Aeron Greyjoy

Aeron "Damphair" Greyjoy is a recurring character in the sixth season who was previously alluded to in the first season. He debuts in the episode "Home" and is portrayed by guest star Michael Feast.

Biography

Background

Aeron Greyjoy is the youngest brother of Balon Greyjoy, the late head of House Greyjoy and the former Lord Reaper of Pyke. He is also the younger brother of Euron and an uncle of Yara and Theon Greyjoy. He is a Drowned Priest in service to the Drowned God.^[1]

Season 6

Aeron oversees the funeral of Balon Greyjoy after his assassination. When his niece Yara swears on the Salt Throne that she will avenge her father's murder, Aeron reminds her that the King of the Iron Islands must be chosen in the kingsmoot.^[2]

Appearances

Season Six appearances
The Red Woman	Home	Oathbreaker	Book of the Stranger	The Door
Blood of My Blood	The Broken Man	Season 6, Episode 8	Season 6, Episode 9	Season 6, Episode 10

Family tree

Balon Greyjoy Deceased

Alannys Greyjoy née Harlaw

Euron Greyjoy

Victarion Greyjoy

Aeron Greyjoy

Rodrik Greyjoy Deceased

Maron Greyjoy Deceased

Yara Greyjoy

Theon Greyjoy

Behind the scenes

• A Drowned Priest appeared in the second season but has been confirmed as not being Aeron.^[3]
• Though in the books, Aeron is Balon's youngest brother, Michael Feast, who plays Aeron, is actually only one year younger than Patrick Malahide, who plays Balon, and is thirty-six years older than Pilou Asbæk, who plays Euron, supposed to be younger than Balon but older than both Victarion and Aeron. It is possible that the television series has changed this to portray Euron as the youngest and Aeron as the oldest of Balon's younger brothers.

In the books

In the A Song of Ice and Fire novels, Aeron is known as Damphair and is a priest of the Drowned God. He is tall and thin with fierce black eyes and a beak of a nose. He garbs himself in roughspun robes dyed in the green, grey, and blue of the Drowned God. He never cuts his hair, which falls to his waist and he weaves seaweed into it.

In his youth, Aeron was an unruly ribald drunk who often came at odds with his brother Balon. During the Greyjoy Rebellion, he nearly drowned when his ship was sunk by Stannis Baratheon. He washed ashore and was imprisoned at Lannisport. After being released, he had changed significantly due to his near-death experience, and became very pious and devoted to the worship of the Drowned God.

Aeron's devotion to the Drowned God became greatly respected, and in time he rose to command strong influence among the ironborn. Officially the Drowned Men priests have no single leader or ruling hierarchy, but Aeron is universally considered to be their de facto leader.

Aeron sometimes has nightmares about a door with screeching hinges, which he associates with his brother Euron.

In the novel A Clash of Kings, when Theon returns to the Pyke from the North, it is Aeron who greets him first and almost immediately baptizes him at his arrival.

Martin repeatedly gets asked in Q&A sessions how "Damphair" is pronounced, to which he has repeatedly had to explain that it is simply "damp hair" because he has long hair and wades into the sea much of the time (a surprisingly large number of people for some reason assumed that the "ph" that happens to be next to each other are meant to be pronounced as an "F").

Aeron makes his first appearance in the Season 6 episode "Home", which roughly corresponds with the Ironborn storyline in "A Feast for Crows". While Aeron's character is faithful to his portrayal in the novel, it does not mention that he presided over his brother Balon's funeral. He also does not meet his niece Asha at Balon's funeral since Asha first travels to meet her uncle Rodrik Harlaw at the Ten Towers in Harlaw island. Aeron only briefly meets with Asha during the Kingsmoot itself at Old Wyk. Like the novel, Aeron also appears to be hostile to Yara's aspirations to succeed her father as ruler of the Iron Islands.

See also

• Aeron Greyjoy on A Wiki of Ice and Fire (MAJOR spoilers from the books)

References

v • d • e House Greyjoy
Lord:		Heir:	Princess Yara Greyjoy/Prince Theon Greyjoy (disputed)
Seat:	Pyke, Pyke	Lands:	The Iron Islands
Title(s):	King of the Iron Islands · Lord Reaper of Pyke · King of Salt and Rock · Son of the Sea Wind · Lord of the Iron Islands
Ancestors:	The Grey King · Vickon Greyjoy
Current members:	Aeron Greyjoy · Queen Alannys Greyjoy · Euron Greyjoy · Victarion Greyjoy
Deceased members:	Balon Greyjoy · Rodrik Greyjoy · Maron Greyjoy
Household:	{Dagmer} · {Lorren} · {Drennan} · {Gelmarr} · {Stygg} · {Aggar} · {Wex} · {Urzen}