Maisie Williams & Mbwa mwitu loups reportedly filming in Canada for GoT season seven! 

filming was a few weeks ago, when Emilia Clarke wrapped up her involvement in the production for this season. It wasn’t entirely clear whether filming could continue throughout February as expected or if that was it for everyone else as well… And now we know, as

has returned one of the show’s least known locations: Calgary, Canada, where they shoot the wolves against a green screen, and then blow them up in post-production to turn them into direwolves.

And those weren’t the only Stark pups around: Maisie Williams was there too!

always has a close eye on everything Maisie, and she was gracious enough to direct us to these sightings and connect the dots:

@Maisie_Williams Thanks for shooting part of GOT in Canada and supporting our economy! My friend Kelly is ecstatic to have met you tonight

Maisie Williams was spotted in Calgary a few days ago by a fan, who was assured that the actress was filming in the country. Of course, there is also the timing with the

wolves filming, which seems unlikely to be a coincidence:

The white wolf is Quigley, who has played Ghost since 2015. The other one is a new addition to the

cast… And I’ll be damned if that wolf doesn’t look like the perfect replacement for the dog who played Nymeria in season one!

That’s just speculation, of course, and Maisie Williams shouldn’t need to be physically present for such a shoot, since actors aren’t allowed to interact with real wolves and they need to be digitally enlarged anyway. Still, it appears Williams was filming in Calgary, exactly where Quigley and the new wolf are filming for

; the former back to playing Ghost, and the latter as a mysterious direwolf… though it does have the exact brownish-grey coat that Nymeria had in season one. You guys decide!

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Awesome, I’m really looking forward to seeing Nymeria again!!

The lady that Maisie was posing with says that Maisie told her she was there for GoT.

A couple of weeks ago whilst promoting other things Maisie did say that she hadn’t yet wrapped Season 7.

Calgary’s been the show’s only non-European shooting location, right?

I knew it. If I prayed long and hard enough to the Old Gods and the New, this would eventually come true.

Calgary’s been the show’s only non-European shooting location, right?

Los Angeles, USA, too. For the bear in season three.

Ghost & Nymeria will make direwolf puppies.

I needed some good news. I got fantastic news!

In addition they shot the scenes in and around Yunkai in Morocco.

This is awesome!! I really hope that the new wolf is Nymeria!

Nymeria!!! Ghost!!!! I do love that my 2 favorite Starks still have their direwolves. I hope both direwolves fight along side their human in the war to come. Even if they die, let them go out serving a purpose (like Summer & Shaggydog, not like Lady & Grey Wind). Of course my wish is that both Ghost and Nymeria survive and produce a dozen little pups for future generations of Starks. Incest be damned.

Maybe they need Maisie there for some lighting continuity stuff,

I live in Saskatoon – she was in Calgary. The person on Instagram is in Saskatoon, but the photo is of her friend with Maisie in Calgary. 😊

Welcome to Canada my dear girl, the weather is fine and the wolves are true of heart. ❤

Yay!Awesome! I suppose they could have needed Maisie there if they have some epic interaction planned with Nymeria,like an emotional reunion followed by Arya riding her direwolf into a battle..ok,that sounded stupid when I said it out loud. ..it was my withdrawal brain talking. But I’m excited nonetheless!

Seems weird to me that Maisie would need to shoot with the wolves, especially with the “no actors close to the animals” rule, but who knows, maybe we’re wrong about that or maybe there is no way to do a shot without her presence, or maybe they just need a body double for a scene related to the wolves (but not necessarly involving her shooting directly with them, like some lightning continuity as someone said above) and she graciously accepted to do it herself… Who knows…

Just what I needed on my birthday… WOLVES!!! So, so, SO looking forward to this reunion.

Still live in hope that Nymeria and her wolf pack invade the Twins and massacre the Freys. Slaughter by wolf not too over the top for GoT.

Who even needs the Bw/oB, with or without Lady SH, to depopulate a double castle when a ravening horde of wolves skulks nearby. All those wolves need is leadership.

Time for Team Arya Wolf to step up. Would that the Hound could see his Wolfgirl wreaking vengeance.

This has warmed my heart more than any other news to date. Nymeria!!! Get hype!!!

I like how you think! Nymeria & Co. finishing off the Freys would be the ultimate. And yeah, I’m

looking forward to seeing how the Hound reacts to Wolfgirl 2.0.

