It's hard to believe, but HBO's Game of Thrones will soon come to an end. Production is beginning shortly on the show's eighth and final season, which will hopefully provide a satisfying conclusion to the tale of Westeros. Fans are eager to see Dany hopefully ascend to the Iron Throne, with the help of her two (living) dragons. Drogon is the most popular of Dany's children, switching off between being a hero and a renegade throughout the show's tenure. And it turns out that his sounds on the series, especially in early seasons, were inspired by an unlikely source: turtle sex.
Yes, you read that right. This revelation comes to us from Game of Thrones sound designer Paula Fairfield, who recently appeared on the Big Little Questions podcast. She revealed how the noise made by male turtles inspired Drogon's cries, saying:
The groan of the male actually became, with some work and adjustments, the source for Drogon's purr with Daenerys. The funny thing about the purr with Drogon was watching people watching [the show] and giggling when they heard it, but not really knowing why. To me, it's because it had that essence, that kind of sensual, sexual essence.
Well, that's hilarious. While Game of Thrones contains many otherworldly creatures and magical concepts, the inspiration still lies in reality. In this case, the ridiculous squeaking sound that male turtles have during copulation. If you're curious to hear utterly hilarious groans of male turtles, check out the video below to hear it for yourself. Warning: there is mild sex between a turtle and a crock sneaker involved.
It looks like those sounds are what inspired baby Drogon's first noises in Game of Thrones. As Paula Fairfield tells it, Drogon and Dany share a pseudo sexual relationship, as he was named after her dead husband Khal Drogo. That's how the turtle sex was originally factored in, and how Fairfield took inspiration from the animal kingdom to bring Drogon and the rest of Dany's dragons to life. Who would have thought the cute little squeaks would eventually become booming roars that usually accompany massive flames, and the death of Dany's enemies?
It'll be interesting to see how the dragons factor into Game of Thrones' final season. With Viserion now an undead servant of the Night King, there should be some dragon on dragon conflicts coming to the show's forefront. Will Drogon be able to survive the final season? We'll just have to wait and see.
Game of Thrones will return to HBO sometime in 2019. In the meantime, check out our midseason premiere list to plan your next binge watch, and our cancellationlist to see if your favorite show got the chop this year.
