A Game of Broken Bones - The Top 10 Injuries on Game of Thrones
Gruesome injuries are par for the course on HBO's hit fantasy drama Game of Thrones, but how much could the show's injured heroes and villains potentially make a claim for?
The ravens have flown and the House banners have been unfurled. The message has been sent, and the latest series of hit HBO series Game of Thrones is upon us. Famed not only for its twisting storylines, but also its ultra-violence, the show is as gruesome as it is gripping. With so many characters suffering horrific injuries, we at JMW thought it worthwhile to consider how much their injuries would be worth, should they choose to make a claim.
Our Top 10 Game of Thrones Injuries are highlighted below. Maybe the Lannisters, Baratheons, and Starks et al should focus less on the Iron Throne, and more on personal injury compensation.
It almost goes without saying.. this post contains plot spoilers!
Name: Jaime Lannister
Injury: Chopped-off hand
Like so many characters in Game of Thrones, Jaime Lannister is highly complex. Arrogant? Sure. But evil? Hardly. Jaime is neither all good, nor all bad. But one thing's for sure - he's now one hand short of a pair after falling foul of Locke and his men.
Compensation: The total or effective loss of one hand is between £77,715 and £88,660. Jaime, a talented swordsman, could expect his claim to be in the upper end of this bracket, given he has lost his dominant hand.
Name: Tyrion Lannister
Injury: Sword wound to the nose and face
He may not be the tallest in stature, but Tyrion Lannister is one of the show's biggest characters. When he took a sword blow to the face during the Battle of the Blackwater, he not only lost consciousness, but also part of his nose.
Compensation: Having suffered facial disfigurement and scarring, Tyrion would likely receive between £14,500 and £24,300, as he has moderate to severe disfigurement.
Name: Brandon Stark
Injury: Paraplegia after being pushed out of a window
Brandon Stark relies on the servant Hodor to get around after being pushed out of a tower window by Jaime Lannister, whom he caught making love to his twin sister Cersei. The fall put Bran in a coma for several weeks and resulted in him losing the use of his legs.
Compensation: Bran could receive general damages of between £177,100 and £229,900. He would likely receive the higher end of this bracket, however, due to his young age and his dependence on Hodor.
Name: Ned Stark
Injury: Decapitation
Ned Stark's wasn't the only jaw on the floor when his head was decapitated in the first season of Game of Thrones. It was truly shocking to see Ned's execution at Joffrey Baratheon's demand, and it set a precedent for the show being known as one in which no main character is safe.
Compensation: He may be dead, but Ned's family would be entitled to make a bereavement claim of £17,500. Because the death was not prolonged, it is unlikely that the figure would be any higher. However, Ned's daughter Sansa could receive a compensation award for significant post-traumatic stress disorder - valued between £15,400 and £44,330 - after being forced to watch the decapitation.
Name: Theon Greyjoy
Injury: Penis amputation
Few characters have suffered as much as Theon Greyjoy. Kept prisoner in the Dreadfort, he has been systematically tortured by Ramsay Snow, and the humiliation reached new levels when Ramsay severed Theon's penis and sent it to his family in Pyke.
Compensation: The loss of the male reproductive organ means Theon would be in line to make a claim for general damages in excess of £124,300.
Name: Viserys Targaryen
Injury: Molten gold poured over his head
He had his sights set on the Iron Throne, but Viserys Targaryen's hopes were dashed - and his life lost - when Khal Drogo poured molten gold onto his head, describing it as "a crown for a king".
Compensation: Similarly to Ned Stark, a death can lead to a bereavement claim of £17,500. Had Viserys survived, however, he would have been left with severe burns, facial scarring and some psychological damage. Taken separately, each element is worth £14,500 and £24,300 for facial scarring, £3,190 to £7,370 for burns and £1,238 to £4,730 for psychiatric damage (minor category), and an overall general damages award would likely be an amalgamation of these three sets of figures.
Name: Sandor Clegane
Injury: Facial burns
Also known as The Hound, Sandor Clegane is fearless in battle - except when there is fire involved. He has good reason to be afraid, however, as his brother Gregor burned half of his face by holding it to a brazier when they were younger.
Compensation: The Hound could come away with between £24,090 and £53,075 for facial scarring. This is higher than the amount quoted for Tyrion, on account of the severity of the injury and the fact it was caused when Sandor was so young.
Name: Beric Dondarrion
Injury: Dagger through the eye
He's been killed on numerous occasions, only to be brought back to life by Thoros of Myr and his prayers to the Lord of Light. Perhaps his most gruesome injury, however, was sustained when Lannister soldiers stuck a dagger through his eye.
Compensation: The total loss of one eye would likely land Beric between £44,330 and £53,020 in general damages.
Name: Khal Drogo
Injury: Sword wound to the upper body
Drogo, a khal of the Dothraki people, was a fearless warrior - but was perhaps too fearless for his own good when challenged by one of his own men. He suffered a flesh wound to his chest, which festered, and the witchcraft used to save his life left him in a vegetative state.
Compensation: This would likely be seen as a serious upper body injury, which could lead to a compensation claim of between £10,340 and £15,510. Had this been the modern day, however - with no witchcraft involved - Drogo could have made a meaningful recovery. The moral of the story? Don't trust strange religious folks your wife has just met.
Name: Jon Snow
Injury: Arrow wounds and eagle scratches to the face
He's had it hard all his life - never knowing his mother, serving as a steward in the Night's Watch and going undercover among the wildlings - but being shot with a bow and arrow three times by his lover Ygritte, and being clawed in the face by an eagle, must rank among the most painful events of Jon Snow's life.
Compensation: For minor eye injuries, Jon Snow could expect to receive between £3,190 and £7,040, in addition to between £1,925 and £6,160 for minor scarring - although, as in our Viserys example, he would receive an amalgamation sum of the two awards.