I’m thinking that the most efficient way to film Arya and Nymeria in the same scene is to film them separately in the same location, and then merge the two together. Might be easier to do that than film with green screens.

“WolfGirl 2.0.” I like that ! And since I’m 85% certain the Hound & Arya’s story isn’t over [too much foreshadowing, and too many unresolved emotions on both sides], I too like to imagine Sandor’s reaction when he encounters WolfGirl 2.0.

PS. I’ve rewatched their scenes together numerous times, and noticed so many instances when The Hound – with just a slight gesture or barely noticeable change in facial expression – would show admiration for something Arya said or did. One example: after Sandor knocked out the pork merchant, Arya successfully pleaded with Sandor not to kill the unconscious man; but as soon as the man started coming to, Arya clocked him and knocked him out again. Sandor’s reaction was priceless.

Just what I needed on my birthday… WOLVES!!! So, so, SO looking forward to this reunion.

Hope you have a HOWLING good celebration. Happy birthday

I didn’t think I’d see another direwolf in my lifetime. But I was wrong!

Happy birthday! And faithful wolves to watch over you!

convinced Saner Half to watch GoT with me. We finished Season 1 last night, and I’m getting Season 2 at the video-rental store today. 🙂 He already loves Arya, so I’m

looking forward to seeing his reaction to the Hound/Arya relationship.

Thank you both!!! As I wrote to Ten Bears, I’ll be drinking wine and watching S2 with Saner Half. 🙂

I can’t wait to see Arya, Nymeria, Jon and Ghost in the same scene. I’m praying to the old gods and the new to keep all four alive. And if the Hound were added to the picture it would be perfect.

Still live in hope that Nymeria and her wolf pack invade the Twins and massacrethe Freys.Slaughter by wolf not too over the top for GoT.

Who even needs the Bw/oB, with or without Lady SH, to depopulate a double castle when a ravening horde of wolves skulks nearby.All those wolves need is leadership.

Time for Team Arya Wolf to step up.Would that the Hound could see his Wolfgirl wreaking vengeance.

Well, Walder Frey’s damn moron sons weren’t easy to carve. Especially Black Walder.

Wouldn’t want Arya to develop carpal tunnel syndrome. So much more efficient for Nymeria and a wolf pack to rip apart all of the remaining Freys. 🐺🐺🐺🐺

Nymeria in the wilds alone, and not shown to be killed, was a “hung gun” waiting to be shot. (where is Wimsey lately?) So glad this is happening. I’m already imagining how Twitter will explode when she shows up.

I’ll bet you can’t wait until your “Saner Half” gets to Arya’s reaction at the Bloody Gate to the news that her Aunt Lysa had died; and before that, the “Every F–ing Chicken in this Room” scene in S4E1. (During intermission, you’ll probably want to watch that Jimmy Kimmel/KFC parody commercial featuring The Hound.)

Arya and Nymeria! Finally! I didn’t want to get my hopes up for this season but OMG yes!

Best shooting news in a long time! Dare we hope that Arya will finally discover her warging abilities? A reunion with Nymeria seems to be in order, at least.

I suppose the obvious scenario is Arya traveling solo through woodlands, northward from the Twins, to find herself surrounded by a threatening wolf pack, who back off when their alpha female steps in and remembers her ::cue swelling music and human/direwolf hug:: But what would be better, I think, would be a wintry scenario where a lone Arya is trying to sleep without freezing to death, and wakes up to find herself snuggled up in a warm wolfpile, with Nymeria nuzzling her face.

Awww! Now that I read your fanfic I’d be sad if it happened in another way.

Yeah, where is Wimsey? We’ve got a fully loaded direwolf from S1 about to be fired in S7.

I wasn’t able to check here today until just now and can’t think of a post that I’d like more at the moment!

Knowing how they’ve used the direwolves so far I have to temper my enthusiasm, but still, thinking about our little badass faceless assassin reconnecting with her wolf sidekick just sounds like so much awesome! Not exploring and using such a thing simply because it’s expensive and difficult to film would be a mistake imo.

Apparently this guy owns about 30 wolves. Leaving out Quigkey, 29 sounds a nice number for a wolf pack.

I’m both delighted by this news and a little nervous, given the way the direwolves – with the partial exception of Ghost – have been either sidelined or killed off in the series. It’s very late in the day, but I’d be delighted if the vital part her connection with Nymeria plays in Arya’s book storyline is finally honoured in the show.

