10 Game Of Thrones Fates Worse Than Death
There are plenty of gruesome deaths during Game Of Thrones. But what if they're the lucky ones?
The hit TV fantasy series Game Of Thrones became rightly famous during its tenure for violent and gory deaths. From the iconic decapitation of Ned Stark in season one, to the flame-fried cadavers and blue-lipped, face-twisted poisonings of later series, there was always an unfortunate and dramatic demise just round the corner in this show.
Naturally, there are plenty of lurid lists of Game Of Thrones deaths on the internet. There's even a nice selection of the most brutal, underrated and finest GoT expirations on this very website. But what would a drama be without the possibility of survival, even if that survival is a living nightmare? For every calling from the Grim Reaper, there's a visit from a more sombre fate, looking to bestow luck of the worst kind on an innocent, or not-so-innocent inhabitant of Westeros or Essos.
No-one is safe. From servants and bastards, to queens, princesses and lords, there's a fate worse than death awaiting them, an unfortunate set of circumstances that will make them crave the quick end of an executioner's sword or a chalice of poisoned wine. Cersei Lannister famously said "When you play the Game Of Thrones, you win or you die. There is no middle ground." As the queen found out herself in season five, actually there is, and it can be quite... unpleasant.
10. The Torture Of Theon Greyjoy
Poor Theon. If a Game Of Thrones character was ever unsure of their place in life, it was King Balon Greyjoy's youngest son. Taken from his family following a failed rebellion and held prisoner by Lord Eddard Stark at Winterfell, Theon's gruff and off-hand demeanour hardly endears him to the viewer during the tumultuous events of season one.
In the aftermath of Eddard Stark's execution, Theon initially pledges to serve Robb Stark in the resulting War Of The Five Kings. However, with King Balon spotting an opportunity to take advantage of the conflict and mount another rebellion, the young man finds the calling of his blood too much, betraying the Starks, and seizing control of Winterfell.
And then it all goes wrong for Theon.
Betrayed by his own men, Theon is captured by House Bolton and its leader, Roose Bolton, who wants the former Stark ward as a valuable hostage. Roose's bastard son and fully-fledged psychotic, Ramsey Snow, has different ideas, and subjects Theon to some of the most horrific torture imaginable, even helping him to escape at one point, before leading him straight back to the cursed torture chamber.
Sadistic and brutal, Ramsey successfully subjugates Theon, culminating in a savage castration at the end of season three. While he may not be the most likeable of characters, it's a nasty fate, before redemption finally comes calling for Theon.