“We do not sow”
Paraphrasing Olenna Tyrell, those are words that strike fear in the heart, because violence is implicit in them. These aren’t farmers who work the fields nor traders who will come to negotiate with you. When the Ironborn arrive to some place, it is to take everything they can by force, and any payment from them won’t be in gold.
They were a force to be reckoned with in the old days, but times have changed and they are now considered to be more of a pest, preying on the weak because they know they stand no chance against the well-defended castles from other noble houses.
And though the Iron Fleet still lives up to its reputation, the Greyjoys are considered to be untrustworthy and as treacherous as the Freys, turning on their former friends as soon as it’s more convenient to do so.
In the books, the Greyjoy family is considerably big. Theon and Asha have many named relatives, but only two of their uncles made it to the show: Euron and Aeron (Michael Feast was Aeron Greyjoy, but his role was really limited, appearing in only two episodes of Season 6). Victarion Greyjoy was cut, and a number of other Ironborn that were axed too in favor of a tighter story without many diversions (with the show being already big as it is).
As is natural with screen adaptations, not all characters can receive the same attention, and therefore the presence of House Greyjoy has been small for the most part -but no less important. As we reach the final season of Game of Thrones, they have made a comeback and their paths are now intertwined with those of the main characters. Our heroes will be fighting for the fate humankind, but the Greyjoys have personal scores to settle.
Will Euron be getting his just desserts? Will Yara escape imprisonment? Is Theon worthy of redemption? I’ll be making educated guesses of what’s in store for the three main Greyjoy characters from the TV show.
EURON
Despite being generally cool with the changes (both in terms of appearance and personality) plenty of characters have experienced in the transition from text to screen, I must admit my initial reaction to Pilou Asbæk’s Euron was lukewarm. I found myself missing the book version, a dark, menacing presence with a distinct look (which admittedly would be difficult to nail in a screen adaptation, considering he wears an eye-patch like a pirate and has blue lips).
Euron’s “rock star” looks and his insolent, devil-may-care attitude were a jolt to my system, and it took me a while to get used to it. But discussing the character with other people helped a great deal: I realized that we already had our fair share of “intimidating, serious” villains, such as Tywin Lannister or Roose Bolton, or even psychopaths like Ramsay or Karl Tanner. So Euron brings with him much-needed freshness instead of more of the same.
It was then that I embraced this new version of the character and really started to enjoy Asbæk’s performance. He may be brash, and even a bit clownish, but that doesn’t make him any less dangerous.
Some other aspects remain controversial for a lot of fans, such as the way he easily dispatched two of the Sand Snakes or how his fleet seems to magically materialize wherever it’s convenient for it to do so, or the way he seemingly flees upon sight of the wight, when in reality it was a plan to covertly go fetch the Golden Company (even if neither him nor Cersei had any idea of what Dany’s crew would bring with them) – and that’s fair, not everything has to work for everyone. I’m honestly fine with it, considering the story is ramping up its pace as it moves towards the endgame. The intensity compensates for some of the necessary sacrifices of logistics.
With only six episodes left, one wonders how is Euron going to fit in the final stretch of the narrative. There are already two major villains, those being Cersei and the Night King, so the captain of the Silence has to be the one who draws the short straw.
He’ll most likely succeed in bringing the Golden Company from Essos (because why tease it otherwise?) but what then? I see three possible outcomes.
–Euron dies as a result of the war: Maybe the least satisfactory of all the possibilities, and therefore the one I don’t really see happening, but the show is no stranger to delivering underwhelming ends for some of its characters. Osha anyone? I’d add Jojen Reed and The Waif too. I was ok with the way Barristan Selmy and Stannis Baratheon died, but I know some fans are still mad about those.
Euron made short work of Obara and Nymeria Sand, but without Valyrian steel or dragonglass at his disposal, would he be able to deal with an army of wights? He could very well fall victim to the one thing he allegedly fears, and should he become a wight, he would be a rather dangerous one with that big axe of his. “What is dead may never die”, after all.