It makes sense they would go to Canada to see the wolves instead of trying to bring them to Belfast, so glad GOT is respectful of the animals they choose to work with. I’m not expecting a lot of Direwolf interactions but any is better than nothing. I imagine we’ll see Nymeria more than Ghost.

I’m on my phone atm so it’s a little more difficult to follow… When we’re pointing out the wolf possibly playing Nymeria we’re referring to the one named Sparta, correct?

Awww! Now that I read your fanfic I’d be sad if it happened in another way.

It would be the terra firma version of the old ‘drowning sailor saved by selkie/dolphin’ trope. Guaranteed heartwarming!

If (I soooo want to be able to say “when”) Nymeria were/is re-introduced, how does everyone think D&D would/will present the backstory? Bran-o-Vision? Flashback? Arya?

[Felt Stannis looking over my shoulder at those verb tenses].

This wolf’s picture is gorgeous and it looks like she (yes, I decided she is a female) is so happy to shoot for GoT she is smiling.

I am so so so looking forward to seeing Nymeria (and her pack hopefully) reuniting with Arya !

Woohoo the pack gathers. I hope she gets to use Nymeria and Ghost in a useful way. I’m surpzed arya has ghost. Will he stay with Nymeria? It would be sad, kinda suggesting Jon’s less Stark now. My Saner half will go nuts over this scene anyway

I suppose the obvious scenario is Arya traveling solo through woodlands, northward from the Twins, to find herself surrounded by a threatening wolf pack, who back off when their alpha female steps in and remembers her ::cue swelling music and human/direwolf hug::But what would be better, I think, would be a wintry scenario where a lone Arya is trying to sleep without freezing to death, and wakes up to find herself snuggled up in a warm wolfpile, with Nymeria nuzzling her face.

Either of these scenarios would be amazing. Arya being approached by the wolf pack, but not harmed by them would fit well. In ACOK, wolves come upon her while she’s alone, but they don’t hurt her, probably bc they are probably part of Nymeria’s pack. If the show were to do something similar with the pack recognizing Arya as the human version of their alpha, that would be a good opportunity for a fake out. Arya and the show-only part of the audience would think she’s about to be eaten only for Nymeria to appear and a long awaited reunion to ensue.

Never too early to get primed… Just rewatched two Arya & Nymeria scenes from “The Kingsroad” (S1E2):

• Nymeria “helping” Arya pack, when Jon comes in to present Needle to Arya; Jon looks in Arya’s eyes and tells her “I’m going to miss you”; and Arya leaps into Jon’s arms for a goodbye hug.

•. Arya hiding out in the woods with Nymeria when she sees Lannister soldier search party approaching; Arya hugs Nymeria, then pleads with her: “You’ve got to go. They’ll kill you for what you did to Joffrey. Go on… Run! Go! Please! Now!…,.”

Forget the Sansa – Jon reunion. This is the reunion I’ve been wanting. (Arya + Jon, if it happens, will probably be saved for S8.)

• Does the Canada filming report – which doesn’t mention Kit H – mean that Arya, Nymeria and Ghost will share a scene or scenes together without Jon?

• I know they frequently film scenes and episodes out of chronological order, but is it possible that the direwolves will be involved in the “cliffhanger” Maisie was referring to a few days ago?

Arya doesn’t have Ghost necessarily, but they have to film scenes in Canada for the wolves, the actors aren’t really needed. They usually just need to film actual wolves and CGI them up to make them look like Direwolves then they insert them into scenes with the actors using their technology so a lot of the times the actors have no interaction with the wolves at all, they only really did when they were smaller and they used Huskies which is why Kit isn’t needed. If people are right however about Nymeria having her own wolf pack it would be easier for Maisie to actually be near the wolves instead of them inserting heaps of wolves using CGI.

Cold winds have risen and the wolves are back.

All we need is one scene Arya, Jon, Nymeria and Ghost to reunite together and all this deverastion with previous direwolves will have been worth it.

Your scenario feels like something they would do on the show. Although it’s limited in use of the direwolves yet again and would elicit complaints because of that, it still could be very touching, heart-string tugging and better than doing nothing at all. I’m pretty sure I’d be sobbing with just a simple meeting and recognition between Arya and Nymeria.

