List of Game of Thrones characters

This article is about the TV series. For the main characters of the novels, see List of A Song of Ice and Fire characters.

The characters from the American medieval fantasy television series Game of Thrones are based on their respective counterparts from author George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series of novels. Set in a fictional magical universe that has been referred to so far as "The Known World," the series follows a civil war for the Iron Throne of the continent of Westeros, fought between the rival royal and noble families and their respective supporters.

Main cast appearances

File:Game of thrones cast.jpg

(Left-to-right): Kit Harington (as Jon Snow), Emilia Clarke (Daenerys Targaryen), Lena Headey (Cersei Lannister), Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jaime Lannister), and Peter Dinklage (Tyrion Lannister).

The following cast members have been credited as main cast in the opening credits or as "also starring":

Key:   = Starring seasons

Key:   = Recurring seasons

Key:   = Starring (credited as "also starring") seasons

Key:   = TBA

Key:   = No Appearances

Actor	Character	Appearances
		S1	S2	S3	S4	S5	Total
Peter Dinklage	Tyrion Lannister	9	10	9	8		36
Lena Headey	Cersei Lannister	10	9	8	9		36
Emilia Clarke	Daenerys Targaryen	9	8	8	8		33
Maisie Williams	Arya Stark	9	9	9	6		33
Kit Harington	Jon Snow	8	8	8	8		32
Sophie Turner	Sansa Stark	9	7	8	7		31
Iain Glen	Jorah Mormont	9	7	8	7		31
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau	Jaime Lannister	8	4	7	9		28
Rory McCann	Sandor Clegane	8	5	8	6		27
Alfie Allen	Theon Greyjoy	9	8	6	3		26
Charles Dance	Tywin Lannister	4	7	8	7		26
Jack Gleeson	Joffrey Baratheon	10	6	7	3		26
Isaac Hempstead-Wright	Bran Stark	8	7	6	4		25
Michelle Fairley	Catelyn Stark	9	8	8	0		25
John Bradley	Samwell Tarly	5	6	8	6		25
Aidan Gillen	Petyr Baelish	8	7	4	5		24
Conleth Hill	Varys	7	6	5	6		24
Richard Madden	Robb Stark	8	6	8	0		22
Gwendoline Christie	Brienne of Tarth	0	7	7	7		21
Jerome Flynn	Bronn	5	7	4	4		20
Sibel Kekilli	Shae	2	8	6	4		20
Joe Dempsie	Gendry	2	7	8	0		17
Rose Leslie	Ygritte	0	4	8	5		17
Natalie Dormer	Margaery Tyrell	0	4	6	6		16
Stephen Dillane	Stannis Baratheon	0	7	5	4		16
Nathalie Emmanuel	Missandei	0	0	8	7		15
Liam Cunningham	Davos Seaworth	0	6	4	4		14
Carice van Houten	Melisandre	0	4	6	3		13
Hannah Murray	Gilly	0	3	6	3		12
James Cosmo	Jeor Mormont	5	3	4	0		12
Kristofer Hivju	Tormund Giantsbane	0	0	7	5		12
Oona Chaplin	Talisa Stark	0	5	6	0		11
Jason Momoa	Khal Drogo	9	1	0	0		10
Sean Bean	Eddard Stark	10	0	0	0		10
Iwan Rheon	Ramsay Bolton	0	0	6	3		9
Mark Addy	Robert Baratheon	7	0	0	0		7
Michiel Huisman	Daario Naharis	0	0	0	5		5
Harry Lloyd	Viserys Targaryen	5	0	0	0		5

Key

  House Arryn

  House Baratheon

  House Bolton

  House Frey

  House Greyjoy

  House Lannister

  House Martell

  House Stark

  House Targaryen

  House Tully

  House Tyrell

  Night's Watch

  People of Essos

  People of Westeros

  Royal court and officials

  Wildlings

  Beasts

Main characters

Characters are listed in credits order for Season Four with the characters who appeared as regulars in previous seasons listed at the end. "Starring season(s)" refers to the season in which an actor or actress received star billing for playing a character. "Recurring season(s)" identifies a season in which an actor or actress appeared, but received featured, guest star or special guest star billing.

