Brace Yourself

2011Image macro / phrasal templatesemi-active

Also known as: Imminent Ned · Brace Yourselves Winter is Coming · Brace Yourselves X is Coming

Brace Yourself is a 2011 image-macro meme featuring Game of Thrones character Ned Stark (Sean Bean) with the warning-format template "Brace Yourselves, X is Coming.

"Brace Yourselves, Winter is Coming" is an image macro meme built around a promotional photo of Ned Stark from HBO's Game of Thrones, played by Sean Bean2. The phrasal template "Brace Yourselves, X is Coming" took off in mid-2011 and became one of the most versatile warning formats on the internet, used to announce everything from seasonal weather to political sanctions1.

game of thrones memessnowclone memesimage macro memesexploitable templatesearly 2010s memes

Overview

The meme uses a still from an HBO promotional portrait of actor Sean Bean in character as Eddard "Ned" Stark, the head of House Stark in Game of Thrones2. The standard format places the setup text at the top and a punchline following the "Brace Yourselves, X is Coming" template at the bottom. "Winter is coming" is the motto of House Stark in George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire novels, and the phrase served as the title of the show's pilot episode, which aired April 17, 20112.

What makes it tick is the flexibility of the template. The "X" slot can be filled with anything on the horizon: a holiday, a trending topic, a wave of repetitive posts, a new product launch. Ned's stern expression sells the gravitas, which contrasts with whatever trivial or absurd thing is supposedly "coming."

The phrase "winter is coming" first crossed into meme territory in July 2011 when an image macro featuring an owl and the phrase was posted to Quickmeme2. But the format didn't catch on until it was paired with the now-iconic HBO promotional portrait of Sean Bean as Ned Stark. The earliest known instance of the Ned Stark version appeared shortly after the U.S. East Coast earthquake on August 23, 20112.

The phrase itself comes from George R. R. Martin's fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire, where it functions as the motto of House Stark of Winterfell2. HBO adopted it heavily for marketing, using it in promotional trailers and posters for the first season of Game of Thrones2.

Origin & Background

Platform
Quickmeme (early image macros), Reddit (viral spread)
Creator
Unknown
Date
2011

The phrase "winter is coming" first crossed into meme territory in July 2011 when an image macro featuring an owl and the phrase was posted to Quickmeme. But the format didn't catch on until it was paired with the now-iconic HBO promotional portrait of Sean Bean as Ned Stark. The earliest known instance of the Ned Stark version appeared shortly after the U.S. East Coast earthquake on August 23, 2011.

The phrase itself comes from George R. R. Martin's fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire, where it functions as the motto of House Stark of Winterfell. HBO adopted it heavily for marketing, using it in promotional trailers and posters for the first season of Game of Thrones.

How It Spread

As Game of Thrones climbed in viewership through late 2011, the image macro spread rapidly on Reddit. The show's subreddit had amassed over 20,000 subscribers by early October 2011. On Quickmeme, multiple dedicated pages appeared in August 2011, including "Imminent Ned," "Winter is Coming," and "Ned Star Winter is Coming".

Outside Reddit, the meme found homes on Memebase under the "Winter is Coming" tag and on Tumblr under the "Imminent Ned" tag. A fan site for the show, WinterIsComing.net, also helped keep the phrase in circulation.

The format's most high-profile use came on November 2, 2018, when President Donald Trump tweeted an image of himself with the words "Sanctions are Coming" rendered in the Game of Thrones logo font. The White House clarified the sanctions targeted Iran, referencing the reimposition of "the toughest sanctions ever" after withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal. Reactions ranged from confusion to mockery. Twitter user @swin24 replied "Against who/what?" since the original tweet named no country. Journalist Dave Itzkoff tweeted "I'm starting to question whether we are a grown-up, adult country," picking up over 190 retweets and 1,400 likes. The Daily Dot covered the backlash, noting many users pointed out the awkward analogy of a president comparing himself to an army of undead ice zombies.

