  |
This article's content is marked as Mature The page Theon Greyjoy contains mature content that may include coarse language, sexual references, and/or graphic violent images which may be disturbing to some. Mature articles are recommended for those who are 18 years of age and older. If you are 18 years or older or are comfortable with graphic material, you are free to view this page. Otherwise, you should close this page and view another page. |
| “ | She studied Theon Greyjoy's sly smile, wondering what it meant. That young man had a way of looking as though he knew some secret jest that only he was privy to; Catelyn had never liked it. | „ |
| ~ Thoughts of Catelyn Stark |
Theon Greyjoy is one of the deuteragonists of the A Song of Ice and Fire novel series and its television adaptation Game of Thrones. He is the sole surviving son of Balon Greyjoy, Lord (later King) of the Iron Islands. Theon was the heir apparent to the Iron Islands, though his father favored Asha, Theon's older sister. This was forfeited when their uncle Euron, won the Seastone Chair in a kingsmoot.
During the beginning of the first novel, he is around 19 years old, and currently either 21, or 22 by the beginning of the sixth novel.
He was portrayed by Alfie Allen.
Appearance[]
Novels[]
In the novels, Theon is described as conventionally attractive, being tall, tan and handsome. He is 19 years old at the beginning of the series, and has a lean build, jet black hair and a lean, dark face. He is almost always smirking cockily. He wears fancy and ornate clothes, especially upon returning home to the Iron Islands.
After his torture at the Dreadfort, Theon is unrecognizable. All of his good looks are gone. His trauma aged him decades, resulting in his hair becoming stark white. He is bone thin from starvation. He is missing several teeth, fingers and toes, and walks with a limp. He smells appalling due to his deprivation of bathing. Many people mistake him for an old man.
Television Series[]
In the series, Theon is slightly older. He has fair skin, green eyes and brown hair with short facial hair.
After his torture, he appears relatively the same but appears to be skinnier as a result of being tortured, and has a gaunter face as a result.
Personality[]
Theon Greyjoy is cocky, vain, promiscuous, confident and arrogant. Despite his status as a ward of House Stark, Theon remains proud and boastful of his Ironborn lineage. He is a womanizer and has slept with several women. He has a, "bad boy," reputation. Unlike the show, Theon was much less torn between his loyalty to the Starks and Greyjoys, and had little to no resolve about attacking the people who kept him home. The only instance of remorse Theon had during his time as Prince of Winterfell was a prophetic dream involving Robb. It wasn't until his transformation from Reek back into Theon that he grew to appreciate the Starks. Book Theon is much more ruthless and callous, as seen when he once killed an Ironborn man for falling asleep, as well as raping his lover after he had a nightmare. It was not until after his torture by Ramsay that he realized just how good the Starks were to him.
Theon in the show is much more relatable and sympathetic, as from the beginning he was torn between Stark and Greyjoy. He was genuine friends with Robb Stark and, at one point, attempted to write a letter warning him of the Ironborn invasion of the north, even though he didn't send it. Just like in the books, it took a lot of effort for him to move past his identity as Reek and reclaim his old identity as Theon Greyjoy. Although he regained his old identity, he always remained guilt ridden over his betrayal of the Starks and was torn between his two identities. Jon Snow told him he was both a Greyjoy and a Stark. In the end, he died protecting Bran from the Night King, and Sansa placed a Stark pin on Theon's body before his cremation, signifying that Theon had succeeded in redeeming himself.
Biography[]
After his father's failed rebellion against Robert I Baratheon, which led to his father Balon bending the knee and his two brothers, Rodrik and Maron, slain in battle, Theon was taken as a hostage for Eddard Stark, who later made him his ward. Despite the circumstances, Theon became a close friend and surrogate brother of Robb Stark. Jon Snow never liked Theon and the other Stark children considered a close family friend, but were not fond of his arrogant, sometimes mean, behavior. During the war, Theon wished to unite the houses of Greyjoy and Stark through a marriage between him and Sansa.