–Euron is killed by Jaime Lannister: It was all fun and games when they were working in the same side, so to speak, but now that Jaime has jumped ship (and I assume he’ll stay in Dany’s camp), those jokes could come back to bite Euron in the ass.
Sure, Jaime’s fighting ability is compromised by his lack of one hand (perhaps he should’ve gone the Ash Williams route and had his sword adapted in place of his right hand instead of trying to learn how to fight with the left?), but I very much doubt he’d pass on the opportunity to get even with the guy who kept taunting him about sharing a bed with Cersei.
Now to be fair, and judging by his performance with the Dornish guard and the Dothraki rider, Jaime wouldn’t stand a chance in a fair fight. But neither of these hypothetical fighters are opposed to a dirty fight and if Jaime finds a way to put Euron at a disadvantage, he could win. The “Kingslayer” name would be relevant once more, but this time he probably won’t be too bothered by it.
–Euron is killed by Yara Greyjoy: Euron rose to power after slaying his brother and former ruler of the Iron Islands, Balon Greyjoy. So it’s only fair that he gets paid back in the same coin.
Yara is currently his prisoner, as she wasn’t part of the gift he brought for Cersei.
Where he’s keeping her is anyone’s guess, however. She could be trapped inside the Silence or in a dungeon back at Pyke, for all we know. You’d think that in either case Theon would need more than a ragtag band of Ironborn, but as we saw back in Season 4, it didn’t take much for Yara to infiltrate the Dreadfort- and would’ve succeeded had Theon’s “Reek persona” not kicked in at the wrong time.
Whichever the means of her release are, and presuming she’s in good shape despite the time in captivity, a rematch with her uncle could be in order. I think there’s a good chance Euron will get more from his niece than he bargained for -and not a kiss, exactly.
THEON
Theon’s problems started the moment he decided to betray Robb Stark.
It’s hard to say what could’ve happened if that didn’t happen. Theon could’ve died at the Twins along with most of Robb’s bannermen during the Red Wedding, or at some other point during the war campaign against the Lannisters. But it’s just as likely that Ramsay would’ve had a harder time trying to take Winterfell (if at all), considering the Ironborn practically delivered the castle on a silver platter.
That Robb himself contributed to Theon’s confusion about his sense of belonging, is also true. He didn’t help matters by telling him things in the line of “Why do you even care? You don’t belong to House Stark anyway”. And sending him to Pyke to treat with his father was a grievous mistake and yet one more example of how he should’ve listened to his mother’s advice.
Theon grew up at Winterfell, and he was treated fairly, but he wasn’t one of the Starks. He was an outsider, like Jon Snow, who had the status of a bastard.
When traveling to Pyke, Theon was at his cockiest self, styling himself as the favorite son who’s coming home at long last. Expecting to be received with much fanfare, he soon finds his hopes utterly dashed when he realizes no one knows him or gives a fig about him. His sister initially toys with him and Balon pretty much burns his self-esteem to the ground.
So he finds himself absolutely alienated: he already knew he didn’t really belong to the North, and then it turns out he’s not a real Ironborn either. His father didn’t miss him, doesn’t love him and doesn’t need him. Yara was firmly in the position he could’ve had in another life, had he not been uprooted by Ned Stark.
The betrayal certainly wasn’t arbitrary, nor did it happen with benefit for the Ironborn in mind. It was an attempt to prove everyone that he wasn’t useless, to get a modicum of respect from his fellow Ironborn and maybe some appreciation from his father. The gamble didn’t pay off as expected, and he not only burned the bridges with his adoptive family, but was also met with scorn from mostly everyone else as a result of his actions, for which he pays dearly after Ramsay Snow takes Winterfell.
Similar to how Jaime undergoes a transformation after losing his hand, Theon becomes someone else after enduring much torment at the hands of the bastard of Bolton. A pathetic, broken creature who, even after managing to escape from his cruel master, is struggling mightily to go back to his former self.
