I keep thinking about the Summer Isles. Why do they keep popping up in very important places throughout the series? And why does the World of Ice and Fire include nine pages of historical and cultural coverage of this seemingly fringe location?
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And what does it have to do with the Great Empire of the Dawn?
I've read all of /u/Lucifer_Lightbringer 's discussion of the mythical astronomy of ASOIAF, and one of its best parts is the coverage of the ancient Great Empire of the Dawn. There were eight Gemstone Emperors:
While there are some amazing theories about how they might relate to our current heroes, I am focusing on one aspect here, namely how these Gemstone Emperors handed over power.
The Summer Isles & how they relate to the Gemstone Emperors
For the Gemstone Emperors, until the usurpation of the Bloodstone Emperor, there must have been some sort of civilized handing over of power. The usurpation of the bloodstone emperor is seen as a grave injustice - even rumours of him causing the Long Night - instead of the traditional succession. If it was truly a peaceful empire (internally), then the method of dynastic change/succession must not be the usual war and strife.
The only people mentioned in the world of ice and fire who have a 'civilized' method of changing princes are the Summer Isles. Once a prince loses a battle, however, he is banished from the isles. Maybe a banished Gemstone Emperor left the Great Empire of the Dawn and settled in the Summer Isles? Perhaps the Pearl Emperor, who is said to have ascended to heaven, instead moved to the Summer Isles to live out an amazingly long life of bliss on beautiful isles.
The Palace of the Summer Isles is know as the Pearl Palace, and the isles have many gemstones. They also have maps of the world that no one else has, making it a powerful place of knowledge about Planetos. I wonder if the maps will be important later in the series.
When Ned Stark is talking with Cercei in the gods wood of the red keep, he says to take a boat to the free cities, or the Summer Isles, or to the port of Ibben. And she says 'Exile- a bitter cup to drink from', for that's what Ned means. The Summer Isles is seen as a destination for exiled rulers.
Since reading (and re-reading and re-reading) the World of Ice and Fire, I kept thinking about that mysterious ancient forgotten God carved into a small island, facing north away from the Isles towards Westeros, as if protecting the Isles from some ancient, northern threat:
STONE HEAD , the northernmost island in the chain, is plainly the work of men; the north face of this sea-girt rock has been carved in the stern likeness of some forgotten god, glowering out across the sea. His is the last visage that Summer Islanders see as they sail north to Westeros.
We can't be sure who was this ancient, forgotten God, but it definitely indicates that there may have been interaction with the outside world that is not written in the famous Talking Trees of the Summer Isles.
Other thoughts about the Summer Isles
The Summer Isles are seen as one of the 'ends of the earth' to Westerosi people. They often talk of 'sailing to the port of Ibben' - the northern end of the earth - 'and the Summer Isles', as if it is the farthest one can go- though there are further places is the known world and maybe even more beyond knowledge. The boast of sailing to those two ports is made by the Ironmen especially.
Also, there is the curious set of trees in their main port - the Talking Trees. They don't actually talk, but instead have the history of the isles- back to a certain point, it would seem, as the locals don't remember the name of the god face looking north towards Westeros.
Their 'histories written on trees' start with just the isles and a giant ocean, but there is the a face of the forgotten god that stares north towards Westeros. Maybe during the long night they were forgotten about by the rest of the world, and they in turn forgot.
Their ability to manipulate wood to produce boats without the use of nails indicates some sort of magic, perhaps a wood magic. They bows are also made with a special protected wood, which is a better bow material than any except for dragonbone, which is from a magical being. Is there magic involved in their bows as well? I'm just asking questions here people.
The Parrot-like birds
A Game Of Thrones Summer Islands
According to Sandor Clegane, there are talking birds on the summer isles as well. It sounds like he's describing parrots, as he accuses Sansa of parroting back religious teachings to deflect, but maybe there is a relationship to the Ravens, who also appear to be parroting words they hear.
There are Summer Islanders near Dany from the beginning of her arc- when she first meets Khal Drogo, there are warriors (probably bowmen) from the Summer Isles present.
In the market scene in Vaes Dothrak, just before she is almost poisoned by the wine seller, she is enticed with a parrot that has been taught to say her name. She refuses to buy it, as it would be impractical for her time with the dothraki. But maybe the summer isles people wanted to keep tabs on her through the parrot?
Shae has a white bird from the summer isles to keep her company.
