The Crow's Eye

The Crow's Eye is the name by which Euron Greyjoy, the most feared and unpredictable of Balon Greyjoy's brothers, is known throughout the Iron Islands and beyond. A reaver, pirate, and sorcerer, Euron seized the Seastone Chair at the kingsmoot on Old Wyk, using a hellhorn from Valyria to overawe the assembled captains and kings. His reign is marked by ambition, cruelty, and a willingness to sacrifice anyone—kin, allies, or strangers—to achieve his ends. He is the architect of the Iron Fleet's voyage to Slaver's Bay, a venture he frames as a quest for Daenerys Targaryen but which serves his own designs for power and dominion.

Rise to Power and the Kingsmoot

Euron's path to the Seastone Chair began with the death of his brother, King Balon Greyjoy. Returning from years of exile and piracy, Euron appeared at the kingsmoot on Old Wyk with a dragon horn, a twisted, six-foot-long artifact banded with red gold and Valyrian steel, which he claimed to have found amongst the smoking wastes of Valyria. When a monstrous man sounded the horn at the kingsmoot, the sound was described as a burning, searing noise that felt like a thousand screams melted into one; the man who blew it died, his lips blistered and his chest bleeding. This display of power and sorcery, combined with promises of dragons and glory, swayed the captains and kings, who chose Euron over his brother Victarion and his niece Asha. Asha, who had put her own name forward, was forced to flee after the kingsmoot, warned by her uncle Rodrik the Reader that Euron would kill her or wed her to the Red Oarsman. Euron's first act as king was to marry Asha to Erik Ironmaker, the Anvil-Breaker, a move that turned a rival into a supporter, secured the isles in his absence, and removed Asha as a threat.

The Dragon Horn and the Iron Fleet

Central to Euron's plan is the dragon horn, which he gave to his brother Victarion, commanding him to sail the Iron Fleet to Slaver's Bay to fetch Daenerys Targaryen. The horn, called Dragonbinder, is inscribed with Valyrian glyphs that proclaim, "I am Dragonbinder" and "No mortal man shall sound me and live." Euron's gifts are always poisoned, as Victarion bitterly reflects, knowing that the horn binds dragons to its master but kills the one who sounds it. The Crow's Eye keeps wizards, as Victarion notes, and his sorcerous resources include the hellhorn and the mute, tongueless woman he gave to Victarion as a bedwarmer. Euron's plan is to use Victarion as a pawn, sending him to bring back the dragon queen while Euron himself remains in the Iron Islands, consolidating power and pursuing other schemes.

Character and Reputation

Euron is described as mad and dangerous, a man who won no friends on Blacktyde when he slew Lord Baelor. He is feared even by his own kin; Asha reflects that the Crow's Eye would not care if she lived or died, and Victarion broods that the gods hate kinslayers, yet Euron has not died by his hand. Euron's cruelty is legendary: he is said to have slit the throat of his brother Aeron Damphair, though the priest's followers claim he is hiding on Great Wyk. The Crow's Eye is also a master of psychological manipulation, using the kingsmoot's legitimacy to bind his rivals and sending Victarion on a near-suicidal mission while staying safe himself. His ambition is boundless; he seeks not just the Iron Islands but the entire world, and his willingness to use dark magic and sacrifice sets him apart from other ironborn leaders.

Narrative Significance

Euron Greyjoy's actions drive the Iron Fleet's eastern expedition, a major plot thread in A Dance with Dragons. His dragon horn and its deadly power create a central tension: Victarion must decide whether to use it himself or find another way to claim Daenerys. Euron's absence from the main action of the book—he remains in the Iron Islands while Victarion sails east—underscores his role as a distant, manipulative force, a shadow king whose schemes ripple across the narrow sea. His character embodies the themes of ambition, betrayal, and the cost of power that permeate the series, and his legacy looms over the Iron Islands even as his brother sails toward an uncertain fate.