Nine noble families fight for control over the lands of Westeros, while an ancient enemy returns after being dormant for millennia.
During the title sequence, there is a "sun" in the sky with several rotating bands around it. These bands depict events from this world's history. The sequence opens with a picture of a city in flames on the slopes of an erupting volcano, next to a watching dragon and a boat full of people. This represents the Doom of Valyria, a series of massive volcanic eruptions and earthquakes that destroyed the Valyrian civilization on Essos; the dragon and people represent the Targaryen family and their dragons fleeing the disaster, and invading Westeros almost a century later. The second time the bands are seen, they depict Robert's Rebellion, represented by a dragon (the Mad King Aerys Targaryen) battling a stag (the Baratheons), a lion (the Lannisters) and a direwolf (the Starks). The final picture shows all sorts of animals bowing to the triumphant stag, symbolizing Robert Baratheon winning the rebellion and usurping the throne. The title display also shows the dragon, lion, wolf, and stag, representing four of the great houses of Westeros.
Samwell Tarly:
I read it in a book.
The credits evolve throughout the series, with different cities being featured depending upon the center of action at that point in the series.
English