188 Fun Facts About Game of Thrones

Who actually slips the poison into Joffrey's wine at the Purple Wedding?

Olenna Tyrell poisoned Joffrey to spare Margaery a marriage to him, and after drinking the poison sent to execute her she confessed, so that Cersei would know.

Which wildling taunts Jon Snow with 'You know nothing, Jon Snow' in Game of Thrones?

Ygritte says it to Jon throughout their romance, and she dies in his arms after she is shot during the wildling attack on Castle Black.

Which actress took over Daenerys Targaryen from Tamzin Merchant after the original, unaired pilot?

Emilia Clarke got the part when HBO had the pilot reshot and scrapped all its Morocco scenes, where Tamzin Merchant had filmed Daenerys's wedding.

Which Dothraki title does Daenerys hold as Khal Drogo's wife in Game of Thrones?

Khaleesi is the title of a khal's wife, and when Drogo dies Daenerys refuses to join the widows of the dosh khaleen and leads her own khalasar.

Which cast member won four Primetime Emmys for his supporting role in Game of Thrones?

Peter Dinklage won in 2011, 2015, 2018 and 2019, after years of refusing the elf and leprechaun roles typically offered to actors with dwarfism.

What is the Iron Throne made from?

The swords of Aegon's defeated enemies were fused by dragonfire, and Martin insists the books' throne is huge, far bigger than the chair built for the show.

Which High Valyrian passphrase does Jaqen H'ghar tell Arya to remember when he leaves her?

Valar Morghulis means 'all men must die'; Jaqen kills two men Arya names, then frees her and her friends when she names him as the third.

Which modern item was left on a table at Winterfell's feast in season eight of Game of Thrones?

A coffee cup from a local café sat on the feast table, and HBO digitally erased it from the episode two days later.

What is the name of Jon Snow's direwolf?

Jon saved the litter by persuading Ned that the five pups matched his five trueborn children, then found Ghost, an albino sixth pup, for himself.

Which office does Ned Stark accept when the royal party visits Winterfell in Game of Thrones' first episode?

Ned Stark takes the post of Hand of the King after a letter from the last Hand's widow claims her husband was murdered.

Who kills Ser Vardis Egen in a trial by combat at the Eyrie?

Bronn volunteers as Tyrion's champion when no one else will, and after winning he enters Tyrion's service as his bodyguard.

Which kingdom does Sansa Stark rule as queen at the end of Game of Thrones?

The North broke away when Sansa Stark asked the newly chosen king, her brother, to let it stand independent, and he agreed.

Which ancient race created the Night King in Game of Thrones?

The Children of the Forest made him during their war with the First Men, who had been cutting down the Children's sacred weirwood trees.

What is the seat of House Lannister?

Casterly Rock, legend says, was swindled from House Casterly by Lann the Clever, and in season seven the Lannisters leave it almost empty as bait for Daenerys's army.

What is the Valyrian word Daenerys uses to command her dragons to breathe fire?

Dracarys means 'dragonfire', and Daenerys uses it to double-cross a slaver, trading him a dragon for his army and then ordering it to burn him.

Who commands Daenerys's army of eunuch soldiers in Game of Thrones?

Grey Worm was chosen by the Unsullied's own officers after Daenerys freed them and offered them the choice to leave.

Which character is known as "The Imp"?

Tyrion Lannister is a dwarf whose father and sister blame him for his mother's death giving birth to him.

What is the name of the continent where most of Game of Thrones takes place?

Westeros has seasons that can last for years, and the story opens as a nine-year summer ends, so anyone under nine has never seen winter.

At which castle does the Red Wedding take place in Game of Thrones?

The Twins guard a vital river crossing, and Robb won passage by promising to marry one of its lord's daughters, a pledge he then broke.

What is Arya Stark's sword called?

Needle was a parting gift from Jon, and Arya named it as a jab at the needlework her sister Sansa was so good at.

Which sworn brotherhood mans the great ice barrier at the top of the Seven Kingdoms?

The Night's Watch guards a Wall raised to keep out the Others, yet when the story begins most people in the Seven Kingdoms believe the Others are only a legend.

Which character pushes Bran Stark from a tower window in the very first episode?

Jaime Lannister pushes Bran to hide that he and his twin sister Cersei are lovers, and the boy survives the fall.

Who are Jon Snow's real parents, as Game of Thrones finally reveals?

Rhaegar and Lyanna's son was raised by Ned as his own bastard, because Lyanna begged Ned to protect the boy from Robert.

Arya trains with the Faceless Men in which Free City, founded by escaped slaves and guarded by a colossal statue, the Titan?

Braavos is home to the Iron Bank, which funds the enemies of rulers who fail to repay, and it lends Stannis the gold to hire sellswords.

In the books, Sam Tarly kills an Other with a dagger made of which material?

