This is a listing of houses in the Iron Islands 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
The Iron Islands
"War was an ironman's proper trade. The Drowned God had made them to reave and rape, to carve out kingdoms and write their names in fire and blood and song."
—Theon Greyjoy's thoughts
You may dress an ironman in silks and velvets, teach him to read and write and give him books, instruct him in chivalry and courtesy and the mysteries of the Faith but when you look into his eyes, the sea will still be there, cold and grey and cruel.
— Archmaester Haerreg
The smallest of the regions of Westeros overall, the Iron Islands is an archipelago in Ironman's Bay off the western coast and is home to the Ironborn, who have a reputation as fearsome raiders. Their main religion worships the Drowned God. For centuries the Ironborn ruled a kingdom that stretched across the Riverlands, but it was destroyed by Aegon the Conqueror, who destroyed the ruling House Hoare. House Greyjoy was elected to replace them, and they bent the knee to the Iron Throne, but have long harbored desires to rebel and return to the Old Ways of raiding and raping along the coast. House Greyjoy and their people are driven by a generational hatred against the mainland "oppressors" — though some Ironborn lords have taken ladies of the Riverlands and Westerlands noble houses as wives. Bastards in the Iron Islands are given the surname "Pyke". Other practices that are deemed unworthy are to work the fields and mines and the practice of literacy, which has made historical documentation of the islands notoriously difficult; practices that are deemed worthy always involve the spoils of the sea, such as fishing.
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Tropes applying to the Ironborn
"We did not come to these holy islands from godless lands across the seas. We came from beneath those seas, from the watery halls of the Drowned God who made us in his likeness and gave us to dominion over all the waters of the earth."
— Sauron Salt-Tongue, a priest of the Drowned God
- Absurdly High-Stakes Game: The Finger Dance has been apparently used to choose Ironborn kings. Otherwise, it's a fairly common drinking and/or betting game for those who want to show off how fearless they are.
- Action Girl: There is no taboo against this among the Ironborn, although they're vanishingly rare, and having them in leadership positions is rather more iffy.
- Aesop Amnesia: Most of the Ironborn still long for the days where they could reave freely for a living and had territories on Westeros and constantly try to re-establish the Old Way. Yet despite their constant failures to bring back the Old Way and gain independence they still fail to realize that the Old Way could only work when the other kingdoms were far less organised and well-protected and as such couldn't react properly to the Ironborn raids, and that these days as long over as the mainland kingdoms have many castles and fortifications to protect themselves from Ironborn attacks, that several of them have their own fleets, and have much larger, better equipped and disciplined armies than they have. Their numerous defeats are also in good part due to their unwillingness to forge alliances with other kingdoms and that they attack those who may be willing to ally with them.
- And Now You Must Marry Me: Salt wives are women captured during raids and forced to marry the Ironborn warrior who captured them. They have a very low station in Ironborn society, but their children are allowed to inherit land and titles if the father had no surviving children by his rock wife.
- Ape Shall Never Kill Ape: Ironborn men cannot shed the blood of other Ironborn or take Ironborn women as salt wives (concubines).
- Attack! Attack! Attack!: Laying siege to a castle the Ironborn way is about charging it head on, instead of cutting off its supply lines or using siege weapons
- Cold Turkeys Everywhere: Most want their old colonial holdings back and long for the days they could rampage up and down the coast of the Seven Kingdoms to their hearts' content. Reality has yet to set in. Hence the repeated rebellions that usually fail dismally.
- Les Collaborateurs: During the Andal invasion Houses Orkwood, Drumm, Greyjoy, and Hoare joined forces with the Andals to topple King Rognar II Greyiron.
- Cool Chair: The Seastone Chair, carved in the shape of a kraken and made of an oily black stone. Legend claims it was found on Old Wyk by the first men who arrived in the Iron Islands. Notably, it is one of several objects and structures made from oily black stone that have been found in costal regions across the world.
- Crippling Overspecialization: The Ironborn are formidable reavers and very dangerous foes in naval battles thanks to their mobile ships and sailing experience, combined with the fact that they fight with axes and are unafraid of wearing armor at sea since drowning is a part of their culture. However they rarely stand a chance against the other kingdoms' armies or strong fortifications when fighting on land as they are inferior in numbers, lack discipline, have almost no cavalry and archers and generally do not use siege weapons when attacking castles. When they do succeed at scoring victories over the other kingdoms it's generally thanks to the effect of surprise and are inevitably beaten once the other kingdoms have mobilized their forces to fight back.
- Cut Lex Luthor a Check: As shown with the prosperity that the Ironborn knew during the rule of House Hoare, the Iron Islands could get considerably richer and more prosperous if they made a living as sailors and merchants, or privateers or sellswords, instead of constantly returning to reaving. But the violence of their culture, and power and influence of the Drowned Men and of other fundamentalists believing in the Old Way such as Dalton or Balon Greyjoy prevent them from realizing it and condemn the isles to misery and ruin after their attempts to bring back the Old Way are inevitably crushed.
- Does Not Like Guns: The Ironborn consider projectile weapons like bows and catapults dishonorable and, more importantly, cowardly. Yet, at the same time, they know to fear the Crannogmen of the Neck. Even if they'll never, ever admire them.
- Elective Monarchy: They practice one called a "kingsmoot". Any captain is eligible to put his name forward as a candidate, but one can only win by acclamation.
- Elemental Motifs: Water and the sea, but imagine a cold, unforgiving, stormy ocean as opposed to the gently flowing, nurturing rivers of House Tully. Ironborn are as cold, ruthless and cruel as the seas they sail.
- Exotic Extended Marriage: Ironborn men are allowed to have multiple wives: one rock wife who is the Top Wife, and an unlimited number of salt wives, who are women captured during raids. The children of salt wives are considered legitimate and have inheritance rights, but they come after the rock wife's children in the line of succession.
- Fantastic Slurs:
- The Ironborn call the people of the other kingdoms of Westeros "the greenlanders", because they live in "greener" lands than the Iron Islands and are viewed as soft and weak for living of agriculture and trade instead of taking things by force, and not living in lands as hard as the Iron Islands, ignoring that some kingdoms such as the North or Dorne have even harsher weather than the isles, and that life on the mainland isn't easy either.
