Euron Greyjoy

"We are the ironborn, and once we were conquerors. Our writ ran everywhere the sound of the waves was heard. My brother would have be content with the cold and dismal north, my niece with even less ... but I shall give you Lannisport. Highgarden. The Arbor. Oldtown. The riverlands and the Reach, the kingswood and the rainwood, Dorne and the marches, the Mountains of the Moon and the Vale of Arryn, Tarth and the Stepstones. I say we take it all! I say, we take Westeros!"

- Euron during the Kingsmoot.

Euron Greyjoy is a character from the A Song of Ice and Fire novel series by George R.R. Martin and it's TV series adaptation Game of Thrones. He is the younger brother of the late King Balon Greyjoy, and the capain of the pirateship The Silence. He is a suspect of his elder brother's murder.

In the TV series, he's portrayed by Pilou Asbæk.

Appearance and Personality
Euron is pale skinned and handsome, with black hair and a black beard. His lips are tinted pale blue due to his habit of drinking "shade of the evening." He wears an eye-patch over his left eye, earning him the nickname "Crow's Eye." According to his nephew Theon, the eyepatch hides a "black eye shining with malice." His right eye is a deep blue, and is often referred to as his "smiling eye."

Euron is wildly unpredictable, known for his ability to play vicious mind games with those around him, something he takes great pleasure in, and which has earned him the hatred of all his brothers. He is a skilled and dangerous warrior, a brilliant tactician, and is cunning, shrewd and very ruthless.

For an unknown reason, he cuts the tongues out of the men serving on his ship Silence. He has fathered numerous bastard children, but has no regard for any of them.

In the TV series, Euron has no eyepatch nor blue lips.

Early Life
Euron was born the sixth son of Lord Quellon Greyjoy. Quellon's first four sons, born of his first wife, all died during childhood. Euron is the second born of Quellon's second wife. His older brother Balon ascended as the new Lord of the Iron Islands after Quellon's death at sea.

After Robert's Rebellion, Balon attempted a rebellion of his own, known as the "Greyjoy Rebellion." Euron concocted a plan to destroy the Lannister navy at Lannisport. The plan was succesfully executed by Euron's younger brother Victarion; commander of the Iron Fleet.

The rebellion eventually failed however, largely due to the military skills of Stannis Baratheon, and Balon bent the knee to King Robert. Some time after this, Euron seduced or raped his younger brother Victarion's salt-wife, whom he loved dearly. Victarion beat her to death, as Ironborn custom dictated, and would have killed Euron too if not for the taboo against kinslaying. For this crime, Euron was exiled by Balon, and ordered never to return to the Iron Islands for as long as Balon lived.

Euron took his ship, the Silence and sailed it across the known world, pillaging and raping wherever he went, earning him a deadly reputation. He claimed to have sailed as far as Asshai by the Shadow, and to have sailed the Smoking Sea and walked the charred ruins of Valyria itself, a feat unmatched by any man alive.

He claims to once have owned a dragon's egg, but supposedly tossed it into the sea during a "foul mood."

A Storm of Swords
During the War of the Five Kings the exiled Euron is still sailing in the seas of the continent of Essos. Shortly after Daenerys Targaryen leaves Qarth, Pyat Pree and 3 others fellow warlocks start searching for her, heading for the Free City of Pentos. It's possible that Pyat Pree and his companions didn't make it to Pentos as they have been captured by Euron Greyjoy. The exiled pirate says he captured a certain galleas out of Qarth, containing four warlocks. One of them threatened Euron, resulting in Euron killing the sorcerer and feeding him to the three remaining warlocks. It's still unknown if Pyat was the one killed by Euron or just one of his three other companions. The other warlocks are reportedly coaching Euron in black magic.

After the death of his brother Balon, who fell into the sea from a rope-bridge during a storm, Euron returned to Pyke, sailing in a mere day after his brother's death, and claiming the Seastone Chair as the new king. When Lord Sawane Botley objected, Euron had him drowned in a cask of seawater and gave his lands to Sawane's brother, Germund, instead of son.

A prophecy Arya Stark heard from the Ghost of High Heart referred to "a man without a face, waiting on a bridge that swayed and swung. On his shoulder perched a drowned crow with seaweed hanging from his wings." It is theorized this prophecy means Euron hired a Faceless Man to murder his brother.

