This is a listing of houses in Dorne that appear in A Song of Ice and Fire that do not have enough members or tropes to justify their own page (yet).
For the main character index, see here
Dorne
"Dorne had seemed a queer place to him as well when first he came here with his own princess, many years ago. The bearded priests had drilled him on the Common Speech of Westeros before they sent him forth, but the Dornishmen all spoke too quickly for him to understand. Dornish women were lewd, Dornish wine was sour, and Dornish food was full of queer hot spices. And the Dornish sun was hotter than the pale, wan sun of Norvos, glaring down from a blue sky day after day."
—Areo Hotah when he was still new to Dorne.
The southernmost kingdomnote in Westeros, Dorne went through the same procession of First Man and Andal settlers as the rest of Westeros, but saw a third, localized migration when the Rhoynar, a river people displaced by the then-expanding Valyrian Freehold, fled across the Narrow Sea and alternatively displaced and intermarried with the local Andal houses, forming a hybrid culture that persists to the present day. The peninsula of Dorne was the only one that went unconquered by the Targaryen invasion, only becoming part of the realm after Baelor the Blessed and Daeron the Good tied the two nations together by marriage, allowing the ruling House Martell to continue to refer to its members as princes and princesses. Dorne is full of mountain ranges and desert areas which provide natural defensive barriers. It is the least populated region of Westeros, although House Martell has worked hard to hide that fact and exaggerate the size of their army. Dorne has fought several wars with the Reach and Stormlands over their borders, and there is much mistrust between these regions. Bastards in Dorne are given the surname "Sand".
Dornish culture is highly distinct from that of the other kingdoms, partly as a result of its physical isolation and partly because of Rhoynar influence. Its people have a reputation for promiscuity and being Hot-Blooded, and Dorne's cuisine is infamous for its heavy use of spices. Dorne's rulers style themselves as princes and princesses, in contrast to the title of "King" favored by the ancient Andal and First Man rulers. Additionally, most Dornish houses practice absolute primogeniture instead of the male-preference model used by other Westerosi houses — that is, the eldest child, regardless of gender, inherits, instead of exhausting sons and grandsons before moving to daughters.
According to King Daeron I Targaryen's observations during his wars in Dorne, there are three groups of Dornishmen:
- Salty Dornishmen live along the coasts, mainly along the Broken Arm region, where the Red Mountains stretch out into the Sea of Dorne. These Dornishmen are lithe and dark, with smooth olive skin and long black hair. They are fishermen and sailors, hard men who sail the ships of the Dornish fleet. The Martells of Sunspear would be considered salty Dornishmen.
- Sandy Dornishmen live in the deserts and the long river valleys. With faces burned brown by the hot Dornish sun, they are even darker than the salty Dornishmen.
- Stony Dornishmen live in the passes and heights of the Red Mountains. They have the most Andal and First Men blood and mostly resemble the other people of the Seven Kingdoms in look, customs and traditions. A few stony Dornishmen may follow Andal rather than Rhoynar laws of inheritance. They are brown-haired or blond with faces that are freckled or burned by the sun instead of browned. These include the Yronwoods with their blond hair and blue eyes, the yellow-haired Fowlers, and the violet-eyed Daynes.
Additionally, another, smaller group exists: the orphans are pure Rhoynar who ply the Greenblood in poleboats.
Though active throughout Robert's Rebellion due to the familial ties of the Martells to the Targaryen Kings, the Dornish largely refrained from participating in the War of the Five Kings currently taking place in the chronology of A Song of Ice and Fire.
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Tropes related to Dorne
- Aerith and Bob: Dorne is the only kingdom to have a proper name that does not sound like a region (the Westerlands, the Reach, the North, etc.).
- Ambiguous Situation: How Dorne reconciles allowing lords and ladies freely taking paramours with inheritance is something the series has yet to clarify. Dorne is clearly not immune to the same squabbles on the issue the rest of the realm suffer, so one has to imagine contested paternity must be an even greater problem among the Dornish. That bastard children are much better regarded would likely only cause further trouble.
- Antagonist in Mourning: Despite being foes of the Targaryens for generations, Dorne actually mourned the passing of King Jaehaerys I.
- Badass on Paper: A literal-but-complicated example. Daeron I wrote an account of his conquest of Dorne that greatly emphasized the ferocity of the Dornish people, a depiction that Doran Martell considers to be a boon because it presented Dorne to the rest of the Seven Kingdoms as more capable and powerful then they actually are. The reality is that Dorne is the smallest and least-populous of the Seven Kingdoms and, while the Dornish people are fierce and capable fighters, the harshness of their homeland has been a major factor of thie resistance to the Targaryens. As Doran explains to his daughter Arianne, Dorne is not in a position to make war on the other Kingdoms, especially a war that would require them to go on the offensive.
- Blazing Inferno Hellfire Sauce: Mustard seeds, snake venom, and dragon peppers are popular ingredients in Dornish food. Reportedly, it burns twice as bad coming out as it does going in.
- Combat Pragmatist: The Dornish as a whole are less into the chivalric ethos of their Northern neighbors (though considering how few self-proclaimed chivalrous knights are actually chivalrous, you might give the Dornish points for honesty). They are renowned for fighting in sneaky and underhanded ways, using poison, guerilla tactics, torture, massacres, mutilations, assassinations (such as Lord Lyonel Tyrell and the roof of scorpions), and most notoriously, killing Daeron I under a peace banner and crippling the Targaryen Conquest. That said, Dorne is home to House Dayne, which is considered one of the greatest knightly houses of the realm, and Ser Arthur Dayne was regarded as the last real Knight in Shining Armor.
