Theon Greyjoy

"You don't look like a Theon Greyjoy anymore. That's a name for a lord, but you're not a lord, are you? You're just... meat; stinking meat. You reek! Reek! That's a good name for you."

- Ramsay Snow to Theon Greyjoy

Theon Greyjoy is a major character in the first, second and third seasons. He is played by starring cast member Alfie Allen and debuts in the series premiere. Theon is the heir of Lord Balon Greyjoy of the Iron Islands. He has been a hostage of House Stark since his father's failed uprising against King Robert Baratheon. Despite his status, Theon became a close friend to Robb Stark. However, after Robb sent him as an emissary to his father during his war against the Iron Throne, the Greyjoy prince turned on the Starks and joined Lord Balon in his campaign to seize the North. He took over Winterfell and installed himself as Prince of Winterfell until he was betrayed by his own crew and delivered to House Bolton shortly after. As a prisoner of Ramsay Snow, the "Bastard of Bolton", he has been subjected to physical and psychological torture and mockingly renamed as "Reek".

Background
Theon is the youngest son of Lord Balon and Lady Alannys Greyjoy. Balon is the head of House Greyjoy and Lord of the Iron Islands. The Iron Islands are one of the constituent regions of the Seven Kingdoms and House Greyjoy is one of the Great Houses of the realm. House Greyjoy rule the region from their seat at Pyke and Balon also holds the title Lord Reaper of Pyke.

Theon was born at Pyke. He is Balon and Alannys' fourth child after Rodrik, Maron, and Yara. Eight years before the start of the series Balon rose in rebellion against the Iron Throne. The ironborn were crushed in a war led by King Robert Baratheon and Lord Eddard Stark. Theon's brothers were both killed in the fighting. Balon surrendered and was allowed to remain Lord of the Iron Islands on the condition that Theon remain a hostage and ward of Eddard Stark. Theon's sister Yara has remained on the Iron Islands. Despite his status as a hostage at Winterfell, Theon has been treated well by the Starks. He and Robb Stark are best friends. Theon is a skilled archer. His cocky arrogance and cavalier actions contrast with the staid ways of the North.

Season 1
Theon is present during the execution of Will, a deserter from the Night's Watch. He holds the scabbard of Ice, the greatsword of House Stark, as Lord Eddard Stark draws it to behead the condemned man. On the way back to Winterfell, the party finds a disemboweled stag dead in the road. Looking for the killer, they find a dead female direwolf and five pups huddled by the corpse for warmth. A broken piece of the dead stag's antler is embedded in the direwolf's neck. Theon suggests killing the pups, but Jon Snow convinces his father that this is an omen as there are five pups and five Stark children, Eddard consents to allowing his children to adopt the pups. Just as the party leaves, Jon finds a sixth pup, an albino. Theon ruefully points out that this one belongs to Jon. Later, Robb, Jon, and Theon get shaves and haircuts, as they ponder the impending arrival of the royal party, notably the reputation of Queen Cersei Lannister as a great beauty and the poor reputation of Prince Joffrey Baratheon.

After the royal party's departure, an assassin attempts to kill Bran, who had fallen during one of his climbs and remained comatose. Theon learns that Catelyn has found evidence implicating the Lannisters in Bran's 'accident' and the failed assassination. Theon and Robb suggest taking revenge through military action, but Maester Luwin counsels patience. Catelyn and Ser Rodrik Cassel depart for King's Landing, leaving Robb in command of the castle. Theon is present when Robb frostily receives Tyrion Lannister on his way back from the Wall. Afterwards, as Tyrion is leaving to stay in a brothel, Theon condescendingly tells him to ask for Ros. Tyrion insults Theon about the defeat of the Greyjoy Rebellion led by Theon's father, Balon Greyjoy, and how Theon is now Eddard Stark's "lackey". Whilst boasting about his family's exploits and heritage, he is put down by Maester Luwin. He reacts angrily to a further insult from his favorite prostitute, Ros, after sneaking her into the castle to engage her services.

