As a fan of fantasy literature, I was extremely late in discovering the Game of Thrones series. Once I finally discovered it, I immediately fell in love. While the TV series and books are simply captivating, my favorite part of this series is not the writing or the action—I absolutely love the amount of strong, complex female characters present in these stories. Although it is extremely hard to narrow them down, I have compiled a list of five of my all-time favorites of these badass ladies, based on their appearances and actions in the show.
5. Cersei Lannister
While this is maybe an unconventional choice, Cersei Lannister is my 5th favorite Game of Thrones lady. Although she can easily be described as a power-hungry antagonist and generally works against the “good” characters in the show, that is one of my favorite things about her. Cersei is a fierce, intelligent woman willing to do anything to protect her family. While her actions may not always be moral or positive, it’s hard not to admire her paternal instincts and the lengths to which she is willing to go to protect those she loves.
4. Arya Stark
The youngest Stark girl, Arya, is a mere child left to survive entirely on her own following her father’s death, and despite her age, she survives far better than others twice her age. Arya is angry, resilient, clever, and incredibly strong—determined to avenge her loved ones, and to rid the world of those who have hurt her. While Arya is angry and at times violent, she is only violent towards those who she believes deserve it—an innocent would never be harmed at her hands. As the youngest main female character in the show, it is surprising that she has become one of the strongest women in the show. But because she has, it is easy to see why she is number four on my list.
3. Ygritte
Jon Snow’s wildling lover, Ygritte, is the true definition of a fiery redhead. Sassy, flirtatious, profane, and a skilled warrior—Ygritte is the total package. While Ygritte is a wildling and therefore lives outside of northern society, she is one of the only wildlings to accept Jon Snow, yet when he betrays her and her people, is willing to defend her family, despite the love she holds for her betrayer. Ygritte is confident and capable, and her ability to love her family and her lover deeply is admirable, as is her strength on the battlefield and off.
2. Brienne of Tarth
I just love Brienne. Brienne is a female warrior sworn to the service of Catelyn Stark. Following her lady’s death, Brienne is tasked with finding and protecting the Stark daughters from the many people who wish them harm. Brienne is honest and extremely trustworthy, dedicating herself fully to those in her charge, and those who need her. Although she was born to a noble family and was expected to live the typical life of a lady, Brienne always longed to break the barriers of her sex, and to achieve her goals of becoming a knight or warrior. Brienne is truly an upstanding woman—compassionate, tough, barrier-breaking, and determined, and she is just super super awesome. Plus, she took on the legendary fighter the Hound, and WON! Such a badass.
1. Daenerys Targaryen
Unsurprisingly to anyone who knows me, Daenerys Targaryen is my absolute favorite female character in the Game of Thrones series. Daenerys, despite being placed in a variety of extremely difficult situations since her youth, is a capable leader—strong, compassionate, loving, and brave—consistently working to better the lives of those around her, and her people. Known by many names, including Mother of Dragons and the Breaker of Chains, Daenerys despises slavery and the mistreatment of youths, women, and other “weaker” peoples, and in her desire to regain the throne that is rightfully hers she also works to liberate and help these people in any way that she can. While because of her passion to help those in need she occasionally takes drastic and excessively violent action against wrongdoers, Daenerys is easily the best leader in the series, and one of my favorite female characters of all time. I love her so much, and wear my Mother of Dragons sweatshirt proudly, in homage to my favorite character.
So, there are my top five female characters. While I love, or am at least fascinated by, almost all of the female characters in Game of Thrones, these 5 stand out to me as the most remarkable, and easily some of the most badass. If you haven’t watched Game of Thrones and been able to experience the awesomeness of these characters, I wholeheartedly recommend it. Be careful though—this show can and will take over your life.
It’s totally worth it, though.