How Lyanna Mormont became Game of Thrones' youngest and bravest hero
Season 8 spoilers.
When we were all looking to fill the hole that Game of Thrones left by sending kitten-loving child king Tommen Baratheon out a window, Lyanna Mormont was a breath of fresh air. The similarly small but significantly stronger mini-Mormont stole hearts from her first moment on screen.
Naturally, her death was one of the most heart-breaking and harrowing of the massacre that was the Battle of Winterfell.
Lyanna, the young leader of what was House Mormont, may have hit our screens late in the game (the fifty-seventh episode, The Broken Man, specifically) but she quickly became a fan favourite. Lady Mormont not only managed to be completely, superbly badass (first, by adeptly putting Sansa “Lannister or Bolton?” Stark and Jon Snow in their places) but spawned many a meme in a handful of significant scenes.
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Who is Lyanna Mormont?
Lyanna Mormont was the 13-year-old head of house Mormont, a Northern family located on Bear Island.
Though she appeared in under twenty episodes, Lyanna became an integral player in the rather literal Game of Thrones.
In Season 6, Jon Snow, Sansa Stark and Davos Seaworth went on an ally-hunting tour of Northern leaders to defeat House Bolton's occupation of Winterfell. The 10-year-old Lady included. With much persuasion, she agreed to stand against the Stark's enemies - including the Night King - and led her 62 men (those remaining after the Red Wedding's massacre) to war.
She was present during the Second Battle of Winterfell and goes on to call out the houses who refused Jon and Sansa's call to arms, importantly becoming the first person to accept Jon as the new King in the North - a fearless move which had an incredible domino effect on the others.
When Jon meets with his allied forces in season 7, Lyanna once again stood strong and encouraged her fellow (albeit far senior) leaders to train all ages and genders to fight against the White Walkers.
How is she related to Ser Jorah Mormont?
She's his cousin.
Jorah's father, Jeor, joined the Night's Watch, leaving Jorah to rule Bear Island in his stead. But after Jorah was exiled for slaving, his aunt – Jeor's sister Maege Mormont – stepped into his shoes.
In the books, Maege has several daughters – one of whom is killed at the Red Wedding – and is still alive herself. In the show, however, she died fighting for Robb Stark and Lyanna is her only heir.
Who plays her on the show?
Lyanna was played by British child actress Bella Ramsey. According to IMDB, her appearance on the show was her first ever credited acting role: kudos to the Game of Thrones casting team for discovering such a talented young performer.
Though she has yet to have the career of her elder castmates, she also starred in the 2017 TV adaptation of The Worst Witch books as titular character Mildred Hubble, scoring herself a Young Performer award nomination at the 2018 British Academy Children's Awards in the process.
Why is she named Lyanna?
It's not all that unusual for characters in Westeros to share the same name: it adds to the show's quasi-Medieval-feel (just think of all the Richards, Williams and Catherines running around in fifteenth century Europe), and emphasises the ties between families, as well as regional trends.
But, as she explains on the show, Lyanna Mormont was actually named after Eddard's sister Lyanna Stark (aka Jon's real mum), cementing House Mormont's loyalty to the first family of the North.
Is she in the books?
So far, we haven't seen Lyanna in person in George RR Martin's book series. But her beautifully to-the-point response to Stannis Baratheon's plea for allegiance, referenced in the episode, appears in Martin's most recent novel, A Dance With Dragons.
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Why was she so much cooler than us?
It's probably all to do with the way in which the Mormont women are raised. Like Dorne (where first-born women inherit property ahead of their male siblings), Bear Island is one of the more forward-thinking areas of Westeros and Mormont daughters are taught to fight from a young age.
But the reason for this is more to do with necessity than ideology. In the books, for instance, there's a telling exchange between Maege Mormont and Asha Greyjoy (Yara Greyjoy in the show).
After Asha points out that Mormont women, like Greyjoy women, are fighters, Mage responds: “What we are is what you made us. On Bear Island every child learns to fear krakens rising from the sea”.
Why did Lyanna die in the Battle of Winterfell?
In just two episodes, Lyanna (forever currying favour with fans) took season 8 by storm. She critcised Jon Snow for renouncing his crown to Daenerys, questioned his authority publicly, and even argued with Jorah (her Queen-loving cousin) in Winterfell's courtyard when he advised her to stay out of the battle.
But the odds simply weren't in her favour. Fighters far beyond her years and experience couldn't beat the endless, undead wrath of the Night King's army and the brave little Lady was one of many of the Long Night's heart-breaking victims.
When the army managed to get through the castle's walls, Lyanna fought bravely but was picked up and crushed to death by a giant wight. Albeit moment after, in an act of unparalleled heroics, Lyanna delivered a deadly blow through the giant's eye.
Long live fighting like a girl.
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