I think we can all agree that Game of Thrones is one of the most intricate televisions shows to ever be on the air. The first six seasons had the books to draw on, but season seven was the first time the writers were left on their own to craft the story. While some people griped about the awkward time frames and character motivations, I think a lot of the pace of the show was due to having to set up all of season eight. 

Plus, the only thing I really care about is who will live and who will die. 

Even though George R.R. Martin has not finished the books, he supposedly has consulted with the writers. But that may not even matter that much. What if the answer about what's happening on Game of Thrones is not in the future, but in the past? 

I did some research on the Game of Thrones Wiki and want to talk about how The Long Night will affect Game of Thrones Season 8. 

Let's dig in. 

What is 'The Long Night'?  

Roughly eight thousand years before the Targaryen's took over Westeros, there was a winter that took the entire country. This winter, called The Long Night, lasted an ENTIRE GENERATION! A ton of people just starved and died since nothing grew and food got scarce. The whole world was covered in snow, and darkness fell on the lands. 

Out of this cold stepped the first White and Wight Walkers. 

And as we know they've dwindled but never left. 

Back in the day, the humans left in Westeros rose up to fight. They were sick of the darkness and of the winter, so the War of the Dawn began. 

"Thousands of years ago, there came a night that lasted a generation. Kings froze to death in their castles, same as the shepherds in their huts; and women smothered their babies rather than see them starve, and wept, and felt the tears freeze on their cheeks... In that darkness the White Walkers came for the first time. They swept through cities and kingdoms, riding their dead horses, hunting with their packs of pale spiders big as hounds."

From A Song of Ice and Fire.

These people rose up and fought the Whites back to the North, where it's eternally cold. 

And so...history went on. 

In present-day Westeros, most believe that the Long Night is just a children's story and that the White Walkers, Children of the Forest, and giants are nothing more than legends. We know they're not because we saw the markings in the Dragon-stone mines last season. Plus, we have seen the Whites coming. 

The Night's Watch was founded to man the Wall and keep an eye on who's coming from the North. 

Now that the wall has fallen, it looks like a battle much like the Long Night is upon us. 

This all gets summed up in a video from The Ringer. 

What does this mean moving forward? 

Are there secrets besides Dragon-stone that can kill the Whites and Wights? What can we get from the history books that could be the secret to winning the war? What about a way to defeat the Night King? 

In season eight, it seems like Samwell Tarley will play a key role in the events. Since he's Game of Thrones resident historian, he will hold a lot of the answers to the questions above. Since one of the popular fan theories is that Sam is actually writing the A Song of Ice and Fire book, this would make a lot of sense. 

Also, our favorite memory time traveler, Bran Stark, will be crucial to us figuring out how to take these people down. 

But what if Bran IS the Night King? 

Well, then I guess we're all screwed. 

What's next? Read our Game Of Thrones Season 8 Preview! 

Season Eight is shaping up to be one of the wildest on television. Early prognosticators are assuming that upwards of 10-20 million may tune in for each episode, and we know almost all of them are written at movie length. It's going to be a blast. How excited are you for Season Eight of Game of Thrones? 

Got predictions? Leave them in the comments. 

I can't wait to see what happens in this epic and bloody battle. 

The new season of Game Of Thrones will debut on April 14th, 2019. 

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