Theon and Robb exchange views over the matter of Jory Cassel's death and the growing Stark-Lannister animosity in King's Landing. Robb brusquely reminds Theon that he is not a Stark. Bran is taken prisoner by wildlings in the forest near Winterfell and Theon saves him by shooting Stiv, the wildling leader, in the back with an arrow. Robb is angry at him, as Bran could have been hurt. Theon counters that he just saved Bran's life, and Robb was too hesitant to kill. Taking pride in his action, Theon says that you're only considered a real man in the Iron Islands once you've killed your first enemy. With the departure of Ros for King's Landing, Theon is left at the castle and is bored. He accosts the surviving wildling prisoner, the spearwife Osha, as she is now a servant at Winterfell. Theon pushes his weight around, insisting that she call him "my lord", even though his father still holds the title. He is warned off by Maester Luwin who reminds Theon that he of all people should know that being a guest and a prisoner are not necessarily mutually exclusive.

Robb summons his banners to war when word comes of Lord Eddard's arrest. Theon tells Robb that it is good that he is afraid, as it shows he is not stupid. As the northern army marches south, Theon advises Robb at strategy meetings and greets Catelyn when the army meets her on the road. When a Lannister scout is captured, Theon obscures their maps and battle plans, to Greatjon Umber's amusement. Reaching the Twins, Theon shoots down several ravens leaving the castle bearing messages from Lord Walder Frey, allowing Catelyn to negotiate an alliance. Theon fights alongside Robb at the Battle of the Whispering Wood, where Jaime Lannister is taken prisoner. When Robb laments the loss of 2,000 of his men in the feint at the Battle of the Green Fork, Theon assures him that songs will be sung of their bravery. Robb responds that they will not hear them. After news arrives of Eddard's execution, Robb Stark is proclaimed the King in the North by his lords bannermen. Theon asks first if they are brothers, now and always. When Robb's answer is yes, Theon swears his sword and fealty to Robb's service, proclaiming Robb as his King.

Season 2

 * Main: Theon Greyjoy Season 2

Theon appeals to Robb to seek an alliance with his father, Balon Greyjoy, reasoning that Robb needs a fleet to attack King's Landing. Despite Catelyn's reservations that Balon Greyjoy cannot be trusted, Robb sends Theon home to Pyke as his envoy. Theon seduces the daughter of the ship's captain and tells her about how he will be welcomed home. He is deflated at the lack of a reception for his return. His sister Yara poses as a stranger and offers to give him a ride to the castle. She want to see what Theon has grown up to be. He flirts with her relentlessly and brags about his own importance. Balon greets Theon coolly, believing that he has forgotten his roots and become loyal to the Starks in his time away. He insults Theon's fine clothes given to him by the Starks, and is furious when Theon tells him that Robb thinks of him as a brother. Yara reveals her deception and Balon compares Theon to his sister unfavorably. Balon rejects the alliance Theon suggests and is insulted that Theon thought he would accept being given a crown. He reminds Theon that they pay the iron price and take what they want.

Balon reveals that he plans to attack the North while it is poorly defended. Balon gives Yara a fleet of thirty ships to take Deepwood Motte and insults Theon by assigning him a single vessel to raid fishing villages on the Stony Shore. Theon considers informing Robb of the plot but decides that his loyalty lies with his family. Having decided to betray House Stark he is baptised in the name of the Drowned God as Balon and Yara watch. He takes command of the Sea Bitch but finds his crew unruly. His first mate Dagmer Cleftjaw tells him that he must prove himself to the men and that Ironborn do not follow orders. Theon senses the opportunity to attack Torrhen's Square to lure the Stark garrison away from Winterfell. His plan is successful.

Theon has his men seize the poorly defended Winterfell. He forces Bran Stark to yield to him by threatening his people. Bran asks him, "Did you always hate us?" His men capture Ser Rodrik Cassel coming back from Torrhen's Square, and Rodrik is openly defiant, calling Theon a traitor. Ser Rodrik regrets that he gave him weapon training and even spits in Theon's face. Dagmer insists that Rodrik must be killed to maintain the respect of the men. Rodrik baits Theon into performing the execution himself. Theon botches the beheading, taking three swings and a kick to accomplish it.

