Missandei
| House / Order | Servant of House Targaryen |
|---|---|
| Race / Culture | Naathi |
| Status | Alive (as of A Dance with Dragons) |
| Origin | Naath; Slaver's Bay; Meereen |
| Born | c. 290 AC, Naath |
| Died | |
| Weapon | |
| Fate | Serving Daenerys Targaryen in Meereen as her trusted scribe, interpreter, and companion |
| Portrayed by | Nathalie Emmanuel |
Missandei is a young scribe and interpreter from the peaceful island of Naath, freed from slavery by Daenerys Targaryen and become one of her most trusted attendants. Extraordinarily gifted with languages, she serves as Daenerys's translator, secretary, and confidante in Slaver's Bay and Meereen.
In the novels Missandei is a child, far younger than her television counterpart, which lends a particular poignancy to her wisdom and to the brutalities of slavery she has survived.
Background
Missandei was born on Naath, the Isle of Butterflies, home to the gentle, pacifist Naathi people who worship the Lord of Harmony and refuse to do violence, qualities that have made them perennial targets for slavers. Captured and sold, she became the property of the Astapori, prized for her brilliance with tongues; she speaks the Common Tongue, High Valyrian, and the various dialects of the slaving cities. She had brothers who were taken to be trained as Unsullied.
Biography
A Storm of Swords
Missandei first appears at Astapor as the slave-translator provided to Daenerys during her negotiations to buy the Unsullied. When Daenerys turns the slave-soldiers on their masters and sacks Astapor, she frees Missandei and asks her to remain in her service as a free woman. The girl accepts, becoming Daenerys's interpreter and one of her closest companions, advising the queen with a wisdom beyond her years and conveying her words across the many languages of Slaver's Bay.
A Dance with Dragons
In Meereen, Missandei continues as Daenerys's scribe and herald, a constant, loyal presence at court amid the turmoil of the queen's troubled reign. She reads, writes, and translates for Daenerys, helps care for the young hostages and the household, and serves as a calm confidante during the shadow war waged by the Sons of the Harpy. She mourns when her brothers among the Unsullied are killed in the fighting, and she comforts and counsels her queen through grief and danger.
Character
Missandei is intelligent, composed, and remarkably mature, marked by both the gentleness of her Naathi heritage and the hard experience of slavery. She is devoted to Daenerys, whom she sees as her liberator, and embodies the human stakes of Daenerys's crusade against slavery. Her youth in the books, she is only a child, underscores the cruelty of the world she has endured and the trust she places in her queen.
Relationships
Missandei's defining relationship is her loyal service to and affection for Daenerys, who freed her and treats her with genuine care. She is bound by grief to her brothers among the Unsullied. She works closely with the queen's other freed servants and advisers in Meereen.
Quotes
All men must die, but we are not men.
Valar morghulis. / Valar dohaeris. ("All men must die." / "All men must serve.")
In the television series
In HBO's Game of Thrones, Missandei was portrayed by Nathalie Emmanuel and aged up into a young woman. Her arc broadly follows her book role as Daenerys's translator and confidante, then continues beyond the novels: she enters a romance with Grey Worm, follows Daenerys to Westeros, is captured by Cersei, and is executed before the walls of King's Landing. None of these events have occurred in the books, where Missandei serves Daenerys in Meereen.