All men must die. The Faceless Men keep banging on about it, so it must be true. But which Game of Thrones death is the most upsetting?
Here's the definitive ranking of the major deaths (not all of them, mind – are you mad?):
NOT REMOTELY SAD ABOUT IT
Ramsay Bolton
- Role: Lord Bolton's bastard son
- Cause of death: eaten by his own dogs
- Note: Never has anyone in the history of the world deserved to be eaten by his own dogs more. He made Joffrey look like a nice guy
Joffrey Baratheon
- Role: Lord of the Seven Kingdoms
- Cause of death: poisoned at the Purple Wedding by Olenna Tyrell and Littlefinger
- Note: It really was better that he went
Viserys Targaryen (above)
- Role: Exiled head of House Targaryen and brother to Daenerys Targaryen
- Cause of death: Khal Drogo poured molten gold on his head at Daenerys' command — ouch
- Note: Strong contender for worst brother of all time
Gregor Clegane
- Role: Knight and head of House Clegane, loyal to House Lannister
- Cause of death: Poisoned by the spear of Oberyn Martell in a trial by combat
- Note: Technically he's now been brought back to life, but we're not sure how "back to life" he actually is, so he's staying on this list
Alliser Thorne (above)
- Role: Brother of the Night's Watch
- Cause of death: Hanging ordered by Jon Snow
- Note: He tried to kill Jon Snow — even though this turned out to be unsuccessful
Janos Slynt
- Role: Former commander of the City Watch in King's Landing, exiled to Night's Watch by Tyrion Lannister
- Cause of death: Beheaded for insubordination by Jon Snow
- Note: Probably the most high-stakes game of "call my bluff" ever
Pyat Pree
- Role: Warlock from Qarth, member of the Thirteen
- Cause of death: Burned alive by Daenerys's dragons
Meryn Trant (above)
- Role: Knight in the Kingsguard
- Cause of death: Blinded and stabbed before having his throat slit by Arya Stark
- Note: He was awful
Craster
- Role: A Wildling who lived with his daughter-wives beyond the Wall
- Cause of death: Killed by Karl Tanner, a Night's Watchman
- Note: Incest, etc.
Kraznys
- Role: Slave trader in Slaver's Bay and one of the Good Masters
- Cause of death: Burned alive by Drogon after he tried to trade the Unsullied for the dragon and insulted Daenerys
Polliver
- Role: Man-at-arms for House Lannister
- Cause of death: Stabbed in the throat by Arya Stark
Myranda
- Role: Servant of House Bolton and Ramsay Snow's lover
- Cause of death: Pushed off a ledge by Theon Grejoy
Stannis Baratheon (above)
- Role: Lord of Dragonstone, brother of Robert and Renly Baratheon, claimant to the Iron Throne
- Cause of death: Executed by Brienne of Tarth
- Note: Ordering your own daughter to be burned at the stake doesn't win you many friends
Selyse Baratheon
- Role: Wife of Stannis Baratheon
- Cause of death: Hanged herself following death of her daughter
- Note: See above
Roose Bolton (above)
- Role: Lord of the Dreadfort and head of House Bolton
- Cause of death: Stabbed by his own son
MEH. THESE GUYS HAD IT COMING
Lysa Arryn (above)
- Role: Lady Regent of the Vale, sister to Catelyn Stark, briefly the wife of Littlefinger
- Cause of death: Pushed out of the Moon Door by Littlefinger
Karl Tanner
- Role: Brother of the Night's Watch, leader of the mutiny at Craster's Keep
- Cause of death: Impaled by Jon Snow during raid on Craster's Keep
Rast
- Role: Ranger in the Night's Watch
- Cause of death: Ripped apart by Jon Snow's direwolf, Ghost, during raid on Craster's Keep
Locke
- Role: Master-at-arms for House Bolton
- Cause of death: Neck snapped by Bran Stark
Shae (above right)
- Role: Prostitute and girlfriend of Tyrion Lannister
- Cause of death: Strangled to death by Tyrion Lannister
Tywin Lannister (above)
- Role: Head of House Lannister, Lord of Casterly Rock. Father of Cersei, Jaime and Tyrion Lannister
- Cause of death: Shot on the toilet by Tyrion with a crossbow
Mirri Maz Duur
- Role: Enslaved godswife
- Cause of death: Burned alive on a funeral pyre by Daenerys Targaryen
Doreah (above)
- Role: Handmaiden to Daenarys