Sam's dragonglass dagger kills the Other instantly, earning him the nickname Sam the Slayer.

Which character is known as the Red Woman in Game of Thrones?

Melisandre is called the Red Woman for her red hair and robes, and after Stannis dies she brings Jon Snow back from the dead.

In Game of Thrones, the poison that kills Joffrey is smuggled into his wedding hidden inside what?

A gem on a necklace Ser Dontos gave Sansa hid the poison, so she carried it in unknowingly; in the books it is an amethyst from her hairnet.

Which actress plays Cersei Lannister in the HBO series?

Lena Headey shot Cersei's naked walk of atonement with the help of a body double, Rebecca Van Cleave, and CGI.

In the TV series, which sellsword company does Daario Naharis take over and pledge to Daenerys?

The Second Sons came over after Daario killed his two captains and presented their heads to Daenerys; in the books he does the same to the Stormcrows.

Which Valyrian steel sword, its pommel remade as a wolf's head, does Jon Snow receive from Lord Commander Mormont?

Longclaw is House Mormont's ancestral sword, and Jeor Mormont gives it to Jon for saving his life from a wight.

In which city does Daenerys set a temple ablaze and walk out unburnt in Season 6?

In Vaes Dothrak the awed Dothraki bow to Daenerys after she emerges unburnt from the fire.

Which character is known as "Littlefinger"?

Petyr Baelish got the nickname Littlefinger as a jab at his short stature and his family's tiny lands on the smallest of the Fingers.

Which religious movement imprisons Cersei and forces her to walk naked through King's Landing?

The Sparrows rose through Cersei's own influence, but her plot to have them arrest Margaery backfired and exposed her own adultery.

In Game of Thrones' season six finale, Cersei blows up the Great Sept of Baelor using caches of what?

Wildfire kills Margaery and everyone else inside the sept, so Cersei escapes her own trial.

Gendry, the blacksmith's apprentice from King's Landing, is the unacknowledged bastard of which king?

Robert Baratheon fathered many bastards, and after his death the City Watch hunts them down, so Gendry has to flee King's Landing.

Which castle is the seat of the Iron Islands' ruling family?

Pyke was besieged when Balon's rebellion failed, and his son Theon was taken to Winterfell as Ned Stark's ward.

Which Season 6 clash outside Winterfell pits Jon Snow against Ramsay Bolton?

The Battle of the Bastards turns only when the Knights of the Vale, summoned by Sansa, sound their horns and ride in.

What nickname does Sandor Clegane go by?

The Hound, Sandor Clegane, serves as Joffrey's bodyguard but deserts during the Battle of the Blackwater, and later travels with Arya.

Which of Daenerys's dragons is killed and reanimated by the Night King?

Viserion, felled by the Night King's ice javelin, rises as his mount and breathes the blue fire that breaches the Wall.

In A Game of Thrones' prologue, which highborn Night's Watch ranger is slain by the Others and rises as a wight?

Waymar Royce is a knight from a noble house, and in the book his corpse rises and strangles Will, the commoner who narrates the prologue.

What do the wildlings beyond the Wall call themselves in Game of Thrones?

The Free Folk burn their dead instead of burying them, so the corpses cannot rise as wights.

Whose words are "We Do Not Sow"?

House Greyjoy rules raiders rather than farmers, and when Theon returns home his father sends him to raid the Stony Shore.

Which actor played the Three-Eyed Raven that Bran trains with in Game of Thrones' sixth season?

Max von Sydow's Raven is secretly Brynden Rivers, a Targaryen bastard known as Bloodraven.

What is the name of the Stark family's ancestral Valyrian steel greatsword?

Ice is melted down on Tywin Lannister's orders after Ned's execution and reforged into two smaller swords for his own house.

What real-world location was used to film many of the King's Landing exterior scenes?

Dubrovnik, Croatia played King's Landing from season two, and a quarry just outside it stood in for Qarth, a city on another continent.

In Season 3, Littlefinger delivers his 'chaos is a ladder' speech to which fellow schemer?

Varys hears the chaos-is-a-ladder speech, and years later Bran quotes the line back to its speaker, rattling him.

Which Game of Thrones fight, finally shown in season eight, had fans calling it 'Cleganebowl' for years?

Sandor versus Gregor ends with Sandor throwing himself and his brother from the burning Red Keep, killing them both.

What is the sigil of House Targaryen?

A three-headed dragon is the Targaryen sigil, and three Targaryen siblings riding three dragons conquered six of the Seven Kingdoms.

Which band's drummer cameoed as one of the musicians who play at the Red Wedding?

Coldplay's Will Champion drums in the Red Wedding band, and Robb Stark and his mother Catelyn die in the massacre that follows.

In the unaired original pilot, which actress played Catelyn Stark before Michelle Fairley?

