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“ | When Balon was wed, it was me he sent to Harlaw to bring him back his bride. I led his longships into many a battle, and never lost but one. The first time Balon took a crown, it was me sailed into Lannisport to singe the lion’s tail. The second time, it was me he sent to skin the Young Wolf should he come howling home. All you’ll get from me is more of what you got from Balon. | „ |
~ Victarion, at the kingsmoot. |
Victarion Greyjoy is a major POV character in the A Song of Ice and Fire novel series by George R.R. Martin. He is a member of House Greyjoy, the younger brother of Lord (later King) Balon and Euron, the older brother of Urrigon and Aeron Greyjoy, and Lord Captain of the Iron Fleet, as well as the captain of his flagship Iron Victory.
While Victarion was cut from the HBO adaption Game of Thrones, he was added to the family tree of House Greyjoy, but was removed during the show's sixth season. In addition, his skill with an axe is switched to Euron.
Appearance and Character[]
Victarion is known to be a dutiful follower, loyally serving his older brother Balon without question. He is a skilled commander and a fierce warrior. He is a religious man and wears full armor in battle, even in sea battles, as he is not afraid of drowning. He regards enemies who fight well with great respect. Outside of combat, Victarion has a calm demeanor.
He is well built and powerful, described as having the broad chest of a bull and the flat stomach of a child. After receiving a wound, his hand becomes infected. After it was treated by a red priest, it became charred and black, but Victarion became stronger than ever. He wears a distinguishable helmet styled in the likeness of a kraken in battle and wields a steel axe.
His intelligence and common sense has been called into question, and is often regarded as one of, if not the dumbest POV character in the series. This is confirmed by George R.R. Martin, who described Victarion is a brute and a dullard. He thinks he is smarter than he thinks he is, and is shockingly ignorant. He believes he is outsmarting Euron, unaware that Euron is more likely than not using him. He thought that the Dothraki Sea was an ocean as opposed to a flat plain. He nearly blew the Dragonbinder horn, despite having seen a person die from being burned from the inside after blowing it. He burned slaves aboard a sinking ship as a means to appease the Drowned God and the Lord of Light.
Early life[]
Victarion was born as the third son of lord Quellon Greyjoy by his second wife Lady Sunderly. In his childhood, he was made fun of by his older brothers Balon and Euron. He thought that they were praising him, but didn't realize that they are only mocking him. When they burst into laughter, this enrages Victarion. Ever since then, akin to Tywin Lannister,he grew up to be a humorless person as he now distrusts laughter, as whenever he would hear it, this would make him uneasy, as he felt that he is the butt of a jape he doesn't understand.
During Robert's Rebellion, called the War of the Usurper by Targaryen loyalists, Victarion, together with Balon and Euron, convinced their father to join in the rebellion. They raided the Reach together until Quellon was killed during a naval battle against the fleet of House Tyrell. Following their victory over the enemy fleet, Victarion and his brothers returned to the Iron Islands with his brothers, and Balon claimed the seastone chair as the new Lord of Pyke.
During Greyjoy's Rebellion in which Balon started an uprising against the Iron Throne and crowned himself King of the Iron Isands, Victarion led the newly-constructed Iron Fleet as Lord Captain. He was also greatly loyal to Balon, as he saw greatness in his older brother. He enacted a plan concocted by his brother Euron to burn the Lannister fleet at anchor at Lannisport. The plot was succesful, but the tide of the rebellion eventually turned. During a sea battle off Fair Isle, Victarion and the Iron Fleet were defeated by the fleets of Lords Stannis Baratheon and Paxter Redwyne.
A short time after the Greyjoy Rebellion was crushed by Robert I Baratheon, Euron raped Victarion's third wife, leaving her pregnant. To keep his honor and not be shamed as a cuckhold, Victarion tearfully beats his wife to death, which also kills her unborn child. Balon forbade his brother from killing Euron, due to the taboo of kinslaying. Not wanting any bloodshed between his brothers, Balon sent Euron into exile, forbidding him from setting foot on the Iron Islands for as long as Balon lived, and told Victarion that they would never speak of his wife again. Ever since the incident, Victarion holds a strong hatred for Euron and never forgave him since.
A Clash of Kings[]
During the War of the Five Kings, Balon, after declaring himself as King of the Iron Islands, and an invasion of the North is being prepared, Victarion loans Rymolf Stormdrunk, his steersman, to his nephew Theon. He later attends a feast in the great hall of Pyke with Balon and their brother Aeron, who is the last surviving son of the late Quellon Greyjoy.
Victarion, on Balon's orders, led the Iron Fleet to capture Moat Cailin, which guards the entrance into the North. Due to being lightly defended, the ancient stronghold easily fell, as many of the Northmen were with Robb Stark, who was crowned King in the North ever since his father, Eddard Stark, was wrongly executed by King Joffrey I Baratheon.
