The number seven is big on Game of Thrones. We have seven kingdoms, the Faith of the Seven religion, and seven members of the Kingsgaurd. In the first season of the series, the Stark family numbers seven (not counting Jon Snow, of course). Outside of the show, George R.R. Martin plans to write seven books in the A Song of Ice and Fire series. Heck, we’re currently in season seven.
And now we have another grouping of seven, namely the seven misfit and/or dishonored knights (let’s call them the ‘suicide squad’) embarking northward from Eastwatch-by-the-Sea on a perilous wight-snatching expedition. The company, led by the bastard Jon Snow, includes Tormund Giantsbane, the Hound, Gendry, Jorah Mormont, Beric Dondarrion and Thoros of Myr. Ser Davos is an original member of this group, but he is not accompanying them on their mission north of the Wall.
Seven of ’em. What is it with this number? No matter how you slice it, seven is one of the most important numbers in history, religion and myth. If you ask a group of people to pick a random number from one to ten, the majority will choose the number seven. It’s cosmic: each lunar phase lasts approximately seven days. It’s geographic: the world has seven continents. It’s physics: there are seven colors in the rainbow. It’s classic: the ancient Greeks considered it the perfect number.
There’s more. It’s monumental: there are seven Wonders of the World. It’s one of the most significant numbers in the Bible (great for lists such as the seven deadly sins and the seven virtues). In Christianity, Islam and Judaism, God resides above the seventh heaven. When the Buddha was born he took seven steps. You have the legends of the seventh son, the seventh seal, the seven-year itch . . . It goes on and on.
Is the grouping of the seven-man suicide squad significant in Game of Thrones? The HBO producers and writers certainly had the soaring vaults of both real-world history and ASOIAF lore to draw on for inspiration. At the very least, it is a magical number. Perhaps the best storytelling example to use in comparison is the classic 1954 film The Seven Samurai, upon which John Sturges’ famous American Western flick The Magnificent Seven (1960) is largely based.
In The Seven Samurai, seven ronin (outcast, masterless samurai) are hired by villagers to defend them from robbers coming to steal their harvested crops. Well paid, the samurai do their duty and defeat the vastly larger force of bandits. It’s a pyrrhic victory, however: four of the samurai have been killed, and the survivors realize they have won only to lose again. The self-annihilating nature of war is one of the themes of the film, as the character Kambei laments:
"In the end we have lost the battle, too. The victory belongs to the farmers, not to us."
The suicide squad on Game of Thrones involves a group of fallen/misfit knights, but they do not seek gold or redemption; each man has his own personal reasons for undertaking the dangerous journey. Jon Snow is trying to serve the greater good by convincing Cersei that the northern threat is real, Tormund follows Jon, Jorah Mormont is serving Daenerys, Gendry is looking for action and the three members of the Brotherhood Without Banners (Thoros of Myr, Beric Dondarrion and nominally, the Hound), are willing to march wherever fate (and the Lord of Light) is leading them.
For fun, let’s match the seven ronin characters with the seven Game of Thrones characters as best we can. Jon Snow is Kambei, the world-weary leader. Gendry is Katsushiro, the leader’s apprentice and youngest of the group. Thoros of Myr is Heihachi, the jerk with a heart of gold. Beric Dondarrion is Kyuzo, all about the sword. Tormund is Shichiroji, Jon’s old war buddy. The Hound is Kikuchiyo, the big guy, a bruiser with a hatred for farmers. Jorah is Gorobei, second to join, quiet and good-natured.
Who lives and who dies? The four ronin who don’t make it to the end of The Seven Samurai are Heihachi, Kyuzo, Kikuchiyo, and Gorobei. In the upcoming battle against the White Walkers, that would equate to the loss of Thoros of Myr, Beric Dondarrion, the Hound and Jorah Mormont. Not a good day for the Brotherhood Without Banners, if it actually plays out that way.
Of course, the fate of the seven Game of Thrones suicide squad members remains unknown, but one thing is for certain: their number is the stuff legends are made of.
Next: Small Council: What did we think of 'Eastwatch?'
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