# Non-Spoiler Background Thread for Game of Thrones **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 20, 2011, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-spoiler-background-thread-for-game-of-thrones/582608 "2011-05-20T18:40:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![lisiate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f05b48/32.png) [@lisiate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisiate)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2011, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-spoiler-background-thread-for-game-of-thrones/582608/21 "2011-05-23T01:34:04Z")
Re Renly; Have we even seen Margaery in the series yet? ---
**Author:** ![Revenant\_Threshold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f1d935/32.png) [@Revenant\_Threshold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revenant_Threshold)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2011, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-spoiler-background-thread-for-game-of-thrones/582608/22 "2011-05-23T01:59:24Z")
> [@lisiate](#): > > Re Renly; Have we even seen Margaery in the series yet? Nope. I don’t think she’s been cast yet. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2011, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-spoiler-background-thread-for-game-of-thrones/582608/23 "2011-05-23T04:55:04Z")
Bear in mind that she doesn’t appear until the second book, and doesn’t have any lines until the third. ---
**Author:** ![Lakai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de0a6/32.png) [@Lakai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lakai)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2011, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-spoiler-background-thread-for-game-of-thrones/582608/24 "2011-05-23T05:33:54Z")
> [@NAF1138](#): > > Not to mention that the child is also the rightful heir to the Iron Throne and the heir to the Dothraki leadership position. Long term the unborn child is a bigger threat to Robert’s Kingdom than either Dany or Viserys individually. Looks like Viserys isn’t much of a threat anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Clark\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c77e96/32.png) [@Clark\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clark_K)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2011, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-spoiler-background-thread-for-game-of-thrones/582608/25 "2011-05-23T05:37:34Z")
What time span is covered in the books? A couple of years? Decades? ---
**Author:** ![meldiocre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@meldiocre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/meldiocre)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2011, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-spoiler-background-thread-for-game-of-thrones/582608/26 "2011-05-23T07:02:10Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > It was definitely hinted at (the Hound threatening Loras with putting his sword “in places even Renly hadn’t found”) actually, jaime said that. why would the hound threaten loras? they parted on good terms at the joust, with loras handing the hound the champion’s purse after being saved from the mountain’s wrath. they dont have much (any?) contact after that. which segues nicely into me thinking that i should’ve made this thread since there isnt a human being alive or dead save for maybe GRRM himself who knows more about this series than me. ask away. ---
**Author:** ![meldiocre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@meldiocre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/meldiocre)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2011, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-spoiler-background-thread-for-game-of-thrones/582608/27 "2011-05-23T07:06:44Z")
> [@Clark\_K](#): > > What time span is covered in the books? A couple of years? Decades? book 1 to book 4 is literally ‘a couple years.’ there’s a fast-forward coming up soon but i dont wanna say more than that due to the non-spoiling nature of the thread. ---
**Author:** ![kombatminipig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5ac83/32.png) [@kombatminipig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kombatminipig)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2011, 8:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-spoiler-background-thread-for-game-of-thrones/582608/28 "2011-05-23T08:41:20Z")
> [@meldiocre](#): > > book 1 to book 4 is literally ‘a couple years.’ there’s a fast-forward coming up soon but i dont wanna say more than that due to the non-spoiling nature of the thread. I pretty much figured out there would be, going by the significance of the adolescent characters. ---
**Author:** ![willthekittensurvive](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/91b2a8/32.png) [@willthekittensurvive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/willthekittensurvive)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2011, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-spoiler-background-thread-for-game-of-thrones/582608/29 "2011-05-23T11:25:58Z")
I have a question, How does the 7kingdom raven mail system work? Are the ravens trained to find different castles? or does it work the same way as homing pigeons. (The raven will only return to a specific castle) ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2011, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-spoiler-background-thread-for-game-of-thrones/582608/30 "2011-05-23T11:31:09Z")
The same as homing pigeons (a character at one point mentions that pigeons can also be used for messages, but they’re not as efficient as ravens). ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2011, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-spoiler-background-thread-for-game-of-thrones/582608/31 "2011-05-23T11:59:29Z")
