The 17 Toughest Women on Game of Thrones Are Why We Can't Wait for Season 8

While there's plenty of speculation about Game of Thrones' upcoming eighth and final season, kicking off April 14 on HBO, one thing we know for sure is that Westeros will never be a place for wimps.

If a GoT woman is going to get ahead, like Lena Headey's Cersei Lannister, or fight for the Iron Throne, like Emilia Clarke's Daenerys Targaryen, or even stay alive, live Maisie Williams' Arya Stark, then she's got to bring her A-game. Heck, even if she just wants to retain a smidgen of dignity in death, like Diana Rigg's Olenna Tyrell, she's got to have nerves of steel (not to mention a stomach for poison, for at least a dramatic second or two).

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The GoT landscape may be heavily male, but what the female characters lack in numbers, they make up for with determination. And swords. And dragons. Perhaps Nikolaj Coster-Waldau's Jaime Lannister and Kit Harington's Jon Snow had better watch out. Click below to see our picks for the most battle-worthy women of Westeros.

PHOTOS: Check out the toughest women of Game of Thrones. Brienne of Tarth dares you!