Sandor Clegane

### Features

Huge, heavily-muscled, sharp cheekbones, heavy brow, burned left side of the face with a stump for an ear

**Sandor Clegane**, also known as the **Hound**, is a sworn sword of House Lannister and the protector of the young Prince Joffrey Baratheon. He is the younger brother of Ser Gregor Clegane. He is left for dead by Arya Stark along the banks of the Trident from a wound sustained in a small skirmish; his fate is unknown.

## Appearances and Character

Sandor Clegane is a huge man of massive strength, one of the fiercest men in all of Westeros. He has thin black hair that only grows on one side of his face, but he oten wears it to cover the other half. His eyes are deathly grey and frightening. He is easily recognized because half of his face was severly burned by Gregor when the was six years old, and his scars have stayed with him his whole life. This event spurred a fear of fire in Sandor, but otherwise the Hound is essentially not afraid of anything. He is a ferocious swordsman, partially because of his brutal strength and his general capacity for violence that eclipses his own brother. Many times Sandor Clegane has been offered knighthood, but he has always refused, thinking that the very concept of knights is vainglorious and hypocritical. Gregor Clegane, the monster became a knight despite his infamy throughout all of Westeros for savagery and cruelty, and his openly-known atrocities against houses of Westeros; for this, Sandor lost all respect for the institution.

Sandor is known as a cruel and ruthless man, but he may choose to hide his more pleasant emotions. His lifelong obsession since he was a child was to kill his brother Gregor in retribution for what Gregor did to him - this hatred is stronger than any other emotion the Hound is capable of, and has sustained him all of his life. It is worth noting that Sandor is the only man truly brave enough to cross Gregor at all. Although Sandor has absolutely no qualms about killing, and is brazen about how he feels about it and how good he is at it, Sandor is still disgusted by his brother Gregor's actions, and that they are even accepted in society for him being a knight. Sandor has a black sense of humour, from whom he protects nobody, and even those he has an iota of respect for, he treats contemptuously. He is fully aware of how people view him, but he does not care.

Because of Sandor's prodigal swordsmanship, he is one of the most feared men in the Seven Kingdoms - even in the North, his reputation is ominous. When Sansa Stark encounters him, he is scornful (at best) of her polished, childish view of knighthood and honour, and repeatedly shows her the savage truth of the situation. He also is able to provide stunningly logical arguments against knighthood, his own dishonour, and the mercy of other men.

Despite his savagery and cruelty, Sandor is capable, in part, of being kind and even honourable, as evidenced by his gradually protective attitude towards Sansa. He goes out of his way to protect her from Joffrey's temper, and even concurs with her on matters that normally he wouldn't even care for (such as the suggested execution of Dontos Hollard). He is fully aware of Joffrey's stupidity, monstrous nature and desires, and even uses them against him, particularly his stupidity. Sandor scorns the idea of bravery in himself, thinking that a dog does not need courage to chase off rats.

He seems to be the antithesis of the stereotypical white knight, primarily in that he doesn't believe in the nobility of knighthood.

## History

Aged six, maybe seven, Gregor received a gift from a woodcarver, only Sandor played with his brother's toy; a knight, all painted up, and its joints fixed with strings. Gregor was five years older than Sandor and the toy was nothing to him, however when he found his younger brother playing with the knight, he never said a word, just picked Sandor up and shoved the side of his face down in the burning coal of the brazier. It took three grown men to drag Gregor off him, and his father told everyone that his bed caught fire. Four years later, Gregor was knighted by Rhaegar Targaryen.

Sandor Clegane left the lands of House Clegane when Gregor inherited it. Their father died under suspicious circumstances. Sandor left and took service with the Lannisters. When the series begins, he works as a protector for Joffrey Baratheon.

## Books

### A Game of Thrones

Sandor rides to Winterfell when King Robert Baratheon decides to replace the recently deceased Jon Arryn with Lord Eddard Stark as Hand of the King.

Sandor attends a training session in the Winterfell courtyard with Prince Joffrey. He stands up to Ser Rodrik Cassel when the knight refuses to let the prince use sharpened steel swords.

