Game of Thrones Season 6: The Last Time We Saw The Greyjoys… 

Season 6 reminder course, where we catch up on all the comings and goings of members of the great houses of Westeros, as well as with some of the ancillary power-players in the game of thrones. In our previous installments, we discussed where the members of 

House Lannister and House Stark stood by the end of Season 5. This week we turn our eyes to the western sea, and the Kraken of House Greyjoy.

The members of House Greyjoy have been a sort of an enigma on

. Theon Greyjoy was the only one we met in Season 1, and considered he’d been a ward of the Starks since he was very young, he wasn’t the best one to represent the whole clan. It wasn’t until Season 2 that we were introduced other members of this dysfunctional family.

King Balon Greyjoy: Old yet strong and proud, Balon refuses to bend his knees to anyone not wearing a driftwood crown. He believed that the Ironborn must once again pay the iron price for what they wanted, and that meant first betraying Robb Stark, and then invading the unprotected North while Robb was fighting the Lannisters down south.

Yara Greyjoy (Asha in the books): The only living daughter of Balon Greyjoy, it is Yara’s belief that she can reave, loot, and pillage better than any man on the Iron Islands, and that her father’s crown should pass to her once he goes to dine with the Drowned God at his table beneath the waves.

Theon Greyjoy: The youngest son of Balon thinks the Seastone chair and Driftwood crown are his by rights, but that’s not necessarily the way of the Ironborn. After his return to the Iron Islands in Season 2, Theon was ridiculed by his father and told he had to prove himself an Iron Islander before the men of his ship would respect and follow him.

Season 2 saw the rise of House Greyjoy…for a time. Still mainly focusing on Theon, we saw him take Winterfell and kill Ser Rodrik Cassel, ignore pleas from his sister to abandon the castle, and then ultimately lose the seat of House Stark when his own men turned on him and gave him to Ramsay Snow.

Season 3 was the year Theon was mercilessly tortured by Ramsay Snow. Balon and Yara were all but forgotten as other storylines pushed their way to the forefront. By the end of Season 3, Ramsay Snow had tortured Theon so much that he had adopted a new identity: that of the meek, subservient Reek.

Yara and Balon were in Season 3 only very briefly. They received a “special gift” from Ramsay Snow: Theon’s severed penis, a warning to the Ironborn not to mess with northerners. In her anger, Yara assembled “the 50 best killers on the Iron Islands,” and sailed directly for the Dreadfort, where her brother Theon was being held prisoner.

Unfortunately, when Yara reached Theon in Season 4, he refused to go with his sister, since he feared the rescue was a trap set by Ramsay. By this point, it seemed like Reek had completed subsumed Theon—he wasn’t going anywhere.

And that was the last time we laid eyes on any Greyjoy other than Reek, née Theon. In Season 5, Reek made strides toward reclaiming his old identity, or at least casting off his new one, when he helped Sansa Stark escape Winterfell, There was no mention of Yara or Balon. It seemed that they were forgotten.

But as we start the wind-up to Season 6, the other members of House Greyjoy look ready to make a comeback, and it seems they’ll be bringing along some new faces. What can we expect from the Greyjoys in Season 6?

We know Gemma Whelan (Yara Greyjoy) was seen heading to Belfast, where

films much of it’s material, and that she worried she would die when she was handed her script for Season 6. At minimum, we’ll get some new scenes with her, and it’s possible she’ll play a large part.

Theon and Sansa jumped off the walls of Winterfell at the end of Season 5, and there is no telling where they are now. However, we do know that Alfie Allen (Theon) was seen during filming of scenes on the Iron Islands. Could this mean Theon makes his way home in Season 6?

Balon is presumed dead. There have been no rumors or sighting of actor Patrick Malahide, who portrayed Balon in previous seasons. If things happen as they do in the novels, Balon will fall off a bridge to his death under mysterious circumstances. This is borne out by reports that the production was filming on the famous Carrick-A-Rede rope bridge in Northern Ireland.

