Game Of Thrones - Euron Greyjoy / Characters

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King Euron Greyjoy

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/euron_greyjoy.png

"I am the storm, brother. The first storm, and the last."

Played By: Pilou Asbæk

"From Oldtown to Qarth, when men see my sails, they pray."

A younger brother of Balon Greyjoy. He is a ruthless and insane pirate who has been gone from the Iron Islands for quite some time.

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Abled in the Adaptation: The show's version of Euron has both of his eyes in display. In the source material he is wearing an eye patch on his left eye, and it's vague if it is still intact (though it's heavily implied that it is, just something terrible to look upon).
Adaptational Badass: Played With. There's no indication that Book Euron is particularly skilled in combat. TV Euron seems to have gained the combat prowess of his Adapted Out brother Victarion and retains all of his manipulative intelligence. On the other hand, he seems to have no skills in magic, even though the Book Euron is well versed in sinister magics. Though to be fair, we really haven't seen his book counterpart either use magic either, it's just been hinted at. And while Book Euron has not been seen physically fighting anyone, he does have a full coat of Valyrian steel armor.
Adaptational Late Appearance: Appears significantly later in the show than he does in the books, making his first appearance at the end of Season 6 when the show had finally overtaken the books.
Adaptational Heroism: Well, "heroism" is entirely the wrong word, but the show has Victarion being Adapted Out, so as far as we know Euron never raped his brother's wife. Also, Aeron seems to not fear him, so Euron likely never sexually abused him as he is revealed to have done in the books. As the rest of Quellon Greyjoy's children excluding Balon, Aeron, and Euron seem to be Adapted Out, it also seems likely he never murdered Harlon and Robin Greyjoy. In addition, his monstrous treatment of Falia Flowers in the books is likely cut, because it could be too horrific even for this show. In addition, there is no indication that he has allied with the White Walkers, something which has been heavily implied in the books. Nor is there any implication of him wanting to enact a dark ritual that will turn him into an Eldritch Abomination, which was previewed by early-release chapters of The Winds of Winter. His goals seem a lot more grounded and petty than eldritch and malevolent, focusing more on "fucking the queen" than destroying the known world.
Adaptational Personality Change: To the point of almost being a character who just bears the same name and some aspects of backstory. Euron in the books is a calculating mastermind who tends to remain level-headed and engages in strange magics; the show version is a boisterous braggart who monologues about his sexual prowess, power as a warrior and feats as a raider. He's a scummy pirate in this version compared to the books' far more patient but much more grandiose level of threat.
Adaptational Sexuality: Amongst the many crimes of his book counterpart Euron raped two of his younger brothers repeatedly when they were younger. The show version is never stated to have slept with a man and indeed all his boasts in the work itself and his own narrations of his days as a pirate only make reference to forcing himself on women.
Adaptational Ugliness: Played with. Book Euron is a handsome man but he has an intimidating, almost ethereal appearance, and a single eye with cold malice. Show Euron, while still attractive (especially in Season 7, with his hair and beard cropped down), looks far more plain and normal, if very obviously insane.
Adaptational Villainy: While Book Euron is generally despicable, perhaps the one decent thing about him is that he has a soft spot for the deformed and disabled, surrounding himself with dwarfs, giants, cripples, mutes, and freaks, if only to make himself seem more intimidating by their presence. Here, he heavily insinuates that Tyrion should have been killed at birth for being a dwarf.
Adaptational Wimp: In the books, Euron isn't just a pirate king, he's implied to be a powerful sorcerer. He brings heaps of treasure, oddities, warlocks, and magical items with him to the Kingsmoot to convince the other Ironborn of his prowess, including a horn he claims can bind dragons to his will. A preview chapter of The Winds of Winter reveals he owns an entire suit of Valyrian steel armor covered in arcane glyphs, and is abducting priests and warlocks and other holy and magical persons, implicitly to sacrifice them as some sort of blood ritual. It's also implied and speculated that he may have a connection to the Three-Eyed Crow/Raven. The show drops all of this entirely, and the only thing kept is the crew of mutes.
