Okay, so for all of the hardcore Game of Thrones fans out there – we’re with you. A lot of us around the office have followed the emotional roller coaster that is Game of Thrones, so we get the mix of excitement and devastation that comes along with anticipating the series finale this Sunday. On the one hand – we’ll know who wins the Iron Throne. On the other hand – we’ll know who wins the Iron Throne. Meaning the show’s over.
But we got to thinking something. There’s a lot of property damage that goes on in Game of Thrones. Creepy undead skeleton things, dragons, destructive fire stuff that can burn water – what could possibly go wrong? So, our insurance-inclined brains got to wondering: how could a person in the Seven Kingdoms protect themselves with insurance? (We understand that unfortunately, dragons are not real. But it’s still fun to think about.) Anyways, in honor of the series finale, let’s talk about insurance in the Game of Thrones world.
Insuring property in the Game of Thrones universe.
1. First of all…dragons.
Okay. There are a few things to think about as far as dragons are concerned.
If you’re just an ordinary citizen in Westeros, you’re probably worried about protecting your home from dragon-fire. Though the khaleesi seems to have control over her children, there’s always the chance that some dragon-fire goes awry and your house becomes collateral damage. Whatever insurance policy you get, you’d want to make sure that it covers fire damage. (Both the ordinary, cooking-fire mishap kind and the fire-breathing dragon kind.) It would be important to make sure there are no exclusions for fire that literally comes from the sky.
On the other hand – what about if you’re a dragon-rider like Daenerys? There are so many possibilities. Would Dany need some sort of pet insurance to protect her children if they get sick or injured in battle? Unfortunately, dragons are not invulnerable. (Well, they’re not exactly pets, either, but…close enough?) Or maybe Dany would need some sort of collision coverage in case the dragon ran into something and hurt itself? There’s also comprehensive coverage to consider – would that protect Dany in case her dragons are stolen or injured by something other than a collision?
Anyways. Putting insurance of the actual dragons aside, what if the dragons cause property damage or bodily injury – like if they eat someone? Dany would probably need some pretty hefty liability insurance to compensate people who hold her responsible for bodily injuries or property damage. Like we said, the dragons seem pretty well-trained, but…accidents happen. And dragons get hungry.
2. What about the White Walkers?
As an ordinary citizen of Westeros, you’ve probably heard rumors of these creepy, undead skeleton things that don’t die even when you think you’ve killed them. What would happen if some of those found their way to your city or village and trashed your place? (Well, that would be super inconsiderate of them.) You’d want to make sure that any insurance you had for your home included vandalism (assuming your carrier includes White Walker-related damage in their vandalism coverage…and that White Walkers aren’t excluded by the policy.)
The White Walkers have a major grudge against living humans, and they can cause a surprising amount of damage for being creepy walking skeleton things. If you don’t happen to have a dragon-glass blade handy, your house could turn into their next target for destruction. Don’t underestimate the amount of damage a White Walker can cause. Another thought – would your insurance cover you if you had to set fire to your house to rid it of the White Walkers? Is there a clause for that in your policy?
3. Insuring a castle.
So, there are a lot of castles in Game of Thrones, from Winterfell to King’s Landing to the Eyrie. They’re imposing, built of stone, and have really high walls. And though the noble families that own them are typically very wealthy, that doesn’t mean they necessarily want to rebuild a castle from the ground up. Which leads us to our next question – what insurance would the Starks, Lannisters, or Arrons need for their castles?
We’re going to operate under the assumption that a castle would be considered a home and not a commercial property. The families inhabiting the castle would need some sort of coverage to protect the structure itself from losses like fire so they could get some help rebuilding if the fortress burned down. They’d also need some coverage to protect the belongings in the castle. (Cersei would probably want to consider some sort of endorsement to protect her crown as it’s a valuable item and her insurance policy might not offer enough coverage for it.)
It would also be a good idea to get liability insurance for the castle, as there are a lot of weapons and stuff and people could get hurt. Or trip and fall. Anyways, liability insurance could protect the castle-owner against claims of bodily injury and property damage.
And again, we can’t forget the White Walkers. The castle would need to make sure it had enough insurance for any White Walker damage that may or may not occur. Fighting the undead can get messy, and it can lead to a lot of property destruction (especially when fire seems to be one of the only things that work against the creepy skeleton things.) It would be important to make sure there’s no exclusion for White Walkers.
Anyways, we’re looking forward to the series finale, though we’re also sad that the series will end. We have our predictions about how the series is going to end, but we’re resigned to the fact that none of them are probably right. We hope you enjoyed this exercise in insuring fantastical creatures and places!
Disclaimer: We are not affiliated or associated in any way with the companies listed. Each name and character is a trademark of that respective company. This article is for informational purposes only and does not supersede any language in the actual policy itself. Please refer to your policy for deductibles, exclusions, and other provisions.