- The common folk and nobles from the green lands call the Ironborn "squids" because they are ruled by House Greyjoy, whose insignia is a kraken.
- Fantasy Counterpart Culture: In many ways, one for Viking Age Scandinavia, being sea-bound raiders and warriors who inhabit windy and rocky lands, adheres to a different religion than the mainland, and are infamous for their tendency to Rape, Pillage, and Burn. Of course, in typical GRRM style, bits, and pieces are taken from other cultures.
- The Iron Islands history as an Elective Monarchy makes them fairly reminiscent of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The idea of "Every Captain is a King of his ship" and "Every King must be Captain" suggests the famous aphorism of any nobleman is equal to the Count. Likewise, the Polish warrior-aristocratic class (the szlachta) regarded their lands as a "nation of Nobles" and did not include the vast number of serfs (who they refeudalized) in their conception of nationhood. Of course, the Iron Islands lack the religious tolerance of the Commonwealth and its greater military successes but they do share the pretentiousness of being a Proud Warrior Race of entitled landlords.
- Their practice of kingsmoots in their home country that needs to be attended by the leaders of their noble houses wherever they are was also practiced by the Mongols.
- Fingore: A popular game among reavers and raiders on the Iron Islands is the finger dance, where two people throw a hand axe back and forth between each other and have to catch it. It usually ends with somebody losing one or more fingers.
- The Friend Nobody Likes: The Ironborn are hated pariahs among the rest of the Seven Kingdoms, being loathed for their reaver culture and their long history raiding western half of the continent. Any attempt to better integrate them into Westerosi society has always ended in disaster so few try anymore, leaving the Iron Islands politically isolated for much of its existence. Fire & Blood at one point notes even the idea of bringing an ironborn to King's Landing (to be part of the king's council) is "unthinkable", giving the impression they're only a bare step above wildlings as far as the rest of the kingdoms are concerned. The only reason they are tolerated by the Crown is because they've spent the centuries following Aegon's Conquest mostly keeping to themselves.
- From Nobody to Nightmare: They were always nightmares, but during the first phase of the War of the Five Kings, when Balon Greyjoy was the Ironborn's king everyone treated them as a joke barely worth notice until the real threats had been dealt with. The death of Balon and the entrance of his extremely competent yet utterly monstrous brother, Euron, who has a far more focused strategic vision (along with some very dark hidden ambitions) and waited to take advantage of the spent forces of the various factions of Westeros, turns the Ironborn into a genuinely serious threat able to directly challenge the other factions.
- Glory Days: Theon has said that all Iron Islanders are stuck harking back to what amounts to fluffy memories of the Hoare Empire. House Harlaw is one of the few to avert this, however. The irony is, at the time, said empire was not that popular at home, and was even considered a form of blasphemy against Ironborn traditions by the contemporaries of people like Aeron Greyjoy.
- Going Native: Worship of the Drowned God is so integral in the islands that Andals converted just to get accepted there.
- Good Old Ways: Of reaping, raping, and pillaging. The Iron Islands in general have shown themselves to be quite hostile to outside influence, as their checkered history with the Faith of the Seven demonstrates.
- Had to Be Sharp: The Ironmen have a huge cultural superiority complex on this basis. "A hard land breeds hard men." They've also inflicted this trope on various coastal regions and islands... such as the Arbor and Bear Island.
- Hate Sink: From a cultural standpoint, there's really nothing to redeem the Ironborn as a whole, seeing as they're brutal, sadistic, entitled, manipulative, opportunistic, and hypocritical cowards in their base state.
- Heel–Face Revolving Door: Although the "Face" part is only in a relative sense and only towards the rest of Westeros. In the centuries since Aegon's Conquest, many of the Ironborn have settled into careers of merchants and traders and those who choose to be reavers do it in the Narrow Sea and other areas so far east of Westeros that rest of the Seven Kingdoms don't care. However, most of them still grumble about wanting to fully revive the Old Way and happily support House Greyjoy's periodic attempts to return to it.
- Heroic Lineage: Many Ironborn families trace their lineage back to the Grey King.
- Honor Before Reason: Combat Pragmatist ways of fighting in wars, like siege weapons, are frowned upon. Leeroy Jenkins or bust.
- Horny Vikings: Oh, yes. Well, except without actual horns on the helmets, most of the time. Which... kind of makes them look more like real Vikings.
- Klingon Scientists Get No Respect: They look down on maesters and book learning, even though there have been a number of Ironborn maesters (and at least two archmaesters, Hake and Haereg).
- Like Goes with Like: An ironman can have as many salt wives as he can get his hands on, but only one rock wife, his true bride who must also be Ironborn.
- Loophole Abuse: While Ironborn are forbidden from shedding the blood of other Ironborn, they can be beaten to death or made a Human Sacrifice to the Drowned God.
- Lord Country: The Blacktydes, Harlaws and Stonehouses.
- Lord of the Ocean: The Drowned God is the primary god worshiped by the Ironborn.
- Might Makes Right: The Ironborn believe that only might makes right. Taking the Iron Price is based entirely on the idea that anyone who can't defend their stuff doesn't deserve to have it... Or should just become a form of chattel themselves if they don't also lose their life in the whole stuff-belongs-with-the-strong escapade.
- Named After Somebody Famous: Ironborn still sometimes name their children Theon ("The Hungry Wolf" Stark) as a sign of Villain Respect.
- Never Learned to Read: Most Ironborn can't read, because they don't consider it manly. The few Ironborn who can are mocked as weaklings or feared as sorcerers.
- Not So Above It All: The Ironborn have a healthy fear of the Sunset Sea, and it's implied that their faith is derived from their experiences attempting to expand through that route being stymied by how impossible it has been to try to explore it. Due to this, the Ironborn have no love for the open water and only navigate the known seas. The sea itself is extremely rough, providing both sustenance and harm to the Ironborn; small wonder their religion is shaped around it.
