Game of Thrones fans are passionate. We know this, because we ourselves are fans. And paying homage to the show with video remixes seems to be a big part of this fandom. There’s just something about these images that cries out for an editor’s intervention.
In that vein, we have two wonderful fan-made videos that beautifully express each creator’s passion for Game of Thrones. First up, YouTuber TheGaroStudios pays tribute to The Night’s Watch. Check out The Night’s Watch: Winds of Winter:
"Night gathers, and now my watch begins. It shall not end until my death. I shall take no wife, hold no lands, father no children. I shall wear no crowns and win no glory. I shall live and die at my post. I am the sword in the darkness. I am the watcher on the walls. I am the shield that guards the realms of men. I pledge my life and honor to the Night’s Watch, for this night and all the nights to come."
What I liked about this particular video was how it brought together all the different characters who form the Night’s Watch, not all of whom are people we like. Whether it’s Ser Alliser Thorne rallying the men to defend Castle Black against the wildlings, Jon Snow warning people about the White Walkers at Hardhome, or Grenn and his fellows reciting the Night’s Watch oath before making their last stand against Mag the Mighty, everyone is part of the same brotherhood.
It’s also neat to see how two men who hate each other—Ser Alliser Thorne and Jon Snow—use the same rallying cry in battle. (“To me!”) And the montage of the funeral pyres was a nice touch. “And now his watch is ended.”
Moving on, we have hauntingly sad video about the love between Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark. From YouTuber AnneSoshi, it’s called Rhaegar & Lyanna: But that’s a Sadder Story.
This one was pieced together from several different shows and movies. There are scenes from the CW’s Reign in there, with Adelaide Kane (Mary, Queen of Scots) standing in for Lyanna Stark. Bradley James, who plays Arthur Pendragon on BBC One’s Merlin, serves as Rhaegar Targaryen. There are also scenes from Tristan & Isolde, a 2006 film that starred Henry “Superman” Cavill, repurposed for the video as young Robert Baratheon, and James Franco, who stands in here for young Ned Stark. Finally, Indian actress Deepika Padukone “plays” Elia Martell, with scenes taken from her film, Love Aaj Kal.
Of course, there are scenes from Game of Thrones spliced in, as well, including from clips from Bran’s weirwood flashbacks and Jorah’s speech about Rhaegar from “Walk of Punishment.”
This is a wonderful video about Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark’s love, and it directly contradicts the stories told by King Robert Baratheon, and just about everyone else in the Seven Kingdoms. I guess that whole unreliable narrator thing is real, huh?