- Culture Chop Suey: They draw influences from Moorish Spain, Wales and Palestine.
- Defiled Forever: Dornishwomen have a reputation for being loose because virginity means nothing to them.
- Demoted to Dragon: The Blackmonts, Daynes, Fowlers, Manwoodys and Yronwoods were royal dynasties before the Martells reduced them to vassals. House Martell arguably became this to House Targaryen around the time Daeron II wed Myriah Martell.
- Determinators: The Dornish collectively decided they had had enough of Valyrians when their Rhoynish ancestors had to flee Essos in search of a new home; which they eventually found after a grueling slog and much careful integration... Then, the Targaryens and their bloody dragons rocked up being all Valyrian and shit. *beat* Of course, the Dornish did not take this lightly and stood their ground for one and a half centuries of near-constant war to fend off Targaryen rule until the latter finally agreed to concessions. Read that again: the Dornish out-stubborned the Targaryens. So the Dornish (finally) agreed to peace (mostly on their terms), but, since the rules that applied to the rest of the kingdoms categorically did not apply to Dorne, it predictably led to sporadic conflicts for another century until almost everyone just was too tired of fighting the Dornish (the Reach doesn't count). Guess who still does not abide with the same rules as the rest of the Seven Kingdoms and, therefore, remains unbowed, unbent, unbroken...and, technically, undefeated.
- Fantastic Racism: The Dornish have never been popular in Westeros: the men have a reputation of being stupid, crazy, and lustful; the women are purportedly very loose. In reality, the Dornish are amongst the most egalitarian culture in Westeros in customs and morals. The fact that they assimilated the Rhoynish doesn't sit well with the rest of the surrounding regions, who are of mostly Andal descent and the Targaryen Dynasty, which were descended from Valyria, the traditional rivals of the Rhoynish and the very reason they had to escape Essos to settle in Dorne.
- There do seem to be exceptions, however. Prince Lewyn is still held in the same high regard as the other Kingsguard, while Arthur Dayne is extolled as possibly the greatest knight to ever live. The racism appears strongest in the Reach, who have warred with the Dornish for ages, while elsewhere few pay much mind to Dorne.
- Fantasy Counterpart Culture:
- To Moorish Spain, with some Wales (their ruler bearing the title of "Prince") thrown in. The Orphans' way of life is a little reminiscent of Roma people. The rivalry between House Yronwood and House Martell resembles the tensions between Northern Spain and Southern Spain.
- They are something of a High Fantasy version of Qurac, due to being a desert region populated by relatively foreign people. Unusually, the Dornish worship the Faith of the Seven (the local Christianity analog) just like the rest of Westeros instead of a version of Islam.
- Dorne's position in the Seven Kingdoms resembles the medieval Kingdom of Bohemia within the Holy Roman Empire. It is a component of a large, multicultural monarchy with a shared religion but a distinct ethnic identity from the rest of the country, with a ruler counted among the highest elite but holding a unique royal title superior to his peers and inferior to the monarch. The "rocky" north of the country, culturally and ethnically closer to the rest of the South, parallels the Sudetenland.
- Gender Is No Object: There's no Stay in the Kitchen attitude in Dorne. Women are treated as equals, can become warriors, and are not placed behind their brothers in the line of inheritances.
- Good Old Ways: The Orphans of the Greenblood, who still worship the Mother Rhoyne.
- Great Offscreen War: Nymeria's War to unite all of Dorne under House Nymeros Martell. The whole of it, including the exiling of the Dornish kings who opposed her is only explained in The World of Ice & Fire.
- Heir Club for Men: The only region in Westeros to avert these. The firstborn child inherits, regardless of gender, unlike the rest of Westeros where a younger son has priority over his older sisters. Female heirs even keep their family names after being married and pass it on to their children.
- The High King: House Yronwood held this title prior to the Rhoynish invasion but it's not surprising that rival houses also claimed to be high king.
- I Don't Like the Sound of That Place: Some Dornish castles and locations sound really scary: Hellholt, Kingsgrave, Ghost Hill, Scourge, the river Brimstone, the Boneway pass, Hellgate Hall.
- Lord Country: The Blackmonts and Yronwoods.
- Master Poisoner: The Dornish are famous for their use of poison in assassinations and Poisoned Weapons. Some men say that poison is for "cravens, women, and Dornishmen."
- Mirror Character: Collectively, to the North. Both are infamous for being impossible to conquer by outsiders, with only a few narrow land routes into the kingdom that are guarded by guerrilla warfare experts, and have retained a unique culture distinct from the rest of the continent as a result. The North is inhospitably cold, Dorne is inhospitably warm. Ever since its annexation, Dorne has been a loyal supporter of the Targaryen dynasty, the North under Ned Stark was a similarly close ally of the Baratheons. Northerners are stereotyped as honorable to the point of self-destructiveness, while the Dornish are stereotyped as having no honor at all, but both have long memories when it comes to injustices committed against their people, and have a habit of responding to them in kind.
- Nom de Mom: As Dorne allows women to inherit before their younger brothers, a ruling princess or lady may pass on her surname to her children rather than be required to give them her husband's surname.
- Not So Above It All: Dorne treats bastards much better than the other kingdoms, but even then, a prince or princess marrying a bastard is still taboo, as is a princess bearing a bastard child. Of course, given just how horribly illegitimate children are treated elsewhere, a bastard is far better off in Dorne than anywhere else.