Ehle, best known as Elizabeth Bennet in the 1995 Pride and Prejudice, left after the pilot; Daenerys was recast at the same time.

In Game of Thrones' season six finale, which maester do Qyburn's child spies stab to death?

Pycelle is summoned to Qyburn's laboratory and stabbed there on the same day that Cersei destroys the Great Sept.

Which Stirling fortress stood in for Winterfell in the original pilot before production moved to Northern Ireland?

Doune Castle is also the castle from Monty Python and the Holy Grail; the producers considered shooting the whole series in Scotland before choosing Northern Ireland for its studio space and tax credits.

Which natural sea arch, later destroyed by a storm, framed Daenerys and Drogo's wedding in Game of Thrones?

Days before the Azure Window fell in March 2017, visitors were still walking on top of it, ignoring a fine meant to stop them.

Which of Jon Snow's allies smashes Winterfell's gates before Ramsay Bolton kills him with an arrow?

Wun Wun, a giant, breaks down the gates so the Starks can retake Winterfell, and Ramsay kills him with an arrow to the eye.

Which pop star cameoed as a singing Lannister soldier in season seven of Game of Thrones?

Ed Sheeran was booked as a surprise for Maisie Williams, who plays Arya and is a fan; the producers had spent years trying to get him.

Which child does Stannis Baratheon allow to be burned as a sacrifice in season five of Game of Thrones?

Shireen Baratheon was burned to win better weather for Stannis's snowbound march on Winterfell.

Which language creator was chosen from over 30 applicants to build Dothraki for the show?

Peterson delivered over 1,700 words to HBO before shooting began; Marc Okrand created Klingon and Paul Frommer created Na'vi.

In Game of Thrones' 'The Long Night', which knight dies holding off wights so Arya can escape?

Beric Dondarrion dies saving Arya and Sandor Clegane, years after Sandor killed him in a trial by combat and Thoros revived him.

Which season-eight episode was written and directed by Benioff and Weiss themselves?

The Iron Throne credits both as directors, though on the episodes they had co-directed earlier, Directors Guild rules let only one take the credit.

Which Game of Thrones episode introduces Karsi, a wildling chieftain first written as a man?

Hardhome ends with the Night King raising the slaughtered wildlings as wights while Jon's boats pull away.

In Game of Thrones' season six finale, which lord is served a pie by Arya before she slits his throat?

Walder Frey is served by Arya in disguise, and she peels off a servant's face to show her own before avenging the Red Wedding.

Who dies when the Mountain crushes his skull after nearly winning a trial by combat at King's Landing?

Oberyn Martell had the Mountain beaten but kept demanding a confession to his sister Elia's murder, and the dying knight seized him.

Which Icelandic band contributed to a Game of Thrones soundtrack and played Joffrey's wedding on screen?

Sigur Rós perform at Joffrey's wedding feast, and before the reception ends Joffrey dies from poisoned wine.

Which real English conflict did George R. R. Martin draw on for the Starks' struggle against the Lannisters?

The Wars of the Roses pitted York against Lancaster, and Martin's Starks echo York, though he avoided retelling the real history directly.

Before writing A Song of Ice and Fire, George R. R. Martin wrote for the 1980s revival of which TV series?

The Twilight Zone job took Martin to Hollywood, where budget limits forced him to cut characters and battles, so he went back to books with no such limits.

What is the planned title of the seventh and final A Song of Ice and Fire novel?

A Dream of Spring would close a saga Martin first sold as a trilogy, before the story grew in the telling.

Martin set aside a sci-fi novel after which vivid image came to him?

Martin pictured a beheading, then direwolves in the snow, wrote that chapter in days, and it became A Game of Thrones' first chapter after the prologue.

Which game's tournaments did George R. R. Martin direct in the 1970s to pay his bills while writing?

Chess tournaments boomed after Bobby Fischer's 1972 title, and because they ran on weekends, Martin had five weekdays free to write.

Which two grim episodes from Scottish history did Martin say inspired the Red Wedding?

The Black Dinner and the Massacre of Glencoe both turned hospitality into murder, the same betrayal of guests and hosts at the heart of the Red Wedding.

How did Martin split A Feast for Crows and A Dance with Dragons into two volumes?

Martin split them by location and cast, so the two books run side by side and Daenerys and Jon Snow get no chapters in A Feast for Crows.

Which name was given to the plot problems that held up A Dance with Dragons for years?

The Meereenese Knot became an in-joke in season three, when a King's Landing brothel scene names it as a feat only a few women in the world can perform.

Which Hugo-winning novella did George R. R. Martin carve from Daenerys's chapters of A Game of Thrones?

Blood of the Dragon ran in Asimov's Science Fiction, and it ends as Daenerys walks into Drogo's pyre and emerges with three dragons.

