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

Tennessee: Missandei

The Tennessee Volunteers pull their name straight from Tennessee state history. The football team name comes from the War of 1812, in which Tennessee ponied up and produced a bunch of brave volunteer soldiers who fought in the Battle of New Orleans. The state itself is nicknamed the Volunteer State.

It’s only fitting, then, that this famously courageous state get paired with a Game of Thrones character who also volunteered to fight the good fight. Missandei was once a slave and interpreter in Astapor, but when Daenerys Targaryen freed her, she voluntarily stuck by her side to act as her advisor and handmaiden. She chose a dangerous life, but like those Tennessee volunteers, Missandei made it bravely and without regard for her own safety.

This isn’t the only parallel Missandei has to Tennessee. For one thing, since Missandei uses 19 languages in her work as an interpreter, she’s a great symbol for multiculturalism. She may find herself at home in Nashville, known for its diverse population. All sorts of music is recorded in Nashville, even if it’s primarily being known for country music. It’s a place where people of all kinds come together.

Additionally, the city of Memphis, Tennessee has a major river port. Missandei may no longer be a slave, but she will always have been shaped by her time in the port city of Astapor.

Tennessee combines elements of Missandei’s past her present. It’s a state as interesting as she is.