Name	Pronunciation	Actor/actress	Starring seasons	Recurring seasons	Episode count	Status
Tyrion Lannister	/ˈtɪɹiən ˈlænɪstə(ɹ)/	Peter Dinklage	1, 2, 3, 4, 5	–	36	Alive
Peter Dinklage Nicknamed "The Imp", Tyrion Lannister is the younger brother of Cersei and Jaime Lannister. He is a dwarf; and his mother died during his birth, for which his father, Tywin Lannister, blames him. While not physically powerful, Tyrion has a cunning mind and often uses to his advantage the fact that others constantly underestimate him. Initially, Tyrion bears the Starks no ill will, but after being wrongly captured and put on trial for the crime of murdering Jon Arryn and conspiring to kill Bran Stark, both of which he had no hand in or knowledge of, his ire toward Lady Catelyn prompts him to join his father's war against the Starks. At the end of the Lannister army's first loss against Robb Stark's army, after Jaime Lannister is captured, they learn that King Joffrey has killed Ned Stark against their wishes and Robert's brothers are challenging Joffrey's claim to the throne. To ensure that someone trusted controls Joffrey while he deals with the war effort, Tywin sends Tyrion to rule in his stead as Hand of the King, finally taking notice of his "lesser" son's cunning intellect. He arrives in King's Landing and immediately enters a bitter power struggle with Cersei and Joffrey, methodically removing the Queen's supporters from positions of power. With his small army of hill tribesmen and his mercenary friend Bronn leading the City Watch, he becomes one of the most powerful men in the city. Before Stannis' fleet arrives at King's Landing, Tyrion prepares the attack by stockpiling large quantities of Wild Fire, putting it all in a single ship, and sending it towards Stannis' fleet. Bronn detonates the Wild Fire, causing a giant explosion and destroying half of Stannis' forces. When the city's defenders morale drops after Joffrey abandons them, Tyrion rallies the men and leads a surprise counterattack against the besiegers. During the battle, he is betrayed and nearly killed by a member of the Kingsguard under the orders of Joffrey, but he is saved by his squire Podrick Payne. When he wakes up after the battle is over, Tyrion learns that his father Tywin has taken over as Hand of the King and stripped his son of all power and all the allies he had gained. Furthermore, Tyrion's role in helping defend King's Landing is not acknowledged. Despite this setback and his lover Shae's telling him to leave Westeros, Tyrion still wants to stay, since he has finally found something he both excels at and enjoys—out-talking and out-thinking his less than noble family members. In Season Three, Tyrion is given the job of Master of the Coin, a role that he is unprepared and inexperienced for. Tyrion is commanded by his father to marry Sansa Stark; however, on the wedding night, Tyrion refuses to consummate his marriage and instead lets Sansa sleep alone, promising not to touch her unless she wanted him to. The death of her brother Robb, in which Tyrion took no part, causes a further rift between the couple and between Tyrion and his father, who he claims can't distinguish between his interests and his often-praised ideal of devotion to family. Tywin bitterly claims that he had wanted to drown Tyrion upon birth, but stayed himself for the sake of duty. Tyrion is currently under arrest for the murder of his nephew, Joffrey, though several people, such as Jaime, Bronn and Sansa, do not believe he committed the crime (Olenna Tyrell, Petyr Baelish and Dontos Hollard were responsible). Tyrion, however, implies that Cersei knows of his innocence and just wants him dead. At Tyrion's trial, several witnesses give either incomplete or false testimonies which seem to bolster the case against Tyrion. Tyrion finally loses his temper and lashes out at the entire court, wishing that he had killed Joffrey and left them all to die when Stannis attacked, and demands a trial by combat. When Jaime and Bronn prove unavailable, Tyrion is approached by Prince Oberyn Martell, who volunteers to be his champion in order to fight Cersei's champion, Ser Gregor Clegane, the man who killed his sister. When Oberyn loses the fight and is killed, however, Tyrion is sentenced to death. Jaime, however, frees Tyrion and arranges for him to escape King's Landing. Tyrion goes to confront Tywin in his chambers but finds Shae, who testified against him and is now Tywin's lover. After a brief struggle, Tyrion strangles Shae to death, and finds Tywin in a privy. The two share a tense conversation, in which Tywin insults Shae once too many times, and Tyrion shoots Tywin to death with Joffrey's crossbow. Tyrion is then placed in a crate and smuggled off to Essos with help from Varys.
Jaime Lannister	/ˈdʒeɪmi ˈlænɪstə(ɹ)/	Nikolaj Coster-Waldau	1, 2, 3, 4, 5	–	28	Alive
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau Ser Jaime Lannister is a member of the Kingsguard and an exceptionally skilled swordsman. He is the Queen's twin brother and has carried on an incestuous love affair with her all his life, fathering all three of her living children. He truly does love his sister and will do anything, no matter how rash, to stay close to her. He is nicknamed "Kingslayer" for killing the previous King, Aerys II, whom he was sworn to protect. He was allowed to keep his post in the current Kingsguard as he and his influential father helped Robert win the war, but no one feels he deserves this post, which frustrates Jaime. Despite Eddard Stark's animosity against him for forsaking his oath to protect the King during Robert's Rebellion, Jaime has great respect for Eddard, whom he considers a great warrior and his equal. Unlike his father and sister, Jaime cares deeply about his younger brother Tyrion. When Tyrion is arrested by Catelyn, Jaime confronts Eddard and duels him, much to Jaime's joy. But to his displeasure, one of his men interferes with the fight by spearing Eddard, whereupon Jaime punches the man and lets Eddard live. Jaime later joins his father's campaign in the Riverlands as a revenge for Catelyn's actions by leading an army. However, his army is ambushed by Robb's army and Jaime is made prisoner of the Starks. Despite his capture, Cersei names him Lord Commander of the Kingsguard after Barristan Selmy is dismissed. In Season 2, Catelyn releases and sends Jaime to King's Landing under Brienne of Tarth's watch in exchange for a pledge to send her daughters home. On the journey, they are captured by the violent Locke, a man-at-arms under Roose Bolton, a Northern Lord. On their way to Harrenhal, now held by Bolton, the lowborn Locke cuts off Jaime's sword hand to taunt his position and privilege. Jaime survives and is allowed to depart Harrenhal on condition that he acquits Bolton from any guilt (unbeknownst to him, Bolton had conspired with Tywin and Walder Frey to assassinate Robb Stark, an alliance put in jeopardy by Locke's actions). During his time in Harrenhal, Jaime reveals to Brienne on why he killed King Aerys II; Aerys planned to burn King's Landing by igniting a large stock of Wildfire hidden under the city to ensure its destruction; Jaime killed the King to prevent the Wildfire plot and didn't tell Ned Stark the truth, knowing he wouldn't listen to an oathbreaker. After Bolton's departure, Jaime returns to Harrenhal just in time to save Brienne from Locke, who intended to feed her to his bear rather than accept her father's offer for a ransom. Locke reluctantly allows them to leave rather than kill Jaime as well, knowing it would earn him the enmity of Boltons as well as Lannisters. Jaime travels to King's Landing with Brienne and disgraced Maester Qyburn, given by Bolton to tend to his injury, in tow. At the end of Season 3, they arrive at the gates and Jaime reunites with Cersei, who is visibly shocked at his missing hand. In season 4, Jaime is fitted with a golden prosthetic hand and given a new sword, and is trained by Bronn in fencing with his left hand. He is present at the royal wedding that results in Joffrey's death (which Tyrion is arrested for), as well as the funeral. Jaime is one of the few people in King's Landing who believe in Tyrion's innocence, and does his best to comfort his younger brother, while outright refusing Cersei's order to kill Tyrion before his trial. At the trial, Jaime is visibly uncomfortable at the lies the witnesses are telling and confronts Tywin. In desperation, Jaime agrees to step down from the Kingsguard and serve as Tywin's heir if he spares Tyrion and exiles him to the Night's Watch instead of executing him. When Tyrion is sentenced to death, Jaime frees Tyrion from captivity and arranges for him to be smuggled to Essos with Varys's help, bidding his little brother farewell with a hug.
Cersei Lannister	/ˈsɜ(ɹ)si ˈlænɪstə(ɹ)/	Lena Headey	1, 2, 3, 4, 5	–	36	Alive
Lena Headey Cersei Lannister, Queen of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, is the wife of King Robert Baratheon. Her father arranged the marriage when she was a teenager, initiating himself as a political counselor for King Robert. The Lannisters are the richest family in Westeros, which is why Robert was interested in a marriage between them. Cersei has a twin brother, Jaime, with whom she has been involved in an incestuous affair from early childhood. All three of Cersei's children are Jaime's. Cersei's main character attribute is her desire for power and her deep loyalty to her father, children, and brother Jaime. Cersei learns that her husband Robert is in danger of finding out that the children he sees as his heirs to the throne are not his. Robert meets his end as the result of a boar attack on a hunting trip, before Ned Stark tells him of the truth about his children. Cersei works quickly to instate her oldest son, Joffrey, on the throne, with her as his chief political advisor and Queen Regent. Joffrey quits listening to his mother, and by the beginning of the second season her father decides Cersei does not exercise enough control over her son, and sends his youngest son Tyrion as an additional political advisor. Cersei and Tyrion do not get along, and constantly try to undermine each other's authority over the crown. As of the end of season 2, Tyrion has accumulated more sway over the Iron Throne, and has shipped Cersei's only daughter off against Cersei's will to be married to the prince of Dorne. In season 3, she takes pleasure in Tyrion's diminished position and taunts him for being forced into a marriage pact with Sansa Stark, only to be told by her father that he intends to marry her to Loras Tyrell. At the end of the season, the two siblings ponder at their respective marriages, and Cersei reunites with Jaime in her bedchamber as he unexpectedly returns from captivity. In season 4, she has Tyrion arrested after Joffrey is fatally poisoned. It is implied that she knows Tyrion's guilt is highly unlikely, but just wants to see him dead, though Jaime refuses to carry out the order. Indeed, at Tyrion's trial, it is obvious that Cersei has manipulated the entire procedure so that the only witnesses (herself, Lord Varys, Meryn Trant, Grand Maester Pycelle and Shae) give either incomplete or entirely false testimonies to implicate Tyrion and Sansa further in the murder. When Tyrion demands a trial by combat, Cersei quickly chooses Ser Gregor "The Mountain" Clegane as her champion to diminish Tyrion's chances of acquittal, and has Bronn betrothed to a noblewoman so that Tyrion cannot choose him as his champion. Cersei's wish comes true when Tyrion's champion, Oberyn Martell, is killed by Clegane, but she still refuses to marry Loras, even threatening her father with revealing the truth about her relationship with Jaime and the parentage of her children. Tywin rebuffs her threats, though he himself is killed soon afterwards, leaving Cersei's status unknown.
Daenerys Targaryen	/dəˈnɛəɹɪs tɑ(ɹ)ˈɡɛəriən/	Emilia Clarke	1, 2, 3, 4, 5	–	33	Alive
File:Emilia Clarke (March 2013) (headshot).jpg Emilia Clarke Daenerys Targaryen is the exiled princess of the Targaryen dynasty. Also called "the Stormborn", she and her brother Viserys were smuggled to Essos during the end of Robert's Rebellion. For seventeen years, she has been under Viserys' care whom she fears, as he is abusive to her whenever she displeases him. In exchange for an army, Viserys marries her to the powerful Dothraki warlord Khal Drogo, making her a Khaleesi, a queen of the Dothraki. Daenerys is at first afraid of her new husband but after learning the Dothraki language, she manages to get past their barriers. She begins to understand him and genuinely falls in love with him after learning Drogo is a smart leader and a kind man. After embracing the Dothraki culture, she becomes stronger and rebels against her brother. She later becomes pregnant with Drogo's son who is prophesied by the Dothraki to be the "Stallion Who Mounts the World". After her brother's death and an assassination attempt by Robert Baratheon, Drogo vows to Daenerys that he will conquer the Seven Kingdoms for her and their unborn son. However, during their journey Drogo suffers from blood poisoning due to an infected wound incurred during a fight with a Dothraki tribesman. Daenerys is forced to seek the help of healer Mirri Maz Duur to save his life using blood magic. Mirri tricks Daenerys by using her unborn son's life as a sacrifice to heal Drogo, leaving him in a permanent catatonic state, and forcing Daenerys to end her husband's life. Losing both her husband and son, Daenerys punishes Mirri by having her burnt at the stake. She also lays the three dragon eggs she received as a wedding gift onto Khal Drogo's body and steps into the fire herself. At the end of the night, after the fire is burned down, only the Khaleesi and three baby dragons remain. Taking them with her, Daenerys and what is left of her husband's tribe must find a way to gather new allies to protect themselves and reclaim the Iron Throne. She becomes the first female Dothraki leader. In Season 2, she is lost in the Red Waste, a stretch of barren land. She and her khalasar eventually make it to Qarth, where the nobles are more interested in her dragons than her conquest of Westeros. While in the city, her dragons are stolen by Pyat Pree, and she must visit the House of the Undying in order to get them back. She does so, killing Pyat Pree and releasing the dragons. In the second season's finale, she imprisons her host Xaro Xoan Daxos for his role in helping Pyat Pree and has her horde loot as much as they can from Xaro's mansion in order to buy a ship. Daenerys travels from Qarth to Astapor, a city in Slaver's Bay, where she negotiates the purchase of elite eunuch soldiers called the Unsullied. On her departure from the city, she frees the slaves and has Drogon torch its elders. By the end of Season 3, although her power has not yet been tested, she has acquired the firm loyalty of tens of thousands of freed slaves from Astapor and Yunkai, her remaining Dothraki brethren (and two former Westerosi soldiers whom she encountered through the Dothraki, who advise her) 2,000 'Second Sons' cavalrymen, 8,000 'Unsullied' elite infantry, and three rapidly growing dragons. The stay in Slaver's Bay has made her question her motives, however, and she takes up the cause of ending slavery as well, donning the honorific "Breaker of Chains" as the slaves hold her to the sky, praising her as their Mhysa, or "Mother". Daenerys later frees the slaves from Meereen, the last of the slave cities in Slaver's Bay, but realises that she is slowly losing control of her dragons, especially when Drogon shows signs of aggression towards her when she tries to break up a fight between them over food. Aware that she does not have enough men to conquer Westeros just yet, Daenerys resolves to remain in Slaver's Bay and rule as Queen for the time being. She eventually learns of Jorah's original purpose, which was to spy on her for Robert Baratheon, and orders him to leave Meereen on threat of execution. After she receives too many complaints about her dragons, Daenerys, locks two of them in the catacombs beneath Meereen before searching for Drogon.
Jon Snow	/ˈdʒɒn ˈsnoʊ/	Kit Harington	1, 2, 3, 4, 5	–	32	Alive
Kit Harington Jon Snow is the bastard son of Ned Stark who joins the Night's Watch. Jon is a talented fighter, but his sense of compassion and justice brings him into conflict with his harsh surroundings. Ned claims that Jon's mother was a wet nurse named Wylla. His dire wolf is called Ghost due to his albinism and quiet nature. Jon soon learns that the Watch is no longer a glorious order, but is now composed mostly of society's rejects, including criminals and exiles. Initially, he has only contempt for his low-born brothers of the Watch, but he puts aside his prejudices and befriends his fellow recruits, especially Sam Tarly, after they unite against the cruel master-at-arms. He chooses to take his vows before the Old God of the North, and to his disappointment he is made steward to Lord Commander Jeor Mormont rather than a ranger. He eventually realizes that he is being groomed for command. He saves Mormont's life by slaying a wight, a corpse resurrected by the White Walkers. In return, he receives Longclaw, the ancestral blade of House Mormont. When Eddard is arrested for treason, Jon is torn between his family and his vows. After Eddard's execution, he tries to join Robb's army but is convinced to come back by his friends. Shortly after, he joins the large force Mormont leads beyond the Wall. Jon is part of a small scouting party in Season 2. When the party is overtaken by wildlings, Jon is ordered to appear to defect and join the wildlings so he can discover their plans. On affirming his loyalty to the King-Beyond-the-Wall, Mance Rayder, he travels toward the Wall with the wildlings and is seduced by one, the flame-haired Ygritte. Upon crossing the wall, he refuses to behead a farmer whose escape might alert the Night's Watch of their coming, and is subsequently branded an enemy of the wildlings. Ygritte shields him from her comrades but ultimately confronts and injures Jon when he stops to drink. He manages to escape back to the wall, injured by three arrows, where he reunites with his comrades and informs the commanders of Mance Rayder's plans. Jon subsequently resumes his training at the Wall and suggests an expedition to Craster's Keep in order to kill the Night's Watch mutineers who may tell Mance of the Wall's weak defences if caught. Jon's request is granted and he bands together a group of rangers to aid him, among them the new recruit Locke, who has actually come to kill Jon on Roose Bolton's orders. Jon successfully attacks Craster's Keep and kills the mutineers, while Locke is killed by Hodor during an attempt to kill Bran, who was captive at Craster's Keep. However, Jon's proposal to barricade the entrance to Castle Black to stop the wildlings from entering is denied. He survives the wildling attack on Castle Black, personally killing Styr and taking Tormund Giantsbane prisoner. In the aftermath, he departs Castle Black to hunt down Mance Rayder, giving his sword to Sam. He quickly locates Mance on the pretence of parleying, but he is found out. Before he is killed, however, Jon is saved by the timely arrival by Stannis Baratheon, who places Mance and his men under arrest, and accompanies Jon back to Castle Black. Jon later burns Ygritte's body in the woods.
Petyr Baelish	/ˈpiːtə(ɹ) ˈbeɪlɨʃ/	Aidan Gillen	1, 2, 3, 4, 5	–	24	Alive
Aidan Gillen Lord Petyr Baelish, nicknamed "Littlefinger," is the Master of Coin in King Robert Baratheon's Small Council. He grew up with Catelyn Tully and fought Ned's brother Brandon for her hand. Petyr is a master manipulator who knows the ongoing affairs within the Seven Kingdoms thanks to his spies. While Petyr at first is assumed to be an ally of Ned, he secretly resents him for marrying Catelyn and so he betrayed him when he tried to arrest Joffrey and Cersei. Despite that, Petyr aims to take the Iron Throne to punish the powerful nobles who used to look down on him. During season 2, he convinces Catelyn to release Jaime in exchange for her daughters and brokers an alliance between House Lannister and House Tyrell. He then returns to King's Landing with the Tyrell army in time to rescue the city. For his efforts, he is made Lord of Harrenhal, though the castle is held by Northmen. In Season 3, he discovers Ros is secretly working for Varys and gives her to Joffrey to be killed before departing to the Eyrie, where he is to marry Lysa Arryn to secure her loyalty to the Iron Throne. He will thence be Lord Paramount of both the Vale (as Lysa Arryn's consort) and the Riverlands (after the downfall of the Tullys at the Red Wedding), though he has yet to see Harrenhal. In Season 4, Littlefinger returns in secret to the area around King's Landing. He has spent weeks in the Vale, and is confirmed to be getting married to Lysa. Petyr helps Olenna Tyrell orchestrate the assassination of King Joffrey at his wedding to Margaery, something Olenna wanted very badly as it would save her granddaughter from Joffrey's beastly nature. This serves to strengthen his new alliance with House Tyrell. Petyr also gets Sansa Stark - Ned and Catelyn's eldest surviving daughter - out of King's Landing by ordering court fool and former knight Dontos Hollard to bring her to him. Under the guise of making payment, Petyr has Dontos killed by his archers to silence him. He also begins acting as a mentor for her, and promises Sansa she is safe with him. When asked what he wants by her, he simply says "everything". When they arrive in the Vale, it is revealed that he and Lysa have been having an affair for quite some time, and that it was Lysa who poisoned Jon Arryn on Petyr's request. Petyr and Lysa marry that same day, and loudly consummate their marriage. However, Petyr later confides to Sansa that the reason he had Joffrey killed was to avenge Catelyn, and goes as far as to kiss her, with Lysa looking on unnoticed. When confronted by Lysa, who in a rage attempted to kill Sansa, Petyr kills Lysa instead, calmly pushing her through the Moon Door - a hole in the floor looking down hundreds of feet to the rocks below the Eyrie, and the preferred method of execution in the Vale of Arryn, incidentally - to her death on the rocks below. Sansa stands up for Petyr when he is questioned by other lords and ladies of the Vale on the matter of Lysa's apparent "suicide," and confirms that Lysa did indeed kill herself, however, and he is cleared of all charges.
Margaery Tyrell		Natalie Dormer	2, 3, 4, 5	-	16	Alive
Natalie Dormer Margaery is the only daughter of Lord Mace Tyrell, and has recently married the late King Robert’s brother, Renly Baratheon, as part of House Tyrell’s support for his bid to seize the Iron Throne from King Joffrey. Somewhere in her mid to late twenties, she is surprisingly canny and cunning. She is aware of her husband's homosexual orientation and inclinations towards her brother. Despite her knowledge of this, she actively attempts to become pregnant as to secure the alliance between their families. When Renly is killed, the Tyrells ally with House Lannister and she is planned to marry to King Joffrey. In a departure from her characterization in the novels, where her personal motivations are unclear, Margaery's naked ambition is made obvious. Upon arriving at King's Landing, she offers Sansa to marry her brother Loras, but the plot is thwarted and Sansa is married to Tyrion Lannister to secure the North should Robb Stark die. At the end of Season 3, her marriage to Joffrey is impending, though her influence over him appears to grow, causing friction between her and Queen Regent Cersei. Cersei coldly implies she could have her killed at any time. In season 4, Margaery and Joffrey are married, but Joffrey dies at the wedding after being poisoned. Since Margaery still cannot become queen this way, she is betrothed to Joffrey's younger brother and heir, Tommen, and visits him one night in his chamber to get to know him better. She is among the many people in King's Landing who believe Tyrion Lannister is not responsible for Joffrey's death, and her grandmother, Olenna Tyrell, confirms to her that it was she who orchestrated it, leaving Margaery visibly shocked, until Olenna claims that it was to protect her from Joffrey's abuse (which he had quite clearly inflicted on Sansa while she was betrothed to him). Margaery is later present at Tyrion's trial, where she is visibly uncomfortable at the possibility of Tyrion being punished for the crime her grandmother committed.
Davos Seaworth		Liam Cunningham	2, 3, 4, 5	-	14	Alive
Liam Cunnigham Ser Davos Seaworth, also known as "The Onion Knight", is a former smuggler and knight in the service of Stannis Baratheon; he serves as one of Stannis's most trusted advisers. In his smuggling days, he was said to handle a ship at night better than anyone. Before the events of the series, he earned his knighthood by smuggling fish and onions to the besieged Stannis Baratheon and his army during Robert Baratheon's rebellion. Before knighting him, Stannis removed the last joints from four fingers on his right hand as punishment for his years of smuggling; believing these joints bought his family a better future, Davos keeps them in a pouch around his neck for luck. In Season 2, he loyally supports Stannis' claim on the throne and his honesty and willingness to voice his unaltered opinion makes him Stannis' most trusted adviser, though Stannis often dislikes what he hears. An agnostic, he doesn't accept the priestess Melisandre and her god R'hllor but does not object to her because Stannis is also a follower of R'hllor. He fights in the Battle of the Blackwater, where his ships are caught in a giant explosion of wild fire. His son Matthos is killed and Davos is thrown out to sea. He is picked up by the pirate Salladhor Saan, who returns him to King Stannis. Upon attacking Melisandre for the loss of his son, he is imprisoned and later condemned to death for releasing Gendry. Stannis had intended to sacrifice the boy to R'hllor and hence regards Davos' actions as treason, but pardons him upon Melisandre's request, as she claims R'hllor calls them to travel to the Wall to help the Night's Watch protect the kingdom from the White Walkers. In season 4, Davos is still at odds with Stannis for releasing Gendry (as Stannis claims that Robb Stark and Joffrey Baratheon are dead thanks to Gendry's blood) and failing to find him a suitable army, but Davos decides to write a letter to the Iron Bank of Braavos so that they may provide them with the currency to purchase an army to aid the Night's Watch against the 100,000 strong wildling army led by Mance Rayder. Despite the Iron Bank's reluctance to back Stannis, Davos manages to convince them and they acquire the loan. Davos then tracks Salladhor Saan to aid them in exchange for gold. He and Stannis arrive at the Wall in time to save Jon Snow from Mance Rayder. However, Melisandre has seen in her fires a vision of the realm's true enemy - the White Walkers, servants of the Great Other.
Stannis Baratheon	/ˈstænɨs bəˈɹæθɪən/	Stephen Dillane	2, 3, 4, 5	-	16	Alive
Stephen Dillane Stannis Baratheon, Lord of Dragonstone, is the elder of Robert Baratheon's younger brothers. A brooding, humorless man known for a hard and unyielding sense of justice, he is obsessed with slights real and imagined. With Robert dying, Ned sends him a letter appointing him as the legitimate heir and becomes another challenger for the Iron Throne after his nephew Joffrey becomes King. By Season 2, he has fallen under the influence of Melisandre, a priestess of R'hllor. After Robert's death, Stannis claims himself the true heir to the Iron Throne as Cersei's children are illegitimate and names himself King of the Seven Kingdoms. However, most of the Baratheon bannermen support the claim of the more charismatic Renly. When Renly is mysteriously slain, many of Renly's bannermen immediately swear allegiance to Stannis. He then attacks King's Landing by sailing up the Blackwater Bay. However, due to Tyrion's plan using wild fire and reinforcements by the Lannisters and Tyrell Cavalry, he loses the Battle of Blackwater. Despite this setback, he is convinced to continue fighting by Melisandre, and is further convinced by her magic as she lets him see a vision of a battle in the flames. He acquires one of Robert's bastards, Gendry, from the Brotherhood Without Banners and plans to sacrifice him to further his quest for the Iron Throne. After Davos questions his course of action, Stannis has three leeches drawn with Gendry's blood and throws them into a fire, calling for the death of Robb Stark, Balon Greyjoy and Joffrey Baratheon. Upon the news of Robb's death, Davos releases Gendry to prevent him from being burned. Stannis subsequently sentences his Hand to death but is swayed by Melisandre, who encourages him to travel North to aid the Night's Watch against the threat emerging from beyond the Wall. In season 4, Stannis hears of Joffrey's death and chastises Davos again for releasing Gendry and not finding him a suitable army, prompting Davos to write to the Iron Bank of Braavos in Stannis's name to help pay for an army. The Iron Bank very nearly refuses Stannis' request, even subtly belittling him in the process, but Davos manages to convince them otherwise. Stannis and his army arrive at the Wall shortly after the Battle for Castle Black, interrupting a supposed parley between Jon Snow and Mance Rayder. Stannis learns that Jon is Ned Stark's son, and on Jon's advice, he places Mance and his men under arrest.