Platforms

Reddit4chanTumblrTwitter

Timeline

2011-01

Brace Yourself meme format emerges

2011-06

Spreads to major social media platforms

2012-2014

Peak of usage and variations

2013-01-01

Brace Yourself reached mainstream popularity and media coverage

2014-01-01

Brands and companies started using Brace Yourself in marketing

2015-present

Remains occasionally used but popularity declines

2016-01-01

Brace Yourself entered the broader pop culture conversation

2025-01-01

Brace Yourself is still actively used and shared across platforms

View on Google Trends

How to Use This Meme

The template is simple. Take the Ned Stark promotional image and add two lines of text:

- Top text: "BRACE YOURSELVES" (or "BRACE YOURSELF") - Bottom text: "[Something] IS COMING"

The "[Something]" slot typically references a wave of predictable posts, an approaching event, or seasonal content. Common uses include "Brace Yourselves, Pumpkin Spice Posts Are Coming" in autumn or "Brace Yourselves, New Year's Resolutions Are Coming" in late December. The format works best when the "X" is something everyone can see approaching but nobody can stop.

Some versions drop the Ned Stark image entirely and just use the phrasal template in text form, though the image macro version is the most recognized.

Create Your Own

Cultural Impact

The meme became closely tied to Game of Thrones fandom and helped the show's catchphrase cross over to audiences who had never watched the series. "Winter is coming" became internet shorthand for "something big is on the way," detached from its original narrative context.

The Trump "Sanctions are Coming" tweet in November 2018 marked a rare instance of a sitting president directly invoking a meme format for a foreign policy announcement. HBO responded with a tweet of its own: "How do you say trademark misuse in Dothraki?". The incident showed how deeply the format had embedded itself in public communication, even at the highest levels of government.

Fun Facts

The phrase "winter is coming" was the title of the very first Game of Thrones episode, which aired on April 17, 2011.

The Ned Stark meme format took off even though (spoiler) the character doesn't survive the first season of the show.

The general phrase "brace yourself" predates the meme entirely, used colloquially to warn someone about bad news or physical impact.

HBO's Game of Thrones subreddit had over 20,000 subscribers within months of the first season airing, providing a massive early audience for the meme.

Derivatives & Variations

"Sanctions are Coming"

— Donald Trump's November 2018 tweet repurposing the format for Iran sanctions, which went viral and drew widespread media coverage[1].

Imminent Ned

— The original Quickmeme series name, used interchangeably with the "Brace Yourselves" format on Reddit and Memebase[2].

Owl version

— An earlier July 2011 variant featuring an owl with the "Winter is Coming" caption, predating the Ned Stark version[2].

Frequently Asked Questions

Brace Yourself

2011Image macro / phrasal templatesemi-active

Also known as: Imminent Ned · Brace Yourselves Winter is Coming · Brace Yourselves X is Coming

Brace Yourself is a 2011 image-macro meme featuring Game of Thrones character Ned Stark (Sean Bean) with the warning-format template "Brace Yourselves, X is Coming.

"Brace Yourselves, Winter is Coming" is an image macro meme built around a promotional photo of Ned Stark from HBO's Game of Thrones, played by Sean Bean. The phrasal template "Brace Yourselves, X is Coming" took off in mid-2011 and became one of the most versatile warning formats on the internet, used to announce everything from seasonal weather to political sanctions.

game of thrones memes snowclone memes image macro memes exploitable templates early 2010s memes

Overview

The meme uses a still from an HBO promotional portrait of actor Sean Bean in character as Eddard "Ned" Stark, the head of House Stark in Game of Thrones. The standard format places the setup text at the top and a punchline following the "Brace Yourselves, X is Coming" template at the bottom. "Winter is coming" is the motto of House Stark in George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire novels, and the phrase served as the title of the show's pilot episode, which aired April 17, 2011.

What makes it tick is the flexibility of the template. The "X" slot can be filled with anything on the horizon: a holiday, a trending topic, a wave of repetitive posts, a new product launch. Ned's stern expression sells the gravitas, which contrasts with whatever trivial or absurd thing is supposedly "coming."

The phrase "winter is coming" first crossed into meme territory in July 2011 when an image macro featuring an owl and the phrase was posted to Quickmeme. But the format didn't catch on until it was paired with the now-iconic HBO promotional portrait of Sean Bean as Ned Stark. The earliest known instance of the Ned Stark version appeared shortly after the U.S. East Coast earthquake on August 23, 2011.

The phrase itself comes from George R. R. Martin's fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire, where it functions as the motto of House Stark of Winterfell. HBO adopted it heavily for marketing, using it in promotional trailers and posters for the first season of Game of Thrones.

