The 24 most gruesome 'Game of Thrones' deaths, ranked

(HBO)

Warning: spoilers for "Game of Thrones" season seven, all the way up to the most recent episode, "Eastwatch." Read at your own risk.

Westeros is a brutal place, and you're pretty much considered lucky if you don't die in an incredibly brutal fashion.

With even more deaths happening in season seven, we looked back on all the most brutal deaths the show has pulled off so far, so you can fondly remember some very painful memories of lovable characters gone too soon. And so you can relive some of the most satisfying deaths of the worst villains the show has to offer.

Here are the most gruesome and violent deaths on "Game of Thrones":

24. Shae

Despite the fact that she sleeps with his dad and testifies against him in trial, Tyrion still loves her a little.

Time of death: Season 4, episode 10, "The Children"

Cause of death: Tyrion strangled her upon discovering that she was sleeping with his father, Tywin.

23. The High Septon, Margery Tyrell, Mace Tyrell, Loras Tyrell, Kevan Lannister, Lancel Lannister

According to an alchemist Tyrion talks to in season two, wildfire "burns so hot, it melts wood, stone, even steel! And of course: flesh. The substance burns so hot it melts flesh like tallow."

Wildfire also becomes more potent as it ages. The wildfire Cersei used was placed there by the Mad King over 20 years ago, so it was extremely dangerous. The deaths at the Destruction of the Great Sept of Baelor were quick, but they certainly weren't painless.

Time of deaths: Season 6, episode 10, "The Winds of Winter"

Cause of deaths: Burned alive in Cersei's wildfire explosion at the Sept of Baelor.

22. Jory Cassel

(HBO)

If it involves an eyeball in any way, it's gruesome.

Time of death: Season 1, episode 5, "The Wolf and the Lion"

Cause of death: Jaime Lannister stabbed him in the eye.

21. Viserion

We barely knew this dragon, but Viserion's death hit harder then expected because Daenerys was there to see it happen. It's really hard to lose a pet. It was also really brutal to see the dragon blood pour out of him as he fell into the icy lake.

Time of death: Season 7, episode 6, "Beyond the Wall"

Cause of death: The Night King throws an icy spear at him.

20. Ros

We last see Ros when she's filled with arrows from Joffrey's crossbow, courtesy of Littlefinger, who handed her over to Joffrey because he was mad that she was working for Varys.

Time of death: Season 3, episode 6, "The Climb"

Cause of death: Joffrey brutally shot her with his beloved crossbow.

19. Flea Bottom resident

In Flea Bottom, a man boasts of how he exposed himself to Cersei during her walk of shame. He steps aside to pee, and the Mountain casually smashes his head against a brick wall.

Time of death: Season 6, episode 2, "Home"

Cause of death: Zombie Mountain smashes his head against a wall.

18. Grand Maester Pycelle

The worst thing about this stabbing was that little children did it on Qyburn's orders. Varys used the little birds for spying, but probably wouldn't have made them murder anyone.

Time of death: Season 6, episode 10, "The Winds of Winter"

Cause of death: Stabbed by Qyburn's little birds right before the wildfire erupted at the Sept of Baelor.

17. Faith Militant member

(YouTube/HBO)

Although it was mostly shown off-camera, Zombie Mountain straight up ripped his head off. The sound effects were enough to do some major damage to the queasy.

Time of death: Season 6, episode 8, "No One"

Cause of death: Zombie Mountain rips his head off in a face-off against Cersei.

16. Karsi

Watching someone basically get eaten alive by zombies? No thanks.

Time of death: Season 5, episode 8, "Hardhome"

Cause of death: Killed by wights, then became one.

15. King's Landing resident in the middle of a riot

As the royal entourage makes its way back to the Red Keep after watching Mrycella get sent off to Dorne, a riot starts and gets very violent very fast. Rioters rip a man's limbs off of his body.

Time of death: Season 2, episode 6, "The Old Gods and the New"

Cause of death: Rioters ripped his body apart. They wave the arm they ripped off for everyone to see. The unnamed character's death is not confirmed, but assumed.

14. Lannister army

This was the first time we saw a dragon in battle, and it was brutal.

Time of death: Season 7, episode 4, "The Spoils of War"

Cause of death: Roasted by Drogon.

13. Smalljon Umber

There was a lot of blood, and some flesh eating.

Time of death: Season 6, episode 9, "Battle of the Bastards"

Cause of death: Tormund bit him in the neck, ripped his throat out with his bare hands, then stabbed him repeatedly.