Jon Snow helped to put him back in his feet in the Season 7 finale. With the words “You are a Greyjoy, and you’re a Stark,” he made Theon realize that he doesn’t need to pick a family, and that he’s about to lose the only person who still cares about him. No one will help him, it’s up to him to rescue Yara. And so, with some of his crushing guilt lifted with Jon’s forgiveness, he gathers the courage to put the remaining Ironborn in line and convince them to go rescue their queen. “Not for me. For Yara”.
I’m guessing she’s imprisoned in Euron’s ship, because he’d most certainly want to keep her close, as opposed to relying on underlings and risking something going wrong with him not being around. And clearly the screenwriters still have plans for her, or else she would be already dead instead of being something for Euron to taunt his enemies with.
For Theon and experienced Ironborn, sneaking inside the Silence and taking any guards down shouldn’t be too difficult. Yara’s fleet was previously taken off-guard, since no one was expecting a battle in what should’ve been an uneventful travel to Dorne. This time, they would have the element of surprise.
I’m not expecting things to go so smoothly, though. Surely they’re going to get caught, either during the operation or after rescuing Yara. This could be the way Theon dies, sacrificing his life to ensure his sister’s escape, unless they come up with another distraction (like setting the ship on fire? Because I have a hard time thinking Yara would allow Theon to stay behind).
It’s possible they both will make it, but if this rescue mission is bound to be the end of Theon’s story, I’d be satisfied with it. What better way to go out than saving a loved one?
It’s the kind of death that hits the hardest, because it’s a noble and selfless action. Though Theon may not seem like the kind of person to deserve redemption or forgiveness after all his wrong deeds, I’d say he’s earned at least a brief moment to shine.
YARA
As with many other elements from the show, I remember the controversy over the decision to change Asha Greyjoy’s name, so people wouldn’t confuse her with the wildling Osha. And though for many fans it may seem ridiculous, there are countless people who do have problems keeping up with all the character names, so it was indeed the right call to make.
The show character doesn’t exactly follow the storyline from the books, and there are some minor physical differences too (such as Asha having short black hair, whereas actress Gemma Whelan’s is long and brown), but other than that, I think the portrayal is rather faithful in terms of characterization and actions.
One of the changes I appreciated was to make Yara bisexual, as opposed to the heterosexual version from the novels. There’s a scarcity of characters with different sexual orientations not only in Game of Thrones, but in fiction in general. So I’m all for inclusion, which also makes the show’s universe more rich and varied. As Gemma herself says, “get the job done with whatever if fun and interesting”.
During the earlier seasons, Yara’s appearances were brief, and though she did make an impression, it wasn’t until Season 6 that her role got more juicy. Euron snatched the Salt Throne from her, so she decided to join Dany’s crew and offer her fleet, asking only for the dragon queen’s help in return. Of course, things went south rather quickly and Yara has been left to her fate, since there’s no time and no resources to spare. Not when the true enemy is already invading Westeros.
I am of the opinion that Yara will be one of the few characters to have good fortune in the wars to come, and survive to see the end of the story. Since I don’t think Euron will avoid his comeuppance, and Theon is likely to die as well (apart from not being able to produce any new Greyjoy descendants, as Bronn would put it, “Not without a cock, you don’t”), the future of House Greyjoy rests solely in Yara.
In a post-war scenario, she could bring real change to the Iron Islands, as she has already demonstrated being progressive enough to look past the old ways, by promising Dany that there wouldn’t be any more reaving, raiding or raping. By having a strong relation with the Iron Throne, the Ironborn would surely have a bright future to look forward to, instead of remaining isolated and hated by most people.
Some could argue that the Iron Islanders would be giving up their identity and way of life, but traditions based on the abuse and killing of other people should have no place in any civilized world, and Yara understands that the alternative would be the annihilation of her people. A lesson the Great Masters of Meereen learned the hard way.
