Game of Thrones is known for its strong, compelling characters - both good and evil, across all houses, regardless of gender or age or race. But special attention has been given to the series’ female characters, who are all uniquely complex, fiercely independent in their own ways, and driven by various compelling motives and loyalties. One of the most welcome surprises over the course of the series, however, was the pint-sized powerhouse that was introduced in little Lyanna Mormont.
From the moment Lady Lyanna Mormont was officially introduced in the series’ sixth season, it was clear that she was a true force to be reckoned with, despite her diminutive stature and young age. And over the years, during her tenure as a major Northern player on the series, Lyanna only continued to prove her worth and strength as a hero, as a leader, and as a total badass, frankly. With her time on Game of Thrones now sadly at its end, we take a look back at her ten best moments over the course of the series.
When she confirmed House Mormont’s loyalty to House Stark
When Lyanna first enters the series in the seventh episode of season six, House Stark is scrambling to reclaim its possession of Winterfell from the loathsome Boltons. It’s then that Jon, Sansa, and Ser Davos make their way to Bear Island to meet with Lady Lyanna herself, in the hopes that House Mormont will remain loyal to House Stark, as they have in the thousand years past.
Though the conversation hardly gets off to a smooth start, due to Lyanna’s rough around the edges nature, she is soon won over to support the Stark reclamation of their home at Winterfell. “House Mormont has kept faith with House Stark for 1,000 years. We will not break faith today,” she tells them, pledging her 62 soldiers to serve the Starks during the Battle of the Bastards.
When she had absolutely no time for small talk
During that same first meeting of the minds, Lyanna makes it clear that she’s not your typical leader. She has absolutely no patience for bureaucracy, small talk, pleasantries, or, frankly, butt kissing of any sort. When Jon and Sansa attempt to ply her with compliments and platitudes, as they have learned to do, Lyanna remains on edge the entire time, before cutting right to the chase.
“I think we’ve had enough small talk,” she tells them, before straightforwardly asking why they’ve come to Bear Island to begin with. After a more direct approach appears successful, Lyanna once again shows her lack of patience for protocol, brushing her own advisor off dismissively.
When she told Jorah she wouldn’t hide from her duty
It was a long-awaited moment, when the cousins Mormont finally interacted in the eighth season’s second episode, “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.” Though viewers had come to know and love both Ser Jorah Mormont and little Lady Lyanna Mormont, the two had never shared the screen before. And, given Lyanna’s naturally combative nature, it wasn’t really a surprise that their sole interaction consisted of an argument.
When Jorah, worried of not only his young cousin’s safety but also the future of House Mormont, tried to convince Lyanna to retreat from the impending battle and take shelter in the crypts, he was immediately rebuffed and chastised by the fiercely independent Lyanna. She wouldn’t be running away from her duty and from the danger of battle, no matter her cousin’s good intentions. If only they knew what was to come.
Her immediate distrust of the Dragon Queen
Though she’s one of the youngest major players in the series, and one of the youngest heads of a House we’ve ever seen, Lyanna Mormont has always been shown to have keen judgment and an almost too discerning ability to see through people and their pretenses. Yet another example of that was offered in the eighth season’s premiere episode, “Winterfell,” when Lyanna first laid eyes on the Dragon Queen herself, Daenerys Targaryen.
Younger than most leaders, and with no interest in keeping up pretenses or avoiding offenses, Lyanna seldom conceals her emotions and wears them instead as clear as day on her face. Her immediate distrust of - and near disgust at - the presence of the Dragon Queen, therefore, made for quite the bold statement.
Her connection with Ser Davos
It’s no secret that Ser Davos Seaworth is basically the human embodiment of a snuggly old teddy bear. His connection with the late Shireen Baratheon served as one of the series’ most heartwarming arcs. And in his brief meeting with Lyanna during the sixth season, some glimpses of that old, paternal Davos once again appeared and made for quite the adorable negotiation.
