Oberyn Martell
| House / Order | House Martell |
|---|---|
| Race / Culture | Dornish |
| Status | Deceased |
| Origin | Dorne; King's Landing |
| Born | 257 AC, Sunspear |
| Died | 300 AC, King's Landing |
| Weapon | A spear, often poisoned |
| Fate | Killed by Gregor Clegane in trial by combat after winning the fight but pressing for a confession |
| Portrayed by | Pedro Pascal |
Oberyn Martell, called the Red Viper of Dorne, is the younger brother of Prince Doran Martell of Dorne and one of the most charismatic figures introduced in A Storm of Swords. Brilliant, hot-blooded, and famed for his skill with a poisoned spear, he comes to King's Landing nursing a long-cherished thirst for vengeance against House Lannister.
Oberyn's defining purpose is to avenge his beloved sister Elia, who was raped and murdered along with her children during the Sack of King's Landing, a crime the Lannisters never answered for.
Background
Oberyn is the third child of the ruling house of Dorne. Worldly and learned, he studied poisons at the Citadel, traveled widely in Essos, commanded sellswords, and fathered eight bastard daughters known as the Sand Snakes. He earned his epithet "the Red Viper" both for his deadly poisoned blade and for an old duel in which he wounded Lord Edgar Yronwood, who later died of the festering wound. His sister Elia was wed to Rhaegar Targaryen; during the Sack of King's Landing, she and her children were brutally murdered by Gregor Clegane on the orders, Dorne believes, of Tywin Lannister. Oberyn never forgave the crime.
Biography
A Storm of Swords
Oberyn arrives in King's Landing as the Dornish representative to King Joffrey's wedding, ostensibly to take Dorne's seat on the small council. In truth he comes hunting vengeance, openly threatening Lannisters and reminding them of Elia's fate. He befriends the imprisoned Tyrion and tells him the story of visiting Casterly Rock in Tyrion's infancy. When Tyrion is condemned for Joffrey's murder and demands trial by combat, Oberyn volunteers to be his champion, seeing his chance to face Gregor Clegane, the man who killed Elia, and to wring a confession from him.
Death
In the trial, Oberyn fights the giant Gregor with dazzling speed and skill, wounding him repeatedly with a spear coated in manticore venom. He has all but won, but instead of finishing his enemy, he circles and demands aloud that Gregor confess to raping and murdering Elia and name Tywin as the man who gave the order. The dying Gregor seizes Oberyn, smashes his teeth out, and crushes his skull with his bare hands while confessing, killing the prince in a horrific moment that dooms Tyrion. Oberyn's poison, however, ensures Gregor's slow, agonizing death.
Character
Oberyn is passionate, brilliant, and fearless, a lover of wine, women, and combat who lives without the prejudices common in Westeros. He is bisexual and open about it, takes a paramour, Ellaria Sand, whom he loves, and dotes on his bastard daughters. Beneath the charm runs a deep, patient rage for justice. His tragic flaw is that very passion: by demanding a confession instead of killing his beaten foe, he throws away victory and his life.
Relationships
Oberyn's love for his murdered sister Elia drives his entire arc. He is devoted to his paramour Ellaria Sand and his daughters, the Sand Snakes. His warm, unexpected rapport with Tyrion makes him a rare friend to the Imp. His hatred of Gregor Clegane and Tywin Lannister defines his mission.
Quotes
Elia of Dorne. You raped her. You murdered her. You killed her children.
The Mountain that Rides. Ser Gregor Clegane. The Hound's big brother. You'll be fighting the Mountain that Rides.
In the television series
In HBO's Game of Thrones, Oberyn was portrayed by Pedro Pascal. His arc and death follow the novels closely. The show later developed the consequences of his death through Ellaria Sand and the Sand Snakes in a storyline that diverges considerably from the book's Dornish plot.