Hodor
| House / Order | Servant of House Stark |
|---|---|
| Race / Culture | Northmen |
| Status | Alive (as of A Dance with Dragons) |
| Origin | The North; beyond The Wall |
| Born | c. 270 AC, Winterfell |
| Died | |
| Weapon | His great strength |
| Fate | Carrying Bran Stark in the cave of the last greenseer beyond the Wall |
| Portrayed by | Kristian Nairn |
Hodor is a simple-minded giant of a man, a stableboy of Winterfell who becomes the devoted carrier and protector of the crippled Bran Stark. Enormously strong and gentle, he is incapable of speaking any word but his own name, "Hodor," which he repeats in every situation, and which is in fact a nickname; his true name is Walder.
Hodor's loyalty and strength make him essential to Bran's long journey beyond The Wall, and his body becomes, unsettlingly, an instrument of Bran's growing warg powers.
Background
Hodor is the great-grandson of Old Nan, the ancient storyteller of Winterfell, and was born to service in the castle. Though he stands nearly seven feet tall and possesses tremendous physical power, his mind is that of a gentle child; he understands speech and can follow simple commands but can utter only the single word "Hodor," from which his nickname derives. He works in the stables and is known to all the Stark household as a harmless, willing giant.
Biography
A Game of Thrones and A Clash of Kings
After Bran is crippled by his fall, Hodor is chosen to carry the boy, who rides in a wicker basket on Hodor's back, restoring some of Bran's lost freedom of movement. When Theon Greyjoy seizes Winterfell and the castle is later sacked and burned, Hodor helps shelter and then carry Bran and his brother Rickon to safety, hiding in the crypts and escaping into the wild with Osha and the Reeds.
A Storm of Swords and A Dance with Dragons
Hodor bears Bran on the long, perilous journey north of the Wall, alongside Jojen and Meera Reed, guided by Bran's green dreams toward the Three-Eyed Crow. As Bran's warging abilities develop, he discovers he can slip his consciousness not only into his direwolf Summer but, disturbingly, into Hodor himself, seizing control of the bigger man's body in moments of need or fear. Bran feels Hodor's terror and resistance when he does so, and the act troubles him deeply. The group at last reaches the cave of the Children of the Forest and the last greenseer, where Hodor remains at Bran's side as Bran begins his training.
Character
Hodor is gentle, faithful, and uncomprehending of the dangers around him, a child in a giant's frame. His unwavering devotion to Bran makes him one of the saga's most poignant figures. The use of his body by Bran's warging raises troubling questions of consent and identity that the novels treat with unusual gravity, for Hodor cannot protest in any words but his own name.
Relationships
Hodor's central bond is with Bran, whom he carries and protects with total loyalty. He is the descendant of Old Nan and is cared for by the loyal household of House Stark. On the road north he travels with Jojen and Meera Reed, who depend on his strength.
Quotes
Hodor.
In the television series
In HBO's Game of Thrones, Hodor was portrayed by Kristian Nairn. The show provided a famous origin for his name and his fate not yet revealed in the books: holding a door against an onslaught of the dead, the young Walder's mind is shattered by Bran's warging across time, fixing him forever on the command "hold the door," which collapses into "Hodor." He dies in the act. This sequence has not occurred in the novels, where Hodor lives.