I can see Yara’s Iron Fleet becoming Dany’s naval force, protecting the realm from any enemy that would attempt an attack similar to the one Stannis tried to do in the Battle of the Blackwater, or (ironically enough) from foreign invaders.
Of course, this being Game of Thrones, I shouldn’t be surprised if Theon ends up finding just the head of Yara. Depressing outcomes are never off the table, but I’m choosing to remain optimistic about the Lady Reaper of Pyke. Hopefully that won’t blow up in my face like it happened with Hodor and Rickon (and poor, poor Shaggydog).
I gave much thought to these predictions, and I’m feeling safe about them, but of course, the screenwriters could have something really different in mind. That’s what makes all the theorizing a lot of fun: I’d be happy if things go more or less the way I imagine, but I also enjoy when Game of Thrones throws us curveballs. Some years ago I wouldn’t have been able to guess how Ser Barristan Selmy would die or that the Night King would end up with an undead dragon mount.
The Greyjoys may be a tad underappreciated in comparison to the obvious fan favorites like the Starks or the Lannisters, but I don’t think they’re underused. We’ve gotten just the necessary dosages to know about them and to be invested in their stories, until the moment came for them to be in the spotlight. And not only are they fascinating in terms of writing, but are also helped by some really good performances by the actors and memorable sequences (I for one never imagined we’d get a naval battle as brutal and well staged as the one we got).
I’m eagerly awaiting more from them in the final season of the series- and who knows, perhaps House Greyjoy will be present in the prequel series, too!
Great piece. I suspect the endgame for the Greyjoys will be largely in keeping with what you’ve predicted. Personally, what I’d like (but am not necessarily expecting) to happen is for Yara and Theon to survive together or die together, since their loyalty to each has been such a point of contention
Re: Theon – “It’s possible they both will make it, but if this rescue mission is bound to be the end of Theon’s story, I’d be satisfied with it. What better way to go out than saving a loved one?
It’s the kind of death that hits the hardest, because it’s a noble and selfless action. Though Theon may not seem like the kind of person to deserve redemption or forgiveness after all his wrong deeds, I’d say he’s earned at least a brief moment to shine.”
_____________________
In my view, the only way Theon earns a measure of “redemption” is if he sacrifices himself to save the Starks. Rescuing Yara has nothing to do with redeeming himself for his egregious transgressions against the family who raised him. After all, Theon betrayed Robb; chopped off Ser Roderick’s head; left Maester Luwin mortally wounded; forced Bran, Rickon, Hodor and Osha to go on the run as refugees from their own home; murdered and burned two innocent orphan farm boys; ratted out Sansa to Ramsay when she asked for his help; and caused the “North Remembers” old lady to be flayed alive. So far, his only feat of “heroism” was to toss a petite 95-lb young woman off a balcony. Yay.
I don’t see how saving Yara would have anything to do with absolution for his crimes.
#JusticeforMyranda
Edit: Theon did offer himself up to the Bolton posse pursuing Sansa in S6e2. So give him credit for that.
LOL. I’d say she got exactly what she deserved.
I always felt like it would be very GRRM to have Theon be one of the few survivors, after all he’s done. Yes, it would be poetic and fitting to have Theon sacrifice himself and die. So that’s why I leaned toward him living a long, long sad life.
Theon is going to be the king of Pike, whether you like it or not. Death to Asha.
Sue the Fury,
Preach. I think he will survive and live a long and lonely life, too
Well written and plausible. Euron will surely die so Theon and Yara’s fates are the open questions. IMO, Theon’s redemption began when he impulsively pushed Myranda (sorry, TB) and coaxed Sansa to jump with him. IMO, he’s had the worst experiences of any character still alive, so his setbacks have been understandable for anyone as damaged as he. You’re spot-on, Morgoth, about Jon’s declaration of Theon’s dual identity. Theon is only one of several GoT characters with two identities, but his behaviour has been almost schizophrenic as a result. Ned Stark has always represented decency and honour, as Theon knows. He had even told Ramsay that his real father died in Kings Landing. Hearing that reaffirmation from Jon that Theon was part Stark was healing balm. I hope both he and Yara make it. She’s a superb example of a straightforward, loyal, responsible sister AND effective warrior (hmm, I never thought of it, but could her show name being an acronym of Arya’s be intentional?). Pre-captivity, Yara was psycholgically healthy and fit to rule and advance the Iron Born civilisation. They would make a great team, especially if–as some fans theorise–Euron cut out her tongue, as he is wont to do. She’ll need a spokesman.
