Game of Thrones: Every Main Character’s Age

Game of Thrones is one of the most popular fantasy series in TV history. While Season 8 may have ended disappointingly, the show’s influence on the television medium is as remarkable as ever. With the first of many planned spinoffs well on its way, it seems the world of Westeros is here for the long haul. Fans can’t wait to see House of the Dragon return for a second season in June 2024.

That said, one of the most common questions that viewers continue to ask about Game of Thrones is just how old the characters were meant to be. The mature nature of the series required the show to age up several characters who were very young in the books. Some characters, however, got the opposite treatment. From young children to wizened sages, Game of Thrones is full of characters who fans both love and hate.

The Night King Doesn’t Have a Book Counterpart (Yet)

The Night King is Over 10,000 Years Old

The Night King in Game of Thrones only exists in the television show, not in the novels. This Game of Thrones villain came to be in the Age of Heroes, created by the Children of the Forest during the Wars of the First Men. In fact, there is a particularly nightmarish scene that shows exactly how the Night King was turned into the first White Walker. As a result, this makes him at least 10,000 years old and the oldest Game of Thrones character.

The icy antagonist was considered an immortal and unbeatable creature for a long time. Some fans didn’t like that Arya Stark killed him with the Catspaw Dagger, along with the other White Walkers, because it felt too easy. Someone who has been alive for a hundred centuries technically should have been harder to beat, especially considering the Night King survived being doused in dragonflame.

Viserion, Rhaegal, and Drogon Were Born Together in Drogo’s Pyre

Daenerys’s Dragons Could Have All Lived Longer in a Time of Peace

Dragons	Age	Status	Debut
Drogon	7	Alive	Season 1, Episode 10 “Fire and Blood”
Viserion		Deceased
Rhaegal		Deceased

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The dragons of Game of Thrones are a peak attraction in the HBO drama, and fans loved actor Emilia Clarke’s scenes with them. Drogon, Viserion, and Rhaegal are named after Drogo, Viserys, and Rhaegar, Daenerys’ husband and two brothers, respectively. They are alive and well in George R. R. Martin’s books but suffer a terrible fate in the show.

Viserion is killed by the Night King in Season 7, resurrected into a wight dragon, and then laid to rest once Arya kills the White Walkers. His age at the time of death was 6 years old. Rhaegal was killed in Season 8 when Euron Greyjoy’s fleet shot him with a fatal scorpion bolt. He was about 7 years old when he died. Drogon is the only one of Daenerys Targaryen’s dragons who survives and escapes into the East with her body. He is also aged 7 when this happens.

Khal Drogo Sets the Stage for Daenerys’s Future Conquests

Drogo Was Surprisingly Young for a Warlord

The leader of the Dothraki is one of the few characters whose age is the same in A Song of Ice and Fire and Game of Thrones. When Khal Drogo marries Daenerys, he is 30 years old in the book as well as the show. Jason Momoa was around 32 years old when Game of Thrones aired, making his casting an age-appropriate one.

In the books, Drogo marries Daenerys when she is 13, but the Targaryen’s age is increased in the show to make their marriage less objectionable. Khal Drogo and Daenerys don’t seem to have a particularly close connection in the beginning, but that soon changes after she starts learning and speaking the Dothraki language. Sadly, he dies in the first season itself, thus making his life span a short thirty years only. Fans still think that Khal Drogo would have made a great war partner for Daenerys.

The Starks Have Been Aged Up From the Books

House Stark	Age	Status	Debut
Ned	40+	Deceased	Season 1, Episode 1 “Winter Is Coming”
Catelyn	40+	Deceased
Robb	Early 20s	Deceased
Sansa	20	Alive
Arya	18	Alive
Bran	17	Alive
Rickon	14	Deceased

House Stark is a key player in the politics of Westeros. Beginning as a large family, their numbers soon dwindle as GoT kills them off one by one. However, they remain largely the heroes of the series through its ending, saving Westeros from the Night King–and from yet another oppressive ruler.

Robb Stark Is The Oldest Of Eddard’s Children

Robb begins the story at 17 years old, a full-grown man in the world of Game of Thrones. At the beginning of the series, Robb is in training to eventually become the next Lord of Winterfell, a role which he unfortunately must accept all too early after his father is executed in King’s Landing. Enraged by his father’s death, the teenager declares war on the Lannisters and marches into battle. While it is not always clear how much time has passed between specific episodes and seasons, it seems that Robb was in his early twenties when he attended what would later be called the Red Wedding, during which he was murdered by Lords Roose Bolton and Walder Frey.