A Feast for Crows
Aeron Greyjoy, Euron's youngest brother, learns of Euron claiming the Seastone Chair and goes about trying to depose him, believing Euron to be godless, and that no godless man may sit the Seastone Chair. He and many others question the timing of Euron's return, finding it suspicious that Euron returned to Pyke a day after Balon's death, when he was supposedly far away reaving at sea.

Aeron calls a Kingsmoot, an ancient tradition with the purpose of choosing a new king, since Balon's succession was unclear. Many candidates make their claims at the Kingsmoot, chief among them Asha Greyjoy, Balon's daughter and preferred heir, and Victarion Greyjoy, Euron's younger brother. The two of them make their claims to much cheer, but Euron beats them all by showing the Ironborn his Dragon Horn, a legendary artifact with the ability to control dragons. Euron tells them he knows where to find three living dragons, and will use them to conquer all of Westeros for the Ironborn. While Euron wins, there are still some that oppose him. His brother Aeron swears to find a way to depose him, as does his niece Asha, and Lord Baelor Blacktyde flat out refuses to accept Euron as king, which leads to Euron killing him by cutting him into seven pieces, as Baelor worshiped the Seven.

Aeron disappears and no one knows what happened to him. At the same time, Asha leaves the Iron Islands with Tristifer Botley and the rest of her friends and fleet, heading back to Deepwood Motte. With her also Lady Sybelle Glover, while the rest of the Glover family captives remain at Ten Towers, the seat of House Harlaw, Asha's maternal family. Before leaving the Iron Islands for his war, Euron names Erik Ironmaker Lord Steward of the Iron Islands and Castellan of Pyke. Euron and Victarion sail with the Iron Fleet to the Reach, with them Lord Rodrik Harlaw, Lord Dunstan Drumm, and many other Ironborn nobles.

Euron leads the Ironborn in a series of raids against the fertile Reach. With most of the Reach's armies and naval forces busy elsewhere, the raids are a great success, Euron capturing the four Shield Islands after luring their fleet away, which gives the Ironmen a base for attacks on Highgarden and Oldtown, the two greatest areas in the Reach. Euron uses this as an opportunity to weaken his potential rivals, giving their strongest supporters lands and holdings on the Isles. He names Harras Harlaw, Andrik, Maron Volmark, and Nute as the new Lords of the seats of the Shield Islands.

While landing at Lord Hewett's Town, Rodrik Harlaw and Dunstan Drumm are worried that Euron's little conquest will bring ruin down upon them, as surely Highgarden will respond; Euron is strongly annoyed by the fears of his men, thinking how none of them is a true Ironborn, like their ancestors used to be, before Aegon's Conquest. Euron shames Lord Humfrey Hewett and his wife and daughters. Lord Humfrey is muzzled and tied to his chair during the feast, his wife and daughters forced to serve the unwanted guests. His bastard daughter Falia becomes Euron's lover and suggests the idea to make Lord Humfrey's wife and female relatives serve naked before his eyes. After tearing down Hewett tapestries, Lucas Codd rapes one of Humfrey's daughters. King's Landing receives the reports which says Lord Hewett has been killed, which isn't true. Euron later takes Falia upstairs to Lord Hewett's chambers. When Victarion Greyjoy is summoned to Euron, he spots Falia sleeping naked on the bed.

Euron gives Victarion the Dragon Horn and his salt wife, the dusky woman, sending his brother and the Iron Fleet to Meereen to find Daenerys Targaryen, make her Euron's wife, and bring her dragons to him.

While travelling in the Reach on their way to Oldtown, Samwell Tarly, Gilly, and the crew of their ship pass the Redwyne Straits, after meeting trouble with the Ironmen: twice they evade and once drive off the longships of of the Ironmen before they reach Oldtown, where Lord Leyton Hightower is consulting old books with his eldest daughter to find some magic to defeat Euron.

The ironborn now control many of the outlying towns and fortifications surrounding the Arbor and along the Mander nearly to Oldtown, having sacked Ryamsport and taken Vinetown and Starfish Harbor. They have also been raiding ships in the area. The Tyrells brothers, Willas and Garlan, are in need of Paxter Redwyne's fleet, who's besieging Dragonstone and Cersei Lannister refuses to allow the fleet to return to the Reach, hoping the Ironborn will cause damage in the Reach with Paxter's absence.

