Many characters died when fire met ice in the Battle of Winterfell during Game of Thrones Season 8, Episode 3.
Warning! Spoilers for Game of Thrones Season 8, Episode 3 lie ahead!
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Directed by Miguel Sapochnik, the epic battle, which the series has been building up to since its inception in 2011, was not only the “longest consecutive battle sequence ever committed to film,” but also a major game changer.
As the Night King and his army of the Dead finally arrived at Winterfell and faced off against Jon Snow and his forces of the living, not everyone was able to survive, and fans watched as hundreds of characters, both good and bad, fell, including a handful of beloved main characters.
Keep scrolling to see all of the characters who met their end during the Battle of Winterfell, and catch up on the aftermath of the epic battle when a new episode of Game of Thrones airs on Sunday at 9 p.m. ET on HBO.
Eddison Tollett
Cause of Death: Eddison “Edd” Tollett, portrayed by Ben Crompton, died a hero, saving Samwell Tarly before being stabbed in the back by a white walker.
A recurring character of the show since Season 1, Edd was a brother of the Night’s Watch and became the Lord Commander of Castle Black in Season 6. His was the first major death of Episode 3, though he still plans on watching the remaining three episodes of the series.
“My wife, Liv, and I will sit down and watch each episode on the Monday night it airs in the U.K.,” he previously said. “Or, if work allows, we’ll watch it on the Monday morning after the school drop-off. We saw [‘Winterfell’] on the Friday before it aired at the Belfast Premiere, which was a real treat to see something so cinematic on the big screen.”
Lady Lyanna Mormont
Cause of Death: Proving just how tough she is for a little lady from the North, Lyanna Mormont (Bella Ramsey) used her dying breath to take down a giant white, stabbing it in one of its eyes as it crushed her to death.
The pre-teen ruler of Bear Isle first appeared in Season 6, and she quickly became a fan favorite thanks to her feistiness and eagerness to stand on the battleground among men more twice her age and size. Her death, a hard-hitting one among the GoT fandom, prompted hundreds of thousands of tweets.
Lord Beric Dondarrion
Cause of Death: Lord Beric (Richard Dormer) died protecting Arya Stark from the white walkers infiltrating Winterfell. Shielding Arya, along with The Hound, from the white walkers, he was stabbed multiple times.
Lord Beric first appeared in Season 1 of Game of Thrones serving as Hand of the King and helped form the Brotherhood Without Banners after the Battle at the Mummer’s Ford. Death was not entirely unfamiliar to Lord Beric, however, as he had died six times before his seventh and permanent death and brought back to life.
Theon Greyjoy
Cause of Death: He died protecting Bran from the army of the dead, charging straight at the Night King only to be killed with his own weapon.
Theon (Alfie Allen) had been present in the series since Season 1, though his character, raised among the Stark children, ultimately became an outcast after betraying the Starks and taking Winterfell. In recent seasons, he had been attempting to atone for his sins, and ultimately came to redemption with his death.
“Theon… you’re a good man. Thank you,” Bran told him before Theon charged at the Night King.
The Night King
Cause of Death: Death by Arya Stark, a girl with no name. After killing Theon and moving to kill Bran, Arya lunged at him out of nowhere, and while the Night King (caught her by the neck, she still managed to plunge her dagger into him, shattering him and subsequently killing the entire army of the dead.
While many eyes had been on the Iron Throne throughout the series’ first seasons, the Night King proved to be the largest looming threat, and the one with which Jon Snow had chosen to make his focus. Gathering an undead army numbering in the hundreds of thousands, the Night King managed to take down the Wall with the help of an undead dragon, and he seemed poised to win Winterfell and move southward before his demise.
Ser Jorah Mormont
Cause of Death: Died doing what he loved most: protecting Daenerys Targaryen. Killed after being stabbed by white walkers.
Ser Jorah (Iain Glen) dedicated his life to serving Daenerys, returning to her side after contracting and ultimately surviving grayscale. Although exiled from the North, he returned to fight in the battle of Winterfell, falling as he saved Khaleesi.
Melisandre
Cause of Death: Old age.
Melisandre (Carice van Houten), also known as the Red Woman, was a Red Preistress in the religion of R’hllor, the Lord of Light and a counselor to Stannis Baratheon, even sacrificing had Shireen Baratheon while in his service. She was responsible for bringing Jon Snow back to life, believing him to be The Prince That Was Promised.
After having last been seen in the 2017 episode “The Queen’s Justice,” she returned to the North for the great battle, using her powers to help defend Winterfell, and ultimately dying once it was over as she removed her necklace, reverting her to her true age.
Other Deaths
The Battle of Winterfell claimed thousands of other lives, both living and already dead. As the forces collided, virtually every single Dothraki died followed by many of the Unsullied. The army of the dead, including the undead Viserion, ultimately died in unison with the Night King after he was stabbed by Arya Stark.