Now for that new face: long-lost Greyjoy family member Euron Greyjoy will be showing up this season. He’s new, he’s exciting, and he’s definitely dangerous, if the books are any indication. Euron will be portrayed by Danish actor Pilou Asbæk, and will most certainly make an impression on viewers. In the books, he seizes the Iron Islands’ driftwood crown for himself after defeating other candidates for the position in a Kingsmoot, which is a kind of royal election. He then sends a fleet of Ironborn ships to Meereen to bring Daenerys Targaryen and her dragons home to Westeros, hoping to use them to take over the Seven Kingdoms. Euron is wildly unpredictable and I can’t wait to see what he does on the show.

Unlike the other great houses of Westeros, House Greyjoy prefers to mostly keep to itself. Its members adhere to the old ways: they take what they want through pillaging and plundering, and they worship their Drowned God. They’re an odd bunch. However, if done right, the

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Lena Headey is still on her promotional tour for Pride + Prejudice + Zombies, which opens stateside...

Have you already read all the books and/or don\'t care about spoilers? You can reveal all the spoilers in the comments with the click of a link below.

HAHA. “dickheads from asshole island” Nice. :)

I though it was going to be a new teaser … well, trailer is coming soon, right? February 14th most likely.

I hope so. I’ve been creeping towards madness, thinking maybe the three “teasers” were all we’re getting. I searched online the other day and couldn’t find any sort of promise that there would be a trailer soon.

Ok..now I have time to comment on the article. I am pretty psyched for S6 as everyone else is and just got S1-S4 on Blu-Ray to keep me from have too many withdrawals from the show. I have a few questions and since I’ve only been on the site for a few months Im not sure if this was discussed in earlier threads/articles but why does D&D change the names from book to show? I really have no clue as to why Asha’s name was changed to Yara and same for other characters (Gendry) for one. And speaking of Gendry… can anyone PLEASE tell me why they got us all worked up over his character only to leave us to wonder where his boat has been this whole time? I mean he is really a viable choice for being KING of Westeros and does anyone think he will be returning this season? There have been NO leaks on him or any news of his character and it seems like no one is talking about him? Im just curious because he was a cool character and the fact that he is King Roberts TRUE heir albeit bastard at that… any answers would be greatly appreciated.. THX

You may be getting Edric Storm confused with Gendry. They are both bastards of Robert. The show sorta fused their stories together. But, Gendry does indeed exist in the books.

Perhaps Stannis made a last minute will and legitimized Gendry and,made him his heir. That would be a neat twist. I would hate to see the Baratheon line end. I don’t think we have seen the last of Gendry as perhaps he will play a role in producing new valayrian steel. He is known to be an extremely talented blacksmith.

The name change was due to it sounding to similar to another name. Gendry is an enigma….. House Greyjoy ftmfw!

I’ve always imagined that the only way to make valyrian steel was to temper it in the heart of a loved one, much like the process by which Azor made Lightbringer. Maybe that was the first sort of Valyrian steel blade. Thoughts??

I’m not sure about that. I always suspected it had something to do with Dragon fire. The dragons died out hence valayrian steel stopped being produced.

My belief is that Asha’s name got changed because when spoken in the show (differently from reading in the books) it sounded too much like Osha. Just like the Others got changed to the White Walkers (because everyone on set got confused by the others versus the Others). As for Gendry, well, I’d really like to know where the last of the Baratheons has got to, illegitimate or no. He needs at least an update in this series, even if he doesn’t come storming back. But fwiw, he was apprenticed to one of the few men who know how to handle Valyrian steel, and that could come in VERY handy when the WW’s start wandering through / round the wall.

Yes D @ D said they didn’t want the audience confusing Asha with Osha. It’d a shame because Asha is such a beautiful name.

I guess that was for the casual watchers on the show, but really, are they making this show for the casual watcher or the die hard fans? I think the die hard fans would have been able to distinguish between the names but … hey … not MY show… ;)

They’re making the show for their entire audience, of which die hard fans make up only a tiny fraction. This is a complex series so, when possible, they want to keep things clear so that their average viewer doesn’t get confused. That’s how tv shows keep viewers. Besides, one name change isn’t the end of the world and didn’t bother me in the least. And I happen to be a die hard fan of the books and the show.

Plus, Yara is an anagram of Arya. I’m sure there are some people who mix them up as well.

