Balon Greyjoy

Lord of the Iron Islands; Lord Reaper of Pyke; self-proclaimed King of the Iron Islands and the North

House / Order	House Greyjoy
Race / Culture
Status	Deceased
Origin	The Iron Islands, at Pyke
Born	268 AC (approx.)
Died	299 AC, at Pyke
Weapon
Fate	Fell to his death from a bridge at Pyke during a storm, possibly murdered at the instigation of his brother Euron
Portrayed by

We do not sow.

Balon Greyjoy was Lord of the Iron Islands, Lord Reaper of Pyke, and head of House Greyjoy, a fierce and proud ironborn lord who twice declared himself a king. Devoted to the brutal "Old Way" of reaving and the doctrine that the ironborn must take rather than buy or build, Balon led a failed rebellion against the Iron Throne and later seized his chance amid the War of the Five Kings to crown himself King of the Iron Islands and the North. He was the father of Theon Greyjoy and Asha (Yara) Greyjoy.

Background

Balon ruled the harsh, sea-girt Iron Islands according to the creed of his ancestors, holding that the ironborn pay the "iron price," taking what they want by force of arms, rather than the "gold price" of honest purchase. He scorned the mainland greenlanders as soft and weak.

Greyjoy's Rebellion

Some years into the reign of Robert Baratheon, Balon proclaimed himself King of the Iron Islands and rose in rebellion against the Iron Throne. The rebellion was crushed: Robert and his bannermen, including Eddard Stark, stormed the islands and broke Balon's power, killing two of his sons in the fighting. As surety for his future loyalty, Balon's sole surviving son Theon Greyjoy was taken to be raised as a ward, in effect a hostage, at Winterfell.

War of the Five Kings

When the realm shattered into the War of the Five Kings, Balon saw his chance. Rather than ally with Robb Stark, who sent Theon to treat with him, Balon spurned the offer and instead launched his own war, crowning himself king once more and loosing the ironborn to raid the largely undefended coasts of the North. His daughter Asha struck at the Stony Shore while his fleets seized Moat Cailin and other strongpoints, and his son Theon treacherously captured Winterfell itself.

Death

Balon died falling from a high rope bridge between towers at Pyke during a fierce storm. While many took it for an accident, it is strongly implied that he was murdered, possibly by a faceless assassin set on by his exiled brother Euron Greyjoy, who returned to claim the Seastone Chair. His death threw the succession of the Iron Islands into dispute, resolved at a kingsmoot in his daughter's absence in favor of the terrible Euron.

Character

Balon Greyjoy is the embodiment of the ironborn's grim, predatory creed, hard, proud, and incapable of warmth even toward his own children. His cold reunion with the returning Theon, in which he mocked his son as a soft greenlander, helped drive Theon to the disastrous choices that destroyed him. Balon's ambition outran his means, and his kingship died with him on the rocks of Pyke.

In the television series

In HBO's Game of Thrones, Balon Greyjoy is portrayed by Patrick Malahide. The series likewise depicts his death by falling from a bridge, explicitly carried out by Euron.

Appearances