Theon is seduced by Osha, who then frees Bran and Rickon. When Theon wakes the next day, he is told that Bran and Rickon have escaped. He is angry at his men for allowing children and the simpleminded Hodor to escape. Lorren implies that Theon is actually to blame for their escape by allowing himself to be seduced by Osha. Theon, in turn, responds to this insolence by publicly striking Lorren repeatedly. Despite his attempts, Theon is unable to find the escapees. Unwilling to appear weak, he has Dagmer murder two boys from a farm and burn their bodies. He displays the corpses at Winterfell and claims they were Bran and Rickon. Theon sends word to Yara to bring him 500 men as reinforcements. She arrives with just twenty men and warns him that everyone in the North wants him dead because of his killing the Stark boys, and he is too far from the sea to supply or reinforce his position. Yara tells him about how she remembers him as a child, demanding but sweet. She urges him to abandon Winterfell, return to the Iron Islands, and not to die so far from his home, but he refuses to give up his prize.

Winterfell is surrounded by Northmen under the command of Ramsay Snow. Besieged with no hope for relief, Theon laments to Maester Luwin the horrible things he has done in search of respect and power. Theon admits that he always felt like an outsider among the Starks and wanted to win the affection and approval of his true family. Luwin says that he knows that Theon is not the ruthless man he has been pretending to be. He suggests that Theon flee to the Wall and join the Night's Watch to save his life and attempt to redeem himself. Theon refuses to deviate from the course he has set, saying that is too late, as he has gone too far down this course for him to ever pretend to be anyone else. He readies his men for a glorious death in battle, giving a rousing speech, but is betrayed and knocked out by Dagmer, who plans to turn him over to the northern forces so the rest of them can go home. Luwin attempts to aid Theon but is stabbed in the abdomen by Dagmer, who then has Theon dragged away with his head covered by a cloth bag.

Season 3
Roose Bolton's bastard son Ramsay Snow has been sent to secure Winterfell from the ironborn and bring Theon back to Robb Stark alive. Roose is double-crossing Robb and when ironborn refuse Robb's term, Ramsay kills them all and secretly captures Theon.

Theon is kept prisoner in the Dreadfort although Theon is unaware where he is. He's repeatedly tortured by a group of men, some of whom are dressed in the garb of Greyjoy men. One of the men gleefully pries off Theon's fingernails with a knife while the others drive a screw through his foot. After enduring hours of torture Theon is given some reprieve. Ramsay Snow pretends to Theon that he is a servant and approaches him and claims Ramsay has been sent by Yara to rescue him. Before dawn Ramsay returns and cuts Theon free and provides him with water and a mount. Ramsay advises Theon to keep heading east where Yara is waiting for him. Theon says he'll make the boy a lord of the Iron Islands for his actions. The boy replies by saying "We're not in the Iron Islands".

As Theon rides east, an arrow narrowly misses his head, and Theon sees that his captors are following him. After a harrowing chase the former Prince of Winterfell is knocked from his horse by a blow from a flail. The men hold Theon in place as the leading torturer prepares to rape him. Theon's pleas for them to stop fall on deaf ears but then the leader is pierced by an arrow. Ramsay has returned and swiftly kills all his men. Ramsay helps Theon to his feet and tells him to come with him, because he is far from home and winter is coming.

After rescuing him the boy promises Theon to take him to Deepwood Motte to see Yara. When Theon questions his savior, Ramsay lies that he is Ironborn as well, growing up on Saltcliffe, and he witnessed Theon being shipped off to Winterfell. Some time later the men reach a holdfast, and Theon questions why they have to sneak inside when surely Yara's men are loyal to her. Ramsay warns Theon that some of the men belong to his father Balon who wants him dead. As the Ramsay struggles to open a locked gate Theon confesses his sins. He wanted so desperately to impress his father but he knows now that Eddard Stark was his true father. After opening the gate Theon and Ramsay enter a darkened room. The youth lights a torch and much to Theon's horror he's back in the same torture chamber in the Dreadfort. Armed men enter and Ramsay claims that Theon killed their comrades and escaped but he has brought their captive back. Kicking and screaming a heartbroken Theon is refastened to the rack.