Seriously do they think we’re such dimwits that we’d confuse Asha with Osha? We’ve all been to school and learnt our vowels.

I like the name “Yara” better for her. It sounds more Ironborn-y than “Asha”, which sounds too modern, IMO. It’s just “Sasha” without the S. Sounds kinda posh and really feminine. Not a good name for a tough-as-nails type of character. “Yara” sounds tougher with the hard consonant of “r” in there. More appropriate for the character. Glad they changed it.

Awesome …thanks.. I was wondering about the name changes and YES I did think Gendry and Edric were one and the same.. Im only finishing book three right now and as the show didn’t speak of Edric, I think Ive only heard of Gendry at this point of the story line. But thanks for all the clarification. So appreciated …

I have a feeling there will be a splinter among the Iron islanders with most being loyal to the Crows eye and a smaller group loyal to Asha/ Theon. I think Asha and her loyalists will flee to align with either Dany or the northern houses.

Interesting.. since I feel that Yara/Asha is so loyal to her homeland… I wonder why you think she would abandon her people to flee and go over to another alliance?

Because Euron is a very evil man who Asha believes murdered her father. And Asha has soldiers extremely loyal to her. You will see soon enough. There will be a kingsmoot to elect a new king.

I think Yara gets axed this season could be a way to streamline the ironborn story and get rid of characters who should have less to do going forward

Maybe but didn’t GRRM confirm Asha would return as a pov in TWOW ?

Asha is probably the only Iron Islander that I like.

Yes I know there is a kingsmoot coming… I don’t see how Euron being evil has anything to do with her going to Dany’s side? Unless you think that she won’t be recognized as the heir because she is female and that Euron will be elected? Thus forcing her to abandon her homelands to go to another alliance? In that case I can agree that she would want to jump ship “pun intended” and go to another allegiance. But Im wondering if the show is going to spend that much time on her arc or, like another poster said, “She will be killed off this season”…

You said,your on book 3 so I didn’t want to spoil too much for you. But since its not too important to the story I will.

Euron beats Asha in the kingsmoot . Damphair tells Asha to flee to Moat Cailin. Euron then marries her to very old Eric Ironmaker without Asha even being present. I think Damphair even says go find your brother and bring him home because he believes Theon has a stronger claim.

I agree. The actors said more characters are interacting with characters they haven’t met before this season. I believe Theon and Yara will meet and look for new alliances in order to recover the power in the Iron Islands. They will take ships to Danny to travel to Westeros.

Maybe Euron will ask Theon to send a marriage proposal for Danny and Yara will attempt to make a deal for herself. A meeting between Yara, Tyrion, Theon and Danny will be very cool. Tyrion won’t trust them. Theon will tell Tyrion that Sansa married Ramsay and he helped her escape.

They definitely said they did it b/c of Asha/Osha. But… I always thought it was strange to make it Yara which is close to Arya. I guess since Arya is a “lead,” it doesn’t really matter as much.

As for Gendry – he is the same Gendry with the same name from the books. As for his long boat ride… most of the changes in the show simply have to do with budget and they already have the biggest cast on TV. You know? They fuse alot of characters b/c they have to. And for individual story changes, you can’t sign an actor for a few scenes and be able to hold him/guarantee him for more scene 3 seasons later. Unfortunately that’s the reality of showbiz vs. books. I’m sure they’d bring back the BWB this year if it was at all possible… but they’ve all moved on to other projects so they’re introducing BWB 2.0 with different characters. Sucks, but it makes sense when you think about it!

I just find it weird that they spent SOOOO much on his character in the show and to not tie up that loose end by now is kinda frustrating since I liked his character so much. I understand them melding characters together to try and cut costs… but my irritation (if that is the right word) is just being left hanging so long on his arc… I mean if they are NOT going to use him anymore then they should have killed him off. IMHO

We will eventually get that Stark/Baratheon marriage. It will be Arya and Gendry. You’re not my friend you’re my lady. I think that will be prophetic.

Yes..I LOVED Gendry and Arya together.. and I am soooo ready for that to happen… although I realize that Arya has a long way to go to get married (she has pretty much poo poo’d the whole marriage and kids life) and her arc has her still trying to be some kind of assassin! I will be looking forward to his return and their alliance!!! Go STARKS!!

