GoT: Does the Wolf Make the Stark?

The First Wolf Losses

It isn’t until the Targaryens arrive that we have our first issues. When Joffrey threatens Arya, Nymeria comes running to the rescue and savages Joffrey’s arm. Of course this causes problems back at camp and Cersei garners her first Stark kill, by having Lady executed. As a precaution, Arya had driven Nymeria away.

The first two Stark dire wolf losses already poke holes in the theory that the wolf and child share the same fate. Nymeria is off to the wilds while Lady is dead at the hands of Ned. Neither Arya nor Sansa have died as of Season 8, Episode 4, so where is the connection? We will come back to these two.

War of the Wolves

The next death would look very much like there is a link. When Rob Stark is killed at the Red Wedding, both Grey Wind and Rob are beheaded. In fact Grey Wind’s head is sewn onto Rob’s body and paraded around the grounds. This one, at least, holds true to sharing fates.

Next up is Summer, Bran’s wolf. Bran and Summer become very close. Summer saved both Bran and Lady Catelyn from a would-be assassin, and after the loss of his legs, Bran learns to warg into Summer to see things as the wolf does. Later on, hen the Night King pursues Bran in the cave of the three eyed raven, Summer meets his end. Summer sacrifices himself in the cave, fighting the wights of the north, and allows Bran to escape. Again, a contradiction. The wolf has not only died, but did so to save his master.

Lastly we come to Rickon and Shaggy Dog. Shaggy was seen the least of the wolves during the show. Shaggy and Rickon both had a wild and savage side. Both were hard to control as they grew, but eventually they would be caught by Ramsey Bolton. An Umber actually killed Shaggy, but Ramsey made sure Shaggy’s corpse went to good use as proof that the Boltons captured Rickon. Ramsey later turns Rickon into an arrowpin cushion as he “released” him to Jon. While the deaths were days apart, dead wolf foreshadowed dead master, so this one fits.