Euron Greyjoy is one of the most fascinating characters in Game of Thrones who has made a recent entry in the show but already is crucial to the plot. Euron is part of the Greyjoy family of the Iron Islands and is the younger brother of Balon Greyjoy. He is an uncle to Yara and Theon, two other significant Greyjoys in the show. Upon the death of Joffrey Baratheon and Ramsay Bolton, the show has been in search of an equally evil villain and Euron Greyjoy perfectly fits the bill.
Euron has numerous titles to his name but he likes to be called the Crow’s eye, perhaps alluding to the eye patch he wears. We all know how he has spent the last few decades away from his home, travelling across the continent and into the faraway lands of Valyria, Essos and even Asshai. This makes him one of the very few people who have seen so much of the world. Upon his return from his long expedition, he has made a huge impact in the politics of the kingdom. It’s quite evident that he wants to get to the top of the power ladder. He is constantly trying to woo Cercei Lannister by doing different things for her in the hope of marrying her and becoming the King. However, there are a lot of things that are still not known about the Captain of Silence in the show.
He might have a horn that controls the Dragons
This is one of Euron’s biggest claims in the books of A Song of ice and Fire but there is not enough proof to back it. He claims to have a horn with which he can control the dragons. However, it is hard to discredit the possibility as he claims to have obtained the horn from Valyria, the old kingdom of House Targaryen before they moved to Westeros. It will be interesting to see if he really has the horn in the show and if he uses it to help Cercei in the eventual war against Daenery’s dragons. If this happens, then it will significantly shift the power balance towards the Lannisters, considering the fact they also have the Golden Company coming to their rescue as well.
The secret to his youthfulness
The books clearly mention that Euron looks the youngest among all the siblings even though he is the second oldest of them all. In fact, there are speculations about him having some magical powers that make him look so young. However, a more feasible reason for the same is the fact that Euron’s not living in the Iron Islands has not aged him as much as his kin. The harsh climate of the islands takes a toll on you and ages you faster. You can see this difference by observing if you compare his and Yara’s or Theon’s looks. He looks just slightly older than they do even after being their eldest uncle.
The real reason for Euron’s banishment from Iron Islands
Even though the show does not stress upon the banishment of Euron, you must have read into certain scenes that indicate his banishment from the Iron Islands. However, not many of you might know the real reason for this. Euron rapes or seduces (it is unclear) the wife of his younger brother Victarian. An infuriated Victarian kills the woman with his bare fists, sobbing all the while and wants to kill Euron as well. Seeing the possibility of this situation getting out of hands, Balon sends Euron to exile and asks him never to come back until he is the king.
He is not new to killing his kin
In the show, you only see Euron killing Balon to get complete reign over the Iron Islands but the fact is that he is not new to killing his kin. He is much more brutal in the books as he had already killed a few of his brothers before Balon sends him to exile. He returns to the Iron Islands and takes his revenge by killing Balon as well.
Why is his ship named Silence?
No one can forget the scene where Euron’s ship crushes the ship that had Yara, Theon and Elia Martell. There is a reason why Euron names his ship Silence. You may feel that is named so because of how silently it treads over the wild sea, hardly causing any noise considering its gigantic size. However, there is more to it than just the quietness of the ship. The ship got its name because all her crew are mute, or rather made mute by cutting off their tongues. Euron did so because he likes silence when on expeditions and also did this so that no one speaks against him. You can see the proof of it in the same scene when his crew cuts the tongue of every captured Martell army man.
He wanted to marry Daenerys Targaryen
Euron wanting to marry Cercei is one of the biggest deviations that the show has taken when compared to the story in the books. In the books, Euron wants to marry Daenerys and is set to woo her with the horn that controls the dragons. He believes Daenerys to be the true Queen and is ready to help her claim the throne. One can just imagine in awe how the story would have unfolded if the show too followed this storyline. However, it would have made the show a bit one-sided with everyone siding with the ‘Mother of Dragons’.
These interesting points just show you how fascinating a character Euron Greyjoy is and how there are a lot more surprises in the upcoming season. It also shows how different the storyline would have been if the show followed the path of the books. However, it will be interesting to see whether Euron fulfils his dream of being the King of the Realm.