Game Of Thrones: 10 Greatest Warriors In The History Of Westeros

9. Oberyn Martell

"Oberyn was ever the viper. Deadly, dangerous, unpredictable. No man dared tread on him."

One tragically familiar to book readers and show watchers alike - Oberyn Martell is one of the best characters in all of A Song of Ice and Fire/Game of Thrones; a dashing, charming hero figure who fights for the good guys and dies way too soon. He is also, however, one of the greatest warriors in history, and that goes beyond his duel with the Mountain.

While the trial by combat did show his clear skill in combat, as he danced around Gregor Clegane and had him beat, there's much more to prove just how great a combatant Prince Oberyn really was.

After studying at the Citadel, he went on to fight as a soldier in Essos, working for the sellsword company the Second Sons, and eventually starting his own company after that, carving a fearsome reputation with both sword and spear (for both his skill and the poison he imbued the latter with).

Although it's not massively expanded upon, he also spent years in the fighting pits of Essos - which he voluntarily entered - and lived to tell the tale, never being defeated, a sign of just how talented a combatant he truly was. As Tyrion remembers: "He knew the man only by reputation...but the reputation is fearsome...His tourneys, his battles, his duels, his horses, his carnality."