Pop Culture dictionary
the Arya Challenge
or the Arya [thee ahr-ee-uh chal-inj]
What does the Arya Challenge聽mean?
The Arya Challenge聽is an internet trend where people imitate a skilled, lethal knife jab by the character Arya Stark on the popular television show Game of Thrones. (Of course, don’t go imitating this with knives or other dangerous objects, folks.)
Where does the Arya Challenge come from?
馃毃 Spoiler alert! 馃毃
An independent, tenacious, righteous master fighter? That sounds like Arya Stark (played by Maisie Williams), one of the most widely admired characters on Game of Thrones. Arya cemented her beloved status after spectacularly slaying the nearly unstoppable Night King, who commanded an army of the undead threatening to take over their fictional world.
Teen Vogue
On Episode 3, Season 8 (April 28, 2019) of the HBO adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s fantasy series, the Night King is holding up Arya by the throat, a squeeze away from killing her. It looks grim for our hero, until she drops her knife鈥攁 storied blade of Valyrian steel鈥攆rom one hand, catches it in the other, and stabs him in the stomach. (All in slo-mo, of course.) The Night King shatters into millions of pieces. So does his zombie army. Arya saves the day.
Kill Night King
— Pradeep Vijay (@PradeepVj7)
Shortly after the episode first aired, Arya’s badassery (how else can we put it?) inspired Twitter users, notably @KremPuff and @GBDRN, to record and post imitations of Arya’s knife move as if it were a dance. They dubbed it #TheArya.
I made up a new dance move
— Liz (@KremPuff)
Do
— G螖螔违 DUR螖螡 馃嚛馃嚧 (@GBDRN)
Twitter users were inspired to record their own versions of the聽the Arya, and the internet trend was dubbed the Arya Challenge. Interpretations came to incorporate all kinds of props for the knife, from lacrosse sticks to cell phones to hairbrushes to keys. By early May, the trend was receiving coverage in major media outlets like Time and CNN.
Nichtern says Holy Cross馃槫 With his six assists today, the rookie is tied for first in Army鈥檚 single-season assists record with 45馃憦
— Army M.Lacrosse (@ArmyWP_MLax)
Finally after multi shots.
How many shots did you take ?? 鉂わ笍
Do
Hit the Arya
鈽狅笍
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馃敧触
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/— 啶啶班じ啷嵿啷嵿ぐ啷囙啷囙ぁ 啶囙啶溹た啶ㄠた啶ぐ 馃彺鈥嶁槧锔� (@EclecticRhymstr)
Examples of the Arya Challenge
Who uses the Arya Challenge?
The expression the Arya Challenge is used to describe people doing the Arya and posting it on Twitter or social media. Both are often hashtagged as聽#AryaChallenge or #TheArya.
I may not be a faceless man, but come see us at Legacy forge at the Tennessee Ren fest and I can arm you like a Stark!
— Peppermint Cheetah鈿旔煆筹笍鈥嶐煂� (@CthulhuCheetah)
Sometimes people slow down their Arya to mimic the slow motion of the original scene or muse about various creative props.
is the Arya Challenge a thing?
— tanner olson (@tannerJolson)
wanna do with a chicken doner wrap
— ezzz (@e1aci)
Pictures of Arya Stark and her actor, Maisie Williams, are also incorporated into references to the Arya Challenge.
battle of winterfell victory party
— 馃寵 (@taeyeounf)
Note
This is not meant to be a formal definition of the Arya Challenge like most terms we define on 亚洲网紅露点, but is rather an informal word summary that hopefully touches upon the key aspects of the meaning and usage of the Arya Challenge that will help our users expand their word mastery.