Origin & Background

Platform
Quickmeme (early image macros), Reddit (viral spread)
Creator
Unknown
Date
2011

The phrase "winter is coming" first crossed into meme territory in July 2011 when an image macro featuring an owl and the phrase was posted to Quickmeme. But the format didn't catch on until it was paired with the now-iconic HBO promotional portrait of Sean Bean as Ned Stark. The earliest known instance of the Ned Stark version appeared shortly after the U.S. East Coast earthquake on August 23, 2011.

The phrase itself comes from George R. R. Martin's fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire, where it functions as the motto of House Stark of Winterfell. HBO adopted it heavily for marketing, using it in promotional trailers and posters for the first season of Game of Thrones.

How It Spread

As Game of Thrones climbed in viewership through late 2011, the image macro spread rapidly on Reddit. The show's subreddit had amassed over 20,000 subscribers by early October 2011. On Quickmeme, multiple dedicated pages appeared in August 2011, including "Imminent Ned," "Winter is Coming," and "Ned Star Winter is Coming".

Outside Reddit, the meme found homes on Memebase under the "Winter is Coming" tag and on Tumblr under the "Imminent Ned" tag. A fan site for the show, WinterIsComing.net, also helped keep the phrase in circulation.

The format's most high-profile use came on November 2, 2018, when President Donald Trump tweeted an image of himself with the words "Sanctions are Coming" rendered in the Game of Thrones logo font. The White House clarified the sanctions targeted Iran, referencing the reimposition of "the toughest sanctions ever" after withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal. Reactions ranged from confusion to mockery. Twitter user @swin24 replied "Against who/what?" since the original tweet named no country. Journalist Dave Itzkoff tweeted "I'm starting to question whether we are a grown-up, adult country," picking up over 190 retweets and 1,400 likes. The Daily Dot covered the backlash, noting many users pointed out the awkward analogy of a president comparing himself to an army of undead ice zombies.

Platforms

Reddit4chanTumblrTwitter

Timeline

2011-01

Brace Yourself meme format emerges

2011-06

Spreads to major social media platforms

2012-2014

Peak of usage and variations

2013-01-01

Brace Yourself reached mainstream popularity and media coverage

2014-01-01

Brands and companies started using Brace Yourself in marketing

2015-present

Remains occasionally used but popularity declines

2016-01-01

Brace Yourself entered the broader pop culture conversation

2025-01-01

Brace Yourself is still actively used and shared across platforms

View on Google Trends

How to Use This Meme

The template is simple. Take the Ned Stark promotional image and add two lines of text:

- Top text: "BRACE YOURSELVES" (or "BRACE YOURSELF") - Bottom text: "[Something] IS COMING"

The "[Something]" slot typically references a wave of predictable posts, an approaching event, or seasonal content. Common uses include "Brace Yourselves, Pumpkin Spice Posts Are Coming" in autumn or "Brace Yourselves, New Year's Resolutions Are Coming" in late December. The format works best when the "X" is something everyone can see approaching but nobody can stop.

Some versions drop the Ned Stark image entirely and just use the phrasal template in text form, though the image macro version is the most recognized.

Create Your Own

Cultural Impact

The meme became closely tied to Game of Thrones fandom and helped the show's catchphrase cross over to audiences who had never watched the series. "Winter is coming" became internet shorthand for "something big is on the way," detached from its original narrative context.

The Trump "Sanctions are Coming" tweet in November 2018 marked a rare instance of a sitting president directly invoking a meme format for a foreign policy announcement. HBO responded with a tweet of its own: "How do you say trademark misuse in Dothraki?". The incident showed how deeply the format had embedded itself in public communication, even at the highest levels of government.

Fun Facts

The phrase "winter is coming" was the title of the very first Game of Thrones episode, which aired on April 17, 2011.

The Ned Stark meme format took off even though (spoiler) the character doesn't survive the first season of the show.

The general phrase "brace yourself" predates the meme entirely, used colloquially to warn someone about bad news or physical impact.

HBO's Game of Thrones subreddit had over 20,000 subscribers within months of the first season airing, providing a massive early audience for the meme.

Derivatives & Variations

"Sanctions are Coming"

— Donald Trump's November 2018 tweet repurposing the format for Iran sanctions, which went viral and drew widespread media coverage[1].

Imminent Ned

— The original Quickmeme series name, used interchangeably with the "Brace Yourselves" format on Reddit and Memebase[2].

Owl version

— An earlier July 2011 variant featuring an owl with the "Winter is Coming" caption, predating the Ned Stark version[2].

Frequently Asked Questions