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| “ | Words are wind, and the only good wind is that which fills our sails. | „ |
| ~ Victarion Greyjoy |
| “ | There is no wine so sweet as wine taken from a foe. One day I shall drink your wine, Crow's Eye, and take from you all that you hold dear. | „ |
| ~ Victarion's thoughts |
| “ | The most beautiful woman in the world has urgent need of my axe. | „ |
| ~ Victarion's thoughts as he prepares to aid Meereen against the Slaver Alliance's naval forces. |
Victarion Greyjoy, also known as The Iron Captain, is a major POV character in the A Song of Ice and Fire novel series.
He is the violent and fierce Lord Captain of the Iron Fleet, known for his fearsome steel axe and shield. He is the Master of the Iron Victory, his flagship. By the end of the third century, he is the most feared and respected captain among the Ironborn.
Victarion is the sixth son of Lord Quellon Greyjoy, through Quellon's second marriage with a Lady of House Sunderly. He is the younger brother of Balon and Euron, and the elder brother of Urrigon and Aeron. He had three older half-brothers, Harlon, Quenton, and Donel, and two younger half-siblings, Robin and a stillborn girl, All of whom are dead. The widower Victarion was thrice married but didn't remarry after he had beaten his third wife to death.
Appearance and Character[]
Victarion is known to be a dutiful follower, loyally serving his older brother Balon without question. He is a skilled commander and a fierce warrior. He is a religious man and wears full armor in battle, even in sea battles, as he is not afraid of drowning. He regards enemies who fight well with great respect. Outside of combat, Victarion has a calm demeanor.
He is well built and powerful, described as having the broad chest of a bull and the flat stomach of a child. After receiving a wound, his hand becomes infected. After it was treated by a red priest, it became charred and black, but Victarion became stronger than ever. He wears a distinguishable helmet styled in the likeness of a kraken in battle and wields a steel axe.
His intelligence and common sense has been called into question, and is often regarded as one of, if not the dumbest POV character in the series. This is confirmed by George R.R. Martin, who described Victarion as a brute and a dullard. He thinks he is smarter than he thinks he is, and is shockingly ignorant. He believes he is outsmarting Euron, unaware that Euron is more likely than not using him. He thought that the Dothraki Sea was an ocean as opposed to a flat plain. He nearly blew the Dragonbinder horn, despite having seen a person die from being burned from the inside after blowing it. He burned slaves aboard a sinking ship as a means to appease the Drowned God and the Lord of Light.
Overview[]
Victarion Greyjoy is a capable military commander and a fierce warrior, but outside battle he is always calm, and thinks of great respect about foes who fought bravely, believing they will be welcomed in the Drowned God's watery halls for their valor as warriors. He is very loyal to his older brother Balon, due to seeing potential in him. Victarion is fond of his niece, Asha Greyjoy, and is always happy to see her, even while being rivals for the Seastone Chair and rule of the Iron Islands. His primary weapon of choice is a huge and fearsome steel axe, which he uses with a shield. His other additional weapons include a longsword and a dirk. He is also extremely strong and muscular, and has beaten four men to death with his fists.
Along with his brothers Balon and Aeron, Victarion is a fanatic and extreme conservative of the old way and believer of "paying the iron price", unlike many other Iron Islanders who trade and believe in the "gold price". He is a religious believer of the Drowned God, not afraid to wear plate armor while sailing because he has no fear of drowning. Aeron wanted Balon to name Victarion his heir over Asha, and Asha attempted to offer him the position of Hand of the Queen, which Victarion turned down. He is rather and surprisingly ignorant of the geography of Essos, as he thinks the Dothraki Sea is an actual watery sea.
According to George R. R. Martin, Victarion is "a dullard and a brute".
He is known to have a deep hatred toward his brother Euron Greyjoy, who slept with his wife, either by seducing her or raping her, during 297 AC, one year before the beginning of the main story. Enraged, Victarion killed his wife to preserve his honor, beating her to death. The only thing which prevented him from killing Euron was the taboo against kinslaying. Like most people, Victarion is convinced that Euron is deeply involved into sorcery, as despite Euron being Victarion's older brother, he looks younger than his actual age and his hair is still perfectly black, whilst Victarion's is flecked with grey.
Biography[]
Background[]
Victarion and his brothers Balon, Euron, Urrigon, and Aeron were born to their father Lord Quellon Greyjoy and an ironborn lady of House Sunderly. With this, Victarion and his brothers are pure ironborn.
Victarion and all his brothers always despised their psychopathic brother Euron since he was a boy, and known to play cruel mind games with everyone. Unbeknownst to Victarion, Euron used to sexually abuse his two younger brothers and children Urrigon and Aeron.
Following Battle of the Trident in Robert's Rebellion, Victarion and his two eldest brothers, Balon and Euron, convinced their father Quellon, Lord of the Iron Islands, to join the rebel side against House Targaryen. During the late stages of the war, they raided the Reach, sinking or capturing some ships and raiding some villages and towns. They were unexpectedly met at the mouth of the Mander by the longships of the Shield Islands, leading to the Battle at the Mander. The Greyjoys won the battle, but old Quellon was killed as well. Victarion followed the new Lord Balon back to the Iron Islands, along with Euron and all their forces, no longer involving themselves with the war. Balon planned to make the Iron Islands independent once more, once the Targaryens would fall.
