Warning: This post contains spoilers for season seven of Game of Thrones.

“Ravens. We need to send ravens,” Bran Stark said at the beginning of “Eastwatch,” the action-packed fifth episode of this season’s Game of Thrones.

Bran had just warged and seen a flock of ravens flying north of the Wall — and when he opened his eyes back in Winterfell, he told Maester Wolkan they needed to dispatch ravens. The birds were then used to set up a series of big moments in Sunday’s episode, including Samwell Tarly’s hasty decision to leave the Citadel and a tricky maneuver by Littlefinger that could pit Arya and Sansa against each other.

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And these ravens were just some of the many used to advance the plot in HBO’s hit fantasy show — a raven carried a message from Tyrion Lannister that invited Jon Snow to meet Daenerys Targaryen, and a rare white raven let Sansa Stark and Jon Snow know that winter had finally arrived. And that’s not even getting into the matter of the Three-Eyed Raven.

But, though the land over which those ravens have flown is one of fantasy, there’s a real historical basis to the idea of message-carrying birds. Homing pigeons have a storied history dating back far beyond the Middle Ages, the period from which Thrones author George R.R. Martin frequently draws inspiration. (Pigeons aren’t the only birds with special abilities — corvids like ravens are thought to be particularly smart — but they are the most famous for this particular purpose.) And many of history’s most famous homing pigeons — including one that saved nearly 200 soldiers in World War I — have earned their celebrity through their involvement in war.

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Also referred to as messenger or carrier pigeons, the birds are capable of traveling as fast as some cars — about a mile a minute — and traveling at least 500 miles a day while carrying letters attached to their legs. As a point of comparison, a regular pigeon might go a mile or two a day. Once the message is received, the pigeons will return back to its “home” — though experts disagree exactly how pigeons carry out the feat.

“If you believe the Italians, it’s all due to smells,” Charlie Walcott, a professor emeritus of neurobiology and behavior at Cornell University, told TIME. “And if you believe some of the Germans, it has to do with the earth’s magnetic field. And my personal view is it’s a combination of the two. If I were to blindfold you, I bet you could find your way home by hailing a cab or talking to someone. And I think that’s what’s happening with pigeons, is that they have these alternative strategies.”

The first known homing pigeons were used in ancient civilizations in Egypt, Greek and Rome, according to Hugh Gladstone’s 1919 treatise Birds and the War. For example, in 44 B.C., Marcus Junius Brutus used these pigeons to protect his city during the siege of Modena by sending messages to his allies. “Gradually, it was recognized that pigeons would prove of great military importance,” Gladstone wrote.

Carrier pigeons continued to be used in the centuries that followed — and one tale claims that a fruit-loving Arab ruler during the Middle Ages used the birds for more than just delivering his correspondences. He also used them to bring him his fix of Lebanese cherries, receiving a single cherry inside a silk bag in each delivery, according to the The Pigeon Wars of Damascus.

In fact, homing pigeons remained a prevalent form of communicating, especially over long distances, until 1844, when Samuel Morse invented the telegraph.

But the winged messengers weren’t completely phased out after that, despite newer technology. An estimated 200,000 homing pigeons were used throughout World War I and World War II, and were essential to the strategies of various armies for their work disseminating important messages from the front lines of the battlefield.

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Perhaps the most famous such messenger was Cher Ami, a name that means “Dear Friend” in French. The purple- and blue-speckled bird transported a dozen messages for the U.S. Army Signal Corps in France, and is credited with saving nearly 200 American soldiers in World War I. Cher Ami’s swan song came during one of his missions in September of 1918. At the time, nearly 500 American troops, led by Major Charles Whittlesey, were trapped, surrounded by German forces on a battlefield in northern France. What was worse, they were also coming under friendly fire.Whittlesey needed more troops — at that point, there were only 200 survivors of his so-called “Lost Battalion” left — and he had already tried using two different pigeons to deliver that message. Both were shot down by the Germans.

He tried once more, this time deploying Cher Ami with a note that read, “We are along the road parallel to 276.4. Our own artillery is dropping a barrage directly on us. For heaven’s sake, stop it.”

Cher Ami was also struck by enemy fire, taking a bullet to his breast and leg. But that didn’t stop him from delivering the message, and his heroic commitment eventually led to the remaining 197 trapped soldiers getting saved. While Cher Ami died a year later, likely due to complications from his battle injuries, he received a medal of honor from the French army. And his legacy lives on at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C., where his stuffed body is part of the “Price of Freedom: Americans at War” exhibit.

And even today, while there are literally hundreds of apps people can choose from to share messages, some still rely on homing pigeons.

One of the most popular uses for the birds is pigeon racing, and Orlando Martinez is one of the most renowned names in the game. The New York-based pigeon racer has a flock of feathered friends that he uses to enter races that earn him upwards of $15,000, according to Smithsonian magazine. The birds are brought to a location hundreds of miles away from their homes, and then race to fly back. The pigeons are so goal-oriented that they rarely stop for food or to recharge — and Martinez learned that even a broken wing didn’t stop one of his birds from trekking back to his Brooklyn home after a 300-mile race.

