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| “ | Fear is what keeps a man alive in this world of treachery and deceit. | „ |
| ~ Roose Bolton |
| “ | A naked man has few secrets, but a flayed man has none. | „ |
| ~ Roose's personal motto. |
| “ | The Lannisters send their regards. | „ |
| ~ Roose Bolton in the TV series, shortly before he kills Robb Stark in the Red Wedding. |
Lord Roose Bolton, also known as the Leech Lord, is one of the main antagonists of the A Song of Ice and Fire novel series and a major antagonist in its television adaptation, Game of Thrones.
He was portrayed by Michael McElhatton in the television series.
Overview[]
Roose is the Lord of the Dreadfort and head of House Bolton. He is known by everyone for receiving regular leechings, which he believes improves his health by removing "bad blood." He has pallid skin, cold, pale eyes, and talks with a whispery voice. He speaks softly and rarely raises his voice. Eddard Stark never trusted him, and Robb Stark is scared of him.
At the beginning of the main story, Roose is a widower. He was married twice before the events of the main series, his second wife being Bethany Ryswell, who never made a sound in bed, according to Roose. They had one child, Domeric, Roose's heir. Lady Bolton died of sickness, and his heir Domeric was poisoned by his bastard son, Ramsay Snow, born from rape.
Originally, Roose was a bannerman of House Stark and fought for both Lord Eddard Stark and King Robert I Baratheon during Robert's Rebellion. Fourteen years later, he fought alongside Robb Stark during the War of the Five Kings, effectively as his second-in-command.
However, Roose later betrayed the Starks by conspiring with Walder Frey to help Tywin Lannister orchestrate an infamous event known as "The Red Wedding." It was during this event that Roose killed Robb Stark. The latter's mother, Catelyn, and wife, Talisa, along with her unborn child, were all killed in the ensuing carnage.
Thereafter, Roose became the new Warden of the North, while his son Ramsay became the new Lord of Winterfell.
Personality[]
| “ | Bolton's silence was a hundred times more threatening than Vargo Hoat's slobbering malevolence. Pale as morning mist, his eyes concealed more than they told. | „ |
| ~ Jaime's thoughts about Roose |
| “ | Roose has no feelings, you see. Those leeches that he loves so well sucked all the passions out of him years ago. He does not love, he does not hate, he does not grieve. This is a game to him, mildly diverting. Some men hunt, some hawk, some tumble dice. Roose plays with men. You and me, these Freys, Lord Manderly, his plump new wife, even his bastard, we are but his playthings. | „ |
| ~ Barbrey Dustin to Theon Greyjoy |
Roose Bolton is the coldest character in the series, more so than Tywin Lannister, Randyll Tarly, and Ser Mandon Moore.
He is an almost textbook example of an extremely high-functioning tyrant, one who is willing to do anything to get ahead in life—as long as he can get away with it. He has no love or hate for anyone, only seeing people as obstacles to get in his way or pawns to serve their purpose.
He is also a psychopath, as he seems to have no passion for anyone, only seeing them as pawns or toys for him to use and discard when he sees fit. He seems almost devoid of emotion, only speaking in a soft and creepy monotone. He describes his assault on Ramsay's mother, the death of his son Domeric, the loss of a fox he was hunting, and the potential of his future sons being killed in the same calm, cold, and indifferent tone he always speaks with. According to Barbrey Dustin, Roose does not feel love, hatred, or grief for anyone.
Oddly enough, he does seem to have a sense of humor, albeit a twisted one. He finds amusement in toying with people. He laughs when Theon explains a romanticized view of how Roose met Ramsay's mother. When Jaime asks Roose to send Robb Stark his regards, he does so after stabbing Robb at the Red Wedding. This is also shown in the series when Roose briefly goads Jaime to believe that Cersei was killed in the Battle of Blackwater Bay just to reveal the truth moments later, solely for his own amusement.
As opposed to his bastard son, he has almost perfect impulse control and understands the need for restraint on his sadistic urges. If he is given the chance to get away with something, it becomes clear where Ramsay got it from, as Roose's brutality and callousness rival his son's. Even Theon Greyjoy, who was brutally tortured by Ramsay for months, still finds Roose the more frightening of the two, saying, "The son is just the shadow of the father."
