1. In the books
2. On the show

In the novel, the Targaryans have silver-blond hair and violet-colored eyes, which they inherited due to their Valyrian roots. In the TV show, the producers depicted them with the correct hair color, but swapped their violet eyes for the actors' brown ones.

1. In the books
2. On the show

In the "Song of Fire and Ice" book series, Brian Stark saw a three-eyed crow, unlike on the show which was a three-eyed raven. This was most likely because the men of the Night's Watch were named "crows," and the producers probably did not want to confuse the viewers.

1. In the books
2. On the show

Littlefinger isn't attracted to Sansa in the books, but is in the show. Lord Petyr Baelish, or Littlefinger, arranged for Sansa to marry Ser Harry Harding. Harry was not very excited to marry her, believing her to be the bastard daughter or (niece in the show), of Littlefinger.

1. In the books
2. On the show

Missandei, in the book series, was only 10 years old and was described by Daenerys as her "little scribe." In the show, her age is unconfirmed, but she is much older and was demanded by Daenerys as a gift from the slavers of Astapor.

1. In the books
2. On the show

In the show, Robb Stark fell in love with the Volatene Talisa and two were married at the end of season two. This differs from the books where his wife is a young woman named Jeyene Westerling, whom he married in secret after getting her pregnant.

1. In the books
2. On the show

In the book "A Dance With Dragons," Arya is a warg i.e., a person with the ability to go into the body of an animal. In the series, she does not have this ability, which was very useful, allowing her to spy on others when she was blind.

1. In the books
2. On the show

Daenerys and Khal Drogo's wedding night isn't rape in the book, but it is on the show. In the book, Drogo seduced her then asked her for permission, to which she says yes. However, in the show, she is seen crying on the bed with her clothes ripped off.

1. In the books
2. On the show

Unlike the books, Ser Jorah Mormont never contracted greyscale, which he acquired in seasons five and six of the show. This storyline belonged to another character named Jon Connington, who has not yet appeared on the show.

1. In the books
2. On the show

On the TV show, Sansa Stark's storyline was switched with that of Jeyne Poole, who was the one who was sent to marry Ramsay. According to the book, Sansa was nowhere near Winterfell and was never married to him.

1. In the books
2. On the show

Melisandre gives birth to two shadow assassins in the book but one in the series. In the show, this shadow child went on to murder Renly Baratheon, whereas in the books, the Red Woman gave birth to a second child who was used to take Storm's End.

1. In the books
2. On the show

Mance Rayder is not killed in the books but is in the series. Rather than being burnt alive, Mance's death in the book was faked. Instead, a wildling named Rattleshirt was created by Melisandre then burnt in Mance's place.

1. In the books
2. On the show

According to the books, Eric Storm is the Baratheon bastard taken to Dragonstone, not Gendry. Having Gendry take Edric's place eliminated the difficulty of the showrunners introducing a Baratheon child at the last moment, only to be killed off.

1. In the books
2. On the show

In season five of Game of Thrones, Jorah caught the greyscale disease while attempting to bring Tyrion to Daenerys. However in the books, Tyrion was never caught by Jorah, and the hyper-popular Tyrion was the one who caught the disease.

1. In the books
2. On the show

Lady Lyanna Mormont is a new character who was introduced in season six. Despite her importance in the show, she was only mentioned in the book as the sister of Alysane Mormont, who played a crucial role in bringing House Mormont into the fight against Ramsay Bolton.

1. In the books
2. On the show

Jon Snow was murdered by a boy named Bowen Marsh in the books, rather than Olly in the series. Although the two characters are slightly different, their similarities include that they were both Jon's steward and eventually betrayed his trust.

1. The books
2. The show

Catelyn Stark remained dead on the show, whereas she was revived in the books by Beric Dondarrion, who traded his life for hers. Upon being brought back to life, she became Lady Stoneheart, a zombie-like creature who can't speak and is consumed by revenge.

1. In the books
2. On the show

In the books, Ser Barristan is alive and well and was left in charge of Meereen by Daenerys after she left on the back of her dragon, Drogon. However, in the series, he was murdered during a battle against the secret society, Sons of the Harpy.

