5. Although seemingly mythical, the flammable liquid “wildfire” in Game of Thrones is inspired by the real-life weapon of “Greek fire” employed by the Byzantines from the 7th century onwards
A flammable liquid created by the Alchemists’ Guild of King’s Landing, wildfire is an immensely dangerous substance capable of igniting and exploding with enormous force. Burning sufficiently hot that water is unable to extinguish the fires, burning bright green, the combustive creation of the Pyromancers has been employed on only two occasions in the show’s history: once during the Battle of Blackwater Bay and secondly to cause the Destruction of the Great Sept of Baelor. However, despite seeming mythical, wildfire is actually based on the real-life but lost incendiary weapon historically known as “Greek fire”.
First developed in or around 672 CE, Greek fire was a flame-throwing weapon employed by the Eastern Roman Empire. Igniting upon contact with water, the Byzantines deployed their combustible compound typically in naval confrontations to great effect, continuing to burn on the surface of water. Becoming feared throughout the known world, the precise formula behind the manufacture of Greek fire was a closely guarded state secret. Despite sustained efforts across the centuries since, the precise combination of ingredients remains a mystery, with all efforts to reverse-engineer the substance unsuccessful even among Arab scientists with access to a captured fireship in the 9th century.