Upon returning to Pyke, Victarion, Balon, and Euron learned that their younger brother Urrigon "Urri" got part of a hand shaved off by an axe whilst the playing the finger dance with Aeron, the youngest brother. The maester of their father's new wife, Lady Piper, insisted on sewing Urrigon's fingers back on instead of treating the amputation, resulting with Urrigon's hand becoming infected. It was too late when they amputated Urri's arm, and Urri died at 14 of infection. To avenge his brother's death, Lord Balon took off the maester's fingers and had his stepmother Lady Piper sew them back on, causing The maester to die raving.
Victarion became a loyal follower of Balon, recognizing greatness in his older brother. Balon issued the construction of a new great fleet meant to serve only the Seastone Chair. Victarion was named the Lord Captain of such force, named the Iron Fleet.
During 289 AC, six years after the coronation of King Robert I Baratheon, Balon crowned himself King of the Iron Islands, becoming the Ninth of his Name. Using a plan made by Euron, Victarion and his brothers sailed into the port city of Lannisport in the Westerlands and burned the Lannister fleet at anchor. Victarion tossed the first torch onto the flagship of Lord Tywin Lannister. The destruction of the Lannister fleet was meant to give the ironborn naval supremacy. Afterwards, the Ironborn would claim the Sunset Sea as King Balon IX's moat and would raid along the western coast of the Westerlands and the Riverlands. During one of these raids, Victarion's eldest nephew, Rodrik Greyjoy, was slain by Lord Jason Mallister during Storming of Seagard.
With the constant raids, House Baratheon intervened to put an end to the rebellion of the Iron Islands. Lord Stannis Baratheon, the Master of Ships in command of the royal navy, was tasked by King Robert with destroying the primary naval forces of the Iron Islands. Joined by Lord Paxter Redwyne, Stannis commanded the royal fleet, the Redwyne fleet, and the Hightower fleet of Oldtown. Led by Victarion, the Iron Fleet found itself in the Straits of Fair Isle, with the island of Fair Isle to their west and the mainland of the Westerlands to their east. They found themselves trapped by Stannis's forces from the north and the south. Victarion fought against Stannis in the Sea Battle off Fair Isle, but the Iron Fleet was smashed by Stannis. The Golden Storm the vessel of Victarion's younger brother Aeron, was chopped in half by Stannis's war galley, Fury. Aeron would spend the rest of the war in captivity at Lannisport.
Following Victarion's defeat at Stannis's hands, the Iron Throne launched an invasion of the Iron Islands, mainly attacking the most prominent ones. Lord Stannis led the Siege of Great Wyk, the largest of the Iron Islands, Ser Barristan Selmy the Siege of Old Wyk, and Lord Tywin and Ser Gregor Clegane another island. The islands of Harlaw and Orkmont were also invaded. The main and decisive invasion was led by King Robert himself in the Siege of Pyke, alongside his best friend Lord Eddard Stark of Winterfell. The Iron Throne army attacking Pyke included Ser Jorah Mormont, Ser Jaime Lannister of the Kingsguard, Thoros of Myr, Jory Cassel, and a grandson of Old Nan. The nearby Botley castle nearby Pyke castle was destroyed, as was House Botley's the town of Lordsport. House Greyjoy's castle was attacked from the south with siege engines, and during the battle Victarion's nephew, Maron Greyjoy, was killed by a wall of Pyke crumbling on him.
After his defeat, the Greyjoys were forced to surrender to the Iron Throne once more, with Balon bending the knee and swearing an oath to House Baratheon. After the rebellion ended, Robert cheerfully drank with the defeated ironmen, displaying the charismatic ability to turn foes into friends, as well as having proven his strength to the Ironborn, although Balon would forever hate Robert and House Baratheon. Balon's youngest son, Theon Greyjoy, became a ward of Winterfell as a hostage to ensure his father's obedience. Ever since then, Victarion's niece, Asha Greyjoy, started to receive training and education to be raised as a warrior and Balon's heir. Victarion's sister-in-law, Alannys Harlaw, would eventually become estranged from her husband after this. Victarion continued to serve faithfully as Lord Captain, as the damage on the Iron Islands was repaired while the Iron Fleet is rebuilt.
Victarion was married three times: his first wife died in childbirth, giving birth to a stillborn daughter and his second wife succumbed to a pox. Victarion's third wife, unlike the previous two, was a salt wife. In 297 AC, eight years after Greyjoy's Rebellion was crushed, Euron seduced and impregnated his brother's third wife. In a fierce and wild rage, Victarion was forced to kill his pregnant wife to preserve his honor and to prevent himself from being seen as cuckhold. In the aftermath, she was killed along with her unborn child. Victarion then carried his wife's pregnant body down to the rocks to give her to the crabs. Victarion, in his hatred, would have killed Euron as brutally as he did to his wife, but Balon forbade it, as he would have no kinslaying in his hall and Euron was exiled from the Iron Islands. The day that Balon sent Euron off to sea, he reminded Victarion that a kinslayer is accused in the eyes of gods and men. Balon commanded Victarion and Aeron, the latter by then a priest of the Drowned God, to never speak of the incident, and has refused to speak of the woman at all. Asha was not present when the incident happened, as she was away raiding the Stepstones. Ever since then death of his third wife, Victarion never remarried, nor touched a woman since then. In addition, he has never forgiven Euron and would convince himself that Euron raped his third wife and that she never came to him willingly as Euron claimed.