Admiring the Abomination: Euron is one of the few people to observe the undead Gregor Clegane with admiration instead of horror.
Ambiguous Situation: Given that the show utilizes many of the foreshadowing elements for Book Euron but never brings up any of them later on, makes Euron one of the more underdeveloped characters in the entire series. His reason for cutting out the tongues of his crew is never being explored upon, neither the reason why he was banished from the Iron Islands. The secrets of his voyages are also never touched upon. But the biggest mystery is his unnaturally youthful appearance, since he is supposed to be Theon and Yara's uncle but is closer to their age rather than Balon.
Armor Is Useless: Absolutely averted. Nymeria is not able to significantly hurt him with her whip or knife because of his armor, even striking at his softer parts. Euron's unconventionally heavy armor allows him to go full offense with little risk of being severely injured.
Asskicking Leads to Leadership: That's his thesis. His primary claim is that while Balon was sitting on his ass, Euron was out there, reaving. Which he further solidifies by stating how he killed Balon: If he's the strongest man, why shouldn't he rule?
Attention Whore: Euron really enjoys asserting himself on everything every time there's a large gathering just to show-off. Notable instances are the Kingsmoot, savoring the crowds' cheers when delivering Yara, Elaria, and Tyene to Cersei, and mocking Tyrion during a parley, possibly to impress Cersei and not to be "outdone" by the Clegane brothers who made a scene (well, Sandor did) just a few minutes prior. He even enters the Throne Room on horseback as a sign of authority (similar to Tywin).
Authority Equals Asskicking: Similar to his book counterpart, Euron Greyjoy is known to be the most dangerous figure in the Iron Islands and gives the Ironborn real menace, showing intelligence, cunning, ambition, combat prowess, and competence. This is further established in the show where Euron is credited with the raid on Lannisport in the first rebellion, then he further cements on this during his assault on Yara's Iron Fleet by killing two of the Sand Snakes, capturing Yara himself, and overall taking out half of Danaerys' alliance in one fell swoop.
Awesome Moment of Crowning: He is elected as the newest King in the Iron Islands following the Kingsmoot. His crowning ceremony involves being literally drowned and later crowned as king after surviving.
Ax-Crazy: Loves violence and slaughter, even going so far as to casually declare his intent to murder his own niece and nephew. He absolutely solidifies this in "Stormborn," which sees him board Yara's flagship in full piratical glory as he descends on his gangplank right on top of some Mook, roaring and laughing his head off like Jack Nicholson in The Shining while swinging an actual battleaxe.
- He also apparently cut the tongues out of all his men after a storm simply because he "needed the silence". This bit leads to Theon jumping ship when Yara is captured.
Badass Boast: This composes the greater part of his dialogue (see his page quote and the quote below the image). He even caps off his very first command as King with one:
Euron Greyjoy: Build me a thousand ships, and I will give you this world.
The Bad Guy Wins: While he does die, he only did so after fulfilling every single goal he set out to accomplish: he burned multiple fleets, killed tens of thousands of enemy soldiers, personally killed a dragon, cuckolded and mortally wounded the last Lannister man, became a king, and "fucked the queen." He also contributed heavily to pushing Daenerys over the edge resulting in the destruction of King's Landing, which he seems pretty satisfied about even as he lays dying. In the end, he's satisfied with both his life and the fact that he got in one last act of murder in his final three minutes. As his actor puts it◊, "[Euron]'s the only one with a real happy ending."
Badass Longcoat: He sports one during the Kingsmoot and is a charismatic badass.
Beard of Evil: An insane, sinister pirate with a faintly muttonstache-style beard to match.
The Berserker: An axe-wielding berserk captain who personally leads his boarding party with an attacking zeal and passing regard at best for actively defending himself (uncommon for a berserker, he wears heavy armor). When he boards Yara's flagship, he takes several hits from the Sand Snakes and Yara during their respective fights, but shrugs them off as easily as mosquito bites.