I corrected the text and sourced it to the fan who took the photo, who made clear in another tweet that it was made in Calgary 😉

Stacy: Either of these scenarios would be amazing. Arya being approached by the wolf pack, but not harmed by them would fit well. In ACOK, wolves come upon her while she’s alone, but they don’t hurt her, probably bc they are probably part of Nymeria’s pack. If the show were to do something similar with the pack recognizing Arya as the human version of their alpha, that would be a good opportunity for a fake out. Arya and the show-only part of the audience would think she’s about to be eaten only for Nymeria to appear and a long awaited reunion to ensue.

This stuff almost writes itself, doesn’t it.

Instinctwolves has deleted the photos of Quigley and that other wolf on their instagram. HBO doesn’t mess around.

This news honestly made me tear up. Such a long time coming. Thanks for the good tidings on a Saturday!

I don’t really consider Calvary, Canada a “location” anymore than I do the Los Angeles parking lot they filmed the greenscreen for Bart the Bear in. If it’s an interior set I don’t really consider it a “location”. Just saying.

I don’t really consider Calvary, Canada a “location” anymore than I do the Los Angeles parking lot they filmed the greenscreen for Bart the Bear in.If it’s an interior set I don’t really consider it a “location”.Just saying.

It does. I have to say the thread quieted down or died out quicker than expected. The possible imagery of this or what they could do with this is huge for me.

Since season one Arya has been essentially alone without any connection to her family, her name or her home. She’s come across some that became “friends” such as Gendry and Sandor, in a way, but nothing that has connected her with her family or her roots. Meeting up with Nymeria would be a very symbolic event towards her reconnecting with herself as a Stark. She was still Ned’s daughter and little girl Stark the last time she saw Nymeria. She’s become something else since then regardless of what she says. I’m thinking a connection with her direwolf might remind her even more of who she is and where she comes from.

Uh, I’m not so sure [this] thread has quieted down or died out yet. It’s up to 70+ responses in half a day, and while it’s just after midnight where I am on the east coast of the U.S., the large segment of the fandom on the other side of the world will probably start chiming in soon.

Yeah, I didn’t get that either. I didn’t see anything in the post suggesting that the Calgary [not “Calvary”] filming would be indoors. In fact, Maisie’s presence in Calgary indicates to me that the filming will be on location in an outdoor setting, and not an interior shoot or in a parking lot somewhere. (Otherwise, they’d probably just film Maisie in the Belfast studio and digitally insert Arya into the direwolf scene(s) later in post-production,) But what do I know.

PS Thank you so much for the clarification of the Instagram photo’s geographic location. Were it not for you, I would’ve assumed Maisie was in a completely different part of Canada and had nothing to do with filming Quigley and his fellow wolves in Calgary.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

I don’t think she “has” them both. I’m guessing it’s a reunion scene between Arya & Nymeria and Jon & Ghost… which, if it happens, will be the sweetest reunion

Gawd, just reading all these comments makes me want to get a dog again. And I haven’t had a dog since my sweet Rottweiler, Martini, went to the Great Beyond ten years ago…

Yeah, you’re probably right. I was thinking in terms of in-season threads that burn fast and I shouldn’t have. I’m just excitedly waiting for the conversations that move so fast that we can barely keep up with comments…

Instinctwolves has deleted the photos of Quigley and that other wolf on their instagram. HBO doesn’t mess around.

Interesting. The link to InstinctWolves still has a testimonial from HBO GoT Producer Bernie Caufield, and a video of Quigley “getting into character” as Ghost on Game of Thrones. (It’s a snippet of the scene of Ghost acting as Samwell Tarly’s wingman, helping fend off the two NW jerks threatening to molest Gilly, thereby enabling Sam’s “fat pink mast” to rise to the occasion when Gilly comes to express her gratitude.) BTW, I didn’t realize wolf actors have to “get into character” for their roles. Are they method actors like Brando?

Nevertheless, if HBO clamped down on the posting of the Ghost and Nymeria wolf photos, to me that’s confirmation of their significance. It’s like that scene in Zero Dark Thirty when CIA analyst Maya (Jessica Chastain) deduced from a detainee’s omission of a name from an otherwise truthful identification of accomplices that the omitted guy was bin Laden’s courier.

(If the comparison of GoT direwolves to Zero Dark Thirty’s hunt for bin Laden seems tenuous, I apologize. I just happened to be thinking about King Stannis’s role in that movie as the President’s National Security Advisor. )

I know the prophesy says Cersei will be killed by the valonqar (younger brother). But I think it would be poetic justice for Arya to bring Nymeria to Kings Landing to do the job.

