Gendry
| House / Order | House Baratheon (unacknowledged bastard) |
|---|---|
| Race / Culture | Westerosi |
| Status | Alive (as of A Dance with Dragons) |
| Origin | King's Landing; The Riverlands |
| Born | c. 283 AC, King's Landing |
| Died | |
| Weapon | A warhammer |
| Fate | Riding with the Brotherhood Without Banners in the Riverlands, smithing for the outlaws |
| Portrayed by | Joe Dempsie |
Gendry is a talented young smith and one of the many unacknowledged bastard sons of King Robert Baratheon. Unaware of his royal blood for much of his story, he is a strong, stubborn, and honest youth swept up in the chaos of the War of the Five Kings, whose Baratheon parentage makes him both a target and a piece in the game of thrones.
Gendry's likeness to the young Robert, the same blue eyes and black hair, marks him as the king's get, and the truth of bastard parentage that Eddard Stark and Jon Arryn uncovered makes him quietly dangerous to the Lannister regime.
Background
Gendry was raised in King's Landing as an apprentice to the master armorer Tobho Mott on the Street of Steel, his apprenticeship paid for by a wealthy stranger who took an unusual interest in him, in fact Jon Arryn, investigating Robert's bastards. Gendry knew nothing of his father; his mother, who died when he was young, had told him only that the man who fathered him was highborn. He grew skilled at the forge and crafted a fine bull's-head helm for himself.
Biography
A Game of Thrones and A Clash of Kings
When Jon Arryn's and then Eddard's inquiries into Robert's bastards make Gendry's existence dangerous, he is sent away from the capital with Yoren's band of Night's Watch recruits. On the road he falls in with Arya Stark, who is disguised as a boy. The two become close companions through captivity at Harrenhal and a harrowing series of escapes, with Gendry fiercely protective of his friend even after he learns she is a highborn girl.
A Storm of Swords
Gendry and Arya join the outlaw Brotherhood Without Banners, a band of smallfolk and broken men who fight for the common people. Gendry, drawn to their cause and weary of being a pawn, chooses to stay with the Brotherhood and forge weapons for them, becoming a true member, an act that hurts Arya, who feels abandoned. The red priestess Melisandre later comes to the Brotherhood and buys Gendry, recognizing the power in his king's blood. She uses leeches drawn from him to work a blood curse against the rival kings, but Davos Seaworth saves Gendry from being sacrificed outright, spiriting him away.
A Feast for Crows and beyond
In the later novels, Gendry is established at the inn at the crossroads in the Riverlands, apprenticed and smithing, still associated with the remnants of the Brotherhood, now under the grim leadership of the resurrected Lady Stoneheart. His arc remains open as of A Dance with Dragons.
Character
Gendry is honest, hardworking, and proud, with a stubborn streak and a quick temper. Lowborn in upbringing and outlook, he distrusts lords and longs to belong somewhere, valuing the loyalty of a true family over the cold significance of royal blood he never asked for. His decency and his bond with Arya make him one of the more sympathetic minor figures of the saga.
Relationships
Gendry's friendship with Arya Stark is the central relationship of his story, marked by loyalty, bickering, and an unspoken closeness; his decision to remain with the Brotherhood drives a painful wedge between them. He is hunted for his connection to his unacknowledged father Robert Baratheon, and nearly killed for his king's blood by Melisandre, before Davos Seaworth intervenes.
Quotes
I can be your family. (Arya, to Gendry) / You wouldn't be my family. You'd be m'lady. (Gendry)
Lords and kings... I want no part of them.
In the television series
In HBO's Game of Thrones, Gendry was portrayed by Joe Dempsie. His arc follows the novels through his time with Arya and the Brotherhood, then continues well beyond them: he escapes Dragonstone, fights beyond the Wall and at Winterfell, and is finally legitimized as Lord Gendry Baratheon of Storm's End by Daenerys Targaryen. None of these events have occurred in the books.