Melisandre	/ˈmɛlɨsaʊndɹeɪ/	Carice van Houten	2, 3, 4, 5	-	13	Alive
Carice van Houten Also known as "Red Queen", a priestess of R'hllor in service to Stannis Baratheon. Melisandre has prophetic powers that give her partial knowledge of future events. Unlike many other people in Westeros with access to prophecy, Melisandre has absolute faith in her own interpretation. Melisandre believes Stannis is the chosen one who will convert the people of Westeros into followers of R'hllor. She convinces Stannis of this by using various methods, including seduction. Many, most notably Stannis' trusted adviser Davos Seaworth, believe she is leading their king astray. She has magical powers which help her survive Maester Cressen's attempt to kill her with poison. She also gives birth to a shadow demon which is sent to kill Renly Baratheon and tries to convince Stannis to sacrifice Gendry, the bastard son of Robert Baratheon, because he has king's blood, claiming R'hllor will reward the gift with an easier path to the Iron Throne. After Gendry's escape, she intercepts a letter from the Night's Watch, seeing the prophetic "Other" as the force behind the White Walkers' march on the wall, and insists that Stannis takes up the cause of stopping them. She dissuades "this war of five kings" (now actually three) as unimportant and insists that Stannis take the help of Davos Seaworth, despite his betrayal. In season 4, Melisandre accompanies Stannis, Davos and their army to the Wall, narrowly saving Jon Snow from Mance Rayder.
Theon Greyjoy (aka Reek)	/ˈθiːɒn ˈɡɹeɪdʒɔɪ/	Alfie Allen	1, 2, 3, 4, 5	–	26	Alive
Alfie Allen Theon Greyjoy is the youngest son of Lord Balon Greyjoy of the Iron Islands. He is the hostage and ward of Lord Eddard Stark, stemming from the failed Greyjoy Rebellion. Despite his position, he remains loyal to Eddard and is good friends with his sons Robb and Jon. While he has never questioned his position, he soon begins to have doubts after Tyrion tells him he is nothing more than a servant to the Starks and not everyone respects him. Nevertheless, Theon initially remains loyal to Robb after he goes to war with the Lannisters and supports his decision to have the North secede from the Seven Kingdoms and form their own kingdom. He is sent to the Iron Islands in Season 2 to seek a Stark alliance with the Greyjoys. However, his father criticizes Theon for accepting the northern lifestyle and rejects Robb's proposal. Wishing to prove to his father that he is a true Ironborn, he joins his family's invasion of the North. To gain the respect of his men, he ignores his orders to raid the shores and captures Winterfell. The situation worsens for Theon when he is forced to kill his old mentor Ser Rodrik Cassel and fakes the deaths of Bran and Rickon Stark to the people of Winterfell after they escape by killing two orphans. Regretting what he has done and with no help coming from his family, Theon decides to die fighting with his men defending Winterfell from a Stark force led by Roose Bolton's bastard son. However, he is betrayed by his men due to Robb's offer of clemency and safe return to the Iron Islands if they give up Theon. Theon is taken captive and kept in an unknown castle, but later manages to escape with the help of a serving boy that works for his sister Yara. He is brought back to the very castle he escaped from, the serving boy proving to be his captor and torturer, Ramsay Snow, Lord Bolton's bastard. Theon is subsequently brutally tortured, flayed and eventually castrated by Ramsay, who forces him to rename himself Reek, and beats him until he submits to his new name. Theon's penis is sent in a box to his father, threatening to mutilate Theon further unless the Ironmen retreat from the North, which Balon refuses. He states that as Theon defied him by attacking Winterfell, claiming him a "fool" and "not a man anymore", to which Yara responds she intends to save her brother of her own accord. In season 4, Theon has been freed from his restraints by Ramsay, but is forced to work for him as a servant and answer to the name Reek. Roose Bolton later orders Ramsay to launch an attack on Moat Cailin, an Ironborn-occupied fortress that is preventing him from entering the Northern lands, and to take Theon with him. Before they leave, however, the Dreadfort is attacked by Yara and a group of men, but Theon refuses to flee with her, believing it may be another trick on Ramsay's part, forcing Yara to leave without him. As a reward, Ramsay gives Theon a bath and asks for his help in taking Moat Cailin. Theon masquerades as himself and tricks the Ironborn into opening Moat Cailin, leading to them all being flayed by the Bolton army, and subsequently accompanies the Boltons to Winterfell.
Bran Stark	/ˈbɹæn ˈstɑ(ɹ)k/	Isaac Hempstead-Wright	1, 2, 3, 4, 5	–	25	Alive
Isaac Hempstead-Wright Brandon "Bran" Stark is the second son and fourth child of Eddard and Catelyn Stark. He was named after his deceased uncle, Brandon. His dire wolf is called Summer. During the King's visit to Winterfell, he accidentally came across Cersei and Jaime Lannister engaging in sex, following which Bran is shoved from the window by Jaime, permanently crippling his legs. An assassin tries to kill Bran, but Summer, the direwolf companion, kills the assassin. Bran, when he awakens, finds that he is crippled from the waist down, forced to be carried everywhere by Hodor, and he cannot remember the events immediately before his fall. Slowly, he realizes that he has gained the ability to assume Summer's consciousness, making him a warg or a skinchanger. After his older brother, Robb, is crowned King in the North, Bran becomes Robb's heir and the Lord of Winterfell. After Theon Greyjoy captures Winterfell, Bran goes into hiding. To cement his claim on Winterfell, Theon kills two orphan boys and tells the people of Winterfell that Bran, and his younger brother Rickon Stark, are dead. After Theon's men betray him and Winterfell is sacked, Bran, Rickon, Hodor, Osha and their direwolves head north to find his older brother Jon Snow for safety. They ultimately stumble upon Jojen and Meera Reed, two siblings who aid them in their quest. After coming close to the wall, Osha departs with Rickon for Last Hearth while Bran insists on following his visions beyond the Wall. He also encounters Sam and Gilly, who tries to persuade him not to, but Bran claims it is his destiny and leaves through the gate with Hodor and the Reeds. Along the way, Bran and the others stumble across Craster's Keep, where they are captured and held hostage by the Night's Watch mutineers led by Karl. Night's Watch rangers led by Jon eventually attack Craster's Keep to kill the mutineers, but Locke, a new recruit but secretly a spy for Roose Bolton, attempts to take Bran away and kill him elsewhere. Bran wargs into Hodor and kills Locke by snapping his neck, but Bran and his group are forced to continue on their journey without alerting Jon, whom Jojen claims would stop them. They eventually reach the three-eyed raven in a cave, who claims he cannot restore Bran's legs, but will make him fly instead.
Sansa Stark	/ˈsɑːnsə ˈstɑ(ɹ)k/	Sophie Turner	1, 2, 3, 4, 5	–	31	Alive
Sophie Turner Sansa Stark is the first daughter and second child of Eddard and Catelyn Stark. She was also the future bride of Prince Joffrey, and thusly the future Queen of the Seven Kingdoms as well. Her direwolf is called Lady, she is the smallest of the pack. Sansa is naive and wants to live the life of a fairy tale princess and is unwilling to see the harsh realities of the kingdom's politics and rivalries. Her fantasy begins to shatter when Lady is killed, and the situation continues to worsen when her father is arrested for treason. She becomes a hostage to the Lannisters in order for them to have a legitimate claim for the North. Her naivete is finally shattered when King Joffrey executes her father despite promising her that he would spare him. Sansa is forced to put up an act or endure Joffrey's cruelty. Throughout Season 2, she suffers under Joffrey's abuse until Tyrion puts a stop to it. By the Season 2 finale, Joffrey breaks his engagement with Sansa to marry Margaery Tyrell. However, she is still a hostage; but Petyr Baelish promises to help her return to Winterfell. In Season 3, she is married to Tyrion to secure the Lannisters the North should Robb Stark die. The marriage is unhappy and yet to be consummated, and after Robb's death – upon which Joffrey insists to be given his head to present to Sansa, a request coldly ignored by his grandfather – she is unable to speak to him. In Season 4, Sansa has been mourning her family for weeks and is starving herself in depression. She attends Joffrey's wedding with Tyrion and witnesses Joffrey's death. Dontos Hollard immediately spirits her away from the wedding, moments ahead of Cersei's orders to have her and Tyrion arrested. Dontos brings Sansa to a ship concealed in fog, and she is greeted by Petyr Baelish. Under the guise of making payment, Petyr has the fool killed by his archers, with Petyr explaining that killing Dontos was the only way to ensure his silence - her disappearance when Joffrey died, the execution of her father, deaths of her family and years of torment at the king's hand, will all be considerable motive for Sansa helping Tyrion murder Joffrey. Currently, a thousand of the City Watch are searching for her, Cersei thirsts for vengeance, and Tyrion himself stands trial. Sansa is assured she has finally escaped King's Landing and is safe with Lord Baelish, who takes her to her Aunt Lysa for shelter. Lysa takes Sansa in warmly and has her betrothed to her son, Robin. However, Sansa realises the worst is far from over when Lysa, who is smitten with Petyr, accuses Sansa of trying to seduce him, and she discovers that Robin is a spoiled and rude child, slapping him at one point. When Petyr unexpectedly kisses Sansa, Lysa becomes enraged and nearly pushes Sansa through the castle's Moon Door, but Petyr intervenes by pacifying Lysa and then pushing her through the Moon Door to her death before Sansa's eyes, making Sansa realise that Petyr may have romantic or lustful feelings for her. Sansa speaks up for Petyr when he is questioned about his involvement in Lysa's death, but Sansa reaffirms Petyr's claim that Lysa killed herself out of insecurity.
Arya Stark	/ˈɑɹjə ˈstɑ(ɹ)k/	Maisie Williams	1, 2, 3, 4, 5	–	33	Alive
Maisie Williams Arya Stark is the younger daughter and third child of Lord Eddard and Catelyn Stark of Winterfell. Ever the tomboy, Arya would rather be training to use weapons than sewing with a needle. Her direwolf is called Nymeria. When Ned is arrested for treason, her "dancing master" Syrio Forel helps her escape the Lannisters. She is later disguised as an orphan boy by Yoren, a Night's Watch recruiter, in hopes of getting her back to Winterfell. From then on, she takes the name Arry. During Season 2, Yoren's convoy is attacked by the Lannisters who are under orders by King Joffrey to find and kill Robert's bastard children. Before she is captured, she releases the prisoner Jaqen H'ghar and two others, saving their lives. She and the rest of the captured recruits are sent to Harrenhal under Gregor Clegane who cruelly tortures and kills prisoners everyday. At the same time, she follows the advice of the late Yoren and makes a list of those she wants dead like a prayer. When Tywin Lannister arrives at Harrenhal, he orders the killing of prisoners stopped and makes Arya his cup bearer after figuring out she is a girl. Tywin forms an unlikely friendship with Arya due to her intelligence while remaining unaware of her true identity. Arya reunites with Jaqen who offers to kill three lives in exchange for the three lives she saved. The first two she picks, the Tickler, Harrenhal's torturer and Ser Amory Lorch, after he catches Arya reading one of Tywin's war plans and tries to inform Tywin. After she fails to find Jaqen to kill Tywin, after he heads out to face Robb's forces, she forces Jaqen to help her, Gendry and Hot Pie escape Harrenhal after choosing Jaqen as her third name, for which she promises to "unname" him if he helps them. After successfully escaping, Jaqen gives her an iron coin and tells her to give it to any Braavosi and say "Valar morghulis" if she ever needs to find him. Arya, Gendry and Hot Pie head north for Riverrun and Arya's mother Lady Stark, but are captured by the Brotherhood Without Banners and taken to the Inn of the Kneeling Man. There, Arya is horrified to be reunited with the vile Sandor Clegane, one of the Brotherhood's prisoners. Arya and Gendry travel with the Brotherhood to meet their leader, now friends with them as they know Arya is Ned Stark's daughter. She escapes them after the Brotherhood acquits Sandor Clegane of murder after a trial by combat and selling Gendry to Melisandre to be sacrificed. Captured by Sandor, she is taken to the Twins to be ransomed to her brother, only to see his wolf and forces slaughtered and her brother paraded headless on a horse. Sandor knocks her unconscious and saves her from the ensuing slaughter, and she subsequently kills her first man when falling upon a party of Freys, boasting of how they mutilated her brother's corpse. In season 4, Sandor decides to ransom her to her Aunt Lysa Arryn in the Vale. With Sandor's help, Arya later retrieves her sword, Needle (a gift from Jon Snow), and kills the sadistic soldier Polliver, who stole it from her. Along the way, Arya slowly begins to bond with Sandor, helping to heal one of his wounds when they are attacked. They eventually arrive at the Vale, but are told that Lysa Arryn killed herself three days prior. Arya laughs with disbelief. Later, Arya and Sandor are found by Brienne of Tarth and Podrick Payne. Arya refuses to leave with Brienne, assuming her to be an agent of the Lannisters. In the ensuing fight between Brienne and Sandor, Arya flees and manages to catch a boat to Braavos, befriending the Braavosi captain by showing him the coin Jaqen gave her outside Harrenhal.
Samwell Tarly	/ˈsæmwəl ˈtɑ(ɹ)li/	John Bradley	2, 3, 4, 5	1	25	Alive
John Bradley Samwell Tarly, the eldest son and former heir of Lord Randyll Tarly, is a new recruit to the Night's Watch. He was sent to the Wall by his father, who disowned him for his cowardice. He becomes Jon's best friend after Jon conspires with the others in their trainee class to go easy on him. While not a warrior, he is very smart and insightful. He is inducted into the Stewards and assigned to Maester Aemon. He travels beyond the Wall in place of Aemon and falls in love with Gilly, one of Craster's daughter-wives. Later in Season 2, he finds obsidian "Dragon glass." At the end of the season he becomes a witness to the numerous army of White Walkers and Wights marching to the Fist of the First Men. He manages to escape with a few Night's Watch Men including Lord Commander Jeor Mormont, and they make it back to Craster's Keep. Escaping the slaughter of the Nights Watch mutineers - which ended in Lord Mormont's death - Sam is attacked by a White Walker when making a fire but manages to kill it using the Dragonglass. Alongside Gilly, he manages to cross the Wall and return to Castle Black to bring news of Mormont's death and reunite with Jon. In season 4, fearing for Gilly's safety, Sam takes her to work in an inn in Mole's Town, but later regrets his decision, especially after Mole's Town is attacked by wildlings (though he is unaware that Gilly was spared by Ygritte). He reunites with Gilly, however, when she returns to Castle Black unharmed, and he locks her in the food storage for her safety when the wildlings attack, kissing her for the first time. Sam himself participates in the battle, at one point shooting a huge Thenn through the head with a crossbow and holding the dying Pyp in his arms. In the aftermath, he discovers Janos Slynt to have hidden himself in the food storage with Gilly, and is given Jon's sword to look after as Jon leaves Castle Black to hunt down Mance Rayder. He is later present at the burning of the bodies of those who were killed in the battle for The Wall.
Sandor Clegane	/ˈsændɔ(ɹ) klɨˈɡeɪn/	Rory McCann	1, 2, 3, 4	–	26	Unknown
Rory McCann Sandor Clegane, nicknamed "The Hound," is the younger brother of Ser Gregor Clegane and a retainer to House Lannister. He is also Joffrey Baratheon's personal bodyguard. The right side of his face was grievously burned when he was only a boy after his brother accused him of stealing one of his toys and pushed his face into a brazier, leaving the right side of his face hideously scarred. He is taciturn and brutal, but not without compassion. He is protective towards Sansa after she is captured by the Lannisters. After Joffrey becomes King, Sandor is made a member of the Kingsguard. Although he is still faithful to Joffrey, he frequently defends Sansa from Joffrey's attempts to shame and physically abuse her. During the siege on King's Landing, when wildfire is used to destroy Stannis' ships, Sandor succumbs to his fear of fire and abandons the fight and leaves Joffrey. Before fleeing the city, he seeks out Sansa and offers to take her along. She refuses but she recognizes that he had been afraid in the battle. Sandor is later captured by the Brotherhood Without Banners, and is reunited with Arya at the Inn of the Kneeling Man. He is acquitted from murdering Mycah in a trial by combat with the leader of the Brotherhood, Beric Dondarrion, and released. Taking Arya Stark prisoner, he travels to the Twins hoping to ransom her, but arrives just as the slaughter of the Starks at the Red Wedding begins and rides off with a shocked Arya in tow. When she attacks a pack of Frey soldiers and stabs one of them to death, he intervenes on her behalf and disposes of the rest. Sandor then decides to take Arya to the Vale instead, to ransom her to her Aunt Lysa Arryn, unaware that Tywin Lannister has placed a bounty on his head. Sandor and Arya are attacked by Lannister soldiers seeking the bounty and Sandor is bitten on the neck, which Arya heals after the attackers are killed. They eventually arrive at the Vale, but are told that Lysa Arryn is dead. They subsequently stay near the Vale, but are found by Brienne of Tarth and Podrick Payne. Assuming Brienne to be a Lannister agent after the bounty, Sandor refuses to hand Arya over and a fight ensues between him and Brienne. Brienne eventually bites Sandor's ear off and kicks him off a cliff. He survives the fall, but is mortally wounded. He is found by Arya, whom he attempts to provoke into killing him, but she steals his silver and leaves him for dead, screaming for Arya to kill him.
Gilly		Hannah Murray	4, 5	2, 3	12	Alive
Hannah Murray A young wildling girl who lives north of the Wall, Gilly is one of many daughters of Craster, a wildling who takes all his daughters to wife once they grow up into women. She has a son with her father Craster. Samwell falls for her and becomes protective of her. After Craster is killed and Commander Mormont's rangers turn on each other, Samwell runs with Gilly and her son to Castle Black. Along their journey, Gilly becomes fascinated with Samwell over his knowledge and his bravery of defending her son from a White Walker. After the three of them manage to reach Castle Black, Maester Aemon allows Gilly and her son to stay with them. In gratitude for Samwell helping them, Gilly names her son after Sam. In Season 4, Gilly settles in a nearby inn close to Castle Black, with Sam's assistance. The Inn is later attacked by wildlings, but Gilly hides with her son. They are found by Ygritte, who spares them. They make it back to Castle Black safely, where Sam hides them in the food storage, and kisses Gilly for the first time in case he dies. She is also visibly surprised when Janos Slynt hides in the food storage as well. Gilly remains unharmed throughout the battle, and reunites with Sam in the aftermath.
Tormund		Kristofer Hivju	4, 5	3	12	Alive
A wildling raider known for his many titles, "Giantsbane" being foremost. Loud and gregarious, he is one of Mance's top generals. Tormund takes a liking to Jon after he joins them and even gives him advice over his relationship with Ygritte. Tormund leads a group of wildlings south of the Wall to wait the signal of Mance Rayder to attack the Night's Watch. He later leads the attack on Mole's Town. When the army reaches Castle Black, he duels and severely wounds Ser Alliser Thorne, but is brought down by several arrows and taken prisoner for questioning. Jon briefly approaches him, and he tells Jon that Ygritte loved him.
Brienne of Tarth		Gwendoline Christie	4, 5	2, 3	21	Alive
Gwendoline Christie A former member of Renly Baratheon's Kingsguard. She is a highly trained and skilled warrior made dangerous by the fact that men underestimate her. She is considered ugly because she is abnormally large in height and build, androgynous, and stronger than most men. She wishes to prove her valor in a worthy cause to win respect and acceptance. She becomes infatuated with Renly after he shows her kindness and courtesy, and she wins a place in his Kingsguard after winning a tournament melee against Ser Loras. Renly trusts Brienne because of her loyalty and her willingness to die for him. She is present at Renly's death and is falsely accused of his murder. She flees with Catelyn Stark and enters her service. Later Catelyn decides to release Jaime Lannister in exchange for her daughters Sansa and Arya, Brienne is sent to protect Jaime on the journey and to escort the Stark girls back. On the journey back to King's Landing, both are captured by the violent Roose Bolton, who holds them at Harrenhal. While there, Brienne learns the truth behind Jaime's murder of the Mad King, but is forced to stay behind while Bolton's men accompany Jaime back to King's Landing, although Jaime rescues Brienne from Harrenhal upon learning that Bolton's unruly henchman, Locke, intends to feed her to his bear. Brienne succeeds in getting Jaime home safely. In Season 4, Brienne remains in King's Landing sworn to Jaime, and tensions arise between them again when Jaime refuses to uphold his promise to return Arya and Sansa to Catelyn, on the basis that Catelyn is dead, Arya is missing and Sansa is married to Tyrion. Brienne is later present and Joffrey and Margaery's wedding, where Cersei implies that Brienne has fallen in love with Jaime, an accusation she answers with silence. Brienne is eventually sent on a mission by Jaime to find and protect Sansa. Jaime provides her with Joffrey's sword, which she names "Oathkeeper", new armour and Podrick Payne to serve as her new squire. As she leaves, she almost breaks down in tears, and looks back at Jaime while on her horse, which causes Jaime to realise her feelings for him. On the way, Brienne and Podrick stop at an inn and meet Hot Pie, who tells them that Arya Stark may still be alive. They eventually find Arya and Sandor "The Hound" Clegane near the Vale. Brienne and Arya initially bond over both being women who prefer to fight, but her sword causes Arya and Sandor to believe she may be a Lannister agent after the bounty on Sandor's head. A fight ensues between Brienne and Sandor, in which Sandor injures Brienne, but Brienne manages to bite Sandor's ear off and kick him off a cliff to his apparent death. Arya disappears during the fight, and Brienne and Podrick set out to search for her.
Ramsay Bolton		Iwan Rheon	4, 5	3	9	Alive
Iwan Rheon The illegitimate son of Roose Bolton, Ramsay is cruel, sadistic and very cunning. After the Ironborn captures Winterfell, he marches on the castle's token garrison and offers it safe passage for surrender; after the gates are opened, he captures Theon and flays the other defenders. At the Dreadfort, Theon is put through gruesome physical and psychological torture on Ramsay's instigation, though he himself watches in guise of a cleaning boy. He helps Theon Greyjoy escape from captivity, claiming to be a servant of Theon's sister, Yara, and promises to help him reach her, but ends up only leading Theon back to his original place of imprisonment to taunt him further. He tortures Theon by flaying his fingers and forces him to beg to have them cut off. He ultimately castrates him and has his manhood sent in a box to the Iron Islands to press Balon to evacuate the North, suggesting he could dismember Theon slowly and send him home in boxes if his demands are not met. He forces Theon to become his new servant, who is now called Reek, and beats him until he accepts the name. In Season 4, Ramsay along with his now slave servant, Reek, hunt down a servant girl named Tansy. Ramsay hunts her for sport and in the end feeds her to his dogs (bastards girls). Ramsay has followed his father in pledging loyalty to the Lannisters, and remains Acting Lord of the Dreadfort until Roose and his men arrive (having been smuggled back into the North to avoid the Ironborn). Ramsay warmly greets his father, new stepmother "Fat" Walda Frey, and friend Locke. Roose enlists his son in his plans to reconquer the North from the invading Ironborn - his father assigns Ramsay, "Reek" and what men Ramsay has to capture Moat Cailin from the Ironborn, in exchange for Roose considering legitimizing Ramsay as a full member of his family, a prospect that delights Ramsay. When Yara and some Ironborn killers attack the Dreadfort and attempt to take Theon, Ramsay confronts her in the dungeons and sets the hounds on her, forcing her to flee without Theon, who refused to go with her believing it was another trick of Ramsay's, and too broken and frightened to take the risk. As a reward for Theon's loyalty, Ramsay gives him a bath, bathing Theon himself, and asks for his help in taking Moat Cailin. Ramsay sends Reek into Moat Cailin with a peace banner and a letter promising safe passage to the Stoney Shore. Reek pretends to be his former self, Theon Greyjoy, and convinces the ironborn to surrender. Ramsay breaks his promise and flays the Ironborn living and displays their bodies on stakes. As a reward, Ramsay is legitimized by his father and takes the name, Ramsay Bolton. Ramsay and the rest of the Bolton forces then march on towards Winterfell.
Varys	/ˈvɛəɹɪs/	Conleth Hill	2, 3, 4, 5	1	24	Alive
Lord Varys, known as "The Spider", a eunuch and the Master of Whisperers, is the royal spymaster and was a member of King Robert's Small Council. He was a mummer for Aerys II before becoming his advisor. Nothing happens in Westeros without his knowledge. His true loyalties remain a mystery, though he claims to serve "the realm", and abhors the suffering and political instability brought by the war. After Littlefinger's confidante Roz is severely beaten by Joffrey's guards and he fails to intervene, Varys takes her into his service as a spy. Littlefinger finds out and has her killed, taunting Varys that he couldn't protect her. Varys affirms his course as a means to prevent chaos befalling the realm, claiming that Littlefinger "would see the Seven Kingdoms burn, if he could be king over the ashes." Varys later informs Tyrion that Cersei has discovered his relationship with Shae. Though he claims he will not lie for him, he implores Tyrion to send Shae away for her own safety. Varys later testifies against Tyrion at his trial for murdering Joffrey, but when Tyrion is convicted, Jaime enlists Varys's help in smuggling Tyrion out of King's Landing to Essos. As Varys prepares to go back, he hears the tolling bells, making him realise that Tyrion's escape has been discovered (along with his murder of Tywin), so he stays on the boat with Tyrion.
Bronn		Jerome Flynn	2, 3, 4, 5	1	20	Alive
