Game of Thrones
Game of Thrones is an epic fantasy series, adapted from George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire, that ran for eight seasons from 2011 to 2019. It follows the noble houses of Westeros as they wage a brutal war for the Iron Throne, while an ancient threat — the White Walkers — rises in the frozen North and dragons return to the world.
The great houses of Westeros
The war for the Iron Throne is really a war between families. Each great house rules a region, flies its own sigil, and lives (or dies) by its words.
House Stark
Wardens of the North · Winterfell
“Winter is Coming” · direwolf sigil
House Lannister
Lords of Casterly Rock
“Hear Me Roar” · golden lion
House Targaryen
The dragon dynasty
“Fire and Blood” · three-headed dragon
House Baratheon
Storm’s End · the crowned stag
“Ours is the Fury”
House Greyjoy
The Iron Islands
“We Do Not Sow” · the kraken
The Night King
Leader of the White Walkers
The threat beyond the Wall
The moments that broke the internet
Few shows delivered shocks like this one. These are the turning points everyone remembers — and argued about for weeks.
The Red Wedding
The Starks betrayed at a wedding feast“You know nothing, Jon Snow.”
Ygritte, beyond the WallHold the door.
Hodor’s heartbreaking originDaenerys takes King’s Landing
The final, fiery turn“A Lannister always pays his debts.”
The unofficial house wordsArya vs the Night King
The Long Night ends in one leap
Why the ending still divides fans
For most of its run Game of Thrones was regarded as some of the finest television ever made — vast, unpredictable, and willing to kill anyone. Its final season, compressed into six episodes, split the fanbase like nothing before it, with debates over character arcs and pacing that continue years later.
That controversy is part of why it remains such fertile quiz ground: everyone has a take, and the deep lore rewards true students of Westeros.
Game of Thrones by the numbers
- 8SeasonsAired 2011–2019
- 73EpisodesOver eight seasons
- 3DragonsDrogon, Rhaegal, Viserion
- 7KingdomsUnited under the Iron Throne
Things nobody knew
The details that separate a fan from a fanatic.
The direwolves were real wolfdogs
The Stark direwolf pups were played by Northern Inuit dogs — and several actors adopted them after filming.
Drogon is named after Khal Drogo
Daenerys named her largest dragon after her late husband; the other two honour her brother Rhaegar and Viserys.
“Hold the door” was planned for years
George R. R. Martin gave the showrunners Hodor’s tragic origin long before it aired — one of the saga’s few pre-revealed secrets.
A coffee cup made the final cut
A modern takeaway cup was accidentally left in a season 8 scene and spotted by millions before it was digitally removed.
Valyrian steel is based on real metallurgy
Its rippling pattern echoes real-world Damascus steel, prized for centuries for its strength and beauty.
The Iron Throne has 1,000 swords in lore
On screen it’s far fewer, but Martin has said the “real” throne is a monstrous heap of a thousand surrendered blades.
Prep for a Quelo quiz
Where Game of Thrones battles are actually won.
- 01House words & sigilsMatch the motto to the house — a classic, and people mix up Stark and Baratheon constantly.
- 02Who kills whomThe show’s body count is huge; “who killed X” questions are everywhere.
- 03Titles & namesDaenerys alone has a dozen titles. The full names catch casual viewers out.
- 04Geography of WesterosWhich house rules where, and the road from Winterfell to King’s Landing.
Are you really a Game of Thrones expert?
7 questions · 10 seconds each · one shot at the leaderboard.
So… how well do you actually know Game of Thrones?
You just read the guide. Time to prove it — and find out where you’d land on the Quelo leaderboard.