In Season 1, what does a pregnant Daenerys eat raw in a ritual for her unborn son?

A stallion's heart was really a gummy prop, and the struggle to keep it down on screen was the actress's genuine reaction after repeated takes.

Which 2018 George R. R. Martin book is the prequel series House of the Dragon based on?

Fire & Blood took in more than 200,000 words cut from the manuscript of the 2014 companion book The World of Ice & Fire.

Which House of the Dragon queen wears a green gown as a call to arms?

Alicent's entrance interrupts King Viserys mid-speech, and her uncle Lord Hobert then pledges Oldtown's full support to her.

Which actor plays the adult Rhaenyra Targaryen in House of the Dragon?

Emma D'Arcy took over the role from Milly Alcock after the story jumped ten years in the sixth episode of the first season.

Who plays Daemon Targaryen in House of the Dragon?

Matt Smith's Daemon is passed over as heir when his brother King Viserys names his daughter Rhaenyra instead, and Daemon later marries her.

Which character sings 'Jenny of Oldstones' at Winterfell on the eve of the battle against the dead?

Podrick Payne sings the first verse, and Florence + the Machine, who had once turned down a request to record a Thrones song, sing it over the end credits.

Which Ramin Djawadi piece plays as Cersei destroys the Great Sept in Game of Thrones' sixth-season finale?

Light of the Seven was the first Game of Thrones score to use piano, chosen so that no familiar character theme would tip viewers off.

Which playwright was Kit Harington named after?

Christopher Marlowe went by Kit, and because his mother liked that short form, Harington, born Christopher, was called Kit too.

Kit Harington's professional acting debut was the lead in which West End play?

He played Albert Narracott in the National Theatre production while still at drama school.

Sophie Turner dyed her naturally blonde hair what colour to play Sansa Stark?

Auburn copies the colouring Sansa inherits from her mother, Catelyn, in the books, while her father Ned's family is dark-haired.

Which Napoleonic-era ITV series first made Ned Stark actor Sean Bean a mainstream star?

Sharpe first cast Paul McGann, but he injured his leg early in filming and Bean was drafted in to take over the rifleman's role.

Which medical emergencies did the actress who played Daenerys survive before founding her charity SameYou?

Brain aneurysms needed surgery in 2011, just after she finished filming season one, and again in 2013; the first briefly left her unable to recall her own name.

Which Star Wars character was played in 2018 by the actress behind Daenerys?

Qi'ra, Han Solo's childhood love, betrays and kills her crime boss in Solo: A Star Wars Story, then leaves Han behind to report to Maul.

Jaime Lannister actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau is from which country?

His breakthrough was the 1994 Danish thriller Nightwatch; he earned two Emmy nominations for Jaime.

Who rings a bell and chants 'Shame!' as Cersei makes her walk of atonement through King's Landing?

Septa Unella pays for it in the sixth-season finale, when Cersei has her locked in a cell with the Mountain.

Who plays Ser Duncan the Tall in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms?

Peter Claffey was a professional rugby player in Ireland before he gave up the sport to pursue acting.

Before the battle outside Winterfell, what does Ramsay Bolton order his captive Rickon Stark to do?

Run to Jon, Ramsay tells him, then shoots the boy dead just before Jon reaches him, goading Jon into charging the Bolton army alone.

In 'The Door', who repeatedly orders Hodor to hold the door shut against the wights?

Meera Reed's order echoes into Bran's vision of young Wylis, who slurs 'hold the door' into 'Hodor', the only word he says ever after.

Armed only with a wooden practice sword, who holds off Lannister guards so that Arya can escape?

Syrio Forel stays behind to face Ser Meryn Trant, and years later Arya kills Trant, the man she believes killed him.

Which song strikes up just before Robb Stark's men are massacred at his uncle's wedding?

The Rains of Castamere celebrates Tywin wiping out House Reyne, and as it plays Catelyn realises they have been betrayed.

Who plays Talisa, the Volantene healer who marries Robb Stark?

Oona Chaplin was first announced as playing a 'Jeyne', and her character became Talisa, who appears in none of the books, during rewrites.

Which Star Wars character did Brienne actress Gwendoline Christie play?

Captain Phasma is taken hostage by Han Solo, Chewbacca and Finn in The Force Awakens and dumped into a trash compactor.

Which disease does Samwell Tarly secretly cure Jorah Mormont of at the Citadel?

Greyscale had spread over Jorah's arm and torso, and Sam treated him despite orders because whoever administers the cure risks catching it.

Tywin actor Charles Dance played which royal figure in The Crown?

Lord Mountbatten, Prince Philip's uncle and a father figure to Charles, is killed by an IRA bomb on his boat early in season four.

Game of Thrones actress Diana Rigg was famous in the 1960s for which Avengers role?

