House words


 * This article is written from an out-of-universe perspective

Each of the noble Houses of the Seven Kingdoms have their own official family motto, or "words". These usually take the form of boasts or threats, used as battle-cries.

Each noble House also has its own unique Heraldry, such as the Stark direwolf or Lannister lion. While a House's heraldic symbol and motto are often associated, the words are usually not depicted directly in heraldry or on an army's banners. Rather, House words are usually shouted by the men carrying the banners as they charge into battle. A noble House's choice of heraldry and official motto often reflects the general character, philosophy, or political strategy that the family espouses. House words do not typically appear on a House's heraldry, in the books as well as the TV series. In the first three TV seasons, House words have only appeared written out exactly once, when a Tyrell lady displays her embroidery of the House Tyrell golden rose sigil, surmounting their motto "Growing Strong".

None of the official House words which have appeared in the TV adaptation produced by HBO were changed from the original A Song of Ice and Fire novels. Not all of the House words established in the books have, however, been established within the TV continuity. It would be awkward to fit this into on-screen dialogue for every single noble House which appears. The words of each of the Great Houses, which control the constituent regions of the Seven Kingdoms, have been established in on-screen dialogue. There are well over a hundred major noble Houses underneath them, however, not all of which have been established within the TV series.

A benefit is that the "Complete Guide to Westeros" narrated Blu-ray featurettes, as well as the HBO Viewer's Guide, have been quite thorough about stating what each House motto is, when possible. These ancillary materials are part of the official "TV series canon", and so far have always matched what a Houses's words were in the books, but casual viewers may have skipped over them.

House words for the TV series generally fall into three categories: those mentioned in on-screen dialogue, those mentioned in ancillary materials (Blu-ray featurettes and the HBO Viewer's Guide), and those known only from the books. On a few occasions, certain House words have not yet been revealed in the books (i.e. despite their prominence within the storyline, the words of House Frey and House Umber have not been revealed even by the end of the fifth novel).

The TV series has referred to them as both "words" and "motto" at various points, so both terms are correct usage. They tend to be called "words" more often, but Maester Luwin refers to the Lannister "official motto" in "The Wolf and the Lion".

Great Houses

 * House Baratheon - Ours is the Fury
 * House Greyjoy - We Do Not Sow
 * House Martell - Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken
 * House Stark - Winter is Coming
 * House Tully - Family, Duty, Honor
 * House Tyrell - Growing Strong

The Lannisters are an unusual case in that their unofficial motto is used far more often within the narrative of both the TV series and the books than their official motto. Their official motto is actually "Hear Me Roar!" - but this is hardly ever used, even within the books, other than when it is brought up solely for characters to point out that it isn't as popular as their unofficial motto: "A Lannister always pays his debts". The unofficial motto has appeared on-screen in the TV series proper, particularly in the scene in "The Wolf and the Lion" in which Maester Luwin is quizzing Bran Stark on the heraldry and words of different noble Houses, and he explicitly points out that "A Lannister always pays his debts" is a common saying, but not their official motto. The official motto has been confirmed within the TV continuity, but so far it has only appeared in the Blu-ray featurette for "House Lannister" which is narrated by Tywin Lannister himself.


 * House Lannister - "A Lannister always pays his debts" (unofficial, common saying)
 * "Hear Me Roar" (official motto, only from the Blu Ray extras)
 * Female Lannisters of course adapt the unofficial motto to "A Lannister always pays her debts".

Other Houses

 * House Hornwood - Righteous in Wrath

Words confirmed from ancillary materials within the TV continuity

 * House Arryn - As High as Honor
 * House Targaryen - Fire and Blood
 * So far, the Targaryen words have not explicitly appeared on-screen, but in Season 2's "The Old Gods and the New" Daenerys Targaryen warns the Spice King of Qarth that she will take what is hers "With fire and blood." TV-first viewers would not have realized she was quoting her House words.
 * House Bolton - Our Blades are Sharp

Words of Houses present in the TV series, known only from the books

 * House Mallister - Above the Rest
 * House Mormont - Here We Stand
 * Ser Jorah Mormont does loosely quote this when he says "Yet here I stand" as he blocks Viserys Targaryen from stealing his sister's dragon eggs in "A Golden Crown". TV-first viewers would not have realized that this was a reference to House Mormont's motto.

Houses whose words are unknown even from the books

 * House Blackwood
 * House Bracken
 * House Clegane
 * House Frey
 * House Manderly
 * House Umber