Differences between books and TV series - Season 1

(Page under construction)
The Game of Thrones series's storyline closely follows the Song of Ice and Fire. But there are still some differences between books and series. On this page, there is a list of differences, that can be found.


 * Please note, that this list shouldn't spoil the next seasons. Feel free to add differences, but don't mention any scenes/ charachters which weren't mentioned or shown in the first season and can spoil the second season. If anything spoils too much, please correct or delete.

GAME OF THRONES SEASON 1 vs A GAME OF THRONES (book)

 * The series starts with three rangers of the Nights watch going under the wall. The book starts after Will discovers the bodies of wildlings.
 * The White Walkers are called Others in book.
 * The White Walkers have different appeariance in the series. In book, they have white skin and reflective light armour. In the series, they have frozen grey skin, dark hair, and a face similar to skull. Their bodies are more darker and they don't seem to wear armour.
 * In series, only Gared and Waymar Royce face the White Walkers' first attack, while Will is exploring the area. In books, all three are present.
 * The wight girl, who frightens Will in series, is never mentioned in a book. It's probably replacement of Waymar's wight
 * In series, ser Waymar Royce isn't shown to be transformed into wight.
 * In series, Gared is the second one to be killed by the White Walkers and Will escapes. In books, Will is strangled by the wight of ser Waymar Royce and Gared escapes. In series Gared is beheaded by the regular White Walker.
 * In book, this event takes nine days of riding north of the wall. In series, this event takes place in the forest very close to the wall.
 * There is additional scene in series, where the Winterfell soldiers capture Will.
 * There are more additional scenes in series in Winterfell, which introduce Stark family. Bran is shown firing the arrow, while his father is watching him. The scene with needlework, which involves Sansa and Arya, is moved to the beginning of the series, before king Robert arrives. In book, the scenes in Winterfell begin with deserter's execution.
 * ​The Stark children's age is increased in series. Robb and Jon Snow must be 18 or 19 years old instead of 14 in a book. That makes Theon Greyjoy's age similar to theirs instead of making him slightly older of Robb and Jon. Sansa's age is increased from 11 to 13, Arya is 11 instead of 9, Bran is 10 instead of 7 and Rickon's age is increased from 3 to 6 or 7.
 * ​Bran doesn't look like a Tully in series. - His hair is dark brown instead of red brown (Actualy, only Sansa has Tully's hair. Robb's hair has a bit of red in it, but he also has much darker hair than Sansa.)
 * In series, Will is executed instead of Gared.
 * In book, snow is covering the grounds around Winterfell. In TV series, there is no snow.
 * In book, they find only a dead direwolf with deer's antler. In series, they found a dead deer too.
 * There is an additional scene in King's Landing introducing the Queen Cersei and her brother Jaime. It also shows a dead body of Jon Arryn.
 * Daenerys Targaryen appears much later in the series. In the book, she is introduced, after Ned Stark gets the news about Jon Arryn's death. In series, she appears after the scene at Lyanna Stark's tomb. This was probably changed to know more about her origins.
 * In the series, Ned is worried about King's arrival and he strongly suspects, why is he coming. (The Hand of a King). In book, he expects the King with joy and he doesn't know anything until the event in a crypt.
 * Tyrion Lannister is portrayed less uglier in series than in a book. In series he is only dwarf sized with big head. In book he also has stunted legs, swollen forehead, squashed-in face and eyes of different colours.
 * There's also a different way of introducing Tyrion in series. In book, he is introduced at the feast through the eyes of Jon Snow. In series, he is introduced in a scene with prostitute Ros and brother Jaime a moment after King's arrival.
 * Prostitute Ros isn't named in a book. She's probably the mentioned "red haired whore". In series, she appears quite often.
 * Daenerys Targaryen's character is aged from 13 to 17.
 * ​The Targaryens don't have purple eyes in the series, neither they have silver hair, which is white/blonde in series.
 * Sansa's character is introduced much earlier in series (the feast) than in a book (the Trident)