It’s that level of dedication that makes these birds the favored form of communication throughout the Seven Kingdoms — and perhaps the most trusted beings in the realm.

Game Of Thrones Pigeon Pie Recipe

EDIT POST

Game of Thrones 2016 Emmy Nominations

Serve me my wine. Well, hurry up, this pie is dry. Good, needs washing down.

Game Of Thrones Pigeon Price Guide

KING JOFFREY, GAME OF THRONES, SEASON FOUR

Game of Thrones: Pigeon Pie Recipe

I’m being absolutely honest when I say this has to be my favorite savory pie I’ve had so far. I’ve tried a few recipes online for pigeon pie and the recipe from Bon Appetit was my favorite. I love the savory and sweet aspect of it and the recipe I have today is a variation of it. Even though there are quite a few ingredients, this pie is really easy to put together. Most of the time and effort goes into the outside appearance of the pie but it’s so worth the time and looks incredibly impressive if you’re hosting a party. Honestly, if I can make this pie look half decent, I doubt you will have any trouble. You have to give it a try!

Tonight is finally the Emmys and I think it’s safe to say that Game of Thrones is going to sweep the competition. They already won a few awards during the Creative Arts Emmys a few days ago! The category I’m very curious to see who will win is Best Supporting Actress. I personally find it impossible to chose between Maisie Williams, Emilia Clarke, or Lena Headey.

Game Of Thrones Pigeon Pie

• _______
• FILLING
• _______
• 2 tbsp - unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp - vegetable oil
• 1 - medium onion, thinly sliced
• 1 tsp - sugar
• ¼ cup - red wine
• _______
• 2 tbsp - vegetable oil
• 1 - medium carrot, peeled, small diced
• 1 - small onion, small diced
• 1 - medium stalk of celery, small diced
• 1 - bay leaf
• ½ tsp - cinnamon
• ¼ tsp - ground cloves
• 14oz - ground pork
• salt and pepper to taste
• ________
• 14oz - quail meat, bones removed (you can substitute chicken)
• ½ cup / 3oz - dried apricots, small diced
• ⅓ cup - pine nuts, lightly toasted
• 12 slices - pancetta
• ________
• HOT WATER CRUST
• ________
• 20oz - all purpose flour
• 1½ sticks / 6oz- unsalted butter
• 7.5oz - water
• 1 - egg, lightly beaten (egg wash)

1. Heat a saucepan over medium heat with butter and oil. Once hot, add the onions and cook for 5 minutes. Add the sugar and mix to combine. When the onions get soft, add the wine and cook over medium low heat until most of the liquid has cooked off and the onions are really nice and soft. Season for salt and pepper, set aside.
2. Heat a clean saucepan over medium heat. Add the vegetable oil and once hot, add the onions and bay leaf and cook for 3 minutes until softened. Add the diced carrots, and celery and cook for another 3 minutes. Add the ground pork, cinnamon, and cloves. Break the pork into small pieces and cook just enough for the pork to cook through. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside to cool.
3. Preheat the oven to 375F. Have an 8' spring form pan ready for the crust.
4. For the crust, heat the water and butter together just until it comes to a boil. Pour the water and butter mixture into the flour and mix just until it forms a ball of dough. Take ⅓ of the dough and place it on a lightly floured surface. Leave the rest of the dough in a warm place, covered.
5. Roll the dough out into a circle. It needs to be big enough to fit the bottom and sides of the pan. Transfer the rolled out dough to the pan and gently press it into the corners of the pan.
6. To start filling the pie, start with three slices pancetta followed by half of the pork, half of the onions, half of the apricots, half of the pine nuts, and then another 3 slices of pancetta.
7. Lightly season the quail or chicken with salt and pepper and fill the pie with the meat. Top another 3 slices of pancetta and the rest of the onions, apricots, and pine nuts. Pour in the last of the pork and finish with 3 more slices of pancetta on top. Set aside.
8. Take half of the remaining dough and roll it out to fit the top of the pie. Press the dough together to seal the seams. At this point, you can decorate the top of the pie with leaves, a crown, and a pigeon in the middle. Stick the add ons with a little bit of the egg wash. Cut 2-4 slices in the center (inside the crown) to allow ventilation. Egg wash the crust.
9. Bake for one hour. At this point, the crust should be lightly golden brown but if you notice your bird or edges are getting dark too quickly, cover it with foil. If you want to add any additional leaves to the side of the pie, I took the pie out when the top was lightly golden brown. Take off the ring of the springform pan and add any additional leaves. Pan for another 30-40 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 160F. Let it cool before slicing and eating.

Game Of Thrones Pigeon Prices

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