECAUSE HIS ROLE WAS TO SAVE ARYA — THE GIRL WHO WOULD DELIVER THE FINAL BLOW.
— Muhannad (@mohand1418) April 29, 2019
MELISANDRE KNEW IT. BRAN KNEW IT. BERIC KNEW IT. RIP TO A REAL ONE.#GameofThrones #DemThrones pic.twitter.com/rlmDGV1jJ8
Callback to the Stark siblings’ most meaningful exchanges
Eagle-eyed Game of Thrones fans also can’t get over how Bran gave Arya the Valyrian steel dagger that was used to try to kill him in season 1 at the very same spot she used it to kill the Night King.
https://twitter.com/thronesfacts/status/1122719050478448640
No one noticed that Bran gave Arya the Valeryan Steel dagger at the exact spot she used it to kill the Night King…#GameOfThrones#GOTS08E03 https://t.co/LR2fCP1gDi
— Kike Realpe (@kikerealpe) April 29, 2019
@ravenbloodbaby even added that “Arya sneaked up on Jon at this place. Arya killed the Night King with the dagger, sneaked up on him at this place.”
Bran gave Arya the dagger at this place. Arya sneaked up on John at this place. Arya killed the Night King with the dagger, sneaked up on him at this place. #GameofThrones #AryaStark pic.twitter.com/Zt5mP8RhnI
— 🐺Jasmin (@ravenbloodbaby) April 29, 2019
For those wondering why in the world Bran was warging into ravens while the battle against the dead raged all around him, @Garrick_KI had an answer: “Bran was playing 4D chess against the Night King when he gave Arya the Catspaw dagger.”
https://twitter.com/Garrick_KI/status/1122692673633124360
The dagger Bran gave to Arya makes so much sense right now. Bran knew it all along. #GameofThrones #AryaStark pic.twitter.com/a1bMfUxbAY
— Sushant Kaushal (Modi ka Parivar) (@Sushant_Kaushal) April 29, 2019
Speaking of Needle and giving siblings daggers, a tender moment between sisters in the episode—when Arya gave Sansa a dagger to defend herself at the crypts—was also a major callback: Arya tells Sansa exactly what Jon said to her about how to use Needle after giving it to her in season 1, episode 2: “Stick them with the pointy end.”
Love this callback. #BattleOfWinterfell pic.twitter.com/u3jr9DyslJ
— Jillian Sederholm (@JillianSed) April 29, 2019
Lyanna Mormont tributes
Arya is not the only teenage heroine of the Battle of Winterfell. Lyanna Mormont met her end in the most heroic way possible: fighting and killing a giant wight all on her own. Twitter was likewise filled with callbacks to the empowered young woman she always was.
https://twitter.com/DeathByWombats/status/1122699012908490753
https://twitter.com/mcqwill/status/1122720051369402368
@MandalorianMel even compares Lyanna to her mom, Lady Maege Mormont, once the head of House Mormont, who fought for Robb Stark, the King in the North, during the War of the Five Kings.
https://twitter.com/MandalorianMel/status/1122721054659698690
Lyanna has been showing all the grown men at Winterfell, including cousin Jorah Mormont, that she can hold her own in both the Winterfell council and in battle until the moment she died. “Finally Lyanna Mormont got to fight someone her size. The perfect end to a perfect lady,” tweets @justmejaaybee.
https://twitter.com/NotMattTorsell/status/1122698746796683264
https://twitter.com/justmejaaybee/status/1122741866867245056
Fans think even Tormund Giantsbane has nothing on Lyanna.
Tormund: I killed a giant
— shxw ✨ (@shawxdee) April 29, 2019
Lyanna: hold my beer #BattleOfWinterfell #GameofThrones pic.twitter.com/YUAQFOLpdm
Fans likewise honored House Mormont, as we lost another key Mormont in that battle: Ser Jorah, who died protecting Daenerys.
Lyanna Mormont, Ser Jorah Mormont. That’s the end of House Mormont, a proud House of the north. The north shall remember. #gameofthrones pic.twitter.com/YLJD9HscQl
— MV (@Manohar_Vainkat) April 29, 2019
The battle brought us heroism, tragedy, epic fights, and more questions than answers. We have three more episodes to piece it all together.
READ MORE:
- A very important dagger just showed showed up on ‘Game of Thrones’ (updated)
- How to watch ‘Game of Thrones’ season 8, episode 3 for free
- ‘Game of Thrones’ told us how the Battle of Winterfell would end 6 years ago
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