Over a decade since its debut, HBO's Game of Thrones remains one of television's most groundbreaking series. Westeros's cultural footprint can't be overstated, criticisms of the series finale notwithstanding, the Targaryen-centric prequel series House of the Dragon did numbers for the streaming cable giant and returns for its second season in the June 2024. Most fans know Game of Thrones is based on author George R. R. Martin's epic high fantasy book series A Song of Ice and Fire, which currently consists of five books (Martin promises two more...fans hang suspended in ever-waiting limbo). As with any book-to-screen adaptation, showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss made many changes to Martin's text. Some enhanced certain scenarios, streamlined events for a visual medium, or were just befuddling. Here are some of the biggest fundamental differences between A Song of Ice and Fire and its HBO counterpart.

Catelyn Stark Lives — Sort Of

Viewers who endured the emotionally calamitous Red Wedding know it marks the blood-soaked end of both Robb Stark (Richard Madden) and his mother Catelyn (Michelle Fairley). Although Robb stays quite dead in the books, a rebel group called the Brotherhood Without Banners retrieves Catelyn's corpse from a river and brings her back to life — in a way. Character resurrection is rare in Martin's universe and always comes at a high cost.

For Catelyn, her half-decayed body reflects her mutated spirit. She becomes a revenge-consumed figure unconsciously reminiscent of her daughter Arya (Maisie Williams), devoid of empathy and driven to exact justice against those responsible for her family's suffering. A mother always motivated by her love for her children, that's all that remains of Catelyn, and it's a corrupted instinct. The merciless, silent woman (thanks to her slit throat) renames herself Lady Stoneheart.

Robb Stark Didn't Marry for Love

Martin's a great lover and an even greater architect of dramatic irony. Few examples are more wrenching than the cause of book Robb's demise. Instead of having a passionate affair with healer Talisa Maegyr (Oona Chaplin), Martin's Robb falls into bed with Jeyne Westerling, a lord's daughter, after she comforts him when he learns of Bran and Rickon's supposed deaths. Unlike other Westerosi men, Robb refuses to leave the girl with a sullied virtue and a potential bastard. He feels honor-bound to marry her, displaying the same streak of goodness that doomed the father (Sean Bean) he swore to avenge. A forbidden romance plays well on television, but in doing so, Robb becomes selfish rather than selfless and his story loses the cyclical irony tying Robb and Ned's fates together.

The Entire Dorne Plotline

Game of Thrones translated Pedro Pascal's Oberyn Martell nigh-flawlessly, but the purpose and motivations of Dorne within the larger A Song of Ice and Fire universe were lost along the way. For one, the showrunners removed a point-of-view character: Arianne Martell, the daughter of Prince Doran (Alexander Siddig). She's the undisputed heir to Dorne, brilliantly intelligent, politically savvy, and beautiful, using the latter to her advantage while she schemes to place Myrcella Baratheon on the Iron Throne. The eldest three Sand Snakes, meanwhile, are dignified warriors with brilliant intellects much like their fiery father, while Ellaria Sand (Indira Varma) begs everyone to break the cycle of revenge and not take retaliatory action for Oberyn's death. Her pleas are in vain; Doran involves Arianne in his long-game plans to claim vengeance for his sister Elia as much as Oberyn.

Arya and Tywin at Harrenhal

You just don't waste Charles Dance. Calling this HBO's best addition may be hyperbole, but placing Tywin at Harrenhal alongside Arya when he wasn't present in the books doesn't affect any outcomes. The scenes between the two are some of the most engaging and satisfying of the series, as they allow breathing room and insight into two radically different yet similarly ruthless people.

Aging Up the Cast

This primarily affects the Stark children, who range from three years old to fifteen in book one; Ned and Catelyn are thirty-somethings. It makes sense to streamline production with older child actors, and after eight seasons and eleven years, it's impossible to imagine different actors playing the adults. (I mean, Peter Dinklage. Come on.) However, this change impacts enough to matter. Part of Ned and Catelyn's tragedy is their youth, and the same goes for Bran (Isaac Hempstead Wright), Arya, and Sansa (Sophie Turner) in particular; their stories are more horrifying for their tender age. Robb, meanwhile, relies upon Catelyn's strategic mind because he lacks expertise in war. He's a deconstruction of the King Arthur mythos: a frightened boy thrust into leadership far too young, and the weight of a crown crushes him.

Sansa and Ramsay's Marriage

Perhaps the most contentious alteration is the fate of Sansa at the hands of the unfathomably sadistic Ramsay Bolton (Iwan Rheon). Ramsey does marry in the books, but his wife is Sansa's former friend Jeyne Poole, who the Boltons pass off as Arya as part of a political power move. As of A Dance with Dragons, Sansa's still in the Eyrie with Littlefinger (Aidan Gillen) and her journey to independence is gaining full steam. While the brutality of Sansa's wedding night has defenders, it's yet another example of the show's oft-criticized track record of exploiting women via sexualized violence. Sansa is a survivor, but she didn't require additional abuse to grow stronger.