 * ​In series, Jon Snow didn't attend the feast at all. He meets his uncle Benjen outside, when he is practising with a sword. In book, he attends the series sitting at the table with squires
 * Additional scenes at the feast. Jaime and Ned talk about tournament, Sansa speaks to the queen, Arya throws food into Sansa.
 * ​When maester Luwin comes into Starks' bedroom, Catelyn is naked in a book. In movie, she is dressed in sleeping gown
 * Daenerys and Khal Drogo's wedding scene is shown earlier in series than in book. Ser Jorah Mormont's charachter is introduced in this scene rather than in first Daenerys's scene.
 * ​In book, Catelyn Stark encourages Ned to accept King Robert's request. In series, she is afraid for him and begs him not to accept.
 * ​In series, there is no word of taking Bran to Kings Landing, before he's crippled.
 * Cersei and Jaime are both naked in book, when Bran finds them in a tower. In series, they are both dressed
 * When Bran is pushed out of window, it isn't clear it was Jaime who pushed him in a book. In series, we clearly see it was Jaime.
 * In series, Jon decides to go to Night's watch completely on his own and no one wants to stop him. There are also no requests of Lady Catelyn for him to leave.
 * ​An additional scene between ser Jorah and prince Viserys.
 * An additional scene, which shows making the sword and conversation between Jaime and Jon Snow about the wall
 * An additional scene, where Cersei comes to Bran's bedroom and speaks about her first child
 * ​An additional scene, where Ned and Jon say goodbye to each other
 * Danerys's scene with Doreah, Jhiqui and Irri is shown much earlier in series. So is the scene of making Khal Drogo happy.
 * Doreah has blonde hair in book. In series, she has got brown hair.
 * In book, King Robert's and Eddard's conversation about Daenerys Targaryen takes place during the riding. In series, it takes place at breakfast.
 * In series, Yoren doesn't appear in scene with two rapers.
 * An additional scene in series, where Catelyn searches the old tower and finds a golden hair. She suspects, that Lannisters are involved in Bran's accident even before she identifies Valyrian dagger.
 * In series ​the Winterfell meeting between Catelyn, Robb, Theon, ser Rodrik and maester Luwin takes place in godswood instead of in the castle.
 * There's an additional scene, when Jon Snow arrives at the Wall
 * In series, there is no conversation between Sansa and Arya about riding in a wheelhouse. At Trident, Sansa first appears, when she meets ser Ilyn and Sandor Clegane. She first confronts Arya in her sword practice with Mycah.
 * In book, Sansa and prince Joffrey go riding around the Trident and they are away for a long time, before they find Arya. In series, they go only for a short walk and find Arya nearby.
 * The series also shows, what happens to Nymeria, after she wounds prince Joffrey. Arya's and Nymeria's scene is mentioned in second book. In series, it's clearly seen, that Arya throws a stone into Nymeria and sends her away. (In second book, it's said, that she throws several stones)
 * The event, when Arya is escorted to the King, doesn't take place at Castle Darry (the book), but at the Old Crossroads Inn.
 * ​Bran doesn't have dreams about three eyed raven before he wakes up for a first time (In book, these dreams wake him up). In series, he wakes up, when Sansa's direwolf is executed.
 * In series, Eddard doesn't order to take Lady's bones back to the North
 * Bran's direwof doesn't have name in the series. ( In books, his name is Summer)
 * The King's Landing is fist shown from Eddard's perspective in the series (beside ser Jaime and queen Cersei's scene at the beginning of series). In book, the King's Landing is first seen from Catelyn's eyes.
 * In book, Catelyn and ser Rodrik arrive to King's Landing before Eddard Stark. They also arrive by ship from White Habour. In series, they come by riding horses on the Kingsroad and they arrive after Eddard.
 * An additional scene in King's Landing, where Eddard confronts ser Jaime at the Iron Throne. Jaime describes the scene, when he stabbed Aerys Targaryen.
 * Another additional scene in the series: The conversation between queen Cersei and prince Joffrey about what it will mean when he is a king.
 * In series, there are 6 members of the King's Council instead of 8 - Lord Stannis Baratheon and ser Barristan Selmy are not part of it.
 * In the book Ser Jaime Lannister particpates in the Hand's Tourney, in the series he does not.
 * In the book Jory Cassel participates in the Hand's Tourney, in the series he does not.