The Extraordinary Symbolism of the Stag & the Wolf

A scene that can be taken to represent a dozen aspects of the series

Foundation of the Series

Early in both George R.R. Martin's A Game of Thrones (1996) and the first episode of its HBO adaptation (2011), the men of the Stark family happen upon the gruesome aftermath of a clash between a stag and a direwolf. Here's the clip from the show – back when it was pretty damn good – if you want a refresher (Content warning for gore):

Author George R.R. Martin has his faults, but I'd argue his execution of symbolism is the best in the business. Inside and outside his world, inordinate importance is placed on the House symbols – the Stark direwolf, the Baratheon stag, the Lannister lion and so on – in part because of the magical reappearance of direwolves and dragons in this early part of the story.

(This isn't necessarily the place or time, but the detail that House Lannister long since hunted their native giant lions to extinction and now only have the caged, inbred descendants of lions deep beneath Casterly Rock is another brutally perfect example.)

Major House Symbols and Words, by MonteKarstark

This is a portentous moment for the characters, for both its symbolism and its direct connection to the five (six) Stark children, each of whom receives a direwolf pup. It also goes a long way to establishing essential aspects of these characters: Jon is used to being apart from his siblings, but is caring and willing to stand up for his beliefs; Eddard is thoughtful and reverent but also utterly pragmatic; Theon is quick to violence and blind to the meaning of the moment.

It is the moment that many fans became invested in this story, even if neither the books or show put much significance on the wolves beyond this moment. At least in the books it isn't just Bran psychically linking with Summer; Arya and Jon are also consistently experiencing 'wolf dreams' with Nymeria and Ghost respectively, though it's unclear how conscious they are of their abilities. Robb seemed to be doing the same with Grey Wind – in battle, no less – and a horrifying but plausible fan theory speculates that he entered his wolf's mind at the Red Wedding, only to die a second time.

Antler in the Throat

But setting the pups aside, the imagery I'm here to discuss: the stag and the wolf collide and both are killed. What meaning(s) does this convey, and what events does it foreshadow?

Robert Baratheon and Eddard Stark before the series, by Lensar

The most straightforward, overarching interpretation is that this foreshadows the many dangers associated with King Robert Baratheon's (whose House sigil is a crowned stag) upcoming visit to the Starks at Winterfell, hoping to make Ned his new Hand of the King. Not that Ned needs the warning: he had enough of southern politicking while helping Robert take the crown sixteen years before, and is incredibly reluctant to return.

But he ultimately can't refuse his friend's request, so the wolf moves south where it doesn't belong and both the stag and wolf are dead within the year (you could even interpret Ned's end as an antler in the throat, if you squint).

So much of the fallout can be lumped in there too, when we consider that Joffrey & Tommen's subsequent power continues to come from the Baratheon name and symbol in spite of their true parentage. Sansa's horrifying journey, from the loss of her direwolf Lady through Joffrey's actions to her escape in the hours after his death, is centered on the association of stag & wolf. Robb and Catelyn's attempt to avenge Ned follows even more directly. Theon once again goes straight to violence in the aftermath, ripping the heart out of the north in his attempt to impress his father.

Echoes of the Past

Yet the image can also be taken to represent the defining events which brought the world to the point we see it in both book and show: Robert's Rebellion.

Robert holding Lyanna's body, by Nicolas Charly

Though it would be nice to say that Robert, Ned and company overthrew the 300-year Targaryen dynasty for altruistic reasons, it was mostly because Robert was in love with Lyanna Stark, who Rhaegar Targaryen supposedly kidnapped (though it is now clear that Rhaegar and Lyanna ran away together).

While it’s by no means clear that Lyanna would have survived childbirth had she not been in hiding during a massive civil war, I think it's safe to say that her chances might have improved. The end result of Robert’s actions was in a way the most eerily similar to the image of the dead stag and wolf: the wolf dying as she gives birth, in this case to Jon who advocates so staunchly for the wolf pups to live and is rewarded with his own albino pup.

Returning to Winterfell

The dead stag and wolf are a masterful way to introduce many aspects of this world, from the characters to the portentous sigils to the series' tone. It encapsulates much of the Stark- and Baratheon- centered plot to come and reflects the events that led the world here. Perhaps it isn't even done: The Winds of Winter still features Stannis Baratheon fighting to liberate the North on behalf of the Starks, and it is widely speculated that his daughter Shireen Baratheon might be sacrificed to resurrect Jon Snow. Will this association continue to bring death and destruction?

This image is only one profound example of George's incredible ability to foreshadow plot developments and re-contextualize past ones; his books are full of them, which is part of why the community has been able to continue theorizing so avidly for thirteen years since the last book. In particular, George has established an incredible amount of imagery around dragons and false identities, as I discuss here.

Are there any similarly far-reaching pieces of imagery that come to your mind? I'd love to hear about them! Thanks as always for reading <3