Big Bad: Of the Greyjoy storyline in the final three seasons, joining the ranks of Cersei, Littlefinger, and the Night's King. By the end of Season 7, Euron, Cersei, and the Night's King are the only main antagonists left.
Big Bad Ensemble: Even after stepping up as a major antagonist, particularly towards Theon, he still has to share the spotlight with other villains, Cersei in all of his seasons, Ramsay in the sixth, Littlefinger in the seventh and the Night King and though after his death, Dany in the eighth.
Big Bad Wannabe: Played with. He is the least effective antagonist when introduced in Season 6 and doesn't initially seem that different from Balon which culminates in Theon and Yara ruining his initial plans by stealing his best ships and making an alliance with Daenerys before him. In Season 7, though, he finally proves himself as a much more competent threat than Balon by making an alliance with Cersei and establishing himself as a very real threat when he attacks Yara's fleet, personally slays Obara and Nym, and defeats Yara in combat. Needless to say, Euron is very underestimated, simply for the fact that he is a Greyjoy.
- It could be possible that Euron knew that Theon and Yara would escape and make an alliance with Daenerys before him. Even in the books, Euron doesn't seem to be interested in actually marrying Daenerys but rather bringing her dragons to Westeros so he could utilize their full potential for his own ends. By sending Victarion to court Daenerys, Euron knew the risk that his brother would eventually turn tables on him since none of his brothers trust him.
Big Little Brother: He is both taller and bulkier than Balon.
Blasphemous Boast: Has a good one that he gives to Balon.
Euron Greyjoy: I don't mock the Drowned God, I am the Drowned God. From Oldtown to Qarth, when men see my sails, they pray.
Blood Knight: Euron loves bloodshed like few things in life.
Euron: When you rushed through the breach and started cutting people down, it was glorious. Like a dance.
Jaime: The people I was cutting down were your own kin.
Euron: Place was getting crowded.
Brutal Honesty: Makes no bones about having committed regicide and kinslaying. Oddly enough, he calculates the situation so that this works to his favor: The sheer audacity at admitting this makes him win the Iron Islands to his side.
Euron Greyjoy: I apologize to you all for not killing him years ago.
Cain and Abel: He murders his brother Balon so he can take his place as king. And if Balon is the Abel of this relationship, that really speaks volumes about Euron.
The Captain: Of a ship called The Silence, captained by a crew who have their tongues cut out.
Cloudcuckoolander: He occasionally speaks and behaves in a very bizarre manner.
The Charmer: He's very charismatic and magnetic, easily turning the Ironborn crowd to his favor at the Kingsmoot, and he seems to impress Cersei as well.
Co-Dragons: With Jaime for Cersei, in terms of military. He leads the navy, Jaime the army.
Composite Character:
- He wields an axe in combat and personally leads his own Boarding Party much like his brother Victarion. ^{From the books} He has also shown devotion to the "Old Way" of the Iron Born and at least some respect for the Drowned God, which is far closer to Victarion than the Nay-Theist Omnicidal Maniac of the books.
- He takes the role of Cersei's untrustworthy naval commander from Aurane Waters, her Master of Ships from the books. Time will tell if he follows the same path.
- His role as Cersei's crass and roguish follower who she has an affair with also resembles Osney Kettleblack.
Creepy Blue Eyes: Euron's insanity shows through his eyes, as blue as icy waters and often wild and unsettlingly wide.
Cultural Rebel: Euron puts on the Ironborn Viking act when it suits him (like in his Kingsmoot speeches) but deep down he hates the Ironborn and their culture, openly subscribes and accepts the Greenlander view of the Ironborn as a bunch of morons, and thinks the Drowned God is bunk. He sees being exiled from the Iron Islands after the Greyjoy Rebellion as his blessing since it allowed to be "the greatest captain of the fourteen seas".
Curb-Stomp Battle: He kills his older brother with a Nonchalant Dodge and effortless ease. Also kills Nymeria in a few seconds after killing Obara. In a strategy sense, his destruction of the joint Martell-Greyjoy fleet is rather swift and merciless.
Deadpan Snarker: Shows quite the dry wit when mocking Yara and Theon.
