While you’ve been busy figuring out the family trees and royal bloodlines in Game of Thrones, the show-runners have sneakily thrown in a few super-cool Easter eggs and hidden clues that only eagle-eyed fans would notice.
Did you catch these little details? Or are you like Jon Snow, who’s known nothing all along? Take some time away from the gory scenes, battles and bloodshed and check out these hidden Game of Thrones Easter eggs you may have missed throughout the fantasy television series…
1. Gandalf’s Sword on the Iron Throne
The infamous Iron Throne is made up of hundreds of swords but did you know that one of them once belonged on the set of Lord of the Rings? Yes, that’s right! A sword on the throne is actually the sword used by Lord of the Rings’ Gandalf. Did your sharp eye spot Glamdring? It seems the two fantasy worlds might just be intertwined, after all! You can see the image here.
2. George Bush’s Cameo
Remember the severed heads that King Joffrey so horribly stuck on pikes at the end of season one? Well, one of those heads was a replica of George Bush’s face! Show-runners David Benioff and DB Weiss explained, “George Bush’s head appears in a couple of beheading scenes. It’s not a choice, it’s not a political statement. We just had to use whatever head we had around.” Yeah, okay. Just admit it guys, you dislike the former president so much to the point where you’d like to see his head cut off!
Even HBO were shocked by this political feature – “We were deeply dismayed to see this and find it unacceptable, disrespectful and in very bad taste. We made this clear to the executive producers of the series who apologized immediately for this inadvertent, careless mistake. We are sorry this happened and will have it removed from any future DVD production.”
3. Littlefinger Predicts the Future
Scheming and manipulating aren’t the only tricks Littlefinger has up his sleeves! Baelish can predict the future! In episode 8 of season 4, he tells Robyn Arryn, “People die at their dinner tables. They die in their beds. They die squatting over their chamber pots. Everybody dies sooner or later.” Believe it or not, Baelish’s words had hidden meaning!
Joffrey had already died by that point but Shae and Tywin hadn’t! Littlefinger foreshadowed their deaths and we didn’t even notice!
4. Jaime Lannister’s Star Wars Tribute
I don’t know if you noticed, but Jaime Lannister and Luke Skywalker have plenty in common! Although the similarities between both characters have not been made official, it’s safe to say the two are very much alike. Not only do they both have twin sisters and evil fathers, but Jaime Lannister also has his hand cut off like Luke did in The Empire Strikes Back. Just like Marvel has done in the past, some would say this is Game of Thrones’ way of paying tribute to the legendary Star Wars…
5. Superstar Cameos
The Red Wedding was an unforgettable and one of the greatest GoT moments! It must have been even more haunting for those who attended, including Will Champion! Thought you were seeing things that day? You were right, the Coldplay star was one of the musicians playing the Rains of Castamere!
Guess which other star had a small cameo on Game of Thrones – Snow Patrol’s Gary Lightboy! Remember that dude who sang a ditty back in season 3?
6. Map of Westeros = Map of Britain and Ireland
Put two and two together and you’ll notice that the Game of Thrones map is simply Britain above an inverted map of Ireland! This comes as no surprise, considering a lot of the show is filmed in Ireland and there are several plot-lines that are actually inspired by historical events in these countries! Check out the Reddit user’s image here!
7. Brienne and Tormund’s Fighting Technique
Here’s a GoT callback many of you probably didn’t notice! Remember when Brienne savagely ripped The Hound’s ear off with her TEETH back in season 4? Well, she has this defense strategy in common with her current admirer, Tormund! In the Battle of the Bastards, Tormund also dug his teeth into his enemy during that chaotic fight. Does this tease a future Brienne and Tormund relationship?! We sure hope so!
Interested in Westeros’ history? Check out this detailed Game of Thrones timeline of events.
8. The R+ L= J Theory Was Already Confirmed
Were you itching for Game of Thrones to confirm that R+L=J theory from long ago? Well, it was pretty much confirmed all the way back in season one with a awesome clue! Go back to episode 4 of season 1 when Jon mentions to Sam about not knowing who his mother is. Look closely and you’ll notice a sneaky hidden message in the background. The carvings on the tree next to him write “RL”.
Now, if this Easter egg doesn’t impress you, we don’t know what will! See the snapshot.
9. Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen Parallel
The R+L=J theory was pretty much confirmed to us in the season six finale but we were given hints earlier on in the season, too. When Jon emerged from beneath the pile of people in the Battle of the Bastards, it reflected the amazing moment Daenerys rose above all her followers back in season three. This mirror image could have implied that Jon Snow and Daenerys were related – hence the R+L=J theory.
This powerful visual may also confirm that Jon and Dany together are the song of ice and fire. But that was just one of the many theories that ended up being wrong.
10. The Opening Sequence Has a Little Secret
There’s no opening sequence that gives you chills more than the GoT one. Have you ever sat down and analysed it, though? Do you watch it with eagle eyes every week? You should!