- No True Scotsman: The Ironborn have a vaguely undefined set of codes as to what constitutes true ironborn behaviour. In Aeron Greyjoy's views, true Ironborn are drowned in saltwater as per the religion of the Drowned God, but many Ironborn, not wanting to risk certain death, take a more user-friendly ritual to Aeron's contempt. All of them look down on maesters and book learning but the richest lord of the Iron Islands is Rodrik "The Reader" Harlaw. Balon Greyjoy looks down on Theon Greyjoy for being a "greenlander" but nominates his daughter Asha Greyjoy as his heir, going completely against the macho viking culture he wants to install. Likewise everyone despises Euron Greyjoy for his blasphemy and relative cosmopolitanism, but he gets voted in as King of the Iron Islands because he has a bigger plunder than any of them have ever seen. Victarion Greyjoy despises chattel slavery but has no problem with taking thralls, salt-wives and executing male prostitutes. The idea of a culture being a Single-Issue Wonk of Rape, Pillage, and Burn is obviously shown as a ridiculous endeavor. In short, even compared to the rest of Westeros, Ironborn culture is ludicrously inconsistent and hypocritical.
- No Woman's Land: Well, someone's going to suffer when your culture revolves around Rape, Pillage, and Burn. Non-Ironborn women are regularly captured and taken as salt wives, and Ironborn law says that a man has to murder his wife if she cheats on him, even if the "cheating" was actually rape. They're a little more progressive than the Dothraki in regard to woman warriors; an Ironborn woman can be an Action Girl, but she constantly has to prove her strength and courage in battle, and is still thought of as lesser than a man. Even Asha Greyjoy, daughter of the strongest House on the Iron Islands and captain of her own ship, is seen to struggle with those limitations.
- One-Steve Limit: Averted: A popular name among the Ironborn is "Dagon," an obvious Shout-Out to Dagon by H. P. Lovecraft.
- Proud Warrior Race: They have all the hallmarks and utterly disdain other ways of life.
- Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil: Averted; Rape, Pillage, and Burn is a just fate for anyone not strong enough to fight them off.
- A Real Man Is a Killer: Very conspicuous among Ironborn tradition. Their culture places such an emphasis on reaving and plundering that acquiring personal possessions by buying them ("paying the gold price") is seen as unmanly, fit only for thralls and women.
- Robbing the Dead: Known as "paying the iron price", meaning paying for things by killing someone and taking their stuff. Buying things is abhorrent to the more fundamentalist Ironborn.
- Selective Obliviousness: The Drowned Men and other traditionalists on the Iron Islands choose to only remember the songs and stories speaking about the past victories of the Ironborn and the glory of the Old Way, instead of acknowledging the flaws and failures of their people and of this lifestyle, as well as the crushing defeats and periods of death and ruin caused by each attempt to bring back the Old Way and the other times the Ironborn overreached and suffered retaliation from the mainland.
- Smug Snake: A whole culture of them, save for a few smarter and wiser individuals such as Rodrik Harlaw, Baelor Blacktyde, Asha Greyjoy or Tristifer Botley. Despite their relative poorness and low manpower, how much stronger the other kingdoms have become in many centuries, their many crushing defeats and failures to bring back the long obsolete Old Way, including the recent Greyjoy Rebellion, most of the Ironborn still act as if they were superior to the mainlanders due to their reaving and violent lifestyle, and long to restore the Old Way or conquer other lands even though they don't have the means to. It's telling that they chose to make Euron Greyjoy their king based on the promise of them conquering all of Westeros, even though they are clearly way above their head and heading for disaster.
- Spell My Name with a "The": Like the Northern mountain clans, a testament to their descent from the First Men, the head of certain families are referred as "The [family name]". This is practiced by the Sparrs, the Drumms, the Merlyns and even the Greyjoys.
- A Taste of Their Own Medicine:
- As payback for raiding the Westerlands during the Dance of Dragons, Lady Johanna Westerling-Lannister, taking advantage that the Ironborn had sunk into a Civil War in the aftermath of the death of Dalton Greyjoy, sent her forces to assault the Iron Islands, killing several lords of many important Ironborn houses, putting thousands of civilians to the sword, taking almost anything of value and burning what was left.
- King Lymond Hightower, the last Hightower king before house Hightower became vassal to house Gardener, who crushed an Ironborn invasion of Oldtown decided to use their own culture and laws of thralldom against them, making his Ironborn captives the thralls of Oldtown and forcing them to rebuild the damage they did to the city and even to strengthen Oldtown walls against any future Ironborn attack.
- Things That Go "Bump" in the Night: The Northmen use raiding Ironborn as bogeymen to frighten children.
- Til Murder Do Us Part: According to Ironborn tradition, if a man's wife has sex with another man (whether or not it was consensual), her husband can only restore his honor by killing her.
- Villain Respect: Ironborn sometimes name their children Theon after their greatest Worthy Opponent King Theon Stark.
Great House
House Greyjoy
House Greyjoy of Pyke
- "We Do Not Sow"—House Greyjoy words
House Greyjoy of Pyke is one of the Great Houses of Westeros. It rules over the Iron Islands, a harsh and bleak collection of forbidding islands off the west coast of Westeros, from the Seastone Chair in the castle of Pyke on the island of the same name. The head of the family is traditionally known as the Lord Reaper of Pyke. Their sigil is a golden kraken on a black field. Members of the family tend to be attractive and well-built, with black hair.
- See the House Greyjoy page.
Noble Houses
House Blacktyde
House Blacktyde of Blacktyde
House Blacktyde of Blacktyde is a noble house from Blacktyde Castle on the island of Blacktyde. They are bannermen to House Greyjoy, the overlords of the Iron Islands.
Tropes related to House Blacktyde:
- My Nayme Is: Blacktyde instead of Blacktide.
Lord Baelor Blacktyde
- "Balon the Widowmaker, I call him. I will gladly trade his freedom for a father. Have you one to give?"
Head of House Blacktyde and Lord of Blacktyde. After Balon Greyjoy's first rebellion, Baelor was held captive for eight years in Oldtown to ensure his houses loyalty, and during that time he converted to the Faith of the Seven.
- Alliterative Name: Baelor Blacktyde.
- Badass Cape: Always wears a sable cloak. Euron takes it after having him killed.
- The Captain: Of the Nightflyer.