- Posthumous Character: House Dryland, or rather its last member King Lucifer, was defeated and shipped off to The Wall by Nymeria.
- Pride: Not as much as the Lannisters and Targaryens, but Dorne in general is certainly very proud of the way it is culturally distinct from the rest of Westeros; owing to the fact that they were the only region who was never conquered by Aegon I. See House Martell's house words.
- Racial Remnant: Of the Rhoynar, particularly along the coast and among the Orphans of the Greenblood.
- The Savage South: By reputation, like the North. Everyone else in Westeros seems to consider the Dornish uncouth and uncultured.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Or... the Dornish traditional way of fighting wars. They will make you think they don't care that much about their castles or their lands, and will let you have them almost scarily uncontested — heck, you'll turn up with your army, to find any given town or keep days deserted with anything not nailed down taken with them. This will last for just long enough for a "conquering" army to scratch its collective head about where the Dornish could be hiding, settle in and then get horribly thirsty and hungry. Upon which... the discovery will be made that the wells are either 1) impossible to use without the correct key-lock combination or 2) have been poisoned with something fairly mild that'll cause everybody who used them a debilitating collection of symptoms for days, since you didn't know to apply the antidote before use. And, then the Dornish ambush hits. Don't ever expect open battle, fielded soldiers or cavalry; expect a knife in the back. Wise commanders call it quits at this point. It might not seem very chivalrous, but it works astoundingly well, so much that even the Targaryens had to give up and sue for peace.
- Sheltered Aristocrat: Even more so then the other kingdoms, at least by the time they become significant in the story as Dorne existed nearly independent of the conflicts that consumed the rest of Westeros in recent years. The Dornish only participated in one battle during Robert's Rebellion, appear to have played no role in the Greyjoy Rebellion, and were all but neutral during the War of Five Kings. As a result, Arianne, her co-conspirators, and the Sand Snakes are eager for blood when much of the rest of the Seven Kingdoms have realized how brutal war usually is and would prefer an end of it.
- Victory by Endurance: Dorne only once fell to the Targaryens (for less than six months, though), but endured more than a century and a half of avoiding the Targaryens in direct combat and staying unwaivingly loyal to House Martell. No one faltered and no one gave up until their enemies just grew tired of trying to fight them.
Great House
House Martell
House Martell of Sunspear
- "Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken"—House Martell words
House Nymeros Martell of Sunspear is one of the Great Houses of Westeros and is the ruling house of Dorne. 'Nymeros' indicates "of the line of Nymeria," but generally it is simply called House Martell. The seat of the Prince of Dorne is Sunspear in southeastern Dorne.
The Martells of old used a spear as their emblem, while Nymeria and her Rhoynar used the sun as theirs. When Nymeria wed Lord Mors Martell, the symbols were combined into a gold spear piercing a red sun on an orange field. In appearance they are what Daeron I Targaryen considered salty Dornishmen, with dark eyes, dark hair in ringlets, and olive skin.
- See the House Martell page.
Noble Houses
House Allyrion
House Allyrion of Godsgrace
- "No Foe May Pass"—Allyrion house words
House Allyrion of Godsgrace is a major Dornish noble house. Godsgrace sits near the confluence of the Scourge and the Vaith into the Greenblood. Headed by Lady Delonne Allyson, whose son is Ser Ryon.
Their blazon is a golden hand on gyronny red and black.
Tropes related to House Allyrion:
- Bit Character: Ser Ryon has only appeared a couple times in the series and has yet to do anything of importance.
- Body Motifs: Their sigil is a hand.
- The Ghost: Lady Delonne has yet to appear in the series.
Ser Daemon Sand
The Bastard of Godsgrace
- "Have you forgotten, princess? I am bastard born. If I am unworthy of this hand, how can I be worthy of your cunt?"
The bastard son of Ser Ryon. He is an old lover of Princess Arianne Martell and becomes one of her swornswords in The Winds of Winter.
- Agent Scully: He is very skeptical of Jon Connington being the one who leads the Golden Company in its invasion of Westeros, as well as Aegon VI's survival. He claims he will only believe that it is truly Aegon if he has a smashed in skull from when Gregor Clegane supposedly killed him as a baby.Daemon Sand: Gregor Clegane ripped Aegon out of Elia’s arms and smashed his head against a wall. If Lord Connington’s prince has a crushed skull, I will believe that Aegon Targaryen has returned from the grave. Elsewise, no. This is some feigned boy, no more. A sellsword’s ploy to win support.
- Ambiguously Bi: He took Arianne Martell's maidenhead, and is rumored to have been Oberyn Martell's lover while squiring for him.
- Arrogant Swordsman Guy: He is as smug as he is talented with a blade.
- Bastard Angst: He harbors some resentment that his status as a bastard prevented him from marrying Arianne.
- Everyone Has Standards: Although he was trained by Oberyn and shares a similar attitude and ruthlessness, both he and Oberyn held a negative opinion of Ser Gerold Dayne, with good reasons, as it turns outDaemon: Is that what Darkstar is? A man? ...Ser Gerold is more a viper than your uncle ever was. Prince Oberyn could see that he was poison, he said so more than once. It’s just a pity that he never got around to killing him.
- Heroic Bastard: One of the finest swordsmen in Dorne, a brave one, and loyal to his liege lord and his daughter in particular, as he bravely offers to go on a potentially dangerous mission in her place.
- Lady and Knight: He's now Princess Arianne's sworn shield, and an undeniably loyal one. He even offered to go to Jon Connington in her place so she would be safe from peril.
