'Game of Thrones': Arya, Nymeria, and Why the Direwolves Still Matter

Last season, I wrote an impassioned plea (or perhaps just a rant) about how Game of Thrones has done a disservice to the direwolves. Without magic, Game of Thrones is just The Wars of the Roses set in a strange new land, and at that time (in Season 6), the series was forgetting a lot about the mythology that makes this story special. That was rectified further into that season, but the direwolves remained an overlooked part of the lore. Shaggydog and Summer, who belonged to Rickon Stark and Bran...