After Jon and Sansa failed to get through to the stubborn young leader, Ser Davos tried a more gentle, honest approach, using only the slightest bit of flattery when it felt appropriate and genuine. At the promise of her 62 men of Bear Island joining the Starks’ fight in the Battle of the Bastards, Ser Davos charmed her with a remark that, “If they are half as ferocious as their lady, the Boltons are doomed.”
Her epic facial expression during the Battle of the Bastards
Speaking of both the Battle of the Bastards and Lyanna’s inability to conceal her true feelings at any given time… The image above almost needs no further explanation as to why this moment makes it onto the list. Lyanna was unafraid to partake in battle of any kind, putting herself right in the thick of the confrontations and negotiations with Ramsay Bolton.
And upon meeting the truly twisted individual, she had no qualms whatsoever about making her utter disgust at him as apparent as it could be. It’s not like Ramsay’s villainy was any sort of secret by that point. But seeing someone so young, and so new to his world of evil, express what we all were feeling so succinctly and without a word… Well, that was just about as epic as things can get.
When she led the movement to proclaim Jon the King in the North
The world of Westeros as we know it might look pretty different right now, had it not been for Lyanna’s bold move in the sixth season finale. When none of her fellow Northern bannermen were willing to lead the charge of faith in the leadership of Jon Snow, Lyanna Mormont took it upon herself to set things right.
Addressing Lord Manderly, Lord Glover, and Lord Cerwyn directly, Lyanna began her impassioned plea for Jon’s leadership by shaming them for abandoning their call. And then, well, we’ll let Lyanna’s powerful words speak for themselves: “House Mormont remembers. The North remembers. We know no king but the King in the North whose name is Stark. I don’t care if he’s a bastard. Ned Stark’s blood runs through his veins. He’s my King, from this day, until his last day.”
When she called Jon out for abandoning his loyalty to the North
After Lyanna herself was the first to lead the call for Jon’s promotion to the King in the North, it makes sense that she, more than anyone else, would be quite rightfully incensed at the revelation that he had bent the knee to the foreign Dragon Queen. When Jon returned to Winterfell in the eighth season premiere, Lyanna wasted no time in chastising him for his clear failures in keeping the oath he had pledged to the North.
“You left Winterfell a King, and came back a… I’m not sure what you are now. A Lord? Nothing at all?” she asks him incredulously. When Jon claims that his titles are not important, she doubles down on her outrage: “Not important? We named you King in the North.” Lyanna gave voice to the sense of quiet outrage that has bubbled under the surface of the fandom since that moment when Jon gave up his right to rule the North.
When she declared that she would fight for the North herself
In the seventh season premiere, the newly appointed King in the North Jon Snow and his bannermen are discussing plans for defending Winterfell - including the potential of training more than just fathers, brothers, and sons. When Lord Glover expresses some admittedly sexist disbelief at the thought of training his granddaughter, Lyanna is quick to leap to her feet and offer a feminist smackdown.
“I don’t plan on knitting by the fire while men fight for me. I might be small, Lord Glover, and I might be a girl. But I am every bit as much a Northerner as you. And I don’t need your permission to defend the North,” she powerfully proclaims, cutting Lord Glover off whenever he tries to interrupt. And then, doubling down, she assures Jon that she “will begin training every man, woman, boy, and girl on Bear Island.”
When she took out the White Walker giant
If Lyanna Mormont was destined to go out at some point in the series, there was never any doubt that she would go out fighting until the very bitter end. And that was exactly what she did, and more. In the third episode of the eighth season, “The Long Night,” Lyanna takes part in the Battle of Winterfell, passionately defending Winterfell from the encroaching Army of the Dead and the Night King.
Unfortunately, she soon finds herself in the path of a frightening Night Walker giant, who catches hold of her and begins to crush her to death in his grasp. But before he can succeed, Lyanna gets a kill shot of her own in, stabbing the giant in the eye with dragonglass and ensuring that her death would not be in vain - arguably one of the more heroic exits in the entire series.