A Storm of Swords[]
After hearing of Balon's death in a fall, and Euron's sudden return to the Iron Islands, King Robb Stark thinks that Victarion will return to the Iron Islands to claim the Seastone Chair.
A Feast for Crows[]
While defending Moat Cailin, Victarion wore leather and chainmail everyday and night to protect himself from attacks by crannogmen, who are well-known for being guerrilla fighters and are difficult to conquer. When he returns to the Iron Islands with the Iron Fleet to decide the question of succeeding Balon, he leaves behind a token force to defend Moat Cailin.
Despite being greatly loyal towards Balon, Victarion saw no reason with his brother's death and simply accepts it as a fact, as the unexpected incident doesn't really matter to him. With no clear successor for Balon, a Kingsmoot is held wherein all the lords and captains vote on who becomes the new king. Victarion is a strong candidate, along with Balon's daughter Asha, but Euron is ultimately chosen, with his promises of dragons through his dragonhorn Dragonbinder, and the conquest of Westeros. Despite his immense hatred for his brother, Victarion remains dutiful and obeys Euron's orders. He prevents Lord Baelor Blacktyde, who rejects Euron as king, from returning to his home of Blacktyde. During the taking of the Shields, which is the first stage of Euron's campaign against the Reach, Victarion leads the assault on the Shield Islands, and rams his flagship Iron Victory into a small ship that was commanded by Ser Talbert Serry, the son of Lord Osbert Serry.
Boarding the ship, Victarion fought off many opponents as well as slaughtering unarmed sailors with his steel battle axe. The weapon momentarily gets stuck, but Victarion managed to pull it loose. During a duel with Ser Talbert, the latter proved to be a capable warrior and this forced Victarion to defend himself by using his gauntlet to catch Talbert's sword, which then cuts Victarion's left hand. Victarion eventually threw the blade into the sea and overpowers Ser Talbert, before forcing him overboard. After the victory, he is forced to watch as Euron cleverly steals away many of Victarion's close comrades and supporters by giving them titles on the Shield Islands, to Victarion's anger. Later, during a private meeting, Euron tasks the latter with finding Daenerys Targaryen, the last living child of King Aerys II Targaryen and who happens to possess three living dragons (named Drogon, Viserion, and Rhaegal). Euron then tells Victarion that he will receive the Seastone Chair once Euron takes the Iron Throne. Victarion agrees to the plan, but secretly plots to take Daenerys for himself.
A Dance with Dragons[]
Victarion, having been given the dragonhorn Dragonbinder by Euron, leads the Iron Fleet to Meereen, where Daenerys rules as queen. Aboard his flagship, the Iron Victory, is "the dusky woman" a mute slave girl given to Victarion by Euron, and Maester Kerwin, a maester sent to treat Vitarion's wounded hand.
During the journey, Victarion loses nearly half of the fleet but managed to gain some ships after capturing them as well as trading vessels and their cargo. As he continues on to Meereen, he became troubled with his wounded hand and he, due to his previous disdain with maesters, suspected that Maester Kerwin is poisoning him, Victarion does however grow close to the dusky woman, confiding his plans to her.
He then discovers Moqorro; a red priest of R'hllor clinging to wreckage in the sea. Victarion and his men were initially hostile towards him, since he worships a different god, and contemplates on killing him, but Moqorro remains fearless and calm, and he reveals to Victarion that he knew of his quest to seek Daenerys and convinces the Lord Captain to allow him to treat his wounded hand. Through magic, Moqorro heals Victarion's hand, but it was left charred and blackened. Despite that, Victarion grew to trust him and even followed his advice in sacrificing Maester Kerwin to R'hllor, the Lord of Light, due to Moqorro's belief that it would bring good winds to Victarion's ship.
Moqorro possesses the ability to see the future in the flames, and uses his powers to aid Victarion, whom he believes to be of great importance. Victarion's men live in fear of Moqorro and the deity he worships, but Victarion trusts him, and begins making sacrifices to the Red God, as well as the Drowned God. Moqorro then tells Victarion that he saw Daenerys married in the fire, but Victarion was unconcerned and he stated that she would not be the first woman he made a widow off. When Moqorro, as he had translated the Valyrian glyphs on Dragonbinder, warns Victarion that those who blow into the horn will die, this reminds the latter that Euron's gifts are poisoned, as Cragorn, the person who blew into the dragon horn the last time, had died with charred blackened lungs and blisters on his lips. Victarion was then told by Moqorro that in order to bind Daenerys' three dragons to his will and become their master he must claim Dragonbinder with blood.
The Winds of Winter[]
Victarion and the Iron Fleet arrive in Slaver's Bay just the decisive Second Siege of Meereen is about to resume. They start fighting in support of the city's defenders, led by Ser Barristan Selmy. The Iron Fleet clashes with the Qartheen fleet.
Gallery[]
External Links[]
- Victarion Greyjoy on the Villains Wiki
- Victarion Greyjoy on the Game of Thrones Wiki
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