To say things get weird in Game of Thrones would be a bit of an understatement. After all, the very first episode of the series ends with a young boy getting pushed out of a window after he stumbles upon an incestuous relationship between two siblings – one of which happens to be the queen of the entire kingdom. Meanwhile, an army of ice zombies is stirring in the north, while to the far east, a woman walks into a fire with three stone eggs only to emerge with three dragon “children” the next morning. And that’s only the first season of Game of Thrones – which has gone on to be one of the most talked-about shows of all time.
But when it comes to downright weirdness, the book series has its fair share of bizarre moments that have never made it to the screen. Which, in some cases, might not be a bad thing.
George R. R. Martin certainly isn't afraid to take his fantasy epic in some freaky and unexpected directions, which is no doubt why the Song of Ice and Fire series has earned so much acclaim in the first place. Those who read fantasy are well versed in all the tropes and cliches that the genre brings with it, which makes for a nice change of pace when character developments and plot twists don't go as planned.
So let's take a closer look at 25 Weird Things Cut From Game Of Thrones (That Were In The Books).
25 Lady Stoneheart
One of the better-known weirder parts of the books is the character of Lady Stoneheart, who is the resurrected Catelyn Stark.
According to Martin, he didn’t believe that fantasy characters who are brought back to life – such as Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings – should be in better shape than when they were still alive. His answer to this was Lady Stoneheart, who is a grotesque version of her former self. She's basically a zombie with a singular purpose: to brutally destroy anyone who played a part in the Red Wedding.
24 The Other Aegon Targaryen
In the show, Jon Snow is eventually revealed to be Aegon Targaryen, the son of Lyanna Stark and Rhaegar Targaryen and the rightful heir to the Iron Throne. In the books, however, there’s a totally different Aegon Targaryen making a play for the Seven Kingdoms.
This Aegon goes by the alias Young Griff, and he is the son of Rhaegar and his first wife, Elia Martell. However, some suspect this Aegon to be an imposter, as he was long thought to have been assassinated by the Mountain during the Sack of King’s Landing.
23 Female White Walkers
On the series, it seems as though the White Walkers have come and gone with very little explanation as to their origins and motives. In the books, however, it’s hinted that the Walkers have an extensive culture and history throughout Westeros, which might just include the existence of females.
An old legend tells of the Night’s King (not to be confused with the Night King), who was the 13th Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch. He went on to marry a woman who was very likely a Walker, which could mean that some Northerners share ancestry with these mysterious creatures.
22 Brienne Almost Gets Eaten By A Cannibal
Game of Thrones may be brutal, but there are a number of scenes in the book that could never have made the jump to the screen without seriously disgusting most viewers. One such scene comes when Brienne fights for her life against Biter.
Biter is an outlaw whose teeth have been filed into sharp points. During a skirmish, Biter rips a chunk from Brienne’s face and begins to eat her. Brienne manages to escape, but it still makes for one of the more unsettling moments in the books.
21 All The Starks Are Wargs
While the magic is just as mysterious in A Song of Ice and Fire, there’s certainly a lot more of it at play in the novels. For instance, while Bran is still the most gifted magic user in his family, all of his siblings are shown to have supernatural connections with their direwolves.
Jon explicitly wargs into Ghost on a number of occasions, which comes in handy when he is fighting wildlings at the Wall. Some have even speculated that Jon may be surviving in Ghost following his betrayal by the Night’s Watch.
20 Patchface, Stannis’s Creepy Court Jester
One of the more bizarre and intriguing characters to not make it into Game of Thrones is undoubtedly Patchface, the jester of Stannis Baratheon who has recently befriended his daughter, Shireen. But Patchface is no common court fool, he’s a character who has very likely drowned and been brought back to life by the god of the Iron Islands.
While Patchface may seem to spout nothing but gibberish, his impromptu songs have accurately predicted the future on a number of occasions, including the Red and Purple Weddings. It's very possible that Patchface is somehow a profit of the Drowned God.
19 The Glass Candles
Glass candles are an extremely rare item in A Song of Ice and Fire. They are mysterious, twisted pieces of dragonglass that – when lit – allows the user to see across great distances. However, none have burned for the last hundred years. That is, not until Dany’s dragons come into the world.
The Citadel is the home of four glass candles, three that are black and one that is green. The power of these artifacts has yet to be fully explored.
18 The Horn Of Winter
In the show, we’ve watched the Night King bring down the Wall using one of Dany’s resurrected dragons at Eastwatch-by-the-Sea. However, how the Wall will be brought down in the books is still anyone’s guess.
Many people are still expecting the Horn of Winter to make a proper appearance. This is a mythical instrument that is said to be capable of waking the giants from the earth and bringing down the Wall. Martin is certainly fond of magical horns, but these artifacts have yet to play a significant role in the story.
17 A Faceless Man In The Citadel
Many fans of the show have wondered what the Faceless Man best known as Jaqen H’ghan has been up to since Arya left the House of Black in White. In a popular theory from the novels, many believe that this Faceless Man has recently infiltrated Old Town.
Even if it’s not the same man, a faceless assassin has definitely taken on the appearance of Pate, a novice working at the Citadel. Maybe even more troubling is that “Pate” has a key that opens up every door in the Citadel. So what exactly are these servants of the Many-Faced-God up to?