Theon is awakened by the ringing of a trumpet. Ramsay 'begs pardon' for rousing his guest. Theon tries to mumble something but fails. Ramsay understands his prisoner requires water but pours it out all over the dungeon floor to further torment him. Ramsay proposes to play a game to pass the time and he asks the heir to Pyke which body part he does not need. Hearing this Theon vows to tell his captor all he wishes to know. The cruel boy merely mocks him stating that Theon already told him everything of value. Ramsay goes on saying that he realises Theon wants to know who he is and why he is being tortured. The young man makes a proposal: If Theon guesses correctly who he actually is Theon is the victor, but if Theon begs his tormenter to remove his finger he wins. Theon then asks if winning said game will secure his release. Ramsay the mocks Theon's naîveté stating there is no happy ending in store for him. Theon does guess correctly that he is still in the North. However when the former prince of Winterfell supposes that Ramsay is a son of Rickard Karstark he is revealed to be wrong. Ramsay slowly flays his captive's pinkie stating that Theon first should have asked if he was a liar. Theon begs for the finger to be cut off which delights Ramsay since Ramsay has won the 'game'.

Theon is released from the cross by two beautiful young women. The women put Theon to bed and they then proceed to fondle him sensually. Both wenches have heard that the heir to Pyke is well endowed and are hoping to get first hand experience. Theon is distrustful at first fearing that this is another of his tormenter's tricks. When both wenches disrobe and straddle him, Theon's resolve to resist weakens. Suddenly the familiar horn sounds and Ramsay enters. He too has heard how large his prisoner's penis is and surmises it is Theon's favorite body part. When the sadistic Ramsay brandishes an odd knife Theon realizes Ramsay means to castrate him. Horrified Theon begs for mercy, but Ramsay quips that this is mercy as he is not killing, but merely altering Theon.

Theon wakes in his strung up position while the boy eats a long plump sausage nearby. Ramsay mocks him as he laughs about his severed penis and wonders if Theon will have phantom feelings for his lost body part if he goes near any pretty women. Theon asks Ramsay to kill him, but Ramsay tells him he is much more valuable to him alive. He renames him Reek (because he smells bad) and demands that Theon say that his name is Reek. Theon refuses at first then after being beaten about the face meekly and utterly broken says his name is Reek.

Ramsay has sent Theon's severed penis to his family in Pyke with a letter detailing his Sack of Winterfell and his demand that the ironborn withdraw from the North or Ramsay will send them more of Theon's body parts. Balon refuses to surrender, saying that Theon was a fool for disobeying his orders and attacking Winterfell and that, as his castration means that he is no longer capable of producing heirs, he has no value whatsoever. However, Yara defies her father and prepares the fastest ship in the fleet and the strongest men on the Iron Islands to sail on the Dreadfort and rescue Theon.

Quotes
"Reek. My name is Reek."

- Theon Greyjoy to Ramsay Snow "You gave me away! Your boy! Your last boy! You gave me away like I was some dog you didn't want anymore. And now you curse me because I've come home."

- Theon to Balon Greyjoy

In the books
In the A Song of Ice and Fire novels, Theon was a young boy when the rebellion was crushed and his two brothers were killed. He has been raised at Winterfell for the nine years since and has become close friends with Robb Stark. He is cordial to the rest of the family, but more distant. Theon is known for his arrogance, as he is the heir to House Greyjoy, one of the Great Houses of Westeros, despite not having seen home in a long time.