I’m a bit torn on what I want for Theon’s fate. He’s surely suffered immensely for all the bad things he’s done, but perhaps he’s done just enough (with the assumption that he will rescue Yara in S8) to have redeemed his actions. Part of me wants him to die in the act of saving Yara, but it would be interesting if, like Sue the Fury says, he survives but lives a lonely existence. I don’t know what that means for Yara though, because if she survives, Theon would almost certainly remain by her side. The Iron Islands will need a ruler at the end, and I don’t see anyone else filling that role but Yara.
I’ve heard this theorized as well, and would be an interesting ending for them both. It makes sense too in order for the story to really sell Euron as a vile, dangerous villain. Poor Yara though.. ugh.
Sue the Fury,
Theon in the books is so broken & brittle. He’s described as having gray hair and looks like an old man though he can’t be older than what? Early 20’s? I don’t think he’ll live much longer regardless if it’s a sacrifice or whatever means. I don’t think he makes it out of Winds. Show Theon May very well survive. They haven’t shown the extent to which Ramsay’s torture broke Theon on the show. Though Alfie’s portrayal has been excellent.
Sue the Fury,
And this is one of the many reasons why my soul is yours, my siren.
Well, you know how some fans just gush over NCW or Iain Glen? Let’s just say there’s at least one fan who feels the same way about Charlotte Hope….
#JusticeforMyranda
Don’t forget that Theon might have fathered a child with the captain’s daughter. They may reunite.
Why does Theon even have to redeem himself? Or heal himself?
Not redeeming himself or not healing himself would be a bittersweet irony.
The Greyjoy storyline is about Theon, not Yara or Euron. That’s why I think Theon will survive but has to live with the consequences of what he has done to the Starks.
That’s my hope. For my money, Theon is the best-written character with the most grueling arc in the whole saga. I really want to see him not only redeemed for his very bad choices, but also in some way compensated for his ordeal. For him to end up married to a woman of common birth whom he considered beneath him, because she has given him a potential heir, and then to discover that she is capable of loving him despite all the awful things that he has done to make himself unlovable, would be a very satisfying culmination of his story for me. I want to see him humbled and grateful and a wiser ruler than he might ever otherwise have been.
As for Yara, I think she’s toast.
Aegon the Icedragon,
I agree with Sue and anyone else here who doesn’t think that Theon “gets” to die.
As for redemption, he’s redeemed himself several seasons ago as far as I’m concerned. Now he needs to find Yara (who I suspect is dying or too weak to actively join the war against the Night King, and Cersei) and I picture Theon fighting alongside Jon et co in those crucial final battles before the show ends after Yara’s been found. I don’t see Yara playing a huge part in season 8, nor do I see Euron be a major endgame villain, and I actually think Theon will kill him but let’s wait and see. As for abandoning siblings, Yara abandoned the crazed man Theon had become in season 4 because of Ramsay’s scary dogs and never once did she return afterwards to try and rescue him again. Theon abandoned her because his PTSD kicked in (and no wonder.)
Oops. I meant to quote Sue’s comment, not Aegon’s. Oh, well, lol.
The maesters at the citadel mentioned a prophesy of the drowned god rising up against Aegon. They laughed about it at the time, but it may refer to Euron and Jon Snow.
😊 I share your respect for the actress, while having not a scintilla of sympathy for that character. Myranda was a nasty piece of work, and given her participation in Theon’s torture and mutilation I’d say he, specifically, didn’t owe her a second thought.
