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Lord Gargon Qoherys, also known as Gargon the Guest, is a minor character in the A Song of Ice and fire novel series. He was the Lord of Harrenhal and head of House Qoherys during the reign of King Aenys I Targaryen. He is well-known for attending weddings in his own domain, but he is also infamously known for making free with the wives and daughters of his own servants. As Gargon was the last of his bloodline during his lifetime, his death at the hands of outlaw Harren the Red, marked the extinction of House Qoherys.
Appearance and personality[]
Gargon Qoherys is fat and plump in appearance. He is considered to be a foolish and lustful man.
Biography[]
In 2 AC during the reign of King Aegon I Targaryen, the first king of the Targaryen Dynasty, Gargon's grandfather Quenton, who served as Aegon's master-at-arms during the Targaryen conquest, was given lordship over the ruined castle of Harrenhal, as the original house that governed the castle, House Hoare, went extinct when Harrenhal was burned by Aegon during the conquest. Through Quenton's lordship, this resulted in the establishment of House Qoherys, which was assured as Lord Quenton has two strong sons and one plump grandson, which is Gargon.
In 9 AC, after Quenton died falling off his horse, Gargon directly succeeded his grandfather as the new lord of Harrenhal and head of his house, though it is as of now unknown on why his father and uncle were skipped over, though it is possible that both have died before either of them could succeed their father. During his time as lord of Harrenhal, Gargon took advantage of a lord's right to the First Night to attend every wedding in his domain, earning him the nickname "Gargon the Guest". Moreover, he developed a habit of making free with the wives and daughters of his servants.
Though King Aegon had lived throughout his reign as apparently a wise ruler, however, his subjects longed for the old days when there were seven kingdoms, but others sought revenge on House Targaryen for loved ones they had lost during Aegon's conquest of Westeros and even saw the Targaryens as abominations. Thus, the first year of the reign of Aegon's eldest son King Aenys proved to be troublesome, as four rebels have risen in rebellion against the Targaryen Dynasty.
Amongst the rebels was an outlaw named Harren the Red, who claimed to be the grandson of the late King Harren Hoare, the head of House Hoare and who had ruled the Riverlands as King of the Isles and the Rivers. During Harren the Red's rebellion in 37 AC, he was allowed entry into Harrenhal by a servant at the castle, as because his own daughter was deflowered by Gargon, the servant sought to get back at him for his action. With the aid of other outlaws, Harren the Red dragged Gargon from his bed to Harrenhal's Godswood, where he sliced of the latter's genitals and fed them to a dog while Gargon bled to death. As he was the sole living member of his family and didn’t father any children, due to not being married, his death marked the extinction of House Qoherys, which was then succeeded by House Harroway.
Legacy[]
Years following his death, Gargon Qoherys actions involving the first night would have an effect on the first night's reputation; During the reign of her brother King Jaehaerys I Targaryen, Queen Alysanne Targaryen argued with the small council over her favor to abolish the first night, as aside from having pointed out Lord Gargon as a reason for it, she had also overheard countless stories involving the first night while in her women's courts, which left her disturbed. As the rights of the first night had also resulted in lords being murdered by those seeking vengeance, this in turn threatens the King's peace.
Despite King Jaehaerys' reluctance to anger his subjects, the small council agreed to abolish the lord's right of the first night, which was made official in what is famously known as Queen Alysanne's laws, in which a bride's maidenhead is only to be given to the husband, whether before a septon of the Faith of the Seven or a Heart tree, and that any man, whether they are a lord or a peasant, who would so much take the bride by force on the wedding night or any other night would be found guilty of rape. Though the law made the smallfolk love Alysanne greatly, however, it earned the queen the resentment of some lords, as they had been denied of their lordly prerogative.
Trivia[]
- Lord Qoherys' actions and the now outlawed and nearly-extinct Westerosi tradition of the first night are based on real life's unproved and possibly myth of jus primae noctis ('right of the first night'), or Droit du seigneur ('right of the lord'), sometimes also referred to as prima nocta. According to some texts, it was a supposed legal right in medieval Europe, allowing feudal lords and monarchs to have sexual relations with any female subject, particularly on her wedding night. In the ASoIaF universe, this custom functioned identically. However, despite the many written references to this alleged custom throughout the centuries, there is little evidence that it actually existed, and some historians claim it is nothing but a myth, possibly created in the Renaissance.