Emma Peel was first given to Elizabeth Shepherd, who was dropped partway into filming, and Rigg took over at very short notice.

Before playing Khal Drogo, Jason Momoa played Ronon Dex in which sci-fi series?

Stargate Atlantis co-star David Hewlett later cast Momoa against type as a spaceship's computer in his horror film Debug.

Which actor's breakout role came as a Dornish prince in Game of Thrones' fourth season?

Pedro Pascal landed the role after years of small stage and TV parts, and Narcos, The Mandalorian and The Last of Us followed.

Margaery actress Natalie Dormer had her breakthrough as which queen in The Tudors?

Anne Boleyn was beheaded at the close of The Tudors' second season, and Dormer returned only for a dream sequence in the series finale.

Joffrey actor Jack Gleeson appeared as a child in which 2005 superhero film?

Batman Begins came early in his career, and after Joffrey he took a six-year break from screen acting to focus on his studies.

Which Game of Thrones actress married Jon Snow actor Kit Harington in 2018?

Rose Leslie and Harington fell for each other while playing on-screen lovers, and they married in Aberdeenshire, where she grew up.

Besides acting, Hodor's Kristian Nairn is known for what career?

DJ gigs came first, and after Hodor made him famous he took Rave of Thrones on tour, dressing clubs up as Game of Thrones sets.

Game of Thrones actor Jerome Flynn's duo Robson & Jerome had 1995's best-selling UK single with what?

Unchained Melody was the song they sang in a Soldier Soldier episode, and Simon Cowell talked the reluctant actors into releasing it.

Which real castle inspired the Eyrie, seat of House Arryn?

The Eyrie is described as small but unassailable, sitting six hundred feet above the waycastle Sky.

What instrument carries the Game of Thrones main title theme?

Cello leads the theme because the showrunners wanted to avoid the flutes and solo vocals common in other fantasy scores.

Which Northern Ireland landmark played the Kingsroad in Game of Thrones?

The Dark Hedges drew so much traffic once the show made them famous that cars were banned from the road in 2017 to protect the trees' roots.

Which islet, with a stone staircase winding to its summit, played Dragonstone in Game of Thrones?

Gaztelugatxe has only a small chapel at the top of its winding steps, so the show added Dragonstone's castle digitally.

Which Spanish city's Alcázar palace became the Water Gardens of Dorne in Game of Thrones' fifth season?

Seville's Real Alcázar suited Dorne, which Martin has said is loosely inspired by Spain and its Moorish past.

Which real barrier did Martin say inspired the great wall in Game of Thrones?

Hadrian's Wall is where Martin once stood and tried to imagine being a Roman soldier posted there, gazing off into the distance.

Whom does Tyrion find in his father's bed before he kills Tywin?

Shae had testified against Tyrion at his trial, so he strangles her there, then shoots his father on the privy with a crossbow.

Which king did a Kingsguard knight kill to earn the name Kingslayer?

Aerys II Targaryen was planning to burn King's Landing, a reason the Kingslayer kept to himself for years until he confided it to Brienne.

Which weapon does Qyburn build to shoot down dragons?

A scorpion pierces an old dragon skull when Qyburn first shows it to Cersei, yet in battle its bolt only wounds Drogon.

What name does Theon answer to as Ramsay's broken prisoner?

Reek is the name Ramsay tortures into him, yet Theon later breaks free of it to help Sansa escape from Winterfell.

Whom does Cersei have beheaded on the walls of King's Landing as Daenerys looks on?

Missandei is beheaded by the Mountain on Cersei's order, and in the very next episode Daenerys burns King's Landing.

Which castle was Samwell Tarly born to inherit before his father made him give it up?

Horn Hill went to his younger brother Dickon instead, because their father Randyll was ashamed of his bookish, unwarlike eldest son.

Which English actor plays Stannis Baratheon?

Stephen Dillane's Stannis routs the wildling army with a cavalry charge, but his later march on Winterfell ends in defeat by the Boltons.

Why does Stannis cut off Davos Seaworth's fingertips?

To punish his smuggling, even as he knighted Davos for sneaking onions and other food through the blockade to his starving garrison.

Why did Jorah Mormont have to flee Westeros before he joined Daenerys?

He sold poachers into slavery to pay for his wife's expensive tastes, and fled rather than face execution by Ned Stark.

Where in Qarth does Daenerys find her stolen dragons held in chains?

House of the Undying is where the warlock Pyat Pree chains her beside her dragons, until she orders them to burn him.

Which actor played the blacksmith Gendry in Game of Thrones?

Joe Dempsie's Gendry vanished for three seasons after rowing away from Dragonstone, and on his return Davos jokes he thought he was still rowing.

In which vast, dragon-scorched castle does Arya serve as Tywin Lannister's cupbearer?

Harrenhal was burned by Aegon's dragon Balerion, and so many of the houses that later held it died out that it is said to be cursed.