Victarion has beaten four men to death with his fists and has also thrashed Harras Harlaw, now one of the few knights in the Iron Islands, on multiple occasions when Harras was young.
A Song of Ice and Fire[]
A Clash of Kings[]
During the War of the Five Kings, in 299 AC, Lord Balon Greyjoy crowns himself King of the Iron Islands for a second time and summons many captains to gather numerous longships at Pyke. Victarion's nephew, Prince Theon Greyjoy, has returned to Pyke after being sent as the envoy of Robb Stark, the King in the North, but King Balon dismissed Robb's offer of alliance and has other plans. Victarion loans one of his men, Rymolf Stormdrunk, to Theon when he is putting together a new crew for the Sea Bitch.
Victarion attends a feast in the Great Hall of the castle of Pyke, with his brothers Balon and Aeron. During the dinner, he laughs along with the other lords, captains, and warriors when his niece, Princess Asha Greyjoy, humiliates Theon. Planning the invasion of the North, Balon arranges to send Victarion Greyjoy and the Iron Fleet to attack Moat Cailin to secure the Neck and make Robb only the King of the Trident, while Asha is too assault Deepwood Motte and Sea Dragon Point, and Theon and Aeron are to harry the Stony Shore all along the western coast of the North.
As part of Balon's campaign, Victarion commands the primary Ironborn force for the invasion of the North, with orders of sailing the Iron Fleet to the treacherous rivers of the Neck, the region of the Crannogmen. He successfully takes Moat Cailin from the garrison stationed there, as many of the Northmen were with Robb Stark, who is crowned King in the North. Later while holding his conquered seat of Winterfell, Theon is frustrated at how no one in his family will deliver him reinforcements to hold Winterfell, as the castle is known as the heart of the North, meaning Theon is sure that the Northmen will focus all their efforts to reclaim it, whilst leaving Victarion's main ironborn force at Moat Cailin alone. So long as Victarion keeps holding the pass between the Neck and the Riverlands, Robb's army cannot return home. After the Sack of Winterfell and Theon's presumed death, Dagmer Cleftjaw conquers Torrhen's Square with 100 ironborn warriors. With his conquest of the North, Balon styles himself King of the Isles and the North.
A Feast for Crows[]
Victarion continues to hold Moat Cailin for a long time. While fighting multiple skirmishes against the crannogmen, he wore leather and chainmail so as to fend them off everyday. Some time before the Red Wedding, King Balon suddenly dies during a fierce storm at Pyke, during a period of heavy autumn rainfalls in the west. Timely and conveniently, Victarion's hated brother Euron returns to the Iron Islands aboard the Silence, with multiple bastard sons and a strange crew of eccentric mutes from many nations of the Known World. Euron's sons, all of mixed race, are known by Victarion and Aeron as Euron's mongrels.
While marching at the Twins for Lord Edmure Tully's wedding, Robb Stark continues to make war plans to fight against Victarion, the Iron Fleet, and Moat Cailin's garrison, plotting to continue marching back to the North right after Edmure's wedding, with Edmure intending to participate in the battle against Victarion's forces. The plans never come into fruition however, as Robb and most of his host were massacred by House Frey and House Bolton during the Red Wedding. With the Iron Islands in chaos due to the Greyjoys opposing each other, King Stannis Baratheon plans to offer pardons to the Iron Islands, in order to have Victarion and all the ironborn join his cause, but Melisandre talks him down from the idea, warning him that a new king will rise in Balon's place.
Victarion receives word that Euron has returned to the Iron Islands and has claimed the Seastone Chair as the new King of the Isles and the North, killing Lord Sawane Botley for opposing his claim. Victarion immediately decides to intervene and head back home, where Euron is occupying Pyke's castle. Although Ralf Kenning advises Victarion to abandon the bogs and swamps of Moat Cailin, as they hold no value to them, Victarion insists to do his duty toward the late Balon. Thus, he leaves a small garrison to hold Moat Cailin under the command of the castellan Ralf Kenning, and sails the Iron Fleet back to the Iron Islands to claim the Seastone Chair. Tristifer Botley's older brother, Harren Botley, is killed by the crannogmen during the long siege of Moat Cailin. Both Victarion and Aeron oppose Balon's will, as he had named Princess Asha Greyjoy his heir for years.
Victarion and his Iron Fleet anchored at the island of Old Wyk, where Aeron Damphair held a kingsmoot, an old custom of the Iron Islands that had been ended by King Urron Redhand. Because the Iron Islands was on the brink of a civil war, Aeron solved the Seastone Chair's succession crisis by declaring a kingsmoot, which the lords and captains of the Iron Islands gladly supported in order to avoid a crisis and infighting, especially with the coming of winter. Victarion joined the huge and noisy gathering, with large camps below Nagga's Hill at Old Wyk, where the numerous lords, captains, leading warriors, and champions came to support their respective claimants. For days they drink and feast in their tents, whilst waiting for all the claimants to join.