It is Quhuru Mo, a Summer Islander, who tells Dany that Robert is dead, and he is very excited to see dragons- he considers it a great gift.
The first Black Pearl of Braavos was the daughter of a pirate and a princess of the Summer Isles, interestingly enough. And Oberyn Martell fathered Sarella Sand with a ship's captain of the Summer Isles, among his many children of many mothers.
Side thought- what's up with the Red Viper's kids by so many different types of women?
There's got to be something that /u/PrestonJacobs can have some more fun with at least.
Final thoughts
I think there may be more that I've missed on the Summer Isles in the text- please add any details you can below. And I'm still not sure of the end game for GRRM regarding the role of the Summer Isles in the final battles, but there's a reason that they always seem to be around the action.
Thanks for reading!
The Summer Isles have a unique dynastic succession that is the most peaceful in the known world. It may relate to customs derived from the ancient Great Empire of the Dawn. ASOIAF has a lot of mentions of the Summer Isles, and GRRM spends a lot of time on them in the World of Ice and Fire.
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One of the finest aspects from the Game of Thronesuniverse that captivated the minds of viewers was its enormous attention to detail. Every time a new city was visited in Westeros or abroad, audience members would be subject to a new style of building architecture, different climates, unique styles of clothing and even new languages formulated by the crew behind the show, for example, Dothraki and High Valyrian.
While viewers were treated to an array of breathtaking landscapes and bustling urban environments, there are still a number of mystical locations on the continents of Essos and Sothoryos that are yet to be discovered. Let's take a look at some of the cities that were mentioned on Game of Thrones that many fans will hope to finally see in one of its upcoming spin-offs.
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10 Qohor
One of the free cities of Essos, Qohor is situated between Pentos on the western coast and the Dothraki-held grasslands. Viewers first encounter a Qohorik when introduced to blacksmith and armorer Tobho Mott, the mentor of Gendry Baratheon who Ned Stark visits in order to learn more about Robert's bastard children.
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While Tobho is renowned throughout Westeros for his craft, he is certainly not the only one of his kind, as Qohor is famed for producing excellent blacksmiths who possess the knowledge to forge Valyrian steel.
9 Tyrosh
Reminiscing on war stories, Ser Barristan Selmy recalled how the first man he killed in battle was a Tyroshi soldier. Coincidentally, Daario Naharis, leader of the Second Sons who is sworn to Daenerys, is also Tyroshi.
This city is located on one of the Stepstones (small islands) located between the mainland of Essos and Westeros. Its proximity to the Disputed Lands and the ongoing conflict between Lys and Myr works well in its favor economically, as mercenaries are constantly being hired from this city to fight in the war. In addition to mercenaries, this city specializes in producing pear brandy.
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8 Lorath
Located on an island off the northern coastline of Essos, Lorath is the least known of the Free Cities and very little is known about the city's culture, people, and trade. This is perhaps due to Lorath being the least powerful of the Free Cities, as well as being overshadowed by the mighty Braavos which is located extremely close by.
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The only prominent character in the series hailing from Lorath was prostitute and Tyrion's former lover Shae. Cersei discovered this fact due to picking up on her accent, which was the same as her handmaiden's who was also Lorathi.
7 Myr
Another one of the Free Cities, this coastal city overlooks the Sea of Myrth and makes the most of its prime location by means of a bustling economy based on trade. While Ser Jorah Mormont remarked that each of the Free Cities are known for what they make, Myr is known for its commodities, particularly Myrish lace.
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While its history is murky, Myr is known to have been a colony of the Valyrian freehold, after which its brief independence was halted after being conquered by Volantis. Eventually, Myr regained its independence which has lasted to this day.
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6 Lys
Stretching across several islands off the northwestern coast of mainland Essos, Lys is renowned for its pleasure houses and producing the best-trained prostitutes in the known world. Lys is a long time rival of the city of Myr, due to both cities' attempts to lay claim to the disputed territories.
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Lord Varys was born in Lys as a slave, and traveled with a troupe of actors to the different Free Cities during his youth. Other characters hailing from Lys include notorious pirate Salladhor Saan and Doreah, a former bedslave-turned-handmaiden to Daenerys.
5 Basilisk Isles
After an attempt on Daenerys' life due to an order by King Robert Baratheon, Jorah Mormont explained to her that no matter where she runs, Robert will still continue his hunt, even if she went as far as Asshai or the Basilisk Isles. A large island chain off the northern coast of the little-known continent of Sothoryos, the Basilisk Isles are far from the action in the Seven Kingdoms.
