Game Of Thrones is not for the faint-hearted - and no one knows this more than the Nine Noble Houses of Westeros. In one of the most intricate fictional worlds ever brought to life, every character we meet is fighting on behalf of one of the houses - all of whom have family history connecting them to the Iron Throne they believe is theirs.

Meet these families, what they lay claim across Westeros, and who has vowed allegiance to them. Beware, if you’ve never seen the series before then spoilers lay ahead.

House Targaryen are a Valyrian noble family who were once rulers of Westeros. The family are known dragon tamers, and their house sigil is a red, three-headed, fire-breathing dragon. Nicknamed the House Of The Dragon, their family motto is ‘fire and blood’. They have distinctive pale, blonde features, which has been maintained due to continuing ‘pure blood lines’ via incest. House Targaryen is even the house responsible for the Iron Throne, with it forged for Aegon the Conqueror - the first Targaryen King.

The house had a 281-year reign in Westeros, but that wasn’t without its issues - an inter-family civil war over the throne’s lineage, known as Dance Of Dragons, tore the family in two. The war occurred 200-years before the events of Game Of Thrones, and is what forms the basis for series House Of The Dragon (also available on Sky Atlantic and NOW).

The family also have been known to descend into madness as a result of their power, responsibility and desire for the throne. King Aerys II - aka The Mad King - was usurped by King Robert I Baratheon, ending the family’s run as rulers of the Seven Kingdoms.

House Baratheon are the rulers of the Stormlands and are based at Storm’s End. They took the Iron Throne after a rebellion led by Robert I Baratheon to overthrow King Aerys II. After Robert’s death, his brother Stannis makes a bid for the throne, even killing his brother and daughter in the process, but is unsuccessful.

Unknown to all in the realm, this is the legitimate end of the Baratheon bloodline as Robert’s three children with Cersei Lannister - Joffrey, Myrcella and Tommen - are all the product of incest from her affair with her twin brother, Jaime Lannister.

However, Robert did have a child of his own - Gendry Baratheon - but he never claimed him, therefore the illegitimate child never had an official claim to the throne.

House Stark is the noble house who have long ruled their kingdom of The North from their home of Winterfell. The North is the largest area of Westeros and the biggest of the Seven Kingdoms.

Their house sigil is a snarling grey direwolf, and their house motto is ‘Winter Is Coming’ - a warning for their enemies, and to always be prepared, as the bitter winters can last years in Westeros.

House Lannister are one of the most influential families in all of Westeros. They rule the area known as Westerlands from Casterly Rock.

After Cersei married Robert I Baratheon, they moved to the Red Keep in King’s Landing. Their house motto is ‘Hear me Roar’ and their emblem is a golden lion on a blood red background - although in the series, their family saying is better known as ‘A Lannister always pays his debts’.

Cunning, influential and often cruel, Lannisters often abuse their positions to make moves towards the Iron Throne and absolute power. They often use marriage as an attempt to strengthen their own name and holding.

Their claim to the Iron Throne is technically the weakest, although it doesn’t appear that way to those around them. Cersei gave Robert no legitimate heirs, instead birthing her own twin brother’s children. But she concealed this fact, and was able to hold onto power through son Joffrey, and later Tommen’s reigns, before ascending the throne herself officially.

House Greyjoy are the rulers of the Iron Island and are based by Lordsport on the island of Pyke. Their emblem is a Kraken and their house words are "We Do Not Sow”.

They are located away from the main territories of Westeros and are descendants of the ruler known as the Grey King. All Greyjoy family members we meet in Game of Thrones are heavily ambitious and have varying loyalties, with their ultimate goal to be claiming the Iron Throne. However, they discover quickly that this comes at a cost when done recklessly.

House Martell are the rulers of Dorne and their motto is “unbowed, unbent, unbroken”. They proudly claim to have never been conquered by anyone on the Iron Throne.

They are descendants of Nymeria, a warrior princess who sailed to Westeros in a bid for refuge of her people. She married into the Martell family to unite them with the Rhoynar. The Martell banner honours this union by displaying a sun with a spear.

Dorne became part of the Seven Kingdoms after marriage between the Martells and Targaryens.

They hold a particular grudge against the House of Lannister for the death of Elia Martell and her two children - something that later spurs on the actions of Oberyn Martell.

The youngest of the great houses, House Tyrell are the Lord Paramount of the Reach, ruling over the area from Highgarden. They rely heavily on strategy for position in Westeros society and nobility.

Their banner is a rose, and their motto is “growing strong”, which is ironic due to their unfortunate history.

Formerly stewards of Hightower for House Gardener, the Tyrells earned their position after surrendering themselves to the Targaryens. They did so after Aegon I killed their lord and all his airs, leaving Reach open for takeover.

Over time, they try to infiltrate and unite with other houses in order to make them stronger. This includes Margaery Tyrell’s marriage to Tommen Lannister.

While officially led by Mace Tyrell, the brains of the family operation is arguably his mother, Olenna.

House Tully have folded themselves in by marriage to most of the other great houses. Their motto is "Family, Duty, Honor” and they earned their position after supporting the Targaryens during Aegon I’s conquest.

Catelyn Stark, the matriarch of the Stark family as we know them in Game of Thrones, is originally a Tully.

However, they later became disillusioned with the house, supported Robert Baratheon in his rebellion, and then realigned themselves with the Stark family.

They hold the Riverlands, a central part of the continent, and are based in an area known as Riverrun. Their sigil is a trout on a red and blue background.

House Arryn’s house motto is “as high as honour”, and match this with their sigil being a soaring falcon against the moon.

They are located in the impenetrable Eyrie, a castle based on Giant’s Lance, a peak of a mountain known as the Mountains Of The Moon.

The family have a secondary home at the Gates Of The Moon as well.