Ep.38: Game of Thrones – The 9 Houses

August 14, 2023 Peter Jans

Intro

Hello and Welcome to this episode of the podcast, "The Mnemonic Tree", where we add a single mnemonic leaf to our Tree of Knowledge.

Today's episode will take us back to one of the greatest television series of all time. Starting back in 2011 and spanning eight seasons it remarkably killed off many of its loved characters however, still retained the intrigue and adventure that had us glued to our seats.

Of course, I am talking about Game of Thrones, which is one of the most expensive television series of all time.

Today’s mnemonic is on the nine houses.

So, with no further ado, we will begin with a summary from Wikipedia.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Game_of_Thrones_-_%C5%BDrnovnica_quarry.jpg

Wikipedia Summary

Game of Thrones is an American fantasy drama television series created by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss for HBO. It is an adaptation of A Song of Ice and Fire, a series of fantasy novels by George R. R. Martin, the first of which is A Game of Thrones. The show was shot in the United Kingdom, Canada, Croatia, Iceland, Malta, Morocco, and Spain. It premiered on HBO in the United States on April 17, 2011, and concluded on May 19, 2019, with 73 episodes broadcast over eight seasons.

Set on the fictional continents of Westeros and Essos, Game of Thrones has a large ensemble cast and follows several story arcs throughout the course of the show. The first major arc concerns the Iron Throne of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros through a web of political conflicts among the noble families either vying to claim the throne or fighting for independence from whoever sits on it. The second focuses on the last descendant of the realm's deposed ruling dynasty, who has been exiled to Essos and is plotting to return and reclaim the throne. The third follows the Night's Watch, a military order defending the realm against threats from beyond Westeros's northern border.

Game of Thrones attracted a record viewership on HBO and has a broad, active, and international fan base. Critics have praised the series for its acting, complex characters, story, scope, and production values, although its frequent use of nudity and violence (including sexual violence) has been subject to criticism. The final season received significant critical backlash for its reduced length and creative decisions, with many considering it a disappointing conclusion. The series received 59 Primetime Emmy Awards, the most by a drama series, including Outstanding Drama Series in 2015, 2016, 2018 and 2019. Its other awards and nominations include three Hugo Awards for Best Dramatic Presentation, a Peabody Award, and five nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Drama.

A prequel series, House of the Dragon, premiered on HBO in 2022.

Extracted from: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_of_Thrones]

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Klis_-_Game_of_Thrones_1.jpg

Mnemonic

Game of Thrones – The Nine Houses Mnemonic – Game of Thrones was a Television Miniseries BLAST

(Picture watching the official opening credits to Game of Thrones and at the end of the credits your television blasts off like a rocket)

1. Greyjoy

2. Targaryen

3. Tully

4. Martell

5. Baratheon

6. Lannister

7. Arryn

8. Stark

9. Tyrell

Five Fun Facts

1. Peter Dinklage who portrays Tyrion Lannister who loves a wine or two, appears in more episodes than any other cast member. He is in 61 out of 67 episodes and was the only one considered for the role.

2. The cast would endure temperatures as low as -28 degrees when filming season 7 in Iceland.

3. Now who could forget the famous fight scene between Brienne of Tarth and the Hound. In the episode she walked away with a small victory in a fight scene that she trained for, for a total of 2 months for 3 to 4 days a week with sword master C.C. Smiff.

4. Kit Harington who plays Jon Snow and Rose Leslie who plays Ygritte a wildling were a couple on screen, who then fell in love and are now a couple off screen getting married on June 23, 2018 in Scotland.

Apparently when they were filming in Iceland Rose was so swept away by the landscape, that she was caught playing with Snow Balls!

5. Sansa Stark who was played by Sophie Turner adopted the Northern Inuit dog that played her pet dire wolf in the first season. Unfortunately, the dog has passed since, but good on her for doing so 😊

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Three Question Quiz

Q.1. Who is the author of “A Song of Fire and Ice” which was adapted into “Game of Thrones”?

Q.2. Who was the most hated character on Game of Thrones? The options are Queen Cersei, Ramsay Bolton or Joffrey Baratheon

Q.3. How did Tywin Lannister die? How did Ned Stark Die?

Bonus Q. Name one of Daenerys Targaryen’s dragons?

Mnemonic Recap

Game of Thrones – The Nine Houses Mnemonic – Game of Thrones was a Television Miniseries BLAST

(Picture watching the official opening credits to Game of Thrones and at the end of the credits your television blasts off like a rocket)

1. Greyjoy

2. Targaryen

3. Tully

4. Martell

5. Baratheon

6. Lannister

7. Arryn

8. Stark

9. Tyrell

Three Question Quiz Answers

Q.1. Who is the author of “A Song of Fire and Ice” which was adapted into “Game of Thrones”?

A. George R.R. Martin

Q.2. Who was the most hated character on Game of Thrones? The options are Queen Cersei, Ramsay Bolton or Joffrey Baratheon

A. Queen Cersei – She was actually quoted as saying that during an autograph session, fans would snatch their books from her hands to prevent her from signing it.

She did, however, win them over in the end with a joke. And that joke goes “What do you call a Lannister girl who can outrun her brothers? A Virgin!”

Q.3. How did Tywin Lannister die? How did Ned Stark Die?

A. Tywin Lannister was shot by a crossbow by Tyrion, whilst on the toilet. Ned Stark was Beheaded.

Bonus Q. Name one of Daenerys Targaryen’s dragons?

A. Rhaegal, Drogon & Viserion

Word of the Week

aegis

[ ee-jis ]

noun

protection; support.

Example

The survival of all houses was contingent on the aegis from each individual house to help fight the white walkers.