During the War of the Five Kings, Theon pledged fealty to Robb Stark and decreed him King in the North, along with the northmen and the rivermen. To get him a navy, Theon returned to Pyke after nine years to negotiate with his father. However, Theon sided with his family out of insecurity about his heritage and to compete against Asha for his people's favor and glory, he betrayed the Starks by siezing Winterfell and murdering some of its inhabitants (such as Mikken the blacksmith and Ser Rodrik Cassel in the TV series). He also commanded the murder of two miller's adopted sons and burned their bodies to make them unrecognizable. He claimed they were Rickon and Bran punished for their escape, so that no one would know the truth about their survival and that Theon failed to bring them back as prisoners.
However, Theon was betrayed by his advisor, Reek (who was actually Ramsay Snow) who murdered everyone, except women and children, and put Winterfell to the torch. Kidnapped and tortured in the Dreadfort for a year, Theon was broken into Ramsay's half-insane plaything/servant, Reek. He helped clear the Ironborn from Moat Cailin and assisted in the marriage of Arya Stark (in reality Jeyne Poole, one of Sansa's friends from Winterfell). Eventually, Reek broke from this identity and regained his identity as Theon by helping Jeyne escape the sadistic Bastard of Bolton's abuse.
Whilst escaping from Ramsay, Theon and Jeyne were found by Mors Umber and later he encounters his sister, Asha, who was captured by Stannis Baratheon. Stannis plans to burn Theon to gain more northern support, stop the winter and continue his march onto Winterfell and also avenge the murdered "Stark Boys". Asha, however, asks that Stannis execute him before a heart tree in honor of the northmen's gods.
In the TV series, Theon returned to the Iron Islands after escaping Ramsay with Sansa. Though he assisted his sister, Yara in getting the Salt Throne the Ironborn chose Euron instead so both the Greyjoy siblings escaped before their uncle could murder either of them and pledged their loyalty to Daenerys Targaryen. However, Yara was captured by Euron when Theon fled, thusly he is determined to rescue her from his uncle after being forgiven by Jon Snow for his past crimes.
After Theon rescued Yara from Euron, he and the other Ironborn who remained loyal to her joined her to retake the Iron Islands. Many others followed Theon to the Battle of Winterfell and were tasked with defending Bran. Eventually Theon was the last one standing. Before charging at the Night King, Bran, who was once Theon's prisoner, told him he was a good man. Theon was deeply touched by this and charged at the Night King but was killed, sacrificing himself for the family that took him in, whom he betrayed, and later redeemed himself for.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- In A Song of Ice and Fire, Theon spent nine years of his childhood in the Iron Islands, and nine more years in the North by the time the story begins. In Game of Thrones, due to the characters being aged up, Theon spent more time with the Starks instead.
- In the novels, Theon never once doubted his Ironborn heritage and always sees himself as only a Greyjoy. He never saw himself as a Stark, other than being their ward. He was also only close to Robb, not the other children of Ned Stark. Even as "Reek", while hearing the northmen expressing surprise about the small Ironborn garrison of Moat Cailin being able to repel the much larger northern army thrice, Theon proudly thinks about his people's fierceness as warriors.
- The TV series changed this by having Theon being insecure about what his true heritage was, which made him be forced to make a choice between House Stark or House Greyjoy, and ultimately calling Ned Stark his true father. In the novels, Theon never sees Ned as his true father, and considers Dagmer a better father figure to him than both Balon and Ned.
External Links[]
- Theon Greyjoy on the Villains Wiki
- Theon Greyjoy on the A Wiki of Ice and Fire
- Theon Greyjoy on the Game of Thrones Wiki
- Theon Greyjoy on the A Song of Ice and Fire Wiki
- Theon Greyjoy on the Villainous Benchmark Wiki
- Theon Greyjoy (Novel Version) on the Heroic Benchmark Wiki
- Theon Greyjoy (TV Series Version) on the Inconsistently Admirable Wiki
[]
 Heroes
| ||
|
Westeros The Wall The North The Vale of Arryn Riverlands Iron Islands Westerlands Crownlands Stormlands The Reach Dorne Faith of the Seven Essos Rhoyne Slaver's Bay Dothraki Sea Plains of the Jogos Nhai Asshai Summer Sea Sothoryos Naath Legendary Figures Dragons Direwolves Video Games | ||