This is a listing of members of House Reyne who appear in A Song of Ice and Fire.
For the main character index, see here
For the main Westerlands entry, see here
House Reyne of Castamere
"And who are you, the proud lord said, that I must bow so low?"
—opening lines of The Rains of Castamere
A noble house of First Men origin, House Reyne's seat of Castamere in the northwestern Westerlands was mostly subterranean with depleted silver and gold mines turned into an underground castle filled with grand halls, ballrooms, and bedchambers. They were quite influential until they rebelled with House Tarbeck against their Lannister overlords. The rebellion was broken by Tywin Lannister, who exterminated both houses as an example to those who would defy his will.
The fate of Houses Reyne and Tarbeck have been immortalized in the song "The Rains of Castamere".
The keep and lands surrounding Castamere were ultimately given to House Spicer as a reward for their part at the Red Wedding and the successful capture of Riverrun.
They blazoned their arms with a red lion rampant regardant with a forked tail, armed and langued gold, on silver.
Tropes related to House Reyne:
- Alliterative Name: Common among them. There was a Robb Reyne during the First Blackfyre rebellion, and the brothers Roger and Reynard Reyne during the rule of Aegon V and Jaehaerys II.
- Always Second Best: They were essentially a discount House Lannister, and that fact stuck in their craws right up until Tywin wiped them out.
- Ambiguous Situation: It is implied that the Valyrian steel sword Red Rain, currently in the possession of House Drumm, previously belonged to them.
- Fantasy Conflict Counterpart: The Reynes and Tarbecks serve as a composite to the enemies of Edward Longshanks (of whom Tywin is an Expy of). Their sigil combines the red lion of the Lion Rampant of Scotland (Edward was known as the "Hammer of the Scots") with the inverted colours of Simon de Monfort during the Second Barons Rebellion. Their defeat has hallmarks of the Battle of Evesham, which was the Establishing Character Moment of Edward Longshanks.
- Foil: The Lannisters look down on the Reynes for their attempts to usurp the ruling family of the Westerlands and their vaunted displays of superiority. By the time of A Song of Ice and Fire they have got this reputation for the whole of Westeros.
- Horrible Judge of Character: They saw their liege lord Tytos Lannister as weak and House Lannister as a fading power. They failed to take into consideration the Lannister who actually led his armies was not Tytos but the heir to Casterly Rock, Tywin Lannister.
- Kill It with Water: The ultimate fate of Castamere, whose inhabitants died when Tywin dammed a stream to flood the castle's underground catacombs.
- Make an Example of Them: There is little doubt House Reyne's fate was also a warning to the other vassal houses who had grown bold under the weak leadership of Tytos. The message was clear; the current Lord wouldn't live forever and his heir Tywin would punish any such transgression without hesitation. Since then simply having messengers play "The Rains of Castamere" to troublesome vassals has been enough to make them fall back into line.
- Metallic Motifs: Their sigil is the red lion on a silver field and they led one of the biggest silver mining operations in the Seven Kingdoms. Also, it denotes their silver status to the Lannister gold.
- Murder Ballad: They are the subject matter of the probably the most famous ballad in Westeros. From The World of Ice & Fire, we learn that the song makes specific references to the manner of their doom, from quoting Ellyn Reyne's Badass Boast (though attributing it to Rogert Reyne) and the fact that Tywin drowned their Underground Lair by rerouting a nearby lake — "now the rains weep o'er his hall" indeed.
- No Historical Figures Were Harmed: An ambitious, but now extinct noble house, symbolized by a lion with a forked tail? The Montforts
say hello. - No Name Given: The unnamed Lord Reyne who fought for the Greens during the Dance of the Dragons.
- Odd Name Out: Alastor Reyne, master-at-arms of Casterly Rock during the reign of King Jaehaerys I Targaryen.
- Pride Before a Fall: The Reynes in the years leading to their demise were proud, competitive and jealous of Lannister hegemony. They would build expensive palaces and buy jewellery that outshone those of the Lannister matriarchs.
- Posthumous Character: The greatest example of why not to mess with Tywin Lannister.
- Pun: Tended to be on the receiving end of these thanks to their name.
- Remember the New Guy?: Despite being such a major part of the backstory, they are never mentioned until the third book.
- Shout-Out: Their seat, Castamere, is named after King Castamir the Usurper from The Silmarillion; appropriate, as the Reynes ultimately try to usurp the Lannisters.
- Similar Squad: The last Reynes were a trio of siblings (Ellyn, Roger and Reynard) that could be described as a scheming, power-hungry seductress, a Master Swordsman, and a clever younger brother. Sounds a lot like Cersei, Jaime and Tyrion.
- The Starscream: Along with House Tarbeck, they openly defied House Lannister and renounced their allegiance.
- Underground City: Castamere is mostly located underground, full of tunnels and mines. It comes back to bite them in the ass when Tywin orders Castamere to be sealed and flooded, with all Reynes inside."Yes, now the rains weep o'er his hall/and not a soul to hear"
- Written by the Winners: The Reynes are remembered as disloyal vassals by the Lannisters. There is no one left to tell their side of the story.
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Lady Ellyn Reyne
Lady Ellyn Tarbeck (née Reyne)
"When Tarbeck Hall came crashing down on Lady Ellyn, that scheming bitch, Tyg claimed [Tywin] smiled then."
— Lady Genna Lannister
The sister of Roger and Reynard. Originally betrothed to Tywald Lannister, heir to Casterly Rock. After Tywald was killed during the Peake Uprising, she seduced his twin brother, Tion, getting him to put aside his own betrothal to marry her. Once they married, she became the unofficial Lady of Casterly Rock. After Tion's death during the Fourth Blackfyre Rebellion, she pretended to be pregnant with his child, and after that claim was proved false, she later tried to seduce Tytos (the younger brother of Tywald and Tion). When Tytos' wife Jeyne learned about this, Ellyn was promptly married off to Lord Walderan Tarbeck. She had at least three children by him (Rohanne, Cerelle and Tion).
