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In Game of Thrones, along with the spinoff House of the Dragon, Ramin Djawadi makes use of several Leitmotifs. The major houses have their own themes and there are also leitmotifs specific to certain characters and types of scene.
Leitmotifs originally from Game of Thrones
- The melancholy Stark theme is the most frequently heard, playing in the pieces "Goodbye Brother," "Winter is Coming," "Jon's Honor", and "King of the North."
- The Stark Theme returns in House of the Dragon, playing when Winterfell is shown in the first episode of season 2 and when the armies march in the final episode of the same season (part of the track "All Must Choose").
- During "What Is Dead May Never Die", the Stark theme gradually shifts into the Greyjoy theme during Theon's Face–Heel Turn.
- Speaking of Theon, the powerfully dissonant and somber "Pay The Iron Price" plays during significant moments throughout his Face–Heel Turn that serve to highlight his gradual fall from honor and grace. A heroic reprisal plays when he decides to save Sansa from Ramsay.
- “Pay the Iron Price” winds up being a leitmotif not for a character, but an event. It plays over Theon beheading Ser Rodrick, Robb beheading Lord Karstark, and a variant mixed with the Night’s Watch theme plays over Jon beheading Janos Slynt.
- The Lannisters have "The Rains of Castamere" and its variations, which is played whenever a Lannister does something particularly amazing or nefarious, such as Cersei threatening Littlefinger, Tyrion blackmailing Lancel, Tywin executing his men in Harrenhal following Ser Amory's assassination, Tywin's cavalry crushing Stannis' force, and Jaime saving Brienne from the bear pit. It usually manifests as dark, ominous background score but crosses over to an in-universe lietmotif when Tyrion whistles a more sing-song version in "The North Remembers" and Bronn does a rousing rendition in "Blackwater." Cersei even explains the song's history and meaning in "Second Sons," and eventually the song gives its name to a Wham Episode in which it serves as both a meta and in-universe signal that something is definitely not right just before a massacre. It also plays at the end of Tyrion's trial, when he demands a trial by combat. And finally, for irony points it plays when Tyrion kills Tywin and again when Cersei is crowned queen and sits on the Iron Throne, signaling the now inevitable and final collapse of the Lannisters. Its final iteration is slow and tragic as Tyrion discovers the bodies of Jaime and Cersei who were unable to escape the Red Keep.
- The "Rains of Castamere" theme returns in House of the Dragon season 2 for when the Lannister armies march, most prominently in the track "All Must Choose".
- Cersei gets her own theme starting in season six, a "Psycho" Strings piece that pops up whenever she does something particularly villainous. It first appears as part of "Light of the Seven", and returns in "Hear Me Roar", "The Long Farewell", and "No One Walks Away from Me". Occasionally, it's combined with the main Lannister theme.
- The Baratheons have three themes:
- The kingly one, used mostly for Robert and Joffrey, is a bombastic fanfare befitting royalty, first heard in "The King's Arrival" and reprised in "You Win Or You Die" (with elements of "The Rains of Castamere"), "The Throne Is Mine," and "Wildfire". "First Of His Name" contains a Dark Reprise of it that plays when Joffery dies.
- After the Baratheons begin to die out, this theme becomes a general theme for royalty. For example, in a mirror of Robert's arrival in the first episode, Daenerys' arrival at Winterfell plays a variation of this theme (in a track called "Arrival at Winterfell"). It also plays when Jon Snow finds out he is the heir to the throne (in a track fittingly called, "Heir to the Throne").
- This theme is reused in House of the Dragon, once again as a representation of royalty. A new variation is also created to represent the reigns of Viserys I and Aegon II, being included in tracks such as "The Tournament", "The Hard Truth", "Lament", "Coronation" and, most significantly, "Protector of the Realm", which combines it with the main version of the royalty theme. The series also demonstrates that, as with "The Rains of Castamere", the royalty theme exists within the narrative, since it is played on the trumpets at the start of Aegon's coronation.
- The second theme is most frequently used for Robert's biological children, as in "Black Of Hair," "Bird Without Feathers," "Await The King's Justice," and "The Throne Is Mine."
- The third theme plays for Stannis and is first heard in the second half of "Warrior of Light". Appropriately, it's a variation of Melisandre's/the Lord of Light's theme that contains part of the Baratheon theme.
