  | This article's content is marked as Mature The page Mature contains mature content that may include coarse language, sexual references, and/or graphic violent images which may be disturbing to some. Mature pages are recommended for those who are 18 years of age and older. If you are 18 years or older or are comfortable with graphic material, you are free to view this page. Otherwise, you should close this page and view another page. |
|
| “ | A man who sees nothing has no use for his eyes, cut them out and give them to your next outrider. Tell him you hope that four eyes might see better than two ... and if not, the man after him will have six. | „ |
| ~ Gregor Clegane to a Lannister messenger. |
| “ | Elia Martell! I killed her children! Then I raped her! Then I smashed her head in like THIS! | „ |
| ~ Gregor Clegane to Oberyn Martell while gouging the latter's eyes and crushing his skull in a trial by combat. |
Ser Gregor Clegane, simply known as Gregor Clegane, is a major antagonist from A Song of Ice and Fire and Game of Thrones series.
He is the older brother of Sandor "The Hound" Clegane and is the head of House Clegane which are landed knights and bannermen to House Lannister. Gregor is a freakishly tall and large man, almost eight feet tall, and for this he was often called The Mountain That Rides or simply The Mountain. In the TV show, he served as a major antagonist throughout the series until his final death in combat against his brother Sandor.
He was originally played by guest star Conan Stevens in season 1, then replaced by Ian Whyte (in season 2) and later by Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson (from season 4 onward).
Personality
| “ | No other knight in the realm inspires such terror in our enemies. | „ |
| ~ Tywin Lannister to Tyrion Lannister. |
| “ | Kevan Lannister had been here, in this very hall when Tywin had laid the bodies of Prince Rhaegar's children at the foot of the Iron Throne, wrapped up in crimson cloaks. The girl had been recognizably the Princess Rhaenys, but the boy ... a faceless horror of bone and brain and gore, a few hanks of fair hair. None of us looked long. Tywin said that it was Prince Aegon, and we took him at his word. | „ |
| ~ Kevan Lannister's thoughts about Aegon's murder |
Despite being a knight, Gregor Clegane has forsaken all honorable vows imaginable and is widely regarded an infamous sadist, rapist and murderer. Virtually the only reason why he has not be abolished nor executed is because of his usefulness to Tywin Lannister and his own incredible size and strength. A silent short-tempered brooding man, who often asks for silence and time to stay alone. According to his squire, Joss Stilwood, Gregor constantly suffers from extreme headaches and consumes vast quantities of milk of the poppy to try and dull the pain. The cause of these headaches is unknown, perhaps due to some condition of his gigantism, though Merrett Frey's experiences indicate that a tourney injury or head blow in battle can be debilitating. This might be an explanation for Gregor's near uncontrollable temper. According to his brother, Sandor Clegane, Gregor once killed one of his own men because the soldier snored too loudly. Gregor's rage always overwhelmed his common sense, shown when he beheaded his own horse and nearly murdered Ser Loras Tyrell just because the latter defeated him in a joust, and for him to attack and fight Sandor when the latter stood in his way. Even as a child, Gregor was an irrationally violent person: he furiously burned his brother's face permanently just because the latter played with one of his toys without permission.
Abilities
The Mountain's skills are heavily associated with his incredible physical strength and herculean stature. He is so large and powerful that he wears the heaviest armor and weaponry in all of the Seven Kingdoms; a kind of armor so heavy that would make impossible for any man to move at all. Ser Gregor has gigantism and is known for his inhuman strength. He has arms and legs with the size of the trunk of a small tree and dwarves any known person. He was an exceptionally skilled swordsman, who was knighted for his accomplishments - which were augmented by his extremely violent and brutal fighting style. Gregor was, though, incapable of defeating his younger brother, Sandor, in a duel, because the latter was far more levelheaded than him. The Mountain possessed immense strength, and even as a boy, he outclassed his brother and it took three fully grown men to physically hold back Gregor.
Character and Appearance
Gregor Clegane's size, strength and cruelty are things of legend in Westeros. He is extremely tall, almost eight feet, and weights 420 lbs (190 kg), nearly all of it pure muscle, making near inhumanly strong. His strength allows him to wield a six-foot, two handed great sword with a single hand, giving him enormous reach, while still affording him the protection of a shield. He has been known to hack men in half with a single blow.
When in battle, he wears the heaviest armour known to man, so thick and large that no other man can so much as move let alone fight in it. Below it, he wears chainmail and boiled leather, and sports a plate helm emblazoned with a stone fist punching towards the sky. He carries a massive oaken shield emblazoned with the three hounds of his house. These accountrements make Gregor virtually invincible on the field of battle.
Gregor's size appears to be caused by some form of gigantism. A side effect of this are constant debilitating migranes. This appears to be the cause of Gregor's perpetually foul temper. To make his condition bearable, he consumes great amounts of milk of the poppy, to the extent that he has built up a sizeable immunity to its effects.
Gregor is known for his violence and cruelty. He is a sadistic murderer and rapist, and takes great pleasure in tormenting others. His foul temper makes him a danger to all those around him, and he once supposedly killed a man for snoring too loud. He has been often compared to a frothing dog. Gregor is very solitary, and never leaves his lands unless he is fighting in a tourney or a war.
Gallery
Add a photo to this galleryTrivia
- Although Gregor rarely speaks in the novels, in the adaptation TV series, his character is more silent during the story. This is due to the fact that he was first cut from the last two episodes of the first season, then played by actor Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson, who does not speak English well, so his lines are simplified. Thus, the Mountain is heard to speak longer sentences only in the second season.
- In the TV show Ser Robert Strong still has his head, unlike his book counterpart. When he is presumably reintroduced as the apparently-zombified Ser Robert Strong, his eyes are seen through his helmet with pale greenish flesh.
- Despite the undead nature of his body, in the show he retains his original mind, or at least is restored to it, when he defies Cersei's orders and kills Qyburn to fight his brother, implying he is still the same person in this form, as opposed to the wights.
- In the TV show, the "Robert Strong" persona has never mentioned in this name, yet the ending credit confirms this mute knight is in fact Gregor in disguise, also portrayed by Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson. This has possibly clarified a highly possible theory that Gregor and Robert Strong are one and the same.
- During A Dance With Dragons occurs, Gregor was still on Arya Stark's list of people who she tried to kill even after his alleged "death", for Arya had no idea that Gregor died and thought he is still alive. This is also implied in the TV series.
- His death in Game of Thrones is similar to that of Gregory Goyle in the Harry Potter films. Both fell into the fire, both did not occur in the books, and they even have a similar first name.