- Master Swordsman: Reputed to be one of Dorne's finest swordsmen despite his youth
- Named After Someone Famous: He shares the name with the badass Prince Daemon Targaryen and even more fittingly with Daemon Blackfyre, a highborn bastard son that was denied the hand of a princess, just like him.
- Not Good with Rejection: A mild case: he had asked Prince Doran Martell for permission to marry Arianne, but was denied due to his low status and a secret marriage pact that promised Arianne to Viserys Targaryen. While he didn't go crazy due to it, his friendship with Arianne soured.
- Secret-Keeper: He is one of the few Dornishmen entrusted by Doran Martell with the secret of Quentyn Martell's voyage to Essos to marry Daenerys Targaryen and their plans for revenge on House Lannister.
- The Squire: Formerly to Oberyn, and even after being knighted by him Daemon still does some squirely duties for Oberyn, including helping him prepare for his duel against Ser Gregor Clegane.
- Undying Loyalty: To Prince Oberyn and the Martells. After Oberyn's death he's trusted by Prince Doran with the secret of Quentyn's journey and the Arianne's mission to Jon Connington, and he's now Arianne's sworn shield.
- Unresolved Sexual Tension: With Arianne in their journey through the Stormlands in Arianne's chapters of The Winds of Winter. He was Arianne's first love and she gave him her maidenhead, but he was denied her hand in marriage for being a bastard and also because Arianne was secretly betrothed to Viserys Targaryen and quite never got over the slight. When Arianne tries to seduce Daemon he resists, but in the following chapter he's ready to take the risk of talking with Jon Connington and Aegon Targaryen so she wouldn't have to go and be possibly in danger.
House Blackmont
House Blackmont of Blackmont
House Blackmont of Blackmont is a major Dornish noble house. Their seat, Blackmont, is on the banks of the Torentine in the Red Mountains of Dorne.
Their blazon is a black vulture with a pink infant in its claws on yellow. Their words do not appear in the books.
Tropes related to House Blackmont:
- Animal Motifs: Vultures.
- Bit Character: Lady Larra Blackmont, her daughter and heir Jynessa, and son Perros, have all made minor appearances as some of the Dornish nobles who accompanied Prince Oberyn Martell to King's Landing.
- Feuding Families: They have a lot of enmity with the Stormlands houses in the Dornish Marches.
- Kidnapping Bird of Prey: Their sigil is a vulture carrying off a baby.
- Lord Country: Rule over the castle of Blackmont.
- The Squire: Perros Blackmont is currently a squire for an unknown knight.
King Benedict Blackmont
Benedict Blackmont was the last king of House Blackmont in Dorne.- Alliterative Name: First letter of his given and family name is B.
- The Exile: Sent to the Wall after losing to House Martell.
- Famous Ancestor: For House Blackmont.
- Shrouded in Myth: He was said to be a Shapeshifter who can change into a giant vulture and also supposedly worships a "dark god".
House Dayne
House Dayne of Starfall
House Dayne of Starfall is a noble house from Starfall in Dorne. They are among the principal houses sworn to House Martell. The Sword of the Morning is a title given to a Dayne knight who is considered worthy of wielding the greatsword Dawn, a blade said to be created from the heart of falling star. Their sigil is a sword and a falling star on a lavender background. A cadet branch of the family are the Daynes of High Hermitage.- See the House Dayne page.
House Fowler
House Fowler of Skyreach
- "Let Me Soar"—Fowler house words
House Fowler of Skyreach is a noble house from Skyreach in Dorne. They hold the title of "Warden of the Prince's Pass" and watch over the Prince's Pass.
Their arms are a hooded blue hawk on silver.
Tropes related to House Fowler:
- Famous Ancestor: King Ferris Fowler once led ten-thousand men through the Prince's Pass to invade the Reach, but was defeated by King Garth VII Gardener.
- Feuding Families: With House Yronwood, dating back to the Yronwood's resistance against Mors Martell and Nymeria uniting Dorne.
- Gate Guardian: House Fowler is in charge of defending the Prince's Pass from anybody who would seek entrance to Dorne without permission. The head of the house traditionally holds the title "Warden of the Prince's Pass" to reflect this duty.
Lord Franklyn Fowler
The Old Hawk
Head of House Fowler, Lord of Skyreach, and Warden of the Prince's Pass. Father of Jeyne and Jennelyn Fowler.
- Alliterative Name: Franklyn Fowler
- The Ghost: Referred to several times but has not appeared yet.
- My Nayme Is: Franklyn instead of Franklin.
Jeyne and Jennelyn Fowler
Jeyne and Jennelyn
The Fowler twins are friends with Arianne Martell and the Sand Snakes. Jeyne is the elder twin.
- Everyone Loves Blondes: They seem to be pretty popular among the women of House Martell.
- Lipstick Lesbian: They have slept with Nymeria Sand (together), and a relationship with Arianne Martell has been hinted at.
- Statuesque Stunner: They're both described as tall (albeit not specifically how tall), and quite popular with the Martells.
- Twincest: Apparently they held no issue with sleeping with the same woman at once, although the extent to which they are involved with each other is unknown.
Historical Fowlers
King Garrison Fowler
The Blind King
Garrison Fowler, known as The Blind King, was the last king of House Fowler in Dorne. He remained a force to be reckoned with despite his age and blindness.
- The Chessmaster: He was feared for his cunning.
- The Exile: Sent to The Wall after losing to House Martell.
