The Scorpions Are Physically Impossible

Published May 7, 2019 · Updated July 6, 2022

Hey guys,

My friend Anthony shared this podcast with me after I shared my gripes with the Battle of Winterfell. I really enjoyed your deep dive of episode 3.

The scorpion evolution you all spoke about on the first look for the new episode got me intrigued.

Watching episode four, I was trying to determine if it’s possible to pierce the dragon’s exterior using a bolt from as far away as the ships were. Do we know how tough their exterior really is? Do we know if these wooden contracted scorpions can even handle the reaction force of launching a projectile with that much energy?

I tried to use a calculator from longrods.ch/perfcalc.php. I assumed the dragon’s we’re as hard as copper and the rod was solid steel traveling at a whopping 500 ft/s but that wasn’t enough. ( Disclaimer: The site owner does note that slower speeds and softer materials may be inaccurate.) Based on how ridiculously close the fleet was and the flight time, the bolts may have been even slower than that.

I read a lost from u/Frocharocha on Reddit who did the math and determined the scorpions are physically impossible. https://www.reddit.com/r/gameofthrones/comments/blhgmk/spoilers_the_scorpion_bolts_in_s08e04_are/

Bascially are there any assumptions we may have incorrect on the speed of the projectiles, materials, or dragon’s toughness?

Vernon Babich

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