Dissonant Serenity: On the bridge where he kills Balon, contrast their opposing stances. Balon is trying to hang on for dear life to make sure the storm does not throw him off it, Euron on the other hand just calmly stands on the madly-shaking bridge with his hands mellowly clasped together. It is eerie to watch and a further testament to Euron's total lack of sanity.
The Dreaded: He is the terror of the 14 seas and the mere sight of his sails make grown men pray for their lives. Even the other Ironborn residents are somewhat afraid of him. Theon and Yara are understandably terrified when they see their mad uncle's sails attacking their fleet.
Enemy Mine: He tries to propose a marriage alliance between him and Cersei despite their houses past animosity in order to counter the coming Targaryen invasion. She rebuffs, though Euron has far from given up on his efforts.
Establishing Character Moment: Euron swiftly commits the taboo of kinslaying by killing Balon in his first scene and follows it right up by bragging about having done so in his second, while arrogantly stating his plans in front of Theon and Yara while antagonizing them. His following tenure in the show remains level with the pompous and rambunctious psychopath to whom taboos of Westeros mean nothing his initial outing set the understanding for.
Evil Gloating: In Season 8, he tells Yara that the only reason why she's still alive/still has her tongue is because he wants someone to brag to. This winds up biting him in the ass when Theon sneaks aboard and rescues her.
Evil Is Petty: While transporting a mercenary company for Cersei back to Westeros he killed some along the way... because they cheated at cards... or he cheated at cards and they caught him. All he remembers is someone cheated and now some men are dead.
Evil Uncle: To Theon and Yara. His first order as king is to have them both executed, but they manage to flee successfully. At first.
Evil Virtues: Pure evil asshole he might be, Euron is indisputably brave, with his moment of seemingly fleeing from the Night King's army actually being a plot to deliver mercenaries to Cersei. Unlike his fellow evildoers on his end of the moral spectrum like Joffery, Ramsay or Walder Frey, he dies fighting even after being painfully and repeatedly stabbed by Jaime, even dying boasting he at least got to mortally wound his final opponent.
Face Death with Dignity: In the end, he dies happy, getting to fight one last good battle against Jaime and dies with pride having mortally wounded his opponent. At the very least, the collapsing ceiling of a building in King's Landing ends up kill stealing Jaime from Euron.
Fake Defector: In "The Dragon and the Wolf" while he doesn't pretend to go over to the heroes side, when everyone is shown a wight and he learns they can't swim, Euron claims he's abandoning Cersei, pulling back his fleet and planning on waiting out the White Walker attack on the Iron Islands. Cersei later reveals the entire thing was a ruse, and that he's really sailing to Essos to recruit the Golden Company to Cersei's side while Daenerys and Jon wage war against the White Walkers. It's more like an evil asshole pretending to be a neutral asshole.
Faux Affably Evil: He's all smile and wit whilst murdering everyone in his way.
Flat-Earth Atheist: Euron scoffs at the Drowned God and all manner of faith, despite living in a universe where magic is evidently real.
The Friend Nobody Likes: For the Lannnister side of the War for Westeros. He throws his lot in with Cersei but no one particularly likes him, Cersei only promising to marry him out of a useful alliance and Jaime despising the mocking prick. It's purely an alliance of convenience and during the Battle of King's Landing when he and Jaime find each other they wind up duelling to the death.
Frontline General: Frontline Admiral may be more accurate, but give the man credit, unlike Balon, Euron actually leads his men into battle.
The Fundamentalist: Not for any religion, but for "The Old Way". Which means, Rape, Pillage, and Burn as the only guiding purpose in Ironborn life.
Euron: It was never "the Old Way" for me. It was the only way.
Genius Bruiser: Euron is a brutal and amazing fighter. And he's also a smart and competent leader, who has accomplished far more than his relatives have managed to do.
The Ghost: Before the casting of Season 5, we didn't hear anything about Euron, only that Theon had 'uncles' during a talk between Tyrion and Theon early in Season 1.
A God Am I: Proclaims himself to be the Drowned God. In addition, he also proclaims, "I am the storm" in reference to the Storm God, the Drowned God's enemy. So he's basically saying "I am both God and the Devil".
Good Scars, Evil Scars: Euron now has a cut on his left cheek from Balon slashing his face with a knife.