Jerome Flynn Bronn is a sell-sword with a sardonic sense of humor. He initially serves under Catelyn Stark and aids her in arresting Tyrion Lannister and taking him to the Vale to stand trial for the murder of Jon Arryn and attempted murder of Bran Stark. During the trial, Bronn realises that Tyrion will most likely be executed by the insane Robin Arryn despite the impossibility of his guilt, and volunteers to fight for Tyrion when he demands a trial by combat. Bronn defeats Lysa Arryn's champion and becomes Tyrion's companion and protector, accompanying him back to King's Landing. After they arrive, Bronn's service to Tyrion earns him a position as Commander of the City Watch after Janos Slynt is revealed to be accepting bribes from the Lannisters. When Stannis Baratheon attacks the city by sailing up the Blackwater Bay, he shoots a fire arrow to a ship containing wild fire which destroys half of Stannis' fleet, and kills several of the attackers in defence of the city. However, Bronn is stripped of his position after Tywin Lannister takes his seat as Hand of The King, but is knighted taking the name Ser Bronn of Blackwater for his service. He subsequently demands more gold for protecting Lord Tyrion and remains his confidante, though discord is increasing between the two. When Tyrion is forced to marry Sansa Stark, Bronn claims he desires her sexually, which Tyrion takes as a grave insult. In Season 4, Tyrion pays him to train Jaime Lannister in fencing with his left hand, as well as get Shae out of King's Landing, which he assures was completed. Bronn later implores Jaime to visit and help Tyrion after he is accused of murdering Joffrey, telling Jaime that Tyrion originally named him as his defender while on trial in the Vale before Bronn volunteered. Bronn is later betrothed to a rich woman by Cersei in order to stop Tyrion from naming him as his champion. Bronn visits Tyrion in his cell to inform him, and tells him that he most likely would not have been prepared to fight Ser Gregor Clegane, Cersei's champion, anyway. He bids Tyrion farewell and they part ways as friends.
Jorah Mormont	/ˈdʒɔɹə ˈmɔ(ɹ)mɒnt/	Iain Glen	1, 2, 3, 4, 5	–	31	Alive
Iain Glen Ser Jorah Mormont is an exiled knight in the service of Daenerys Targaryen and the son of Jeor Mormont of the Night's Watch. To fund his wife's extravagant lifestyle, he sold poachers on his land to slave traders, which is illegal in the Seven Kingdoms. Rather than face punishment by Lord Stark, he fled to Essos and learned the lifestyle of the Dothraki who embrace him as one of their own and know him as "Jorah The Andal". Jorah serves as an adviser to the Targaryens on both political and cultural matters of both the Seven Kingdoms and Essos. Jorah is actually spying on the Targaryens for Lord Varys in exchange for a pardon on his crimes. But after learning more about Daenerys, Jorah falls in love with her and decides to protect and help her regain the Iron Throne. After she is widowed, he remains with her and becomes the first knight of her Queensguard. He serves Daenerys as an adviser throughout Season 2 and tries to help her claim her birthright as queen of the Seven Kingdoms. In Season 3, he plays an important part in the capture of Yunkai, together with Unsullied commander Grey Worm and Daario Naharis, Lieutenant and leader of the Second Sons. Led by Daario, the trio infiltrates the city and kills a number of Yunkish guards to open a gate, ensuring the capture of Yunkai. Jorah later assists Daenerys and her army in conquering Meereen, and later informs her of Joffrey's death, but at the same time dissuades her from invading King's Landing, since she is not strong enough to take all of Westeros yet. When Daenerys appears to begin a romantic relationship with Daario, Jorah voices his disapproval. Daenerys eventually discovers that Jorah's original mission was to spy on her for Robert Baratheon, which led to her and her unborn son almost being killed by the wine merchant in Vaes Dothrak, and exiles him from Meereen on the threat of death. Jorah subsequently departs alone.
Gendry	/ˈɡɛndɹi/	Joe Dempsie	3, 5	1, 2	17	Alive
Joe Dempsie Gendry is an apprentice blacksmith in King's Landing and an unacknowledged bastard of King Robert. During Season 1, Eddard tells the smith that if Gendry ever shows interest in wielding a sword to send him to Eddard. Gendry shows promise as a smith and makes a helmet in the shape of a bull's head; Eddard compliments the helmet, offering to purchase it. Gendry refuses, to the shame of the master smith. After Eddard Stark's fall and eventual execution, arrangements are made for Yoren of the Night's Watch to take Gendry to the Wall with him; he travels North with Yoren and other recruits, including Arry, Lommy Greenhands, Hot Pie and Jaqen H'ghar. During their journey, they are stopped by the Goldcloaks, who demand that Yoren give up Gendry as King Joffrey wants all of his father's bastards killed but are forced to leave by Yoren. Later, Gendry reveals to Arry that he knows she is a girl disguised as a boy all along and is surprised to learn she is Arya, Ned Stark's daughter. After the Goldcloaks get help from Ser Amory Lorch and his men who kill Yoren, Gendry's life is saved by Arya when she lies to the Goldcloaks that Lommy, who was killed during the attack, was Gendry. Gendry and the rest of recruits are sent to Harrenhal where Ser Gregor Clegane arbitrarily has many of the prisoners tortured and killed. Gendry was about to suffer this fate but is saved by the arrival of Lord Tywin Lannister, who chides Clegane's men for their reckless behavior. Thanks to Jaqen, Arya, Gendry and Hot Pie are able to escape Harrenhal. As they head towards the Riverlands, the group encounters the Brotherhood Without Banners, a group of Outlaws that defend the weak. Inspired, he decides to join the Brotherhood but is betrayed by them when they sell him to Lady Melisandre as ordered by the Lord of Light. Melisandre later reveals to Gendry that King Robert was his father and she is bringing him to meet his uncle, King Stannis. But in truth, Melisandre and Stannis planned to uses him for her blood magic where Stannis uses his nephew's blood to make a death curse on the usurpers to his throne, Joffrey, Robb, and Balon Greyjoy. Before they can use him as a sacrifice, Davos Seaworth helps Gendry escape and puts him on a boat to King's Landing. Unable to swim or row, Gendry is nevertheless convinced that the Red Woman has a surer death in spare for him, and Davos asks him to "have a bowl'o brown for me" when returning to Flea Bottom.
Tywin Lannister	/ˈtaɪwɨn ˈlænɨstə(ɹ)/	Charles Dance	2, 3, 4	1	25	Deceased
Lord of Casterly Rock, Shield of Lannisport and Warden of the West, Tywin is a calculating, ruthless, and controlling man. He is also the former Hand of King Aerys II. He is the father of Cersei, Jaime, and Tyrion. After Eddard Stark's arrest, Joffrey names him Hand of the King once more, but after Jaime is taken captive by the Starks, Eddard is unexpectedly executed by Joffrey, and Renly and Stannis Baratheon challenge Joffrey's claim to the throne; Tywin elects to remain in the field commanding his forces until he wins his war, and in the meantime gives the position of Hand of the King to Tyrion. Tywin continues the war through Season 2 at Harrenhal where he criticizes his commanders for losing and underestimating the Stark army led by King Robb Stark. While there, he forms an unlikely friendship with his cup bearer, unaware that she is actually Arya Stark. Originally, he was about to attack Robb's forces while they are distracted by the Greyjoys seizing Winterfell, but changes his mind and helps the defenders of King's Landing drive Stannis Baratheon's forces away. He assumes his position of Hand of the King once again and arranges for Joffrey to marry Margaery Tyrell to secure an alliance between the Lannisters and Tyrells. In the third season, as Hand of the King, he fortifies his position as de facto leader of the Seven Kingdoms, and he successfully defeats Robb Stark, the King in the North, by forging an alliance with the lords Frey and Bolton, who betray and kill Stark and his men. The crown subsequently pardons and rewards them with Riverrun and the North, respectively, though Tywin is criticized by Tyrion for winning the war through such an unscrupulous scheme. He also has to deal with an increasingly belligerent Joffrey, who chides his grandfather as a coward who "hid under Casterly Rock" while Robert Baratheon led the rebellion against Aerys Targaryen and secured the throne. Tywin's relations to his children are also complicated as he forces them into marriage alliances with Sansa Stark and Loras Tyrell, to secure the support of the Tyrells and Lannister dominion in the North (now Sansa's heirdom, as all her brothers are presumed dead). In the fourth season, Tywin is present at the royal wedding where Joffrey dies, but it is not made clear if he truly believes in Tyrion's guilt. He has King's Landing closed off to prevent Sansa from escaping (although she escapes with help from Petyr Baelish and Dontos Hollard). He later grooms Joffrey's younger brother, Tommen, to becoming the new King, and appears determined to make sure Tommen becomes a much better King than Joffrey was. In the meantime, Tywin faces his own problem in the form of Prince Oberyn Martell of Dorne, who is also the brother of the late Elia Targaryen, who was raped and butchered by Gregor "The Mountain" Clegane during the end of Robert's Rebellion, which Oberyn suspects was done on Tywin's order. Tywin briefly suspects Oberyn, who previously studied poison chemistry, of having conspired with Tyrion to poison Joffrey as revenge for Elia, but Oberyn denies any involvement, while Tywin claims that he did not order the Mountain to murder Elia. Nevertheless, Tywin promises Oberyn a meeting with the Mountain in exchange for Oberyn serving as one of the judges at Tyrion's trial. At the trial, when several supposed witnesses give false statements regarding Tyrion's supposed guilt, Tywin promises Jaime in private that if Tyrion is found guilty and pleads for mercy, he will exile him to the Night's Watch. However, Tyrion loses his composure, lashes out at Tywin and demands a trial by combat, to Tywin's anger. When Tyrion's champion, Oberyn, loses the fight and is killed, Tywin sentences Tyrion to execution. Later, when Jamie helps Tyrion escape, Tyrion discovers that Tywin was having an affair with Shae, Tyrion's former lover and who falsely testified against him at his trial. Tywin is ambushed by Tyrion while in a privy, wielding Joffrey's crossbow. Tywin attempts to reason with Tyrion, swearing that he would never have had him executed, but at the same time dismissing Shae as a mere prostitute. In his rage, Tyrion shoots Tywin twice in the chest, killing him.
Shae		Sibel Kekilli	2, 3, 4	1	19	Deceased
Sibel Kekilli Shae is a young camp follower in whom Tyrion Lannister takes particular interest. She is from Lorath, one of the Free Cities across the Narrow Sea. Tyrion falls in love with her and in order to hide her from his father, Tyrion appoints Shae to be Sansa's handmaiden. As her handmaiden, Shae is the only person Sansa trusts and confides to her about her problems and what she really thinks about the Lannisters. In turn, Shae becomes protective of Sansa and attempts to help her in any way she can. In Season 3, she becomes jealous of Tyrion after his marriage to Sansa and is confronted by Varys, who urges her to leave the Seven Kingdoms, which she refuses to do, thinking that Tyrion has something to do with Varys talking to her. In Season 4, Tyrion is forced to send Shae away from King's Landing on a ship after her presence is discovered by Cersei and his father is told. Shae, however, does not leave King's Landing, and resurfaces at Tyrion's trial for murdering Joffrey, where she falsely claims that both Tyrion and Sansa were responsible for Joffrey's death. It is revealed, however, that Shae was having an affair with Tywin. After Tyrion is freed by Jaime, he finds Shae sleeping naked in Tywin's bed, making him realise the horrible truth. Shae attempts to kill Tyrion with a knife, but he strangles her to death.
Ygritte		Rose Leslie	3, 4	2	16	Deceased
Rose Leslie A Wildling girl with red hair ("kissed by fire", a sign of luck among the Wildlings) and a follower of Mance Rayder. In Season 2, she is captured in the Skirling Pass by Jon Snow and Qhorin Halfhand. She manages to escape, but is recaptured by Jon, separating him from his brothers in the process. Later she leads him into Rattleshirt's ambush. After this they lead Jon to Mance Rayder's wildling camp, where he pretends to defect to the Wildlings to discover their plans. She then travels with him to the wall, and during this journey she seduces him. However, when confronted with killing an innocent horse farmer for the watch who scaled the wall, Jon escapes the wildling's clutches on horseback. But while resting, Ygritte manages to catch up with Jon at which point she confesses her love for him and then, blinded by tears, shoots him multiple times while he escapes towards the wall. In Season 4, Ygritte starts raiding villages south of the wall with her group, clearly thirsting for vengeance against Jon, although Tormund suspects she let him go. When the wildlings attack Mole's Town, Ygritte slaughters all the women present, but notices Gilly hiding with her baby son, and spares her life. When the wildlings finally reach Castle Black and attack, Ygritte kills many Night's Watch brothers with her archery skills, among them Pyp. When confronted by Jon, however, she cannot bring herself to shoot him, and is shot in the back by Olly, a boy whose father Ygritte previously killed. Ygritte subsequently dies in Jon's arms, and her body is later burned by Jon himself.
Joffrey Baratheon	/ˈdʒɒfɹɪ bəˈɹæθɪən/	Jack Gleeson	1, 2, 3, 4	–	26	Deceased
Jack Gleeson Joffrey Baratheon is the Crown Prince of the Seven Kingdoms. He is the eldest of Cersei Lannister's children and heir to the Iron Throne. Vicious and cruel, he has a short temper and believes he can do anything he wants. He is also a coward when confronted by those who aren't afraid of him. Joffrey is also unaware that King Robert is not his real father - who, in reality, is Jaime Lannister. After Robert's death, the Lannisters make Joffrey the King against his father's will, and Joffrey becomes a cruel ruler and a Puppet King used by his mother. Joffrey makes a mistake when, against Cersei's and Sansa's wishes, he refuses to honor his promise of sparing Ned; instead, Joffrey has him executed. His act worsens the situation with the Lannisters' war effort as Jaime is captured by the Starks and his uncles Renly and Stannis have challenged his claim to the Iron Throne. He frequently orders his Kingsguard to beat Sansa. His cruelty and ignorance of the commoners' suffering makes him unpopular after he orders the City Watch to kill all of his father's bastard children in King's Landing which would later lead to a riot where he is almost killed. When Stannis attacks King's Landing, Joffrey serves only as a figurehead and avoids the heavy fighting. When the battle eventually turns in Stannis' favor, Cersei calls her son into the safety of the castle, damaging the morale of his army. The battle is only won by his grandfather Tywin and the forces of House Tyrell. To cement the alliance between their families, Joffrey's engagement to Sansa is annulled so he can marry Margaery Tyrell. Upon the end of Season 3, the marriage is yet to take place, and rifts are growing between Joffrey and his uncle and grandfather, who are (in their respective ways) rebutting his cruelty. He also seems to take little interest in his bride, but is amazed and altered by her ways of winning the people's favor, in which he takes part. In Season 4, Joffrey finally marries Margaery, but he dies at the wedding after being poisoned, and his uncle Tyrion is accused and arrested. It is confirmed, however, he was poisoned by Olenna Tyrell, with assistance from Petyr Baelish and Dontos Hollard, as she wanted to protect Margaery Tyrell from the abuse Joffrey very clearly inflicted on Sansa.
Catelyn Stark	/ˈkætlɨn ˈstɑ(ɹ)k/	Michelle Fairley	1, 2, 3	–	25	Deceased
Michelle Fairley Catelyn Stark, Lady of Winterfell, is the wife of Lord Eddard Stark. Born to the Lord and Lady of the Riverlands, she is the elder sister of Lysa Arryn, Lady of the Vale and Mistress of the Eyrie. After deducing that the Lannisters are responsible for the attempt on Bran Stark's life, she travels to King's Landing to warn Ned, and on her return trip has a chance encounter with Tyrion Lannister. Since Catelyn does not know about Tyrion's complete innocence, she decides to take him captive because she believes that he is behind the attempt on her son's life. She takes him to her sister, Lysa Arryn, so that he can be brought to justice but is not successful, as Tyrion is found innocent after a trial by combat. After her husband is arrested and her eldest son Robb goes to war for his release, she joins her son's war council. Upon learning that her husband was executed by orders of King Joffrey, she vows to her son Robb that the Lannister family will pay with their lives. Throughout Season 2, she aids her son Robb in the rebellion by advising him and attempting to broker alliances. While trying to form an alliance with Renly Baratheon, another claimant to the Iron Throne, she takes Brienne of Tarth into her service as an armswoman after Renly's assassination. She frees Jaime Lannister, a valuable hostage to the Starks, in an attempt to exchange him for her captive daughters. Robb, feeling betrayed by what his mother has done, puts her under house arrest. Catelyn travels north with her son to her father's funeral at her childhood home of Riverrun. She is killed in the Red Wedding Massacre after her desperate (and futile) pleas to the Freys to spare her son, threatening to slit Lady Frey's throat if Robb dies. She keeps her promise, and is herself killed moments later when "Black" Walder Frey cuts her throat to the bone. In Season 4, it is stated that her body was thrown into the river after the massacre.
Robb Stark	/ˈɹɒb ˈstɑ(ɹ)k/	Richard Madden	1, 2, 3	–	21	Deceased
Richard Madden Robb Stark is the eldest son of Eddard and Catelyn Stark and the heir to Winterfell. His dire wolf is called Grey Wind. Robb becomes involved in the war against the Lannisters after his father, Ned Stark, is arrested for treason. Robb summons his bannermen for war against House Lannister and marches to the Riverlands. Eventually, crossing the river at the Twins becomes strategically necessary. To win permission to cross, Robb agrees to marry a daughter of Walder Frey, Lord of the Twins. Robb leads the war effort against the Lannisters and successfully captures Jaime. After Ned is executed, the North and the Riverlands declare their independence from the Seven Kingdoms and proclaim Robb as their new King, "The King in The North". He wins a succession of battles in Season 2, earning him the nickname the Young Wolf. However, he feels that he botched the political aspects of war. He sends Theon to the Iron Islands hoping that he can broker an alliance with Balon Greyjoy, Theon's father. In exchange for Greyjoy support, Robb as King in the North will recognize the Iron Islands' independence. He also sends his mother Catelyn to deal with Stannis Baratheon and Renly Baratheon, both of whom are fighting to be the rightful king. Theon and Catelyn fail in their missions, and Balon launches an invasion of the North. Robb falls in love with Talisa Maegyr, a healer from Volantis due to her kindness and spirit. Despite his mother's protest, Robb breaks his engagement with the Freys and marries Talisa in the 2nd season finale. On news of his grandfather, Lord Hoster Tully's, death, Robb and his party travel north to Riverrun for the funeral, where the young king is reunited with his great-uncle, Brynden Blackfish, and his uncle, Edmure Tully, the new lord of Riverrun. While at Riverrun, Robb makes the decision to execute Lord Rickard Karstark for the murders of two teenage squires related to the Lannisters, a decision that loses the support of the Karstarks and leads Robb to make the ultimately fatal decision to ask the Freys for their alliance. He is killed in the Red Wedding Massacre, after witnessing the murder of his pregnant wife and their child. Lord Bolton personally executes Robb, stabbing him through the heart while taunting that "the Lannisters send their regards", in fact a promise made to Jaime (who had no knowledge of Bolton's impending treason) when leaving for the Twins. His corpse is later decapitated and Grey Wind's head is sewn on and displayed to the Stark army in order to lose them their morale in their battle against the Freys and Boltons.
Talisa Stark		Oona Chaplin	3	2	11	Deceased
Oona Chaplin Talisa is a healer working on the battlefields of the War of the Five Kings. She claims to be from the Free City of Volantis. No character named Talisa appears in the books. Oona Chaplin was originally announced to play a character called Jeyne, which many thought to mean she would play Jeyne Westerling, a character from the books. Talisa follows Robb Stark's army camp as it moves. One day as they talk they are interrupted by news that Catelyn has released Robb's key prisoner Jaime Lannister. Talisa later goes to comfort Robb. After she reveals more of her past to him, they admit their shared feelings for one another and sleep together. Talisa and Robb marry in secret before a septon. She later reveals that she is pregnant, although she and her unborn child are stabbed dead by Lothar Frey in the Red Wedding Massacre, the first in the hall to be attacked.
Jeor Mormont	/ˈdʒɪɔ(ɹ) ˈmɔ(ɹ)mɒnt/	James Cosmo	2, 3	1	12	Deceased
James Cosmo Jeor Mormont, the 997th Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, is the estranged father of Ser Jorah. He gave up his lands to serve the Night's Watch. His son's shaming of their house weighs heavily on him. He personally requests that Jon Snow be made his personal steward, and gives him the Hand-and-a-Half sword (also known as a bastard sword) of their house, Longclaw. He has the pommel reshaped into a wolf's head. To investigate the return of wights, the disappearance of several Rangers, and rumors of a wildling army, Jeor leads an expeditionary force beyond the Wall in Season 2. In Season 3, after returning to Craster's Keep, he is slain by Rast in the ensuing mutiny, but manages to strangle him briefly before succumbing to his wounds. His death ignites Maester Aemon's call for the lords of Westeros to aid the Night's Watch, which convinces Stannis Baratheon the time is ripe to fight the onslaught of the White Walkers. His corpse is apparently desecrated afterwards, as in season 4, Karl Tanner is shown drinking wine from a skull he claims is Jeor's.
Eddard Stark	/ˈɛdɑ(ɹ)d ˈstɑ(ɹ)k/	Sean Bean	1	-	10	Deceased
Eddard "Ned" Stark, Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North, becomes the Hand of the King after Lord Jon Arryn's death. He is known for his sense of honor and justice. He took part in Robert's Rebellion after his sister Lyanna was kidnapped by Crown Prince Rhaegar Targaryen. When Ned's father and brother went south to reclaim her, the "Mad King" Aerys Targaryen burned both of them alive. Ned and Robert Baratheon led the rebellion to unseat him from the throne. As the show opens, Ned has been content to remain in the north, but after the death of Lord Jon Arryn, he is convinced that it is his duty to accept the position of Hand of the King. Ned is not interested in politics, and prefers to rule with honor and follow the law. While investigating the reason for the death of Jon Arryn, he discovers that all three of Robert's children with Queen Cersei were fathered by Cersei's twin brother Jaime. When Ned confronts Cersei about the truth, she has him imprisoned for treason after he publicly denounces Joffrey. Ned is convinced by Varys that if he goes to his death honorably, as he is prepared to do, his daughters will suffer for it. To protect them, he sacrifices his honor and publicly declares that he was plotting to steal the throne and that Joffrey is the true king. Despite Cersei's promise that Ned would be allowed to join the Night's Watch in exile, Joffrey orders Ned's execution for his own amusement and later torments Sansa by forcing her to look at her father's head. His bones are later returned to Catelyn in the Stormlands by Petyr Baelish, who laments Ned's downfall and that he was too honorable to seize power through force, rather insisting the throne pass to Lord Stannis. Baelish's preferred course of action, revealed only to Ned, had been to seize Cersei and her children first and rule in Joffrey's name as Regent and Lord Protector.
Robert Baratheon	/ˈɹɒbə(ɹ)t bəˈɹæθɪən/	Mark Addy	1	–	7	Deceased
Mark Addy Robert Baratheon, formerly a fierce warrior, became King of the Seven Kingdoms after leading a rebellion against Aerys II Targaryen. He was betrothed to Ned Stark's sister Lyanna and loved her deeply, and she was kidnapped by Rhaegar Targaryen. Her father and another brother were killed when they went to King's Landing to reclaim her, which resulted in Robert and Ned Stark's revolt known as Robert's Rebellion, whereupon the Targaryens were all slaughtered or routed from the Kingdoms. Since Robert's family had closer ties to the former Royal family, this put Robert on the Iron Throne. Now, Robert has grown fat and miserable; he has no more wars to fight, is surrounded by plotters and sycophants, and trapped in a political marriage to the scheming Cersei Lannister, who he has never loved. He is unaware that none of his three children are his, but instead Jaime Lannister's. Under his reign, the realm has been bankrupted, and Robert is deeply in debt to his wife's family. Killed while hunting, he unknowingly leaves no rightful heir behind. His bastards are ordered dead by Joffrey, many of which are killed, and Gendry is subsequently forced to flee the capital.
Viserys Targaryen	/vɪˈsɛəɹɨs tɑ(ɹ)ˈɡɛəriən/	Harry Lloyd	1	–	5	Deceased
Harry Lloyd Viserys Targaryen is the exiled prince and heir of the Targaryen dynasty. Known as "The Beggar King" for his search for an army to recapture his throne. A narcissist, he is arrogant and self-centered, caring only about himself and looking down on others especially to his sister Daenerys. In exchange for an army to help regain the Iron Throne, Viserys marries off his sister to the powerful Dothraki warlord Khal Drogo and follows his horde's journey to the Dothraki capital to ensure Drogo will keep his end of the bargain. But as they journey, it becomes evident that Viserys does not have leadership skills to reclaim the throne as his arrogance and disrespect for the Dothraki does not win him any hearts. Furthermore, Daenerys, who he has always threatened throughout his life, starts to stand up to him. Realizing that Daenerys is loved by the Dothraki and her and Drogo's unborn son is prophesized to unite the world, Viserys realizes that it is not he but Daenerys who will reclaim the Iron Throne. In a fit of drunken rage, he threatens Drogo to give him his army now or he will kill his unborn son. Having enough of his behavior, Drogo kills Viserys by giving him a "Golden Crown"; molten gold poured over his head. Daenerys listlessly watches her brother's agonizing death, proclaiming that he wasn't a true dragon, as "fire cannot kill a dragon". Daenerys later names one of her dragons Viserion, as a tribute to Viserys.
Khal Drogo	[ˈxæl 'dɹoʊɡoʊ]	Jason Momoa	1	2	10	Deceased
Jason Momoa Khal Drogo is a warlord of the Dothraki people. He is to marry Daenerys Targaryen, as arranged by her brother Viserys. He is undefeated in battle. Viserys Targaryen conspired with Magister Illyrio to marry Daenerys to Drogo in order to get his support in an invasion of Westeros. Though Daenerys was initially unhappy with the arrangement, Drogo proved to be a sensitive husband and lover despite his fearsome behavior with his men. After a failed poisoning attempt on Daenerys' life, he promised to invade Westeros to reclaim the Seven Kingdoms for the Targaryens, but Viserys's impertinence ultimately caused Drogo to kill him. Drogo maintained his promise for the benefit of his wife, but was wounded by an enemy khal before he could begin the invasion. The wound festered and Drogo lost the ability to ride his horse. Most of his khalasar of Dothraki abandoned him, but Daenerys unwittingly sacrificed their unborn child for a spell to revive him. The spell worked, but left him a brain-dead husk of his former self. Daenerys smothered him out of pity, and the flames of his funeral pyre ultimately hatched her dragon eggs. She named her favorite dragon after him—the powerful black Drogon.

