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They will call you men of Night’s Watch now, but you are bigger fools than the Mummer's Monkey here if you believe that. You are boys still, green and stinking of summer, and when the winter comes you will die like flies.
~ Ser Alliser to his recruits at Castle Black.

Ser Alliser Thorne is a supporting antagonist in the A Song of Ice and Fire novel series and a major antagonist in its television adaptation, Game of Thrones.

He is a knight from House Thorne and a ranger of the Night's Watch, and he served as one of its masters-at-arms. While respected and deemed worthy by his fellow officers and Lord Commander Mormont, he is a bitter man, as well as mean-spirited and humorless, who looks down on the majority of his recruits for being criminals. The tone of his voice, his contempt, and his bullying make him hated by all the Night's Watch's recruits.

In the TV series, he was portrayed by Owen Teale.

Personality[]

Alliser Thorne is a slim and sinewy 50-year-old man, dry and hard, with a sharp, cold voice. He is extremely aggressive, humorless, barbaric, hateful, bitter, and mean-spirited. He takes jokes poorly and likes to give mocking names to the recruits, such as "Lord Snow" for Jon Snow; "the aurochs" for Grenn; "Rat" for Rast; "Mummer's Monkey" for Pypar; "Stone Head" for Halder; "Pimple" for Albett; "Ser Piggy," "Lady Piggy," and "Lord of Ham" for Samwell Tarly. At first, he hated the other new recruits of the Night's Watch more than Jon and had only a disdain for the boy, giving him a mocking nickname as Jon is an illegitimate son with a young lord's upbringing. This disdain turns into hatred when Jon replies to one of his mockeries, provoking the hilarity of the whole common room of Castle Black. Ser Alliser is good at leadership and a proven warrior, but his personality and personal hatred towards others are what keep him from becoming a true leader, causing distrust from Jeor Mormont. He's one of the few remaining knights of the Night's Watch, thus considered necessary to keep order and discipline for the Wall despite his actions.

Biography[]

Little is known about Ser Alliser's previous life before taking the black, and the only known thing about House Thorne is that it still exists and serves the Iron Throne. It is unknown who is the current head of House Thorne and what relationship Alliser had with the family. It's also never said if he visited the seat of his house again, like Benjen did.

Prior to joining the Night's Watch, Alliser was a knight of House Thorne of the Crownlands and fought on the side of House Targaryen during Robert's Rebellion. A defender of King's Landing, after its sack, Thorne was given the choice by Lord Tywin Lannister between death or taking the black, along with other fellow Targaryen loyalists such as Ser Jaremy Rykker. He's known for being mean-spirited and a bully who doesn't really care to train the recruits. Jeor Mormont is also afraid of the idea of Thorne commanding the Night's Watch. Thorne is a hateful person, having a dislike or hatred for nearly every man at Castle Black unless he's highborn. His known friends are Thoren Smallwood, who died at the Fist of the First Men in the third book, A Storm of Swords; Ser Jaremy Rykker, killed by the wight of Ser Jafer Flowers in the first book, A Game of Thrones; Ser Glendon Hewett of Eastwatch-by-the-Sea and its current temporary commander; and Lord Janos Slynt, executed by Lord Commander Snow in the fifth book, A Dance With Dragons. Both Alliser and Benjen Stark have a dislike for Tyrion Lannister and accuse him of mocking the Night's Watch.

During the second book, he arrives at King's Landing with the hand of a wight and demands to see the King, but he's refused by the Hand of the King, Tyrion Lannister. Alliser Thorne arrived at King's Landing with Ser Jafer Flowers' hand to impress on the Iron Throne the severity of the threat from beyond the Wall so that King Joffrey may send more troops to the Wall. However, Lord Tyrion remembers him as a mean-spirited man who likes to torment recruits. Out of spite, Tyrion keeps Ser Alliser waiting so long that Jafer's hand decomposes, leaving bones, and is therefore not very convincing. Tyrion does not allow Alliser to see the king, and when Thorne starts to act aggressively at court, Tyrion has the Kingsguard send him away, allowing him to take some men from the Red Keep's dungeons.

After taking a few prisoners and weapons with him, he returns to the Wall via sea again. During Alliser's absence, the duty of master-at-arms of Castle Black is taken by Ser Endrew Tarth, who arrived from the Shadow Tower.

Thorne serves as the master-at-arms of Eastwatch-by-the-Sea, and he becomes an ally with Lord Janos Slynt and Ser Glendon Hewett. The three arrive at Castle Black at the end of the third book, with reinforcements from Eastwatch, for the wildling invasion commanded by Mance Rayder. Thorne and Slynt threaten to behead Jon, but eventually they both agree to send him to treat with Mance, hoping to see him killed.

