Game of Thrones: Who is Coldhands? TV appearances, theories and clues 

By using this site you consent to our use of cookies in accordance with our cookie policy.

This website uses cookies. Learn more.

TV guide: what you should watch this week

George Shelley being awkward over web history is...

Netflix\'s most popular show will surprise you

Who is Game of Thrones\' Rhaegar Targaryen? Who is Game of Thrones\' Rhaegar Targaryen?

Watch Game Of Thrones stars\' audition tapes Watch Game Of Thrones stars\' audition tapes

Spoiler alert Game of Thrones: who is this Lady Stoneheart anyway? Spoiler alert Game of Thrones: who is this Lady...

Game of Thrones: 12 things we learned from episode 9 Game of Thrones: 12 things we learned from episode 9

Marvel\'s Agents of SHIELD to introduce Ghost Rider? Marvel\'s Agents of SHIELD to introduce Ghost Rider?

Love Island sees two new boys enter the villa Love Island sees two new boys enter the villa

BB\'s evicted Natalie Rowe on \'superficial\' housemates BB\'s evicted Natalie Rowe on \'superficial\' housemates

How to watch Anthony Joshua vs Dominic Breazeale live How to watch Anthony Joshua vs Dominic Breazeale live

AbFab\'s Patsy and Edina kick of London Pride AbFab\'s Patsy and Edina kick of London Pride

Which TV show did you vote the best of 2016 so far? Which TV show did you vote the best of 2016 so far?

Brexit WON\'T impact Game of Thrones\' funding Brexit WON\'T impact Game of Thrones\' funding

How to watch the England vs Australia rugby live stream How to watch the England vs Australia rugby live stream

How to survive a year with no new Doctor Who How to survive a year with no new Doctor Who

Evan Davis goes head-to-head with MEP over Brexit Evan Davis goes head-to-head with MEP over Brexit

Ever heard a fan of George RR Martin\'s novels talk in excited whispers about \'cold hands\' and wondered what you\'re missing?

series, the figure known as Coldhands has been entirely absent from HBO\'s television adaptation.

Or has he? Turns out, you might\'ve just met him and not even realised it...

Coldhands is a mysterious figure who resides beyond the Wall. He appears to be friendly(-ish) - but otherwise has all the traits of a White Walker, including hands as cold as ice and black with congealed blood.

A skilled warrior, he dresses in the garb of the Night\'s Watch (with a scarf concealing his face) and refers to Samwell Tarly as "brother" – implying he may once have resided at Castle Black.

10 bad TV shows that were saved with one quick fix

Every single Game Of Thrones episode 9 death

With black eyes, a thin voice and a scent of "dead meat [and] a faint whiff of rot", Coldhands appears to be quite literally a dead man walking. Valar morghulis.

©  Fantasy Flight Games / Veronica V. Jones

 Samwell and Gilly have fled Craster\'s keep and Coldhands is their unexpected saviour when the couple are attacked by a plague of wights.

Returning the pair to the safety of the Wall, Coldhands urges Sam to find Bran Stark and his companions – to bring them under his protection.

, it is he who guides Bran and friends to the hiding place of the Three-Eyed Raven (the \'Three-Eyed Crow\' in Martin\'s version) and he fends off more White Walkers as they climb to the cave entrance.

Who is Game of Thrones\' Rhaegar Targaryen again, and why is he important?

Fans have spun various theories, including that he\'s Ser Waymar Royce, one of the Night\'s Watchmen apparently killed by wights in the prologue to

But the most popular hypothesis has it that Coldhands is Benjen Stark, Ned\'s brother and the man who first invited his nephew Jon Snow to join the Night\'s Watch.

Benjen vanishes shortly after Jon\'s arrival at Castle Black – the horse he\'d taken on a trek later returns alone, while two of the rangers who accompanied him on his travels are found dead.

In the books, Benjen hasn\'t been seen since, but the TV series picked up his story in its sixth season, when Bran and Meera Reed were rescued by a hooded figure who conceals his face – sound familiar?

Once unmasked, Benjen revealed that he was attacked by Walkers after leaving Castle Black,  and that the creatures left him for dead with an ice sword in his gut. He was saved by the intervention of the ancient race the Children of the Forest, who halted his transformation into a wight by shoving a piece of dragonglass into his chest.

A man who\'s both dead and alive? Half-man, half-wight?

For his part, GRRM has insisted that – in his original text – Coldhands is

 Benjen, but on the TV show at least, it appears they are very much one and the same. (Even if there\'s been no actual mention of \'Coldhands\' at all.) And this wouldn\'t be the first time that the series and the books have diverged...

10 bad TV shows that were saved with one quick fix, from Homeland to The Simpsons

Watch every single Game Of Thrones episode 9 death – in just over a minute

Watch Game Of Thrones stars\' audition tapes

Love Island sees two new boys enter the villa

BB\'s evicted Natalie Rowe on \'superficial\' housemates

Evan Davis goes head-to-head with MEP over Brexit

Which TV show did you vote the best of 2016 so far?

Peter Dinklage on this scooter is the best meme ever

Big Brother\'s Natalie thinks Jason is a game player

​And also that Jackson and Georgina won\'t last. By

Big Brother\'s Natalie slams "f**king idiot" Jayne

BBC Three documentary explores Orlando after shooting

Stacey Dooley & Reggie Yates have extreme docs lined up

Hollywood pays emotional tribute after Orlando tragedy