12. Ramsay Bolton

(HBO)

His death was satisfying but violent, as we saw him get eaten alive by his own starving dogs. We watched the once innocent Sansa watch, and she didn't seem shaken by the violence at all, choosing not to look away. We had known that Ramsay left his stepmother and baby stepbrother to his hounds before, but we didn't see the brutality with our own eyes until his death.

Time of death: Season 6, episode 9, "Battle of the Bastards"

Cause of death: Sansa leaves him to be eaten by his own hounds.

11. Ellaria Sand

She's not dead yet, and we won't see her die. She will live the rest of her unfortunate days in the dungeons below the Red Keep, watching her daughter Tyene die and rot.

Time of death: Season 7, episode 3, "The Queen's Justice"

Cause of death: Rotting in the dungeons below the Red Keep.

10. Rickon Stark

When it was first revealed that Rickon was delivered to Ramsay by Smalljon Umber, we had some hope. But he essentially returned to the show to die. Ramsay's sadistic way of murdering him was mind-blowingly awful for viewers and for Jon Snow, who saw it up close as he ran to prevent it.

Time of death: Season 6, episode 9, "Battle of the Bastards"

Cause of death: Ramsay Bolton shot an arrow in his back, while pretending to give him to Jon Snow unscathed.

9. Catelyn Stark

Not the most violent death we've seen, but the camera lingered on Cat's slit throat longer than anyone could bear.

Time of death: Season 3, episode 9, "The Rains of Castamere"

Cause of death: Neck sliced open by Black Walder at the Red Wedding.

8. Viserys Targaryen

This was one of the show's first shocking deaths. He had it coming for a while, but we didn't think Dany would ever let her brother get brutally murdered by Khal Drogo. But she did, and hearing his golden head clang on the ground was squirm-inducing.

Time of death: Season 1, episode 6, "A Golden Crown"

Cause of death: Khal Drogo poured molten gold on his head.

7. Talisa Stark

The most gruesome part of Talisa's death was knowing that she was pregnant when it happened.

Time of death: Season 3, episode 9, "The Rains of Castamere"

Cause of death: Stabbed in the stomach by Lothar Frey at the Red Wedding.

6. This guy

(HBO)

At Harrenhal where Arya, Gendry, and Hot Pie are taken prisoner, they see the Tickler (one of the Mountain's henchmen) interrogating a prisoner to find out where the Brotherhood Without Banners is. He straps a bucket of rats to his chest.

Time of death: Season 2, episode 4, "Garden of Bones"

Cause of death: The Tickler lets the bucket of rats strapped to the man's chest basically eat him alive, because he can't answer any of the questions.

5. Rodrik Cassel

Ser Rodrik was Jory's father. Leave the poor Cassels alone! Rodrick Cassel's beheading was tough to watch because it took so long, and a young Bran and Rickon Stark were there to watch it all.

Time of death: Season 2, episode 6, "The Old Gods and the New"

Cause of death: Beheaded in terrible fashion by Theon Greyjoy during the Fall of Winterfell.

4. Randyll and Dickon Tarly

These guys could've saved themselves by swearing fealty to Daenerys, but they had to be stubborn and loyal to Cersei for some reason.

Time of death: Season 7, episode 5, "Eastwatch"

Cause of death: Daenerys orders Drogon to burn them alive. And he does.

3. Shireen Baratheon

This one still hurts.

Time of death: Season 5, episode 9, "The Dance of Dragons"

Cause of death: Burned at the stake. Her father Stannis gives the order, because Melisandre says that her death will guarantee a victory against Ramsay Bolton. Stannis does not win.

2. Meryn Trant

Arya always had violent plans for Meryn Trant, but she probably intensified her mode of execution upon finding out that he requests very young girls at the Braavosi brothel. Seeing Meryn without his eyes but still alive was particularly gruesome, as was seeing Arya enjoy it.

Time of death: Season 5, episode 10, "Mother's Mercy"

Cause of death: Arya gouges out his eyes and stabs him many times before slitting his throat, out of revenge for the death of her dancing instructor, Syrio Forel, back in season one.

1. Oberyn Martell

(HBO)

Seeing a person's head get completely smashed in with another person's bare hands is brutal, but made even more brutal when it happens to a charismatic character you just got to know.

Time of death: Season 4, episode 8, "The Mountain and the Viper"

Cause of death: The Mountain smashed his face and skull with his bare hands in Tyrion's trial by combat, and just when it seemed as if Oberyn would win.

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