Classic Names with a Twist from Game of Thrones
Guest blogger Aislinn Nicole is a fan of both baby names and George R. R. Martin‘s epic Game of Thrones series. Here, she combines enthusiasms and helps us navigate the names of the new season.
The people of George R.R. Martin’s book series A Song of Ice and Fire (adapted by HBO to become the TV series Game of Thrones) are very much like the people of our world. Martin’s characters are vivid and real, and their names are an extension of that, including interesting similarities and alternatives to several classic names.
There’s the simple and lovely Jeyne, pronounced just like Jane. Tywin and Tyrion are similar to Tyler, while Edmure and Eddard sound much like our Edmund and Edward. Marcella was my grandmother’s name, so Myrcella holds a particular fondness for me. There are a dozen other examples in the series… and some names you’ll never have heard before, that are equally lovely.
Game of Thrones is about a continent (Westeros) of feuding noble families, all vying to control the Iron Throne. At the beginning of the series, the Iron Throne is held by King Robert Baratheon, who requests the aid of his childhood friend EddardStark to help him keep the Iron Throne which he won by defeating House Targaryen. Below, the noble houses are listed with the main characters included as well as some characters with more interesting names. Note: some of the characters listed don’t appear (or become important) until later in the series, but they are simply too good to exclude.
If you’re interested in knowing more about Game of Thrones, the series’ first season came out on DVD March 6th, and the second season began on HBO on April 1st. For the real experience though, I’d recommend the book series, A Song of Ice and Fire, whose first book is called A Game of Thrones.
House Baratheon (unless noted otherwise, all characters in each list carry the noble house’s name as their surname)
King Robert – a milder version of Henry VIII
Queen Cersei Lannister – Robert’s beautiful, vain and scheming wife
Joffrey – the crown prince and spoiled heir to the throne
Myrcella – the only princess
Stannis – Robert’s hard, unyielding brother
Renly – Robert’s handsome, favored brother
House Stark
Eddard (Ned) – the series’ protagonist, a moral and just man to a fault
Catelyn Tully – Ned’s strong and loyal wife
Robb – the oldest son, a young but brave warrior
Sansa – the eldest daughter, pretty and whimsical
Arya – the youngest daughter, clever and determined to never be a lady
Bran – the second son, dealt a difficult hand by fate
Jon Snow – Ned’s illegitimate son
Benjen – Ned’s younger brother
Lyanna – Ned’s long dead sister, once betrothed to Robert Baratheon
Jeyne Poole – Sansa’s girlhood friend
House Lannister
Jaime – Cersei’s twin brother
Tyrion – Cersei’s younger brother, a clever and devious dwarf
Tywin – Cersei, Jaime, and Tyrion’s father
Kevan – Tywin’s younger brother
House Targaryen
Rhaegar – the deceased crown prince of deposed House Targaryen
Viserys – the last remaining male heir of House Targaryen
Daenerys (Dany) – the last princess of House Targaryen, she is the female protagonist
House Tully
Edmure – Catelyn’s brother and heir to House Tully
Lysa – Catelyn’s younger sister
Brynden – Lysa and Catelyn’s uncle
House Greyjoy
Balon – the lord of House Greyjoy
Theon– a ward of House Stark, he is Balon’s only living son
Asha/Yara – Theon’s sister (the name Yara is used in the TV show to prevent confusion with another character)
Victarion – Theon and Asha’s uncle
House Tyrell
Mace – the lord of House Tyrell
Loras – the Knight of Flowers, and youngest son
Margaery – Mace’s only daughter, lovely and smart
Olenna Redwyne – Mace’s mother, called the Queen of Thorns
Brienne of Tarth – a brave female soldier who fights in armor like a knight
House Martell
Doran – Prince of Dorne and Lord of House Martell
Arianne – Doran’s oldest child and heir (in Dorne firstborns inherit regardless of gender!)
Elia – Doran’s sister. Once married to Prince Rhaegar Targaryen, she was killed in the war
Other Characters
Jorah Mormont – a disgraced knight who aids Daenerys Targaryen
Meera Reed – a daughter of Howland Reed, a bannerman of Eddard Stark
Melisandre of Asshai – a sorceress who aids Stannis Baratheon
Aislinn Nicole is a graduate of Washburn University and plans to return to school next fall. As a student of history and anthropology, Aislinn hopes to one day pursue either a career as an archaeologist or a historical writer. Her nom de plume, Aislinn Nicole, was born out of a love of Celtic history (Aislinn) and jealousy over a cousin’s awesome name (Nicole).