Before the kingsmoot, Hotho Harlaw, the Master of the Tower of Glimmering, offers his support to Victarion and offers him a daughter for marriage, so that she could become his queen. Victarion's offered bride is a fair 12 year old girl, newly flowered, with hair the color of honey, small breasts, and good hips to bear Victarion children. Although he cannot take out of his mind the image of his dead third wife, Victarion promises Hotho he will take a look at the girl after he has been crowned.
Victarion happily reunited with his rival Asha, but refuses her offer of supporting her claim as Balon wished. For a moment, he misunderstands his niece's offer of alliance by thinking she is asking him to marry her, and has an erection he never had for his own niece. Then Asha explains she offers to name him her Hand, which Victarion refuses and insists he will be the next King of the Isles and the North, and will continue Balon's conquest of the North. Aeron supports Victarion's claim, although he has to stay neutral as a priest and overseer of the kingsmoot.
Victarion's rival claimants of the kingsmoot are his brother Euron, his niece Asha, Lord Gylbert Farwynd of the Lonely Light (the most distant and culturally different of the Iron Islands), Lord Erik Ironmaker, and Lord Dunstan Drumm of Old Wyk. Victarion's champions are Nute the Barber, Ralf the Limper, and Red Ralf Stonehouse. His speech and political program are well received by the lords and captain kings and his gifts of gold, silver, and gems.
Euron cunningly waits for all his rivals to make all their respective speeches and promises until the kingsmoot reaches a point where both Victarion and Asha are close to a tie, with all the other losing candidates getting behind one of them. As tensions between their parties grew and developed to a fight, Euron silences all the fighting and has one of his foreign mutes, Cragorn, blow a piercing black horn, which sounds like the screams of agonizing people in Hell. Euron then steps forward to present his own claim and speech, explaining that the horn that was blown is a Valyrian magical artifact and claims it can bind dragons to his will, though the crowd was doubtful. He continues hat he knows where to locate three dragons in the east. Rejecting Victarion's plan to continue Balon's conquest of the North, nor Asha's wish to negotiate with the northmen to give the ironborn the uninhabited lands of Sea Dragon Point and build new bridges with the mainland, Euron proclaims his intent to use Daenerys Targaryen's three dragons from the east to conquer all of Westeros. Euron's champions then pour forward his gifts, including gold, silver, armor, curved swords with gilded pommels, daggers of Valyrian steel, pelts of tigers and spotted cats, jade manticores and sphinxes from Valyria, chests of nutmeg, cloves, and saffron, ivory tusks and the horns of unicorns, feathers from the Summer Sea, and bolts of silk and samite. Euron's proclamation leads to a massive uproar of support from the majority of the lords and captains of the Iron Islands, leaving Victarion defeated.
The night of the celebration at Old Wyk, Euron is pleasant and presents to the world a friendly face and his "smiling eye" over his "crow's eye", which is said to represent his true colors. While Victarion and the other warriors are at the feast, Asha escapes from Old Wyk with a small fleet and her remaining supporters, whilst the majority of them pay their duty to their new king. Aeron Damphair goes missing as well and his whereabouts are unknown.
After Euron's coronation, Victarion begrudgingly and dutifuly follows him in his campaign, as despite his hatred for his brother, he is still dutiful and loyal. Although Asha feared her uncle would kill her as she is a rival to him, Euron wed her to Erik Ironmaker, with a seal used in Asha's absence to perform the wedding ceremony. Erik is then named Lord Steward of the Iron Islands and castellan of Pyke Victarion's Iron Fleet and other fleets depart from the Iron Islands for a completely new war campaign that has nothing to do with King Balon's previous plans. As they sail in the west, the longship of Tristifer Botley lags behind, only to suddenly change course (Tris sails toward north to Deepwood Motte, where he correctly presumes Asha and her fleet are returning).
Euron completely abandons Balon's campaign in the North in favor of what he presents a new plan of conquering Westeros, although his true motivations may be darker and higher. Along with many other Ironborn fleets, led by Euron's flagship, the Silence, Victarion sails the Iron Fleet to the Reach, the most prosperous of the Seven Kingdoms in Westeros, and helps Euron in conquering the Shield Islands, which Victarion personally leads, along with Ser Harras Harlaw. During the ensuing event known as the Taking of the Shields, Victarion rams his flagship Iron Victory into a small ship that is commanded by Ser Talbert Serry, the son of Lord Osbert Serry. Boarding the ship, Victarion battled many opponents and killing numerous sailors with his steel axe. The weapon became momentarily stuck but Victarion managed to pull it free.
Victarion battling Talbert Serry.