- Cruel and Unusual Death: Euron Greyjoy has him executed by being cut into seven pieces since Baelor worships the Seven.
- Disappeared Dad: His father was killed in Balon's first rebellion, leaving Baelor quite bitter towards Balon and opposed to the new war.
- The Heretic: Among the Ironborn, since he worships the Seven instead of the Drowned God.
- Lord Country: Blacktyde is the island that he rules.
- Mauve Shirt: He appears in only a couple of scenes and is shown to be one of the more reasonable Ironborn before being killed.
- Only Sane Man: Along with Lord Rodrik Harlaw, he is one of the few lords who opposed Balon declaring himself king and attempting to rebel against the Iron Throne again. He supports Asha during the Kingsmoot because she wants to end the war and take advantage of their gains while they still have them.
- Properly Paranoid: He is worried that the Kingsmoot is just a trap for Euron to kill all his enemies at. He is both right and wrong: Euron manages to win over most of the Ironborn to his cause and get elected king, but Baelor is among those who refuse to vote for him and are executed.
- Prophetic Name: He has the same first name as a Targaryen king who was known for being a particularly devout worshipper of the Seven.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: After Euron is elected by the Kingsmoot, Baelor attempts to flee but is swiftly captured and executed.
Beron Blacktyde
See the Drowned Men page.
Historical Blacktydes
King Joron Blacktyde, the First of His Name
Maidensbane
A king of the Iron Islands elected by the Kingsmoot, Joron won many victories against the Reach during his reign.
- In-Series Nickname: Known as "Maidenbane" for the time he sacked the Arbor and carried off every woman on the island under thirty.
- King Bob the Nth: He was the first of his name and house to rule over the Iron Islands.
House Botley
House Botley of Lordsport
House Botley of Lordsport is a noble house from the Iron Islands, one of the principal houses sworn to the Greyjoys. Their seat of Lordsport is located on the island of Pyke, at the opposite side of the Greyjoys' keep of Pyke.Their blazon is a shoal of silver fish on pale green. Their words do not appear in the books.
- See the House Botley page.
House Drumm
House Drumm of Old Wyk
House Drumm of Old Wyk is a noble house from the Iron Islands, tracing their history back for at least eight hundred years. Their seat is on the island of Old Wyk, the island considered holiest by the Ironmen and the first one colonized by the First Men.
Neither their arms or their words appear in the text. According to semi-canon sources they blazon their shield with a bone hand, white on red.
Tropes related to House Drumm:
- Alliterative Family: Lord Dunstan Drumm has two sons, Denys and Donnel.
- Ancestral Weapon: Red Rain, a Valyrian steel sword taken from a mainland knight by Hilmar Drumm the Cunning decades ago.
- Body Motifs: A skeletal hand is their sigil.
- Elective Monarchy: Regnar Drumm, called Raven-feeder, rock king of Old Wyk, chosen as the second High King after the death of Urras Ironfoot and the surrender of his son Erich the Ugly.
- Famous Ancestor: Dagon Drumm the Necromancer, Dale the Dread, Roryn the Reaver, Gormond Drumm the Oldfather, and Hilmar Drumm the Cunning.
- Massive Numbered Siblings: Gormond Drumm the Oldfather supposedly had one hundred sons.
Lord Dunstan Drumm
The Drumm, The Bone Hand
- "What right has Pyke to rule us? Great Wyk the largest isle, Harlaw the richest, Old Wyk the most holy. When the black line was consumed by dragonfire, the Ironborn gave primacy to Vickon Greyjoy, aye... but as lord, not king."
The head of House Drumm and Lord of Old Wyk. Also known as The Drumm and The Bone Hand.
- Alliterative Name: Dunstan Drumm.
- The Captain: Of the Thunderer.
- Character Filibuster: Goes into one at the Kingsmoot when making a bid to become king, going on and on about the history of his house. It bores all the attendees and his support evaporates. Thankfully for the reader, the speech is summed up and not written out.Aeron heard shouts of approval, but they dwindled as the old man began to tell of the glory of the Drumms. He spoke of Dale the Dread, Roryn the Reaver, the hundred sons of Gormond Drumm the Oldfather. He drew Red Rain and told them how Hilmar Drumm the Cunning had taken the blade from an armored knight with wits and a wooden cudgel. He spoke of ships long lost and battles eight hundred years forgotten, and the crowd grew restive. He spoke and spoke, and then he spoke still more.
- Cool Sword: He wields House Drumm's Ancestral Weapon, a Valyrian steel sword named Red Rain.
- Hidden Depths: He is able to command the loyalty and respect of Andrik the Unsmiling, the best fighter in all of the Islands, and he is also shown sharing uneasy whispers with Rodrik Harlaw as Victorian's strategy unfolds.
- Old Soldier: Still at it, even though he maybe should start thinking about hanging up the ax before he becomes a Perilous Old Fool.
- Old Windbag: He's an old man who babbles on about his house's greatness long past the point of interest.
Andrik
The Unsmilling
- "The singers call Andrik best now. Andrik the Unsmiling, they name him. A giant of a man."—Dagmer Cleftjaw
A captain in service to House Drumm. Dagmer Cleftjaw, a legendary raider, describes Andrik as the fiercest Ironborn warrior currently alive, and one of just three Ironborn raiders that he rates as a greater warrior than himself.
- Asskicking Leads to Leadership: He's described as a giant, a fierce and unrelenting warrior, and it has earned him a position as a great captain and the champion of House Drumm.
- The Berserker: According to Dagmer Cleftjaw, he's the most fierce Ironborn warrior of this generation, and when you consider what the typical Ironborn warrior is like...
- The Big Guy: He is this to the Ironborn in general as their largest and most ferocious warrior .
- Large and in Charge: He is described as being huge and powerful, and after Euron is elected king he is made Lord of Southshield.
- The Dragon: To Lord Dunstan, until Euron Greyjoy gives him lordship over Southshield in order to weaken Dunstan's power.
- Names to Run Away from Really Fast: "The Unsmiling" doesn't really suggest a sunny disposition, does it?
- Only One Name: Which means he's probably a son of a saltwife or similar lowly birth.
- Pirate: It's what he is.
