8 Game of Thrones facts to know ahead of Season 8
Carolina
Carolina, who originally hails from Argentina is a movie buff through and through. She enjoys nothing more than binge-watching the latest Netflix series and is a big fan of their 'Originals' line. Her favourite movie is Frozen and she's a big fan of The Good Place & The Dragon Prince.
The eighth and final season of HBO’s Game of Thrones is going to be released on April, 14th.
This is going to be the shortest of the eight seasons, having only six episodes. As it already happened with the previous season, this season is going to be mostly original material for the series and not actually based or adapted from the books.
Since the novel saga is not finished yet, George R.R. Martin revealed some upcoming material in the novels to the showrunners.
So, since season six, the series is based on this information provided by the book’s author.
If you’re eager and ready for Season 8 here is a list of the eight most important facts you need to know to be ready for the upcoming season:
1. Jon Snow is a Targaryen
For a long time, we knew that Jon was Ned Stark’s bastard son. He joined the Night Watch, and in the final episode of season 5, he’s killed by his own men in a mutiny.
In season 6, he’s resurrected by Melissandre, and he reunites with his half-sister, Sansa Stark. At the end of this season, Bran Stark, his other half-brother, has a vision about Jon’s true origins.
In fact, he’s the son of Lyanna Stark, Ned’s sister. The northern lords name him Jon King in the North. In season 7, Jon meets with Daenerys and asks her for help to fight the White Walkers.
Bran learns that Jon was born Aegon Targaryen, and he’s the legitimate son and heir of Daenerys’ brother Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark. Jon and Daenerys are oblivious to this fact, falling for each other and becoming lovers.
2. The White Walkers
Even though their origin is still a mystery, they’re humanoid undead beings whose apparently leader is the Night King that was created by the Children of the Forest.
The wall was built to prevent these creatures from passing, but in the last season, they break it with the help of one of Daenerys’s dragons.
3. The Wights
They’re reanimated corpses, either human or animal, brought back from the dead by the White Walkers.
They’re basically zombies. Anyway, they have a weak point: if the White Walker who brought them to life is killed, they will die too. Probably if the Night King is killed, all his army of undead will fall also.
Also, they can’t swim.
4. Viserion
He’s one of the three dragons that were born from the three eggs that were given to Daenerys by Magister Illyrio for her wedding with Khal Drogo. Viserion is an ice dragon, and the fire he breathes is blue.
In season 7, he joins his mother and two brothers in rescuing Jon Snow from the White Walkers. There, the Night King throws an ice spear towards Viserion, piercing his neck.
The dragon dies, but shortly after he’s brought to life by the Night King as a wight. Mounting him, the Night King leads an army of undead, and with Viserion’s blue fire, he destroys part of the Wall. In this way, the Army of the Dead enters into the Seven Kingdoms.
5. The Children of the Forest
They’re a mysterious race of non-human beings that were the original inhabitants of Westeros. Their size is small, similar to human children, and they live for millennials.
They created the Night King thousands of years ago, and now the White Walkers are their enemies as well.
6. Cersei Lannister
After losing her three children, the product of her incestuous relationship with her twin brother Jaime, been stripped of her authority in season 6, she’s still the ruler of Westeros.
In season 7, she agrees to make a truce with Jon and Daenerys to fight the White Walkers, while she tells Jaime she’s pregnant. At the beginning of the meeting with Jon and Daenerys, she’s reluctant to agree to the armistice, but her dwarf brother, Tyrion, convinces her to accept.
Her true intentions, as she later reveals to Jaime, are to let their enemies kill each other and then attack the victor. Jaime, disgusted by her selfishness, decides to leave her.
7. Arya Stark and the Frey House
The youngest of two Ned’s daughters. During her perilous journey, she received special training in the Faceless Men assassin cult, so she basically became a shapeshifter.
If she cut someone’s face, she can use it to impersonate them. In season 6, assuming the identity of a servant girl, she infiltrates in the Frey House.
There, she kills all Lord Walder Frey’s sons, she cooks them in a pie and then feeds Lord Frey with it. When he’s eating, she reveals her true identity and kills him cutting his throat. In this way, she avenges Robb and Catelyn’s deaths.
8. The Stark Children
Only three have survived so far from the original five siblings from the Stark House. Sansa, Bran, and Arya. In the last season, they got reunited it their home in Winterfell.
Arya comes back from her journey, the one which began with her father in season 1, and she finds out her sister Sansa is now the ruler in Winterfell.
Bran is totally changed from his experience in season 6, in which he barely escaped from the wights, the Three-eyed Raven was killed, and Hodor died helping them to escape.
Final Thoughts
Season 8 of Game of Thrones is just around the corner. You can find out all the details you need to watch the latest season in any country.
Just follow our quick guide to get watching in your location.
Illustrations © Marish | Dreamstime.com
