The eighth and final season of Game of Thrones is finally upon us, meaning that for fans of this massively epic fantasy series, there likely won’t be much else worth talking about for the next month and a half. With over a year off the air between seasons, the six-episode final season will no doubt be one of the biggest TV events of the decade. The show promises a massive showdown between the Seven Kingdoms and the Night King and his army of undead. But there are a ton of other secrets and mysteries that have yet to be revealed and explained. For instance, who – if anyone – will win the Iron Throne? Will Jon Snow finally discover his true parentage? Will Arya cross all the names off her list? Will Cleganebowl actually come to ?

Of course, the questions don’t stop there. But while the show may be coming to an end a matter of weeks, we highly doubt that will mark the end to the Game of Thrones theories and secrets. After all, George R. R. Martin still has two more installments left in his A Song of Ice and Fire series, not to mention that a prequel series is currently in the works at HBO.

But while there are no shortage of secrets hiding within the story, which ones have been going on behind-the-scenes of the TV series? Let's take a closer look! Here are 25 Hidden Details Behind The Making Of Game Of Thrones Only True Fans Knew.

Fake Scenes Are Filmed To Confuse Fans

Those behind-the-scenes at Game of Thrones have gone to some pretty extreme lengths to keep spoilers from leaking out. After a number of scripts went missing and a handful of stolen episodes were released online, HBO seems to be doing everything in their power to prevent audiences from getting an inside look at the story.

For season seven, Kit Harrington said that he had to participate in three fake scenes when they knew that paparazzi were watching. That would be about 15 extra hours of work for something that wasn’t even needed for the series.

The White Walkers Were Originally Going To Talk

Anyone who reads the books knows that there are a lot more to the White Walkers on the page. The novels hint that the Walkers likely have their own culture, language, and may have even bred with humans centuries ago. On the show, however, they largely come across as purely evil beings who never speak.

That being said, there was originally the idea to develop a White Walker language for the series. David Peterson – who helped develop Valyrian and Dothraki for the show – also created a Walker language called Skroth. But this idea was eventually abandoned.

Gandalf’s Sword Is Hiding In The Iron Throne

If you think the Iron Throne is an imposing artifact in the show, in the novels, it's said to literally be constructed from the 1,000 swords that were surrendered before Aegon Targaryen following his conquest of the Seven Kingdoms.

That being said, the Iron Throne on the show is still big enough to house a few secrets of its own. One of which is the speculation that a number of famous swords from other works of fiction are visible in the chair – the most notable of which seems to be Gandalf’s famous sword, Glamdring.

Two Scripts Went Missing

Long before a number of season five episodes leaked online, there were a couple of season one scripts that went missing. On his blog, George R. R. Martin said that when he received the envelope – which was meant to contain the two scripts – that it had been torn open before it got to him and that they were both missing.

The author said he believed the scripts were stolen on purpose, and he warned fans to look out for someone trying to hawk them online. That being said, the scripts never ended up leaking to the public.

Tyrion Only Eats Vegetarian Meat

The early seasons of the show certainly featured their fair share of feasts, many of which Tyrion Lannister happily partook in. However, while Tyrion may be a ravenous meat-eater, Peter Dinklage is actually a ionate vegetarian.

In the past, the actor has participated in a few videos for PETA, where he encourages others to give up meat and using animal products. So in order to accommodate for Dinklage’s lifestyle, the “meat” that Tyrion eats in the show is actually made of tofu and other vegetable products. 

Those Who Planned The Red Wedding Suffered The Exact Same Fates As Their Victims

Still one of the most shocking sequences in Game of Thrones, the Red Wedding found Robb, Talisa, and Catelyn Stark all meeting their untimely demise while staying in The Twins. Robb is shot with arrows, Talisa is stabbed in the stomach, and Catelyn has her throat cut.

The Red Wedding was orchestrated by the Lannisters, Freys, and Boltons – and the heads of these houses go on to meet their demise in the same fashion as their victims. Tywin is shot with a crossbow by Tyrion, Roose is stabbed in the stomach by his son, and Walder has his throat cut by Arya.

Littlefinger Can Predict The Future

For the first seven seasons of the show, Littlefinger was pulling the strings behind some of the biggest, tide-turning events in Westeros. However, was Littlefinger so good that he could actually predict the future?

In season four, the character accurately predicts exactly how many characters have and will meet their demise. He says that people perish at their dinner tables, in their beds, and over their chamberpots – which is exactly how we say goodbye to Joffrey, Shae, and Tywin that same season.

All The Monty Python References

On the fantasy spectrum, Game of Thrones may be on the completely opposite end of the scale than Monty Python and the Holy Grail. But that doesn’t mean the show hasn’t winked at this comedy classic a number of times throughout its run.

For instance, in the first episode, the Winterfell scenes were filmed at Scotland’s Doune Caste – the same castle used for Castle Anthrax in Holy Grail. In a later scene, the iconic Monty Python line about farting in someone’s general also made it into the show – though it was disguised in the language of Low Valyrian.

Dean-Charles Chapman Played Two Different Lannisters

Tommen Baratheon is played by two different actors in the show – Callum Wharry in season one and two and Dean-Charles Chapman in seasons four through six. While Tommen is far from the only character to be recast, interestingly enough, Chapman previously appeared as another Lannister before he was cast to play Tommen.

He shows up in two episodes in season three as Martyn Lannister, a son of Kevan and a brother of Lancel, who meets his demise at the hands of the Karstarks.

All The Harry Potter Actors

With much of the series being filmed in the U.K. and throughout Europe, it makes sense that many of the actors are British. Therefore, it’s no wonder that many performers who had previously appeared in the Harry Potter film series also show up in Game of Thrones.

Some of the most notable of these include David Bradley (Filch/Walder Frey), Ciaran Hinds (Aberforth Dumbledore/Mance Rayder), and Natalia Tena (Nymphadora Tonka /Osha). In all, at least 10 major actors have appeared in both fantasy series.