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These islands are notoriously used for pirate dens, where captives are kept after raids performed on the Sothoryos mainland. There are also a number of settlements such as Port Plunder that are used for hiring new crew members staying in the taverns and inns.
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4 Summer Islands
Located in the Summer Sea, this island is home to the Summer Islanders who are culturally distinct from the people of Westeros and Essos. Summer Islanders typically wear colorful clothes consisting of tropical bird feathers.
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Due to the nature of their home, as well as the fact that their land is rich with natural resources, Summer Islanders take part in international shipping extensively, and also possess a large merchant fleet. Grey Worm and Salladhor Saan both originate from these islands.
3 Asshai
A city shrouded in mystery, Asshai lies on the far southeast of Essos, with only the Shadow Lands lying beyond the end of the city. The city has a major seaport, and its citizens are globally regarded as being exotic. The Asshai'i language is rarely heard in other areas, even in Western Essos, and is rumored to be used in powerful spells.
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This use of the language comes as no surprise, however, as the Asshai'i people are known to practice magic. In accordance with Asshai's reputation for worshipping the Lord of Light, the Red Priestess Melisandre is known to come from this city. The shadowbinder, Quaith, who Jorah met in Quarth is also Asshai'i.
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2 Yi Ti
Located on the easternmost border of Essos, the Golden Empire of Yi Ti is one of the longest standing and richest civilizations in the known world. Its buildings are known to be grander than anything out of Westeros whereas its princes live in houses of solid gold and eat meat powdered with pearls and jade.
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This refined civilization was already considered ancient before the Valyrians assumed a position of power, and it has retained its wealth for more than 6000 years.
1 NaathSummer Islands Game Of Thrones Map
The birthplace of Missandei, Naath is described as being an aesthetically beautiful island with tall palm trees, a tropical climate, and many butterflies. In conversation with Grey Worm, Missandei recalled how white the beaches were and how tall the trees looked as she was being taken away after being captured by slavers.
Dubbed 'the Peaceful People', the population of Naath abstain from war and fighting due to worshipping a deity called the 'Lord of Harmony'. Their religious beliefs mean that they oppose harming any living thing, resulting in the islanders being vegetarian.
NEXT: Game Of Thrones: 5 Times Varys Was Right (& 5 Times Littlefinger Was)
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Game of Thrones is an incredibly dense show, filled with hundreds of characters, families, legends, and everything else under the realm’s sun. With all the information fans have had to absorb over the years, it’s easy for some things to fall on the wayside. That includes the show’s plethora of religions.
Summer Islands Game Of Thrones
As season 7 promises a major power shift in Westeros, here’s a guide to all the major religions of the realm and what role they could play in the series moving forward— as well as some of the smaller and oft-forgotten beliefs from A Song of Ice and Fire that play a bigger role in Game of Thrones than we might realize.
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The Big Three
Currently, there are three primary religions in the world of Game of Thrones. These are the ones that are both popular and widespread through the realm and have played the most vital roles in the lives of our main characters. While their futures are uncertain, especially as some have cursed the gods to serve their own ends (I’m looking at you, Cersei), it looks like the battle for the Iron Throne will be just as much a war of faith as it is of power.
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1) The Old Gods
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Location: The North, Beyond the Wall
The old gods are a nature-based, animalistic religion. There are no priests, temples, or holy scripture—the gods don’t even have names. Rather, they’re seen as part of the earth, manifesting in the trees, stones, water, and animals. For example, Osha invoked them with Bran Stark after hearing the wind blow, saying the gods were communicating with him. The religion doesn’t have specific rules, but followers are expected to be generally good people. Certain actions are seen as offensive to the gods, while the rules of hospitality are basically sacred. (Walder Frey missed that one, it seems.)
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The old gods were the first major faith of Westeros, worshipped by the Children of the Forest, the nonhuman inhabitants that originally inhabited continent. The First Men—the first human inhabitants—converted after they arrived from Essos. The Children were the ones who carved faces into the weirwood trees, presumably to help “greenseers” commune with the gods. Greenseers were their closest thing to religious figures, as they had the gift of second sight, along with prophetic dreams and warging. Bran and Jojen Reed have shown some of these abilities.