H-Y

Hero Killer: He's a terror in battle and, while "hero" is probably the last word most people think of for some of his kills, he still manages to murder Balon effortlessly, slay Obara and Nym in battle, and defeat his badass niece, Yara, in combat, resulting in him taking her hostage. In Season 8, he personally shoots Rhaegal out of the sky and mortally wounds Jaime during their duel.
Hoist by His Own Petard: Among other things, he convinced the Ironborn to back him as king by promising to make a deal with Daenerys so they could conquer the Seven Kingdoms. Theon and Yara, whom he ousted to do this, promptly sail there first and make that deal, warning Daenerys of his intentions and penchant for king/kinslaying.
Hollywood Atheist: Euron mocks and belittles all manner of faith.
I Am the Noun: Euron is very fond of these proclamations.
Euron: I am the Drowned God [...] I am the storm, brother. The first storm and the last.
I Regret Nothing: Euron doesn't have any regrets or remorse about the evil things he did in his life even when it leads to his death. He dies with a smile on his face, happy to rub into Jaime's face that he was the last man who slept with Cersei, and not him.
Iconic Sequel Character: Does not appear in the series until Season 6.
Implacable Man: Despite not giving the first toss about defending himself and subsequently being struck repeatedly by blows during the attack on Yara's fleet, Euron proves borderline unstoppable, not even slowing his pace an inch.
Improbable Aiming Skills: Euron somehow manages to shoot Rhaegal with a ballista bolt as he's flying at a fairly swift pace, while Euron is firing from a ship a fair distance away, with a mountain partly blocking him. Not only that, but he then proceeds to precisely shoot Rhaegal two more times in quick succession. This could partly be justified by the fact Rhaegal was physically weakened due to injuries sustained in the Battle of Fire and Ice, but even then Euron's aim is pretty astounding.
Insane Admiral: He's an Ax-Crazy maniac who relishes bloodshed, whether it's the blood of his enemies or allies, and he leads the fleet of the Iron Islands, the strongest fleet in all of Westeros.
In Love with Your Carnage: By his own admission, Euron witnessed Jaime Lannister slaughtering his own people during the last stages of the Greyjoy Rebellion and thought it was "glorious".
Invincible Villain: While not quite reaching the same levels as Ramsay Bolton, viewers were quick to note that as Season 7 progressed, the amount of feats Euron was capable of pulling off crossed into improbable. To note he managed to plan a coup and steal the Iron Isles for himself, ambushes the Greyjoy-Dorne allied fleet and manages to single handedly defeat the Sand Snakes in a 3-on-1 fight and capture his niece and the Iron Fleet, defeats the remains of Daenerys' Naval Fleet and snipes and kills Rhaegal while also capturing Missandei in the chaos, and somehow manages to convince the Golden Company to further lend out money and soldiers to support Cersei despite the massive debt the Kingdom has already accrued.
Jerkass: He repeatedly mocks Theon for being a eunuch, and is in general a deranged and sadistic sociopath capable of killing his own kin without feeling a shred of remorse or guilt.
Karma Houdini: While he is killed, he dies happy and with a smile on his face, having gotten everything he wanted. Even his actor considers him being the only character with a real happy ending.
Karmic Death: Spends most of his scenes with Jaime mocking him for being disabled. Jaime kills him in single combat despite Euron's overwhelming physical advantage.
Kick the Dog:
- His first decree as king is killing his nephew and niece.
- He frequently shows his discrimination against disabled people. So far, he has gleefully mocked Theon over his castration twice, Jamie over his severed hand, and Tyrion for his dwarfism. This is ironic considering that Euron is possibly blind (see Abled in the Adaptation above) in the books.
The Kingslayer: Euron kills Balon, king of the Iron Islands.
Klingon Promotion: While this technically isn't how matters of succession in the Iron Islands are handled, he manages to pull it off by murdering Balon, and then declaring at the subsequent kingsmoot that he paid the Iron Price for the Salt Throne. It helps that no-one liked Balon, nor wanted to be ruled by either his two children (Yara because of her gender, and Theon because of his perceived weakness in backing his sister's claim rather than making one of his own).
Large Ham: Euron brings his amused, slightly unsettling theatricality wherever he goes. When battle comes, he quite literally roars into action.
Laughably Evil: Can come across as rather over-the-top when he's not trying to intimidate anyone, to the point of cracking macabre jokes and even bluntly asking Jaime for sex tips. It's eminent how Euron doesn't take anyone, including himself, too seriously.
Laughing Mad: He cackles maniacally as he cuts people down on the battlefield.
Lightning Bruiser: Despite defying the conventional berserker tendency and wearing head-to-toe halfplate in combat, Euron moves and hits like a storm at sea: hard, implacable, and lightning-fast.
