The official poster for Game of Thrones season 4 has been released, employing artistic – and eerie – imagery drawn from the Song of Ice and Fire novels.
“Dark wings, dark words,” is a phrase often repeated in George RR Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire novels, and the official poster for Game of Thrones season 4 presents an ominous interpretation of those words. The poster, recently released on the official Game of Thrones Facebook page, features the prominent image of a raven – Westeros’s primitive version of the postal service.
But it is immediately clear that this raven is no ordinary messenger. The fierce creature on the poster has three eyes, hinting at supernatural power and vision. Presumably, this is a the same three-eyed raven which has haunted Bran Stark’s dreams, and whom he now seeks in the icy lands to the far north.
As if that weren’t creepy enough, a dark rain falls away behind the raven – and what first appears to be black feathers are quickly identified as a storm of swords trailing in the creature’s wake. The words “All Men Must Die” stand ominously prominent at the top of the poster, the definition of the Valyrian phrase “Valar Morghulis” that is emblazoned across the new character posters for Game of Thrones season 4.
In addition to the new poster, HBO has released several short character-centric promos for Game of Thrones season 4. Like the poster, these promos also employ the ominous theme of “All Men Must Die” – an idea of which George RR Martin is perhaps somewhat overly fond.
The promo focusing on Sansa, Arya, and Bran Stark zooms through red-and-white weirwood trees. A creep-tastic voiceover from Petyr Baelish emphasizes that Sansa, and by extension her siblings, are no longer innocent children.
Tyrion’s promo takes the viewer through the black cells beneath the Red Keep, where we last saw the doomed Ned Stark imprisoned. Tyrion himself seems to have little hope for his future. “Come for a last look?” he asks.
The clip focusing on Daenerys Targaryen is equally as ominous, though in a different way. In a vast desert wilderness, Dany’s dragons soar and scream unseen. Watching them, Ser Jorah tells her that they can never be tamed – “Not even by their mother.”
The cheerful and optimistic Game of Thrones season 4 will premiere on April 6 at 9:00 p.m. on HBO.