FUCK YES!!! This is the news we’ve been waiting for. STOKED

Yeah, I didn’t get that either. I didn’t see anything in the post suggesting that the Calgary [not “Calvary”] filming would be indoors. In fact, Maisie’s presence in Calgary indicates to me that the filming will be on location in an outdoor setting, and not an interior shoot or in a parking lot somewhere. (Otherwise, they’d probably just film Maisie in the Belfast studio and digitally insert Arya into the direwolf scene(s) later in post-production,)But what do I know.

PS Thank you so much for the clarification of the Instagram photo’s geographic location.Were it not for you, I would’ve assumed Maisie was in a completely different part of Canada and had nothing to do with filming Quigley and his fellow wolves in Calgary.

I guess I would still consider an indoor location a…..location (lol), as it requires travel and setup to be at a certain place in a certain time, but I freely admit to not being in the industry and knowing the ‘lingo’. 😉 I have met a few wolves in my time, and they are absolutely amazing.

Oh the Instagram photo was just posted by someone here, with the source material happily mugging for the camera in Calgary. Gosh I would have hated to miss Miss Maisie. Truthfully though, I’m not the type to race right out and celeb-chase, anyway.

There are so many great filming spots in Canada, our northern areas are vast and beautiful but perhaps not particularly accommodating to huge crews. Still filming in Alberta (like the Revenant), gorgeous parts of British Columbia, and of course our major cities is big business, and usually cheaper. But gosh, I would love northern Ireland….

….The possible imagery of this or what they could do with this is huge for me.

….. Meeting up with Nymeria would be a very symbolic event towards her [Arya] reconnecting with herself as a Stark.She was still Ned’s daughter and little girl Stark the last time she saw Nymeria.She’s become something else since then regardless of what she says.I’m thinking a connection with her direwolf might remind her even more of who she is and where she comes from.

I’m also intrigued by this news for an additional reason relating to the books-to-screen adaptation and condensation process. I may have said this before, but I’ve been proceeding under the following assumptions:

• If a character still alive in the books with an ongoing storyline has met a premature demise on the show (eg Barristan S, Mance R, Doran M, Stannis), that character will be irrelevant to the convergent books + show end game. Similarly, book characters who were completely excised from the show (eg “Griff”) won’t be relevant by the time of the end game either.

•. Side stories and plot lines that have been euthanized on the show (eg Dorne), or excised completely (eg Tyrion’s meanderings, the Myrcella “queen maker” plot, Sansa -Harry courtship)* are insignificant to the end game.

•. By the same token, with so little time left – roughly 13 hours – to tie up so many loose ends, resolve “mysteries”, and conclude the main characters’ stories, it’s too late to be reintroducing characters and events from early seasons UNLESS they’re going to be significant to the end game. (That, to me, is why Sandor’s reappearance was so exciting: if he were just an embellishment or extraneous character, they would’ve left him “dead” or merged his arc into another character’s). There is simply not enough time left to inject unnecessary “filler.”

• The showrunners have repeatedly and publicly commented how expensive and technically challenging it is to film direwolf scenes. (It’s mind-boggling to me that life-like GGI dragons (dragons!) are easier to create than direwolves, but I’m in no position to second-guess the experts.)

• Therefore, to now go to the trouble and incur the time and expense of reintroducing Nymeria MUST mean that Nymeria has important parts to play in the conclusion of Arya’s story in particular, and in the end game of the show in general.

That’s my interpretation, and I’m still sticking to it. 😶

* Caveat: I haven’t read the books. I’m basing these descriptions on what I’ve read from comments on WoW. From what I’ve read, these side stories and detours are no longer chronologically feasible on the show.

It’s a lot cheaper to use CGI from a drawing or computer art, something they’ve created themselves so there is less pressure about it being realistic as Dragons don’t exist, with direwolves however they have to film real wolves and then use CGI to alter them larger, different coloring, behaviour the wolves don’t actually show like vicious behavior, attacking things etc but because it is altered not created they need to put more time and money into making it more realistic especially the fur. Since the actors aren’t allowed to touch the wolves and yet they pat them or hug them in the show the fur has to move in a certain way to make it look like they are. Dragons scales don’t move but fur does.

Well, yes and no. I’m biased because I’ve owned pet birds (to be more accurate, they’ve owned me) for the past 20 years, and I’ve got to say, the GoT dragons move and behave like real birds. The scene with Tyrion unlocking the dragons’ collars was a perfect example: the way the second dragon bend his head down to “ask” Tyrion to unlock his collar is exactly the way a lovebird “requests” a head rub. I’m pretty sure the CGI process starts with a “skeleton” modeled after avian physiology.