Supporting characters

House Arryn, retainers and bannermen

Name	Pronunciation	Actor/Actress	Season(s)	Episode count	Status
Robin Arryn		Lino Facioli	1, 4	6	Alive
Robin Arryn, Lord of the Eyrie and Defender of the Vale, is the only child of Jon and Lysa Arryn and a sickly boy doted on by his mother. He is still breastfed despite being well into pre-adolescence, and is mentally and socially maladjusted. He enjoys seeing people executed by defenestration, whether they are guilty or not (of note, Robin seems to enjoy seeing anything fall through the moon door, since the first thing he does when Petyr Baelish brings him a toy is to gleefully throw it through the moon door). In Season 1, he is present at Tyrion Lannister's trial, but shows little to no interest in the details and continuously begs his mother to make the "little Lannister baby-man" fly, which would mean Tyrion being executed, although Tyrion is acquitted. In Season 4, he greets Petyr "Littlefinger" Baelish as "Uncle Petyr" and meets his cousin, Sansa Stark, for the first time. Lysa later mentions in conversation that Robin and Sansa are to be betrothed. However, tensions arise between them when Robin ruins Sansa's snow castle of Winterfell and Sansa slaps Robin in retaliation. After Lysa is killed, Petyr and Sansa apparently begin making plans to kill Robin.
Anya Waynwood		Paola Dionisotti	4	1	Alive
Lady Anya Waynwood is the head of House Waynwood, a powerful vassal house of House Arryn. She suspects Petyr Baelish of murdering Lysa Arryn, but the death is ruled a suicide.
Yohn Royce		Rupert Vansittart	4	1	Alive
Yohn Royce, known as "Bronze Yohn", is the head of House Royce of Runestone, a powerful vassal house of House Arryn. Like Lady Waynwood, he suspects Petyr Baelish of having murdered Lysa Arryn, but her death is eventually ruled a suicide.
Lysa Arryn (née Tully)	/ˈlaɪsə ˈɛəɹɪn/ (/ˈtʌlɪ/)	Kate Dickie	1, 4	5	Deceased
Kate Dickie Lysa Arryn, currently Mistress of the Eyrie, is the wife of the late Lord Jon Arryn. Born to the Lord and Lady of the Riverlands, she is the younger sister of Catelyn Stark, Lady of Winterfell. She has grown mentally unstable since the death of her husband, and is convinced that as long as she stays boarded up in the Eyrie she will be safe. Justice for her husband rarely crosses her mind, unless exacting it doesn't mean bestirring herself or her guards from her castle. She is also overly protective of her son, Robin Arryn, which has made him a weak and spoiled child. In season 1, Lysa sends Catelyn a letter suggesting that the Lannisters were responsible for the death of Jon Arryn, which prompts Catelyn to investigate. Tyrion Lannister is later taken before Lysa to face justice for attempting to murder Bran Stark. Though Tyrion is innocent, Lysa appears uninterested in the details and even accuses him of murdering Jon. Lysa loses when Tyrion demands a trial by combat and Tyrion's champion, Bronn, wins. She later receives word that Robb Stark is marching on King's Landing to rescue Ned Stark, who has been wrongfully imprisoned, but fails to tell Catelyn. Catelyn confronts her and pleads for help, but Lysa refuses to provide Catelyn with more men, since her only concern is Robin's safety. By season 3, the Vale has remained untouched by the war, and she is betrothed to Littlefinger, who travels to the Vale to marry her. In season 4, it is revealed that Lysa and Littlefinger have been having an affair for quite some time, and are the ones responsible for poisoning Jon Arryn and (though indirectly) Joffrey Baratheon. When Littlefinger returns from King's Landing with Sansa Stark, Lysa greets her niece warmly and insists on marrying Littlefinger that same day. Later, however, Lysa accuses Sansa of seducing Littlefinger, but when Sansa insists that she did not, Lysa immediately calms down and tells Sansa that she is to marry Robin. However, Lysa catches Petyr kissing Sansa and angrily confronts Sansa about it, threatening to push her through the moon door, but Petyr intervenes and pacifies Lysa, before telling her that the one woman he only truly ever loved was Catelyn, and pushing her through the moon door to her death. Her death is ruled a suicide thanks to lies by Petyr and Sansa.

House Baratheon, retainers and bannermen

Name	Pronunciation	Actor/Actress	Season(s)	Episode count	Status
Selyse Baratheon		Sarah McKeever (uncredited) (Season 2) Tara Fitzgerald (Season 3, 4)	2, 3, 4	5	Alive
Selyse Baratheon (née Florent) is the wife of Stannis Baratheon who is kept locked in a tower on Dragonstone. She married Stannis sometime before the events of the series. Selyse is a fervent worshiper of R'hllor and a supporter of Melisandre. She keeps the corpses of her stillborn sons in jars in her chambers, seemingly even to her lord husband's disgust. She later accompanies her husband to the Wall.
Shireen Baratheon		Kerry Ingram	3, 4	5	Alive
Shireen is the young daughter of Stannis Baratheon and Selyse Florent. Her face is disfigured by the disease Greyscale, but she is not yet crippled by it. She is a friend of Davos Seaworth and visits him during his captivity at Dragonstone with books, convincing him to teach himself to read, which he does. Though she does not get on well with Melisandre and has a bleak relationship with her mother, she shares a strong bond with her father, who loves her dearly. She later accompanies her father to the Wall.
Salladhor Saan		Lucian Msamati	2, 3, 4	3	Alive
Lucian Msamati The Prince of the Narrow Sea, Salladhor is a notorious pirate, trader, and smuggler from Lys. An old friend of Davos, he now sails for Stannis Baratheon on his ship, the Valyrian and his fleet of thirty ships. He has little patience for those that worship R'hollor - Melisandre's God - since he has traveled the world and seen many gods and has come to the conclusion the only true god is between a woman's legs. He agrees to work with Stannis after Davos promises him and his pirates they will be paid in gold and plunder from King's Landing. Salladhor even goes as far as to request the chance to rape Cersei Lannister after the battle, but Davos refuses, unsure if Cersei will be alive at the time. After the Battle of the Blackwater, he finds Davos stranded on a rock and rescues him, but considers his allegiance broken and departs from Stannis' cause after dropping Davos off at Dragonstone, warning him that the Red Woman will pose a threat to him. In season 4, Davos tracks him in Braavos, and offers him gold in exchange for his help in gathering a new army to help them aid the Night's Watch.
Renly Baratheon	/ˈɹɛnli bəˈɹæθɪən/	Gethin Anthony	1, 2	8	Deceased
Renly Baratheon, Lord of Storm's End, is the youngest brother of King Robert and Master of Laws in the Small Council. He is popular with the people because he is handsome, jovial, and throws extravagant balls and masquerades. He is not fond of fighting or bloodshed, and would rather make friends than kill enemies. He is secretly the lover of Ser Loras Tyrell, the Knight of the Flowers, who convinces him that those qualities make him better ruling material than either of his older brothers. While Robert lies dying, Renly attempts to convince Ned of this, and that the two of them should kidnap Joffrey and rule the realm themselves. However, Ned refuses, so Renly, Loras, and their followers flee south. Once Joffrey becomes King and has Ned executed, Renly challenges his nephew's claim to the throne. Renly declares himself King of the Seven Kingdoms during Season 2 and wins the support of the Baratheon bannermen and the support of other houses, despite Stannis' better claim. He also seals an alliance with the powerful House Tyrell and its bannermen (including Randyll Tarly, father of Samwell Tarly) by marrying Margaery Tyrell. He leads his massive army slowly through southern Westeros, biding his time. Catelyn Stark tries to convince Renly and Stannis to put aside their differences and unite against the Lannisters but it fails as both brothers refuses to give their claim for the throne. On the night before a battle between his and Stannis' forces, Renly agrees to Catelyn to allow the North and Riverlands be an independent kingdom if they allied with him. However, Renly is assassinated by Melisandre, who gives birth to a shadow demon and sends it to kill Renly in order to remove him from Stannis' path.
Matthos Seaworth		Kerr Logan	2	4	Deceased
Davos' son and second-in-command on his father's ship, Black Betha. Matthos is a devout follower of the Lord of Light and continually tries to convince his father to convert. During the Battle of Blackwater, the Black Betha is caught in a wildfire explosion, killing Matthos.
Maester Cressen		Oliver Ford-Davies	2	1	Deceased
Cressen is the aged Maester of Dragonstone, and skeptical of Melisandre's predictions and the ambitions she has instilled in Lord Stannis to proclaim himself king, claiming "since that boar killed his brother, every lord wants a coronation". He is disgusted when Melisandre sets idols of the Seven gods on fire in the name of her god - R'hollor. He dies in a suicidal attempt to kill Melisandre, offering to share a poisoned cup of wine that didn't affect her, yet killed him.

House Bolton, retainers and bannermen

Name	Pronunciation	Actor/Actress	Season(s)	Episode count	Status
Roose Bolton		Michael McElhatton	2, 3, 4	13	Alive
A Bannerman of the North and Lord of the Dreadfort. The Bolton family have a nasty history of keeping to very old, and barbaric ways, including flaying their enemies alive, and Roose is no exception. His cunning makes him a valuable ally, but his unpredictable nature makes him a dangerous one. In Season 2, Roose has declared for the King in the North and serves as a chief member of Robb Stark's war council. In secret, Roose feels the Stark cause is lost due to the fact Robb never once listened or heeded his advice, and so acts to secure Bolton predominance in the North - he sends his bastard son Ramsay to take Winterfell from the Ironborn (for his own amusement, Ramsay burns the castle to the ground and flays the defenders after offering them safe passage), and afterwards claims the Ironborn destroyed the castle and apparently killed Robb's younger brothers Bran and Rickon. In Season 3, Roose works with Walder Frey at Tywin Lannister's request to betray the Starks at Edmure Tully's wedding at the Twins. The ambush results in the destruction of the Stark forces by Bolton and Frey men, and deaths of all three Starks and Northern lords present in Walder Frey's hall - Roose personally kills the King in the North with a single stab through the heart, chiding that "the Lannisters send their regards". For his loyalty he is named Warden of the North by the crown (although Tywin Lannister intends to reclaim the title by marrying his son Tyrion to Sansa Stark, the presumed heir to Winterfell). In Season 4, Roose and his men return to the North where he plans to reconquer his new lands from the invading Ironborn, while ordering his man-at-arms, Locke, to hunt down and kill the remaining Stark boys and Jon Snow (although Locke is killed by Bran Stark in the attempt). With help from Ramsay and Theon Greyjoy, Roose manages to drive the remaining Ironborn out of the Northern lands, and they make their way to Winterfell. Roose Bolton is suspected as not feeling any emotion.
Myranda		Charlotte Hope	3, 4	3	Alive
Myranda is a servant of House Bolton. She's one of Ramsay Snow's bedwarmers and assists in his sadistic schemes.
"Fat" Walda Bolton		Elizabeth Webster	4	1	Alive
Walda Bolton (née Frey) is a granddaughter of Lord Walder Frey. She is the new wife of Roose Bolton, the Lord of the Dreadfort. During the wedding feast of Edmure Tully and Roslin Frey, Lord Bolton recounts to Catelyn Stark and Ser Brynden "Blackfish" Tully how Lord Walder Frey proposed him to marry one of his granddaughters and offered her weight in silver as dowry. Lord Bolton then adds he chose the fattest bride available and she has made him very rich. In Season 4, she arrives at the Dreadfort with her new husband and his men (having been smuggled back into the North to avoid the Ironborn) and is greeted warmly by Ramsay Snow as "mother".
Locke		Noah Taylor	3, 4	8	Deceased
A man-at-arms sworn to House Bolton, and acts as Roose Bolton's personal bounty hunter. He captures Brienne of Tarth and Jaime Lannister who were on they way to King's Landing, Locke later cuts off Jaime's sword-hand on route to Harrenhal and tries to feed Brienne to a bear rather than hold her ransom, further demonstrating his contempt for wealth and nobility. He holds Harrenhal in Roose Bolton's name until former Master of Coin Lord Petyr Baelish is been proclaimed Lord of Harrenhal and the Riverlands. In Season 4, Locke has followed Lord Bolton in pledging loyalty to the Lannisters, and arrives at the Dreadfort with Roose and his men (having been smuggled back into the North to avoid the Ironborn). Locke warmly greets Roose's bastard Ramsay - the two are friends and share mutual interests in flaying and mutilation of their enemies. When Roose learns Bran and Rickon Stark are alive, and may pose a threat to his new title as Warden of the North, he commands Locke to go on a hunt to find the boys, in exchange for a thousand acres of land and a holdfast of his own. Locke eventually arrives at the Wall and becomes acquainted with Jon Snow, Bran and Rickon's half-brother, who he apparently plans to kill as per Ramsay's suggestion. Locke is one of the few who join Jon on his mission to kill the Night's Watch mutineers at Craster's Keep, and in the ensuing battle, he escapes the fray and locates Bran Stark held captive with Jojen Reed, Meera Reed and Hodor. Locke attempts to kidnap Bran and kill him unseen, but Bran uses his warg abilities to enter Hodor's mind, and kills Locke by snapping his neck. His body is brought back to Craster's Keep by Eddison Tollett, and burned along with the rest of the slain.

House Frey, retainers and bannermen

Name	Pronunciation	Actor/Actress	Season(s)	Episode count	Status
Walder Frey	/ˈwɔːldə(ɹ) ˈfɹeɪ/	David Bradley	1, 3	3	Alive
David Bradley Lord Walder Frey, nicknamed the "Late Lord Frey", is the head of House Frey, Lord of the Crossing and bannerman to House Tully. He is known for outliving his many wives (now on his 8th) and siring over 100 children (both bastard and trueborn). Because the use of the Twins became a strategic necessity for Robb's host, Walder was able to negotiate marriage contracts for his children to Robb and Arya Stark. But during Season 2 Robb broke his word and married Lady Talisa. For this slight, and willing to take advantage of the war's changing fortunes, he conspires with Tywin Lannister and Roose Bolton to betray Robb Stark at the wedding of his liege Edmure Tully, which he insists in return for support of his men. Frey hosts the infamous "Red Wedding" at which Robb Stark, his wife and mother are all murdered, refusing to spare Robb even as Catelyn holds Lady Frey hostage and threatens to slit her throat, which she does. He is subsequently granted Riverrun and its lands (though the title Lord Paramount of the Riverlands passes to Harrenhal and House Baelish) and expresses delight to take another young wife, but his house is irredeemably tarnished by the betrayal.
Lothar Frey		Tom Brooke	3	2	Alive
One of Lord Walder Frey's many sons, nicknamed “Lame Lothar” because of his twisted leg. He is one of the first to commence the "Red Wedding", stabbing Talisa Stark in the womb several times and killing her and her unborn child.
"Black" Walder Frey		Tim Plester	3	2	Alive
One of Lord Walder Frey's many sons, known for his hot temper and frightening demeanor. He kills Catelyn Stark at the Red Wedding, after she slits Lady Frey's throat in retaliation for her son's death.

House Greyjoy, retainers and bannermen

Name	Pronunciation	Actor/Actress	Season(s)	Episode count	Status
Balon Greyjoy		Patrick Malahide	2, 3	3	Alive
Lord of the Iron Islands and the father of Theon and Yara. Balon wished to continue the conquering ways of his people, which led him to rebel against the Iron Throne 9 years prior to the start of the series. He lost, and Theon was taken as a ward at Winterfell as a way to keep him from attempting another rebellion. After Theon returns to the Iron Islands with an offer by King Robb Stark for an alliance against the Lannisters, Balon refuses and instead launches beach raids against the Northern Kingdom, proclaiming himself King of the Iron islands. In Season 3 Theon's penis is sent in a box to Balon, threatening to mutilate Theon further unless the Ironmen retreat from the North, which Balon refuses. He states that as Theon defied him by attacking Winterfell, claiming him a "fool" and "not a man anymore", to which Yara responds she intends to save her brother of her own accord.
Yara Greyjoy		Gemma Whelan	2, 3, 4	6	Alive
The daughter of Balon Greyjoy and his wife Alannys, and elder sister of Theon. She is fierce and proud, and defies traditional ironborn gender roles by commanding her own ship, the Black Wind. When her brother Theon takes Winterfell, Yara tries to convince him to go back with her to the Iron Islands, but Theon refuses. In Season 3 Theon's penis is sent in a box to their father, threatening to mutilate Theon further unless the Ironmen retreat from the North, which Balon refuses. Yara intends to save her brother of her own accord, taking one ship and fifty of the best killers on the Iron islands with her. In season 4, Yara and her men attack the Dreadfort, but find that Ramsay Snow has broken Theon so badly that he refuses to leave with her and even insists that his name is Reek. Ramsay and his men confront Yara in the dungeon and a battle ensues in which Ramsay frees the hounds and sets them on Yara, who is forced to flee the Dreadfort without Theon, telling her men that Theon is dead.
Dagmer		Ralph Ineson	2	5	Deceased
Ralph Ineson Dagmer is an Ironborn Raider and Theon Greyjoy's first mate on the Sea Bitch. He helps Theon to take Winterfell. However, Dagmer and the other ironborns betrayed him due to Robb's offer of clemency and safe return to the Iron Islands if they give up Theon. It is revealed in the season three finale that Dagmer and the other ironborns were instead killed by Ramsay Snow and his men.
Lorren		Forbes KB	2	4	Deceased
An infamous Ironborn Raider better known as Black Lorren. He is considered among the fiercest Ironborn Warriors. He is under Theon's command while taking Winterfell but however due to Robb's offer of clemency and safe return to the Iron Islands he and the rest Ironborns betrayed Theon. It is revealed in the season three finale that Lorren and the other ironborns were instead killed by Ramsay Snow and his men.

House Lannister, retainers and bannermen

Name	Pronunciation	Actor/Actress	Season(s)	Episode count	Status
Kevan Lannister		Ian Gelder	1, 2	4	Alive
Lord Tywin's younger brother, Captain of his Guard, Ser Kevan Lannister is a skilled warrior but overshadowed by his brother Tywin. Unlike his older brother, Kevan is very amiable and cares more about the safety of his family members even if it will humiliate the family's honour. He is, however, deeply loyal and obedient to his brother and sits on his war councils in Harrenhal, surmising (correctly) that Robb Stark would not march on Casterly Rock until "at full force".
Lancel Lannister		Eugene Simon	1, 2	8	Alive
Lancel Lannister is the eldest son of Kevan Lannister and cousin of Cersei, Jaime, and Tyrion Lannister. He served as King Robert's squire; in which he is clumsy and incompetent in his duties leading Robert to dislike him intensely. In Season 2, Cersei knights him for his part in Robert's death. When Jaime goes to war, Cersei takes Lancel as a lover because he resembles her brother. Tyrion eventually discovers the affair and blackmails Lancel into spying for him. During an attack on King's Landing, Lancel guards Cersei's son King Joffrey Baratheon and takes a serious wound in the fighting.
Gregor Clegane	/ɡɹəˈɡɔ(ɹ) klɨˈɡeɪn/	Conan Stevens (Season 1) Ian Whyte (Season 2) Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson (Season 4)	1, 2, 4	8	Alive, but mortally wounded
Conan Stevens Ser Gregor Clegane is a huge knight and the elder brother of Sandor Clegane. Called "The Mountain That Rides", he is known for his incredibly cruel nature and uncontrollable temper. His size and strength make him a fearsome warrior, and he has earned a reputation for cruelty and brutality. He is able to wield a two-handed sword one handed. When they were children, Gregor shoved Sandor's face into a brazier, gruesomely scarring him. In Season 1, Tywin Lannister sends him to raid the Riverlands. Beric Dondarrion is sent to arrest Gregor. When war breaks out, Gregor is given command of Tywin's vanguard and left flank and leads his men through intimidation. In Season 2 he is left to command Harrenhal in Tywin's absence and to find and destroy "The Brotherhood Without Banners", invoking the escape of Arya, Gendry and Hot Pie from Harrenhal. He later abandons the castle after slaughtering the prisoners and is defeated by Edmure Tully at the Stone Mill, but manages to escape back to the Westerlands. Robb chides his uncle, having planned to draw the Mountain into a trap of his own making to be captured or killed. In season 4, Gregor is chosen as Cersei's champion for Tyrion's trial by combat, and fights Oberyn Martell, Tyrion's champion who wants to kill Clegane as revenge for the needless murder of his sister, Elia Martell Targaryen. Due to his immense size, Clegane originally has the disadvantage, as Oberyn's speed surpasses his, and sustains several serious injuries, but Oberyn lets his guard down and gives Clegane the chance to kill Oberyn by crushing his skull, while admitting that he did rape Elia, killed her children and enjoyed it, before collapsing from his own injuries. It is revealed, however, that Oberyn's weapon was laced with a fatal poison, and that Clegane is slowly dying. Cersei desperately enlists Qyburn's help to save Clegane.
Polliver		Andy Kellegher	2, 4	3	Deceased
A Lannister man-at-arms who comes into possession of Arya Stark's sword; Needle. He captures Arya - believing her to be a recruit of the Night's Watch called "Arry" and takes her sword which he then uses to kill a crippled Lommy after he asks Polliver to carry him. In Season 4, he inadvertently crosses paths with Arya and Sandor "The Hound" Clegane in an inn in the north. After a brief exchange of insults, a fight breaks out and Polliver's comrades are slain by Clegane. Arya wounds Polliver from behind, retrieves Needle and kills him in exactly the same manner that he killed Lommy.
Alton Lannister		Karl Davies	2	3	Deceased
A cousin of Cersei, Jaime and Tyrion Lannister, and a captive of Robb Stark. In the books there is no character by this name. Here the character Cleos Frey, also a cousin to the Lannisters, has the role of being a captive of House Stark and delivering terms to House Lannister. While held prisoner in the same cell he talks with his cousin Jaime at Stark's camp, he talks about the time he was allowed to prove himself by squiring for Jaime in a tourney, however during this encounter he is killed by Jaime in an attempt to escape.
Amory Lorch		Fintan McKeown	2	4	Deceased
Ser Amory Lorch is a knight and loyal but brutal bannerman of House Lannister. He caught Arya in stealing a parchment containing war orders concerning her brother Robb Stark. She manages to escape him, then finds and hurries the assassin Jaqen H'ghar, to kill Ser Amory to repay the second of the three "lives" he owes her. Before Ser Amory can denounce Arya, he drops dead on the doorstep of Tywin's chambers with a poisoned dart lodged in his neck, as Tywin (who comes to believe the attempt was on his life) raises the alarm. The Mountain subsequently kills a number of Lannister soldiers in his hunt for the culprit, but Jaqen leaves Harrenhal without being captured.