Worship of the old gods has largely faded, after the human Andals invaded and forced the Westerosi to convert to the Faith of the Seven. However, the religion isn’t banned, and is still acknowledged by the rulers of Westeros. It’s currently practiced by families in the North, notably the Starks, as well as the wildlings beyond the Wall and the surviving Children of the Forest.
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2) The Faith of the Seven
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Location: Most of Westeros
The Faith of the Seven, also known as the New Gods or simply the Seven, is the closest thing A Song of Ice and Fire has to an established state religion. It’s got more than a few parallels to Catholicism. Much like the Holy Trinity (the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost), the religion believes that there are seven unique aspects of a single god. Father, who represents judgement; Mother, for motherhood and fertility; Warrior, depicting strength; Maiden, representing chastity; Smith, for crafts and labor; Crone, the figure of wisdom; and the Stranger, who represents death and the unknown. However, there are those in Westeros who treat them all as separate gods.
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The Andals of Essos created the religion shortly before conquering Westeros—some believe their newly found zealotry inspired the invasion. Upon arriving, they established the Seven as Westeros’s primary religion, and it was much more rigid than the belief structure for the old gods. Temples, called septs, were erected, filled with a hierarchy of male religious figures called septons (female religious figures, or septas, usually served in noble houses). A holy text called The Seven-Pointed Star dictated rules that followers were supposed to abide by. These include condemning gambling, prostitution, homosexuality, and incest.
Like any religion, there are different interpretations and different levels of orthodoxy. Most relevant are the Sparrows, a sect that aids the poor and doesn’t let the rich off the hook simply because they are powerful. Their leader was called the High Sparrow, and he was eventually appointed High Septon. (Think Pope, to continue the Catholic analogy.) In that role, he saw the return of the Faith Militant, a religious military that had been disbanded.
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The Seven has been the most widely practiced religion in Westeros for generations, but that might change soon. At the end of last season, Cersei Lannister blew up the Great Sept of Baelor, which has long served as the center of religious worship for the Faith of the Seven—it’s basically like she destroyed the Vatican. And, given part of her goal was to get rid the High Sparrow and his Faith Militant after what they did to her, it seems unlikely that she’s eager to restore the Seven’s presence in King’s Landing, or elsewhere. But the Sept’s loss is the Lord of Light’s gain.
3) R’hllor the Red God
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Location: Most of Essos, (formerly) Dragonstone, Hollow Hill
R’hllor, also known as the Red God, the Lord of Light, or the God of Flame and Shadow, is arguably the biggest religious figure in the realm. The Westerosi may not have heard of him (apart from Melisandre and the Brotherhood Without Banners).. but he is a huge deal in Essos, where belief stretches from the Free Cities all the way to Asshai.
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Belief in R’hllor is strict and absolute, as all other gods and religions are considered false. When we first meet the red priestess Melisandre, she’s burning the Seven in effigy, and so-called blasphemers have been maimed and killed for opposing the Lord of Light. However, it’s not without merit, as clergy (red priests and priestesses) appear to be granted with magic that can resurrect the dead, cast glamours and illusions, and create killer smoke vagina monsters.
While belief in R’hllor is considered a monotheistic religion, it’s also dualistic in nature. Much like the war between Judeo-Christian figures God and Lucifer, the belief is that R’hllor has been in an everlasting battle with the Great Other, an evil god of ice and death. They believe that the White Walkers have been sent by the Great Other to bring destruction to the world, and only the prophesied hero Azor Ahai can stop them.
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It’s clear R’hllor is going to play a major role this season—and that’s not just because Samwell and Gilly are clearly researching the Azor Ahai mythos in an upcoming episode. With the Faith of the Seven in trouble after Cersei’s destructive power play, Daenerys bringing the might of Essos to Westeros, and Jon Snow serving as proof that R’hllor’s magic might very well be real, this could turn out to be not just a battle for the Iron Throne but for the future of faith. After all, if the Lord of Light has a solid plan to defeat the White Walkers, it might be worth converting.
Smaller Faiths
There might be three main religions fighting for dominance in the realm, but they’re not the only belief systems out there. There are a few other religions that are smaller and more isolated than the Big Three, but they’ve served an important purpose in the series. Whether it’s coaxing a character to change their fate, like Theon Greyjoy, or laying the foundation for a prophecy that could shape the future of Westeros.