King Stannis Baratheon is infuriated by the absence of a leader and forces Maester Aemon to start the election in a rushed way, so Thorne, Hewett, First Steward Bowen Marsh, and First Builder Othell Yarwyck support Janos Slynt during the election of a new Lord Commander. Samwell convinces the other candidates for Lord Commander, Ser Denys Mallister, commander of the Shadow Tower, and Cotter Pyke, commander of Eastwatch-by-the-Sea, to support Jon Snow against Lord Janos. Janos wants to have Jon executed for killing Qhorin Halfhand (although Qhorin was already going to die at the hands of Mance, so he let Jon do it quickly to infiltrate the wildlings). Yarwyck and Marsh grow tired of Thorne and Slynt's plotting and support Jon. Jon also receives a vote from the late Jeor Mormont through his living raven, and he's elected the 998th Lord Commander. In the TV show, Alliser replaces Janos as the candidate for the election of the new Lord Commander. However, as both a reward and a way to win his loyalty, Jon names Thorne the First Ranger of the Night's Watch. In the books, Jack Bulwer becomes First Ranger, while Thorne is a ranger officer, and Iron Emmett becomes the new master-at-arms of Castle Black, before becoming later the garrison commander of Long Barrow.

Thorne holds a strong disliking for Jon Snow. In the TV series, this grudge eventually hits its boiling point in the Season 5 finale, "Mother's Mercy," where Thorne, Othell Yarwyck, Bowen Marsh, and several other men of the Night's Watch, including Olly, brutally stab Jon Snow and leave him to die after he lets the wildlings go through the other side of the Wall to make them live in the lands of the Gift, the lands that have been raided by the wildlings for thousands of years, causing them to remain mostly abandoned. This differs from the original version in Book 5, where Jon names Black Jack Bulwer First Ranger and, with him, Thorne and Dywen commanders of three groups of rangers beyond the Wall to find the rest of the wildlings. After Stannis's warnings and Slynt's execution, Jon was actually worried about Ser Alliser's loyalty, so he decided to send him with the other rangers to help find and rescue any wildling they could find north of the Wall. Thorne thinks Jon is sending him to die and promises he will return alive or as a wight. Jon doesn't like Thorne, but he still hopes he will make it back alive. In both books and the TV show Ser Denys Mallister and Cotter Pyke, the commanders of the other 2 main castles, are not involved in the assassination of Jon.

The Mutiny at Castle Black in the novels[]

In the books, the Mutiny at Castle Black happens for multi-faceted reasons. Like in the TV series, Jon works to rescue the wildlings and lets thousands of wildlings through the gates, along with giants and mammoths, in an effort to save them from the Others. Because of their size, most of the mammoths and giants pass by sea through Eastwatch. The Night's Watch also found many other wildling groups and families scattered beyond the Wall during the attack and burning of their camps by King Stannis Baratheon. Wun Wun is also found in the Haunted Forest with a wildling family. Many other wildlings who fled from Stannis's invasion have been found by the wights and killed to join them, while the warrior band led by the Weeper is not far from the Shadow Tower. Tormund leads 4,000 wildlings through the gates of Castle Black in exchange for possession and hostages to ensure good behavior and to help pay for the resources needed to support the wildlings and Night's Watch through the winter. Meanwhile, Alys Karstark agrees to marry the Magnar Sigorn, in an arrangement set up by Jon to protect Alys from being forcibly married to her cousin Cregan so she can retake her home.

Bowen Marsh and Othell Yarwyck strongly oppose Jon's efforts to save and ally with the wildlings and consider it treason. Thorne is not present at Castle Black for most of the book, having been sent on a mission by Jon early in the fifth book. Cotter Pyke, commander of Eastwatch, is sent with ships to Hardhome to rescue thousands of wildlings camped there. Jon devotes much effort to rebuilding the castles along the Wall in preparation to defend against the Others, manning them with Watch members and willing wildlings alike. He allows those wildlings who wish to take the black into the Watch, which is also met with opposition from Bowen and his advisers.

As Jon is trying to do his best to prepare the Watch and the wildlings to fight the Others. Stannis Baratheon, now Lord of the Nightfort, heads south to support the Wall for the imminent war and winter. Since Dowager Queen Cersei Lannister and the Boltons are bothered by the alliance between Stannis and the Night's Watch, Stannis tries to liberate the North from the Boltons and secure protection in the south, as well as support from the northern houses against the Others. He sent an order to Dragonstone for his men to start mining the dragonglass on the island to bring it to the Wall.

Bowen Marsh and his men are also uncomfortable with Jon providing aid to Stannis, fearing the wrath of the Iron Throne, which views Stannis as a rebel. Jon explains that the Watch owes Stannis a debt for saving them, and he is their guest, but Bowen Marsh remains uneasy and fearful of retribution from the Iron Throne.

Near the end of the book, Jon Snow receives a taunting letter purportedly from Ramsay Bolton, addressed to 'Bastard':

"Your false king is dead, bastard. He and all his host were smashed in seven days of battle. I have his magic sword. Tell his red whore.