I get the “hugging” part. That’d be difficult to do realistically with a CGI direwolf, and too dangerous to do with a real wolf.

I think that Sansa will marry Harry in TWOW and this marriage will sadly parallel what happened between Sansa and Ramsay on screen.

They needed the smog to simulate death by asphyxiation ?

Ten Bears: It’s mind-boggling to me that life-like GGI dragons (dragons!) are easier to create than direwolves, but I’m in no position to second-guess the experts.

Dragons do exactly what the animators want, while filming with real animals is incredibly time-consuming, because they don’t follow directions as well. Matching what the actors are doing with what the creature is doing is much easier when you have total control of the creature. Also, on set it makes no difference whether the creature to be added in post-production is CGI or a real animal shot on green screen; in both cases, there’s a lot of wasted time trying to make the actors work with something that is not actually present.

If the direwolves were CGI, though, they may still be more expensive than the dragons, because of all the fur. That’s a lot of simulation you don’t have to bother with in the case of a reptile.

That’s sounds right. Someone also mentioned the lighting. It probably saves time to film them in the same location than adjusting lighting, shadows in post production.

When they did “Monster’s Inc.” one of the main difficulties was getting Sully’s hair right. It didn’t ‘move’ right. It took a long time (and money) to get it right. And this was a cartoon. With a live creature I would think it would be even more time consuming and very expensive to do. Disney has a ton of money and the technology is advancing enough that we can see a vast improvement (The Jungle Book). For a TV show I guess the money isn’t nearly there yet even for a show as successful as GOT. For the direwolves I do prefer to see the actual animal and enlarged by TV magic 🐺👏 … and YES!!! Nymeria is back 🐺❤️😂

Strong suggestion of Arya. Nymeria and Wolf Pack horde!!!!

I personally have a suspicion they’ll hunt down a fair few Freys in the book when Twins gets Castamered etc

Thanks for the explanation. I need to keep reminding myself that GoT is still a TV show with a TV budget. A relatively generous budget, but still a TV budget.

I’ve been spoiled by the special and practical effects on the show, which have surpassed what I’ve seen in most movies. In fact, I can’t think of any “Avengers” or “Transformers” movie that had a better scene than the Masters’ Navy vs. Mereen and Dany’s Air Force vs. the Masters’ ship in the first 15 minutes or so of BoB.

And clashing armies and crashing horses in the Battle for Winterfell rivaled comparable scenes in “Braveheart.”

GoT sets s higher bar each year, and greedy people like me forget they still have to operate on a tight schedule with a tight budget. (Which is why I was going to propose a crowdfunding site for the fandom to finance direwolves CGI for the show.)

This Maisie + Canadian wolves news was just wonderful. Thanks for the post. WoW rules!

P.S. I don’t know how you guys stand it. That “other site” lifted your post almost word for word with no attribution, injected a few typos, and made it seem like they came up with this breaking news about Maisie and the wolves in Canada. (They even copied the photographs WoW used. )

Sorry if this is none of my business. It’s just that it would upset me if someone else slapped his name to something I’d written, and published it as if it were his. 😡😡😡👺

How could I forget? Nearly all of Daenerys’ exterior scenes from Season 3 were shot in Morocco. Thanks for the reminder!

Well, this would go along with AtomicDom’s theory from last month –

If not, Im still very excited about the Direwolf news!

In the books Nymeria is still alive and roaming the Riverlands (where she and Arya first became separated), leading a rather large pack of wolves she’s gathered. As someone else posted way earlier in this thread, it would be pretty cool (albeit bloody as hell) if her wolfpack finishes off the Freys in the Twins. Can you imagine? Arya-as-sexy-serving-wench convinces some stupid sod to open the gates, and then… glittering eyes in the darkness, up to aerial shot of dozens of wolves pouring in to the Frey stronghold, back down to close-up of Arya revealing her face to say: “Winter is here.”

Aww I love the fact s/he’s called Quigley and am now imagining that in the show instead of Ghost: “

No idea if it’s relevant or just a coincidence, but there is a feedme hashtag next to the Nymeria wolf. Adjust your tinfoil hats folks.