Every opening sequence features a sneaky secret – the locations where the episode will be taking place! Apparently every episode’s map must contain King’s Landing, Winterfell, The Wall and ‘wherever Daenerys is at the moment’, even if she doesn’t appear in that episode. Mind-blown, right? How did we not notice this these past eight years?!
11. Jon Snow and Frodo Baggins Have Something in Common
George RR Martin is definitely a Lord of the Rings fan! Frodo Baggins’ best friends in Lord of the Rings are named Sam and Pyp. Is it a coincidence that Jon Snow’s friends were also named Sam and Pyp?! If you spotted this connection, kudos to you!
12. The Viper’s Death Was Teased Long Before
The GoT cast have a great sense of humor in real life! This Easter egg was a major spoiler; we can’t believe nobody saw Oberyn’s death coming! This photo of Lena Headey pushing in Pedro Pascal’s eyes was taken before that epic episode in season 4 aired. Even the cast enjoy foreshadowing their characters’ gruesome deaths!
13. A Harry Potter Tribute
Thought you recognized Osha somewhere before? She played Nymphadora Tonks in the Harry Potter movies! The TV show paid tribute to her witch character in season one when she was seen making brooms. Brooms also featured in several shots with Osha, too!
14. Walkers and the Stark Sigil
This Easter Egg spotted by fans at the end of season seven strongly hinted at the walker’s invasion of Winterfell in the next series. Look closely at this image and it looks as though the White Walkers formed a Stark sigil, a direwolf, at the end of the scene. Is the show trolling us? Perhaps our minds are playing tricks on us. I don’t know about you, but that sure as hell looks like a direwolf!
15. Three Stooges Nod
Don’t go hunting for this Easter Egg in the television how because it’s actually hidden in the very first book! Remember when Catelyn arrested Tyrion? Well, the three knights from House Bracken who helped her were named Lharys, Mohor, and Kurleket. This is a clear nod to the Three Stooges, Larry, Moe, and Curly! Clever, George, clever…
16. The Hall of Faces Cameos
During your next GoT marathon, look closely at the Hall of Faces and you’ll spot a few more familiar faces other than Daenerys, Jon or Arya. Co-creators David Benioff and Dan Weiss were among the countless faces, too!
17. Daenerys’ Hair
You’d think minuscule things like hair design in a TV show have no importance, but this is certainly not the case for Daenerys in Game of Thrones! As you can see in this picture, Dany’s hairstyle and plaits became more elaborate throughout the seasons, probably depicting her growing strength and power as a Targaryen.
18. Daenerys and Ygritte
Listen closely during the season 8 premiere and you’ll recognize one of Daenerys’ lines to Jon Snow. When the duo fly away on their dragons and find themselves at a hidden waterfall, Dany says “We could stay here for a thousand years and no one would know”. Ygiritte said something similar to him in the past when they found a cave – “I don’t ever want to leave this cave Jon Snow, not ever”.
19. Not Today
There’s a reason why #NotToday was trending on Twitter after this famous GoT quote was said by Arya in episode 3 of season 8. Want to know what the big deal was? “Not today” was her answer when Syrio Forel asked her, “What do we say to the God of Death?” back in season 1!
20. A Starbucks Cameo?
You’d have to keep your eyes peeled during the fourth episode of season 8 to have spotted this one! In one particular shot during the feast at Winterfell, you can see a Starbucks cup next to Daenerys! This might have been ‘accidental’, but it still counts as one of the funniest Easter Eggs on the show!
21. David Benioff and D.B. Weiss as Wildlings
During the same feast, you might also have spotted a few familiar faces. Playing the role of Wildlings were none other than Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D. B. Weiss! The scruffy look suits them pretty well! Check them out in this screengrab!
22. The Lannister Sigil
If like us, you enjoy keeping an eye out for nitty gritty details during the credits, you’d have spotted this juicy little Easter Egg! During the opening credits of the final episode, the usual Lannister sigil above the Iron Throne is smashed, signifying the fall of Queen Cersei in the previous episode.
23. Season 1 Parallel
Remember Daenerys’ and Jon’s grand entrance at Winterfell at the start of season 8? Well, keen viewers would have noticed that this scene parallels the moment when Robert Baratheon and Cersei Lannister made the same arrival back in season 1. It even features the same music! It goes down to the very detail, too – just like in the S1 premiere, Arya is separate from her family and like Catelyn Stark, Jon asks Sansa where Arya is.
24. House of Undying Vision
Although not entirely an Easter Egg, this was a great visual callback to an earlier epic moment on the show. Daenerys entering the Throne room in the finale recalls her vision in the House of the Undying back in season 2. From the falling ash (which we thought was snow back in the day) to the destroyed Throne room, this vision clearly proved to be true. Except in finale, Dany got to touch the Throne.
What other Easter eggs and hidden details have you spotted throughout the show? Let us know in the comments below…
Want to learn more about the epic television show? Here are 40 facts about Game of Thrones you might not know!