One of the most despicable atrocities that Theon commits as a part of the Ironborn's invasion is the raid of Stony Shore. The Ironborn under his command attack the defenseless village without any provocation, murder and gang-rape the residents. The outcome is luridly described: bodies have been looted and mutilated. Of the fishing village, nothing remained but cold ashes that stank when it rained. The men had been put to the sword, all but a handful that Theon had allowed to flee to bring the word to Torrhen's Square. Their wives and daughters had been claimed for salt wives, those who were young enough and fair. The crones and the ugly ones had simply been raped and killed, or taken for thralls if they had useful skills and did not seem likely to cause trouble. After this "victory", Theon proceeds to capture Winterfell.

When Theon took Winterfell, he freed a prisoner named Reek - actually Ramsay Snow in disguise. Theon accepted Ramsay at his service, unaware of his true identity. It was Ramsay, not Dagmer, who advised Theon to kill two unnamed miller's sons as a cover-up forthe escape of the Stark boys. After Asha left Winterfell, Ramsay suggested to bring reinforcements, and Theon reluctantly agreed, though he did not trust the blackguard. While Ser Rodrik besieged Winterfell, Ramsay returned with 600 men and broke the siege, killing Rodrik and large number of the besiegers. Only then he revealed his true identity to Theon, and immediately afterwards sacked the castle, killing most of the Ironborn and the Starks' servants. Theon watched helplessly the Dreadfort soldiers killing Black Lorren and Maester Luwin. The last thing he saw was his horse Smiler, screaming and rearing, his mane caught in fire.

Due to his actions, mainly the alleged killing of Bran and Rickon, Theon earned the hatred of the people of the North, and put himself to shame and disgrace in the eyes of the Ironborn. Ever since he is referred to as Theon Turncloak.

Theon does not appear at all in the third and fourth novels, only mentioned briefly. His fate is kept in dark till the fifth novel. In A Storm of Swords, Roose Bolton tells Robb and Catelyn that Theon is held prisoner at the Dreadfort, and is being tortured by Ramsay. Roose shows them a piece of skin, claiming it is from the little finger of Theon's left hand, which Ramsay enclosed to the letter Roose received from him. Robb says sharply that he wants Theon's head, not his skin. Roose suggests to keep Theon alive till the North is liberated from the Ironborn in order to demand concessions from them, and Robb reluctantly agrees. Since Roose turns to be a traitor and most of his report is revealed to be false, it is unclear to the readers if he lied about Theon too.

In A Feast for Crows, Theon is mentioned several times. Most of the Ironborn, including his sister Asha (called Yara in the TV series) presume he is dead, but are uncertain since his body was never found. Ramsay never sends a taunting letter to Balon in the books, so no one knows if he is even alive, or if he is, where he is being held. Ramsay does send a warning message to Asha, to which he encloses piece of Theon's skin (not any body part) without specifying Theon's status, but it happens much later. Neither Asha nor anyone else ever intend to try to rescue him. Asha herself actually did return to Winterfell with a few soldiers after the Bolton army withdrew, in the hope that Theon may have survived by hiding, but all they found were badly mutilated bodies, which convinced Asha that Theon was probably dead. Even if she knew that he was alive, and specifically at the Dreadfort, the Boltons' castle is so strong (and located on the other side of the entire continent) that it was actually logistically impossible to mount an assault upon it with a few longships.

Ramsay's torture of Theon serves no real logical purpose, and he is only doing it out of pure sadism. He basically just picked Theon at random - indeed, part of Ramsay's sadistic glee in torturing people is outright gloating that it isn't happening for any reason whatsoever. The only possible reason to keep Theon alive instead of simply killing him, but not inform the Ironborn that he was held captive, might have been to throw the Ironborn into internal conflict over who exactly Balon's heir was (as both Asha and Theon's uncles felt they were actually Balon's heirs, due to the unusual succession laws in the Iron Islands). It wasn't even clear to readers if Theon was alive or dead by the end of the third novel.

In A Dance with Dragons, it is finally revealed Theon is alive and imprisoned at Dreadfort. Theon's torture by Ramsay is only revealed in flashbacks throughout the fifth novel, but the TV series chose to present these events in the chronological order that they happened. The books don't directly state that Ramsay castrated Theon, though it was vaguely implied that he had.