Your false king’s friends are dead. Their heads upon the walls of Winterfell. Come see them, bastard. Your false king lied, and so did you. You told the world you burned the King-Beyond-the-Wall. 'Instead' you sent him to Winterfell to steal my bride from me.

I will have my bride back. If you want Mance Rayder back, come and get him. I have him in a cage for all the north to see, proof of your lies. The cage is cold, but I have made him a warm cloak from the skins of the six whores who came with him to Winterfell.

I want my bride back. I want the false king’s queen. I want his daughter and his red witch. I want his wildling princess.

I want his little prince, the wildling babe. And I want my Reek. Send them to me, bastard, and I will not trouble you or your black crows. Keep them from me, and I will cut out your bastard’s heart and eat it.

Ramsay Bolton, Trueborn Lord of Winterfell."

Excerpt From: George R. R. Martin. "A Dance With Dragons."

Jon is horrified by the letter. He and Tormund, who is with Jon when the letter is delivered, discuss what to do for the next two hours. Afterward, Jon announces at Shieldhall that Tormund will lead the ranging to Hardhome, and he will go south and confront Ramsay. He says he will go alone and will not make anyone join him unless they wish to. The wildlings are moved by his words and join him while Bowen and his men disappear from the Shieldhall. With his announcement to march south, Jon compromises his neutrality as Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, causing great discontent within the Watch's upper leadership.

Amidst the chaos, Jon hears a scream of agony and rushes to the source. When he arrives, a bleeding Wun Wun is holding the mangled body of Ser Patrick. Jon tries to prevent more loss of life, and as he turns around, he sees Wick Wittlestick, who slashes at Jon's throat with a dagger, just barely grazing him. While Jon is still trying to understand, Bowen Marsh and others surround him and plant daggers in him, all of them saying with tears in their eyes, "For the Watch." By the time the fourth dagger slashes him, Jon has fallen. It's not mentioned yet if Yarwyck stabbed Jon, like in the TV series. Thorne was not present during the mutiny, as he has not yet returned from his mission beyond the Wall. Jack Bulwer and his group were found by the Weeper and his men and sent back to Castle Black as dead corpses. The Weeper plans to take the Shadow Tower. Melisandre has seen a vision in the flames about other rangers returning to Castle Black with blue eyes. It's still unknown if it's Thorne's group or Dywen's group.

Season Six[]

In the sixth season of the TV series, Alliser, Marsh, Yarwyck, Olly, and the rest of the officers try to convince Ser Davos Seaworth to leave the Wall and the Night's Watchmen loyal to Jon Snow to surrender. Thorne promises he won't kill Ghost and will set him free in the lands beyond the Wall, with the other wolves and direwolves living there. Because of Thorne's lack of popularity and previous actions, Dolorous Edd doesn't trust the knight, so Davos asks for time to consider the offer. Thorne manages to calm down the infuriated black brothers in the Great Hall, telling them that Jon was going to destroy the Night's Watch, and he saved it. Marsh and Yarwyck don't seem very convinced anymore about their role in Jon's death, along with many other men. However, the confused brothers decide to wait and see what happens with Davos and the loyalists. Only the steward boy from the ruined village of the Gift, Olly, shows loyalty to Thorne.

After Edd leaves secretly Castle Black and rides to seek support from the wildlings, Thorne and the officers return and order Davos to open the door of the Lord Commander's Tower. Davos and the loyalists refuse, so Thorne and his men prepare to fight. The massacre is avoided when the giant Wun Wun and a wildling warband storm into the castle, led by Tormund. Only two men of the Watch are killed, and the mutineers, having not much loyalty for Thorne's cause, immediately surrender, including Marsh and Yarwyck. Only Olly, disgusted by the wildlings living in the lands of his people and angered by the deaths of his family and friends at the hands of the wildlings, remains loyal to Thorne and attacks Tormund, reminding him how he commanded the raid on his village along with Styr. Thorne and Olly are both overpowered, and Dolorous Edd orders the mutineers to be taken to the Ice Cells.

After Jon Snow is brought back to life and reclaims his role as Lord Commander, he sentences Thorne, Olly, Marsh, and Yarwyck to death by hanging for the mutiny. When Jon asks the mutineers for their final words, even when faced with his execution, Thorne is calm but unrepentant and states that he doesn't regret what he did and that if he had to do it again, he would. Thorne warns Jon that while he can rest, Jon will be fighting the wildlings' battles forever, as well as his own, before accepting his fate. Jon dislikes killing the mutineers, but he does his duty, serves justice according to the traditional law, and cuts the rope holding the trapdoor in place, hanging and killing Thorne and his fellow conspirators simultaneously.

