Rhoyne

The Rhoyne is the greatest river in the known world, a vast and ancient waterway that flows from the northern reaches of Essos southward to the Volantene delta and the Summer Sea. In A Dance with Dragons, the Rhoyne serves as a central artery for Tyrion Lannister's journey east, a site of peril and wonder, and a living repository of the continent's lost civilizations, its waters and ruins haunted by the ghosts of the Rhoynar and the curse of greyscale.

Geography and Scale

The Rhoyne dwarfs every river in Westeros. When Tyrion Lannister first glimpses the Little Rhoyne, he notes that "the smallest fork of the Trident is twice as wide, and all three of them run swifter" . As the Shy Maid travels downstream, Yandry, the boat's Dornish captain, mocks Tyrion's earlier boasts about Westerosi rivers, pointing out that the Rhoyne at its widest is so vast that "a man upon a boat in the center of the stream cannot see a shore to either side" . The river's tributaries—the Noyne, the Qhoyne, the Lhorulu, and the Selhoru—each add to its immense volume, and the river's course passes through a succession of ruined cities, dense forests, and pirate-infested lakes before reaching the sea at Volantis.

The Journey Downriver: Wonders and Perils

Tyrion's voyage on the Shy Maid, from Ghoyan Drohe to the Sorrows and beyond, is a journey through both space and time. The river is home to giant turtles, including the legendary Old Man of the River, a horned turtle of enormous size that surfaces near Ny Sar and is hailed as a blessing by Ysilla (E01939–E01941). The river also teems with bonesnappers, turtles large enough to bite a man in half, which Tyrion observes with unease . The ruins of the Rhoynar cities—Ghoyan Drohe, Ny Sar, and Chroyane—line the banks, their broken domes and fallen towers overgrown with moss and vines, silent monuments to the war with Valyria that destroyed them .

The Sorrows and the Curse of Greyscale

The most dangerous stretch of the Rhoyne is the Sorrows, the region around the drowned city of Chroyane, where the river is shrouded in an unnatural fog that stinks of sorcery . Here, the stone men—victims of the mortal form of greyscale—wander the ruins and the broken Bridge of Dream, their flesh turned to stone and their minds gone mad . The fog is said to be the cold breath of the drowned lords of fire, and the river itself is cursed by Garin's Curse (E02370–E02371). The Shy Maid is attacked by stone men as it passes beneath the bridge, and Tyrion is dragged into the river by one, nearly drowning before being rescued (E02456–E02469). The experience leaves him fearing that he may have contracted the disease, and he is forced to prick his fingers and toes daily to check for numbness (E02793–E02803).

The Rhoyne as a Highway of History and Politics

The river is not merely a setting for adventure; it is also a conduit for news and a stage for the shifting politics of Essos. As the Shy Maid travels, its passengers encounter other boats and hear tidings of war, including the news that the triarchs of Volantis are preparing for conflict (E02393–E02395). The river's lower reaches, past the Sorrows, are lined with prosperous towns like Selhorys, Valysar, and Volon Therys, where the Golden Company is encamped . The river also serves as a boundary: the Dothraki are seen on its eastern shore, and the threat of their khalasars influences the movements of armies and the decisions of the Free Cities (E02820–E02821). The Rhoyne, in its full length, connects the haunted past of the Rhoynar to the present-day conflicts of the Free Cities and the ambitions of the Targaryen claimants.