Sandor offers to kill Summer when Joffrey complains about the direwolf's howling keeping him awake. He pretends to ignore Tyrion Lannister when he makes an approach to the duo.

Sandor scares Sansa Stark on the Kingsroad, but he is dismissed by Joffrey. The prince leaves him behind when he goes riding with his betrothed. Sandor is put in charge of one of the Lannister parties looking for Arya Stark and Mycah. He is sent north of the Trident. He doesn't find Arya, but does run down Mycah, killing him.

Later on, at King's Landing, Sandor participates in the Tourney of the Hand, unhorsing Renly Baratheon. At the celebrations, he drunkenly discusses the tourney with Sansa Stark, frightening her with the story of how he was burned and scornfully calling her a 'little bird' speaking words taught to her, blind to the savagery of the world. He progresses further in the tourney by defeating Jaime Lannister, entering the final round. However, when his brother is unhorsed by Ser Loras Tyrell,and Gregor vengefully tries to kill the knight publicly, Sandor intervenes. The two brothers fight heatedly, but Sandor backs away when Robert Baratheon commands it. For saving his life, Loras grants him the championship.

King Robert eventually dies of mortal wounds sustained in a boar hunt. Afterwards, the Hound participates in the skirmish against Eddard Stark's men when the northerner tries to depose King Joffrey and his mother from power. He kills several of the Hand's men, before restraining Jeyne Poole.

In spite of his refusal of a knighthood, Sandor replaces Ser Barristan Selmy on the Kingsguard. Surprisingly, when he is made to watch over Sansa Stark, he treats her kindly. When Joffrey cruelly shows Sansa her father's head, Sandor cleans the blood from her face in an almost uncharacteristic show of tenderness.

### A Clash of Kings

Sandor Clegane is put to constant use during Joffrey's early days as king. In spite of being sworn to obey Joffrey, Sandor continuously strives to defend Sansa from the boy's savagery. He is the only knight of the Kingsguard never commanded to beat Sansa.

During the tourney to celebrate Joffrey's nameday, Sandor frequently speaks contemptuously of the competitors, declaring that it would be a waste for him to compete; he remarks that even Joffrey could have beaten them. When Dontos Hollard is threatened with execution, Sansa jumps to his defence and suggests that it is bad luck to kill a man on his nameday, which Sandor, shockingly, supports. Joffrey thus makes Dontos his new fool, as opposed to drowning him in wine.

Sandor, while drunk, runs into Sansa again; he calls her a stupid little girl who sings all the songs that her septa and parents taught her, and demands that Sansa sing a song for him. Though the Hound terrifies Sansa, he also protects her from Ser Boros Blount at one point. On several occasions, he openly mocks her perception of true knights, and warns her that she is surrounded by liars, monsters and killers.

When Robb Stark continues to win victories against Tywin Lannister, Joffrey summons Sansa and has her ferociously beaten as a punishment for Robb defeating the Lannisters. When the Hound tries to stop this from happening, Joffrey commands Ser Boros Blount to strip Sansa, but Tyrion Lannister, Bronn and Timett intervene. Sandor gives Sansa his cloak when Tyrion commands it.

When Joffrey incites a riot in King's Landing, Sandor once again protects Sansa when the mob hunts after her. In a fury, he kills several of the commoners, cutting off a man's arm at one point. However, he almost loses his precious horse Stranger in the riot, declaring that if the horse dies then he will make someone pay for it. When Sansa thanks him for protecting her, he remains utterly scornful, stating that he didn't do what he did out of courage, as '*a dog doesn't need courage to chase off rats*'.

Sandor is given command during the defence of King's Landing during the Battle of Blackwater Bay. He leads the defence against archers on the Blackwater Rush, but loses many of his men and is eventually driven back by the wildfire that Tyrion Lannister unleashes on the Bay to destroy Stannis' ships. He renounces the Kingsguard and Joffrey, and flees to Sansa's chambers. He drunkenly offers to take her away to King's Landing, which she refuses. Instead, he holds her at the point of a knife and orders her to sing for him, before escaping King's Landing and disappearing.