- Handicapped Badass: He was blind yet feared for his cunning.
House Gargalen
House Gargalen of Salt Shore
House Gargalen of Salt Shore is a major Dornish noble house. Their seat, Salt Shore, is located along the Summer Sea on the southern coast of Dorne.
Their blazon is a red cockatrice with black snake in beak on gold. Their words have not appeared on the books.
Tropes related to House Gargalen:
- Bar Brawl: Tyrion recalls hearing that soldiers sworn to House Gargalen got into one of these with soldiers sworn to House Tyrell in a Flea Bottom tavern, leaving one man dead.
Lord Tremond Gargalen
Lord Tremond Gargalen is the Lord of Salt Shore and the head of House Gargalen.- Proud Warrior Race Guy: Oberyn explains to Tyrion Lannister that Lord Gargalen once said that he hoped to die with sword in hand, and Oberyn replied he would sooner prefer to die with a breast in his.
- Undying Loyalty: After Oberyn's death, Areo Hotah observes that Lord Tremond does not drink during Ricasso's toast for King Tommen I Baratheon.
House Jordayne
House Jordayne of the Tor
- "Let It Be Written"—Jordayne house words
House Jordayne of the Tor is one of the principal noble houses of Dorne. The Tor is placed on the southern coast of the Sea of Dorne.
Their blazon is a golden quill on checkered dark and light green.
Tropes related to House Jordayne:
- Bit Character: Lady Myria has made only a handful of appearances thus far, and has yet to do anything of importance.
- The Ghost: Lord Trebor has yet to appear in the series.
- Shout-Out: The entire house- its name, sigil and words- is a tribute to the late The Wheel of Time author Robert Jordan. In addition, its seat, the Tor, is named after Jordan's publisher.
House Ladybright
House Ladybright is a noble house from Dorne. Neither its words nor its colours are known.
Tropes related to House Ladybright
- The Ghost: Lady Alyse Ladybright, the Lord treasurer of Sunspear.
Jayne Ladybright
A member of House Ladybright sent with Arianne Martell to talk with Lord Jon Connington when the Golden Company invades the Stormlands.
- Green Around the Gills: She doesn't handle travelling at sea very well, growing greensick and spending most of the short voyage across the Sea of Dorne vomiting.
- Lady-In-Waiting: For Arianne.
House Manwoody
House Manwoody of Kingsgrave
House Manwoody of Kingsgrave is an old Dornish noble house. Its seat, Kingsgrave, is placed amidst the Prince's Pass, guarding access to Dorne.They blazon their banners with a white skull with a golden crown, over a black field. The motto has not been mentioned in the books.
The arms of the house and the name of its castle refer to the fact that the founder of the house slew there a King of the Reach.
Tropes related to House Manwoody:
- Bit Character: All four members of House Manwoody introduced in the mains books have been strictly background characters so far. They included Lord Dagos, his sons Mors and Dickon, and his brother Myles.
- I Don't Like the Sound of That Place: Their seat is named Kingsgrave, because according to legends a king of the Reach died there.
- My Nayme Is: Mors and Myles Mandwoody.
Historical Manwoodys
King Albin Manwoody
Albin Manwoody was the last king of House Manwoody in Dorne.
- The Caligula: He is remembered as a madman.
- The Exile: Sent to The Wall after losing to House Martell.
Ser Michael Manwoody
A knight who attended Princess Mariah at King's Landing, he fell in love with Princess Elaena Targaryen and later married her.
- Alliterative Name: Michael Manwoody.
- Cultured Warrior: While he was a knight, he had studied at the Citadel for many years and was well known for his wit and extensive learning. He became trusted by King Daeron not for his skill in battle, but for his negotiations with the Iron Bank of Braavos, which Elaena assisted him with.
- Harp of Femininity: Elaena later admitted that it was not Ser Michael's intelligence that she fell in love with, although she did admire that. Instead, it was his love of music and the fact he would often play the harp for her.
- Marry for Love: He and Elaena fell in love, and married not for any political reasons as normally happens in Westeros.
House Qorgyle
House Qorgyle of Sandstone
House Qorgyle of Sandstone is a noble house from Sandstone in western Dorne. They are sworn to House Martell of Sunspear.
Their arms are three black scorpions over red. Their motto does not appear in the books.
Tropes related to House Qorgyle:
- Alliterative Name: Lord Quentyn Qorgyle.
- Animal Motifs: Scorpions. For this it is even said that the Qorgyles arranged the death of the Tyrell governor that then undid Daeron I's Dornish conquest.
- Bit Character: Ser Arron Qorgyle, second son of Lord Quentyn, is one of the knights who accompanies Prince Oberyn Martell to King's Landing.
- Famous Ancestor: Lady Moriah Qorgyle was one of the many maids presented to the young Aegon III Targaryen. She boldly asked the young king if he would come down and kiss her.
- The Ghost: Lord Quentyn and his eldest son and heir Ser Gulian have yet to appear in the series.
House Toland
House Toland of Ghost Hill
House Toland of Ghost Hill is a Dornish noble house sworn to Sunspear, one of the Martells' principal bannermen Its seat is Ghost Hill.
Their arms depict a green dragon biting its tail on gold, the dragon symbolizing that time has no beginning and no end. Their words have not been mentioned.
- Ouroboros: Their sigil is a green dragon eating it's own tail, on a yellow field.