A Dance with Dragons
Euron arranges a forced marriage between Erik Ironmaker and Asha, now back to Deepwood Motte, refusing her marriage with Erik.

Euron and Victarion never send reinforcements for Moat Cailin as promised, while the fortress, during the war, has been attacked multiple times by guerrilla attacks from the crannogmen of the Neck. By the time the northern forces led by Ramsay Bolton and Theon Greyjoy arrive to liberate the fortress, the garrison of Moat Cailin has only 67 ironborn, led by the wounded Ralf Kenning. During the siege the Ryswells and Dustins burn the remaining ironborn ships in the Fever River. Forces led by Hother Umber attack the ironmen, but they manage survive 3 northern attacks, much to the northmen surprise. Ramsay sends Reek "disguised" as Theon Greyjoy to offer peace to the ironmen. The garrison has been weakened by poisoned arrows and contaminated water. The cellar's vaults have flooded, so corpses are now left where they fall. All of the ironborn within the Children's Tower have died, save two cannibals eating the corpses, who were then executed by Dagon Codd. Ralf Kenning is now incapacitated and near death on part of a poisoned arrow. Theon puts him out of his misery by slitting his throat before offering his terms to the leaderless remaining ironborn. Dagon Codd distruts the Boltons and refuses, but Adrack Humble kills him with an axe and accepts to surrender. Before allowing them to travel to the Stony Shore to seek transport, however, Ramsay reneges on the deal and has all 63 of the remaining ironborn flayed alive. King Euron loses Moat Cailin to the northeners and Roose Bolton is finally able to travel back to the north, with his host. Euron is not bothered at all by the losses since he plans to take Westeros with the dragons. Later,  Asha, is captured by Stannis after liberating Deepwood Motte from the Ironborn, while  Dagmer Cleftjaw  keeps holding Torrhen's Square along with other Ironmen leaders still holding many castles and towns in the North.

Euron's brother Victarion departs for Meereen. Though Victarion is known for being loyal to a fault, his hatred for his brother makes him entertain thoughts of trechery. He plans to use slaves to blow the Dragon Horn, since if Victarion were to blow it himself, he would die, in order to take Daenerys and her dragons for himself.

Paxter Redwyne and his fleet are sailing to the Reach, preparing to fight Euron's fleet and the usurping ironmen. Mace Tyrell is confident he will defeat them.

The Winds of Winter
During the journey to Slaver's Bay, Victarion's fleet takes by force every ship they meet and allow the survivors to join them and work as servants. The Iron Fleet arrives during the Second Siege of Meereen and starts fighting on Daenerys' side against the Slaver Alliance.

Winter has come. While Asha and Theon Greyjoy are now captives of Stannis Baratheon in the North. Aeron Greyjoy is still missing, and many think he's been murdered by Euron, however he's not dead and wants to find a way to have Euron removed from power.

Euron and his fleet are still invading the Reach and the current situation in the Reach is still unknown, while the stormlands are still invaved by the Golden Company.

Kingsmoot in Game of Thrones
Euron Greyjoy returns to the Iron Islands following the War of the Five Kings, introduced in Season 6's second episode, Home. He arrives during a violent storm. Euron confronts his brother, King Balon, on a rope bridge between the two of Pyke's towers, as buffed by wind and rain. Balon orders Euron to step aside for "his king", not knowing who the hooded figure is. Euron sarcastically asks Balon if he hasn't done that in the past years. Balon says he assumed Euron would be dead by now, rotting under some foreign sea. Euron responds with the Ironborn traditional words: "What is dead may never die". When Balon accuses Euron of mocking the Drowned God, he retorts that he is the Drowned God: from Oldtown to Qarth, whenever man see his sails, they pray. Balon mocks Euron for losing his senses during a storm in such a manner that his crew had to tie him to the mast to stop him from jumping overboard. Euron outright claims that he is the storm, taunting his brother that he is old and that it's time to move aside and let another one rule. Realizing that Euron has come to kill him, Balon attacks him with his knife, but Euron overpowers him and throws him off the bridge to his death.

Trivia

 * While in the novels, Euron is said to have hired a Faceless Men assassinate Balon, in the TV series, Euron kills Balon himself.