I think Sue the Fury is probably right about Theon surviving and living with his regrets. I doubt Myranda will be one of them.
Gwidhiel,
Well, there’s a dearth of villainesses on the show. All we’ve got now is Cersei. And a bunch of heroines (Brienne, Arya, Dany, Sansa, Yara, etc.)
Myranda was truly wicked. Sorry to see her go so…unceremoniously. (Splat!)
I did think that Myranda might have survived being thrown over the railing since she broke the fall with her face. 😛
I don’t really have any lost love for Theon but it doesn’t have anything to do with Myranda. If he wasn’t so weak minded and self-preserving he could have killed Ramsay himself with all of the opportunities he had.
I’m not sure how D&D are going to finish with Theon & Yara, but it does seem like it’s one segment of the story that could end up pretty far from George’s as they seem fairly far off right now. To be honest though, while having slightly more interest watching the show, reading I have barely more than I do for the Dornish inclusions.
On the show their (T&Y) story has gone just about as I expected when we first heard in ’16 about a sea battle and one of them being captured. The rest of it of course would be Theon killing Euron and rescuing Yara. To me that would redeem him as a Greyjoy, as a man and as an iron born. It would not redeem him for his actions against the Starks. I think those can only be forgiven. I did expect more of their arc to be resolved in S7, but I suppose it had to be delayed since it involves Euron.
Thanks for the speculations. Always fun.
I think you might have overlooked some key details though that seem important. Remember the dragon pit scene? Did you notice the look Euron had in his eyes when Dany arrived? That was pure dragon lust or Dany lust or probably both. He was grinning! He did say very clearly that his goal was to marry the most beautiful woman, and he did state his intentions towards Dany from the very beginning. So I think Cersei may be in for a surprise. She should not count on Euron for faithful service if Greyjoy storylines have showed us anything.
He may bring the Golden Company but offer it instead to Dany in exchange for marriage. He may gain some means of stealing a dragon (books….) and use that to coerce Dany. Or, he may even take King’s Landing as a “gift” to Dany, for which the season 7 sea battle provided foreshadowing of his logic and methods. However I am pretty sure his objective is Dany and a dragon, not Cersei.
Dany will trust the guy who is responsible for the death of her Dorne allies and the loss of almost all of her fleet because he calls her the most beautiful woman in the world?
I’m sure that Euron’s fealty to Cersei will last only as long as he doesn’t spy a better opportunity. It would be an interesting twist to have him switch loyalties to Dany when he realizes that Cersei is no longer holding the winning hand, though it’s hard to imagine Dany giving him any reason to hope that his attentions might be welcomed – unless she is coldly and cynically laying a trap for him, of course, with expert coaching from Tyrion and/or Varys. She will know by now, from her consultations with Yara and Theon, that Euron personifies the very worst elements of Ironborn culture, which Dany made them forswear.
It might be worth the complicated setup just to see Cersei completely blindsided. That could be the straw that snaps her into “Burn them all!” Mad Queen mode.
Don’t forget Melisandre – although she’s less of an outright villain than Cersei.
I thought Myranda’s ending was perfect for the rubbish human being that she was. I enjoyed the brief splat she made, and was then happy to leave her behind as the story moved on.
death by chickenfire,
Who said anything about Dany trusting him? Not me.
Mel is done being a zealot, so very likely also done being a villain as the two things were entirely connected.
But this thread is about the Greyjoys and I am not sure Mel has much to do with them. Unless of course Theon turns out to be AA, reborn amidst salt and smoke… but this is something I have a hard time seeing working TBH. Doesn’t feel at all right for his story. Far better for him to simply die in a redemptive way.
How exactly it will play out with Euron making a move for Dany and betraying Cersei I am not sure. I am just certain some version of this will happen.
If I had to guess, I think Euron might bring the Golden Company to hold a Southern stronghold (nominally for Cersei) to free up Lannister armies to defend KL. Then with Highgarden or other as his base he might eventually pretend to join the defense of KL but sack the city instead as his “gift” to Dany (which of course she wouldn’t take very well).