In the novels, by what name is the resurrected Catelyn Stark known?

Lady Stoneheart leads the outlaw brotherhood in hunting down Freys and anyone else tied to the Red Wedding, a storyline the show left out.

In which Free City was the Master of Whisperers born a slave?

Lys is where he was born a slave, but a sorcerer in Myr bought him from an acting troupe and castrated him for a blood ritual.

Which of Craster's daughters flees his keep with Samwell Tarly to save her newborn son?

Gilly names her baby Sam, and Samwell later takes them both south with him when he goes to train as a maester.

At which gathering of island captains is Euron chosen to rule over his niece Yara?

The Kingsmoot picks Euron, and Yara and Theon flee with the best ships before he can have them killed.

Which Icelandic strongman played the Mountain from season four onward?

Hafþór Björnsson paused his strongman career for boxing, and in 2022 he beat his longtime rival Eddie Hall on points in Dubai.

Prince Doran's eight illegitimate nieces are known collectively as what?

The Sand Snakes turn on their uncle's household, and Obara kills his son Trystane while Ellaria stabs Doran to death.

Whom does Margaery Tyrell marry first?

Renly Baratheon wed her to seal House Tyrell's alliance, but a shadow demon killed him before the marriage was ever consummated.

Who played Lyanna Mormont, last seen in 'The Long Night'?

Ramsey later starred as Ellie in HBO's The Last of Us opposite Pedro Pascal.

Which Stark child's direwolf does Ned have to kill after Arya's wolf bites Joffrey?

Sansa's direwolf, Lady, dies in place of Nymeria, who had fled, and Ned kills her himself rather than leave it to a butcher.

Arya Stark names her direwolf after a legendary warrior queen of which people?

The Rhoynar fled Valyria's dragonlords behind Queen Nymeria, and the Dornish of the story descend from them.

In which city does Daenerys buy, then free, the Unsullied?

Astapor's slavers take one of her dragons as payment, but Daenerys orders the Unsullied to kill the masters and has the dragon burn Kraznys.

What do the freed slaves of Yunkai chant as they lift Daenerys above the crowd?

Mhysa means 'mother' in Old Ghiscari, so the freed slaves are hailing Daenerys as their mother.

Which Full Monty actor played the king gored by a boar in Game of Thrones?

Mark Addy's dying king names Ned regent in his will, but Cersei tears it up and has Ned seized.

In January 2015, season four's last two episodes played in 205 cinemas in which format, a first for a TV series?

IMAX suited the show's grand scope, HBO's marketing chief said, and gave fans a new way to experience the series.

Which noble does Daenerys agree to marry, along with reopening the fighting pits, to buy peace?

Hizdahr zo Loraq is stabbed to death by the Sons of the Harpy at the reopened pits, although Daario had suspected him of working with them.

Whose blood magic leaves Khal Drogo alive but a mindless husk?

Mirri Maz Duur does it in revenge for the Dothraki raid on her village, even though Daenerys had saved her from Drogo's men.

Which monarch toured the Game of Thrones set in 2014 but declined to sit on the Iron Throne?

Elizabeth II was photographed examining the Iron Throne prop during a June visit to the studios, but she stayed on her feet.

Which UK city's Paint Hall studios were Game of Thrones' main filming base from the first season?

Belfast housed the main sets in the Paint Hall, in the city's Titanic Quarter. The production created hundreds of local jobs and turned the area into a hub for film and television.

Which dragon melts the Iron Throne after finding Daenerys dead in the Game of Thrones finale?

Drogon turns his flames on the throne rather than on the man standing over her body, then carries Daenerys away to the east.

What does the Game of Thrones TV series usually call the icy beings the novels name the Others?

White Walkers is the name the show favours. George R. R. Martin's Others are tall and gaunt, with flesh pale as milk and eyes of burning blue.

How does Ramsay Bolton die after losing Winterfell to Jon Snow's army in Game of Thrones?

Eaten by his own dogs: Ramsay had starved the pack so it could feast on his enemies, and he insists to the last that it will never turn on him.

Which right-handed actress fought left-handed in Game of Thrones to match her character Arya Stark?

Maisie Williams had never acted professionally before the role. She was picked from 300 actresses tested across England and did most of her own stunts.

Which Game of Thrones wildling, played by Norwegian Kristofer Hivju, is nicknamed Giantsbane?

Tormund also answers to Thunderfist, and the boastful raider won Kristofer Hivju positive reviews.

At the end of Game of Thrones' first season, Daenerys walks into what to hatch her dragon eggs?

A funeral pyre built for Khal Drogo hatches the eggs: Daenerys is found unharmed in the ashes at daybreak with the first dragons born in over a century.

How does Queen Cersei die during Daenerys's assault on King's Landing in Game of Thrones?

