- "Yara, my daughter, you'll take thirty longships to attack Deepwood Motte."
- ―Balon Greyjoy
Deepwood Motte on the Boltons' map in "Kill the Boy".
Map showing the location of Deepwood Motte on the continent of Westeros.
Deepwood Motte is the stronghold of House Glover, a vassal house holding fealty to House Stark of Winterfell. The castle is located north-west of Winterfell in the Wolfswood, near the coast of the Bay of Ice.
History
Season 2
Having declared himself King, Balon Greyjoy sends his daughter Yara with a fleet of thirty ships with orders to seize Deepwood Motte. Yara replies that she always wanted a castle of her own.[1]
Later, Yara visits Winterfell, having successfully captured the castle of Deepwood Motte. She points out to Theon that her castle lies close to the sea and can be easily taken and reinforced at will, while Winterfell is too far inland to be held indefinitely. She urges him to abandon the castle and return to Deepwood Motte with her before heading home, but he rejects her advice.[2]
Season 6
Yara Greyjoy informs King Balon Greyjoy that House Glover had retaken control of Deepwood Motte from House Greyjoy.[3]
While making plans to retake the North, Jon Snow lists the Glovers as one of the houses that have not yet declared for the Boltons, along with the Hornwoods, Cerwyns, Mormonts, and Mazins.[4] After visiting Bear Island, Jon and his half-sister Sansa Stark travel to Deepwood Motte to seek the support of House Glover. They receive a frosty reception from Robett Glover, who is still bitter towards Robb Stark for not coming to his aid during the Ironborn attack on Deepwood Motte and for jeopardizing the northmen's sacrifices and war efforts for a "foreign whore". Still bitter about the Ironborn occupation, Robett refuses to come to their aid and tells the Starks that they have outstayed their welcome.[5]
In the books
In the A Song of Ice and Fire novels, Deepwood Motte is a motte-and-bailey wooden castle, rather than a more formidable stone construction. In past centuries, the castle and the surrounding area were prey to long-ranging raids by the ironborn, but it has been some considerable time since this was the case. The castle is not located on the coast due to the muddy tidal flats along the coast. Instead it is built on a hill which commands the surrounding area.
Deepwood Motte is located approximately three hundred miles from Winterfell.
As in the television series, the castle is seized by Ironborn forces under Asha/Yara Greyjoy. In A Dance with Dragons, Stannis Baratheon attacks Deepwood Motte on Jon Snow's advice and liberates the castle from the ironborn during his campaign to retake Winterfell from the Boltons, taking Asha Greyjoy (Yara in the TV series) prisoner and winning him House Glover and House Mormont's alliance. However, in the television series, Deepwood Motte is recaptured by the Glovers who slaughter every Ironborn there. Yara is not present during the battle but relates news of its fall to her father Balon Greyjoy. In the episode "Home", the fall of Deepwood Motte causes the Ironborn to lose their last remaining stronghold in the North.
See also
Deepwood Motte on A Wiki of Ice and Fire (MAJOR spoilers from the books)
References
- ↑ "What is Dead May Never Die"
- ↑ "The Prince of Winterfell"
- ↑ "Home"
- ↑ "The Door"
- ↑ "The Broken Man"
Template:The North