Difference between revisions of "Ghost"

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Revision as of 12:33, 29 October 2014

Ghost
Ghost by carrie best.jpg
Ghost by Carrie Best©

Allegiance Jon Snow
Race Direwolf
Born 298 AC
the North
Books

Ghost is an albino direwolf bonded to Jon Snow. He received his name because of his white fur and the fact that he never makes a sound. He is the litter-mate of Grey Wind, Lady, Nymeria, Summer, and Shaggydog.

Appearance

See also: Images of Ghost

Ghost has white fur and red eyes. Bran Stark thinks it curious that Ghost alone would open its eyes while the others were blind.[1] Jon has noted that Ghost's red eyes are similar to the faces on carved weirwood trees by the children of the forest. At the outset, Ghost is the smallest of his pack, but he eventually grows to be larger than his litter mates.[2]

Recent Events

A Game of Thrones

Ghost in the TV series

Along with his litter-mates, Ghost is discovered by the Stark children after his mother was killed by a stag. Ghost was the first pup to open his eyes and had wandered off unnoticed by the time the Starks arrived. Jon Snow convinces Eddard Stark to allow his children to keep the pups by noting that the five remaining pups match the five Stark children, excluding himself. Only afterwards does Jon discover Ghost. Theon Greyjoy wants to kill the albino pup, but Jon claims him.[3] Ghost accompanies Jon to the Wall and through his adventures in the North. Ghost exhibits a great deal of intelligence, and frequently works to Jon's benefit with a surprising amount of insight for an animal. When Jon deserts the Night's Watch, Ghost betrays their position so that Jon's friends can bring him back.[4]

A Clash of Kings

Ghost discovers a cache of dragonglass weapons near the Fist of the First Men and leads Jon to it.[5]

Sometimes during sleep, Jon inhabits Ghost's body through a warg bond, although he does not seem to fully understand it at first. He dreams of his lost brothers and sisters.[6] Ygritte's description of the warg's power may have helped him in accepting his own link with Ghost.[7]

Ghost remains mostly at Jon's side and occasionally fights alongside him.[7]

A Storm of Swords

Jon sends Ghost away with instructions to go to Castle Black.[8] He does not know if Ghost understands his instructions and does not hear of Ghost's whereabouts for a great while. By the time Jon himself returns to Castle Black, he seems to have attained at least a tentative acceptance of his warg powers.[9] Ghost is still missing, however. After a few eventful days, Jon and Ghost are finally reunited, to their mutual joy.[10]

A Dance with Dragons

When Jon enters into Ghost, Ghost knows that two of his siblings still live, being able to sense Nymeria sing to the moon with her pack of regular wolves in the Riverlands and Shaggydog fighting a unicorn on Skagos. Even though Summer is alive, Ghost cannot sense him, presumably because Summer is beyond the Wall.[11]

Much like Grey Wind at the Red Wedding, Ghost senses the impending treachery of the Night's Watch, and lashes out. However, Jon believes his behavior is due to a giant boar that the wildling skinchanger Borroq brought to Castle Black, and keeps Ghost locked up in his quarters. As Jon is betrayed and stabbed by Bowen Marsh and his cronies, Ghost is unable to help his master. Ghost's fate remains unknown.[12]

Quotes about Ghost

He's not like the others. He never makes a sound. That's why I named him Ghost. That, and because he's white. The others are all dark, grey or black.[13]

Jon Snow to Benjen Stark


Jon's wolf, the white one, was Ghost. Bran wished he had thought of that first, even though his wolf wasn't white.[14]

Bran Stark


Will he howl for me when I’m dead, as Bran’s wolf howled when he fell? Jon wondered. Will Shaggydog howl, far off in Winterfell, and Grey Wind and Nymeria, wherever they might be? [7]

Jon Snow


Even in Winterfell, as a kid before the wolves, Jon was the bastard. He was the odd one out. The rest of them are all brothers and sisters. He's only a half-brother, so he's not as closely tied to them ... So he's of them, he's part of the family, he's part of the siblings, but he's a little bit apart too. Ghost is very similar to that. He's the albino, he's the one who makes no noise, so he's related to the other direwolves but one apart as well.[15]

- George R. R. Martin

References and Notes