He then engaged Ser Talbert Serry in a deadly battle. During the fight, as Talbert proved to be a great and capable warrior, Victarion was forced to defend himself by catching Talbert's sword with his gauntlet, causing his left hand to get cut. Nevertheless, Victarion ultimately prevailed over his opponent, throwing Ser Talbert's sword into the sea before forcing Talbert Serry overboard, causing him to drown. In the aftermath of the successful ironborn invasion, Victarion pays his respects for the late Ser Talbert, acknowledging how brave he was and thinking he was almost ironborn, and that the Drowned God will welcome the knight in his watery halls. While Nute the Barber considers the taking of the Shields to be a great victory, Victarion, however, sees it as the victory of Euron and his wizards.
As he watches how Lord Humfrey being forced to watch his own wife and girls being harassed and paraded naked by Euron's supporters, Victarion reflects how his brother shames Humfrey the same way he shamed Victarion himself.
He helplessly watches as Euron steals many of his trusted comrades and warriors away from him by giving them titles on the Shield Islands, much to Victarion's anger. Euron grants Oakenshield to Nute the Barber, Southshield to Andrik the Unsmiling, Greenshield to Maron Volmark, and Greyshield to Ser Harras Harlaw, men who previously were supporters of potential rival kings to Euron. Being Victarion's best man, Nute the Barber got swayed to Euron's side with the bait of lands and lordship, which Victarion could not offer (Euron is setting up all the new ironborn lords of the Shields to fail at the hands of the retaliating lords of the Reach).
Victarion was disturbed when the peasant women and children of the Shield Islands whose husbands and fathers died during the battle, are to be sold into slavery at the Free City of Lys. Women and girls are also sexually humiliated or raped by ironmen. However, Euron's supporters such as Lucas Codd, the Red Oarsman, and Torwold Browntooth are the most cruel.
As all the wives and daughters of the defeated lords are paraded naked, sexually humiliated in front of their families, and raped by Euron's supporters, some of Victarion's comrades, such as his former brother-in-law Lord Rodrik Harlaw and Lord Baelor Blacktyde, both civilized and progressive men who opposed the old way, worry about the consequences and how the Iron Islands might face retaliation from Houses Tyrell, Redwyne, Hightower, and such.
Seemingly oblivious to his brother's hatred, Euron summons Victarion to a private meeting in Lord Hewett's castle and asks him to find Daenerys Targaryen, the Queen of Meereen, and deliver Euron's marriage proposal to her. Euron tells Victarion that he means to claim the Iron Throne, which is also what Daenerys wants, giving more reason for an alliance through marriage. Euron then promises to give his brother the Seastone Chair once he claims the Iron Throne, but Victarion argues that Euron has sons of his own, however, his brother reminds him that they are all baseborn bastards and all mongrels before states that all his sons to him are as precious as his own feces. Victarion accepts Euron's deal, but secretly plans on courting Daenerys for himself and "steal" her from Euron as revenge for what he did with his salt wife three years ago.
Meanwhile, as Euron is disinterested in continuing Balon's conquest and legacy, the Ironborn still invading the North are left without a leader. While Dagmer Cleftjaw and his forces continue to hold Torrhen's Square, Ironmen parties occupy the Stony Shore and keep raiding in northern lands. Meanwhile, despite the continuous attacks by the northmen and guerrilla attacks by the crannogmen, the ironmen at Moat Cailin managed to kill more enemies, despite being outnumbered, as they are far more fierce warriors, although Ralf Kenning is left before eventually dying, due to poison from the crannogmen.
Victarion's garrison truly loses hope when Prince Theon Greyjoy - who is a captive, envoy of the North, and represents King Tommen I Baratheon's Warden of the North - tells the garrison that Victarion is not coming back and that no aid from the Iron Islands will come as well, explaining to them that Euron has been elected king in a kingsmoot, and that he sailed to the south instead. This caused the ironmen to lose heart, and Hadrack Humble kills the commander Dagon Codd, intending to return alive to his wives and children. Moat Cailin falls and the garrison surrenders, but the night after dinner all the ironmen are flayed alive by Lord Ramsay Bolton, who unscrupulously went against his promise of being merciful and providing a safe passage to the Iron Islands.
Ever since Euron has been chosen as king, Victarion's niece and former opponent in the kingsmoot, Asha Greyjoy, fled from the Iron Islands with a small fleet and group of loyal supporters, and they retreated back to Deepwood Motte, the seat of House Glover and her own conquered seat in the North. After lingering there for days and/or weeks, Asha and her garrison at Deepwood are defeated by the army of southron knights, northmen and northern mountain clansmen led by King Stannis Baratheon, with the aid of House Mormont as well as half of the forces of House Umber.
A Dance with Dragons[]
Victarion is dispatched by Euron to sail the Iron Fleet across the Narrow Sea to reach Meereen in Slaver's Bay, with the task of retrieving Queen Daenerys Targaryen, the Mother of Dragons, back to Westeros, so that Euron can take her as his wife. Euron gifted Victarion with the infamous dragonbinder, the magical horn from the kingsmoot, allegedly taken from the ruins of Valyria, which kills those who blow it by burning from within days later. Euron also gave Victarion a mute tongueless slave from Essos, the dusky woman, who became Victarion's bedwarmer. She is the first woman Victarion had since he killed his third wife three years ago. However, many knew that "Euron's gifts are poisoned", so it is not a good idea to trust anything received from Euron Crow's Eye. Victarion also receives the recently-made thrall Maester Kerwin, from the Shields, who began to tend to Victarion's wounded hand.