Sansa Stark is The Oldest Stark Daughter

Sansa Stark, played by Sophie Turner, is the secondborn child of Lord Eddard Stark and Lady Catelyn Tully. She is about 13 years old at the beginning of the series and, like other noble girls of her age, is in training to one day be married off to the son of another noble house. Unfortunately for Sansa, things don’t go quite as planned and she spends several years as the captive of cruel men, including King Joffrey and Ramsey Bolton. Eventually, Sansa breaks free of her chains and is crowned Queen of the newly independent North at the age of 20.

Arya Stark Is The Youngest Stark Daughter

The third Stark child, Arya, is a precocious girl who would rather be practicing swordplay than court etiquette. She is only 11 years old in the first season of Game of Thrones, but is forced to grow up quickly after her father is executed and she is left alone in a vast and terrifying world. Throughout the series, Arya builds up her fighting skills and takes revenge on those who wronged her family. Anyone unfortunate enough to end up on Arya Stark’s list certainly met their doom. By the series finale, Arya had just turned 18 years old but was much older than her years.

Bran Stark Was Only 10 When He Was Pushed From The Tower

The Starks’ fourth child is Brandon, or “Bran” for short. Bran, who bears a common Stark name, begins the series as an adventurous boy of ten who fosters an affinity for climbing. However, he is sorely wounded after sustaining a high fall and loses the use of his legs. After an adventure north of the wall, Bran eventually becomes the Three-Eyed Raven and soon after is named the new King of Westeros, all at only 17 years old.

Rickon Stark Was The Youngest Of The Stark Children

In the first season of Game of Thrones, Rickon, the youngest Stark, is only about 6 years old. He is only a child when his mother and father are killed, leaving him virtually alone in the world. Unfortunately, he is soon captured by the villainous Ramsey Bolton, who had taken over Winterfell after the Starks were forced to flee. Rickon is the last Stark to die on the show and is killed during the Battle of the Bastards when he’s around 14 years old.

Eddard And Catelyn Stark Are The Lord And Lady Of Winterfell

Meanwhile, Eddard Stark and his wife Catelyn are presumably in their early forties when the show begins, having lived full and adventure-riddled lives that included rebellion against the Iron Throne and leadership over the territory of the North. Both honorable individuals who were too good for the world in which they lived, Ned and Catelyn are separately murdered by those they once called allies only a few years after the series begins.

The Lannister Family is Also Older Than Their Book Counterparts

The Lannisters Move the Plot of Game of Thrones Along for Eight Seasons

House Lannister	Age	Status	Debut
Tywin	67	Deceased	Season 1, Episode 7 “You Win or You Die”
Cersei	43	Deceased	Season 1, Episode 1 “Winter Is Coming”
Jaime	43	Deceased
Tyrion	39	Alive
Joffrey	19	Deceased
Myrcella	14	Deceased
Tommen	14	Deceased

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Following Robert Baratheon’s death, the Lannisters retain control of the throne for most of GoT. Following Joffrey and Tommen, Cersei takes the Iron Throne as the first official Queen to reign over Westeros, an event that would have been feminist if she weren’t such an intractable villain. In any case, the most important Lannisters were all aged up significantly.

Although Baratheons in name, Cersei’s children were fathered by her twin brother Jaime, making them full-blooded Lannisters. Tywin is around 60 years old in the first season. His children Jaime and Cersei are 31, whereas Tyrion is relatively younger at 24 when the story commences. The third Lannister generation is all dead before they cross their teenage years: Joffrey and Myrcella are poisoned, and Tommen leaps from his window in the Red Keep.

Davos Seaworth Becomes a Member of King Bran’s Small Council

Davos is One of Game of Thrones’ Oldest Mortal Characters

The Onion Knight Davos Seaworth is one of the wisest characters in Game of Thrones. Although he initially backs Stannis’ ambitions, he eventually allies with Jon Snow. Davos plays a major role throughout the series, for which he is ultimately rewarded. Davos survives the series finale and goes on to become King Bran’s official Master of Ships, a prestigious title in its own right.