Daenerys’s Visions in the House of the Undying

Dany's (Emilia Clarke) dragons are never captured, nor does the Stormborn girlboss her way through a "dracarys." In A Storm of Swords, she visits the House of the Undying in search of knowledge. While both depictions of this moment include Dany seeing visions, the book features a multitude of imagery foreshadowing events like the Red Wedding and revealing past tragedies, i.e., her brother Rhaegar's death. The most important is the simple sight of a sweet-smelling blue flower growing out of ice. Fans believe this foreshadows Jon Snow's (Kit Harrington) Targaryen heritage and the two's destined meeting as the physical manifestations of the Song of Ice and Fire. Hopefully, that partnership plays out differently in the final two ASOIAF novels. After all, despite outgrowing her naivety and hardening herself accordingly, book Dany retains her innate kindness toward others.

Adding the Night King

In Martin's universe, the Others (aka the White Walkers) lack a leader. A figurehead providing concentrated narrative menace isn't in error, and a figure called the Night's King — a human Lord Commander of the Night's Watch seduced by a female Other — did exist. Still, thousands of Others united in their goal to destroy human lives without an overseer is just as chilling.

Jaime's Redemption Arc (or Lack Thereof)

As with many other characters, Jaime Lannister's (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) fate sits unresolved. But returning to Cersei's side seems doubtful at this point. Once Jaime learns his sister's been sleeping with their cousin Lancel, it severs the last tie between them. Cersei writes Jaime a letter begging him to defend her in a trial by combat — a letter Jaime reads and then discards into the fire. The Kingslayer has much to redeem himself for and countless obstacles in his path, but after actively choosing to discard Cersei's contaminating influence, the chance at least exists.

All the Stark Children are Skinchangers

If you thought that controlling an animal's mind was exclusive to Bran, well, that's just Bran hogging the attention per usual. All the Stark children have either skinchanged into their direwolves or had dreams of doing so. It's an interesting plot point that's a pity to lose; in general, the stronger high fantasy elements integral to Martin's world never made it onto television.

Wait, There's Another Targaryen?

During Tyrion's misadventures in A Dance with Dragons, he happens upon a sellsword dubbed Griff and his son, Young Griff. In actuality, the boy claims to be Aegon Targaryen, the son of Rhaegar, whom the Mountain supposedly murdered as an infant. If Aegon truly is alive, that challenges Daenerys' succession. "Griff" is Jon Connington, a man who adored Rhaegar and intends to protect Aegon with his life. Connington also has grayscale, a plot point Game of Thrones passed onto Jorah Mormont (Iain Glen) instead. And if anyone were to rampage across King's Landing after hearing the toiling bells, it's Connington. He survived the Battle of the Bells, one of Robert Baratheon's (Mark Addy) first military successes during his Rebellion against the Targaryens, and his failure to win the city for King Aerys haunts him.

Everything About Euron Greyjoy

The King of the Iron Islands couldn't resemble his television persona (Pilou Asbæk) less if he tried. Physically, Euron rocks a 1970s rock band look with messy, shoulder-length black hair and an eyepatch covering his left eye. Emotionally, Euron's sadistic enough to give Ramsay a run for his money. He tortures his family psychologically for entertainment and was exiled for sexually assaulting his sister-in-law. Euron intends to conquer Westeros by controlling Daenerys's dragons with an ancient Valyrian dragon horn capable of binding the independent creatures to his will. Euron's uncanny ability to manipulate others is unparalleled and just as dangerous as his hold over the Ironborn fleet. Throw in some stolen dragons, and Euron's a release-the-Kraken-sized threat to Starks, Lannisters, and Daenerys alike.

Tyrion, Tysha, and Jaime

Before Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) goes on the run, Jaime confesses the truth about Tyrion's beloved wife, Tysha. For years, Tyrion believed that Tysha was a sex worker who lied to Tyrion about her humble background and her love for him; Jaime reveals this was a lie spread by Tywin to punish Tyrion for his unsanctioned marriage. Not only is this the inciting incident for Tyrion to kill his father, but the revelation shatters the brothers' mutual affection; Tyrion strikes Jaime and spits every painful word he can concoct. Without any lingering love for his siblings, Tyrion wouldn't have dragged his feet over Daenerys's invasion of King's Landing. And that would have made for a remarkably different outcome the world over.

Shae Is a More Well-Rounded Character

While the major plot points remain unchanged, Shae's (Sibel Kekilli) character is nearly unrecognizable. In both the books and the show, he falls for Shae, a sex worker following their camp. Taking her to Kings Landing against Tywin's orders, Tyrion continues spending time with her, but the two versions become drastically different. Though both have Shae serving as a maid to Sansa after her marriage to Tyrion, the show develops a friendship between the two women, with Shae growing protective of the younger girl. In the books, she remains indifferent towards her lover's wife. The relationship between Shae and Sansa makes Shae a more important character, as Sansa has so few friends in King's Landing, and it shows a different side of Shae as she displays compassion for the unfortunate Sansa Stark. Another major difference in Shae is her relationship with Tyrion. While the books make it clear that she never loved him, the show creates a tragic romance between them, which Martin admits he likes better. While Shae still betrays Tyrion, and Tyrion still kills her, the dynamic is wholly different. — Kendall Myers

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