Quotes[]

By Alliser[]

It would seem they have run short of poachers and thieves down south. Now they send us pigs to man the Wall. Is fur and velvet your notion of armor, my Lord of Ham?
~ Alliser torments Samwell Tarly.
Alliser: They were dead the first time. Pale and cold, with black hands and feet. I brought Jafer's hand, torn from his corpse by the bastard's wolf.
Littlefinger: And where is this charming token?
Alliser: It ... rotted to pieces while I waited, unheard. There's naught left to show but bones. [court attendants giggling]
Tyrion: Lord Baelish, buy our brave Ser Alliser a hundred spades to take back to the Wall with him.
Alliser: Spades?
Tyrion: If you bury your dead, they won't come walking. [whole court bursts laughing] Spades will end your troubles, with some strong backs to wield them. Ser Jacelyn, see that the good brother has his pick of the city dungeons.
~ Alliser's petition and warnings about the living dead are not heeded by the Iron Throne, and he is not allowed to see the King.
Alliser: [fuming and blocking Tyrion's way] Do you think I sailed all the way from Eastwatch-by-the-Sea to be mocked by the likes of you? This is no jape. I saw it with my own eyes. I tell you, the dead walk.
Tyrion: You should try to kill them more thoroughly. [pushes past, as Alliser tries to grab him]
Preston: No closer, ser.
Alliser: You are a fool, Imp.
Tyrion: Me? Truly? Then why were they laughing at you, I wonder? You came for men, did you not?
Alliser: The cold winds are rising. The Wall must be held.
Tyrion: And to hold it you need men, which I've given you ... as you might have noted, if your ears heard anything but insults. Take them, thank me, and begone before I'm forced to take a crab fork to you again. Give my warm regards to Lord Mormont ... and to Jon Snow as well. [ Bronn seizes Alliser by the elbow and marches him outside the throne hall ]
~ Tyrion remains skeptical and ignores the threat of the Others.
I suppose it was also the Halfhand who commanded you to fuck this unwashed whore?
~ Alliser mocks Jon Snow's claim to have been sent on an infiltration mission by Qhorin Halfhand.
Alliser: Lord Snow is nothing if not arrogant. He murdered Qhorin just as his fellow turncloaks did Lord Mormont. It would not surprise me to learn that it was all part of the same fell plot. Benjen Stark may well have a hand in all this as well. For all we know, he is sitting in Mance Rayder's tent even now. You know these Starks, my lord.
Janos: I do. I know them too well.
~ Thorne and Slynt accuse Jon Snow of treason.
You will die in here, Lord Snow.
~ Alliser locks Jon in an ice cell.
Black Brother: Lord Stannis didn't have much good to say of him, I'll tell you that.
Alliser: When has Stannis Baratheon ever had much good to say of anyone? If we let Stannis choose our Lord Commander, we become his bannermen in all but name. Tywin Lannister is not like to forget that, and you know it will be Lord Tywin who wins in the end. He's already beaten Stannis once, on the Blackwater.
~ Alliser upset at Stannis's threat to use his power to take over the Wall against the Night's Watch's autonomy.
Bowen: This is a day I never thought to see. We bled to stop the wildlings at the Gorge. Good men were slain there, friends and brothers. For what?
Alliser: [venomous tone] The realm will curse us all for this. Every honest man in Westeros will turn his head and spit at the mention of the Night's Watch.
~ Thorne and Marsh express their misgivings at King Stannis's decision to let the wildling south of the Wall.
You'd best pray it's a wildling blade that kills me, though. The ones the Others kill don't stay dead... and they remember. I'm coming back, Lord Snow.
Jon: I pray you do.
~ Alliser to Jon Snow.

About Alliser

Of all the black brothers he'd met on the Wall, Tyrion Lannister had liked Ser Alliser Thorne the least. A bitter, mean-spirited man with too great a sense of his own worth.
~ Thoughts of Tyrion Lannister
Stannis: Alliser Thorne complains about the manner of your choosing, and I cannot say he does not have a grievance. The count was done by a blind man with your fat friend by his elbow. And Slynt names you a turncloak.
~ Stannis Baratheon to Jon Snow
Jon would never count Ser Alliser Thorne amongst his friends, but he was still a brother. No one ever said you had to like your brothers.
~ Thoughts of Jon Snow.

Trivia[]