- The Stoic: Never ever smiles, hence his nickname. When you consider how grim and cold Ironborn culture typically is, the fact that Andrik is noted for this trait says a lot about him.
House Farwynd of the Lonely Light
House Farwynd of the Lonely Light
House Farwynd of the Lonely Light is a noble house from the Iron Islands. It is a cadet branch of the main Farwynd house. Their lands lie on the Lonely Light, an island eight days sail to the northwest of Great Wyk. They blazon their arms with per fesse: below a black sea with crested line, a black longship, outlined against the setting sun, dark red on orange.
Some claim that the Farwynds from Lonely Light are skinchangers who can take the forms of sea lions, walruses and spotted whales.
Tropes related to House Farwynd of the Lonely Light:
- Generation Xerox: The three sons of Lord Gylbert Farwynd are said to resemble their father.
- Selkies and Wereseals: Members of the house are rumored to be skinchangers with the ability to turn into seals, walruses and other creatures from the sea.
Lord Gylbert Farwynd
Lord of the Lonely Light and one of the lords who puts his name forth at the Kingsmoot.
- Cloudcuckoolander: His pitch at the Kingsmoot is promising to lead all the Ironborn to a land across the ocean to the west where there is no death, winter, or want, and all men and women would live as kings and queens. He is quickly dismissed as a madman, with even members of his own house not supporting him.
- Eye Colour Change: Aeron notes his eyes change from grey to blue rapidly, and thinks that they are "mad eyes, fool's eyes".
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: He is convinced that continuing the war is foolish, and that danger is coming and proposes that they sail away beyond the Sunless Sea in order to escape.
House Goodbrother
House Goodbrother of Hammerhorn
House Goodbrother of Hammerhorn is a noble house from the Iron Islands. They are one of the most powerful houses from Great Wyk, the largest of the islands, and are one of House Greyjoy's primary bannermen. Their keep of Hammerhorn is inland, in the Hardstone Hills, their wealth not coming from the Sunset Sea but from their mines.
Their blazon is a gold-banded black warhorn on red. Their motto has not appeared in the books.
Tropes related to House Goodbrother of Hammerhorn:
- Alliterative Family: All members of the main line mentioned so far have names that start with "G".
- The Clan: Has branches in Corpse Lake, Crow Spike Keep, Downdelving, Orkmont and Shatterstone.
- Famous Ancestor: Gunthor Goodbrother, who killed Alester Wynch after the death of Dalton Greyjoy to gain possession of Lysa Farman.
- Arthur Goodbrother, who killed Leo Costayne during the Westerlands retaliation assault on Great Wyk.
- Meaningful Name: They boast descent from the Grey King's leal eldest brother.
- Massive Numbered Siblings: Gorold has had twelve daughters and three sons.
- Same-Sex Triplets: Gorold's three sons, Greydon, Gormond, and Gran. They are identical as well, with most people having a hard time telling them apart.
Lord Gorold Goodbrother
- "Damphair, I would have your counsel. What shall it be, homage or defiance?"
Head of House Goodbrother of Hammerhorn and Lord of Hammerhorn.
- Alliterative Name: Gorold Goodbrother.
- Benevolent Boss: He trusts and respects his maester more than any other Ironborn, or even some Southern lords.
- Everyone Has Standards: He sounds disgusted when talking about Euron's murder of Sawane Botley
- Good Parents: He takes his sons with him for important jobs and shows concern for them as well (such as when Aeron arrives without his son Gormond, whose horse Aeron borrowed).
- No True Scotsman: Aeron Greyjoy does not consider Gorold very Ironborn, since Gorold styles himself too much like a "greenland" lord, listens to his Maester for advice, and lives too far from the sea.
- Sacred Hospitality: He is a gracious host to Aeron and offers to let him spend the night in his castle.
- Turn Coat: He initially supports Victarion in the Kingsmoot, but is swayed by Euron's speech into voting for him in the end.
Historical Goodbrothers
King Urrathon Goodbrother, the Fourth of His Name
Badbrother
A king of the Iron Islands during the Age of Heroes. He was elected by a Kingsmoot after the death of the previous Iron King. Urragon executed all of the sons of the previous king who were present in the Iron Islands to secure his rule, but his cruelty made him many enemies. He was overthrown by Torgon Greyiron, the last son of the previous king, after ruling for only two years.
- 0% Approval Rating: His cruelty was too much for even the brutal Ironborn to stomach. Didn't help that it was often directed toward his subjects instead of mainland Westeros.
- Cruel and Unusual Death: He was hacked to pieces.
- Evil Overlord: Considered a tyrant by the Ironborn — which, considering their culture is to some extent built on cruelty, is saying something.
- Famous Ancestor: To the current House Goodbrother.
- In-Series Nickname: Badbrother, gained after executing all the sons of the previous king.
- King Bob the Nth: He's the fourth Urrathon Goodbrother.
House Harlaw
House Harlaw of Harlaw
House Harlaw of Harlaw is one of the most powerful houses from the Iron Islands, ruling over the entire island of Harlaw from the castle of Ten Towers. Their blazon is a silver scythe on black. Their motto has not appeared in the books.
- See the Harlaw Houses page.
House Merlyn
House Merlyn of Pebbleton
House Merlyn of Pebbleton is a noble house from the Iron Islands. They are one of the primary houses sworn to Pyke. Their seat of Pebbleton Tower is located at Pebbleton on Great Wyk. According to semi-canon sources they blazon their arms with twining waterspouts, green on white.
Lord Meldred Merlyn
The Merlyn
- "You krakens have too many arms, you pull a man to pieces."
Lord of Pebbleton.
- Adipose Rex: He is a rather fat lord.
- Alliterative Name: Meldred Merlyn.
- Deadpan Snarker: As his quote at the top indicates he isn't afraid to mock the succession crisis a bit.
- In-Series Nickname: "The Merlyn".
- Large and in Charge: A fat man who takes no guff from Aeron.
- No True Scotsman: Like Goodbrother, he is less of a reaver and styles himself a bit like a southern lord.
- Only Sane Man: He's one of the few Ironborn leaders to support Asha at the kingsmoot.