Made of Iron: Euron's stamina and pain threshold are as insane as he is. During the raid on Dany's fleet, he tanks dozens of serious hits from Yara and the Sand Snakes, but doesn't even seem to do so much as acknowledge them.
Make Way for the New Villains: Balon starts Season 6 by happily bragging he's the (technical) winner of the War of the Five Kings as he's the last one standing (mostly because he stayed out of the conflict). Immediately after doing so he promptly runs into his insane and far more dangerous younger brother in his castle and after trading some verbal blows is thrown to his death by Euron, who proves far more of a threat than Balon could ever have been.
Mama's Baby, Papa's Maybe: In "The Last of the Starks", Cersei informs him that he is the father of her unborn child and he seems to believe her for the time being. However, both Cersei and the viewers know that Jaime is actually the father...again.
Manipulative Bastard: Aids in Cersei's plot to screw over the North by pretending to ally with them against the Night King's army. For his part he pretends to flee to the Iron Islands when in reality he's travelling to Essos to fetch her a mercenary company so they can prepare to fight her forces who believe a truce has been called.
More Despicable Minion: His boss Cersei is vile herself but she never stated plans to spread slavery across the globe!
Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: Boasting about his plans to take the Ironborn's fleet and ply Dany's affections with it gives Theon and Yara the idea to do the same before he can get the chance to. They ultimately succeed in this, so Euron changes strategies with brutal efficiency.
Nightmare Fetishist: From his strange obsession towards black clothing and bloodlust to admiring undead Gregor Clegane, Euron seems to have a thing for everything that is even remotely creepy.
No True Scotsman: Balon notes that Euron always mocked their customs and traditions. Euron then arrives at the Kingsmoot and states that by killing Balon he was a true Ironborn because he "paid the Iron price" rather than wait his turn in the line of succession.
Obfuscating Stupidity: He puts on the act of a brute and a hooligan to charm the Ironborn and convince Cersei he's not a threat, but his confrontation with Balon shows that underneath it all he's every bit the cunning sociopath he is in the books.
Obviously Evil: Especially in Season 7 where Euron is dressed in black leather, has pitch-black sails, creepy eyeliners and somewhat pale skin, giving him a rather threatening appearance. Not to mention that he casually talks about murder and violence in a gleeful manner.
Offscreen Villain Dark Matter: Despite having his fleet stolen from him by Yara and Theon on Season 6, he manages to create a brand new one by the following season — even though the Iron Islands are the poorest region in all the Seven Kingdoms and scarce on resources. He also boasts that this fleet is even more effective than the previous one and he is proven right when he attacks and completely demolishes Yara's fleet when they are escorting Ellaria and the Sand Snakes to Dorne.
Older Than They Look: For a man who has to be in his fifties at least, Euron doesn't look a day past 35. As in the books, black magic may or may not be involved.
Pay Evil unto Evil:
- His first scene features him effortlessly killing Balon, who had this fate coming one way or another. And nothing of value was lost.
- In Season 7 he kills two of the Sand Snakes using their own weapons against them. While they were sociopathic kinslayers just like him, their victim in question was their own innocent cousin who didn't deserve to die (unlike Balon), making their deaths very deserving.
Politically Incorrect Villain: His dialogue towards his nephew, Jaime, and Tyrion strongly implies that he looks down on the disabled.
Rape, Pillage, and Burn: Euron considers this his greatest purpose in life.
Red Eyes, Take Warning: Not Euron himself, but his personal flag is the Greyjoy kraken sigil but with a red eye emblazoned across it.
Refuge in Audacity: Invoked. If his murder of Balon in all but broad daylight and subsequent boldfaced admission of it during the Kingsmoot are anything to go by, audacity is how Euron gets along in life. How did he do it? Claimed it was "paying the Iron Price". His alliance proposition to Cersei is full of it and he seems more amused at Robert Strong than afraid.
- He states an intent to persuade Danaerys into allying with him with his "big cock", even though such an offer presented to her would almost certainly result in him being barbecued on the spot by a dragon.
- When that one falls through, he offers the same deal to Cersei. He then repeatedly taunts Jaime and asks him how she likes it in bed. One wonders if he realises that getting punched out by a guy with a solid gold hand is probably going to hurt a lot.
Remember the New Guy?: Euron is introduced in Season 6 having never been mentioned in any capacity beyond maybe the implication he was a Greyjoy commander under Balon. All of the sudden he's referred to as Theon and Yara's most hated and evil uncle, who commands vast respect with the Ironborn who choose him over Yara in the Kingsmoot.
