The world of A Song of Ice and Fire is vast and full of terrors. George RR Martin truly did an incredible job, not only crafting a compelling story, but also of building a layered intriguing world around that story. Not only is this world full of strange cities with mysterious pasts, dark religions, and intriguing prophecies, but the world is also full of terrifying creatures. As with any fantasy tale, these creatures can appear as friends or destructive foes, though this article will only focus on the latter.
So these are the 10 scariest creatures in Westeros and beyond.
Children of the Forest
The Children of the Forest, along with the Giants, are the oldest creatures in Westeros. The children are heavily based on European folklore and stories of Faeries and tree spirits. While we don't know much about the race, we do know that they are heavily connected to the magic of the Weirdwoods and the Old Gods.
The reason why the Children are considered so terrifying is due to the magnificent power they hold. During their war with the First Men, the Children used their powerful magic to shatter the Arm of Dorne and sever Westeros from Essos. While this immense power is already scary, it is said that the Children sacrificed either a thousand humans or the blood of their own young in order to shatter the Arm of Dorne.
Dragons
Naturally, dragons had to appear on this list. George RR Martin's dragons are huge, armored creatures that are capable of destroying entire armies with their scorching fire breath. The dragon is a weapon of mass destruction across Westeros and beyond, and it easily takes a place on this list.
As Aegon's Conquest showed, dragons are capable of conquering kingdoms and burning kings while they cower in their castles. With pure destruction in mind, there is nothing scarier than a dragon.
Firewyrm
A firewyrm is, essentially, a fire-breathing dragon without wings. The giant snakelike creature can tunnel its way through rock, stone, and soil, and are said to be older than even dragons. Perhaps the firewyrm is an evolutionary cousin of the dragon, a theory that may be more believable due to the fact that firewyrms were discovered in the Fourteen Flames of Old Valyria.
The creature can grow to gargantuan sizes and is certainly not friendly to humans, so it easily one of the most terrifying creatures on Planetos.
Ice Spiders
If spiders weren't scary enough, imagine a giant ice spider, as big as a hound, running towards you in an icy wasteland. It was a real shame that the giant ice spider didn't show up the Game of Thrones TV show. An appearance from these monstrous spiders would have certainly ramped up the terror in the Long Night episode.
Despite the fact that the ice spider didn't show up in the show, we can still hope that the creature will appear in the Song of Ice and Fire novels.
Wyverns
Some fantasy fans might argue that the 'dragons' in Game of Thrones are wyverns, as a wyvern is typically described as a dragon with two legs (whereas a dragon has four legs). While this may be true with fantasy in general, it is not true in Martin's world. For George RR Martin, wyverns are smaller and more ferocious than dragons but are unable to breathe fire.
Wyverns are found on the mysterious continent of Sothoryos and are one of the main reasons why the continent is largely unpopulated.
Ice Dragons
While an ice dragon did not appear in the show and is yet to appear in the book series, many fans are hoping that the creature will eventually make an appearance. Ice dragons are said to roam the Shivering Sea and the White Waste, with many reported sightings coming from sailors. According to legend, ice dragons are made out of pure ice, breathe freezing cold air, and are several times larger than their Valyrian cousins.
There are several fan theories concerning ice dragons. The most prominent of which is that there is an ice dragon contained within the Wall, and that the Horn of Winter will destroy the Wall by waking the ice dragon within. Only time will tell if this theory proves accurate.
White Walkers
Much like the dragons, the Others had to make an appearance on this list. The show version of the White Walkers is considerably different from the book version. In the show, the Others look like creepy old men with snowy beards and they don't speak.
In the books, the Others are said to be strange, elegant, and beautiful creatures that have their own culture and language. Their language is described in the prologue to A Game of Thrones as sounding like cracking ice. The Others are truly terrifying, not only because they can raise the dead, but also because we don't know what they want. While the show seemed to suggest they just wanted to destroy humanity, there is some doubt that George RR Martin would write such an opaquely evil group of characters.
Krakens
The Kraken is one of the most terrifying sea monsters imaginable. The Kraken of Planetos is closely based on the Kraken in our world's mythology. The creature is a giant squid-like monster with the power to sink a ship. The Kraken has close ties to House Greyjoy, with the sea monster featuring on the sigil of the great house.
According to Maesters, Krakens are said to infest the waters around the Sunset Sea and the Summer Sea. While the creature did not appear in the show, there is still hope that one may appear in the book series.
Shadowcat
Shadowcats are large, predatory cats that are found across Westeros, even reaching beyond the Wall and as far south as Dorne. The beast is around the size of a tiger, with black and white striped fur, razor sharp claws, and curved teeth.
While the shadowcat may not be as monstrous as a dragon or as deadly as a White Walker, it is still a horrifying creature that one would certainly not want to run into in the middle of the night.
Deep Ones
The Deep Ones are one of George RR. Martin's many homages to H.P. Lovecraft's cosmic horror. Throughout Westeros, structures of greasy, black stone can be found. The Seastone Chair of the Iron Island, the Toad Stone on the Basilisk Isles, as well as the cities of Yeen and Asshai are made of this same oily, black stone of unknown origin. Fans of the book series, and a Maester named Theron, believe that this mysterious stone was created by an ancient race of half-men/half-fish creatures called the Deep Ones.
While it may be far fetched, there are several references to the Deep Ones throughout the book series and in the wider lore. Patchface constantly sings about the world 'under the sea', the Iron Born worship a drowned god, and a race of green-skinned people living on the Thousand Isles worship fishy gods.