  • It has not been revealed whether Alliser ever married at any point before being forced to join the Watch 14 years prior to the beginning of A Song of Ice and Fire or if he had any children.
  • Despite the fact that Alliser's villainy is worse in the TV series due to his treason, he is still portrayed as a more sympathetic, braver, and more honorable figure than Alliser from the books, who is much more scheming, meaner, dishonest, and a worse bully.
  • Ser Alliser, Ser Jaremy Rykker, and Janos Slynt are all veterans of Robert's Rebellion. The three fought on the Targaryen side in the Sack of King's Landing against Tywin Lannister's traitorous forces. Slynt was the captain of the Iron Gate at the time, while Manly Stokeworth was his commander. Both Alliser and Jaremy were forced by Tywin to choose between death and the Wall for defending the city to the end.
    • Alliser's friend, Rykker, was the acting First Ranger in Benjen Stark's stead and was killed during the first novel, A Game of Thrones, by the wight of his own fellow black brother, Jafer Flowers.
  • His family, House Thorne, is a noble house of the Crownlands, former vassals of House Targaryen and current vassals of House Baratheon of King's Landing. The Thornes' coat of arms is Gules and a flail argent within a bordure rayonne sable. The house's seat and location have not been revealed so far, as has the name of the current head. It is also unknown whether the Thornes are a lordly or knightly house.
    • The only two other known Thornes are two ancestors of Ser Alliser:
  • His role in A Clash of Kings was cut in the second season of the TV series. He appears in one chapter, in which he is ridiculed by King Joffrey's court in King's Landing for trying to warn everyone about the threat beyond the Wall and shows the court attendants the hand of Ser Jafer Flowers's wight, which had stopped moving by then. In the last episode of the first season, Thorne is mentioned as having been sent to the capital for the same mission, but his petition is not shown onscreen.
  • In the TV series, he takes on Donal Noye's role as the commander of the wildlings's attack on Castle Black. In the novels, it is the cripple Noye who leads the men in battle, as all the warriors from Castle Black are fighting against the wildlings near the Shadow Tower, while Alliser and his fellow brothers are dealing with Rattleshirt's warbands near Eastwatch-by-the-Sea.
  • In the novels, it is Alliser's idea to kill Mance Rayder in his own camp in order to break the ranks of the Free Folk host, while in the TV series, it is Jon Snow's idea. Alliser has Janos Slynt force Jon to head to the wildling camp north of Castle Black, under the pretense of negotiating terms, but the two order him to kill Mance. While in the TV series, Jon willingly went on such a suicidal mission, in the novels he is forced to do so by his superiors, and he is extremely upset about it, knowing Thorne wants to see him dead. With this, Alliser and Janos planned to kill two birds with one stone, getting rid of both Mance and Jon at the same time, knowing the latter would get tortured to death by Mance's followers. The plan was thwarted by the arrival of Stannis Baratheon and his army, with reinforcements from Eastwatch.
  • He expresses resentment at Stannis Baratheon's presence at the Wall during A Storm of Swords, presumably because House Baratheon is the reason why he ended up at the Wall.
  • In the TV series, Alliser's sole reason to kill Jon is due to his decision to let the wildlings through the Wall. Even though he accepts to let the wildlings settle in the lands of the Gift, he and his group still decide to take revenge on Jon for it.
    • In this version, the group of mutineers are aggressively against the wildlings living in the lands of the Gift, and after letting them through the Wall they take their anger on Jon for allowing it, with Olly having understandable motives.
  • Unlike his television counterpart, Alliser is by no means involved with the Mutiny at Castle Black in the novels, as he has not yet returned from his ranging mission beyond the Wall when it happens.
  • In the novels, the situation between the Night's Watch and the wildlings is not as oversimplified as it is in the TV series, although there is indeed a lot of mutual dislike, fights, and misbehavior. Rather than mere idealism, many black brothers in the novels fear being massacred by the numerous wildling refugees, but in this version, Jon takes measures to ensure good behavior and is also wary of the situation. While many black brothers do not like the wildlings, most look down on them and prefer to leave them beyond the Wall, but they still see them as a second threat compared to the Others.
    • Unlike his TV counterpart, in which he is more heroic, Jon Snow is more pragmatic and is more similar to Stannis (something noted in the story), though he is not harsh like him. While in the show, it is Jon who decides to let the wildlings through the Wall (and the Free Folk as characters are represented solely by Tormund in relevance), in the books it is Stannis, Jon, and Selyse who arrange for wildlings and giants to be granted safe passage and residence in the Gift. The decision makes the lords of the Northern Mountain Clans concerned that they might appear on their respective lands, but not to the point of rage or violence. Like in the TV show, many of the black brothers are upset at the decision, including Alliser, who opposes it, but has become more guarded after Jon executed Slynt.
