This is a listing of members of House Baratheon of Dragonstone who appear in A Song of Ice and Fire.
For the main character index, see here
For the main Crownlands entry, see here
For the House Baratheon of Storm's End, see here
For the House Baratheon of King's Landing, see here
House Baratheon of Dragonstone
After the triumph of Robert Baratheon's rebellion, he rewarded his brother Stannis with his own seat at Dragonstone, the Targaryen's ancestral home. Stannis was furious at being denied lordship over Storm's End, the ancestral seat of House Baratheon that he had defended during the war, but still complied with his brother's wishes and ruled over Dragonstone. Their sigil is the stag of House Baratheon in a flame covered heart, symbolizing Stannis and his followers' embrace of the Lord of Light.
The house only has marginal houses sworn to them at the beginning of the War of the Five Kings consisting of the houses from the islands of the Blackwater Bay, though they eventually gain control of the Stormlands and earn the support of many households from the North that are challenging the rule of the Boltons as Lords Paramount. The house is currently the leading opponent to the Baratheon-Lannister rule and their last challengers out of the original "Five Kings".
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King Stannis Baratheon
Queen Selyse Florent
Queen Selyse Florent, Light of the North
Stannis's wife and Shireen's mother, Selyse is an unattractive, stern woman who is one of Melisandre's most fervent followers.
- Arranged Marriage: To Stannis, and it is described and shown to be a loveless marriage.
- Belief Makes You Stupid: Utterly incapable of being persuaded about anything that doesn't fit into her notions of how the world works and why others don't follow R'hllor.
- The Fundamentalist: One of R'hllor's most devoted followers; she is directly responsible for converting some of Stannis's men to the Red God's faith. This is the reason Stannis's R'hllor-worshiping men are termed "the Queen's Men."
- Girls with Moustaches: Has quite a bit of hair growing above her upper lip, something that many other characters mock and joke about.
- God Save Us from the Queen!: While nowhere near Cersei's level, Selyse is completely arrogant and uncaring about anything not related to worshipping R'hllor, Shireen, Melisandre, or winning Stannis the Iron Throne.
- Hot-Blooded: Is certainly the loudest and most extroverted person on Dragonstone.
- Lack of Empathy: News about thousands of wildling men, women and children starving and freezing to death barely earns a reaction from her due to them being heathens and unable to contribute to Stannis's cause.
- Lady Macbeth: She is the one who introduced Stannis to Melisandre and is extremely vocal in supporting Melisandre's most extreme suggestions.
- Maiden, Mother, and Crone: Of the three Baratheon wives, Margaery is the Maiden, Cersei is the Mother and Selyse is the Crone.
- Passed-Over Inheritance: She doesn't seem to realize that Stannis's efforts to become king are not for her sake or her family's, but rather for Shireen's sake.
- Praetorian Guard: The Queen's Men who accompany her to Castle Black.
- The Proud Elite: One of the things consoling her about her, frankly, rather drear situation is that, as Queen from a Great House by birth, she is among the most politically important things in the room. Add to that her fierce pride in being a part of the small (but enlightened!) few who worship R'hllor, and you get this trope.
- Royal "We": Queen Selyse doesn't appear in the series before Stannis claims kingship, and thus she's been using the style since her first appearance in ACOK.
- Undying Loyalty: To Stannis and Melisandre.
- Upper-Class Twit: It's not that she's thick or flighty. She just has no appreciation of how anybody below Lords and Ladies thinks or feels and, quite honestly and openly, doesn't much care. Even then, she couldn't begin to conceive of what it's like to be a bastard-turned-Lord Commander, either. Or, the sheer workload somebody like her husband has to deal with.
Princess Shireen Baratheon
Princess Shireen Baratheon
- "I had bad dreams, about the dragons. They were coming to eat me."
Stannis Baratheon's daughter and heir as well as the only "legitimate" Baratheon child. Shireen is a sweet and gentle girl, though half her face is marred by scars from the greyscale she contracted as an infant. Like her father, she has few friends. Unlike her father, this has nothing to do with her personality, and everything to do with her parents' decision to keep her distant.