My thought is that Arya is destined to give the Gift of Mercy to her mother, and that after that her drive for revenge will be gone (which fits the ‘bittersweet ending’ we’ve been promised). Then she can settle down and have a somewhat normal life, possibly with Gendry. Of course, if LSH is well and truly dropped from the show, it can’t work out quite that way.

Arya is going to die. She is destined to be the line wolf, when winter comes the pack survives but the line wolf dies. She will live on in Nymeria at the head of a large wolf pack. There’s your bittersweet ending. Watch Alt_Shift_X on the topic. He lays it out for you. Sorry to spoil your happy ending theories

Yeah, thought the same thing about Arya-Gendry. There’s also this quote from the books, where Jaime says:

“‘Lord Eddard’s daughters live. One has just been wed. The other …’ Brienne, where are you? Have you found her? ‘… if the gods are good, she’ll forget she was a Stark. She’ll wed some burly blacksmith or fat-faced innkeep, fill his house with children, and never need to fear that some knight might come along to smash their heads against a wall.\'”

But, then again, that happy ending is contingent on the Gods being good…

Don’t worry about me guys, I’m still rowing.

Lmao… funny.. thanks for the laugh. Getcher arse back to Westros and find that darn Arya and get her married off already!!

I don’t think it’s accurate to say that Balon betrayed Robb.

No, I mean Balon. The article above said Balon betrayed Robb.

I’ve said it before, I say it again, WotW reported that Aeron Greyjoy was cast as well for season 6.

I’m really looking forward to the Greyjoys, because I have absolutely no clue how things will turn out. We know there will be a Kingsmoot in the first half of the season, but what happens afterwards?

Whose storyline will Euron be a part of (will he attack Oldtown or even King’s Landing?) ?

I thought that they didn’t cast Damphair? If you have a link to the contrary I would love to read it.

There you go, buddy. Fingers crossed the sources are accurate :)

Thanks dude I’m definitely going to,check that out.

I thought that SINCE that “spoiler” came out that it was pretty much debunked or that nothing substantial was corroborated since that was put out? Am I wrong in that?

I hope it’s true although I would preferred they cast Victarion instead if I had to choose between the two.

I go to wotw pretty often and never seen that.

I concur Davos 4 King… I have never seen that on WoTW and Ive been there for over a year pretty much everyday…

Somehow, there isn’t a reply button below your other post, so I just gonna use this one…

The information should still be good, because it’s part of the very accurate casting compendium over there. We just don’t know who the actor or how big the role is. That’s all.

Ok.. I will be waiting anxiously to see how it all unfolds.. as I would have liked a few “spoilery” news to have escaped my ferocious appetite for more news during the “summer” months… WINTER IS COMING

Ummmm. Aeron was already in the show no? He poured seawater on Theons before he left Pyke for “The Stony Shore”.

Does anyone besides me flash on the diagram of the uterus, ovaries and Fallopian tubes from their high school biology textbook every time they see the Greyjoy kraken? It’s just got a few tubes too many is all…

Lol the Greyjoy sigil is unique compared to the other great houses. I will give you that.

So much! Thanks for that. I will never be able to unsee it now :)))

Yeah that’s only been said like 1,000 times ;) Mostly with this interpretation of the sigil partly because the black on the bottom is misinterpreted…it’s actually the raised ridge of the Kraken’s back. The mouth to the Kraken is right under “Greyjoy”

Euron will probably be the main villain going forward. He is going to inflict lots of damage to the realm.

Was lsh really confirmed? Not sure where i seen it. Be gentle please.

IrishThrones said she would be in and leading an army, BUT serious GoT-related news sites with their own sources in production, like WotW, denied this rumour.

Thank you much wylie. Im sticking with blind stubborness. Lsh and gendry should hook up.

The production team have balls of steel if they were doing anything on that bloody Carrick-A-Rede rope bridge! Most terrified I’ve ever been in my entire life!!

He didnt send fleet for daenerys. He send it to get dragons with dragonbinder. Daenerys is worthless. She is barren so Euron has no use for her anyway.

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