Game of Thrones season eight is finally here with episode one airing last night on HBO and Sky Atlantic. Spoilers ahead.
Titled Winterfell, the premiere gave us everything we could want from an episode of Game of Thrones (except for a Brienne of Tarth appearance).
It also ended with one of the most gruesome deaths on the series to date courtesy of the Night King (played by Vladimir Furdik).
The audience were reintroduced the young Ned Umber (Harry Grasby) who was sent back to the Last Hearth to retrieve more horses for the upcoming battles.
All seemed fine until the end of the episode when Tormund (Kristofer Hivju), Beric Dondarrion (Richard Dormer) and Dolorous Edd (Ben Crompton) found the 10-year-old impaled to a wall.
His lifeless body was surrounded by amputated limbs in a familiar pattern we’ve come to recognise as a symbol of the Night King.
In one of the show’s best horror moments, the unfortunately named Ned reanimates as a wight, blue eyes glowing, and begins screeching and clawing at the horrified Beric who sets the child on fire with his flaming sword.
The child bursts into flames and so do the severed limbs that surround him, the spiral shape even more pronounced and a definite herald of more horror to come from the White Walkers.
The White Walkers have used spirals throughout Game Of Thrones’ history but in season six we learn they were created by the Children of the Forest.
But the spiral has reminded fans of another prominent symbol from Game of Thrones – the sigil of House Targaryen.
The three-headed dragon is arranged in a similar pattern, leading fans to think it somehow means the Night King and Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) are connected.
The Night King does have a dragon of his very own, after all.
Co-showrunner Davod Benioff spoke about the spirals before on Game of Thrones: Inside the Episode, saying: ‘They’re ancient symbols of the Children of the Forest used in their rituals, and the Children of the Forest created the White Walkers.’
Game of Thrones season 8 airs tonight on Sky Atlantic and NOW TV at 9pm.
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