- Troll: Aegon the Conqueror laid siege to Ghost Hill so Lord Toland sent a champion to face him. Aegon killed the champion only to find the man was the Toland's fool and Lord Toland had escaped. House Toland replaced its former ghost sigil with one that depicts a dragon biting its own tail. The green and gold colors represent the fool's motley.
Lady Nymella Toland
Head of House Toland and Lady of Ghost Hill.
- Pride: She takes a lot of pride in the part House Toland played in Dorne's defiance of Aegon the Conqueror and his failure to take Dorne.
Valena Toland
Eldest daughter of Lady Nymella and heir of House Toland.
- Fiery Redhead: She has bright red hair and is described as being very fierce. Her first scene has her challenging Arianna Martell to a horse race.
- Ms. Exposition: In The Winds of Winter, she fills in Arianna Martell and her companions about the mercenary company supposedly led by Jon Connington that had landed in the Stormlands, as well as several other events, like a large number of Ironborn ships sailing east and a new pirate lord setting up on Torturer's Deep.
- Sibling Yin-Yang: Valena is tall, skinny, and talkative, while her sister is short, plump, and quiet.
Teora Toland
- "They were dancing. In my dream. And everywhere the dragons danced the people died."
Second daughter of Lady Nymella.
- Alliterative Name: Teora Toland
- Dreaming of Things to Come: Seems like it, although her mother and sister tell her it's because she eats too many creamcakes before bed.
- The Quiet One: Arianne notes that she is so shy she could pass for a mute.
- Sibling Yin-Yang: Teora is short, plump, and quiet, while her sister is tall, skinny, and talkative.
House Uller
House Uller of Hellholt
- "Half of the Ullers are half-mad, and the other half are worse."—common Dornish saying
Originally of Andal origin, House Uller of Hellholt is one of the great noble houses in Dorne. The Ullers are among the Martell vassals who are closest to their liege lords. Their keep, the Hellholt, is in the middle of the Dornish desert, and they are reputed to be impulsive and unpredictable.
Tropes related to House Uller:
- Alliterative Name: Ulwyck Uller.
- Bit Character: Lord Harmen Uller and his brother Ser Ulwyck.
- Black Sheep: They sound remarkably crazy for being Andals. They have a dire reputation even in Dorne.
- Bureaucratically Arranged Marriage: Upon Mors Martell's death, Nymeria married an Uller.
- Famous Ancestor: Lord Uthor Uller was head of the house when Rhaenys Targaryen attacked Hellholt, and was probably one of the four Lords Uller that were burned during the Dragon's Wroth.
- I Don't Like the Sound of That Place: Hellholt near the river Brimstone? Sounds like a fun place. It earned its name thanks to one of the Lords Uller inviting his rivals to a feast at his castle and then burning them alive.
- Kill It with Fire: The aforementioned burning of their enemies led to the adoption of their sigil to symbolize the flames to mark the event.
- Negated Moment of Awesome: Had the Dornish not been secretive about their way of doing war, House Uller might just have changed their name to House Dragonbane for killing the dragon Meraxes and Queen Rhaenys Targaryen. Considering they were the first Westerosi to ever kill a dragon, that was no small feat.
- No Name Given: The Lord Uller that became Nymeria's second husband.
- The Rashomon:
- Rhaenys might have survived the killing of Meraxes and spent the rest of her living days being tortured by the Ullers. Maester Yandel speculates that this was the reason Aegon I stopped his campaign against the Dornish upon Deria Martell's audience at the Red Keep. Had this not been the case, Deria Martell wouldn't have left the Red Keep alive.
- The other possibility lies in the Dornish taking care of an injured Rhaenys in a dignified manner, but vowed for peace with the Targaryens when her condition turned for the worse, promising Aegon that Rhaenys would have a dignified death.
Ellaria Sand
Oberyn Martell's paramour, the bastard daughter of Lord Harmen Uller, and the mother of Oberyn's four youngest bastard daughters (Sand Snakes).
- See the House Martell character page.
House Vaith
House Vaith of the Red Dunes
House Vaith of the Red Dunes is a Dornish noble house. Their seat, also named Vaith, is placed on the river with the same name. West of Vaith are the deep sands of Dorne; the head of House Vaith has the title Lord of the Red Dunes.
Their arms, according to semi-canon sources are three black leopards standing on a yellow pile on orange.
- The Ghost: Lord Daeron Vaith, current head of the house has yet to appear.
- Lord Country: They rule over Vaith.
Lady Cassella Vaith
The third of Aegon IV's mistresses, Lady Cassella was one of the hostages taken by the Iron Throne after the Submission of Sunspear, and Prince Aegon decided to keep her hostage in his bedchambers in the Red Keep.
- Damsel in Distress: Exactly how consensual her relationship with Aegon is a matter of debate, but considering she was a hostage of the Iron Throne at risk of execution and Aegon placed her back with the other hostages to die when he became bored of her, she definitely counts.
- Foreshadowing: In The Sworn Sword, Dunk & Egg reminiscing of their disastrous meeting with Lady Vaith serves as a preamble for Dunk's meeting with Rohanne Webber with similarly bad results. It goes to show that Dunk is not particularly well versed in court etiquette by unwittingly and precisely speaking about the stuff he's not supposed to be mentioning.
- The Ghost: Dunk & Egg met her in between The Hedge Knight and The Sworn Sword.
- Noodle Incident: It's not revealed what Dunk said to her that caused her to go ballistic, but as Egg argued, it would have happened sooner or later because she's off her rocker.
- Old Maid: She never married, expecting one day to be reunited with Aegon.