- Pelts of the Barbarian: He clads himself in furs, although this actually counts as Conspicuous Consumption to some given the average Ironborn finances and makes him come across as more civilized.
- This Is Gonna Suck: He shows some incredulity and nervousness when Aeron calls for a Kingsmoot.
Manfryd Merlyn
A captain of House Merlyn.
- Alliterative Name: Just like his relative Meldred.
- The Captain: Of Kite, a vessel in the Iron Fleet.
House Saltcliffe
House Saltcliffe of Saltcliffe
House Saltcliffe of Saltcliffe is a noble house from the Iron Islands. They rule over the island of the same name. According to semi-canon sources their sigil is a nine-headed serpent, black on silver.
Tropes related to House Saltcliffe:
- Bit Character: Lord Donnor Saltcliffe is one of Euron Greyjoy's supporters but doesn't play much of a role.
- Lord Country: They literally rule over an island with the same name, albeit one they have to share with House Sunderly.
- Our Hydras Are Different: Their sigil is a nine-headed serpent that brings to mind a hydra.
House Sparr
House Sparr of Great Wyk
House Sparr of Great Wyk is an Ironborn noble house on the island of Great Wyk in the Iron Islands. Their lands are about six leagues from Hammerhorn. House Sparr's lord is known as the Sparr.
According to semi-canon sources House Sparr blazon their arms with oak saltire on blue.
Tropes related to House Sparr:
- Alliterative Name: Steffarion Sparr, the Sparr's son.
- Bearer of Bad News: The Sparr and his son Steffarion are the ones who bring the news of Balon's death to Aeron.
- Nice Guy: Steffarion offers Aeron his own horse after he demands Gorold Goodbrother's.
- No Name Given: The head of the house is simply referred to as The Sparr in the text.
- No True Scotsman: Like most of the other Great Wyk nobles, with Aeron mocking the nature of Steffarion's drowning (which sounds more like a christian baptism) as not being sufficient.
Rodrik Sparr
The Vole
A captain in the Iron Fleet.
- All There in the Manual: He is only referred to as The Vole in the text. His actual name is mentioned in the appendix.
- The Captain: He commands Grief, a ship in the Iron Fleet.
- In-Series Nickname: His crew call him The Vole, since he is small and hairy like one.
- My God, What Have I Done?: He's the one who finds the Red Priest Moqorro and presents him to Victarion but he soon begins to regret Moqorro's influence on their captain and vainly tries to speak against him.
House Stonehouse
House Stonehouse of Old Wyk
House Stonehouse of Old Wyk is a noble house from Old Wyk, one of the Iron Islands. They are one of the main houses sworn to Pyke.
Neither their arms or their motto appear in the books. According to semi-canon sources they blazon their arms with a black brazier on a grey masonry field.
Ralf Stonehouse
Red Ralf
A raider and captain in the Iron Fleet. He is an ally of Victarion Greyjoy.
- The Captain: Of the Red Jester.
- In-Series Nickname: Red Ralf.
- Pirate: It's what he is.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: He is given command of the fastest ships in the Iron Fleet during the crossing of the Narrow Sea. Only nine of his ships make it to the rendezvous point with the other two parts of the fleet, and Ralf and his ship are not among them.
House Wynch
House Wynch of Iron Holt
House Wynch of Iron Holt is a noble house from the island of Pyke in the Iron Islands. They are among the Greyjoys' principal bannermen. Their seat is the town of Iron Holt is on the other side of the island from the castle of Pyke, the seat of House Greyjoy.
Their blazon is a bloody moon on purple. Their motto does not appear in the books.
Lord Waldon Wynch
The Lord of Iron Holt and head of House Wynch. He is an ally of Euron Greyjoy.
- Alliterative Name
- Yes-Man: To Euron, being the first Lord to acknowledge him as King of the Iron Islands. As a reward, he was given half the lands of House Botley.
Ser Aladale Wynch
Other Houses (Lesser vassals, Houses that only appear in other works)
House Codd
- "Though All Men Do Despise Us"—House Codd words
House Codd is a noble house from the Iron Islands. Their sigil depicts a silver codfish.
The Codds are not a well-regarded house among the Ironborn. Descended from thralls and salt wives, their men are thought to be thieves and cowards and their women "wantons" who practice incest with their fathers and brothers.
Tropes related to House Codd:
- 0% Approval Rating: Even among the ruthless and violent Ironborn, House Codd is pretty much universally despised for their actions, which are rumored to include incest, thieving, and being cowardly. The fact that they descend from the underclass of thralls and salt wives does them little credit either among the Ironborn.
- Animal Motifs: Their sigil is a codfish.
- Card-Carrying Villain: They fully acknowledge that everyone hates them with their house words.
- Nouveau Riche: While technically highborn, the Codds are descended from laborers and concubines, which the rest of the Iron Islands treats them with disdain for.
Lucas Codd
Left-Hand Lucas
A captain who aligned himself with Euron Greyjoy after Balon Greyjoy's death.
- Aristocrats Are Evil: Though the Codds are not precisely aristocrats.
- Badass Cape: A sample chapter from The Winds of Winter mentions Lucas wearing an ornate tapestry as a cloak.
- In-Series Nickname: "Left-Hand" Lucas. Asha turns the nickname around on him by implying that his "famous hand" is the only action he gets.Lucas: I am unwed.
Asha: And for good reason. All women do despise the Codds as well. Don't look at me so mournful, Lucas. You still have your famous hand. - Kick the Dog: At Euron's victory feast after conquering the Shield Islands, he rapes one of Lord Hewett's daughters on a table in front of her father while her sisters scream and cry.
- Pirate: It's what he is.
- Sadist: Considering that one of his most notable actions in the series so far is raping one of Lord Humfrey Hewett's daughters in front of him and the rest of her family, it is safe to label him as one.
- Teeny Weenie: Invoked by Asha to mock him.Asha: Easier than wounding him in the prick. I throw an axe as well as any man, but when the target is so small...
Dagon Codd
- "Is that a threat? Dagon Codd yields to no man."
A raider under the command of Victarion Greyjoy who is left at Moat Cailin during the Kingsmoot.