While at Meereen, Queen Daenerys is surprised by the enigmatic sorcerer Quaithe while sleeping. From Qarth, Quaithe speaks to Daenerys in a dream, with the latter recognizing her. Quaithe warns her about incoming threats and trials, telling her to remember the House of the Undying. Among the various incoming threats, Quaithe tells Daenerys that "Kraken and dark flame" (Victarion and Moqorro) are coming, and the queen must not trust them.
By the time the Iron Fleet is sailing to Meereen, it is comprised of over ninety ships, which Victarion splits into three squadrons. Victarion continues to have sex with the dusky woman and has taken to talk to her about his thoughts and personal doubts about the journey. She is comely but mute, and Victarion likes it that she cannot talk back to him. During the long and stormy sea voyage, Victarion loses nearly half his ships, who vanish at sea, but he gains some ships back by engaging in piracy and capturing and seizing several trading vessels and their cargo, including two Ghiscari ships full of slaves. Victarion's is still troubled by his wounded hand (which is now infected), and begins to suspect that Maester Kerwin, is poisoning him either on Euron's instructions. The young, boyish, and effeminate Kerwin complains to Victarion that he has been raped multiple times by some ironmen, so Victarion gives him a dagger for self-defense, although he knows Kerwin is far too timid to use it.
At one point during the voyage, the Iron Fleet came across a ship wreckage, where they find a survivor; Moqorro, a red priest of R'hllor, who had been sent by Benerro, the High Priest of the Red Temple of Volantis, to meet Daenerys Targaryen (Tyrion Lannister, Ser Jorah Mormont, and the girl Penny were also part of the wrecked ship's crew). Upon finding Moqorro clinging to wreckage, Victarion's crew of the Iron Victory want him killed, as the Ironborn view dark skinned people as dangerous monsters, and Moqorro is black, as he has extremely dark skin. Moqorro convinces Victarion to allow him to treat his wounded hand. Behind closed doors, it is implied that Moqorro uses magic on Victarion to save his hand. Emerging from his cabin, Victarion's left hand became charred and blackened. Despite this, it is healed, nevertheless.
Like other red priests, Moqorro can see visions and the future in the flames, and uses his magical powers to aid Victarion in his quest. Moqorro tells the Lord Captain that he had a vision that Maester Kerwin's death will bring good winds to the Iron Victory, so Victarion has Kerwin killed by his crew. From then on, the crew live in great fear of Moqorro and take to call him the Black Flame.
Human sacrifice was always part of Ironborn culture, and Victarion makes offerings to both the Drowned God and R'hllor by using prisoners, slaves, and thralls acquired from seized ships. Thanks to Moqorro's prophecies, the Iron Fleet captures a fair number of trading ships: Ghiscari Dawn, Dove, two unnamed ships that Victarion renames as Ghost and Shade, an unnamed fat galleas, an unnamed trading galley, an unnamed fishing ketch, and a slaver galley named the Willing Maiden. As a show of his appreciation for Moqorro's magical aid, Victarion burns seven naked women, all Lyseni sex slaves, as a tribute to both the Drowned God and R'hllor. After this sacrifice, a favorable wind rises for the Iron Fleet, which now numbers 60 ships with the new additions.
Victarion starts to listen to Moqorro's advice more and more, despite the crew's visible unease at the Black Flame's presence. Victarion ignores their concerns and protests, and insists that the Red God, the Lord of Light, will help them on their journey. Though his arm and hand are now burned, they are stronger than ever, functioning through some sorcery. Victarion states, “Two gods are with me now...No foe can stand before two gods.”
Victarion has taken both the Drowned God and the Lord of Light as his gods. However, Moqorro is insists that the Drowned God is evil, a demon, and a thrall of the Great Other, the evil deity of R'hllor's believers, who represents ice, darkness, and death, in contrast to fire, light, and life. Victarion warns Moqorro against speaking ill of the Drowned God, as the priest is surrounded by men of the Iron Islands, and none of them trust him.
Moqorro alerts Victarion that he has seen Daenerys married in the flames, but Victarion is unconcerned by this, stating "she would not be the first woman I made a widow." Victarion has Moqorro inspect the Dragon Horn given to him by Euron. Moqorro translates the Valyrian glyphs displayed on the horn to Victarion, telling him that the horn's name is written as "I am Dragonbinder."
Moqorro tells him that no mortal man can blow the horn and live. However, he explains that "Who blows the hellhorn matters not. The dragons will come to the horn’s master. You must claim the horn. With blood." In order to bind Daenerys's dragons to the Iron Captain's will, Victarion must sacrifice more people to blow the hellhorn for him.
Victarion recruits three thralls - the brute, the boy, and the bastard's bastard - to blow Dragonbinder. The three are promised to be made free and each of them receive a wife, land, a ship, and thralls of their own if they survive. Each of them will blow for each of Daenerys's dragons.
