The HBO series Game of Thrones is often chastised by critics for being nothing more than gore porn tiptoeing the tightrope into soft-core adult films in a few instances. Such content could not be fathomable a few decades ago, with the budget per episode hovering around $6 million, it is no wonder legions of medieval nerds like myself tune in religiously.
One thing that strikes my fascination is the lack of safety for any of the characters. At any given moment death is literally lurking around a castle’s corner and you get the feeling no one is truly untouchable.
What if our world were similarly dangerous? What if Minnesota was transformed into the world of Game of Thrones, where would the most dangerous locations be?
But is the entire realm a dangerous place or just specific regions? After meticulous research I have uncovered some data from seasons 1-4.
- King’s Landing is far and away the most dangerous place because of the Battle of the Blackwater that killed thousands through the use of a napalm-esque slime referred to as “wildfire” on ships.
- Besides “wildfire,” the most common death throughout the series was by a blade. Whether it is a sword taller than the wielder, or a simple dagger small enough to be concealed in your sleeve, steel is most often the last thing a casualty feels before death.
- Only humans were counted toward the death tally even though one of the saddest deaths are indeed of a Direwolf and horse respectively.
Most to Least Deadly Regions:
- King's Landing: 5,117*: estimated based on wildfire kills at Blackwater Bay
- Castle Black/ Beyond the Wall: 120 deaths
- The Riverlands/Kingsroad: 62
- Essos: 40:
- The Stormlands: 38
- The Reach: 29
- The Westerlands: 27
- The Vale of Arryn: 14
- The Iron Islands: 9
- King’s Landing= Minneapolis/Saint Paul
- The North/ Castle Black= Stretches from Brainerd north to the Canadian border
- The Riverlands= Saint Cloud/Sauk Rapids
- Essos= Superior/Wisconsin
- The Stormlands= Rochester/Rice Lake
- The Reach= Mankato/Northfield
- The Westerlands= Hutchinson
- The Vale of Arryn= Hinckley
- The Iron Islands= Glenwood/Eagle Bend
The data reveals that living in Duluth would match up to living at Castle Black with Jon Snow and dealing with the second most deaths during the series. King's Landing falls on the Twin Cities which is interesting as both contain the capital of our land masses and are the most dangerous locations in their respective realities. If you want to watch every single death in the Game of Thrones series up through Season 4 click on this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYvhnjqXc1U