- Cause of death: Locked with Xaro Xhoan Daxos inside a Valyrian stone vault by Jorah Mormont at the order of Daenerys
Xaro Xhoan Daxos
- Role: Merchant in Qarth
- Cause of death: Locked with Doreah inside a Valyrian stone vault by Jorah Mormont at the order of Daenerys
Hizdahr zo Loraq (above)
- Role: Scion of the House Loraq, former slave trader, husband of Daenerys
- Cause of death: Stabbed to death by the Sons of the Harpy
- Note: Had this not happened, he probably would have tried to double-cross Daenerys at some point
Yoren
- Role: Recruiter for the Night's Watch
- Cause of death: Killed by Ser Amory Lorch, loyal to House Lannister, in a fight
Ros
- Role: Prostitute in Littlefinger's brothel and spy for Varys
- Cause of death: Shot by Joffrey Baratheon with a crossbow
The Hound
- Role: Member of House Clegane, brother of the Mountain, former bodyguard of Joffrey Baratheon, kidnapped Arya Stark
- Cause of death: Critically wounded by Brienne of Tarth, left to die by Arya Stark
- Note: Though we did find out this season that he was saved by a nomadic tribe
SURE, THEY WERE OK BUT WE DIDN'T REALLY KNOW THEM
Jon Arryn
- Role: Hand of the King before Ned Stark
- Cause of death: Poisoned by Lysa Arryn and Littlefinger
Will
- Role: Ranger of the Night's Watch
- Cause of death: Beheaded for desertion by Ned Stark
Hoster Tully
- Role: Lord of Riverrun, Father of Edmure Tully, Catelyn Stark, and Lysa Arryn
- Cause of death: Illness
ACTUALLY A LITTLE BIT SAD ABOUT IT
Irri (above)
- Role: Dothraki handmaiden to Daenerys Targaryen
- Cause of death: Murdered during Xaro Xhoan Daxos's theft of the dragons at Qarth
Renly Baratheon
- Role: Master of Laws, Claimant to the Iron Throne, brother of Robert and Stannis Baratheon
- Cause of death: Killed by a shadow with Stannis Baratheon's face that was birthed by Melisandre
- Note: For as long as we knew the guy, we liked him
Mag the Mighty (above)
- Role: Giant fighting in Mance Rayder's army
- Cause of death: Killed by Grenn and five other members of the Night's Watch in the Battle of Castle Black
- Note: He was an endangered species
Olly
- Role: Junior member of the Night's Watch
- Cause of death: hanged by Jon Snow after stabbing him
- Note: We know he was a traitor, but he was also a very young traitor
Rakharo
- Role: Dothraki bodyguard to Daenerys Targaryen
- Cause of death: Killed and decapitated by a rival khalasar while scouting the Red Waste
Leaf (above)
- Role: Child of the forest (even though she's actually very old)
- Cause of death: Sacrificed herself to save Bran and Meera from a band of White Walkers
- Note: She invented White Walkers, but she also represented a highly persecuted indigenous group and gave her life for Bran
Grenn
- Role: Ranger in the Night's Watch
- Cause of death: Killed fighting the giant Mag the Mighty in the Battle of Castle Black
- Note: Any friend of Jon Snow's is a friend of ours — see also Pyp, below
Pyp
- Role: Brother of the Night's Watch
- Cause of death: Shot through neck by Ygritte's arrow in Battle of Castle Black
Mance Rayder (above)
- Role: Leader of the Free Folk
- Cause of death: Shot with a mercy arrow by Jon Snow before he was burned alive
- Note: We actually quite liked Mance
Jeor Mormont
- Role: Lord Commander of the Night's Watch
- Cause of death: Stabbed to death by Night's Watchman Rast during a mutiny
Qhorin (above)
- Role: Night's Watch ranger
- Cause of death: Killed by Jon Snow (at Qhorin's own behest) in order to trick the Wildlings into thinking Jon has left the Night's Watch
Tansy
- Role: Servant of House Bolton
- Cause of death: Hunted down by Ramsay Snow and eaten by his dogs
- Note: Ramsay Snow = monster
Khal Drogo (above)
- Role: Chieftain of the Dothraki people and husband of Daenerys Targaryen
- Cause of death: Smothered by Daenerys Targaryen in a mercy killing after a spell by Mirri Maz Duur leaves him in a catatonic state
Osha
- Role: Member of the Free Folk who becomes a servant of the Starks and (latterly) a protector of Rickon