- The kingly one, used mostly for Robert and Joffrey, is a bombastic fanfare befitting royalty, first heard in "The King's Arrival" and reprised in "You Win Or You Die" (with elements of "The Rains of Castamere"), "The Throne Is Mine," and "Wildfire". "First Of His Name" contains a Dark Reprise of it that plays when Joffery dies.
- "Chaos Is A Ladder", Littlefinger's leitmotif (also serving as a general representation of intrigue in the show), is a slow, creepy piano version of "Await The King's Justice" which rises up into a variation of "The Throne Is Mine."
- The White Walkers also have their own, which can be heard in "North of the Wall" and "The Night's Watch", which takes the form of a slow and very insistent "Psycho" Strings piece that normally plays whenever they're attacking in force.
- They also get a Dark Reprise of the show's main theme in "Three Blasts".
- Daenerys has two distinct themes:
- One is a powerful, mysterious-sounding melody with a distinctly Eastern feel reflecting her Valyrian roots, which can be heard in "Fire and Blood."
- The other is more triumphant and often mixes with the main theme for her more glorious moments, such as Season 1's "Finale", "Mother of Dragons", and "The Iron Throne".
- Jaqen H'ghar has a quiet, distinct tune which plays whenever he makes an appearance or performs an action affecting the plot. A broader, deeper version plays when Arya, Gendry, and Hot Pie escape in "The Prince of Winterfell".
- As the series progresses, Arya's leitmotif becomes a mix between Jaqen's and the Starks, gradually shifting more toward the former.
- Melisandre and the Lord of Light's theme can be heard in "Warrior of Light", while Stannis' comes from later in the track, when a grander, more percussive sound kicks in.
- In Season 3, Davos gets his own theme with "The Night is Dark".
- Ygritte has a slow, heavy, emotional theme that primarily features a low-pitched fiddle and gradually increases in intensity, either sounding uplifting or sad, depending on the scene. It plays whenever something happens to the romantic plot between her and Jon, such as when they climbed the wall together in season 3's "The Climb" or when Jon eventually burned her body in season 4's "The Children".
- Fittingly, Oberyn gets a dark, enigmatic Spanish guitar track.
- Euron gets a fittingly bombastic theme of his own, played with the Greyjoy theme as background music.
- Jon and Daenerys receive their own Love Theme which can be heard in the songs "Dragonglass", "Gorgeous Beasts", "Against All Odds", and "See You For What You Are" as their relationship grows before being culminated with "Truth". It is a mix of their past leitmotifs with Drogo ("Love in the Eyes") and Ygritte ("You Know Nothing"). In season 8, it appears in "Flight of Dragons" during Jon and Daenerys' first Flight of Romance and in an unreleased track mixed together with the Dragon theme in "The Long Night". It swells in "Be with Me" as they share their Last Kiss, but it quickly fades when Jon fatally stabs Daenerys in the heart. It starts up again — but fractured — as Jon holds Daenerys in his arms and grieves.
Leitmotifs originally from House of the Dragon
- House Targaryen is given a new leitmotif, first prominently shown in the solemn piano piece "The Prince That Was Promised" that plays at the end of the first episode. It would continue to appear throughout the show, generally in significant moments, being used akin to a main theme,
- Rhaenyra has 2 themes, one of which is a more buoyant, light-hearted piece (which can first be heard in the track "Rhaenyra's Welcome") and the other which is usually accompanied with feminine vocals and has a more ethereal quality (which can be heard in the track "The Power of Prophecy").
- Daemon also has 2 themes, a slower, more foreboding theme ("The Rogue Prince") and a more exciting theme that debuts in season 2 ("Indulge in Darkness").
- The Greens/Hightowers have a few leitmotifs.
- The first is commonly associated with Alicent, with one of its most prominent uses occurring when she asserts herself at Rhaenyra's wedding.
- The other is closely associated with general intrigue. It's first significant use is in the track "Pass Judgement", which plays as Larys has his family murdered.
- Mysaria has her own version of this theme as of Season 2, showing it isn't exclusively a theme of the Greens (even if it is mostly used with them).
- House Velaryon has a leitmotif that conveys its nautical theming.