Yep. On the show it definitely is, which is why I was rather surprised “Theon kills Euron” was not mentioned as one of the possibilities of Euron’s fate. To me it is an inevitability.
Rex,
I was a little surprised by this too. Although GoT often (but obviously not always) gives someone’s death to the person who deserves it most, i.e. Sansa with Ramsay, Arya with many of her kills, Jon with his turncloak brothers.
There are many examples of the opposite, to be sure, but if I were to choose someone who deserves Euron’s kill the most, it would have to be Yara.
awol,
As history is always repeating itself in GoT, this would be a nice parallel to Tywin sacking King’s Landing during Robert’s Rebellion. And if Cersei were to trust anyone, it would probably have to be Euron at this point.
Unless Jamie comes home and asks her to open her gates (no pun intended), and he helps sack the city. I can’t really picture this going down though.
Stark Raven’ Rad,
Who told Ramsey his real father had died in King’s Landing? Confused.
Marlana,
For all we know, Theon may have many many bastard children out there.
He was referring to Theon telling Ramsay “my ‘real father’ lost his head in King’s Landing,” in the tunnel just before Ramsay ended his game of fooling Theon into thinking he was helping him escape. Theon was coming to grips with the fact that Ned was more of a father to him than Balon ever was.
Clob,
As a “pre-books”, show-only fan, I get the impression from book readers’ comments that Theon’s book chapters were very well-written. I’m not sure how well that’s translated to the small screen.
awol,
I’m still “worried” that there’s no way Euron’s going to allow a Cersei & Jaime baby to live. Euron’s a vicious looney tunes nut job, and in any event, in the world of GoT, one of the primary reasons for an advantageous marriage is to produce an heir. (See Sansa + Boltons; Sansa + Tyrion). I can’t see Euron assuming the role of loving step daddy. I can envision him pulling a Ramsay-Walda type move, or dosing Cersei’s wine with the stuff used to terminate pregnancies (“moon tea”?).
Well my guess would be that if his goal is Dany as I believe, then he doesn’t really care about the (supposed) baby either way. If he actually has intension to marry her but is using her as a route to power to make a play for Dany, then stepdaddy roles don’t come into it for him.
I am not entirely convinced Cersei’s pregnancy is real. It felt far too manipulative. But let’s say it is, it is of course possible that killing Cersei’s heir would be part of Euron’s “gift” (another parallel to Tywin). We of course all know how Dany feels about killing children.
I think it is a mistake to assume Euron’s role is only about Theon, as someone stated above. He will be quite key in a few arcs.
There is no doubt that Euron is Theon’s bogeyman, basically Ramsay and his messed up father Balon in one. Euron is going to make a big mess of things for our heroes but it does seem likely to be Theon and/or Yara who kills him. That said, there is that whole kinslaying prohibition, which in the books actually gets mentioned a lot via Victarion in relation to Euron, so maybe either Greyjoy killing him is too predictable to actually happen.
Also in the books, there was some setup for a confrontation between Euron and Sam. The show hasn’t given us anything to go on there so maybe it is nothing, but the leviathan versus kraken stuff in the books and the Oldtown assault while Sam was based there was intriguing.
awol,
All of the old prohibitions and taboos like kinslaying and guest right seem to have flown out the window.
It need not be the only reason why Yara or Theon doesn’t kill Euron, and show and books follow different paths. I just think there are really quite a lot of references to the taboo in Victarion’s storyline but also Theon’s. It is interesting. and Theon or Yara killing Euron feels like too safe a prediction, so probably bound to turn out differently.
Mostly well. Theon is great and complex in both mediums.
The show writers I think made a big mistake not making the Greyjoys and ironborn as important as they are in the books. At the very least they could have had other Ironborn banners at the Kingsmoot. They should have added Euron in earlier, or like in the books have him mentioned by the ironborn, Robb, etc as a build up for his dramatic entrance into the story.