Crushed by falling rubble as the castle collapses, Cersei dies in her brother's arms after finding their escape passage blocked.

At which fortress is Jon Snow stabbed to death by his own mutinous men in Game of Thrones?

Castle Black is where his own men turn on him for making a pact with the wildlings, luring him outside with false news of his missing uncle.

Which warrior executes Stannis Baratheon to avenge the king she once guarded in Game of Thrones?

Brienne of Tarth finds Stannis after his defeat outside Winterfell and executes him for the murder of his younger brother, whom she had served.

How does King Tommen die after watching the Great Sept of Baelor explode in Game of Thrones?

Leaps from a window: the boy king kills himself moments after being told that his wife, Margaery, was inside the sept when it blew.

Which bannerman stabs Robb Stark at Game of Thrones' Red Wedding, saying 'The Lannisters send their regards'?

Roose Bolton is delivering a message he was handed earlier in the season, and he kills his own king while Catelyn watches in horror.

Through which opening in the Eyrie's floor does Littlefinger push his bride Lysa to her death in Game of Thrones?

The Moon Door had just been Lysa's own threat against her niece. He steps in, admits he only ever loved her sister, and pushes.

Which King-Beyond-the-Wall is sentenced to burn at the stake for refusing to kneel to Stannis Baratheon?

Mance Rayder would not bend the knee and send his people to fight another man's war, so Jon Snow shot him dead out of mercy before the fire could finish him.

Which Kingsguard commander, forced into retirement by Joffrey, later offers his sword to Daenerys in Game of Thrones?

Barristan Selmy refused the castle and servants offered as a pension and walked out, then joined Daenerys's guard to atone for failing her family.

Whose death, later revealed as a poisoning by his own wife, draws Ned Stark from Winterfell to King's Landing?

Jon Arryn's widow and her lover Littlefinger are unmasked as the poisoners in season four, long after Ned's inquiry into the death uncovered the queen's secret instead.

Which King's Landing boy, bound for the Wall with Arya and Gendry, chooses to stay behind at a roadside inn?

Hot Pie had proved his skill as a cook, so the outlaws who captured the trio left him at the inn as payment. He later tells travellers that Arya is still alive.

To which city does Jon Snow send Samwell Tarly to train as a maester at the Citadel in Game of Thrones?

Oldtown is home to the Citadel, and the posting was Sam's own idea: it also carried a wildling mother and her baby away from danger at the Wall.

Which fear overwhelms the scarred Sandor Clegane during the Battle of the Blackwater in Game of Thrones?

Fire has terrified him since he was a boy, when his brother pushed his face into a brazier and burned the right side of it.

What name is given to someone who, like Bran Stark, can enter the minds of animals in Game of Thrones?

A warg usually rides along inside a beast, but Bran goes further: he slips into Hodor's mind and uses the stable-boy's strength to kill a captor.

Which royal castle on a hill above King's Landing houses the Iron Throne in Game of Thrones?

The Red Keep was played in season one by sites across Malta: Fort Ricasoli supplied its gates, and one stand-in is the real residence of the Maltese president.

Which paramour of a slain Dornish prince kills Myrcella Baratheon with a poisoned kiss in Game of Thrones?

Ellaria Sand had coated her own lips with poisoned lipstick, so the princess collapses and dies soon after their farewell kiss.

Which boy, whose father was killed by wildling raiders, joins the mutineers who stab Jon Snow in Game of Thrones?

Olly had already loosed the arrow that killed Jon's wildling lover, and the plotters used him as the messenger who drew the Lord Commander into the trap.

To win George R. R. Martin's blessing for Game of Thrones, the showrunners had to answer a question about whom?

Jon Snow's mother was the test, set during a five-hour meeting at a restaurant on Santa Monica Boulevard. Their correct guess won the author over.

Which uncle of Jon Snow, a First Ranger lost beyond the Wall, returns undead to rescue two of his nephews?

Benjen can no longer pass through the Wall, so after saving Bran from a pack of wights and later putting Jon on his own horse, he stays behind.

Which fortress does the Night King's undead dragon destroy to breach the Wall in Game of Thrones' seventh season?

Eastwatch stood where the Wall meets the sea. Its fall in the seventh-season finale finally lets the army of the dead into the Seven Kingdoms.

In which King's Landing ruin do Cersei and Daenerys first meet face to face in Game of Thrones?

The Dragonpit hosts the summit at which a captured wight is let out of its crate to prove to Cersei that the dead are marching.

At which Dornish stronghold does a young Ned Stark find his dying sister in one of Bran's visions?

The Tower of Joy was guarded by Arthur Dayne of the Kingsguard, whom Ned had to defeat before he could reach the bed of blood inside.

Which singer's 2017 hit, with a lyric about a list of names, was partly inspired by Arya Stark's kill list?