House Martell, retainers and bannermen

Name	Pronunciation	Actor/Actress	Season(s)	Episode count	Status
Ellaria Sand		Indira Varma	4	4	Alive
The sexually promiscuous paramour of Oberyn Martell, she is the mother of the four youngest Sand Snakes. She is later present at Tyrion's trial by combat, where Oberyn fights Gregor Clegane in Tyrion's name, and is horrified when Oberyn is killed.
Oberyn Martell		Pedro Pascal	4	7	Deceased
File:Pedro Pascal in The Miracle at Naples, 2009.jpg Pedro Pascal Prince of Dorne, known as the Red Viper. He is the hot-headed younger brother of Doran Martell, Prince of Dorne and Lord of Sunspear. A renowned warrior and traveler, Oberyn has eight bastard daughters, called the Sand Snakes. His sister, Elia Targaryen, was raped and killed during the Sack of King's Landing by Ser Gregor Clegane. In season 4, Oberyn arrives in King's Landing with his paramour, Ellaria Sand, to attend Joffrey's wedding in his brother's stead, and his meeting with Tyrion makes it clear that he has actually come to take revenge against the Lannisters for their role in the deaths of his sister, nephew and niece. At the wedding, Joffrey dies after being poisoned, and Tywin initially suspects Oberyn of having a hand in the murder since Oberyn has a past with poison chemistry, while Oberyn denies involvement and accuses Tywin of ordering Gregor Clegane to rape and murder Elia. The two reach a settlement when Tywin promises Oberyn a meeting with Clegane in exchange for Oberyn serving as one of the three judges at Tyrion's trial. At the trial, Oberyn implies that he is not convinced of Tyrion's guilt, and openly questions Cersei's testimony and asks Shae why Tyrion would tell her about all of his plans to murder Joffrey if he was the perpetrator. When Tyrion demands a trial by combat and Gregor Clegane is chosen as Cersei's champion, Oberyn volunteers to fight for Tyrion, in order to take his revenge and at the same time save Tyrion's life. Martell valiantly fights Clegane, his superior speed making up for Clegane's size, and manages to wound him in the shoulder and the leg, flooring him. But rather than kill him, Oberyn furiously demands that Clegane admit to raping and killing Elia and her children, and that the order came from Tywin himself. This gives Clegane the chance to floor Oberyn by surprise and kill him by crushing his skull. Oberyn's death is not in vain, however, since his weapon is revealed to have been laced with a deadly poison which is slowly killing Clegane.

House Stark, retainers and bannermen

Name	Pronunciation	Actor/Actress	Season(s)	Episode count	Status
Rickon Stark	/ˈɹɪkɒn ˈstɑ(ɹ)k/	Art Parkinson	1, 2, 3	12	Alive
Rickon Stark is Lord Eddard & Lady Catelyn's youngest child, naturally aggressive and strong-willed. His black dire wolf Shaggydog shares these qualities also. When Theon Greyjoy captures Winterfell in Season 2, Rickon hides in the crypts. After Winterfell is sacked and burned, he, Bran, Hodor, the Wildling woman Osha and the direwolves travel through the North. In Season 3 before they reach the Wall, Rickon, his direwolf and Osha split up from the rest of the group heading to Last Hearth, the seathouse of the Umbers.
Meera Reed		Ellie Kendrick	3, 4	9	Alive
Jojen's elder sister and daughter of Lord Howland Reed, Eddard Stark's old friend from Robert's Rebellion. In season 3 Meera and her brother join Bran in his journey to the Wall and beyond in order to help him to find the Three-eyed Raven. In season 4, they stumble across Craster's Keep and are captured by the Night's Watch mutineers led by Karl. Meera is almost raped by Karl, but is saved when Bran reveals his identity in order to protect her. Karl later tries again to rape her, but an attack by Night's Watch rangers saves her, and they manage to escape during the fray. They eventually reach the one-eyed raven in a cave, but are attacked by reanimated skeletons outside it. Jojen is fatally stabbed, and Meera performs a mercy killing on him.
Hodor	/ˈhoʊdɔr/	Kristian Nairn	1, 2, 3, 4	21	Alive
Hodor is a huge, physically strong and intellectually disabled stablehand at Winterfell who can only say the word Hodor. His real name is Walder. Hodor hides in the crypts along with Osha, Bran and Rickon, faking their escape out of the castle. They eventually leave the crypts only to find the castle destroyed. After speaking to the dying Maester Luwin, it is decided that they must go to the Wall. In Season 3 Bran decides to go beyond the Wall to find the Three-eyed-raven and Hodor helps him alongside with Meera and Jojen Reed after the departure of Rickon and Osha. In season 4, they stumble across Craster's Keep, where they are captured by the Night's Watch mutineers led by Karl. Hodor is chained to a post and abused by some mutineers, who poke him with spears and eventually stab him in the leg to stop him intervening on Bran's behalf. Hodor is later chained in a hut with the other prisoners, and when Bran is abducted by Locke, Bran wargs into Hodor and uses him to kill Locke by snapping his neck. Hodor frees the others and they escape, eventually reaching the one-eyed raven in his cave.
Jojen Reed		Thomas Sangster	3, 4	10	Deceased
Thomas Sangster A boy with special insights and son of Lord Howland Reed, Eddard Stark's old friend from Robert's Rebellion. In season 3 Jojen and his sister join Bran in his journey to the Wall and beyond in order to help him to find the Three-eyed Raven. In season 4, they stumble across Craster's Keep and are captured by the Night's Watch mutineers led by Karl, during which time Jojen suffers from a seizure. Jojen and the others are freed when Bran wargs into Hodor and has him kill Locke and cut them all loose, but Jojen stops Bran from reuniting with his brother, Jon Snow, since he knows Jon would try and stop their journey. Once they reach their destination, however, they are attacked by reanimated skeletons, and Jojen is stabbed in the ensuing fight. Meera finishes him out of mercy.
Osha		Natalia Tena	1, 2, 3	14	Alive
Natalia Tena Osha is a Wildling woman captured by Robb and held captive at Winterfell. Osha works in the kitchens, often giving Bran advice when she bathes in the godswood. After Winterfell is taken by the turncloak Theon Greyjoy, Osha bends the knee to Theon. After the Sack of Winterfell, Osha helps Bran and Rickon escape, along with their direwolves and Hodor. She gives a mercy kill to wounded Maester Luwin. Later, she and her companions travel to the Wall to seek help. In Season 3 before they reach the Wall, Osha, Rickon and his direwolf split up from the rest of the group heading to Last Hearth, the seathouse of the Umbers.
Rickard Karstark		Steven Blount (Season 1) John Stahl (Season 2-3)	1, 2, 3	7	Deceased
Rickard Karstark is a Bannerman of the North, Lord of Karhold and he is a chief member of Robb Stark's war council. The Karstarks are distant cousins of the Starks of Winterfell. Karstark's son is killed by Jaime Lannister during his escape, and Karstark vows retribution. He is enraged when Catelyn Stark decides to free Jaime in an attempt to secure the safety of her daughters. When Karstark discovers that Edmure Tully has defeated the Lannisters in battle near Riverrun and taken two of his young relatives hostage, Karstark orders his men to kill them. Karstark is subsequently sentenced to death by Robb, and he cryptically warns Robb that his actions will eventually lead to his own demise, just before he is executed.
Maester Luwin	/ˈmeɪstə(ɹ) ˈluːwɨn/	Donald Sumpter	1, 2	14	Deceased
Luwin, Maester of Winterfell, is a chief advisor to Lord Stark. He is one of the few Maesters to have studied magic and the occult. With Robb Stark's departure, the day-to-day rule of the North falls to Ser Rodrik Cassel and Maester Luwin, acting with Bran's voice. After Winterfell is taken by Theon, Luwin must advise him because of his valour to serve to the ruler of Winterfell. When Ramsay Snow launches an attack on Winterfell to drive the Ironborn away, Luwin advises Theon to flee to the Wall and join the Night's Watch, where his crimes will be pardoned, but Theon instead rallies his few remaining men to face Ramsay, and betrayed by his own men. Luwin, in an attempt to save Theon, is stabbed by Dagmer. Bran Stark and his party emerge from hiding to find Winterfell sacked and Luwin dying in the Godswood, where he declares his loyalty and love for the Starks before having Osha perform a mercy killing on him, out of sight of Bran and Rickon.
Rodrik Cassel	/ˈɹɒdrɨk kəˈsɛl/	Ron Donachie	1, 2	13	Deceased
Ser Rodrik Cassel is the Master-at-Arms at Winterfell. After the discovery of the origin of the knife from the attempted assassination of Bran Stark, he accompanies Lady Catelyn Tully to King's Landing. Later Lady Catelyn decides to join Robb at Moat Cailin, and names Ser Rodrik castellan of Winterfell. When the Ironmen attack Torrhen's Square, Ser Rodrik gathers a force to expel them, including most of the Winterfell garrison. The Ironborn under Theon Greyjoy then attack and take Winterfell, and Ser Rodrik is captured while defending himself. Ser Rodrik refuses to swear allegiance to Theon, and spits in his face. Theon orders him thrown into the dungeons, but Dagmer insists that Theon execute him in order to gain respect. Theon executes Ser Rodrik himself, but it takes several blows of the sword to behead him and only gains more contempt and hatred from the Northerners.
Jory Cassel	/ˈdʒɔri kəˈsɛl/	Jamie Sives	1	5	Deceased
Jory Cassel was Captain of the Guard at Winterfell and the nephew of Ser Rodrik. Killed by Jaime Lannister during a fight between Jaime's men and Eddard Stark over Tyrion Lannister's abduction by Eddard's wife.
Septa Mordane	/ˈsɛptə mɔ(ɹ)ˈdeɪn/	Susan Brown	1	8	Deceased
Septa Mordane was a priestess of the Faith of the Seven Gods (of which Catelyn Stark is an observer) and governess to the young ladies of Winterfell. She was killed by the Lannisters after Eddard Stark's failed attempt to arrest King Joffrey and Queen Regent Cersei.
Old Nan		Margaret John	1	2	Deceased
Old Nan was an old serving woman at Winterfell who tells the Stark children stories from beyond the Wall. She is the great-grandmother of Hodor. Margaret John passed away before the filming of Season 2 and the writers decided that Old Nan died between seasons instead of recasting the role.
Jon Umber		Clive Mantle	1	3	Alive
Called "the Greatjon", Lord Umber is the Lord of Last Hearth and a Bannerman of the North. In Season 1 he joins Robb Stark in the war and is the first one calling him The King in the North. In Season 3, the North loses the war after the death of King Robb, but his youngest brother Rickon heads to the seat of House Umber to seek refuge.

House Targaryen, retainers and bannermen

Name	Pronunciation	Actor/Actress	Season(s)	Episode count	Status
Daario Naharis		Ed Skrein (Season 3) Michiel Huisman (Season 4)	3, 4, 5	8	Alive
Daario is a confident and seductive warrior who is a lieutenant in the Second Sons, a group of 2000 mercenaries. Daario has an unusual code of honor where he won't sleep with prostitutes or kill innocents as he believes in making love with women who want to make love with him and killing those who want to kill him. Under the leadership of his Captain Mero and second in command Prendhal na Ghezn, the Second Sons were hired by the Slaver city Yunkai to fight against Daenerys' army. Smitten with Daenerys, Daario refused to obey his superiors when they decided to assassinate her, which forced him to kill Mero and Prendhal in self-defense. With the Second Sons under his command, Daario and his men pledge their allegiance to Daenerys. In season 4, Daario attempts to romance Daenerys. She rebuffs him initially, but she later sleeps with him, and sends him to Yunkai in order to bring down the slave masters who have retaken power.
Barristan Selmy	/ˈbæɹɪstən ˈsɛlmi/	Ian McElhinney	1, 3, 4	21	Alive
Ser Barristan Selmy is the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard and a member of the Small Council. Known as "Barristan the Bold," he is considered one of the most famous knights of the Seven Kingdoms. Ned has a tremendous respect for Barristan as he remained loyal to protect the Mad King, Aerys II. He sustained injuries at the Trident which prevented Selmy from taking place in the final battles of the war which ultimately lead to his survival and pardon. When Ned attempts to arrest Cersei and Joffrey, he informs Ser Barristan of Robert's will and tells his men not to harm him. After Joffrey becomes King and has Ned arrested, Cersei and Joffrey force Ser Barristan into retirement despite the Kingsguard being meant to serve for life, and much to his anger, his position of Commander is to be given to Jaime. His honor insulted, Ser Barristan refuses their offer of a castle and servants in recognition of his service and leaves King's Landing. Ser Barristan returns in season 3 where he offers his service to Daenerys as a member of her Queensguard to redeem himself for failing her family. He and Ser Jorah Mormont tend to conflict over what actions Daenerys should use with the former preferring honorable choices while the latter preferring pragmatic choices. Barristan later discovers that Jorah's original purpose was to spy on Daenerys for Robert and Lord Varys, and informs Daenerys, fearing for her safety and leading her to exile Jorah from Meereen on threat of execution.
Missandei		Nathalie Emmanuel	3, 4, 5	15	Alive
Personal servant to Daenerys Targaryen. She was freed from being a slave working as translator for Kraznys mo Nakloz when Daenerys insisted during negotiations with Kraznys mo Nakloz that Missandei was given to her as a gift. She effectively serves as the replacement of Doreah after she betrayed Daenerys in Qarth. She later begins to teach Grey Worm how to speak the common tongue, and they develop romantic feelings for each other, despite Grey Worm being an Unsullied who was castrated at youth.
Grey Worm		Jacob Anderson	3, 4	12	Alive
A captain of the Unsullied, a group of eunuch slave soldiers. His name is pronounced "Torgo Nudho" in Valyrian and was chosen by his Astapor slave masters, who choose new names for the Unsullied which are designed to humiliate them and make them think they are not human. Despite this, Grey Worm chose to keep his current name because it was his name on the day Daenerys freed the Unsullied, so he considers it to be a lucky name. He is loyal to Daenerys and doesn't like those who insult her. He develops feelings for Missandei, which appear to be reciprocated.
Kovarro		Steven Cole	2	8	Alive
Kovarro is a Dothraki Bloodrider sworn to Daenerys Targaryen. His character does not appear in the books because Kovarro is created for the TV series. He finds Qarth and leads Daenerys there, following the betrayl of Pyat Pree he goes into hiding alongside Jorah Mormont and Daenerys until Daenerys reclaims her dragons. The only thing that interests him in Qarth is stealing all the gold and jewels from Xaro Xoan Daxos
Doreah		Roxanne McKee	1, 2	11	Unknown
Doreah is a slave bought in order to school Daenerys in the art of love. She was sold to a brothel when she was nine, by her mother. She is bought by Viserys Targaryen and is shown to pleasure him as he tells her stories about the dragons of Westeros. In Season 2 after arriving in Qarth, Doreah is convinced by Xaro Xoan Daxos that Daenerys wouldn't leave the city and she steals Daenerys dragons and becomes Xaro's lover. After revealing the plans of Xaro, Daenerys locks him and Doreah alive in a vault, leaving their fates unknown but presumed dead.
Irri		Amrita Acharya	1, 2	13	Deceased
Irri is a slave, bought in order to school Daenerys in Dothraki riding. She's in love with Rakharo and is deeply distressed by his death and the desecration of his corpse. She and Doreah are shown to be at odds, due to Irri valuing tradition and mythical beliefs of the Dothraki over Doreah's foreign ideals. In Season 2 she is killed in Qarth during the stealing of the dragons. In a deleted scene it is shown she is strangled to death by Doreah.
Rakharo		Elyes Gabel	1, 2	7	Deceased
Rakharo is a young Bloodrider, favored by, and sworn to Khal Drogo and later Daenerys Targaryen. Deep into the Red Waste while facing starvation Daenerys sends Rakharo, Aggo, and Kovarro to scout in three different directions, using the last remaining horses. Later Rakharo's horse comes back with his head. It's assumed that Rakharo is killed by some other Khal. Irri fears that without his head, Rakharo's soul will become lost and will not find its way to the Night Lands (Dothraki afterlife)

House Tully, retainers and bannermen

Name	Pronunciation	Actor/Actress	Season(s)	Episode count	Status
Edmure Tully		Tobias Menzies	3	5	Alive
Catelyn and Lysa's younger brother and the Lord of Riverrun after their father Holster dies during Season 3. A brash but good-hearted man, Edmure is not a good tactician but a skilled politician. To restore the alliance with Walder Frey, and to make amends with Robb Stark for unwittingly curtailing his plan to draw Tywin Lannister into battle, Edmure is promised to one of Frey's daughters, Roslin. Edmure and Roslin are wed and carried off for a "bedding ceremony", after which the Freys slaughter the Stark family in the "Red Wedding". He is now a prisoner of the Freys after the death of his sister Catelyn and nephew Robb.
Brynden Tully		Clive Russell	3	5	Alive
Commonly known as "The Blackfish", Ser Brynden is the uncle of Catelyn, Lysa, and Edmure, and a seasoned war veteran. He returns to Riverrun during season 3 before his older brother's death to make amends. He serves as both an adviser and confidant for both his niece Catelyn and grandnephew King Robb Stark. At Edmure's wedding to Roslin Frey at the Twins, Brynden excuses himself from the feast to "find a tree to piss on", and by so doing narrowly escapes the ensuing Red Wedding massacre when the Freys and Boltons betray the Starks. His current whereabouts are unknown, but it is likely he fled back to Riverrun (where Brynden actually was at the time of the massacre in the books). Lord Frey is visibly untouched by the man's absence, while Roose Bolton appears disturbed, aware that Brynden is capable of holding Riverrun (which has been granted to Lord Frey as payment) against the Iron Throne even with its technical lord, Edmure, in captivity (and that he will likely seek revenge against them both for Catelyn and Robb's deaths).
Roslin Tully		Alexandra Dowling	3	1	Alive
Roslin Tully (née Frey) is Lord Walder Frey's fifth daughter. Married to Edmure Tully at "The Red Wedding". After the Freys betray the Starks, her fate is unknown.

House Tyrell, retainers and bannermen

Name	Pronunciation	Actor/Actress	Season(s)	Episode count	Status
Olenna Redwyne		Diana Rigg	3, 4	9	Alive
Lady Olenna, better known as "The Queen of Thorns", is the sharp-witted grandmother of Loras and Margaery. Considered Tywin Lannister's female counterpart, Olenna is a matriarch and the real power behind House Tyrell. She has very progressive views where she feels women should be more involved in politics and is accepting of Loras' homosexuality where the people of Reach have no problems with it. After learning the abuses Sansa suffered by Joffrey, Olenna figured out that Margaery could avoid the same fate by using Joffrey's love of violence. Because she is fond of Sansa, and to prevent the other nobles from using Sansa as heir of the North, Olenna secretly plots to have Sansa marry Loras. But her plan is foiled by Loras himself, who accidentally reveals it to Littlefinger's spy. Tywin Lannister gets wind of the plot and stops it by having Sansa marry his son Tyrion and, to secure the Reach, orders his daughter Cersei to marry Loras. Lady Olenna is at first against Loras marrying Cersei because Cersei is too old and because of the scandal of her incestual affair with her twin brother Jaime. But after Tywin threatens to make Loras join the celibate Kingsguard, which would make Joffrey and Margaery's children the heirs of Reach, Olenna admits defeat and praises Tywin for getting the best of her. In season 4, however, Olenna conspires with Petyr Baelish to have Joffrey poisoned, so as to protect Margaery from Joffrey's beastly nature, and advises Margaery to become acquainted with her new match, Tommen Baratheon, Joffrey's younger brother and heir, before Cersei turns him against her.
Mace Tyrell		Roger Ashton-Griffiths	4	4	Alive
Lord of Highgarden, Defender of the Marches, High Marshal of the Reach, and Warden of the South, he is the father of Loras and Margaery and Lady Olenna's son. Lady Olenna has a low opinion of her son, who she calls "Lord Oaf". He attends Joffrey and Margaery's wedding, and later serves as one of the judges at Tyrion's trial for murdering Joffrey.
Loras Tyrell	/ˈlɔɹəs ˈtɪɹəl/	Finn Jones	1, 2, 3, 4	15	Alive
Ser Loras Tyrell, known as the "Knight of Flowers," is a highly skilled knight and jouster. Known across Westeros for his beauty, he is Renly Baratheon's former squire and secretly his lover. In Season 2 when Renly makes his claim for the Iron Throne, Loras and the rest of House Tyrell back his claim and cement their support by marrying Loras's sister Margaery to Renly. Loras and Renly remain inseparable even after Renly's wedding. After Renly's assassination, Loras goes berserk. When the Tyrells join the Lannister cause against Stannis, Loras fights wearing Renly's armor in honour of the fallen king at the Battle of the Blackwater. During season 3, his family plots to have him marry Sansa for Sansa and his family's benefit. However, he accidentally reveals this plot to his new lover and squire, Olyvar, who is actually a spy for Littlefinger. Tywin stops the Tyrell plot by having Sansa marry his son Tyrion and engages Loras to his daughter Cersei. In season 4, at Joffrey and Margaery's wedding, Loras exchanges banter with Jaime Lannister. Jaime warns Loras that if he marries Cersei, she will likely kill him in his sleep, and that he will never marry her. Loras counters that Jaime will not marry Cersei either, implying that he knows of his incestuous relationship with Cersei.