Remember When You Blew Up a Sun?: His raid on Lannisport was seen in Season 1 and in Season 7 as the height of Greyjoy perfidy. He led a raid that utterly humiliated Tywin Lannister, destroying his fleet at anchor, killing hundreds of sailors and leaving the Westerlands free to raid until Stannis crushed them at Fair Isle.
The Resenter: Euron has some massive resentment issues over Balon being chosen as King rather than him.
Balon: Move aside for your King!
Euron: Haven't I always, brother?
Rousing Speech: Villainous example, during the Kingsmoot he informs the Ironborn nobles that if they were to ally themselves with Dany, her army and her dragons, it would enable the Ironborn to not just declare independence but claim dominion over all the Seven Kingdoms. It's enough for him to be declared King over Yara's claim.
Royals Who Actually Do Something: He becomes King of the Iron Islands, and, unlike Balon, he actually pays the iron price by leading his men into battle.
Sanity Slippage: Years ago, it is said he lost his mind during a storm and cut out the tongues of his whole crew. He claims he's better now.
Screaming Warrior: He drops his laid back attitude in battle and goes in screaming like a madman.
Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Upon seeing a wight in King's Landing he decides to take the Iron Fleet back to the Iron Islands. Except he really didn't, as he was working behind Jaime's back to go to Essos and hire the Golden Company for Cersei.
- In the first episode of Season 8, Euron admits to a captive Yara that should Cersei start losing to whomever wins the war in the north, he'll simply flee the first chance he gets.
Second Episode Introduction: Introduced to the series during the second episode of Season 6.
Serial Rapist: While thankfully never shown onscreen Euron brags about his past of taking women while plundering ships and his narrations of the Histories & Lore segments confirm he's taken countless as his victims while raiding vessels.
Sibling Murder: His Establishing Character Moment has him killing his brother, showing his land's taboos mean nothing to him. Hell, he even brags about it shortly after!
Sibling Yin-Yang: He is everything Balon was not. Euron for all his faults is brave, proactive, cunning, willing to make alliances, fight beside his men and actually go out and pay the iron price.
Slasher Smile: His preferred expression on the battlefield.
Slavery Is a Special Kind of Evil: What cements that he's not a very nice person alongside his breaking of Westeros' kinslaying taboo is his history of piracy being said to involve him in a massive slave trade operation. For decades he's taken people from vessels he plunders for him and his men to rape as well as take to ports to sell or exchange goods so he can take slaves of his own to serve his needs.
Smug Snake: Oozes this. Euron believes himself a cunning genius with the wit and power to do anything he likes but his own demeanor can bite him in the ass:
- Shortly after his introduction he brags about a plot to his niece and nephew he's just antagonized, which they quickly use against him.
- Later, he takes Yara captive and mocks Theon as a coward while he flees from combat. Assured of his victory, he leaves Yara on his ship and leaves to have sex with Cersei while at war and he knows Yara's faction is against him. Tellingly, Theon rescues her while Euron is completely distracted.
The Social Darwinist: Believed Balon was unfit to be king because of his complacency and record of failure. Euron is a Frontline General who believes a commander should fight with his men and take everything he wants from the world, even willing to throw his lot in for a massive war to spread the Ironborn way across the globe.
The Sociopath: Euron shows characteristics of a classic sociopath, even moreso than the likes of Ramsay and Joffrey. Superficial charisma, lack of conscience, willingness to manipulate others to achieve his own ends...
Soft-Spoken Sadist: He speaks in a surprisingly emaciated tone when outside of the battlefield, but he remains just as sadistic.
Spanner in the Works: Daenerys's invasion of Westeros begins with seemingly one-sided odds; with her, the Tyrells, the Dornish, and part of the Greyjoy fleet, along with an army of Dothraki and Unsullied, versus the Lannisters and a small handful of supporting lesser noble houses. Enter Euron's alliance with Cersei, where he destroys Yara and Theon's fleet and abducts Yara, kills or captures Ellaria and the Sand Snakes, and destroys the part of Dany's fleet at Casterly Rock. Euron manages to pretty-much singledhandedly save the Lannisters from losing the war.
Stealth Expert: A nautical one. Several characters point out how he managed to outmaneuver and catch by surprise the Lannister fleet at Lannisport, catching them entirely flat-footed in a flanking maneuver. He likewise manages to ambush Yara's fleet without being ever detected until he's already attacking.
Take That!: He has no problem mocking his elder brother before killing him off. And again during the Kingsmoot where he talks about how Balon leadership has only lead the Greyjoys to defeat and nothing to gain.
Terms of Endangerment: Calls his nephew, "Little Theon" once at the Kingsmoot and then during his attack on the Black Wind, despite the fact that he wants to murder him and Yara.
