Victarion Greyjoy
Victarion Greyjoy, Lord Captain of the Iron Fleet, is a man forged in the ironborn tradition of reaving and raiding, a creature of action and violence rather than subtlety or doubt. In A Dance with Dragons, he undertakes an epic voyage across the known world, not merely to fulfill his brother Euron's command, but to seize a dragon queen and a crown for himself, a quest that transforms him from a blunt instrument of another's will into a figure of terrifying, self-directed purpose.
Identity and Background
Victarion is the second surviving son of Lord Quellon Greyjoy, a younger brother to the late King Balon and the cunning Euron Crow's Eye. He is defined by his physical prowess and his unwavering adherence to the Old Way of the ironborn—a life of plunder, salt, and steel. He commands the Iron Fleet, a formidable force of warships, and his flagship is the Iron Victory. His identity is rooted in his role as a captain and a warrior; he is a man who leads from the front, expecting his crew to share his hardships. He is also a man haunted by his brother's treachery, having been sent on this perilous mission by Euron, who intends to claim Daenerys for himself. Victarion's resentment of Euron is a deep, festering wound, a constant undercurrent to his actions.
The Voyage East and the Gathering of the Fleet
Victarion's journey from the Shield Islands to Slaver's Bay is a saga of storms, sacrifice, and ruthless acquisition. He sets sail with ninety-three ships of the Iron Fleet, but the voyage is brutal. Storms scatter his forces, and he loses many vessels. He is forced to wait at the Isle of Cedars, gathering his scattered fleet, which numbers only fifty-four ships when he finally departs. His response to loss is characteristically direct: he slaps a captain for speaking of curses and threatens to nail his tongue to the mast. He does not lament; he adapts. Along the way, he captures numerous prizes—trading galleys, cogs, and slavers—renaming them with grim names like Red God's Wroth, Ghost, and Shade. Each captured ship is a testament to his growing strength and his willingness to pay the iron price. He also takes a red priest, Moqorro, from the sea, a decision that will fundamentally alter his path.
The Red Priest and the Two Gods
Moqorro, a towering, flame-tattooed priest of R'hllor, is fished from the sea by one of Victarion's ships. The crew fears him as a demon, but Victarion sees a tool. Moqorro's prophecies prove accurate, predicting the location of prizes and the return of lost ships, earning him Victarion's trust. The priest heals Victarion's festering hand, a wound that had refused to mend, with a ritual of fire and pain that leaves the arm hideously scarred but stronger than before. This act forges a bond between the iron captain and the red god. Victarion, a man who has always served the Drowned God, now believes he has two gods watching over him. "Two gods are with me now," he tells his dusky woman. "No foe can stand before two gods." This dual faith is a pragmatic, almost transactional, belief; he will make sacrifices to both, burning a captured ship full of beautiful slave girls as an offering to both the Drowned God and R'hllor, hearing their cries turn to joyous song as the flames consume them.
The Dragon Horn and the Final Approach
Victarion's ultimate purpose is to claim Daenerys Targaryen, and for that, he possesses the dragon horn, Dragonbinder, a twisted, six-foot-long horn of black Valyrian steel and red gold, found by Euron in the ruins of Valyria. The horn is inscribed with Valyrian glyphs that proclaim, "I am Dragonbinder" and "No mortal man shall sound me and live." Victarion knows that his brother's gift is poisoned; the man who blew the horn at the kingsmoot died, his insides burned out. Moqorro interprets the horn's secrets, explaining that the one who sounds it will die, but the dragons will come to the horn's master. The key, the priest reveals, is to claim the horn with blood. Victarion, ever willing to pay the price for power, accepts this. He is not the man to sound the horn himself; he will find a sacrifice. As his fleet, now numbering sixty-one ships, closes on Meereen, Victarion is a figure of immense, brutal force, driven by a simple, powerful desire: to take the dragon queen, to make her his wife, and to return to the Iron Islands as a king. He is a man of action, not introspection, and his path is paved with fire, blood, and the bodies of those who stand in his way.