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1) The Drowned God
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Location: Iron Islands
George R.R. Martin has expressed that the ironborn are inspired by ancient Vikings, and the Drowned God is loosely based in Norse mythology. Followers say the Drowned God created the “ironborn” people to raid and pillage, and their belief system justifies their generations-long legacy of piracy. For an ironborn, paying for possessions is considered sacrilegious, as it’s more honorable to kill someone and take what they own by force.
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The Drowned God’s religion puts emphasis on resurrection and baptism, with kings literally drowned and left to revive themselves before they can take the crown. And much like R’hllor, belief in the Drowned God is dualistic, as he’s locked in an eternal struggle against the Storm God, who lives in a castle in the sky. However, it differs from the Lord of Light in that only men are allowed to be in the clergy (called the Drowned Men), as their society believes in traditional gender roles.. with the exception of Yara, of course.
2) The Many-Faced God
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Location: Braavos
The Many-Faced God, also known as Him of Many Faces and the God of Death (though not in the books), is a deity unique to Braavos—specifically, the Faceless Men. It’s a syncretic religion in that followers honor figures of Death from various religions, believing that Death is the only true god but it can be prayed to in any existing form. These forms include the Drowned God, The Seven’s Stranger, R’hllor, the Black Goat (worshipped in Qohor), the Weeping Woman (from Lys), and even the old gods.
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The Faceless Men believe that Death is a gift, mercifully killing those who seek to die, and fulfilling assassination contracts since Death selected those people to be killed. This belief system actually originated in the slave mines of Valyria. The thousands of slaves who constantly faced their own demise created a religion that combined all their different beliefs under one guiding principle: Death is inevitable. It’s rumored those slaves caused the Doom of Valyria, but it’s impossible to know for sure at this point.
3) Great Stallion
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Location: Dothraki Sea
The Great Stallion was an important religious figure in the first season of Game of Thrones, as Daenerys first adjusted to life as a khaleesi. The Dothraki worship a horse god, named the Great Stallion in the show, representing the role horses play in their lives and culture. Their belief is described as henotheistic, like Hinduism, in that they recognize other gods exist but they don’t follow them. But if they conquer a city and capture or destroy its religious statues, they see it as defeating those gods.
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The closest thing the Dothraki have to clergy are the dosh khaleen, a group of wise women who are widows of khals. They are believed to have the gift of prophecy. Daenerys was temporarily sent to them after being taken captive in season six, leading to her destroying the Dothraki leaders and taking command of the entire horde. This could be related to the Dothraki prophecy of the Stallion Who Mounts the World, who they believe will unique all the tribes and conquer the world. Khal Drogo originally thought this was his unborn son, but it could be Daenerys herself.
Some Oft-Ignored Gods
There are several religions mentioned in A Song of Ice and Fire that have little-to-nothing to do with Game of Thrones, at least at this point. However, a few of them are connected to the series, some in ways we might not expect. They may not be directly influencing the show or its characters, but they do give a little insight into things that have happened on the show, as well as give the world a little more color and vibrance.
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1) Valyrian gods
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Old Valyria had a polytheistic religion very similar to the Roman Empire, and they tolerated other faiths so long as those under their control paid their taxes. The religion went nearly extinct after the Doom of Valyria, but it’s still practiced by some aristocratic families in Volantis—though Daenerys conquered the city last season, which might affect that.
2) Secret god of the Bearded Priests
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The Bearded Priests are the harsh theocratic rulers of Narvos, trained both as warriors and clergymen (Daario once told Dany that he was trained to fight like one of them). The religious order is incredibly pious and secretive—the name of the deity they worship is only revealed to initiates, so the public doesn’t even know who they believe in. It cannot even be written down except as initials.
3) Mother Rhoyne
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This deity is actually more important in Game of Thrones than we might realize. She’s believed to be the source of the river Rhoyne, the largest and longest river network in the realm (and yet another thing Tyrion Lannister has urinated onto, in addition to off the Wall). Believers in Mother Rhoyne, called the Rhoynar, lived on the river for thousands of years until the Valyrians nearly wiped them out. Legend has it the Rhoynar prince called upon Mother Rhoyne to curse the Valyrians for their crimes. In response, she flooded one of their cities with water and fog, making people’s skin harden and crack. This was the birth of greyscale.