I asked this in the ‘as seen on TV’ thread but I’d like to know the book answer too: The Starks have the dire wolf and the Targayans have the dragon. Do the other houses/families have their own animal/plant/thing? ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2011, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-spoiler-background-thread-for-game-of-thrones/582608/32 "2011-05-23T12:03:45Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > I asked this in the ‘as seen on TV’ thread but I’d like to know the book answer too: > The Starks have the dire wolf and the Targayans have the dragon. Do the other houses/families have their own animal/plant/thing? Yes, every house has a sigil. Lion, kraken, flayed man, sunburst, etc. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2011, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-spoiler-background-thread-for-game-of-thrones/582608/33 "2011-05-23T12:10:06Z")
> [@Lakai](#): > > Looks like Viserys isn’t much of a threat anymore. Oh, it’s possible someone could trip and fall over his bones and hurt themselves, but generally, no. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2011, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-spoiler-background-thread-for-game-of-thrones/582608/34 "2011-05-23T12:11:05Z")
Who has what? Also-- flayed man? Yikes! ---
**Author:** ![Merijeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Merijeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merijeek)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2011, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-spoiler-background-thread-for-game-of-thrones/582608/35 "2011-05-23T12:17:34Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > Who has what? Also-- flayed man? Yikes! Some houses are creepier than others. Greyjoy - Kraken (and their god, as described, is basically Cthulhu) Tully - A Fish Arryn - Eagle (hawk?) Baratheon - Stag (crowned, now!) I always mixed up Tyrell and Martell… -Joe ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2011, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-spoiler-background-thread-for-game-of-thrones/582608/36 "2011-05-23T12:19:00Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > I asked this in the ‘as seen on TV’ thread but I’d like to know the book answer too: > The Starks have the dire wolf and the Targayans have the dragon. Do the other houses/families have their own animal/plant/thing? Yes, it’s a common thing of all the noble houses, though not all of the symbols are animals and plants. The Lannisters have a lion, the Baratheons (Robert’s family) have a stag, the Tullys (Cat’s family, by birth) have a fish (a trout, IIRC), and the Tyrells (Ser Loras’s house) a flower. Others include the chained giant of the Umbers, the sunburst of the Karstarks, the twin towers of the Freys, the Mormonts’ bear, the Greyjoys’ kraken, and the thoroughly disturbing sigil of House Bolton, the flayed man. Those are off the top of my head, and there are plenty more, such as a silver fist, spears, various birds and other beasts, etc. (All of these allied with either House Stark or House Tully, since it was Stark and Tully related chapters the lists I’m remembering came up in.) ---
**Author:** ![gonzoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a6a055/32.png) [@gonzoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzoron)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2011, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-spoiler-background-thread-for-game-of-thrones/582608/37 "2011-05-23T15:27:30Z")
> [@Merijeek](#): > > Baratheon - Stag (crowned, now!) So I’m reading _The Hedge Knight_ for the first time now. (The 1st of 3 prequel novellas set 100 years or so before AGoT) and in it is mentioned the “Crowned Stag of House Baratheon.” Is that a mistake, or was the “fact” that the Stag became a Crowned Stag when Robert became king made up for the show? ---
**Author:** ![Lakai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de0a6/32.png) [@Lakai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lakai)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2011, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-spoiler-background-thread-for-game-of-thrones/582608/38 "2011-05-23T15:30:34Z")
When the Mad King died, why did Robert become king and not one of the Lannisters? ---
**Author:** ![Merijeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Merijeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merijeek)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2011, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-spoiler-background-thread-for-game-of-thrones/582608/39 "2011-05-23T15:34:55Z")
> [@Lakai](#): > > When the Mad King died, why did Robert become king and not one of the Lannisters? Basically, once the last Targaryen was dead and/or exiled there was a vacuum. Realistically, it was because Robert was someone that managed to get enough support. He married Cersei to get the Lannisters. He was boyhood friends with Ned so he had the Starks. Various deals were cut. The Lannisters had nobody to put up. Jaime was a member of the Kingsguard and is (technically) unable to marry, inherit, or anything like that. Tywin (daddy Lannister) would rot in hell before he gave Tyrion anything more than the bare minimum. Technically, the Maesters who track the bloodlines supposedly found a link somewhere far enough back that gave him some Targaryen blood (or that of the ones who were in charge before the Targaryens? It’s been a while). But really that was just a bit of bullshit to do an post facto justification. -Joe ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2011, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-spoiler-background-thread-for-game-of-thrones/582608/40 "2011-05-23T15:55:36Z")
> [@Merijeek](#): > > Technically, the Maesters who track the bloodlines supposedly found a link somewhere far enough back that gave him some Targaryen blood (or that of the ones who were in charge before the Targaryens? It’s been a while). But really that was just a bit of bullshit to do an post facto justification. > > -Joe House Baratheon is a cadet offshoot of House Targaryen, back a couple of centuries. ETA: Just looked for confirmation…not an offshoot, but Targaryen has married into Baratheon at least two times in the past. I guess that gives Robert enough Targaryen blood to _just_ wiggle onto the throne. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-spoiler-background-thread-for-game-of-thrones/582608.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-spoiler-background-thread-for-game-of-thrones/582608.md?page=3)