Polygamy

**Polygamy** can be defined as a marriage which includes more than two partners.

## Polygamy in Westeros

In Westeros, for both the highborn and lowborn, marriage is chiefly between two people, a man and a woman. The Faith of the Seven does not permit polygamy, and considers it a sin.

### The First Men

During the Age of Heroes, the legendary Florys the Fox, cleverest of the children of Garth Greenhand, kept three husbands, each ignorant of the existence of the others. They were the progenitors of House Florent, House Ball, and House Peake. The founders of House Tarly, twin sons of Garth Greenhand called Herndon of the Horn and Harlon the Hunter, built their castle atop Horn Hill and took to wife the beautiful woods witch who dwelled there, sharing her favours for a hundred years. The brothers did not age so long as they had intercourse with her whenever the moon was full.

King Garland II "The Bridegroom" Greenhand, King of the Reach in the time before the Andals came to Westeros, had multiple wives. In order to marry the daughter of Lymond Hightower, Lord of Oldtown, he put aside his other wives. This union, combined with the marriage of Lymond and King Garland's daughter, brought Oldtown into the kingdom of House Gardener.

According to the songs, Storm King Ronard "the Bastard" of Storm's End had twenty-three wives.

### House Targaryen

Aenar Targaryen took multiple wives with him when he left Valyria for Dragonstone. His descendant, King Aegon I Targaryen, took to wife both his sisters, Visenya and Rhaenys. This was unusual, as per tradition he was expected to wed only his older sister, but not without precedent. It was said by some that Aegon wed Visenya out of duty and Rhaenys out of desire.

During the Conquest, Aegon received a proposal from the Storm King, Argilac Durrandon, who offered his daughter Argella as a wife to Aegon. Stating he did not need a third wife, Aegon refused the suggestion. Queen Regent Sharra Arryn of the Kingdom of Mountain and Vale offered herself in marriage to Aegon, but Aegon refused her offer as well.

Aegon I's younger son, Maegor, is the last Targaryen currently known to have had multiple wives. He had been married to Ceryse Hightower in 25 A.C., but in 39 A.C., he took Alys Harroway to wife in a Valyrian ceremony led by his mother, Dowager Queen Visenya Targaryen, after they could not find a septon to perform the marriage. This marriage upset the Faith, especially the High Septon. When Maegor refused to set Alys aside, King Aenys I Targaryen sent them into exile in Pentos.

When Aenys died in 42 A.C., Maegor returned from Pentos, and a courtesan named Tyanna arrived not much later, together with Queen Alys. Maegor took Tyanna to wife that same year. In 45 A.C., Maegor's first wife, Ceryse, died due to sudden illness. Two years later, Maegor married his three Black Brides, widowed women of proven fertility, in a single ceremony.

With the death of their dragons during and after the Dance of the Dragons, House Targaryen saw a decrease in their power and threat that they needed to be able to get away with committing the sin of polygamy in Westeros.

There has been no mention of a Targaryen or Valyrian woman ever having more than one husband at a time.

### The Iron Islands

On the Iron Islands, a man can have one true- and freeborn "rock wife". However, he can also have "salt wives", usually women captured on raids. Salt wives are considered more than mere concubines, and any sons born of such unions are not considered bastards, but can inherit should their father have no surviving sons by his rock wife. The number of salt wives a man can support is considered to be an indication of his power, wealth, and virility.

### Dorne

In Dorne, it is not uncommon for a nobleman or a noblewoman to have a spouse for political reasons and a paramour for love. While the Dornish are not very concerned if a child is born out of marriage, children by paramours are nevertheless considered to be bastards, and thus have to use the surname "Sand", while the children by the spouse use the family name and inherit.

### Other incidents

In the era of King Jaehaerys I Targaryen, there was a Kingsguard knight named Ser Lucamore Strong, called "Lucamore the Lusty", who had three wives and sixteen children. Knights of the Kingsguard are not allowed to have wives or children, so when Lucamore's deceit was discovered, his own brothers of the Kingsguard gelded him, and the king sent him to the Wall.

## Polygamy in Essos

In Valyria, the dragonlords and sorcerer princes took more than one wife when it pleased them, though this was less common than incestuous marriages.

The Lyseni pirate Salladhor Saan claims to have multiple wives and concubines, although Davos Seaworth says they are only concubines.

Amongst the Dothraki, *khals* can have more than one wife. Known examples include Khal Jommo, who has four wives, and Khal Dhako.

In Astapor, Cleon the Great had multiple wives, though he said he would put them aside if Daenerys Targaryen would marry him.

At the docks of Qarth, a brass merchant refers to his wives.

The emperors of Yi Ti may have multiple wives, including the last indigo emperor Choq Choq, who had a hundred wives and a thousand concubines.

In Leng, the first god-empress of the current dynasty, Khiara the Great, took two husbands, one Lengii and one YiTish - a customary pattern followed by her daughters and their daughters in turn.