4) Llazar
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Lhazareen, the city Khal Drogo conquered in season 1, worshiped the Great Shepherd, also known as Llazar. The religion believes all men are part of one flock, meaning healers will cure anyone who needs aid, even their conquerors. However, priestess Mirri Maz Duur broke this vow when she worsened Khal Drogo’s wound, leading to Drogo’s death as well as her own.
5) The 20+ gods and goddesses of fucking
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This one is just a fun bonus mention. The islands of the Summer Sea haven’t been explored in Game of Thrones, and they likely never will, but man oh man are we missing out. The islands, off the coast of Sothoryos, are all about peace, love, and good times. There are the vegetarians of Naath, who idolize a naked giant called the Lord of Harmony. Then, you’ve got the Summer Islands, where everyone worships fucking.
For them, sex is a gift from the gods that should be treasured, and they worship at least 20 gods and goddesses, including a fertility goddess with 16 teats (Varys told Tyrion about her in season 2). In the Summer Islands, prostitution is considered one of the most noble professions, and funerals are replaced with celebrations full of, you guessed it, fucking.
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Even though this is the first summer without a new season of HBO’s hit series Game of Thrones, it doesn’t mean that we’re left completely without news about what’s happening in Westeros and Essos. The filming locations the final season might give some hints as what characters will be up to, for example.
Season eight will be the show’s final one, although there are already talks of a spin-off, and it will consist of six episodes almost as long as feature films that will tie up all the storylines left hanging. Shooting just recently wrapped up, with a big party for the cast and crew, but what fans care about is where the shooting took place.
Spain has been previously used by the show’s production as the southern region of Dorne, which was shot mostly in and around Seville; as House Targaryen’s ancestral seat of Dragonstone, filmed on the islet of San Juan de Gaztelugatxe in the Basque Country; and as the Dragonpit in King’s Landing, the place where the old Targaryen kings used to keep their dragons. The Italica Amphitheatre of Santiponce, in the province of Seville, will return as the Dragonpit, and several important characters have been spotted there. Will it be the stage of another major confrontation like it was in season seven?
Just like previous seasons, all indoor scenes were shot in constructed sets at Paint Hall Studios in the Titanic Quarter of Belfast, Northern Ireland. The rest of the country, though, has reprised its role as the North of Westeros. Actors were seen around Larne Lough, the location for Castle Black and the Wall, and also at Moneyglass, where Winterfell is. Both sets were used to film the show’s longest and most complicated battle to scene to date, which took up 55 nights of filming. Have the White Walkers arrived at the ancestral seat of House Stark?
Interestingly enough, some fans have also seen movements around the Tollymore Forest Park in County Down, which served for some scenes way back in season one – it’s where the Stark children found their Direwolf pups, for example. Maybe the show’s final season will see a return to its origins as well.
Sure, the Night King is ready to wreak havoc south of the Wall now, but maybe we will still see Iceland’s breathtaking scenery as the lands Beyond the Wall. Season seven’s big battle against the White Walkers, where Jon Snow and his companions are ultimately rescued by Daenerys and her dragons, was filmed both in Kirkjufell and on the black-sanded beach of Vik.
Another location that has seen a lot of movement is Dubrovnik, in Croatia, also known as King’s Landing, the capital of the Seven Kingdoms. With so many people fighting for the throne (when are they not, though?) and so many dragons ready to breathe fire on buildings, is it really a surprise that while the outdoor scenes were indeed filmed in Croatia, the iconic Red Keep has been rebuilt inside the Paint Hall Studios? Queen Cersei Lannister has always loved using fire to solve her problems, but it could be that she has met her match in the Dragon Queen Daenerys Targaryen herself.
Take all these clues to theorize about what might happen to your heart’s content as we all wait for HBO to answer all our questions. And once the post-finale nostalgia kicks in, you can plan a really great Game of Thrones-inspired trip.
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Burning Unanswered Game Of Thrones Questions
Warning: Spoilers ahead for the Game Of Thrones series finale.
For a show supposedly concerned about the power of a good story, Game of Thrones sure botched some of its own. While the series finale of tied up major plotlines, it left us wondering about far more.
Our advice: Don’t go walking amid the unkempt briar patches of unanswered questions the show left behind after its eight sprawling seasons. It’s easy to get lost, trip, and fall on a plot hole.
We've picked over the final hour-and-a-half of Game of Thrones and catalogued the questions that will keep us up at night. Throw your hands up in frustration or laugh it off. However you react, the conclusion's the same: Certain Game of Thrones questions will remain forever unanswered, for now our watch has ended.