While Victarion has been journeying to Meereen, King Euron has been terrorizing the realm from the south and continuing his invasion of the Reach. The population is panicking at the Ironborn threat, and Willas Tyrell, the heir to Highgarden, sent word to House Hightower at Oldtown. A fuming Queen Margaery Tyrell petitioned the Iron Throne to send the Redwyne fleet, the largest fleet of the Seven Kingdoms, to defend her people's lands. The Redwyne fleet was previously split in two to lay siege to Storm's End and Dragonstone, which remained loyal to King Stannis Baratheon. Margaery demanded that the fleet be allowed to leave the Stormlands and the Narrow Sea in order to defend the Reach from the ironmen. Queen Regent Cersei Lannister denied the petition, insisting that the two castle remain a threat to King's Landing and the rule of her son, King Tommen I Baratheon, so long as they remain loyal to their worst rival Stannis. The matter resulted in Cersei allowing the Kingsguard Ser Loras Tyrell to take lead of the siege on Dragonstone, during which Loras led a storming of the castle in order to quickly end the siege. A fortnight later, Loras successfully took the castle against Stannis's garrison, led by Ser Rolland Storm, but Loras reportedly got grievously wounded in process, by boiled oil thrown by Stannis's knights. This allowed the Redwyne fleet at Dragonstone to sail back to the Reach to fight Euron's forces.
By Euron's orders, the invading Ironborn fleets attacked numerous settlements of the river Mander, the island of the Arbor, and the Whispering Sound, terrorizing, killing, and enslaving the inhabitants. King's Landing is alerted of the presence of Ironborn longships in the Redwyne Straits. Without the Redwyne fleet defending the lands, the ironmen captured or sank the dozen warships that remained at the Arbor. Towns of the Arbor are brutally assaulted, including Ryamsport which got sacked, and Vinetown and Starfish Harbor, which got taken and are being occupied. The Ironborn also captured the neighboring islands of Stonecrab Cay, the Isle of Pigs, and the Mermaid's Palace, and are partially occupying the islands of Horseshoe Rock and Bastard's Cradle.
King's Landing is alerted of ironborn raids up the Whispering Sound, threatening Oldtown, the largest city in Westeros and the realm's center of culture, art, literature, and religion. Lord Garlan Tyrell is raising men to retake the Shields from the new ironborn lords, being forced to postpon his planned siege of Brightwater Keep, the seat of House Florent, major supporters of King Stannis. Under Euron's lead, the ironmen continuously sacrifice countless prisoners to the Drowned God, earning constant and rewarding victories. Religious places are destroyed and members of the Faith of the Seven are captured or brutally killed.
Euron's naval forces engage ships of the Reach in the Battle on the Whispering Sound. The defenders are either forces of House Costayne, as the battle happens in part of their domains, or forces of House Costayne's overlords, House Hightower. The ironmen raid and burn villages and fields on the banks of the river Whispering Sound. Many merchant and fishing boats are destroyed, as well as ironborn longships and two dromonds presumably belonging to the Hightower fleet.
The Reach is in a panic because of the ironborn invasion, whilst Lord Paxter Redwyne, the Master of Ships and Grand Admiral, is still sailing the Redwyne fleet to face Euron's fleet. Oldtown is being threatened by the ironborn, and its citizens are terrified. Lord Leyton Hightower remains shut in his seat, the Hightower, along with his lady wife Rhea Florent and his brother-in-law Lord Alekyne Florent. He is supposedly reading magic texts with his eldest daughter, Malora Hightower, to find spells to use against the ironmen. Lord Hightower's sons take care of the family's duties and the preparation of the city's defenses. Ser Baelor Hightower is overseeing the construction of additional ships for Oldtown's fleet, and Ser Garth Hightower is training new troops in the city. Ser Gunthor Hightower is in command of the city's harbor and preparing its defenses and inspecting ships. Ser Humfrey Hightower has been sent to Lys to hire sellsails to help fight off the ironborn invasion, and it is a commonly-held hope that his sister Lynesse Hightower, estranged wife of Ser Jorah Mormont, will help him get the best possible fleet.
It is widely believed that King Euron's next target is Oldtown, which is said to be full of old magic. The ironmen keep occupying many of the outlying towns and fortifications surrounding the Arbor and along the Mander nearly to Oldtown, and are raiding any ships they spot. While traveling through the Redwyne Straits, the merchant ship Cinnamon Wind - which carries Samwell Tarly, Gilly, and Mance Rayder's infant son - is almost attacked by ironborn longships twice. Kojja Mo has her archers shoot at one approaching longship, while veering away.
Meanwhile, in the North, Victarion's niece and nephew Asha and Theon ended up becoming captives of King Stannis, who means to executed Theon, is preparing a siege on Winterfell, and is about to face a cavalry host of the houses Frey and Manderly. Stannis ransomed most of his ironborn captives in the North and shipped them back to their respective families back at the Iron Islands. There, the Lord Steward Erik Ironmaker is hunting down the drowned followers of Aeron Greyjoy to find out the man.
