Balon Greyjoy

**Balon Greyjoy** is the Lord of the Iron Islands and the head of House Greyjoy of Pyke. The captain of *The Great Kraken*, he is a follower of the Old Way of the Ironborn and desires to bring them back to prominence.

He is the father of Rodrik, Maron, Yara and Theon Greyjoy, and the older brother of Euron, Victarion and Aeron "Damphair" Greyjoy.

## **Appearance and Character:**

Balon had always been thin, but by 299 AC he is gaunt with a hard face. He has hard black eyes with long grey hair flecked with white that hangs past the small of his back. He has a stoop in his shoulder. Balon is not as tall or as strong as his father Quellon had been, but he is just as quick and skilled at arms.

Balon Greyjoy was shown to be a stubborn, unyielding man who often had difficulty seeing past his own desires. This stubbornness greatly affected Balon’s relationship with his son, and to some degree his daughter; he treated Theon rather coldly when the latter was granted permission to visit Pyke, and when Theon pointed out that it was his father’s raiding during Robert's Rebellion that caused his son to be taken as a hostage in the first place, Balon refused to admit any personal fault and even struck Theon across the face for mentioning it.

Balon was also a very poor and short-sighted military strategist: when planning a campaign, he would focus only on short-term achievements, and not give any thought to what would happen once his opponents launched a counterattack. He would not consider logistics and the balance of forces, and stubbornly refused to learn from his past errors. While Balon's motives were in line with typical Ironborn mentality - in which reaving and sacking are glorious acts in-and-of-themselves, and establishing lasting power is not necessarily the point.

However, deep down, Balon was shown to love his family to a certain degree; he showed true affection for Yara and allowed her to become a warrior and ship’s captain in her own right, something highly unusual for a man so defined by tradition. He also seemed genuinely embittered by Theon being taken away from him, and outwardly admitted that Theon becoming like the Starks was something he feared. Through dialogue, however, it is clear that Balon did not have an amicable relationship with his brother, Euron Greyjoy.

Balon has become bitter through age and grief. According to Yara Greyjoy, Balon is not a heavy drinker.

## **History:**

Balon is the eldest surviving son of Quellon Greyjoy, Lord of the Iron Islands, and a lady of House Sunderly. It is not clear when he was born. Balon is married to Alannys Harlaw, who gave him three sons and a daughter: Rodrik, Maron, Yara, and Theon.

Balon learned to sail when still young and was a very skilled captain. Balon scaled the Flint Cliffs to the Blind Lord's haunted tower when he was ten. By his thirteenth year, he had become an expert oarsman. At fifteen he sailed with Dagmer Cleftjaw to the Stepstones on a reaving, killing his first man and taking his first two salt wives there. By seventeen he captained his own longship. Later he often went raiding and was known for his fierceness and fearlessness.

Balon and two of his brothers, Euron and Victarion, wanted their father Quellon to join Robert's Rebellion. Quellon was peaceful and cautious, however, and desired neutrality. Eventually Quellon was convinced by his sons to join the rebellion or else gain nothing from the war. The ironmen's contribution to the war turned out to be minimal. Quellon was slain fighting the longships of the Shield Islands in a battle at the Mander, after which Balon brought the Greyjoy ships back to Pyke so he could claim the Seastone Chair.

When Balon returned to Pyke he found out his younger brother, Urrigon, had died of gangrene after being injured in the finger dance. The maester at Pyke had tried to save the hand of the boy, but his potions had failed and the fourteen-year-old Urrigon lost his life instead. Balon commanded the same treatment be used on the maester, who died along with Balon's stepmother.

Due to the raids and attacks from the Ironborn lead by House Greyjoy during Robert's Rebellion, Lord Eddard of House Stark requested to King Rhaegar I Targaryen that he take a ward from Balon Greyjoy as a way to prevent future Ironborn attacks, Balon's hatred for the Starks grew at them taking his youngest son Theon Greyjoy as a hostage.