Tongue Trauma: Not for him but it is said that he cut out the tongues of his entire crew. His men are later seen repeating this on the still living men sailing under Theon and Yara when they capture their ship.
Troll: Is quite sharp with his wit and comments, especially when his goal is to prod and goad whoever he's talking to.
Euron: And here I am with a thousand ships... and two good hands.
(Jaime scowls)
Tyrannicide: Euron's defense of killing Balon amounts to this. He points out that Balon was a terrible King, who led the Ironborn into two wars they couldn't win, and made them the laughing stock of Westeros and that the only regret was that Balon was not killed before he did these terrible things. The other Ironborn agree with Euron.
Tyrant Takes the Helm: Balon was no prize but by the time of the show itself he's largely staying out of the action. After Euron kills him to take his crown and declares the Ironborn will be entering the War for Westeros on Dany's (later Cersei's) side with the intent to use the power of the Iron Throne to spread their raping and pillaging across the globe.
Underestimating Badassery: While he himself is a badass, he is seriously overconfident in his plan to woo Daenerys with just his ships and his "big cock". Subverted since Euron just put on the Ironborn act in order to win the Kingsmoot.
Unholy Matrimony: In Season 8, he and Cersei become lovers and he makes it very clear he'd like for them to be more than that. It's very doubtful he actually feels anything for her besides lust – indeed, Daenerys Targaryen was his original choice before Theon and Yara nixed that plan – but marrying Cersei would make him king of the Seven Kingdoms, so he's really laying it on thick with her.
Villain Ball: Straight up brags about his plot to ally with Daenarys in front of his niece and nephew the former of whom he just stole the Salt Throne from and the latter who he just mocked and humiliated. Unsurprisingly, the first thing they do is steal a fleet of men still loyal to them and sail to meet with Dany before Euron is even finished his crowning ceremony.
Villain Has a Point: While killing Balon admittedly is quite naughty, he does have a point that Balon has done nothing but lead the Greyjoys into two wars they can't win, all because of his personal ambition and yet no strategy or plan to back it up.
Villain with Good Publicity: Despite admitting to being a kinslayer without any shame, he became king by showing superior aspirations than taking revenge on the North and in Season 7, the people of King's Landing cheer on him after he captured Ellaria, Tyene and Yara and takes them in chains to Cersei. He lampshades this last instance by commenting how unusual of a Greyjoy being praised by the people of Westeros.
Villainous Valour: Whatever his faults, Euron has no problem with getting his hands dirty and leads his men into battle from the front.
Visionary Villain: Euron has lived a life of piracy, pillaging and raping on the high seas while taking slaves and raping women by the thousands. By claiming the Iron Throne in the War for Westeros, he hopes to use the power to spread the Old Way across the world.
Walking the Earth: Or rather sailing. When the audience first met him, he just came home from a decade or so journey, apparently sailing as far as the Jade Sea. He uses his reputation as an adventurer to win over the Ironborn.
We Can Rule Together: He was intending to propose this to Daenerys Targaryen, offering her his fleet and his, er... other assets in exchange for her hand in marriage. After that falls through due to Yara and Theon carrying out the plan first sans marriage proposal, he pitches this to Cersei Lannister instead.
What the Hell Is That Accent?: Played by Danish actor Pilou Asbæk, who doesn't fully hide his accent while playing Euron, even though the ironborn speak with the same accent as the mainland (because they're the same Andal/First Men mix — except Theon, but he spent years living in the North and picked up their accent). This is probably justified in that Euron has been away from both the Iron Islands and Westeros for years, as he says sailing the world oceans from Oldtown to Qarth, even raiding in the distant Jade Sea — logically, he's probably been speaking in a dozen different foreign languages for years and it must have affected his own accent.
Would Hit a Girl: Personally kills Obara and Nymeria Sand in battle: He impales Obara with her own spear and throttles Nymeria with her own whip, before hanging their corpses from the prow of his flagship.
Xanatos Speed Chess: Euron has planned on wooing Daenerys, but when Yara and Theon take the best ships with their own plans to join forces with Daenerys, Euron switches to brokering an alliance with Cersei.
You Killed My Father: Yara accuses him of this at the Kingsmoot. Euron confesses and somehow wins over the other Ironborn by (successfully) painting Balon as an Asshole Victim. Yara still hates him for this and for stealing her claim to the throne.

Characters / Game Of Thrones - Euron Greyjoy

King Euron Greyjoy

Played By: Pilou Asbæk

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Characters / Game Of Thrones - Euron Greyjoy

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King Euron Greyjoy

Played By: Pilou Asbæk

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