Taylor Swift borrowed the idea for 'Look What You Made Me Do', and two years later Drake thanked Arya on stage at the Billboard Music Awards for killing the Night King.

Which region's knights, led by Littlefinger, ride in to save Jon Snow's surrounded army outside Winterfell?

The Vale's knights announce themselves with a horn in the distance, arriving just as Jon's encircled men are about to be wiped out.

Which African country, home to Essaouira, hosted Daenerys's scenes in Game of Thrones' third season?

Morocco had also hosted part of the scrapped 2009 pilot, and bookings in its desert city of Ouarzazate doubled in 2016 on the strength of the show.

Which traditional dance did Honolulu-born Jason Momoa perform at his audition for Khal Drogo in Game of Thrones?

A haka is a Māori dance traditionally used to convey a challenge to an opponent, which made for a suitably intimidating audition for a warlord.

Which pop singer's song 'Alfie' is about her younger brother, who went on to play Theon in Game of Thrones?

Lily Allen and her brother had already shared a screen as children, appearing together in a 1998 period film that their mother produced.

Viserys actor Harry Lloyd of Game of Thrones is the great-great-great-grandson of which Victorian novelist?

Charles Dickens is his ancestor through his mother, a children's publisher who was born Marion Dickens.

Before Game of Thrones cast him as Littlefinger, Aidan Gillen played Tommy Carcetti in which HBO crime drama?

The Wire cast him after its producers spotted him on stage in The Caretaker, and the part won him an Irish Film & Television Award.

Which English band recorded 'Jenny of Oldstones' for the end credits of a Game of Thrones season eight episode?

Florence and the Machine released the song as a single the day after the episode aired, with frontwoman Florence Welch among its producers.

Which insurgency of former slave masters murders Unsullied soldiers in Daenerys's conquered city in Game of Thrones?

Sons of the Harpy attacks grow so deadly that Daenerys agrees to reopen the fighting pits and make a political marriage to buy peace.

After the battle against the dead, Daenerys legitimises Gendry and names him lord of which castle in Game of Thrones?

Storm's End was the seat of the Storm Kings for thousands of years, so the gift turns a bastard blacksmith into a great lord overnight.

In 2015 Game of Thrones broke which political drama's record for most Emmy wins by a series in one year?

The West Wing had won nine Emmys in a single year. Game of Thrones took twelve from 24 nominations, and a year later it passed Frasier as the scripted series with the most Emmy wins.

Which actress led the first Game of Thrones prequel pilot, filmed in 2019 before HBO passed on the series?

Naomi Watts was to play a charismatic socialite hiding a dark secret. HBO dropped the project a month after its pilot was reported to be in post-production.

Which instrument did Game of Thrones' showrunners initially ask composer Ramin Djawadi to avoid in the score?

The flute was ruled out at first, along with solo vocals, because the showrunners wanted a soundscape unlike any other fantasy production.

Which Dr. Feelgood guitarist played the mute royal executioner Ilyn Payne in Game of Thrones' first two seasons?

Wilko Johnson's band was a mainstay of 1970s pub rock and an influence on English punk. His executioner never speaks, having lost his tongue for speaking ill of the Mad King.

Which woods witch tells a young Cersei Lannister that her three children will wear golden shrouds?

Maggy the Frog also foretells that Cersei will be queen until another, younger queen overthrows her, a prophecy that shadows her whole reign.

Which future director of Spotlight shot Game of Thrones' unaired original pilot, only to be replaced for the reshoot?

Tom McCarthy's cut was poorly received by the showrunners, so Tim Van Patten directed the version that aired. McCarthy later won an Oscar for writing Spotlight.

What was Hodor's real name before a vision of Bran's broke the stable boy's mind in Game of Thrones?

Wylis suffers a seizure when Bran's mind links him to echoes of his own future death, and afterwards he can say only one slurred word.

Which co-creator of the BBC's Sherlock played Iron Bank envoy Tycho Nestoris in Game of Thrones?

Mark Gatiss, who also plays Mycroft Holmes in the series he co-created, turns up as the banker unimpressed by a buffoonish envoy sent to renegotiate the crown's debt.

What changes in Game of Thrones' clockwork-map title sequence from one episode to the next?

The locations shown follow wherever each episode's story goes, with clockwork buildings unfolding from the map. The design won a 2011 Emmy for main titles.

Which unexpected instrument does Game of Thrones' score use for the music of the wildlings?

The didgeridoo marks the wildlings because Ramin Djawadi chose a distinctive sound for each people. The Dothraki, for instance, get the Armenian duduk.

In 2015, Guinness World Records named Game of Thrones the most what television programme?

Pirated more than any other series in every year it aired from 2012 to 2019, by one file-sharing site's count, the show saw its season five premiere illegally downloaded 13 million times.