- Admiring the Abomination: When Queen Selyse's party arrives at Castle Black and encounters Wun Weg Wun Dar Wun, Shireen is genuinely fascinated by the giant (given most of Westeros considers them mythological), unlike her mother and the attendant knights who recoil in fear, and even asks if she can touch him.
- Bookworm: Very good at reading for her age, as books are her main occupation.
- Broken Bird: According to others. When we see her more extensively, she actually comes across as being much more well-adjusted and level-headed than most of the people surrounding her.
- Cool Teacher: Maybe more "cute" than "cool" at this stage. But, she certainly helped Davos when he was learning to read with the way she put things. Better yet, he acknowledges it. She's a natural.
- Delicate and Sickly: Played straight in that she barely survived the greyscale as a baby and it's left her facially disfigured and somewhat frail. Subverted in that she's not actually frail enough to fully justify her cloistered life: that's partly to keep the signs of greyscale out of the public gaze. Not everyone in-universe believes that she's actually cured; the Wildling princess Val insists that it's always fatal but sometimes "bides its time", refusing to allow any of her people to stay in the same building as Shireen out of fear that she may become contagious again.
- Heir Club for Men: Averted to an extent. While Stannis has expressed desire for a son, he fully accepts his daughter as heir, and wishes for her to inherit the throne should he die. It's her mother who seems to wish she'd be born a boy, as she hasn't managed to provide the heir she seems to want to give her husband.
- Lonely Rich Kid: Enforced by her own parents. Although, there are hints that this may be mainly due to her mother, rather than her father: he's just not good with people, let alone kids. But her mother comes across as rather let down and embarrassed by her daughter's facial scarring on top of her not being a boy. Out of public sight is out of public mind, which could be safer for Shireen, all told, and not just due to shame given what the general public thinks about greyscale.
- Mama's Baby, Papa's Maybe: Invoked. Even though she is Stannis' trueborn daughter, the Small Council of King's Landing spreads rumors about Patchface being her father, to counter the suspicions about Joffrey being a bastard born of incest.
- Meaningful Name: Shireen means "sweet" and "pleasant" in Persian.
- Nice Girl: A sweet and gentle princess.
- Not Now, Kiddo: She gets this quite often. And, to be fair, some of the things she brings up sound childish if you don't actually pay attention to the details (particularly when it comes to things Patchface has said or done). However, the girl has a point: shame the people she's talking to don't have enough to join the dots... or won't listen to a kid. Davos is one of the few who seems to avert this to some degree by actually listening to her.
- Odd Friendship: With Patchface. Also, with her cousin, Edric Storm.
- The Quiet One: She's learned to hold her tongue. But, when she does speak, it would usually do other people good to listen.
- Scars Are Forever: Still has the greyscale scars from her infancy.
- Shrinking Violet: A very shy lass when she first meets people. Rather more bubbly and willing to express herself if she knows and likes you, though. The problem is: she just doesn't meet enough people to do that a lot.
- The Smart Guy: Comes partly from being holed up with books most of the time. But, she's also just that intelligent.
- Strong Family Resemblance: Has inherited both her father's square jaw (as well as his black hair and blue eyes) and her mother's Florent ears. Were it not for the greyscale, she and Edric Storm could quite easily be mistaken for full-siblings, rather than the twice-first-cousins they actually are, thanks to both of them sharing the same general traits.
- And, also quite subverted: she may look enough like a Baratheon for there to be little doubt who her father is once you meet her. But, she's never been given the chance to express the more active and physical sides of what that can mean, thanks to the mix of coddling and suppression she's had growing up underlining the more observant side of things more. If she does have a significantly tomboyish, boisterous and mulish side to her, we don't know about it... and, probably, neither does she.
- Your Days Are Numbered: Possibly. According to Val, greyscale is always eventually mortal north of the Wall, even the supposedly non-fatal kind.
Household
Melisandre*
Maester Cressen*
Maester Cressen
A Maester who helped raise the Baratheon brothers, he accompanied Stannis to Dragonstone to serve as his adviser. He is fearful of the influence that Melisandre holds on Stannis.
