Euron Greyjoy

"I am the Drowned God. From Oldtown to Qarth, when men see my sails, they pray.[...] I am the storm, brother. The first storm, and the last. And you're in my way."

- Euron Greyjoy.

Euron Greyjoy is a recurring character in the sixth season who was previously alluded to in the first season. He is portrayed by Pilou Asbæk, and debuts in “Home”. Euron is the younger brother of King Balon Greyjoy, and the eldest uncle of Theon and Yara Greyjoy.

Background
Euron Greyjoy is the younger brother of Balon Greyjoy, head of House Greyjoy, Lord Reaper of Pyke and self-fashioned King of the Iron Islands.

At the outset of the Greyjoy Rebellion, Euron orchestrated the daring Raid on Lannisport which burned Tywin Lannister's entire fleet at anchor. This gave the ironborn command of the western seas and coasts of Westeros for a time.

Euron has spent the last few years as a pirate, reaving from Oldtown to Qarth and beyond. He once lost his senses during a storm while sailing on the Jade Sea, and his crew was forced to tie him to the mast to prevent him from jumping overboard. When he was let down after the storm, he had all their tongues ripped out. Euron later glibly remarked of the incident that "I needed silence".

Season 1
Tyrion Lannister tells Theon about his memories of witnessing the Raid on Lannisport which Tyrion says was caused by Theon's uncles.

Season 6
Euron returns to the Iron Islands following the War of the Five Kings, arriving during a violent storm. He confronts Balon on a rope bridge between two of Pyke's towers, as it is buffeted by the wind and rain. Balon says he assumed Euron would be dead by now, rotting under some foreign sea. Euron sarcastically replies with the traditional ironborn words, "what is dead may never die", and chides Balon when he doesn't repeat the phrase. Balon accuses him of mocking the Drowned God. Euron retorts by boasting that he is the Drowned God: for from Oldtown to Qarth, whenever men see his sails they pray. The strong wind batters the bridge, making Balon have to hold onto the support ropes, but with eerie calmness Euron stands perfectly still with his hands together in front of him, unafraid. Smirking, Euron notes that his brother is old, and says it is time for him to move aside and let another rule.

Balon draws closer, and says he heard that Euron lost his mind during a storm on the Jade Sea, and the crew had to tie him to the mast to stop him from jumping overboard. Euron smiles and matter-of-factly acknowledges "they did". Balon then accuses him by asking what kind of an ironborn loses his senses during a storm, to which Euron firmly says that he is "the storm" - the first storm, and the last - and Balon is in his way. Realizing that Euron has come to kill him, Balon attacks him with a knife, slashing his left cheek, but Euron easily overpowers his elder brother, and throws him off the bridge to his death.

In the books
In the A Song of Ice and Fire novels, Euron is a wildly unpredictable and cruel man, known for his delight in playing vicious mind games and waging psychological war those around him. He is hated by all his brothers, particularly Victarion. Even many of the other ironborn greatly fear Euron, and consider him to be half-insane - not so much in the sense of being impulsive (like Joffrey Baratheon or Ramsay Bolton), but in that he seems almost delusional, with an utterly fearless, warped personality.

Unlike many ironborn (including Balon), Euron is a cunning strategist skilled at both politics and military tactics. It was Euron who came up with the battle plan for the surprise Raid on Lannisport during the Greyjoy Rebellion, which burned Tywin Lannister's entire fleet at anchor before it could respond to the ironborn's declaration of independence. Victarion commanded the actual assault itself, following Euron's plan.

He is captain of the ship Silence, crewed entirely by mutes - to keep the crew from revealing any of his secrets, Euron personally ripped the tongues out of each of their mouths.

In the books, Euron wears a patch over his left eye, for which he is nicknamed "Crow's Eye", though it is unclear what he hides beneath the patch. According to Theon it is a black eye "shining with malice", whereas his right eye is blue. The TV version simply omitted the eyepatch and he has both eyes. Actor Pilou Asbæk (Euron) responded to reactions about this change the week after he first appeared in "Home" via his Twitter account, explaining:


 * "I am sorry, but with all the killing Euron has to do, he needs both eyes."

Euron has never been married. He has several bastard children, but does not have any regard for any of them, none were officially acknowledged, and none have been introduced in the narrative - it is mentioned in passing that one is a ten year old boy with woolly hair and mud-brown skin, apparently fathered on a woman from Sothoryos or the Summer Islands.

Several years ago, Euron raped and impregnated Victarion's third wife, which drove Victarion to beat her to death in an honor killing, so he would not be put to shame as a cuckold. Euron flippantly claimed that it was not rape and he in fact seduced Victarion's wife willingly, but due to Euron's pervasive lying and mind games he may have just said this to mock his brother. Victarion would have killed Euron too, but Balon forbade it, though only because he would not have the taboo of kinslaying in his own halls. Balon still sympathized with Victarion and renounced Euron as his brother. As punishment, Balon exiled Euron from the Iron Islands, never to return, so he is not present when Theon returns to Pyke in the second novel. Victarion still deeply hates Euron and wishes him dead. It is unclear exactly when Euron was banished but it was some time after the Greyjoy Rebellion, which occurred nine years before the start of the first novel.

After being banished from the Iron Islands, Euron sailed his ship far to the east raiding and plundering as an infamous pirate, and became the terror of the world's oceans. He claims to have sailed to the far corners of the known world where other men fear to venture: he sailed to distant Asshai and treated with that strange city's shadowbinders; he braved the dangers of the Smoking Sea; and he even dared walk the allegedly demon-haunted ruins of Old Valyria searching for lost treasures. He also raided around Qarth, and while many men dread the Warlocks of that city, Euron attacked and captured several of them, and tortured them into teaching him much in the ways of black magic. While in the east Euron also picked up the habit of drinking shade of the evening from the warlocks of Qarth, and as with the warlocks the potion has stained his lips blue.

Euron's actions also made him very unpopular with the Drowned Men priests, who deride him as an "ungodly" man. There aren't many things that the Drowned God religion won't stand for - given that it considers raiding and pillaging to be holy acts - but raping your own brother's wife is one of them (even if just a salt wife). Euron is also very flippant about the Drowned Ged and ironborn traditions in general, further earning him the ire of the priests.

In A Feast for Crows, Euron makes a surprise return to the Iron Islands - the very next day after his older brother Balon's mysterious death. As his arrival appears to coincide with Balon's fall from the bridge, many suspect that Euron killed Balon. Balon's daughter Asha (named Yara in the TV series) openly accuses him of murdering her father, but it cannot be proven. Euron is so brazen that he doesn't really care how suspicious it appeared to return immediately after his brother's death and then claim his throne. In the novels it is heavily implied that Euron hired one of the Faceless Men to throw Balon off a rope bridge at Pyke - the TV series has Euron do it personally, allowing for a face to face confrontation between them.

"Euron" is pronounced "Your-on".