- The Brute: He's a physically intimidating man who seems to keep the others in line by force.
- Character Death: Adrack Humble kills him by throwing an ax into his head after Dagon refused to surrender to Ramsay Bolton. Dagon got the lucky end of this deal, since all the Ironborn who surrendered were tortured, flayed, and strung up on poles.
- Everyone Has Standards: When he discovered two Ironborn warriors who had resorted to cannibalism during the occupation of Moat Cailin he was disgusted and killed them both.
- Fish Eyes: Theon thinks that his father must have sired him with a fish in order to get them.
- Jerkass Has a Point: Even if he didn't fully know the reason why, he was 110% right when he said it was a really bad idea to surrender in good faith to Ramsay Bolton.
- Never Learned to Read: Along with most of those left behind at Moat Cailin. Unsurprising, since they are among the lowest of the low from a place that despises intellectualism.
- Pirate: It's what he is.
- Proud Warrior Race Guy: He does not take Theon's ultimatum very kindly:Dagon: Enough. You think you can frighten Ironborn with words? Begone. Run back to your master before I open your belly, pull your entrails out, and make you eat them.
- Shout-Out: His name and fish-like appearance (wide mouthed and pop eyed with pale skin) are a reference to the Fish People of Lovecraft's The Shadow Over Innsmouth.
- We Hardly Knew Ye: Dies within a few pages of being introduced.
Eldred Codd
A raider of House Codd.
- Bit Character: He has only a very small role.
- Fingore: Loses one of his fingers at the Kingsmoot while playing the finger dance with Qarl the Maid.
- Pirate: It's what he is.
Tom Codd
Bloodless Tom
A captain in the Iron Fleet.
- Bit Character: He has only a very small role.
- The Captain: Of the Lamentation.
- In-Series Nickname: Bloodless Tom.
- Pirate: It's what he is.
House Humble
House Humble is a house from the Iron Islands. It is considered a lesser house due to the fact that it is descended from thralls and salt wives.
Tropes related to House Humble:
- Bit Character: A few of them:
- Burton Humble, a raider who serves on the Iron Victory, Victarion Greyjoy's flagship in the Iron Fleet.
- Quellon Humble, a raider who is a supporter of Euron Greyjoy.
- Will Humble, a supporter of Victarion. At the Kingsmoot he lost a bet and had to eat one of his boots.
Adrack Humble
- "Me, I mean to live, and that don't mean staying here to rot."
An Ironborn raider under the command of Victarion Greyjoy who is among the garrison left to defend Moat Cailin during the Kingsmoat.
- An Arm and a Leg: He lost part of his left arm in a battle.
- Character Death: He is flayed along with all of his men after surrendering to Ramsay Bolton.
- Exotic Extended Marriage: He mentions having three salt wives and one rock wife, and that three of them were pregnant last time he saw them.
- Flaying Alive: His fate after surrendering to Ramsay.
- Handicapped Badass: Despite only having one arm, he is a capable fighter and can accurately toss a throwing axe into someone's head from across a room.
- Never Learned to Read: Unsurprising, since he is a noble of low social status who comes from a notoriously anti-intellectual culture.Adrack: If we yield, we walk away? Is that what is says on this here writing?
- Pet the Dog: Is genuinely grateful for Theon saving his life, promising to name a son after him.
- Pirate: It's what he is.
- Rewarded as a Traitor Deserves: Gets flayed after killing his commander so he could surrender to Ramsay Bolton.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: After realizing that he and the rest of the garrison were left behind by Victarion because they were the most expendable, he decides to surrender to Ramsay in hopes that he can live.
- The Starscream: Murders Dagon Codd to gain control of the garrison at Moat Cailin so he could surrender to Ramsay.
- We Hardly Knew Ye: Dies in the same chapter he is introduced.
House Ironmaker
House Ironmaker is a minor noble house from the Iron Islands. Neither its arms nor its words are known.
Tropes related to House Ironmaker:
- Bit Character: Urek, Thormor, and Dagon, three grandsons of Erik who serve as his champions during his pitch at the Kingsmoot.
- Named After Somebody Famous: Dagon is likely named after the famed raider Dagon Greyjoy, who Erik sailed with in his youth.
Erik Ironmaker, Lord Steward of the Iron Islands
The Just, Anvil-Breaker
The elderly head of House Ironmaker, with many sons, grandsons, and great-grandsons. He is a formerly fearsome and famed raider who attempts to become King at the Kingsmoot.
- Arranged Marriage: With Asha, arranged by Euron. Since Asha fled the Iron Islands, a seal was used to stand in for her.
- Armor-Piercing Question: While he puts on a good show at the Kingsmoot, his support evaporates when Asha challenges him to simply stand up. Him being 88 years old and very fat, he naturally can't.
- Badass Boast: Makes several during his Kingsmoot speech:Erik: I can't count how many hands I've smashed to pulp with that hammer, but might be some thief could tell you. I can't say how many heads I've crushed against my anvil neither, but there's some widows could. I could tell you all the deeds I've done in battle, but I'm eight-and-eight and wont' live long enough to finish. If old is wise, no one is wiser than me. If big is strong, no one's stronger.
- Beard of Evil: It is so large that it is hard to tell where it stops and his white bearskin cloak begins.
- Evil Cripple: He is so fat that he has to be carried around in a carved driftwood chair.
- Evil Old Folks: He's so old he remembers Dagon Greyjoy's reign and fought during it.
- Fat Bastard: He weighs around 280 pounds.
- I Coulda Been a Contender!: Aeron remarks that he could have won the Kingsmoost if it had happened sixty years ago, due to his badassery and charisma in his youth, but that his time is long gone by now, not that it stops him from trying despite his current old age and fatness.
- In-Series Nickname: Known as Erik the Just and Erik Anvil-Breaker.
- Number Two: Euron names him Lord Steward of the Iron Islands and Castellan of Pyke when he leaves the Iron Islands to begin his conquest.
- Retired Badass: He was once one of the greatest Ironborn raiders. Now he can't even stand.
- Unwanted Spouse: To Asha, of course.
House Shepherd
House Shepherd is a noble house from the Iron Islands in Westeros, under House Greyjoy. Neither its arms nor its words have appeared yet. It is considered a young house of small stature.
