Matching 50 Game of Thrones characters with each of the 50 states

Kansas: Meera Reed

Meera Reed left her mark on Game of Thrones by serving as Bran Stark’s protector and friend as Bran left Winterfell and journeyed north to meet the Three-Eyed Raven…and back. Meera assumed this position out of necessity; she was sole sibling to the late Jojen Reed, who knew thanks to his green dreams that Bran was important to the realm.

Thankfully, it was a role for which she was well suited. Meera is a skilled hunter and caretaker, often put in charge of finding and skinning food for the group. She proves on more than one occasion that she can be stealthy and deadly, as when she surprises Osha by placing a knife to her neck after the wildling woman threatens Jojen.

Meera’s character shares a few things in common with the Jayhawk, a fictional bird long associated with the people of Kansas. The term “jayhawk” references both the blue jay and the hawk, the former a loudmouth thief and the other a sneaky hunter. It originally referred to Civil War guerrilla fighters and was later applied to Kansas citizens in general. Do not turn your back on this bird.

Like the jay, Meera won’t hesitate to make her opinion known, but like the hawk, she’s sneaky when it counts. She defends those she loves, like any Kansan.

It’s also worth noting that Kansas is known for its history with the Santa Fe Trail, a path on which hundreds of families trod through the state in the 1820s. Meera is a guide, escorting her group on their own treacherous path.