Ramsay Bolton

Lord **Ramsay Bolton** is the bastard son of Lord Roose Bolton. Originally named **Ramsay Snow**, he was known as the **Bastard of Bolton** and the **Bastard of the Dreadfort**. Ramsay considers himself a true Bolton despite his birth and is highly resentful of his baseborn status, referring to himself proudly as the trueborn scion of the Dreadfort and violently correcting those who refer to him otherwise.

Ramsay has a group of men-at-arms who stand high in his favor and follow him loyally. They are called the "Bastard Boys", though never within their or Ramsay's hearing, and are just as depraved as Ramsay. Ramsay's personal steed is named Blood.

## Appearance and Character

Ramsay appears pasty, ugly, and oafish. He is an unlikable, extremely sadistic individual, even with his subjects - there is virtually no one that seems safe from his bloodthirsty aspirations. He enjoys rape, torture, and mutilation, particularly flaying his enemies, a trademark Bolton method that's even displayed on the Bolton banner. Ramsay also likes to hunt women, tracking them down, raping and killing them. He names his dogs after the ones who give good chase.

Ramsay is also extremely cunning, surviving seemingly insurmountable odds by tricking his opponents (and even friends). He has a knack for concocting clever, devious and often sadistic traps for people he preys upon, and enjoys hunting other creatures immensely. He is not considered to be a great warrior, his only advantage in combat being his strength and savage nature. Both his father and Theon Greyjoy regard Ramsay as fearless, but his father does not consider it to be a good thing as fear keeps a man alive.

## Biography

Ramsay Snow is the product of rape. His father, Roose Bolton, raped his mother under the swinging corpse of her husband whom he had just ordered hanged on a pretext. It is possible that Ramsay poisoned Roose's legitimate heir, which is what Roose suspects. Roose never fully abandoned the child, and even provided for him, mostly from a distance. As a child, Ramsay had a friend that smelled awful all the time, thus the name Reek. The Reek that Theon meets is inferred to be Ramsay, assuming the Reek persona.

### A Clash of Kings

Ramsay becomes a known and feared force throughout the North, building up his forces and causing widespread pain and suffering until Rodrik Cassel manages to catch him. However, Ramsay disguises himself as Reek and allows Reek to be killed in his place as he is taken to Winterfell as a prisoner, where he falsely swears fealty to Theon Greyjoy, who has recently taken it.

It is Ramsay/Reek 's idea to burn the boys at the mill and pass them off as Bran and Rickon Stark, handling their flayings and getting rid of all parties who could have revealed the truth.

When a host was coming to take Wintefell from Theon, Reek told him he could gather men and ride back to defend.

He betrays Theon when he returns to Winterfell with an army posing as allies, only to cut down all the Ironmen, burn Winterfell, and take Theon hostage.

### A Storm of Swords

Ramsay keeps Theon as a prisoner, flaying him and sending his flesh to Robb Stark as a sign of alliance. However, this alliance would end when Roose murders Robb and ends the Stark campaign. King Tommen declares Ramsay a true Bolton, and he is set to marry "Arya Stark", who is actually Jeyne Poole, a friend of Sansa's from Winterfell.

### A Dance with Dragons

Theon has suffered greatly at the hands of Ramsay, now adopting the title Reek and acting as Ramsay's personal plaything with a status just below the dogs.

Ramsay takes hold of the North firmly, including the once contended Moat Cailin, using Theon as an envoy and tricking the ironborn into surrender. Ultimately, all ironborn who surrender are flayed.

He finally marries Jeyne Poole under the ruse that she is Arya Stark in order to lay claim to being lord of the north. In the final chapters of book five, Theon and Jeyne escape Ramsay and are delivered to Stannis, where Theon regains his sense of self as he is reunited with his sister, who is a captive of Stannis.