Fire-breathing mythical creatures. Aegon the Conqueror, who arrived in Westeros from ancient Valyria, used his three dragons to conquer the entire continent. Now extinct, dragons have not been seen in Westeros for hundreds of years. The dragon is the symbol of House Targaryen and the remains of ancient dragons' skulls can be found in the lower [..]

The last ruler of the Targaryen Dynasty (see also: Targaryens, The), he ruled the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros prior to the current king, Robert Baratheon (Mark Addy). Gripped by madness, he was responsible for the murder of both the father and brother of Ned Stark (Sean Bean). He was killed, stabbed in the back by Ser Jaime Lannister (See also: King [..]

An invading force thousands of years before the events depicted in Game of Thrones, these invaders are responsible for the culture, religion, and language (the Common Tongue) of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros. They battled the First Men and brought their beliefs in a pantheon of gods called The Seven to the continent.

The curved blade favored by the nomadic warriors of the Dothraki tribe, it is connected to the user by a lanyard that can be twisted to remove the blade while on horseback.

A nickname for the Sworn Brotherhood of the Night's Watch, who guard the Wall (see: Wall, The). They are also known as crows, due to the black garb they wear.

The fortress seat of the Lannister family, located in Lannisport. The family's symbol is a golden lion. While its words are "Hear Me Roar!," most incorrectly ascribe a different and common saying to the wealthy clan, "A Lannister always pays his debts." Among the family's members: Tywin Lannister (see: [..]

The decrepit castle at the base of 700-foot wall (see: Wall, The) that divides the Seven Kingdoms from the wild forest. One of 19 original strongholds along the wall, Castle Black is one of just three remaining operating strongholds and the main training and living center for the Night's Watch.

The original, indigenous inhabitants of the continent known as Westeros, they had a deep connection to the natural magic of the world and some were gifted with prescience ("greensight"). They joined together with the First Men to fight the onslaught of The Others (see: White Walkers) and forged a truce with the First Men, keeping [..]

Distantly related to wolves, these fierce and terrifying creatures can grow to be as large as a pony. They have not been seen south of The Wall for 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones. The direwolf is also the symbol of the Stark family, the lords of Winterfell. (See: Winterfell.)

A nomadic people who travel the open plains known as the Dothraki Sea. They are fearsome horse-mounted warriors who mistrust the actual ocean, as it is made up of "poison water" that their horses cannot drink. They speak an oral language also called Dothraki, which was created specifically for Game of Thrones by David Peterson of [..]