TV Davos appears to be in his mid to late fifties, as old as actor Liam Cunningham. The book version is presumably the same age, but there just isn’t enough data to support this conjecture. According to most estimates, Davos is at least 50 years old, give or take a few years. Besides, a man as experienced and wise as Ser Davos couldn’t possibly be much younger.

Daenerys Targaryen and Jon Snow Are Both Older on TV

Daenerys and Jon are Aged Up to Make Certain Storylines Less Uncomfortable

Another case of characters being aged up for the small screen is Daenerys Targaryen. Aged 13 in the book series, Daenerys is a child bride married off to Khal Drogo. GoT ages her up to 16/17 for the beginning of Season 1. By the final season, Daenerys would be around 24 years of age, approximately ten years younger than actress Emilia Clarke. As such, Daenerys dies before reaching her 25th birthday.

Changing the time period between Robert’s rebellion and GoT‘s beginning means that Jon Snow has also been aged up. Like Daenerys Targaryen, Jon Snow would also be around 24 by the final season, starting the story at 16 or 17 — although actor Kit Harington was 33 at the end of the series. Unfortunately, fans were disappointed to learn that the potential Jon Snow spin-off had been canceled by HBO.

The Greyjoy Family Loses Everyone Except Yara

Most of the Greyjoys Perish in the Final Battle for the Iron Throne

Unlike other characters, Theon Greyjoy is younger on Game of Thrones. While 18 or 19 in the books, Theon starts GoT at age 16 or 17. He is around the same age as Jon, Robb, and Daenerys. Theon dies at 24, but not before buying enough time for Arya to kill the Night King. Meanwhile, Asha Greyjoy has both her name and age changed for HBO’s fantasy series. Now called Yara, she is presumably in her late 20s.

As one of GoT‘s few survivors, she inherits the Iron Islands and swears allegiance to the crown. Theon and Yara’s villainous uncle, Euron Greyjoy, is presumably in his late 30s at his first introduction and not much older when he’s killed by Jaime Lannister. Balon Greyjoy, Euron’s older brother and the former Lord of the Islands, would be in his forties or fifties at the most. That said, he’s not nearly as narratively important as his two children.

The Clegane Brothers Are Five Years Apart

Sandor and Gregor Clegane had a Complicated Childhood

Sibling rivalry is a common feature in fraternal relationships, but Gregor Clegane’s treatment of Sandor can only be described as deeply abusive. It seems that Sandor suffered greatly at Gregor’s hands, including the burn mark on his face. Both brothers eventually go on to have cool sobriquets, like the Mountain and the Hound. The books suggest that the Mountain may have been around 31 years old when he was first introduced, a fact corroborated by the TV adaptation.

Sandor is five years younger, which would make him 27 at the start of the series. Both brothers lose their lives at the ill-timed Cleganebowl in Season 8 — Gregor and Sandor die at ages 39 and 34, respectively. Interestingly, Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson, the actor playing Gregor, is 19 years younger than Rory McCann, who plays Sandor.

The Baratheon Family Is Larger Than It Appears

The Baratheons Are Mostly Wiped Out by the End of the Series

House Baratheon	Age	Status	Debut
Robert	42	Deceased	Season 1, Episode 1 “Winter Is Coming”
Stannis	Mid-40s	Deceased	Season 2, Episode 1 “The North Remembers”
Renly	27	Deceased	Season 1, Episode 3 “Lord Snow”
Gendry	24	Alive	Season 1, Episode 4 “Cripples, Bastards, and Broken Things”
Shireen	10-12	Deceased	Season 3, Episode 5 “Kissed by Fire”

King Robert Baratheon is 42 (35 in the books) when he visits Ned Stark in Winterfell and asks the latter to become Hand of the King. He dies near the end of the first season. Stannis and Renly are also aged up from their book counterparts. Stannis goes from 33 to 40, whereas Renly is aged up from 20 to 27. Renly is assassinated soon after the war begins, and Stannis dies in his mid-40s.

Cersei orders Robert’s illegitimate children to be killed after his death. Only one manages to survive this culling: Gendry, who is 24 in Season 8. Shireen is a rather young girl when she is burnt at the stake by her father, Stannis — her age is assumed to be around 10-12 years old. Interestingly, Gendry is not the oldest child of Robert Baratheon in the books. That (dis)honor falls to Mya Stone, who is shown to be a serving girl at the Vale of Arryn.