- Scatterbrained Senior: In her old age, she came to believe she was Aegon's One True Love and that he would one day return to her. It is possible she is the insane Lady Vaith Duncan and Egg mention meeting while in Dorne, the specifics of which are unknown.
- The One That Got Away: For her, Aegon IV. She considered herself the love of his life and waited for him for the rest of her living days. In the mean time, he married, was crowned king, had multiple mistresses and popped a multitude of children, so the feeling was most certainly not mutual.
House Wells
House Wells is a noble house from Dorne. Their arms are not yet given.
Ser Theodan Wells
- See the Faith of the Seven character page.
Ser Willam Wells
A knight who accompanied Quentyn Martell on his journey to Essos.
- Alliterative Name: Willam Wells.
- Posthumous Character: Killed by pirates before Quentyn's first POV chapter.
House Wyl
House Wyl of the Boneway
House Wyl of the Boneway is a house from Wyl in Dorne. It is one of the principal houses sworn to House Martell of Sunspear. According to semi-canon sources, they blazon their banners with a black adder biting a heel on yellow.
Tropes related to House Wyl:
- Alliterative Name: Wyls sure do like their W's.
- Bit Character: The current and nameless Wyls.
- Famous Ancestor:
- Wylla of Wyl, a warrior maid who was defeated by Storm King Durran the Young at the Battle by the Bloody Pool.
- Ser Wyland Wyl, who killed Steffon Connington at the Dornish Marches in 133 AC.
- An unnamed Lord Wyl captured Aemon the Dragonknight, leading King Baelor the Blessed to rescue his cousin by entering a viper Pit.
- Reptiles Are Abhorrent: The Wyl sigil encapsulates everything people hate about the Dornish.
- Shout-Out: The black adder in the sigil of House Wyl is a reference by George R. R. Martin to the historical comedy Blackadder.
Historical Wyls
The Wyl of Wyl
The Widow-lover
The Wyl of Wyl, also known as the Widow-lover, was the Lord of Wyl and head of House Wyl during the reign of Aegon the Conquerer.
- An Arm and a Leg: He cut off Orys swordhand after capturing him, along with the sword hands of every other captive he held.
- Arch-Enemy: Of Orys Baratheon.
- The Dreaded: Nearly three hundred years later, and Maesters still don't want to recount the vile deeds of Wyl of Wyl during the wars of conquest against Dorne. Gyldayn's account shows us why...
- Forced to Watch: Inflicted this on Alys Oakheart, forcing her to watch her father's murder, her husband being castrated and her ladies in waiting raped along with her.
- Groin Attack: Castrated Ser Jon Cafferen in front of his new wife.
- Karma Houdini: He died apparently unpunished for his crimes against The Iron Throne. It would be his son who would pay the price.
- Only Known by Their Nickname: His given name is not mentioned.
- Rape, Pillage, and Burn: What he did to the wedding of Alys Oakheart, killing most of the guests and having his men gang-rape Alys and her ladies.
- Slavery Is A Special Kindof Evil: After he and his men gang-raped Alys Oakhert and her ladies in waiting, Wyl sold them to a Myrish slaver.
- Wedding Smashers: He brutaly interrupted the wedding of Lady Alys Oakheart, were he slew Lord Oakheart and had his entourage gang-rape Alys and her companions.
Lord Walter Wyl
Son of the Wyl of Wyl, he joined the Vulture King and was later captured by Orys Baratheon, who cut off his hands and feet as revenge, claiming the extra limbs were his "usury".
- An Arm and a Leg: Orys Baratheon cut off Walter's sword hand as "repayment" for the one he lost to Walter's father. Then he cut off Walter's remaining hand and both his feet as well, calling it his "usury".
- The Dragon: To the Vulture King, who gave command of half his army to Walter, to attack Stonehelm.
- Sins of Our Fathers: Since Orys couldn't get payback for what his father had done, it would be him who paid in limbs, with interests.
House Yronwood
House Yronwood of Yronwood
- "We Guard The Way"—Yronwood house words
House Yronwood of Yronwood is the most powerful house in Dorne after the Martells. Yronwood Castle is the last fortress defending the Boneway; this is reflected in their title Warden of the Stone Way. The Yronwoods were kings in Dorne before the arrival of the Rhoynar; the head of the house continues to hold the title The Bloodroyal.
Their blazon is a black portcullis grill over sand.
- See the House Yronwood page.
Landed Knights
House Dalt
House Dalt of Lemonwood
House Dalt of Lemonwood is a knightly Dornish house. Lemonwood is located south of the mouth of the Greenblood, close to the shadow city of Sunspear.
Their arms are a purple field strewn with lemons. Their words do not appear in the books.
Ser Deziel Dalt
The head of House Dalt and Knight of Lemonwood.
- Alliterative Name: Deziel Dalt.
- Bit Character: He has only appeared a couple times so far in minor roles. He was one of the nobles who accompanied Oberyn to King's Landing and later attended the feast that celebrated the deliverance of Gregor Clegane's head to the Martell's.
- Undying Loyalty: Arianne considers appealing to Ser Deziel for aid after her conspiracy is uncovered and Deziel's brother Andrey is imprisoned, but decides that Deziel is too loyal to Doran Martell to defy him, even for his brother's sake.
Ser Andrey Dalt
Drey
- "I have a wonderful horse and a very fine sword, and my valor is second to... well, several, actually."
Deziel's brother and heir. He is a childhood friend of Princess Arianne Martell and joins her plot to crown Princess Myrcella Baratheon.
- Childhood Friends: With Arianne, Tyene Sand, Sylva Santagar, and Garin.