Daegon Shepherd
The Black Shephard
A captain in the Iron Fleet.
- Bit Character: He has only a very small role.
- The Captain: Of the Dagger.
- In-Series Nickname: The Black Shepherd.
- Names to Run Away from Really Fast: His nickname.
- Pirate: It's what he is, like most Ironborn captains.
Extinct Houses
House Greyiron
House Greyiron of Orkmont
House Greyiron of Orkmont is an extinct house from Orkmont in the Iron Islands. The Greyirons were the Kings of the Iron Islands for a thousand years.
According to semi-canon sources they blazoned their arms with the sea king's head, white with dark green seaweed beard and hair, a black crown on a grey field.
Tropes related to House Greyiron:
- Cool Crown: They wore a black iron crown instead of the individualized driftwood crowns of the high kings
- Metallic Motifs: Black iron.
- Plot-Triggering Death: Urragon III's death caused a Succession Crisis. It's all he's known for.
- Thousand-Year Reign: Started by King Urron "Redhand" until the arrival of the Andals.
King Urras Greyiron
Ironfoot
The first king elected by a Kingsmoot.
- Awesome Moment of Crowning: He was crowned by Galon Whitestaff, the priest of the Drowned God who created the Kingsmoot.
- Elective Monarchy: He was the first king chosen in a Kingsmoot as High King, the first to rule over Rock and Salt Kings.
- Rank Up: He had been the salt king of Orkmont before being elected at the Kingsmoot.
King Erich Greyiron, the First of His Name
The Ugly
Son of Urras, he attempted to claim the Driftwood Crown upon his father's death without a Kingsmoot.
- 0% Approval Rating: Galon Whitestaff and all the captains and kings of the Iron Islands were outraged that he tried to become king without a Kingsmoot and condemned him to death.
- Know When to Fold 'Em: He broke his father's crown and cast it into the sea to avoid being killed by captains and kings that rebelled against his unlawful rule, showing his submission to the Drowned God.
King Torgon Greyiron
Torgon the Latecomer
Torgon Greyiron, also known as Torgon the Latecomer, was a High King of the Iron Islands from House Greyiron.- Reasonable Authority Figure: He ruled fairly in his 40 year reign.
- Rebel Leader: Led The Alliance against the "unlawful" king Urrathon Goodbrother, who had killed all his brothers.
- Rightful King Returns: Torgon had been away raiding along the Mander from his stronghold in Greyshield. His brothers sent him no word of the Kingsmoot, hoping that one of them would be chosen. Of course, he wasn't actually the rightful King under Ironborn law, but said his claim should have been considered.
- The Usurper: Usurped not any rightful king but the authority of the Drowned Men
King Urragon IV Greyiron
Urragon IV Greyiron, formally styled Urragon Greyiron, Fourth of His Name Since the Grey King, was a High King of the Iron Islands from House Greyiron.- Number Two: To his father King Torgon
- Universally Beloved Leader: Urragon assumed kingship without a Kingsmoot and no priest denouncing him, at least not outwardly.
King Urron Greyiron
Urron Redhand
- "The Drowned God makes men, but it's men who make crowns."
Great-nephew of King Urragon IV, Urron wiped out his rivals at the Kingsmoot following his uncles death and made the Greyirons the royal house of the Irons Islands.
- Founder of the Kingdom: The Iron Islands had been a "Kingdom" for centuries before him, but it was more of a loose confederacy of sovereign petty kingdoms. After slaughtering the other petty kings and reducing the kings of the islands to lords, he turned the Iron Islands into something resembling a nation-state, with a single monarch. It's telling that no-one thought to reinstate the Kingsmoot after his death or after the Andals deposed his descendants.
- The High King: He ended the practice of every island having a "Rock King" and "Salt King" by killing all his rivals at the kingsmoot and making his kingship hereditary.
- Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: His actions at the Kingsmoot broke the long-standing rule that Ironborn would never shed the blood of Ironborn, and gave rise to centuries of internal conflict among the Ironborn as House Greyiron attempted to hold onto their royal title. This allowed the lords on mainland Westeros to drive the Ironborn off their shores, with the most grievous loss being the capture of the Misty Islands by King Garth VII Gardener.
- The Oathbreaker: "Ironborn shall not spill the blood of Ironborn." Urron spilled a great amount, giving him the nickname "Redhand".
- The Purge: His main targets at the Kingsmoot were not the salt and rock kings, but rather the priests of the Drowned God who controlled the Kingsmoots. Urron had more than fifty of them killed, breaking their power on the Iron Islands for thousands of years. He also extinguished several houses who refused to bow to his takeover, many of which were just as ancient and powerful as House Greyiron.
- There Can Be Only One: The rulers of each Iron Island were reduced to lords, while lines that refused to bend the knee were extinguished. The lords of the mainland took advantage of the disunity among the Ironborn, and one by one, the remaining footholds in the green lands were lost.
King Rognar Greyiron, the Second of His Name
The last King of the Iron Islands from House Greyiron, he was brought down by an alliance of powerful houses aided by Andal pirates.
- King Bob the Nth: He's the second Rognar Greyiron.
- Last of His Kind: He was the last king and member of House Greyiron.
House Hoare
House Hoare of Orkmont
House Hoare of Orkmont is an extinct house of the Iron Islands. Known as the black line, or the black blood, the Hoares became the Kings of the Iron Islands after the Andal settlers on the islands ended the rule of House Greyiron. While they originally came from Orkmont according to a semi-canon source they also built Hoare Castle on Great Wyk. The Hoares eventually moved to Fairmarket and Harrenhal in the riverlands where they ruled as Kings of the Isles and the Rivers.According to semi-canon sources, their banner depicted per saltire and with two heavy silver chains crossing between a gold longship on black, a dark green pine on white, a cluster of red grapes on gold, and a black raven flying in a blue sky (clockwise). The sigil represented the distant lands that had been under the rule of the house: the longship for the Iron Islands, the green pine for Bear Island, the grape cluster for the Arbor, and the black raven for the maesters of Oldtown; all bound by the iron chains of the Ironmen.
- See the House Hoare page.