Night's Watch

Name	Pronunciation	Actor/Actress	Season(s)	Episode count	Status
Maester Aemon		Peter Vaughan	1, 3, 4	8	Alive
Aemon Targaryen is the blind old Maester of the Night's Watch, and grand-uncle to Viserys and Daenerys Targaryen. By the time of Robert's Rebellion, he was too old to travel alone and already blind, and was forced to stay at the Wall while all the members of his family, even his great grand-nephews and nieces, were slaughtered by Lannister Bannermen. He carries the anger of that incident with him even now. In Season 3 he sends all the ravens of the Nights Watch with messages to all the kings and lord of Westeros pleading for help to defend the Wall. In season 4, he is present at Jon Snow's trial for killing Qhorin Halfhand, betraying the Night's Watch, joining the Wildlings (which he actually did as a request from Qhorin himself to find out Mance Rayder's plans), and sleeping with Ygritte. Aemon immediately detects that Jon is telling the truth and has him exonerated, claiming that he learned how to detect liars merely by growing up in King's Landing. Moments before the attack on Castle Black, Aemon speaks with Samwell Tarly about his feelings for Gilly. After the battle, he delivers a eulogy for the fallen before they are burned.
Alliser Thorne	/ˈælɨsə(ɹ) ˈθɔ(ɹ)n/	Owen Teale	1, 4	9	Alive
Ser Alliser Thorne is a drill instructor at Castle Black. He fought for Aerys II during Robert's Rebellion and was sent to the Wall as punishment. He is a bitter, cruel and hardened man, but knows firsthand what it is like to serve in the Night's Watch during the winter. The previous winter he was caught north of the Wall on a ranging and he and the other members of his party were forced to eat the rangers who died in order to survive. Thorne returns in Season 4, now the acting Lord Commander of the Night's Watch following the death of Jeor Mormont. He advocates Jon's execution for his actions in season 3, but he is exonerated by Maester Aemon. Thorne later notices that the people like Jon better than him, and will most likely elect Jon as the new Lord Commander, which would make him Thorne's superior. To avoid this, Thorne allows Jon to lead a mission to kill the Night's Watch mutineers in the hopes that Jon will be killed in battle, though Jon survives. Out of spite, Thorne refuses Jon's proposal to seal off Castle Black to stop the wildlings from breaching. When the wildling army arrives, Alliser grudgingly admits to Jon that he should have listened to him, but valiantly leads his men into battle. Alliser personally duels Tormund Giantsbane, but is wounded. He is last seen being taken inside Castle Black for treatment while yelling for his men to continue fighting.
Janos Slynt	/ˈdʒænɒs ˈslɪnt/	Dominic Carter	1, 2, 4	12	Alive
Janos Slynt was the Commander of the City Watch in charge of protecting the streets of King's Landing. He was bought off by Littlefinger to trick Eddard Stark into believing the City Watch was his, in order to arrest him when he made his statements against Cersei and Joffrey. He later follows Joffrey's orders to murder all of Robert's bastard children. Due to his untrustworthiness and what he did to Robert's bastard children, Tyrion has Janos exiled to the Night's Watch. In season 4, he is shown to be at odds with Jon Snow, and makes the suggestion to Alliser Thorne to get rid of him before he may be elected as the new Lord Commander. During the wildling attack on Castle Black, Janos proves to be an incompetent and cowardly leader, and hides in the food storage. After the battle, his cowardice is discovered by Samwell Tarly, but Sam apparently says nothing. Janos is later present at the funeral of the fallen.
Eddison Tollett		Ben Crompton	2, 3, 4	16	Alive
A steward of the Night's Watch, known to all as "Dolorous Edd" for his dour face and outlook. Despite his continual gloom and doom he is well-liked by the other Brothers in Black, and is one of few Night's Watchmen to have few if any enemies among his brothers. He is part of the expeditionary force beyond the Wall. In Season 3 he is one of the few remaining survivors from the battle at the Fist of the First men and they manage to retreat to Craster's Keep. He fights against the Mutineers after the death of Lord Commander Mormont. In season 4, he and Grenn manage to return to Castle Black, but join Jon Snow on his mission to kill the mutineers. He survives the ensuing battle, and is seen dragging Locke's corpse back to Craster's Keep with the other slain Night's Watch brothers (although Locke was on a mission to kill the Stark boys). In the wildling attack on Castle Black, Eddison remains atop the Wall on Jon's orders to stop the wildlings breaching the gate. He sends down flaming oil barrels, and ultimately delivers the blow that sends the wildlings retreating, by swinging a huge scythe across the Wall, causing the ice to break and sending countless wildlings falling to their deaths. He ultimately survives the battle, and personally burns Grenn's body at the funeral.
Olly		Brenock O'Connor	4	5	Alive
Olly is a young boy who lived with his mother and father in a village at the Gift. Their village is attacked by a group of wildlings. His father is killed by Ygritte and his mother by Styr. Styr tells Olly that he is going to eat his dead parents, and orders him to tell the men of the Night's Watch at Castle Black in an attempt to draw them out into the open. He then releases Olly, who reaches Castle Black and informs the men of the approaching wildlings. In the wildling attack on Castle Black, Olly shoots and kills Ygritte from behind in revenge for his father.
Othell Yarwyck		Brian Fortune	1, 4	5	Alive
Othell Yarwyck is First Builder of the Night's Watch. He is based at Castle Black and is tasked with organizing the builders in maintaining the Wall and the castles belonging to the Watch. He is one of the five black brothers to "judge" Jon Snow for his actions during his time with the wildlings. Later when Jon proposes that they barricade the gates to Castle Black to stop the wildlings from entering, Alliser Thorne coerces Yarwyck into disagreeing, although Yarwyck is visibly uncomfortable with Jon's news.
Grenn		Mark Stanley	1, 2, 3, 4	22	Deceased
Grenn is a brave but not very bright brother of the Night's Watch. He was abandoned by his father when he was a child and had to steal to survive, ending up on the Night's Watch as a result. In Season 1, he is initially at odds with Jon Snow, especially after Jon breaks his nose during a training session. Grenn, Pypar and Rast ambush Jon in a shed and threaten to harm him until Tyrion appears and tells them to back off, while advising Jon to sympathise with the other brothers. Jon makes amends by helping to train the others, and becomes friends with Grenn. In Season 2, Grenn is part of the ranging group of Lord Commander Mormont. In Season 3 he is one of the few remaining survivors from the battle at the Fist of the First men and they manage to retreat to Craster's Keep. He fights against the Mutineers after the death of Lord Commander Mormont. In season 4, he and Edd manage to make it back to Castle Black, but later join Jon Snow on his mission to kill the mutineers. He survives the ensuing battle, and expresses shock at the sight of Locke's badly snapped neck, wondering aloud what killed him. In the wildling attack on Castle Black, Grenn is ordered by Jon to take five men and hold the castle gates. A giant breaks his way in, and Grenn and the others manage to kill it at the cost of their own lives. Jon orders Grenn's body burned.
Pypar		Josef Altin	1, 3, 4	13	Deceased
Pypar is a brother of the Night's Watch, informally called "Pyp." A former mummer, he was condemned to the Wall after refusing the sexual advances of his former lord. Initially he said that his crime was stealing a wheel of cheese to feed his starving sister, but confessed to Jon and Sam after becoming friends with them that the Lord accused him of stealing, and that he was too ashamed to admit to the others that a man tried to molest him. In the first season, he is at odds with Jon Snow, who does not hide his superior skills from the other brothers, but becomes friends with him when Jon, on Tyrion Lannister's advice, helps to train the other brothers. In season 4, Pyp participates in the battle against the wildlings at Castle Black, though he admits to Sam that he is not an experienced fighter, with both a sword and a crossbow. He manages to kill one wildling with a crossbow, but is himself shot through the neck and killed seconds later by Ygritte, and dies in Sam's arms. His body is later burned at the funeral.
Karl Tanner		Burn Gorman	3, 4	4	Deceased
Karl was a steward of the Night's Watch. As tensions between Craster and the brothers of the Watch run higher, Karl insults Craster and then kills him, triggering a mutiny against Lord Commander Mormont. In season 4, Karl is still at Craster's Keep, lording over it and raping Craster's daughter-wives. His men eventually catch Bran Stark, Jojen and Meera Reed and Hodor on their quest to find the three-eyed raven, and hold them hostage when he learns Bran's identity. Karl later tries to rape Meera, but is stopped when Jon Snow leads a band of Night's Watch brothers to kill the mutineers. Karl fights Jon alone inside Craster's hut, and almost kills him by fighting dirty, but is stabbed in the back by one of Craster's wives. Karl moves in to kill her, but Jon stabs him through the mouth from behind, finishing him.
Rast		Luke McEwan	1, 3, 4	12	Deceased
Rast was a trainee to the Night's Watch with a particularly mean spirit. He was arrested for rape and chose the Wall as his punishment. In Season 3, he is one of the few remaining survivors from the battle at the Fist of the First men and they manage to retreat to Craster's Keep. After Karl kills Craster, Rast is the one who stabs Lord Commander Mormont in the back causing his death. He and the rest of the mutineers remain at the Keep with Craster's daughter wives. In season 4, he suffers from abuse from Karl's hands, and is killed by Jon Snow's direwolf, Ghost, when Jon leads a band of Night's Watch brothers to kill the mutineers.
Yoren	/ˈjɔɹɨn/	Francis Magee	1, 2	7	Deceased
Yoren is a recruiter for the Night's Watch. He travels to King's Landing, where he witnesses Eddard Stark's execution. Discovering Arya Stark in the crowd, Yoren protects her from seeing her father's beheading, and later cuts her hair, giving her the false identity of Arry the orphan boy, and mixes her in with the others he is recruiting for the Wall in order to protect her from the Queen and take her home. In the caravan bound for the wall Lannister bannerman Ser Amory Lorch demands Yoren hand over Gendry, and when Yoren refuses, a battle ensues, and Yoren and his men are killed. When he is struck by an arrow he speaks his last words, "I've always hated crossbows. Take too long to re-load." Before he succumbed to his wound, Yoren takes down the man who shot him resulting in a mutual kill.
Qhorin		Simon Armstrong	2	4	Deceased
Known as Qhorin Halfhand, he is an experienced ranger of the Night's Watch and second-in-command at the Shadow Tower. He is called Halfhand because he lost all the fingers on his right hand except his thumb and forefinger to a wildling axe. Because of this, he was forced to train himself how to fight left-handed and became just as proficient with his left hand as he had been with his right. When Qhorin met up with Lord Commander Mormont at the Fist of the First Men, he advised sending three scouting parties into the mountains to discover what Mance was looking for, one of which he led personally. Qhorin's party included Jon Snow. After separating with Jon, in search for him Qhorin is captured and his men killed. Later he sacrifices himself by provoking Jon into a fight, so Jon can gain the wildlings' trust.
Benjen Stark	/ˈbɛndʒɨn ˈstɑ(ɹ)k/	Joseph Mawle	1	3	Unknown
Benjen Stark, First Ranger of the Night's Watch, is the younger brother of Lord Eddard Stark of Winterfell. Early in the series, he leads a group of Rangers beyond the wall due to word of increased Wildling activity. He has not returned.
Will		Bronson Webb	1	1	Deceased
Will is a former poacher who was sent to the Night's Watch and was assigned to the rangers. He deserts from the Night's Watch after White Walkers kill his companions north of the Wall. For deserting, he was executed by Ned Stark.

People of Essos

Name	Pronunciation	Actor/Actress	Season(s)	Episode count	Status
Tycho Nestoris		Mark Gatiss	4	1	Alive
Tycho Nestoris is a representative of the Iron Bank of Braavos. He initially refuses to loan Stannis Baratheon money to help him acquire an army, but is won over by Davos Seaworth.
Hizdahr zo Loraq		Joel Fry	4	2	Alive
Hizdahr is a slave-trader from the city of Meereen, on the coast of Slaver's Bay, and a scion of the House of Loraq, an ancient and proud line of slavers. He claims to Daenerys Targaryen that his father, who Daenerys ordered cruficied, was actually against the crucifixion of children, and requests permission to give his father a proper funeral, which she accepts.
Quaithe		Laura Pradelska	2	2	Alive
Quaithe of the Shadow is an enigmatic priestess of Asshai.
Kraznys mo Nakloz		Dan Hildebrand	3	3	Deceased
A wealthy slaver of the Ghiscari city of Astapor. Sexist and rude, he constantly throws insults to Daenerys in Valyrian, believing she does not understand him. After he sells Daenerys 8,000 Unsullied soldiers in exchange for one of her dragons, Drogon, Daenerys reveals she speaks Valyrian and knew what he was saying to her. Daenerys orders her new army to kill the Astapori slavers where Kraznys is burned to death by Drogon.
Xaro Xhoan Daxos		Nonso Anozie	2	5	Unknown
A rich merchant "prince" of Qarth who wishes to acquaint himself with the Mother of Dragons. He offers his hand in marriage, but Daenerys refuses. Although vouching and caring for her during her stay at Qarth, he ultimately betrays her and crowns himself "King of Qarth". He conspires with Pyat Pree to capture Daenerys and steal her dragons, but after she successfully retrieves them, she takes her revenge and locks him alive in his own vault.
Pyat Pree		Ian Hanmore	2	4	Deceased
Pyat Pree is a warlock from the city of Qarth. He tries to lure Daenerys in The House of the Undying, the warlocks' lair, by stealing her dragons. However, his magic proves less powerful compared to that of Daenerys and with the help of her dragons, she burns him alive.
The Spice King		Nicholas Blane	2	3	Deceased
He is the leader of the Ancient Guild of Spicers, one of the merchant groups vying for control of the city of Qarth. In the Song of Ice and Fire novels there is no character specifically called 'the Spice King'. However, there is an 'Ancient Guild of Spicers' in the city of Qarth. This guild is a powerful faction and power-broker in Qarth. The Spice King often acts rude to Daenerys in a polite way by pointing out that without an army, she cannot regain the Iron Throne. The warlock Pyat Pree conspires with Xaro Xoan Daxos and kills him and the rest of the Thirteen.
Illyrio Mopatis	/ɪlˈlɪəɹioʊ/	Roger Allam	1	2	Alive
Roger Allam Illyrio Mopatis is a wealthy magister of the free city of Pentos. Illiyrio was the host of the Targaryens after their escape from Westeros. He arranged Daenerys' marriage to Khal Drogo. He conspires with Lord Varys for the returning of the Targaryens to the Iron Throne.
Mirri Maz Duur		Mia Soteriou	1	3	Deceased
Mirri Maz Duur was a "Maegi", or witch-woman, held captive by Daenerys. Before her capture she was a godswife in the Temple of the Great Shepherd. After saving her Daenerys gave Mirri and the other victims protection from further attacks. After a fight with Mhago, Khal Drogo was suffering from a wound. As his condition deteriorated he fell from his horse, a symbol to his warriors that he could no longer lead them. This caused Daenerys to ask for Mirri's help, but Mirri betrayed her in revenge for the attack on her village, and this only resulted in Drogo living in a permanent vegetative state, while also causing his son Rhaego to die in Daenerys' womb. In revenge, Daenerys had Mirri burned to death upon Drogo's funeral pyre, during the event of the dragon eggs hatching.
Qotho	/ˈkʷoʊθoʊ/	Dar Salim	1	6	Deceased
Qotho was the most fierce and hot-tempered of Khal Drogo's Blood Riders. After Drogo's injury, Daenerys intended to take her husband to the maegi Mirri Maz Duur to heal him, but Drogo's bloodriders, including Qotho, attempted to stop this from happening. Qotho killed Quaro in the ensuing fight and was in turn killed by Ser Jorah Mormont.