I think your analysis of the showrunner reasoning behind (re)introducing certain figures is spot-on. And you’re right–it works both ways. George introduced a certain major character so late (last book?) that I’ve always thought of him and his associates as a big, fat red herring. As it turns out, most sullied put (f) for “false” in front of his name when writing about him. So since the show omits him, poor George knows the readers don’t believe Mr (f) is a contender. And I agree about the reunion symbolising Arya’s reconnecting to her deepest Stark identity (which I think is the deepest of all).

Nymeria, with or without Ghost, can be used several ways, including one exciting development mentioned in a somewhat disreputable leak. I am not counting on the pack appearing, but I certainly hope that the reunion is more than a fleeting “hug and a handshake”. The fact they’ve hauled Maisie out to Canada (which she probably loved) for this sequence implies that it is significant. I’m content as long as it’s NOT for Arya to die or permanently warg into Nymeria (a theory that occasionally pops up, mostly on Youtube). Gods forfend!

Nah. I don’t think Arya’s warging into anything – whether Nymeria or some other organism.

Under the Stephen King corollary of the Wimsey/Chekhov’s gun principle, there would have been some suggestion of Arya having warging powers early on if it were going to play a part at the end. Nothing like that has ever happened on the show, even though there were opportunities to slip it in (similar to the way Bran was shown running around as a wolf in “waking dreams”).

Though I’m not a book reader, from comments on this site it’s my understanding that BookArya did some kind of warging in Braavos. Again, that wasn’t included in the adaptation.

For both of these reasons, to now introduce the possibility of Arya winding up inhabiting Nymeria’s body would come off as a prohibited – and belatedly contrived – deus ex machina.

Besides, Princess Arya is the future Lady of Winterfell. She cannot be telling people “Do NOT call me ‘My Lady’!” if she’s stuck inside a direwolf.

Same thing if the 100-to-1 longshot bet comes out the winner and Arya turns out to be The Princess that Was Promised. (Yeah, I know, Jon is the prohibitive favorite in the race at 1:2 odds with Dany a close second at 2:1 and Sandor a distant third at 25:1. But don’t laugh. There are reasons why I maintain Arya can fulfill the prophecy’s prerequisites.)

I know Arya-into-Nymeria is a popular fan theory, though I don’t know why. I guess there’s a possibility she temporarily inhabits Nymeria as a way to cheat apparent death (eg in a cliffhanger), but they already resorted to the “Oh my god, is Arya dying?” trick for “dramatic effect” in S6E7, and used up the resurrection quota on Jon in E2.

But who knows ? Lots of people had theorized that Jon would warg into Ghost after the NW bozos stabbed him to death, and that didn’t happen. Maybe they’re saving that trick for Arya. I sure hope not.

I just came back to read this again because it gives me a warm fuzzy. Arya’s been alone for so long and it’s likely she will reunite with everyone important in her life who is still living this season. Knowing this show, that could spell doom and gloom but I am choosing to believe Arya gets at least a few episodes of happiness.

I confess that I’m in the camp that wishes more had been made – and shown – of the direwolves but I understand the practical and budget challenges. Filming with real wolves, basically with real wild animals, and then CGI-ing them to be bigger is a lot more difficult than just GCI-ing fantasy animals like dragons. So I understand why the direwolves have been kept to a minimum, especially because in the show Bran is the only one who wargs.

I like Arya though I’m not an Arya fan, like so many here, but I also want her to meet up with her direwolf Nymeria. Maybe she (the wolf) will help pull Arya from her dark path to finally rediscover her Stark roots and act like it. As in, dare I say it, the Stark ethos is harsh justice, not bloody vengeance. If one wants Arya (or any Stark-affiliated person) to kill ALL the Freys… Well, the Starks wouldn’t be any better than the Freys. In fact, worse. Baby-killers, and all that. Or do you put an age-limit? Don’t kill babies or toddlers… but where do you draw the line? Huh? These questions are meant to be food for thought, as are all GRRM’s books.

Ten Bears: Though I’m not a book reader, from comments on this site it’s my understanding that BookArya did some kind of warging in Braavos.

Yes, book-Arya has begun to realize and experiment with warging abilities. She and Jon have shown to have it along with Bran. I actually DO think that it will be an important thing for her in George’s writing, so in this case D&D not including it as of yet does not tell me it’s not. It feels to me to be more of them wanting to make Bran seem that much more special. Of course the abbreviated FM training on the show also didn’t allow for much extra stuff like her warging into a cat.