- The Exile: After Arianne's plot to crown Myrcella Baratheon is foiled, Drey is punished by being sent to Norvos to serve Lady Mellario for three years.
- Friends with Benefits: He slept with both Arianne and Tyene when they were younger.
- In-Series Nickname: Called Drey by his friends.
- Know When to Fold 'Em: When the conspirators find Areo Hotah and numerous guardsmen waiting at their ship, Drey immediately surrenders, realizing they have no chance of winning.
- Noodle Incident: Arianne remembers that she and Tyene would have lost their virginity to Drey, had he not gotten too excited and climaxed over Tyene's hands the moment she pulled his pants down.
- Self-Deprecation: When discussing if Darkstar is needed for their plot, Sylva points out that they already have a loyal knight in Drey, and he responds with the quote above.
House Drinkwater
House Drinkwater is a noble house of landed knights from Dorne. Their arms are not yet given.
Ser Gerris Drinkwater
Drink, Dornish Gerrold
- "Fuck your lineage. The dragons won't care about your blood, except maybe how it tastes. You cannot tame a dragon with a history lesson. They're monsters, not maesters. Quent, is this truly what you want to do?"
One of Quentyn Martell's companions on his quest to find Daenerys Targaryen and marry Quentyn to her.
- Arrogant Kung-Fu Guy: He is an excellent swordsman, and Quentyn notes that Gerris has "a swagger to him, a confidence bordering on arrogance". Ser Barristan Selmy picks up on this as well, deeming Gerris arrogant, shallow, and "false coin".
- Boisterous Bruiser: Not even the death of three other members of Quentyn's group dampened his spirits or desire for adventure and glory.
- Book Dumb: Knows next to nothing about the cultures of Essos, despite Maester Kedry having attempted to educate all of the knights accompanying Quentyn to the continent. That said, he is fairly street smart and good at picking up peoples motives.Quentyn: You'd know this if you bothered to read the book Maester Kedry gave you.Gerris: It didn't have pictures.Quentyn: There were maps.Gerris: Maps do not count. If he had told me it was about tigers and elephants, I might have given it a try. It looked suspiciously like a history.
- Color-Coded Eyes: His green eyes enhance his good looks but also help represent his less trustworthy nature in comparison to his companions.
- Hidden Depths: Despite his apparent impulsiveness and swagger, Gerris routinely shows himself concerned with Quentyn's welfare and mood, counseling him against his more foolhardly intentions and providing alternative plans. And after Quentyn's death, Gerris defends his honor to no less an authority than Barristan Selmy.
- Hunk: Both Daenerys and Ser Barristan make note of his appearance; the latter even thinks that if Quentyn looked like Gerris, Daenerys might have given more thought to marrying him.
- In-Series Nickname: Often called Drink by his friends.
- The Lancer: To Quentyn.
- Noble Male, Roguish Male: He is more outlandish and emotional than Archibald, who is more knightly, stoic, and thoughtful.
- Played with. While Gerris comes off as irresponsible, he's the one who comes up with most of the group's plans; meanwhile, the knightly Archibald routinely opts for the path of straightforward violence.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: The red to Archibald Yronwood's blue, being much more passionate and reckless.
- Street Smart: He is pretty good at reading people's intentions and coming up with crafty plans, like joining the Windblown so that they can reach Meereen faster. This helps combat his moments of being Wrong Genre Savvy, so long as his temper or pride don't get the better of him.
- True Companions: With Quentyn and Archibald.
- Undying Loyalty: While he may have some reservations, he will do whatever Quentyn asks of him.
- Wrong Genre Savvy: Thinks of the mission with Quentyn as a grand adventure, even after Cletus Yronwood, Willam Wells, and Maester Kendry are killed. He starts to wise up after they arrive in Meereen, attempting to convince Quentyn to return to Dorne after Daenerys disappears on Drogan, and is horrified by his plan to try taming one of the other dragons, dismissing it as insane and a folly.
House Santagar
House Santagar of Spottswood
House Santagar of Spottswood is a house of landed knights from Spottswood in Dorne. They are one of the main houses sworn to Sunspear.
Neither their arms or their motto appear in the books. In a semi-canon source they blazon their arms with a spotted leopard with a golden axe, over a per bend sinister blue and white field.
- No to be confused with House Celtigar of Claw Isle, a house from the Narrow Sea at the Crownlands.
Ser Symon Santagar
The Knight of Spottswood.
- Alliterative Name: Ser Symon Santagar
- The Ghost: He's never seen.
Sylva Santagar
Spotted Sylva
The daughter and heir of Symon Santagar and a close friend of Arianne Martell.
- Alliterative Name: Sylva Santagar
- Arranged Marriage: As punishment for her part in the plot to crown Myrcella Baratheon, she is married to elderly Lord Eldon Estermont.
- Childhood Friends: With Arianne, Tyene Sand, Andrey Dalt, and Garin.
- In-Series Nickname: "Spotted" Sylva, due to her freckles and being the heir to Spottswood.
Ser Aron Santagar
The master-at-arms at King's Landing at the start of the series. His relationship with the main branch of House Santagar is unknown.
- Agent Peacock: According to Rodrik Cassel, he is extremely vain, if honest.
- Master Swordsman: Comes with the job, considering the royal princes are among his pupils.
- Perpetual Frowner: Sansa describes him as overly gloomy.
- Your Head Asplode: Killed during the bread riots when his head is pulped with a big rock. The body was near-unrecognizable.