Much like Tywin Lannister and Cersei Lannister, Roose holds very elitist views and looks down on the smallfolk. He threatened to cut out the tongue of his cupbearer (secretly Arya Stark) simply for talking out of turn. At Harrenhal, he placed female servants in pillory stocks naked for his soldiers to take advantage of and allowed his soldiers and the Brave Companions to abuse the staff and servants. When he found squatters in the ruins of Winterfell, he forced them to rebuild it and then had them all executed. He also practices the First Night, where a nobleman can force himself on a bride the day she gets married (one incident resulted in the birth of Ramsay).
Aside from his cruelty, Roose is extremely intelligent. He is a master of strategy and a brilliant tactician, both in politics and in warfare. His skill as a general is what led Catelyn to recommend Robb, placing a large part of the Northern army under his command. His planned betrayal of the Starks and the North during the Red Wedding was carefully plotted by him, as he left entire Northern units in positions to be wiped out by the Lannisters until his forces were the largest in the Northern army. When he suspects the Northern troops of planning to betray him, he sends them out to face Stannis Baratheon as a means to keep them out of his castle and away from him.
While he frequently scolds his son for his acts, it's never due to how horrible they are, but out of sheer pragmatism. Allies who see his son hunting women and skinning other nobles may not be allies much longer. "A peaceful land, a quiet people" has always been his rule, though "a quiet people" can be achieved in a number of ways, such as cutting the tongue out of a witness of his rape of Ramsay's mother and the murder of her husband.
He is also shown to be paranoid about anyone. In a world of deceit, lies, and backstabbings, ironically all of which he is a master of, he credits fear as what keeps him alive. He always wears chainmail and never drinks wine. He is especially suspicious of his son, Ramsay, whom he believes might try to kill him. Roose is ten steps ahead, however, as Ramsay's friends are secretly spies working for Roose.
As such, Roose has a number of quirks that are considered strange or out-of-place in Westeros, and especially in the North. For example, he has an extreme health nut condition; never drinks; leeches himself regularly to get the bad blood out; eats prunes; and drinks hippocras to improve digestion. The leeches themselves have drained his skin of a great deal of color, making him pale, as well as quieting his voice to a near whisper, to the point where people have to lean in to hear what he says. Roose is also quite a literary man. Whenever he finishes reading a book or letter, he always burns it afterward to prevent anyone else from obtaining the same knowledge he gained.
His creepy voice, his odd quirks, and the dark reputation of his House have led to Roose being viewed as an ominous figure in the North, despite his seemingly clean record. Ned Stark never trusted him, although he admitted that Roose never gave him any problems. Robb admitted to Bran that Roose scares him, and both Catelyn Stark and Jaime Lannister found him intimidating.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- In the show, Roose Bolton says, "The Lannisters send their regards." In the books, he says, "Jaime Lannister sends his regards." Roose says this because Jaime jokingly told him to give Robb his regards. This is significant because it causes Catelyn to think Jaime is responsible for the Red Wedding, which he is not.
- Due to Roose's physical appearance and personality, many fans have theorized that he might be an immortal creature, possibly an Other, that steals other people's skins to wear them as disguises. Arguments supporting this theory include Roose's pale skin and soft voice, along with his use of leaches to purge his bad blood.
- It is also theorized that the leeches help him control his sadistic urges, like those of his son Ramsay.
- Roose's role as the main Northern villain is reduced in the television series in favor of Ramsay, possibly due to Ramsay's unpredictability and Iwan Rheon's acclaimed performance. Both Roose and his enemy, Stannis Baratheon, are killed off early and quickly in the television version, and they are replaced by Ramsay and Jon Snow, respectively.
- Despite not having the pale eyes or quiet voice in the books, many fans enjoyed Michael McElhatton's performance as Roose Bolton.
External Links[]
- Roose Bolton on the A Wiki of Ice and Fire.
- Roose Bolton on the Wiki of Westeros.