People of Westeros

Name	Pronunciation	Actor/Actress	Season(s)	Episode count	Status
Podrick Payne		Daniel Portman	2, 3, 4	16	Alive
Daniel Portman Podrick is a young squire who was assigned to Tyrion Lannister. In Season 2, he fights beside Tyrion at the Battle of the Blackwater, during which he rescues Tyrion from an assassination attempt made by a knight of the Kingsguard, Ser Mandon Moore. In reward, Tyrion takes him to a brothel to be introduced to the art of lovemaking by three prostitutes, handing him a bag of money. Podrick later brings the money back to Tyrion, claiming the whores deemed the encounter good enough to provide their services for free. This sets off widespread speculation between Tyrion, Bronn, Varys and Roz of the exact nature of what happened. In Season 4, Podrick is anonymously offered a knighthood in exchange for testifying against Tyrion at his trial for the murder of King Joffrey, but he does not give an answer - Tyrion orders Podrick to leave King's Landing before he is killed for his loyalty to him, assuming this will be farewell between them, and saying to Podrick as he leaves "there has never lived a more loyal squire", leaving an emotional Podrick in tears. Podrick's safety is ensured by Tyrion's brother Jaime, who assigns him to serve Brienne of Tarth as she leaves King's Landing to search for Sansa Stark. Podrick initially appears to be incompetent, but wins Brienne's trust when he tells her that he saved Tyrion's life in Blackwater. Podrick and Brienne eventually find Arya Stark and Sandor Clegane nor far from the Vale, where Podrick recognises Clegane. In the ensuing brawl between Brienne and Sandor, Podrick loses sight of Arya, to Brienne's annoyance.
Hot Pie		Ben Hawkey	1, 2, 3, 4	11	Alive
Hot Pie is a baker's boy from King's Landing recruited by Yoren to join the Watch. He is shown to be a friend of Lommy and together they try to bully Arya and take her sword, Needle, but, instead she beats him. When Yoren's band is attacked by Ser Amory Lorch, he and Arya are among the survivors, along with Gendry and Lommy Greenhands, who was injured in the fighting. They are captured by soldiers of Ser Gregor Clegane and Lommy is killed. Like Arya, Hot Pie is made a servant at Harrenhal, sent to work in the kitchens. He escapes Harrenhal alongside Arya and Gendry. After the three of them encounter the Brotherhood Without Banners, Hot Pie decides to stay at a local Inn to become a cook before saying goodbye to his friends. In season 4, Hot Pie meets Brienne of Tarth and Podrick Payne on their journey to find Sansa Stark, and tells them that Arya is likely still alive.
Olyvar		Will Tudor	3, 4	3	Alive
Olyvar is a spy, prostitute, and brothel manager in the employ of Petyr Baelish. In season 3, he poses as Loras Tyrell's squire and has a one night stand with him at Baelish's request in order to learn the Tyrells' true motivations for coming to King's Landing (to gain control of both the North and the South by marrying Margaery Tyrell to Joffrey and Loras to Sansa Stark). In season 4, he becomes a favourite of Oberyn Martell, who is bisexual.
Beric Dondarrion		David Scott (Season 1) Richard Dormer (Seasons 3)	1, 3	5	Reanimated
Richard Dormer Lord of Blackhaven, nicknamed "The Lightning Lord". He is sent to capture Gregor Clegane after Clegane starts terrorizing the Riverlands, and later becomes the leader of the outlaw group "Brotherhood without Banners". Beric was actually killed by Gregor but was resurrected by his friend Thoros who uses the magic of the Red God. Due to this miracle, Beric and the rest of the Brotherhood converts to the Lord of Light. Beric and the Brotherhood becomes a thorn to the Lannister army due to no matter how many times they kill Beric, he is always resurrected. After finding Arya and Gendry, he decides use Arya as a bargaining tool to make the Starks and Tullys fund their campaign against those who commit injustices on the common folk. However, Arya runs away from them after the Brotherhood lets Lady Melisandre take Gendry away by order of the Lord of Light and Stannis funding them. Beric has the ability to light his sword on fire using his blood. Beric has been killed and resurrected six times but he loses some of his memories every time he is resurrected.
Thoros of Myr		Paul Kaye	3	6	Alive
Paul Kaye A red priest who follows the same religion as Melisandre and a member of the Brotherhood Without Banners. Thoros was a famous warrior who fought during the Greyjoy rebellion where he wielded a flaming sword in battle. Thoros was sent to Westeros to convince the King to convert to the Lord of Light but failed which lead him to lose his faith and become a drunk. Thoros faith was renewed during the War of Five Kings when he was able to resurrect his friend Beric from the dead using the power of the Red God.
Anguy		Philip McGinley	3	6	Alive
A commoner from the Dornish Marches, a member of the Brotherhood Without Banners. He is commonly known as "The Archer".
Rorge		Andy Beckwith	2, 4	4	Deceased
A violent criminal from the "Black Cells" in King's Landing, Rorge is involuntarily recruited by Yoren to join the Night's Watch. He, along with fellow Black Cells prisoners Jaqen H'Ghar and Biter, is kept caged in a cart for their journey north in order to keep from harming his fellow recruits. When Yoren's band is attacked by Ser Amory Lorch and Yoren is killed, Arya saves Rorge's life, along with Biter and Jaqen H'ghar, by giving them an axe to break free with as the room burns around their wagon. The three join the Lannisters soldiers for a time, under Gregor Clegane's command. In season 4, Rorge and Biter attack Arya and Sandor in order to collect the bounty placed on Sandor Clegane's head, but Biter is killed by Sandor and Rorge is killed by Arya.
Biter		Gerard Jordan	2, 4	4	Deceased
A violent criminal from the "Black Cells" in King's Landing, Biter is a frightening man who never speaks but only hisses. His teeth have been filed to points and it is possible he engages in cannibalism. Like Jaqen H'Ghar and Rorge, Biter is a part of Yoren's group of Night's Watch recruits. When Yoren's band is attacked at an abandoned keep by raiders led by Ser Amory Lorch, Biter and his companions find themselves trapped in the wagon in the middle of a fire, but Arya Stark, who traveled with them, throws an axe into the wagon before escaping herself so that they could break free and save themselves. They manage to escape and are later taken into Ser Amory's service, eventually arriving at Harrenhal. In season 4, Rorge and Biter attack Arya and Sandor in order to collect the bounty placed on Sandor Clegane's head, but Biter is killed by Sandor after bitting his neck and Rorge is killed by Arya.
Ros		Esmé Bianco	1, 2, 3	14	Deceased
Ros is an oft spoken of red-haired prostitute. She initially lives in a brothel outside the gates of Winterfell and is a favorite of Theon Greyjoy. Later in the season, Ros moves to King's Landing and is given employment in a brothel owned by Littlefinger. At the start of season 2, Ros has been promoted, managing the brothel and interviewing new employees. She is later abused by King Joffrey and is savagely beaten by Cersei's men, who suspect her of being Tyrion's lover. She later enters an alliance with Varys. A recurring character in the series, she doesn't appear in the books; her primary function in season 1 appeared to be one of sexposition, as the backstories and motives of Theon, Littlefinger and Pycelle are all revealed during sexual encounters involving her. In season 2, she takes the place of several unrelated characters in the books and is used mostly as a familiar face for the audience in several key events. Mid-way through season 3 she is killed by King Joffrey after Littlefinger discovers that she has been spying for Varys.
Jaqen H'ghar		Tom Wlaschiha & Patrick O'Kane	2	6	Alive
Tom Wlaschiha Sly, enigmatic, and a dangerous criminal, Jaqen is part of Yoren’s group of recruits taken from King’s Landing to join the Night’s Watch. A foreigner from the Free Cities, he speaks in third person, referring to himself as "A man". On the journey, he meets Arya Stark. When the group is attacked by Lannister bannermen, Arya frees him and two other prisoners, saving them from a fire. He finds Arya again at Harrenhal, where he serves the Lannisters as a mercenary. He asks her to name three people for him to kill to repay the three deaths she stole, but he refuses to help her in any other way. She chooses two of her enemies, later regretting she did not choose people crucial to the war, and chooses Jaqen himself as the third. He attempts to dissuade her by saying that he is her friend, but Arya states that he is only interested in repaying a debt where a friend would help her to escape from Harrenhal. He agrees to help her if she would "unname" him. After the breaking out, he gives Arya an iron coin, instructing her to give it to any Braavosi and say "Valar Morghulis" ("All Men Must Die" in High Valyrian) should she need more help. He then magically changes his appearance, assumes a new identity, and departs.
Lommy Greenhands		Eros Vlahos	1, 2	4	Deceased
Lommy was a dyer's apprentice before he was caught stealing and sent with Yoren to join the watch. When Yoren's band is attacked by Ser Amory Lorch, Lommy is one of the survivors, though he is injured in the leg and slows the party down. Later they are captured by soldiers under the command of Ser Gregor Clegane. Upon learning that he cannot walk, and that they will have to carry him, Polliver, drives Arya's sword Needle through his throat, killing him. Arya tells the soldiers that Lommy was actually Gendry, saving Gendry's life because the soldiers were looking for him. In season 4, Arya avenges Lommy by slaying Polliver in exactly the same way that he killed Lommy.
Syrio Forel	/ˈsɪəɹioʊ fɔˈɹɛl/	Miltos Yerolemou	1	3	Unknown
Syrio Forel, the former First Sword of the Sealord of Braavos, is hired by Lord Eddard to train Arya Stark at "Water Dancing", the Braavosi style of swordfighting. Syrio trained Arya using wooden swords filled with lead. He also mentored her on how to move and think like a warrior: to be perceptive, move with grace, and command her fear. When Cersei Lannister ordered all Starks in the Red Keep to be captured or killed, Syrio ordered Arya to flee while he held off the Lannister men. With only his wooden practice sword, he defeated or killed five guardsmen and then attacked Meryn Trant. Syrio rained down ineffective blows onto Meryn's plate armor until his sword was cut in half. Arya fled, obeying Syrio's orders. The fate of Syrio after that is unknown.

Royal court and officials

Name	Pronunciation	Actor/Actress	Season(s)	Episode count	Status
Tommen Baratheon	/ˈtɒmɨn bəˈɹæθɪən/	Callum Wharry (Season 1-2) Dean-Charles Chapman (Season 4)	1, 2, 4	13	Alive
Tommen is the younger brother of Prince Joffrey and second in line for the throne. He, like his brother and sister, is also the child of his mother's brother, Jaime, though he remains unaware of this. Like his older sister Myrcella, Tommen is a kind and good person and enjoys being with his uncle Tyrion who in turn dotes on him. In season 4, after Joffrey is killed, Tommen becomes the new King, and implies that under his grandfather Tywin's tutelage, he will become a much better King than Joffrey was, though still Tywin's puppet. Tommen is also betrothed to Margaery Tyrell in Joffrey's place, and becomes friendly with her. In conversation, Tommen implies that he and Joffrey did not get along well, as he claims Joffrey threatened several times to skin Tommen's cat alive and mix his organs into his food. At Tyrion's trial for Joffrey's murder, Tommen recuses himself from the procedure and appoints Tywin, Mace Tyrell and Oberyn Martell as the three judges, possibly on Tywin's "advice".
Myrcella Baratheon	/mə(ɹ)ˈsɛlə bəˈɹæθɪən/	Aimee Richardson	1, 2	8	Alive
The Royal Princess, Myrcella is the younger sister of Prince Joffrey and only daughter of Cersei Lannister. She, like her brothers, is also the child of her mother's brother, Jaime, though she remains unaware of this. Unlike her older brother Joffrey, Myrcella is a kind and good person and enjoys being with her uncle Tyrion who in turn dotes on his niece. As part of an alliance proposition, Myrcella was shipped away to Dorne to marry the Prince's son.
Grand Maester Pycelle	/ˈmeɪstə(ɹ) paɪˈsɛl/	Julian Glover	1, 2, 3, 4	22	Alive
Julian Glover Pycelle, Grand Maester of the Seven Kingdoms, is an advisor and Small Council member. He served the previous three kings as Grand Maester before Robert's reign. In public, he presents himself as a frail, possibly senile old man. However, in private, he is significantly more sound in mind and body than he pretends. Pycelle is later revealed to be a spy for the Lannisters, especially Cersei, as it was he who informed her about Jon Arryn's investigating her affair with Jaime, an investigation leading to Jon Arryn's death. To ensure what happened to Ned Stark never happens to him, Tyrion has Pycelle arrested, shaved and sent to the dungeons. Later, Pycelle is restored to his position by Cersei Lannister. A deleted scene from season 3 shows that Tywin Lannister is not fooled by Pycelle's frail old man guise. In season 4, he makes false accusations at Tyrion's trial, claiming it was Tyrion who stole the poisons from his office necessary to poison Joffrey. Later on, when he proves unable to save the poisoned Gregor Clegane and openly doubts Qyburn's abilities, Cersei orders him to leave, apparently giving his office to Qyburn.
Qyburn		Anton Lesser	3, 4	6	Alive
Anton Lesser An ex-maester who was found by Robb Stark at Harrenhal and becomes a servant of Roose Bolton. Qyburn lost his title as a maester when it was discovered he was performing human experiments on live patients. Qyburn justifies his actions for the sake of medical knowledge. He tends to Jaime after the latter loses his right hand and travels with him to King's Landing in the hope of having his title restored. In season 4, Qyburn completely purifies Jaime of any infection, allowing the skin to heal fully, and has a solid gold hand forged for him, earning him Cersei's respect and gratitude. Cersei later enlists his help in curing Gregor Clegane of a deadly poison inflicted on him by Oberyn Martell.
Meryn Trant		Ian Beattie	1, 2, 3, 4	12	Alive
Ser Meryn Trant is an obedient member of the Kingsguard. He seems perfectly willing to do whatever Joffrey commands, no matter how vile the order. He is later present at Tyrion's trial for Joffrey's murder, where he recounts some veiled threats Tyrion had made against Joffrey in season 2, while conveniently omitting that he and Joffrey had been beating and molesting Sansa Stark in the meantime.
The High Septon		Paul Bentley	3, 4	4	Alive
The High Septon is the head-monarch of the Fate of the Seven. This septon becomes High Septon after the death of the previous one by the hands of the rioting mob of King's Landing. He prosecudes the wedding ceremony of Tyrion Lannister and Sansa Stark and later the one for King Joffrey Baratheon and Margaery Tyrell's wedding. The High Septon also prepares the body of King Joffrey for his funeral and do the coronation ceremony of King Tommen Baratheon.
Dontos Hollard		Tony Way	2, 4	6	Deceased
Ser Dontos Hollard is a knight serving at the court of King's Landing. He shows up drunk at the tourney for Joffrey's birthday, so the young King threatens to execute him. Sansa saves his life by suggesting he become a fool of the court instead. In season 4, Dontos repays his debt of gratitude to Sansa by presenting her with his mother's necklace as a gift, and helping to smuggle her out of King's Landing after Joffrey is killed, apparently by Tyrion. Dontos takes her to one of Stannis Baratheon's destroyed ships in Blackwater Bay, where Petyr Baelish awaits them. Rather than pay Dontos the promised gold, however, Baelish has his men shoot Dontos fatally in order to silence him, and reveals that the whole time, Dontos was working for him, including the necklace gift, which Baelish smashes to prove it was a fake. Baelish also reveals that Dontos played a small role in Joffrey's murder, since the poison used to kill him was hidden inside the necklace Dontos gave Sansa.
Hallyne		Roy Dotrice	2	2	Alive
The chief "Wisdom" of the Order of Pyromancers in King's Landing. Pyromancers, whose magical skill is questionable at best, are primarily used as a source of "Wildfire", a very dangerous, highly combustible chemical weapon. Tyrion uses his help for the Battle of Blackwater.
Ilyn Payne	/ˈɪlɪn ˈpeɪn/	Wilko Johnson	1, 2	4	Alive
Ser Ilyn, also called "The King's Justice," is the mute royal executioner. He lost his tongue for speaking ill of Aerys II during the "Mad King's" reign. It is he who carries out Joffrey's order to execute Eddard Stark. He gains ownership of the Stark family sword, Ice, after this until it is melted down to make two swords on the orders of Tywin Lannister, one for Jaime and one for Joffrey.

Beyond the Wall/Wildlings

Name	Pronunciation	Actor/Actress	Season(s)	Episode count	Status
Mance Rayder		Ciarán Hinds	3, 4	4	Alive
File:Ciaran hinds.jpg Ciarán Hinds A former ranger of the Night’s Watch who became the “King-Beyond-the-Wall” and the new leader of the Wildlings. A former wildling child who was raised by the Night’s Watch, he was one of the best rangers until he turned against the Watch by joining the wildlings. Using the training and tactics he learned from the watch, Mance was chosen by the Wildlings to be their seventh King Beyond the Wall. Mance's goal is to get his people to the safety of the other side of the wall before the White Walkers reach it. He sent Tormund and Jon with a group of wildlings to get south of the Wall and wait for "biggest fire the north has ever seen" to signal them to attack the Wall. Unknown to Mance, however, the attack fails, and Jon himself leaves Castle Black to hunt Mance down on pretence of parleying with him. Mance and Jon drink toasts to Ygritte and Grenn, but Mance realises Jon's true purpose and is about to kill him when he and his men are ambushed by Stannis Baratheon and his army. Mance and Stannis briefly exchange insults when Mance refuses to acknowledge him as the King. Mance is subsequently arrested by Stannis.
Three-eyed Raven		Struan Rodger	4	2	Alive
The three-eyed raven is a figure that appears in Bran Stark's dreams, following his fall and injury. In Bran's dreams, the raven appears to be trying to lead him into the Stark family crypt, predicting his father's death. In Season 3 he keeps appearing in Bran's dreams and wants him to follow him. In season 4, Bran finally finds him, in the form of a wise old man, who promises to help Bran learn to fly.
Leaf		Octavia Alexandru	4	1	Alive
The Children of the Forest are a mysterious non-human race that were reportedly the original inhabitants of the continent of Westeros. Small, druidic, magical creatures, they were already living in Westeros when the First Men migrated to the continent, 12,500 years before Robert's Rebellion. According to legend they were last seen during the Andal invasion six thousand years before the War of the Five Kings. In the present day, most believe that they are simply the stuff of myth and never existed at all. Even the few that do believe they once existed, such as Maester Luwin or Ned Stark, believe that they have long since gone extinct. Leaf appears to rescue Bran, Meera and Hodor from the reanimated skeletons outside the three-eyed raven's cave, and takes them to the three-eyed raven herself.
Styr		Yuri Kolokolnikov	4	4	Deceased
One of Mance Rayder's lieutenants and the Magnar - "Lord" in the Old Tongue of the First Men - of the Thenn people, a clan of cannibalistic wildlings. In the battle for Castle Black, he is killed by Jon Snow, who smashes his head in with a hammer.
The Lord o' Bones		Edward Dogliani	2, 3	3	Alive
More often than not referred to as "Rattleshirt", a ruthless wildling leader who uses a giant's skull as a helmet and the bones of his victims for armour. In Season 2 he captures Jon Snow and in Season 3 delivers him to the King-Beyond-The-Wall.
Craster		Robert Pugh	2, 3	5	Deceased
A wildling who has an uneasy "friendship" with the Night's Watch. He is a short-tempered, incestual polygamist who takes all his daughters as wives. Jon Snow ponders why he has no sons and it is later revealed that he sacrifices them to the White Walkers soon after birth. As their only ally beyond the Wall, Commander Mormont and the Nights Watch are forced to endure his insults and outrageous demands. Several members of the Night's Watch finally lose their patience with Craster when after they return defeated from a battle with the White Walkers, he insults their dead and refuses to share more of his supplies with the hungry rangers. He is killed by Karl after the latter provokes him into attacking by calling him a bastard.
Orell		Mackenzie Crook	3	6	Deceased
Mackenzie Crook A wildling raider and warg, a human capable of entering the minds of animals. Orell doesn't trust Jon after he joins them as he suspects Jon is still loyal to the Night's Watch and his jealousy of Ygritte. Orell suspicions are confirmed when during a raid at the North, Jon refuses to kill an innocent horse breeder. He is killed by Jon but not before Orell wargs an eagle and claws him.

Pets

Name	Pronunciation	Season(s)	Episode count	Status
Drogon		1, 2, 3, 4	11	Alive
Drogon is the black one of Daenerys's three dragons and he is the biggest. He is Daenerys's favourite dragon and named after Khal Drogo, her late husband. Throughout seasons 2 and 3, Drogon is loyal to Daenerys, but in season 4, while he is still loyal, he roars in her face when she tries to stop him harming the other dragons over food, which makes her realise that she may be losing control over her dragons.
Rhaegal		1, 2, 3, 4	7	Alive
Rhaegal is the green one of Daenerys's three dragons. He is named after Daenerys's deceased brother, Rhaegar Targaryen. When Daenerys begins to lose control over them, she locks Rhaegal and Viserion in the catacombs beneath Meereen.
Viserion		1, 2, 3, 4	9	Alive
Viserion is the yellow one of Daenerys's three dragons. He is named after Daenerys's deceased brother, Viserys Targaryen. When Daenerys begins to lose control over them, she locks Rhaegal and Viserion in the catacombs beneath Meereen.
Ghost		1, 2, 3, 4	14	Alive
Ghost is Jon Snow's direwolf. He is the albino runt of the litter of puppies, but nevertheless grows into a strong and loyal friend to Jon. He accompanies Jon to Castle Black, and following the Night's Watch mutiny, he is imprisoned by Karl and Rast. He is later freed by Bran Stark, and mauls Rast to death before re-joining Jon and the loyal Night's Watch brothers. Though he is taken back to Castle Black, Alliser Thorne spitefully orders Jon to lock Ghost up. When the wildlings reach Castle Black, Jon orders Sam to free Ghost, and the direwolf subsequently helps the Night's Watch by mauling several wildlings to death. He survives the battle.
Summer		1, 2, 3, 4	13	Alive
Summer is Bran Stark's direwolf, fiercely loyal to his master. When an assassin attempts to kill Catelyn and the comatose Bran, Summer tears the assassin's throat out with his teeth, saving them both. Summer and Shaggydog survive the sacking of Winterfell and join Bran, Rickon and their group on their journey to the Wall to find Jon Snow. When they stumble across Craster's Keep, Bran wargs into Summer to scout the area, but he falls into a trap and is imprisoned. He is later freed and continues the journey North with Bran. During the battle with the skeletons outside the three-eyed raven's cave, Summer mauls several of them to death.
Shaggydog		1, 2, 3	7	Alive
Shaggydog is Rickon Stark's direwolf. Following the sacking of Winterfell, Shaggydog and Summer join Rickon, Bran and their group on their journey to the Wall to find Jon Snow. Shaggydog accompanies Rickon and Osha to the Great Umber when the journey is deemed too dangerous for Rickon.
Nymeria		1	2	Alive
Nymeria is Arya Stark's direwolf. On the way to King's Landing, Nymeria bites Joffrey in the arm when he attacks Arya, before she and Arya run away. Knowing that Joffrey will lie to the court and will mostly likely be believed, Arya forces Nymeria to flee in order to avoid execution.
Grey Wind		1, 2, 3	8	Deceased
Grey Wind is Robb Stark's direwolf. He accompanies Robb on his quest to King's Landing to find justice for his murdered father. Along the way, they are betrayed by Walder Frey and Roose Bolton, and Grey Wind is shot dead with crossbows. He and Robb are later decapitated and his head is sewn onto Robb's corpse.
Lady		1	2	Deceased
Lady is Sansa Stark's direwolf. After Nymeria, Arya's direwolf, bites Joffrey in Arya's defence and flees, and Sansa refuses to stand up for Arya and Mycah, Sansa gets her comeuppance when Lady is ordered executed in Nymeria's stead. Despite his objections, Ned Stark is forced to execute Lady himself.

Species

There are many different species in Game of Thrones:

• Direwolf - The Direwolves are an unusually large and intelligent species of wolf. Direwolves are held to be near-mythical in most of the south of Westeros.

• Dragons - The Dragons are massive, flying reptiles with large wings instead of front legs. They can breathe fire onto their enemies, rumored to have a strong connection to magic, later "proven" true when magic begins to return to the world after the birth of the first three in over two hundred years. Dragons possess awesome and terrible power, capable of laying waste to armies and burning entire cities to ashes. Men who were able to tame and ride dragons as beasts of war used them to burn their enemies and forge vast empires across the continents of Essos and Westeros.

• Horse - The Horses are used as mounts for the Knights of Westeros.

• Mammoth - The Mammoths are the much larger relatives of the Elephants that are the only species of pachyderm native to Westeros. They inhabit the sub-arctic tundras of the lands beyond the Wall. Mammoths can be used as a mount for the Giants.

• Manticore - In this show, the Manticores have an overall body-plan similar to scorpions, but can grow almost as large as a lobster. They possess six legs and larger stinger-tail, which curves up over the body to hang over the head. The Manticores have a series of threatening-looking spines on each body segment, running up the sides of the body and tail. They are mostly green in color.

See also

• Characters in A Song of Ice and Fire
• List of Game of Thrones episodes

External links

• Official website