Ordinarily I like to stick to “show-only” information in concocting my zany theories and predictions, but since Arya has already finished her Braavos FM schooling in the show, I don’t think the following incidental questions or their answers would qualify as “spoilers” for me or anyone else, bit I’ll cover them with spoiler tags anyway:

•. I’m a little hazy on the “rules” of warging. On the show, there seemed to be two kinds: First, “seeing” through the eyes of an animal like Bran had been doing through Summer while he was napping or zoning out. Second, there’s actually taking control of an animal, like that bug-eyed wildling guy did with his eagle in the show (and I think Bran may have done from the tower to his or Jon’s wolf to help Jon fend off the Wildlings when he refused to kill that old man outside the tower). In the show, Jojen was surprised that Bran was able to take control of Hodor; to that point, Jojen thought the power only worked on animals, not humans.

• As I understand it from the show, “greenseeing” – the ability to glimpse images of the future – is distinct from “warging.”

did Arya actually take control of the cat? Or did she just see through its eyes? Also, was there any indication in the books that Arya took over control of Nymeria? Was she ever running around looking through Nymeria’s eyes while she was napping or spaced out, like Bran had been doing with Summer?

I’m just trying to get some idea what the showrunners might be planning for Nymeria and Arya. Based on the show, Nymeria was a loyal pet who loved Arya, obeyed commands, and leapt to Arya’s defense when Prince Jerkofff was threatening her. I didn’t see any indication of a “psychic” connection or anything.

I like Arya though I’m not an Arya fan, like so many here, but I also want her to meet up with her direwolf Nymeria. Maybe she (the wolf) will help pull Arya from her dark path to finally rediscover her Stark roots and act like it. As in, dare I say it, the Stark ethos is harsh justice, not bloody vengeance. If one wants Arya (or any Stark-affiliated person) to kill ALL the Freys… Well, the Starks wouldn’t be any better than the Freys. In fact, worse. Baby-killers, and all that. Or do you put an age-limit? Don’t kill babies or toddlers… but where do you draw the line? Huh?

Let me admit right up front that I am an unabashed “Arya fan.”

I know the showrunners have alluded to Arya’s potential “dark path”, but I think that’s just hype. Thus far, Arya has dispensed “harsh justice”, not “bloody vengeance.” (Well, maybe she overdid it a little bit with Meryn F. Trant…) Walder Frey and his “damn moron sons” got off relatively easy – quick deaths – considering the atrocities they committed.

Still, as other commenters and I have forecasted, if it starts to look like Arya is pursuing sport-killing as a full-time hobby, I believe Sandor is the one who’s going to set her straight and “pull her from her dark path.” There have been too many hints and foreshadowings that The Hound will be the one to stage an “intervention.” (I’m going to list them all at a later date, and invite criticism 🤔.)

I don’t believe Arya will ever cross the line and kill innocents. She proved that with Lady Crane, putting her own life in peril by aborting the FM-ordered hit.

It’s (sick?) fun to imagine scenarios in which Arya and Nymeria lead a huge Wolfpack to invade the Twins and tear apart every single Frey. But that’s not who Arya is. She’s not a baby killer. She’s not about to commit genocide, or pull a Cersei and blow up the Twins and everyone in it. She has empathy and compassion.

Unlike King Robert and his syncophants on his “small council”, who came up with all kinds of rationale why Dany and her unborn child should be murdered, Arya would never cross that line.

But then again, this is GRRM’s world where bad people do good deeds, good people do dishonorable things, and littke mistakes have catastrophic consequences – with lots of collateral damage along the way.

1) In the books, Jon, Bran and Arya have all warged into their direwolves; in the show, this connection is only made explicitly clear between Bran and Summer. On another note… as I have written on different posts, I do believe (like you) that if Arya goes to the dark side, Sandor might be the person who pulls her back, because he’s already been there. As much as I think it might be cool to see the wolfpack go to town at the Twins, I wouldn’t want to see innocents slaughtered, and I don’t think Arya would either. There’s a part of me that thinks there’s a meaning to Sandor showing her “where the heart is” that goes beyond killing, or the granting of mercy; that later on, they both realize that each has shown the other where the heart is in a different way. For him, returning to a humanity long denied for the sake of survival; for her, understanding that the world is more complex than black-and-white.

Ten Bears: They needed the smog to simulate death by asphyxiation ?

Lol! No, the quality level of prosphetics weren’t up to scratch. They went to LA and got Rob “The Thing” Bottin to do it.

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