Cotter Pyke

Cotter Pyke
Biographical information
Born	In the Iron Islands
Political information
Affiliation(s)	Night's Watch
Title(s)	Commander of Eastwatch-by-the-Sea
Personal information
Culture	Ironborn
Religion	Drowned God

"Outside Eastwatch, Cotter Pyke's men discovered four blue-eyed corpses. Unlike us, they were wise enough to burn them."

―Jeor Mormont

Cotter Pyke is an officer of the Night's Watch, and the commander of Eastwatch-by-the-Sea.

Biography

Background

Cotter Pyke is a senior member of the Night's Watch. He serves as commander of Eastwatch-by-the-Sea, the eastern-most castle on the Wall. He is a bastard, born on the Iron Islands.

Game of Thrones: Season 1

Lord Commander Jeor Mormont tells Jon Snow that Cotter Pyke's rangers found four wights outside of Eastwatch and wisely burned their corpses.

Game of Thrones: Season 7

Following the Breaching of the Wall, Cotter's fate remains unknown.

In the books

In the A Song of Ice and Fire novels, Cotter Pyke is the bastard son of a tavern wench. He betrays his common origins by being plain, even rough-speaking, with a broken nose. Despite his origins, Cotter Pyke is also considered to be a highly effective and able commander, and stands high in the ranks of the Night's Watch. He holds a level of disdain for, and is essentially the opposite to, Ser Denys Mallister, the commander of the Shadow Tower, who is a highborn knight.

In A Storm of Swords, when Janos Slynt and Alliser Thorne imprison Jon Snow for his supposed desertion and killing of Qhorin Halfhand, Maester Aemon writes to Cotter, alerting him to their blatant abuse of authority. Cotter responds by informing Slynt and Thorne they do not have the authority to arbitrarily execute Jon, forcing them to release him (though they attempt to get Jon killed by sending him to assassinate Mance Rayder during a parley).

In A Dance with Dragons, Cotter Pyke, not Tormund, is given the assignment of bringing the Wildlings from Hardhome. He and his crew are in great danger, in view of his second report to Jon. Just as Jon arranges a rescue party, he is attacked by his own men. The commotion makes the people at Castle Black forget about Cotter Pyke's predicament. By the end of the novel, it is unknown what is the status of him and his men, if any of them are still alive (Melisandre having previously warned Jon that she had seen in her fires none of the forces he had sent to Hardhome would return).

Appearances

• – "Fire and Blood" (mentioned)

External links

• Cotter Pyke on A Wiki of Ice and Fire