The final season of Game of Thrones is fast approaching, and that means only one thing: It's time to recap. It's been almost two full years since Game of Thrones last aired, and the audience any show that's been gone for that long would probably require a little bit of refreshing. But when that show is Game of Thrones, there's quite a bit of info to remember. This is the show with approximately a bajillion characters, after all, and with each one of those characters comes an intense backstory filled with countless pieces of history and terms that only the most diehard of fans can totally remember. Most of us haven't been studying up on the series for the last two years though, and for those folks, there are 10 Game of Thrones phrases that are necessary to make it through Season 8.
In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss spoke about the final season of their show, talking about their optimism that fans will be happy with the ending of the series. Benioff said:
From the beginning, we’ve talked about how the show would end. A good story isn’t a good story if you have a bad ending. Of course we worry. It’s also part of the fun of any show that people love arguing about it.
The truth is, no matter what the ending is, fans will find something to debate. And when those inevitable Game of Thrones conversations happen, you'll need to be able to talk to talk with these key Game of Thrones phrases. Whether you've been watching from the beginning or you're just jumping in for the series finale, these phrases will make you sound like you could sit on the throne yourself.
01Winter Is Coming
This is the Stark house's motto, and also a very true statement. In the world of Game of Thrones, the seasons last decades, and throughout the whole series winter has been fast approaching. In fact, now that the show's in Season 8, winter isn't coming; it's already here.
02Khalessi
Khaleesi is the Dothraki word for "queen" and so when Daenerys Targaryen married a Dothraki ruler, she took on the title of Khalessi. She's since moved on to conquer all of Westeros, but she still goes by Khalessi (along with a whole bunch of other awesome titles).
03Jon Snow
Jon Snow has been leading thousands of men up in the North, but at the end of Season 7 he teamed up with Khaleesi and together they seem like a pretty unstoppable team against all enemies. Jon Snow also has a much more royal lineage than he realizes, so it'll be exciting to see that plays out in Season 8. The last name Snow is given to bastards, Jon believes he is Ned Stark's bastard son, but fans know things are about to change...
04Iron Throne
It's the thing that everyone's after. Whoever sits at the Iron Throne rules all of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, and while Cersei sits there now, she might not for very long...
05King's Landing
King's Landing is where the Iron Throne sits, and it's also the Capital of Westeros. It's basically the big metropolis of the Game of Thrones world, and it's where all the power lies.
06Hand of the King
The Hand of the King is the ruler's righthand man. Tyrion was the Hand of the King a few seasons back, and now he's serving the same role for Khaleesi. Of course, in this case, he's Hand of the Queen.
07Three-Eye Raven
The Three-Eyed Raven is a title that gets passed down from generation to generation, and right now Bran Stark has got it. That means he can use his special abilities to see into the past, present, and future... and possibly alter it.
08White Walkers
In the far north, there's an army of zombie-like creatures who are dead-set on devouring as many humans as possible and/or turning humans into more White Walkers like them. It's pretty scary, and especially when everyone's got to fight them while also squabbling over the Iron Throne.
09Arya Stark and Her List
Arya Stark is the youngest daughter of the Stark family, but she is not a princess who simply sits in her tower. Arya is a cold-blooded killer, and she's made a list of everyone she plans to murder in order to take revenge. She's killed a few already, but Season 8 starts with six people still on her list.
10The Prince Who Was Promised
There is a prophecy that a legendary figure called Azor Ahai will be reborn as "The Prince Who Was Promised," and that person will save all of Westeros. There's a good chance that it's either Jon Snow of Khaleesi, but fans will have to watch Season 8 to find out.