    • Jon agrees with his fellow officers and black brothers that they cannot fully trust the wildlings. While he let the (now formerly) abandoned castles along the Wall be garrisoned with wildlings, in order to support the Watch, he fears that if hosts of wildling warriors from beyond the Wall try to attack again, the wildlings in the garrisoned castles might backstab the black brothers and few Stannis's soldiers that are living with them and keeping them in line as part of those garrisons.
    • To ensure good behavior, Jon demanded the wildlings deliver children and relatives as hostages of the Watch. Jon also demanded the wildlings hand over their valuables to the Watch.
    • Things stay civil enough between the Night's Watch and the wildlings thanks to the work of Jon, Selyse, and Val. Compared to the TV show, in the books, the Night's Watch and the wildlings are more capable of coexisting together, with the exception of troublemakers who start arguments and fights, and some black brothers enjoy sexual relationships with wildling women. Some wildlings actually joined the Night's Watch, inspired to join the defenders of the Wall, and other wildlings are in Stannis's service. Wildlings working in any castle along the Wall do chores with the Stewards or guard the Wall alongside the Rangers. The Magnar of Thenn is also united with House Karstark through marriage. The first wildling noble houses, House Thenn and House Redbeard, are vassals of House Baratheon of Dragonstone, and wildling women are betrothed to Stannis's knights. Wildlings feasted with Selyse's retainers, and hundreds of wildlings also became Melisandre's followers and now regularly pray to R'hllor to save them from the Long Night that Never Ends.
  • All the arrangements mentioned above give more advantages to the Night's Watch, while in the TV series' version, Jon simply has the wildlings settled in the Gift and does not make any arrangements, including having them garrison those castles, and does not communicate well with Alliser and the other subordinates.
    • In the seventh season, after Alliser's death in the sixth season, Jon sends Tormund and other wildlings to join the garrison of Eastwatch-by-the-Sea, despite the fact that it is not one of the abandoned castles. Jon is no longer on the Night's Watch at that point, and it is up to the Lord Commander of the Watch to manage anything regarding the Wall, which is why the black brothers in the books are upset when Stannis forces his own authority and takes command of the Wall.
  • In the novels, while Alliser has nothing to do with the Mutiny at Castle Black, the situation behind the event is much grayer, due to the fact that Jon made questionable and risky decisions as Lord Commander:
    • Jon himself admits that letting the wildlings south of the Wall might result in conflicts and battles, as well as possible betrayals if the enemies attacking the Wall are an army of wildlings on the northern side instead of the Others. The most concerning matter is that the Night's Watch cannot feed all the wildlings, itself, and Stannis's army through years of winter, an issue promising chaos and death and one of the reasons why Stannis needs to secure rule over the North. Although constantly arguing about it, none of the Black Brothers end up wanting Jon dead over this matter, like the mutineers in the TV version do.
    • Some black brothers, like Septon Cellador, are upset at Jon for taking dead corpses he found beyond the Wall to Castle Black and locking them in the ice cells to see if they rise as wights. But only a few of them are upset, mainly Cellador, for religious reasons.
    • Also, while Jon's reasoning to let the wildlings through the Wall may be the need for more men and to prevent adding more numbers to the army of the dead, the Wall is actually made of ancient magical defensive spells, which might prevent the Others from passing through it. However, wights (at least wights of non-magical mortals) can go through, as dead bodies have been brought to Castle Black. But the Others themselves may not be able to pass the Wall without something magical destroying it.
      • In the TV series, a single breach of the Wall at Eastwatch is shown to be sufficient, and it is actually Jon himself who provided the Night King with the very thing he needed to make a breach on the Wall by starting a fruitless mission to gain the Iron Throne's support against the threat, which only led to events that caused the enemy to gain an undead dragon. Ironically, had Alliser and his group immediately burned Jon's corpse, this could've been prevented, the Wall wouldn't have been breached, and Alliser's fellow brothers of Eastwatch's garrison wouldn't have died. However, Alliser's decision to kill Jon is also what gave Jon an excuse to desert the Watch without consequences, thus leading to his alliance with Daenerys Targaryen and the breach of the Wall.
        • In the novels, dragons cannot or refuse to fly beyond the Wall. Any attempts to make the magical creatures fly over it have always failed. It is unclear if the dragons simply refuse to fly in those lands or if they are unable to.
    • A more serious issue is that Jon struck a deal with the Iron Bank of Braavos, which is well known for always getting its due no matter how or when. Jon convinced Tycho Nestoris, a banker emissary sent for Stannis, to lend money to the Watch to buy additional ships for Eastwatch-by-the-Sea, which are used to send the commander Cotter Pyke and his men to rescue thousands of wildlings at Hardhome (in the TV version, Stannis lends the Watch his ships, while in the books, Stannis's ships sail to White Harbor). The worst part is that Jon knows the Watch is unable to pay its debt and has no idea how to deal with the issue in the future. Over half of the Watch's ships sent to Hardhome are also destroyed by nearly-winter storms during the journey because of Jon's sending the rangers to the rescue mission.