- Cause of death: stabbed in the neck by Ramsay Bolton
Syrio Forel
- Role: Master sword fighter and Arya Stark's instructor in combat
- Cause of death: Presumably killed by Ser Meryn in a sword fight (he only had a wooden training sword)
Jory Cassel (above)
- Role: Captain of the Guards from House Stark
- Cause of death: Stabbed by Jaime Lannister through the eye
Rodrik Cassel
- Role: Master-at-Arms at Winterfell, Servant of House Stark
- Cause of death: Decapitated by Theon Greyjoy
- Note: We liked both of those Cassels
Maester Luwin
- Role: Maester at Winterfell
- Cause of death: Osha ended his suffering after he was stabbed with a spear by an ironborn raider
Talisa Stark (above)
- Role: Wife of Robb Stark
- Cause of death: Stabbed in stomach while pregnant by Lothar Frey at the Red Wedding
Oberyn Martell
- Role: Prince of the House Martell
- Cause of death: Skull crushed by the Mountain in a trial by combat
- Note: We were really rooting for the guy
Jojen Reed
- Role: Warg, brother of Meera Reed, travelling companion of Bran Stark
- Cause of death: Mercy killed by Meera after being stabbed multiple times by a wight; burned by a fireball thrown by "The Children"
Maester Aemon (above)
- Role: Maester at Castle Black
- Cause of death: old age
- Note: We know he was old and he'd had a really good innings, but we also feel like there was a lot of extra stuff he could have told us ... particularly about the whole Jon Snow and Dany theory
Myrcella Baratheon (above)
- Role: Daughter of Cersei and Jaime Lannister, sister to King Tommen Baratheon
- Cause of death: Poisoned with a kiss by Ellaria Sand with the help of the Sand Snakes
- Note: This felt really unnecessary
Robert Baratheon
- Role: Lord of the Seven Kingdoms
- Cause of death: Mortally wounded by a wild boar after drinking wine given to him by Lancel Lannister at Cersei Lannister's command
- Mainly because him dying left the Lannisters in power
Barristan Selmy
- Fourth member of the Kingsguard, advisor of Daenerys
- Cause of death: Killed fighting the Sons of the Harpy in Meereen
- Note: A real old-school hero
REALLY SAD ABOUT IT
Shireen Baratheon (above)
- Role: Daughter of Stannis and Selyse Baratheon
- Cause of death: Burned alive as a sacrifice to the Lord of Light by Melisandre at the order of Stannis Baratheon
- Note: Killed by her own horrible father. Patchface's only friend ... pass the tissues please
Ygritte (above)
- Role: Soldier in Mance Rayder's army and Jon Snow's lover
- Cause of death: Shot with an arrow by Olly in the Battle of Castle Black
- Note: "You know nothing, Jon Snow"
Rickon Stark
- Role: Youngest son of Ned Stark
- Cause of death: Shot with an arrow by Ramsay Bolton
- Note: Rickon didn't get as much air time as the other Starks, but we like all Starks by default and he was just way too young to die
EMBARRASSING LEVELS OF DEVASTATION
Hodor (above)
- Role: Loyal servant of House Stark
- Cause of death: Holding the door for Bran and Meera *sobs for three hours*
- Note:We can't really talk about this yet, it's too soon
Eddard Stark (above)
- Role: Hand of the King and Lord of the North
- Cause of death: Beheaded by Ser Ilyn Payne at the order of Joffrey Baratheon
- Note: The first big shock death of the series; we're still not quite over it
Robb Stark (above)
- Role: King of the North, son of Lord Eddard Stark and Lady Catelyn of Winterfell
- Cause of death: Shot by Frey crossbowman and then stabbed through the heart by Roose Bolton at the Red Wedding
Catelyn Stark (above)
- Role:Wife of Eddard Stark, Mother of Robb, Sansa, Arya, Bran and Rickon
- Cause of death: Throat slit by Black Walder Rivers at the Red Wedding
Jon Snow (above)
- Role: Commander of the Night's Watch, bastard son of Eddard Stark
- Cause of death: Stabbed by Night's Watch mutineers
- Note: We know, we know. But technically this was a still a "death"
(Editor's note: Game of Thrones superfans: this list is based on the series rather than the original books. We appreciate there are some discrepancies)
From: Cosmopolitan US