- Call-Back: Archmaester Walgrave is going senile and in AFFC he mistakes his acolyte for Cressen.
- Defiant to the End: Towards Melisandre, refusing to ever grant her even the tiniest bit of acknowledgment as he dies.Cressen's thoughts: As he sank to his knees, still he shook his head, denying her, denying her power, denying her magic, denying her god.
- The Good Chancellor: Loyally serves Stannis, offering reasonable advice while also attempting to curb the radical actions other members of the court recommend to Stannis.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: He sought to poison Melisandre, but since her Blood Magic allows her to foresee any attempt to harm her directly, she was aware that Cressen would attempt to kill her with poisoned wine. She whispers to Cressen that he can spill the wine instead of sharing it with her but he refuses. They both drink; Cressen dies but Melisandre is protected by her magic, and this display of power gives her even more influence in Stannis’s court.
- Like a Son to Me: Saw Stannis Baratheon in this light, having been maester for the Baratheons for decades and watching Stannis grow up. This makes his shaming before the court, and his death, that much more tragic.Cressen, thinking: Stannis, my lord, my sad sullen boy, son I never had, you must not do this, don't you know how I have cared for you, lived for you, loved you despite all? Yes, loved you, better than Robert even, or Renly, for you were the one unloved, the one who needed me most.
- We eventually find out Stannis felt the same way as he.
- Old Retainer: Knew all the Baratheon brothers as they were growing up.
- Only Sane Man: One of Stannis's few advisers who realize the danger Melisandre represents.
- ... and subverted in that he goes about fixing this problem in the most ineffective way possible, getting himself killed even when Melisandre was giving him a chance to live.
- Parental Substitute: He raised the three Baratheon brothers once their parent's ship capsized en route to Storm's End. He paid particular mind in the raising of Stannis and Renly (while Robert was sent to the Eyrie), and he finds it disquieting that they are willing to wage war against one another. He considers Stannis practically his son.
- Please Spare Him, My Liege!: Cressen prevented Stannis from executing the deserter Ser Gawen Wylde by catapult during the Storm's End siege, reasoning that they'll need the meat.
- Sacrificial Lamb: His death establishes Melisandre's power and the dynamic of Stannis court.
- Self-Poisoning Gambit He attempted this in order to get rid of Melisandre and her influence, but she was protected by her magic.
- Teaser-Only Character: He only appears in the Clash of Kings prologue.
- Undying Loyalty: Well... dying-to-prove-a-point loyalty, really. There's no question about how much he loved Stannis.
Maester Pylos
Maester Pylos
A young Maester sent help the aged Cressen and replace him as Maester of Dragonstone upon his death.
- The Good Chancellor: If only people would listen.
- Hidden Depths: Helps Davos smuggle Edric Storm out of Dragonstone behind Stannis's back.
- Nice Guy: Is overall a pleasant guy, good with children, and a patient teacher, albeit one who finds teaching Davos to read to be uphill work. When Davos smuggles Edric Storm out of Dragonstone, he's surprised to find Pylos entirely on board with the plan, and gains some admiration for him.
- Put on a Bus: He remains at Dragonstone while most of Stannis's followers go to the North to defend the Wall and win allies.
- Replacement Goldfish: Somewhat. He's not much like Cressen in a few important ways, yet certainly like him in that he means well and is a pleasant character, as well as being the replacement Maester.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: His fate following the fall of Dragonstone to Ser Loras Tyrell's assault is unknown.
- You Are Better Than You Think You Are: When Davos admits to Pylos that he feels out of his depth being Stannis's Hand and thinks someone higher-born should replace him, Pylos quickly sets him straight on what qualities he thinks a Hand requires.Davos: The King's Hand should be a highborn lord, someone wise and learned, a battle commander or a great knight...Pylos: Ser Ryam Redwyne was the greatest knight of his day, and one of the worst Hands ever to serve a king. Septon Murmison's prayers worked miracles, but as Hand he soon had the whole realm praying for his death. Lord Butterwell was renowned for wit, Myles Smallwood for courage, Ser Otto Hightower for learning, yet they failed as Hands, every one. As for birth, the dragonkings oft chose Hands from amongst their own blood, with results as various as Baelor Breakspear and Maegor the Cruel. Against this, you have Septon Barth, the blacksmith's son the Old King plucked from the Red Keep's library, who gave the realm forty years of peace and plenty. Read your history, Lord Davos, and you will see that your doubts are groundless.