    • The actual reason why Jon Snow ends up getting stabbed by an angry group of fellow brothers, however, is his constant sympathizing for Stannis Baratheon's side, which prompts King Tommen's small council to name Jon one of Stannis's agents, upsetting Cersei, who also believes Jon killed Janos Slynt for Stannis, especially since Slynt was secretly writing to her about Stannis's movements and military strength. Jon's favoritism threatened the neutrality of the Night's Watch and its very existence, and Bowen Marsh warned Jon multiple times that they were provoking the wrath of the Iron Throne by hosting and helping a rebel to the Crown and Tommen's worst rival.
      • Throughout his chapters, Jon constantly fights himself over his favoritism, yet he ends up taking part in Stannis's war council, telling him how to win the northern bannermen, helping him with the war plans, and providing him with equipment. The black brothers end up naming the new Lord Commander as a biased Baratheon supporter. When Stannis writes a letter to Jon, telling him that he liberated Deepwood Motte from the Ironborn and that northern houses are joining his cause, Jon smiles and again tries to remind himself that he is supposed to stay neutral. Furthermore, he imprisons Cregan Karstark for attempted abduction while chasing Alys Karstark in Watch territory in the Gift, but holds him prisoner in Castle Black and forces him to choose between taking the black or waiting for King Stannis's judgement, basically making it clear that Stannis rules over the Wall as the whole realm assumes. This goes against the Watch's neutrality once more, as Cregan and his family's conspiracies are only crimes against Stannis, not against the Watch. After learning from Alys Karstark that her uncle Arnolf is pretending to be on Stannis's side and is in truth working with Roose Bolton, Jon has Tycho Nestoris deliver this information to Stannis. It is also Jon who arranges a marriage between Alys and Sigorn the Magnar of Thenn, with the help of Selyse and Melisandre, ending up creating one of the first two wildling houses sworn to Stannis.
      • The last straw for the black brothers is when Ramsay Bolton sends a letter to Jon, falsely claiming to have defeated Stannis in a 7-days battle, revealing that Mance Rayder is still alive, and demanding that the Night's Watch hand over Selyse, Princess Shireen, Melisandre, Mance's infant son, and Val to him at Winterfell. Instead of ignoring the letter, sending scouts to verify the truth, and maintaining the neutrality of the Watch, Jon convinces many wildlings to join him and march south to start a battle against House Bolton, King Tommen's Wardens of the North. Despite the fact that Jon is supposed to keep the neutrality of the Night's Watch, he officially takes a side in the conflict south of the Wall. The reason why Jon decides to march south is out of personal feelings, as Ramsay has taken his half-sister (or so the world thinks) as his wife and is the Lord of the ancestral home of Jon's family. This led to the mutiny at Castle Black.
  • In the novels, in which Thorne is not guilty of treason and was not given any chance to turn on Snow, the leader and orchestrator of the mutiny is Bowen Marsh. The mutiny is much more chaotic and random than it is in the TV series, more similar to Julius Caesar's murder. It happens immediately after the giant Wun Wun kills Ser Patrek of King's Mountain, one of King Stannis's knights. Jon is surrounded and stabbed while on his way to speak to Queen Selyse about her husband (while in the TV version, Thorne and his accomplices use Benjen as bait).
  • In the TV series, Othell Yarwyck is part of Alliser's mutineers. In the novels, Yarwyck is seen storming out of the Shieldhall during Jon's declaration to aid Stannis's campaign at Winterfell, but it is unknown if he has any part in the mutiny, as Jon is only able to recognize two aggressors in the confusion.
  • Alliser's part in the choosing of the new Lord Commander of the Night's Watch in the novels and TV series differs from each other:
    • In the novels, Alliser loses the election much earlier, instead of becoming one of the three final candidates; he comes in sixth place on the first election day and loses votes on the second day, as many black brothers hate or resent him for his cruel and harsh training and prefer the other candidates. Denys Mallister, Cotter Pyke, Bowen Marsh, Othell Yarwyck, and Janos Slynt have more votes than Alliser, who decides to withdraw his name from the choosing and adds his vote for Slynt. Alliser spends the rest of the election acting as Slynt's speaker and gaining more voters for him. When he, Marsh, and their friends attempt to gain King Stannis's approval for Slynt to convince the black brothers of Castle Black, Eastwatch, and the Shadow Tower, Stannis ends up humiliating Slynt by telling the black brothers about Slynt's corrupt business in King's Landing and that anyone is a better choice than him.
      • After Jon Snow is chosen, Alliser complains that the election was rigged due to the fact that Samwell Tarly did the counting of the votes and that the overseer was the blind Maester Aemon.
    • In the TV series, Alliser comes in second place on the last day of the election, behind Jon Snow and above Ser Denys Mallister, the commander of the Shadow Tower, losing to Jon by only one vote. Many black brothers respect Alliser and deem him a good leader.