16 Victarion Greyjoy And His Salt Wives
Euron isn’t the only one of Theon's uncles stirring up trouble in the books. In fact, there are a few uncles at play during the Iron Island's civil war, and Victarion Greyjoy may be the most unsettling of them all.
Victarion is about as barbaric of a character as they come. He’s a savage seafarer who’s taken a number of “salt wives” throughout his pillaging. But strangely enough, Victarion is subservient to Euron, who even claimed one of Vicatrion’s wives for himself. Victarion is even a POV character in the novels, meaning he'll likely play a prominent role in the coming books.
15 Yohn Royce’s Magic Armor
In the novels, Yohn Royce is more of a warrior than a diplomat. He’s said to stand as tall as the Hound and be able to best some of Westeros’s best fighters. One of the reasons for this might just be his magic armor.
Yohn Royce traces his lineage back to the First Men, and he is said to be in possession of a set of armor inscribed with ancient runes. In the books, Royce is rarely seen outside of his armor, which might just be because the runes protect him from taking any damage during a fight.
14 The Dragon Horn
While the kraken horn and the Horn of Winter have yet to play a prominent role in the novels outside of their mythology, the Dragon Horn has actually been acquired by Euron Greyjoy, who intends to use the instrument to bind Dany’s dragons to his will.
Euron picked up the horn, better known as Dragonbinder, in the ruins of Valyria. We also have reason to believe that the horn actually works, as one of Euron's crew members ends up scorching his insides after sounding the instrument.
13 Sothoryos, The Third Continent Of The Know World
While we may not know what’s west of Westeros or what sits at the farthest reaches of Essos, we do know that there's a third continent that sits to the south. This continent goes by the name of Sothoryos.
Sothoryos is said to be full of jungles and strange diseases. Most of it is basically inhospitable, though a form of prehistoric man (known as Brindled Men) inhabit the continent along with wyverns, which are basically smaller dragons without the ability to breathe fire.
There's even a fourth continent, named Uthos – though even less is known about this southern landmass.
12 Mance Rayder’s Mission To Winterfell
In the books, Mance Rayder survives his execution at Winterfell when Melisandre uses a glamour to make Rattleshirt look like Mance while also making Mance look like Rattleshirt. This frees Mance up to go on a mission for Jon Snow, which involves him infiltrating Winterfell and trying to overthrow the Boltons.
Unfortunately, the last we heard of Mance he was locked in a cage at the hands of Ramsay, and his plot to cause dissension in the Bolton forces only worked for so long.
11 Roose Bolton’s Blood-Sucking Leeches
Ramsay may be the most despicable character in both the show and the novels, meaning his father’s actions often go overlooked. However, Roose Bolton is certainly no saint either, as he was one of the key members to help orchestrate the Red Wedding.
In the novels, however, Roose isn’t just a sinister tactician, he’s also exceptionally creepy in his own right. This is on full display when the character undergoes several leechings, which he believes removes bad blood from the body while improving one’s health.
10 A Key That Unlocks Every Door In The Citadel
Sam’s time in the Citadel may have been cut short in the show, but at one point, he does steal a maester's key and get access to the restricted part of the library. This may have been a nod to the personal key of Walgrave in the books, which is capable of unlocking every door in the Citadel.
In fact, all archmaesters are said to be in possession of such a key – which doesn’t seem like the smartest idea considering that the Citadel holds countless secrets. And unfortunately, an archmaester named Walgrave recently lost his key to a Faceless Man.
9 The Kraken Horn
While krakens may be the sigil of House Greyjoy, they’re not just some mythical creature in the novels, they’re real sea creatures capable of capsizing an entire fleet. If only one could control these krakens – which is exactly where the kraken horn might come into play.
This horn is currently said to be on Claw Isle with House Celtigar. But whether or not the horn is a myth or will actually come into play in the novels has yet to be seen.
8 White Walkers In Essos
One popular land theory about the Know-World in A Song of Ice and Fire is that Westeros and Essos are actually connected. After all, no one knows what is in the far north of Westeros, while no one also knows what is to the far east of Essos either. So might it be one supercontinent that wraps around the planet?
Martin has confirmed that his world is indeed round, and some evidence to support this theory is that there is a similar legend of the White Walkers and the Long Night that comes from the farthest reaches of Essos.
7 Melisandre’s Second Shadow Assassin
In the series, Melisandre births one shadow child, which she creates along with Stannis Baratheon. This assassin is used to assassinate Stannis’s brother, Renly, who has also announced a claim to the throne.
In the books, however, Melisandre and Stannis go on to create another shadow assassin, one that is used to assassinate the man left in charge of Storm’s End. This turn of events seems a bit too convenient in the novels, and it makes the reader wonder why Melisandre doesn't just utilize these shadow assassins anytime that someone gets in the Lord of Light's way.
6 The Fake Arya Stark
In the novels, it’s not Sansa who's forced to marry Ramsay, it’s Arya. Except it’s actually not Arya, but rather Jeyne Poole, the childhood friend of Sansa’s who is disguised to look like Arya. It's one bizarre and convoluted plotline that we’re glad didn’t make it into the show.
By making Sansa the wife of Ramsay, the show managed to put a major character in the center of the conflict, while also further developing the conflict between Sansa and Littlefinger. This ultimately leads to Sansa's revenge over the two men who tried (and failed) to control her.