1. In the books
2. On the show

Tyrion finds Aegon Targaryen in the books, but that doesn't happen on the show, where there is no evidence of him. In the books, Tyrion fled King's Landing and set off for Meereen where he met a boy named "Young Griff," who later turned out to be Aegon Targaryen.

1. In the books
2. On the show

In an effort to keep the north out of the Lannisters, Jon Snow was legitimized as the son of Eddard Stark by Robb, shortly before the latter's death. Whereas in the show, Robb Stark only brought up the idea to his mother, who heavily disagreed.

1. In the books
2. On the show

In the books, Joffrey's death was rather gruesome, which involved him clawing at his throat open to breathe while he is dying. The series spared the viewers that horrific scene, rather, his face turned purple as blood oozed from his nose.

1. In the books
2. On the show

In the book, Jojen Stark helped Bran Stark escape Winterfell, while his sister Meera helped him escape an ambush of White Walkers. On the show, he and his brother Rickon are whisked away by Hodor and the Wildling, Osha.

1. The books
2. The show

A creature named Coldhands helps Sam, Gilly and Bran on their journeys. On the show, he doesn't exist. Coldhands is a strange figure who resembles a White Walker and smells like a dead man. On the show, there is no indication of this character.

1. In the books
2. On the show

In the book, Cersei is willing to make love to Jaime next to Joffrey's body. On the show, she isn't. She immediately responded to his advances as they mourn Joffrey's death, whereas, in the show, Jaime's reaction was far from consensual.

1. In the books
2. On the show

Shireen was burned alive on the show; she wasn't in the books. The fate of Stannis Baratheon's daughter was particularly cruel. In order to increase his power, he burnt his daughter alive, and watched on as she screamed in agony.

1. In the books
2. On the show

Ramsay marries a fake Arya in the book, on the show he weds Sansa. In the novel, he married Jeyene, a Stark family friend who the Lannisters passed off as Arya. On the show, Sansa willingly married him in an attempt to gain political power.

1. In the books
2. On the show

Tyrion is extremely disfigured in the books, but is only short and scarred on the show. George R. R. Martin described him as short, with a swollen forehead, squashed-in face, different colored eyes, stunted legs, a terrible waddle and a disfigured face with much of his nose missing.

1. In the books
2. On the show

Thenns are normal people in the book, but, on the show, they are depicted as cannibals. In the novels, they were described as normal and pretty harmless. The Ice-river clan were the cannibals, not the Thenns.

1. In the books
2. On the show

Doran Martell sends one of his sons to marry Daenerys in the book; he doesn't on the show. His son, Quentyn Martell, was sent by his father to ask for Daenerys' hand in marriage. Shortly after meeting her, he was burnt alive after attempting to tame one of her dragons.

1. The books
2. The show

Maester Aemon dies in Castle Black on the show but doesn't in the book. He was very much alive while sailing to Oldtown with Gilly and Sam. However, he passed away on his way there due to old age.

1. In the books
2. On the show

Ilyn Payne is the one who taught Jaime to fight in the books, on the show it's Bronn. Jaime chose to train with Ilyn Payne since his tongue was cut out and he can't speak. However, in the series, Bronn taught Jaime sword fighting after the latter lost his hand.

1. In the books
2. On the show

Shae never loved Tyrion. Although it appeared that she may have loved our favorite imp for a short amount of time, before becoming jealous of Sansa and Tyrion's growing relationship on the show, the book states that she never loved Tyrion.

1. In the books
2. On the show

Ser Jorah's appearance in the book is quite different from that on the show. In the book, he was not described as an attractive blonde rather; he was called Black Bear due to his large stature and black hair all over his body.

1. In the books
2. On the show

Many of the characters are much younger in the books than depicted in the series. Arya, for example, was only 9 years old in the book, rather than nine. Daenerys was 13 and Jon Snow would've been 14.

1. In the books
2. On the show

In the book, the White Walkers are only referred to as such by the Wildlings, while everyone else called them Others. Also, they aren't as scary in the books, rather they have white skin and wear reflective armor.

1. In the books
2. On the show

Contrary to popular belief, the book series is called "A Song of Ice and Fire" and not "Game of Thrones." Unknown to many, the television series was named after the first installment of the book series, while the other books have varying titles.