Patchface
Patchface
- "The shadows come to dance, my lord."
A fool who had been found by Stannis's parents in Volantis, and was the only survivor of the shipwreck that killed them. The wreck addled his wits, and he is now a harmless simpleton whose rhymes have much more meaning than they appear to.
- Back from the Dead: The men who found him washed up on the beach claim his body was cold before he woke. His drowning and apparent resurrection also bear a resemblance (perhaps coincidentally) to those brought back by the Drowned God of the Ironborn religion.
- Beware the Silly Ones: There is something very clearly wrong with Patchface, and we're not talking about his addled wits and godsawful rhymes. When a Red Priestess who incinerates people on the regular considers you dangerous, you have Hidden Depths.
- Bucket Helmet: Has one covered in bells and antlers, as a parody of the Baratheon arms.
- Character Catchphrase: Ends most of his sentences by saying "I know, I know, oh oh."
- Facial Markings: In Essos, it is common to brand or tattoo slaves on their faces as marker identifying their status and purpose. Thus Patchface has a checkered "motley" pattern tattooed on his face. It's how he was identified after the wreck.
- Failed a Spot Check:
- People tend not to pay much attention to Patchface because he is both simple and often obnoxious, yet everything he says turns out to be true with outstanding degrees of accuracy, even if the meaning is completely obscure to those he talks to; he's even better than Melisandre at it. Heck, he gives the readers many a chill, because he's so clear...but, only if you have an accurate idea of what is going on and can join the dots.
- It's never outright said that Patchface is the jester that Steffon and Cassana were bringing from Volantis. The guards at Storm's End might could just as well have picked up a random body that washed up at the beach. The only thing confirming that he is a Volantene slave is his facial tattoo. Melisandre's horrified opinion of the guy only raises further questions about who he is (now) and what he wants.
- Horrifying the Horror: Melisandre, Stannis's "secret weapon" and the most influential person in his court, is scared of Patchface.
- Mad Oracle: Very possibly about the Mad bit, definitely about the Oracle. Patchface may not be firing on all the cylinders he once had either neurologically or cognitively these days, but...he's quite a bit more lucid than people around him generally realize. A lot of his little rhymes accurately foreshadow major events in the series. Or reflect what is actually going on somewhere else at the time he speaks. As in "occasionally on another continent" or "in a very distant part of this continent" kind of "somewhere else". Yet, these weird rhymes are still actively (if rather tangentially) linked to the conversations going on around him when he comes out with them. And, no: he doesn't seem to be an avid user of the raven post. Yeah.
- Magical Clown: Once upon a time, there was a clever slave boy who was taught to juggle, rhyme, snark and dance...until the series' messed-up Equivalent Exchange rate with its Blood Magic/ Necromancy and Came Back Wrong tendencies got hold of his details and replaced his talent for normal clowning with something a little more potently occult. He's almost as creepy as an Other's wight, now...if you bother to concentrate on him to notice, that is.
- Monster Clown: He is seemingly harmless and, admittedly, not witty nor agile like other jesters. The only reason he is kept around is because he keeps Princess Shireen company. Everyone around him has a rather "meh" opinion of him. Except Melisandre:Melisandre: (to Jon Snow) That creature is dangerous. Many a time I have glimpsed him in my flames. Sometimes there are skulls about him, and his lips are red with blood.
- Omniglot: Supposedly, he could speak four languages before the shipwreck. Now he just babbles nonsensical riddles and scares Melisandre.
- Took a Level in Dumbass: Justified and exaggerated. Before the shipwreck, Patchface was described as a clever boy with an astonishing wit and physical education. Now, he seemingly talks and sings drivel deemed only fit for entertaining children.
The Queen's Men
See the Queen's Men page.