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1. How did Drogon know what the Iron Throne meant to Daenerys?
3. Are there any survivors in King’s Landing? Any at all?
4. Did Jon confess to killing Daenerys? There was no evidence.
5. Has winter arrived to King’s Landing or is it snowing ash?
6. Why did Grey Worm wait to execute Tyrion and Jon if he was so willing to execute the Lannister soldiers?
7. What gave Tyrion, a prisoner, the jurisdiction to upend the government structure and institute a benevolent oligarchy?
8. How were the seats of the Small Council in Dragonpit chosen?
10. Will Brienne ever write her own entry in the Kingsguard book?
11. How will the Dothraki, who are terrified of water, cross the Narrow Sea to get back to their home? If they stay in Westeros, will they be forever treated as outsiders? Or will they start Dothraki-Westerosi families?
12. How did the Dothraki army magically replenish after being on the front lines of the war against the White Walkers?
13. Will the people of the isle of Naath think they’re being invaded by a group of stern soldiers? Or are the Unsullied going to liberate the slaves?
14. Will the Unsullied catch Butterfly Fever, a terrible flesh-eating disease native to Naath?
15. What will happen to Daenerys’ free cities in Essos? Will Daario Neharis continue to manage Meereen?
16. Did Varys manage to send any letters about Jon’s parentage? Will they be discovered?
17. Why were the Night King and the Three-Eyed Raven locked in a centuries-long pursuit?
18. What are the full powers of the Three-Eyed Raven, anyway? Will Bran eventually grow into a tree?
20. How is having a king who can warg into his citizens' bodies considered a democratic improvement? Did Bran warg into Daenerys?
21. What did those White Walker spiral/crop circles, which were shown approximately 300 times, mean? What do they need a Night’s Watch for? Is it just a cold prison?
23. Has Jon gone full wildling, or is he still on active Night’s Watch duty?
24. How was the Wall fixed so quickly after zombie Viserion blew it down? Will it be completely rebuilt?
25. Is Bran the ultimate puppet master? Can he be considered 'good' if he knew that Daenerys would carry out a massacre so that he'd eventually sit on the vacant throne?
26. Is Bran so far from being human that he’s not offended that his nickname is “the Broken?”
27. Why does Bran need a Master of Whisperers if he knows everything?
28. If Bran was going to be King all along, then why was he the only character to completely disappear for a season? Or was this decided in the writer’s room last week?
29. What’s stopping the Iron Islands and Dorne from seceding like the North?
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32. What does the new Prince of Dorne think of this mess?
33. What have the surviving people of King’s Landing been eating the past few weeks?
34. Why did Yara support Daenerys when her brother, Theon, supported the Starks?
35. Can we retire the phrase “bend the knee” and replace it with “kneel” from season 2 of Fleabag?
36. Will the Stark girls ever experience romantic love?
37. Will the Starks have children? Actually, aside from Samwell (John Bradley), will any character have children?
38. What is west of Westeros? Could it just be the other side of Essos? Is this world round?
39. Will whatever is west of Westeros be happy to meet Arya 'Columbus' Stark?
40. Why has no one tried to sail there before? Or if they have, why doesn't Bran know about it?
42. How did Cersei and Jaime’s faces stay so well preserved after being crushed?
43. Does Tyrion realize that if Cersei and Jaime had stayed in the map room, they might have survived?
44. Did the crocus poking out of the snow above the Wall mean that Summer is Coming?
45. When will the inevitable peasant insurrection happen?
46. Who was the green-eyed person Arya was destined to kill, according to Melisandre’s prophecy?
47. Speaking of prophecies: Who was Azor Ahai or the Prince that Was Promised?
49. Why did Arya spend a year learning how to steal people’s faces in Braavos?
50. Will there be a spin-off focusing on Arya’s adventures? Or Sansa's? Or anyone's?
51. Why weren’t there any women in the writer’s room?
52. Was anything ever supposed to add up? Or, were we supposed to forge a narrative through unconnected points, like real life?
53. Is there a Game of Thrones support group we can attend, so we can learn to leave these questions behind?
54. Will we get back those hours we spent reading pages of Reddit and watching hours of fan theory videos that ultimately went nowhere?
55. Finally, come on, Sansa — spill. Weren't you really annoyed that your ex-husband nominated your brother to be King? Said that his story was better than yours? We are.
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