Maelys Blackfyre

Maelys I Blackfyre
Biographical information
Born	In Tyrosh
Died	257 AC on Bloodstone Run through by Barristan Selmy
Political information
House(s)	Blackfyre
Affiliation(s)	Golden Company Ninepenny Kings
Title(s)	Captain King of the Andals and the Rhoynar and the First Men (claimant) Lord of the Seven Kingdoms (claimant) Protector of the Realm (claimant)
Personal information
Also known as	Maelys the Monstrous
Culture	Valyrian

"All the same, his descendants continued to threaten the Targaryens until half a century later, when Barristan the Bold slew Maelys the Monstrous on the Stepstones, extinguishing Daemon's line."

―Varys

Maelys Blackfyre, better known as Maelys the Monstrous, was called "the Monstrous" in part due to his freakishly large size and strength, but also due to the fact that he had a small vestigial second head sprouting out of the side of his neck - the remnant of a twin that he had absorbed in the womb. Maelys was the fifth and last Blackfyre Pretender to rebel against the Targaryen dynasty.

Biography

Background

Barristan Selmy kills Maelys Blackfyre at the end of the War of the Ninepenny Kings.

Maelys Blackfyre was the last of the Blackfyre Pretenders to the Iron Throne. Like previous members of House Blackfyre, he proclaimed himself the rightful king as a descendant of Daemon Blackfyre, bastard son of King Aegon IV Targaryen, while the main Targaryen line descended from Aegon IV's lawful son King Daeron II Targaryen. Maelys rallied an army of mercenaries in the Free Cities and began a conquest of the Stepstones as a prelude to invading Westeros itself. The Targaryens attacked the Stepstones before he could launch the invasion, leading to the War of the Ninepenny Kings. This conflict ended when Maelys was killed in the Stepstones by the young Ser Barristan Selmy, extinguishing Daemon Blackfyre's male line and ending further threat of Blackfyre Pretenders.

Game of Thrones: Season 8

Maelys is mentioned under the entry of Barristan Selmy, in the Book of Brothers, which the new Lord Commander of the Kingsguard Brienne of Tarth was flicking through.

Quotes

Spoken about Maelys

"During the War of the Ninepenny Kings, I sought out Maelys the Monstrous, last of the Blackfyre Pretenders, who had started this whole war. Maelys believed that his Targaryen blood gave him a claim to the Iron Throne. I made sure that his blood claimed nothing more than the dirt around his corpse."

―Barristan Selmy remembers Maelys.

Family

Daemon Blackfyre Deceased

Rohanne of Tyrosh Deceased

Aegon Blackfyre Deceased

Aemon Blackfyre Deceased

Daemon II Blackfyre Deceased

Haegon Blackfyre Deceased

Wife Deceased

Daemon III Blackfyre Deceased

Son(s) Deceased

Maelys Blackfyre Deceased

In the books

Maelys the Monstrous had a vestigial second head growing out of his neck, the remnant of a twin he absorbed in the womb.

In the A Song of Ice and Fire novels, Maelys Blackfyre was the last male descendant of Daemon Blackfyre. He had a huge upper body and a second head sprouting from his neck. This was said to be the head of his twin whom he had absorbed in the womb, earning him the nickname "Maelys the Monstrous".

Maelys was named Captain-General of the Golden Company after killing his cousin Daemon when they fought for the position, becoming a kinslayer for the second time, although this time by choice. The freakishly strong Maelys killed Daemon's horse with a single mighty punch, then twisted Daemon's head around and tore it bare-handed from his shoulders.

During the War of the Ninepenny Kings, Maelys was one of the Band of Nine, a group of merchants, sellswords, and pirates who joined forces to carve kingdoms out for themselves. After conquering the Disputed Lands, Tyrosh and the Stepstones, Maelys convinced the other members of the band to attack Westeros and aid him in retaking what he claimed was his birthright. However, the Targaryens acted swiftly and sent their own force out to the Stepstones to meet him. There, Maelys was slain by Ser Barristan Selmy in single combat on the Stepstones, ending the Blackfyre pretensions to the Iron Throne.

The exact line of descent from Daemon I to Maelys is unclear. Daemon had seven sons and several daughters. Based on chronology, he was apparently Daemon I's grandson, but it isn't known from which of his children.

In an early draft of the fourth volume that was split into A Feast for Crows and A Dance with Dragons, Maelys had a four-year-old son named Maenar. After reading Valyrian scrolls gifted to him by Samarro Saan that said king's blood could wake dragons from stone, he sacrificed Maenar by fire in an attempt to hatch a clutch of dragon eggs. This, along with the murder of his cousin Daemon, earned him the epithet of "the Monstrous."

Appearances

• – "The Death of Kings" (illustrated)
• – "Robert's Rebellion - Barristan Selmy" (illustrated)
• – "War of the Ninepenny Kings" (illustrated)
• – "The Last Dragons" (illustrated)
• – "The Iron Throne" (mentioned in text)
• – "The Blackfyres" (illustrated)

External links

• Maelys I Blackfyre on A Wiki of Ice and Fire (potential spoilers for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms)

House Blackfyre
Head	Vacant (extinct)	Heir	Vacant (extinct)
Seat	Unknown (dispossessed)	Region	Crownlands (exiled) · Tyrosh
Ancestors	Aegon IV Targaryen · Daena Targaryen · Daemon Blackfyre · Rohanne of Tyrosh · Aegon Blackfyre · Aemon Blackfyre · Daemon II Blackfyre · Haegon Blackfyre · Daemon III Blackfyre
Deceased	Maelys Blackfyre
Overlords	House Targaryen (formerly)