The number seven is big in the
Game of Thrones universe, and it even seems that there are some coincidental sevens that have to do with season . . . seven. The number seven comes up so often on the show, but it’s also somewhat subtle, so we wanted to examine its occurrence along with what all the season seven details might mean. Let’s look at how the magic number appears in the books and the show.
The Seven Kingdoms
Image Source: HBO
The Seven Kingdoms make up the realm of Westeros, i.e., everything everyone wants to rule. These are the seven major kingdoms and the houses and/or regions associated with them:
- The North (House Stark/Winterfell)
- The Mountain and the Vale (House Arryn/the Eyrie)
- The Isles and Rivers (House Harrenhal)
- The Rock (House Lannister/Casterly Rock)
- The Stormlands (Storm’s End)
- The Reach (Highgarden)
- Dorne (House Martell/Sunspear)
The Faith of the Seven
Image Source: HBO
The Faith of the Seven may bear the strongest reference to the number seven. This religion is the main religion in Westeros and “the New” in “the Old Gods and the New.” The more fervent followers also carve the symbol of the faith — a seven pointed star — on their heads. The seven-faced God is represented by seven figures:
- The Stranger
- The Crone
- The Maiden
- The Father
- The Mother
- The Warrior
- The Smith
PS: The root of the terms “sept,” “septon,” and “septa” mean seven.
Seven Books in the Series
Game of Thrones is based on George R. R. Martin’s book series A Song of Ice and Fire, and even though we’re still waiting on the sixth book, when he’s finally done, there will be six volumes, as follows:
- A Game of Thrones
- A Clash of Kings
- A Storm of Swords
- A Feast For Crows
- A Dance With Dragons
- The Winds of Winter (not yet published)
- A Dream of Spring (not yet published)
Seven Members of the Kingsguard
Image Source: HBO
The Kingsguard are the elite group of soldiers tasked with protecting the sitting king (Jaime Lannister and Ser Meryn Trant are two famous former members). Each king gets, yes, seven of them.
Seven Starks
Image Source: HBO
There may be very few of them left, but the Starks are still the heart of the series, having established themselves as such in the first book and season. All the children (Rickon, Bran, Arya, Sansa, and Robb), plus their two parents (Ned and Catelyn) together make seven. Notably, this leaves Jon out, though we recently learned he’s a Targaryen anyway.
Bran’s Age at the Start of the Series
Image Source: HBO
Bran is 7 years old when the series kicks off, which might be a mere coincidence if it were any other character. See, not only do Bran’s actions (climbing a tower, seeing Jaime and Cersei together, getting pushed off) set the action of season one into motion, but after seeing his role in season six, it now seems that he may have put several other huge events of the series into motion, such as: leading the White Walkers South of the Wall, paralyzing Hodor, and possibly, time-traveling to cause the Mad King to go mad. Whatever ends up coming true, you can’t downplay the significance of Bran’s character in the bigger picture.
All of Season 7’s Sevens
Image Source: HBO
Let’s revisit: it’s season seven. There are seven episodes. The premiere date is July 16. July is the seventh month of the year, 1+6 equals 7, and of course, it’s 2017.
I’m just saying.
Princewill Pius