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Westeros
Beyond the Wall
The Others
Night King | White Walker Commander | Viserion | Wights

Giants
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Westerlands
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Crownlands
House Targaryen
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Greens
Aegon II Targaryen | Aemond Targaryen | Daeron Targaryen | Otto Hightower | Alicent Hightower | Criston Cole | Borros Baratheon | Jason Lannister | Unwin Peake | George Graceford | Orwyle | Jon Roxton | Larys Strong | Larys Strong's prisoners | Alys Rivers | Hugh Hammer | Ulf White | Hobert Hightower | Alfred Broome | Arryk Cargyll | Marston Waters | Perkin the Flea | Luthor Largent | Caltrops

Blacks
Rhaenyra Targaryen | Daemon Targaryen | Cregan Stark | Mysaria | Hugh Hammer | Ulf White | Luthor Largent | Bartimos Celtigar | Alfred Broome | Dalton Greyjoy | Blood and Cheese

House Baratheon of King's Landing
Robert I Baratheon | Joffrey I Baratheon | Cersei Lannister | Jaime Lannister | Janos Slynt | Ilyn Payne | Bronn | Sandor Clegane | Boros Blount | Meryn Trant | Mandon Moore | Preston Greenfield | Kettleblack Brothers | Robert Strong | Catspaw

House Baratheon of Dragonstone
Stannis Baratheon | Selyse Florent | Melisandre | Axell Florent | Richard Horpe | Clayton Suggs | Shadow Assassins

House Blackfyre
Daemon I Blackfyre | Daemon II Blackfyre | Aegor Rivers | Maelys I Blackfyre | Golden Company

House Kettleblack
Osmund Kettleblack | Osfryd Kettleblack | Osney Kettleblack

Faith of the Seven
Baelor I Targaryen | High Sparrow | Septa Unella | Faith Militant | Lancel Lannister | The Shepherd

City Watch of King's Landing
Daemon Targaryen | Janos Slynt | Bronn | Osfryd Kettleblack | Blood | Perkin the Flea

Alchemists' Guild
Rossart | Hallyne | Garigus | Belis

Others
Rorge | Biter | Arryk Cargyll | Bartimos Celtigar | Hugh Hammer | Luthor Largent | Ulf White | Marston Waters | Olyvar | King's Landing Rioters

Stormlands
House Baratheon
Robert I Baratheon | Stannis Baratheon | Renly Baratheon | Joffrey Baratheon | Richard Horpe | Meryn Trant

House Baratheon (historical)
Orys Baratheon | Borros Baratheon

Others
Criston Cole

The Reach
House Tyrell
Mace Tyrell | Loras Tyrell | Randyll Tarly

House Florent
Axell Florent | Selyse Florent

House Hightower
Lord Hobert Hightower | Ormund Hightower | Otto Hightower | Alicent Hightower | Hobert Hightower

House Peake
Unwin Peake | Amaury Peake | Mervyn Flowers | Gormon Peake

The Citadel
Pycelle | Orwyle | Qyburn

Others
Jon Roxton | George Graceford | Bronn

Dorne
Morion Martell | Ellaria Sand | Gerold Dayne | Nymeria Sand | Obara Sand | Tyene Sand | Wyl of Wyl | Vulture Kings

Others
Shagwell | Smiling Knight | The Little Birds | The Rat, the Hawk, and the Pig

Essos
Free Cities
Belicho Paenymion | Ben Plumm | Bloodbeard | Craghas Drahar | Daario Naharis | Second Sons | Doreah | Illyrio Mopatis | Jaqen H'ghar | Kindly Man | Malaquo Maegyr | Mero | Moqorro | Mysaria | Ollo Lophand | Pretty Meris | Tattered Prince | The old man | Tyanna of the Tower | Vargo Hoat | Varys | Sorcerer | Waif | Bianca | Triarchy | Saan Family | Band of Nine | The little birds

Golden Company
Aegor Rivers | Maelys I Blackfyre | Harry Strickland

Brave Companions
Vargo Hoat | Rorge | Biter | Shagwell | Qyburn

The Sorrows
Stone Men

Dothraki Sea
Dothraki | Drogo | Jhaqo | Mago | Moro | Qotho | Qhono | Qorro | Brozho | Rhalko | Forzho | Wine Merchant

Lhazar
Mirri Maz Duur

Slaver's Bay
Great Masters | Wise Masters | Good Masters | Hizdahr zo Loraq | Kraznys mo Nakloz | Grazdan mo Ullhor | Cleon the Great | Malko | Oznak zo Pahl | Prendahl na Ghezn | Razdal mo Eraz | Yezzan zo Qaggaz | Reznak mo Reznak | Skahaz mo Kandaq | Sons of the Harpy | Vala | Grey Worm | Unsullied

Qarth
The Pureborn | The Undying Ones | Pyat Pree | Warlocks of Qarth | Xaro Xhoan Daxos | Sorrowful Men

Collections of Countries
Old Empire of Ghis | Valyrian Freehold | Slaver Alliance

Far East Essos
Yi Ti
Bloodstone Emperor | Lo Bu | Jar Har

Asshai and Shadow Lands
Melisandre | Shadow Assassins

Across the Known World
Crew of the Silence

Dragons
Balerion | The Cannibal | Drogon | Meraxes | Rhaegal | Silverwing | Sunfyre | Vermithor | Vhagar | Viserion

Deities
Drowned God | Great Other | Horse God | Lion of Night | Many-Faced God | Old Gods | Old Ones | R'hllor | Storm God

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