“Valar morghulis,” but not all men and women die the same way on Game of Thrones. The denizens of the Seven Kingdoms manage to meet their end in all sorts of disturbing ways; from dragon flame and wildfire, to knives across the throat. And let’s not forget all those arrows! The show has made a twisted art form out of murder; naturally someone talented would make it official. Artist Julia Williams has recreated iconic deaths from the Realm with character portraits destroyed the same way.
Williams painted images of famous characters from Game of Thrones and included the last words they ever spoke before they met the Stranger and shared them at her site The Designosaur. She then “killed” her portraits in the same manner they died on the show. Williams utilized appropriate practical effects when necessary and put them all together in this very satisfying video.
Make sure you stay for an after credits resurrection (especially if you were afraid this project was not environmentally friendly).
What’s really amazing about this video is not how wonderfully silly it is, or even how creatively they recreated the show’s myriad of deaths. What truly stuns us is how Oberyn’s death, even in balloon form, still makes us feel like the Mountain is squeezing our hearts. Also, it will always be too soon to watch poor, begging Shireen’s horrible death, even in portrait form.
The trade off for having to experience those again is that even a foaming, painted version of Joffrey’s poisoning makes us smile. And it’s especially delicious to see Walder Frey as a sliced-up cake.
“Valar morghulis,” indeed, but some are just more fun to watch than others.
For more of the complex lore of Game of Thrones, check out our complete History of Thrones!
Featured Image: The Designosaur