Meanwhile, at Slaver's Bay, Victarion continues his journey to Meereen, even though he has recently learned that Queen Daenerys is no longer in Meereen, as she disappeared with her dragon Drogon during an assassination attempt on her life at Daznak's Pit. Victarion learned that Daenerys has vanished in the Dothraki Sea, although he thinks it is an actual sea and he can sail the Iron Fleet through it. By the time the Iron Fleet reaches Meereen, the Second Siege of Meereen is taking place, with the defenders of House Targaryen fighting against the Slaver Alliance, a coalition between multiple nations led by Yunkai and including New Ghis, Qarth, Tolos, Elyria, Mantarys, and an unidentified Dothraki khalasar, but Volantis has not joined so far. Various sellsword companies have been hired by the Wise Masters of Yunkai, and most of the major Meereenese noble families, including the Houses of Loraq, Pahl, Reznak, Ghazeen, Hazkar, Merreq, Quazzar, Rhazdar, and Zhak, are openly supporting the invaders. Prior Victarion's arrival, Meereen has been under siege for a long time, although while Daenerys was present things were still civil, and Daenerys and her husband king even hosted them army's commanders inside the city.
After Daenerys's disappearance and the arrest of her husband, battles started in recent days, with the city's garrison being commanded by Ser Barristan Selmy, the Hand of the Queen. The Sons of the Harpy, a terroristic resistance group of Meereen, support the Slaver Alliance and their murders are heavily increasing within the besieged city. The Iron Fleet's arrival takes by surprise both fighting sides, as no one expected the arrival and involvement of House Greyjoy in a war about the international slave trade in Essos. Barristan, the Ghiscari, Valyrians, Qartheen, and everyone else are surprised to see that Victarion's forces attack the Slaver Alliance's naval forces and take the side of House Targaryen. Victarion's forces, which include men of houses Botley, Codd, Humble, Shepherd, Sparr, Stonehouse, Tawney, and Wynch, join the battle and begin fighting the Qartheen fleet. The ironborn witness the dragons Rhaegal and Viserion flying above the ships. There is also an epidemic of bloody flux (dysentery) spreading, originating from the camps of refugees from Astapor, which got sacked and destroyed by the Yunkish army for supporting Daenerys.
Meanwhile, at the Reach, Aeron "Damphair" Greyjoy has been secretely held prisoner within the Silence since the day Euron won the kingsmoot back at Old Wyk. Neither Victarion, nor Asha, or everyone else knows about this, as Aeron has been captured in secret by Euron's mutes, making Damphair no better than a dead man. Aeron has been desperately waiting for his trusted older brother Victarion to find him and save him, to no avail. When Euron's pregnant lover, Falia Flowers, is sent to feed Aeron, the drowned priest tells the girl to inform Victarion about his imprisonment, so Victarion can save him. His hopes are crushed when Falia informs him that Victarion is no longer in Westeros, as he sailed to Essos to bring Daenerys to the King. Underestimating Euron's cruelty, Falia does not think Aeron will be killed, and happily announces she will become his sister-in-law, as she will become Euron's salt wife and will be like a sister to Daenerys, who will be Euron's rock wife after Victarion brings her back.
Euron admits that he never intended to hold the Shields Islands, as his plan was to attack the Shields just to open the Mander to the Ironborn raiding ships, while also making Euron look generous and open handed for giving the southron seats to his rivals. The Ironborn will remember Euron's victory taking the islands, but will blame their loss on the new Houses currently holding them. Psychologically tortured by Euron and forced to experience horrifying visions and traumatic memories by being force to drink the shade of the evening, Aeron understands that Victarion is never coming to save him, so he now has only the Drowned God to pray to. Euron admits that he killed Balon, although not personally, and that he also killed his half-brothers Harlon and Robin. The Red Oarsman, Left-Hand Lucas Codd, and Torwold Brontooth gleefully kill Lord Humfrey Hewett and his entire family, while the ironborn hold captives numerous men from different religions, including septons and warlocks of Qarth, constantly killing them as offerings to the Drowned God. Preparing her as another sacrifice, Euron cuts Falia Flowers's tongue, strips her naked, and ties her on the prow of his galley, along with Aeron.
Gallery[]
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.jpg "Victarion Greyjoy by Sir-Heartsalot (1).jpg (77 KB)")
Trivia[]
- Victarion so far has always been the only Lord Captain of the Iron Fleet, ever since it existed. Historically, the Iron Fleet is a rather new and recent naval force of the Iron Islands, as it was only established during Robert's Rebellion, meant to serve as the personal navy of the ruler of the Iron Islands, in contrast to all the many ironborn fleets serving respective houses and captain kings.
- Victarion commanded two Iron Fleets: the original Iron Fleet was mostly destroyed by Stannis Baratheon in the Straits of Fair Isle during Greyjoy's Rebellion, leaving only a small number of scattered ships. The new Iron Fleet was rebuilt afterwards, and first used to invade the Neck in the North during the War of the Five Kings. Victarion's defeat to Stannis is his only naval defeat, which still bothers him.
- George R. R. Martin described Victarion as "dumb as a stump" and "a dullard and a brute".
External Links[]
- Victarion Greyjoy on the Heroes Wiki
- Victarion Greyjoy on the A Wiki of Ice and Fire.
- Victarion Greyjoy on the Game of Thrones Wiki