Having the Nights King as the only villain is boring. Cersei as the other villain is not believable because we all know she is a liability to herself and her family. As the story started to include more and more fantasy elements then steps in Euron as the perfect baddie. Sadistic like Ramsay, but with a mind more like Tywin or Littlefinger but adding to that he is a viking/pirate who uses black magic and has possible links to Bloodraven (so Bran can have an enemy equal to him) as well as being the biggest threat to Dany because she is overpowered.
Don’t think D&D understand the ironborn or Euron, just like they didn’t really get Stannis or Jon Snow. Not as talented as the author of the source material and it has shown in the last few seasons.
They have butchered the source material, some stuff understandable, other bits have just been really poor. Only hope now is they do an animated series once all the books are finished (drowned god willing) with some great voice actors to do the books some justice
one of Euron’s Mutes,
I love pretty much everything D&D have done, but Euron is the one character I wish we got more of in the show. He is by far the only interesting character in the books that I wish they did more with (and maybe Bloodraven).
That being said, I can see why they didn’t really flesh him out. They had plenty of material to cover with only 10-episode seasons, and would’ve needed to really make some room if they were to have introduced him by season 3 like the books. Plus, he is still someone surrounded by so much mystery in the books that (like you mentioned) I’m not sure D&D knew where to take his character. I’m not so sure even GRRM knew where he was taking him as of the end of book 5.
But book Euron is a badass, and he is the character I’m most excited to learn more about in Winds.
This was a good read on my morning commute – thank you, Morgoth!
I wanted to thank everyone for your kind words and comments. And also for sharing your own theories and predictions! It’s all very appreciated 🙂
I read everything, though I don’t always reply because university keeps me busy (almost done with my thesis!).
I would like it if Theon gets a happy ending. And I can see Yara losing her tongue…but hopefully not! It would be a shame to lose her sharp thoughts and suggestive remarks.
“I never demand but I’m up for anything, really”.
Morgoth,
Surely she can write, or perhaps use sign? Wonder if there is anything like a Westerous sign language? Now that would be a cool thing to develop for the show!
Redemption is an illusion. All we can do is move forward and accept the consequences of what we have done, both inward and outward ones.
I guess what I’m saying is that people like Theon or Jaime or Jorah dying gloriously to save their moral betters rather misses the point. Having to go on and live with what you’ve done, both good and bad… that’s Thrones in a nutshell imo.
I rather like the idea that Theon and Yara both live at this point and try to restart the II as a not completely awful place together (despite me rather wishing Theon would have died 4 seasons ago just to put him out of his misery).
Good read. I must say I am pleased with how the show has trimmed the Iron Born plot versus the books, it’s not perfect but it’s done well enough especially in comparison with Dorne which was terrible in both versions.
Regarding Euron, he wasn’t a favourite of mine in the books but OK, I agree with you that the show changes were necessary because a like for like wouldn’t have worked entirely on screen. Probably where I differ is that I found him luke warm in S6 but actually really enjoyed him in S7, witty but menacing whilst equally different to other villians. As for his end game, I am of the belief Theon will kill him, that seems the logical explanation to me, most likely in the second half of the final season. I expect Jon and/or Dany (if she survives) to make Theon ruler of the Iron Islands but that role could go to Yara if she survives. I’d guess this will happen around the mid-point in order for Theon to return to the main cast as the iron born plot line is the only real splinter from the great wars right now.
Now Theon. As I alluded to above I think he will survive this story, he’s endured some horrible stuff and had plenty of opportunity to die or even sacrifice himself, I suspect in stead he will try to rescue Yara but she will die and he will kill Euron. In doing so he will gain the respect of the Iron Born and with Jon behind him become their leader.
By the way Morgoth would you be willing to write similar pieces on other secondary characters for example Bronn, Sam & Gilly, Brienne & Pod, would be really interested to read those.
I would say it’s translated very well due to Alfie’s excellent acting, his story has also followed the books very closely unlike a few other characters where some level of divergence/merger has taken place.
Beautifully said.