- Alpha Bitch: She's not very nice, that's for sure.
- Ambition Is Evil: Her only desire was power, for both herself and House Reyne. At first, she tried to amass it by being the Lady of Casterly Rock, instituting the "Reign of the Reynes" while at court there even though her husband Tion wasn't even Lord of Casterly Rock yet. After Tion's death and being married off to Walderan Tarbeck she settled for trying to overthrow House Lannister instead.
- Arranged Marriage: She had been betrothed to Tywald Lannister, but he died fighting in the Peake Uprising. She later seduced his twin brother Tion and made him break off his original betrothal to marry her. After Tion's death and Ellyn's failure to seduce their brother Tytos and get him to set aside his own wife, Lord Gerold decided to rid Casterly Rock of her by arranging her marriage to the aged Walderan Tarbeck.
- Badass Boast: In text cut from the published version of The World of Ice and Fire, she gives one that eventually became the in-Westeros version of Tempting Fate:Ellyn: You are not the only lions in the west, ser. My brothers are coming, and their claws are just as long and sharp as yours.
- Behind Every Great Man: She was the true power behind both the Reynes and Tarbecks, pushing them toward their rebellious acts against House Lannister.
- Death from Above: One of the reports of her death state she died when Tarbeck Hall crashed down with her inside.
- Happily Married: To Walderan Tarbeck.
- It's Personal: Tywin Lannister ordered Tarbeck Hall destroyed with Ellyn trapped inside not only because of the offenses the Tarbecks and Reynes committed against their liege lords, but also because she dared to try seducing Tywin's father Tytos while he was still married. Tywin reportedly smiled as the castle burned.
- Lady of War: As Lady Tarbeck.
- The Rival: During her time at Casterly Rock she became this to Jeyne Marbrand, the wife of Tytos. Their rivalry became a feud when Ellyn tried to seduce Tytos.
- Take That!: The names she gave her children by Walderan Tarbeck were daggers against Lord Gerold Lannister, her former father-in-law.
- The Vamp: Seduced Tion Lannister into setting aside his betrothal, and after Tion died tried to seduce Tytos Lannister, who was already married, but failed.
Lord Roger Reyne
Lord Roger Reyne
The Red Lion of Castamere
The eldest son of Lord Robert Reyne, the Red Lion served as Lord of Castamere following the Peake Uprising through the final years of Lord Gerold Lannister and the rule of Lord Tytos Lannister. One of the greatest warriors in the Westerlands.
- The Ace: He was considered the deadliest swordsman in the Westerlands, and an exemplary leader and tactician in war.
- Alliterative Name: R's
- Blatant Lies: When Alyn Marbrand went to arrest the Tarbecks for turning against their lord, Roger led a sneak attack on his camp during the night. Afterwards, he claimed he thought they were simply an unusually large band of outlaws.
- Frontline General: He would personally lead his forces into battle both during the War of the Ninepenny Kings and during the Reyne and Tarbeck defiance of House Lannister. The last time this bit him in the ass, since he was wounded and control of the house was left in the hands of his brother.
- Master Swordsman: He was considered to be the deadliest swordsman in the Westerlands during his lifetime.
- The Mentor: To Kevan Lannister, who served as his squire. Ser Roger even knighted him after Kevan proved himself during the War of the Ninepenny kings.
- Murder Ballad: He is the "Proud Lord" in the song The Rains of Castamere. However, the Badass Boast attributed to him in the song was actually said by his sister.
- Roaring Rampage of Revenge: After his father was killed during the final battle of the Peake Uprising, Ser Roger began to slaughter the members of House Peake captured during the battle, slaying seven of them before Prince Aegon stopped him.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: When Lord Tytos Lannister announced that his only daughter, Genna Lannister would marry Emmon Frey - a second son - Lord Roger stormed off in anger.
- He also pulled after his attack against Tywin failed.
- Worf Had the Flu: When he arrived at Tarbeck Hall, he found that Tywin had already destroyed it and he got hit by a stray crossbow bolt on his retreat, leaving him unable to deal with Tywin during the fatal doomed siege of Castamere.
- You Are in Command Now: During the War of the Ninepenny Kings, he took over command of the Westerlands forces after Ser Jason Lannister was killed. He then led the Westermen to several notable victories.
Ser Reynard Reyne
Ser Reynard Reyne
Lord Roger's younger brother.
- Alliterative Name: Reynard Reyne.
- Cunning Like a Fox: Shares his first name with the Fox from the fables, and he's certainly described as cunning.
- Informed Attribute: For all the talk of him being a social expert, the only person we ever see him outwit is the incredibly naïve Tytos Lannister (and even then it's debatable whether Tytos really bought Reynard's bs or just chose the easy way out of the conflict); his attempted deal with Tywin was completely idiotic, making demands for hostages with pretty much zero leverage.
- Sibling Team: With Roger, who was the warrior while Reynard was the diplomat. Together they and their sister Ellyn dominated the Westerlands for years.
- The Social Expert: Described as a cunning and smooth talker. He even managed to convince Lord Tytos to pardon his family after they slaughtered Lord Denys Marbrand's host, claiming that his brother believed they were attacking a group of bandits and robber knights.
- Too Clever by Half: Tried to negotiate with Tywin by telling him to send some of his kin to Castamere. That was the last straw for Tywin.
- You Are in Command Now: Took command from his brother after the latter was injured fleeing Tarbeck Hall.
