Eyrie

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The Eyrie
Castle, regional capital
The Eyrie by Ted Nasmith ©.
Location Vale of Arryn, Westeros
Government Seat of House Arryn, Feudal society
Religion Faith of the Seven
Notable places High Hall, Crescent Chamber, Maiden's Tower, Moon Door, sky cells

The Eyrie is the ancient seat of House Arryn, one of the oldest lines of Andal nobility, within the Vale of Arryn. It is situated in the Mountains of the Moon astride the peak known as the Giant's Lance, several thousand feet above the valley below. Although small compared to the seats of other Great Houses in Westeros, the Eyrie is considered impregnable to attack. During winter years, the Arryns seek refuge against the cold at the base of the mountain in the Gates of the Moon.[1]

History

Legends claim that the Winged Knight drove the First Men from the Vale and flew to the top of the Giant's Lance on a huge falcon to slay the Griffin King.[2][3] Records indicate that King Artys I Arryn constructed the Gates of the Moon at the foot of the Giant's Lance, where he had defeated Robar II Royce's army of First Men in the Battle of Seven Stars.[4]

Artys's grandson, Roland I Arryn, believed that the Gates of the Moon was both inferior to Casterly Rock and the Hightower and strategically vulnerable to raids from the Vale mountain clans. Allegedly inspired by Teora Hunter, Roland decided to build a new royal palace high in the mountain above the Gates of the Moon.[1]

Construction of the Eyrie took place intermittently over generations, and marble was imported from Tarth in the narrow sea, as Roland disliked the appearance of stone available in the Vale. The Eyrie was inhabited as a pleasure palace[5] for the Kings of Mountain and Vale during spring, summer, and autumn. The Arryns descended to the Gates of the Moon for winter, however.[1]

Eddard Stark and Lord Robert Baratheon were fostered at the Eyrie by Lord Jon Arryn. When King Aerys II Targaryen called for the boys to be sent to King's Landing, Lord Arryn refused and raised his banners in revolt, thus beginning what would become Robert's Rebellion. After winning the war, Arryn was named King Robert's Hand. In his absence, the Eyrie was ruled by Nestor Royce, acting as High Steward of the Vale.[6]

Layout

The Eyrie as depicted in Game of Thrones.
The Eyrie by Feliche©
See also: Images of the Eyrie

The Eyrie is the smallest of the great castles, consisting only of a cluster of seven slim, white towers bunched tightly together. They can hold up to five hundred men.[6] The castle is made of fine white stone.[7] The towers encircle a garden, which had been meant as a godswood, but no weirwood tree would take root in the stony soil.[8] The barracks and stables are carved directly into the mountain. The granary is as large as those found in much larger castles, like Winterfell.[6]

  • The High Hall is where the household takes meals. It is a long and austere hall, with walls made of blue-veined white marble. At the end of it sits the throne of the Arryns, a seat carved of weirwood.[9] It has narrow, arched windows, between which are torches mounted on high iron sconces.[8]
  • The Moon Door is a narrow weirwood door that stands between two slender pillars in the High Hall. A crescent moon is carved into the door, which opens inward, and is barred by heavy bronze. The door opens into the sky. Most executions at the Eyrie use this door, which opens onto a six hundred foot drop to the stones of the valley below.[9]
  • The Crescent Chamber is the Eyrie's reception hall. Here, guests are given refreshments and warmed by the fire after making the climb up the Giant's Lance.[10]
  • The Maiden's Tower is the easternmost of the seven towers of the Eyrie. From a balcony on the tower, one can see the Vale and the Giant's Lance.[10]
  • Sky cells are the Eyrie's infamous dungeons. They are shelves on the side of the mountain's sheer cliffs, left open to the cold sky. Many prisoners, driven mad by the cold and howling wind, commit suicide rather than remain imprisoned.

Mountain Defenses

To reach the Eyrie, an invading army would have to overcome the Bloody Gate guarding the high road, then overcome the Gates of the Moon located at the bottom of the mountain and climb up the narrow goat trail. Under normal circumstances this would take half a day, all the while being exposed to attack from the defenders in the Eyrie and its three waycastles along the path.[6]

  • Stone, the first waycastle. The path to it is surrounded by forest. It has a massive ironbound gate. The stone walls are crowned with iron spikes and its two fat round towers raise above the keep.[6]
  • Snow, the second waycastle. The trail to it is steeper than that of Stone. It consists of a single fortified tower, a timber keep, and a stable placed behind a low wall of unmortared rock. It is nestled into the Giant's Lance so as to command the entire pathway from Stone to Snow.[6]
  • Sky, the third waycastle. The path to it is treacherous. It is open to the wind and the steps are cracked and broken from the constant freezing. Sky is a high, crescent-shaped wall of unmortared stone raised against the side of the mountain. Inside the walls are a series of ramps and a great tumble of boulders and stones of all sizes, ready to throw down or even cause a minor avalanche. There is a cavern containing a long natural hall, stables, and supplies. Handholds carved into the rock lead to the Eyrie, while earthen ramps give access to the walls.[6] The Eyrie is located six hundred feet above this point.[11]

Recent Events

Sansa Stark sculpts a snow castle at the Eyrie, slowly forming it into a replica of her childhood home, Winterfell - by Michael Komarck ©

A Game of Thrones

After Lord Jon Arryn's death in King's Landing, his widow Lysa returns here with their son, Robert Arryn. Lysa's sister, Catelyn, captures Tyrion Lannister and brings him to the Eyrie, where Lysa imprisons him in the sky cells, although he escapes after demanding trial. The captain of the guard, Ser Vardis Egen, is killed in trial by combat against the sellsword Bronn.[6][9][12]

A Storm of Swords

The widowed Lady Lysa marries her childhood friend and lover, Petyr Baelish, at the Fingers.[13] Petyr takes Sansa Stark in the guise of "Alayne Stone" with them to the Eyrie. Petyr later throws Lady Lysa from the Moon Door and places blame on Marillion.[8]

A Feast for Crows

Lord Baelish is left as Lord Protector of the Vale, ruling in the name of the child Lord Robert Arryn. Here he meets with the Lords Declarant before the court leaves for the Arryn winter castle at the Gates of the Moon.[10][7]

Quotes

The most splendid work ever built by the hands of men, a palace worthy of the gods themselves. Surely even the Father Above does not have such a seat.[1]

- Quince


In winter this will be a cold white prison.[7]

Sansa Stark's thoughts


The Eyrie is impregnable. You saw for yourself. No enemy could ever reach us up here.[6]

Lysa Arryn to Catelyn Stark

Chapters that take place at the Eyrie

References and Notes

This page uses content from the English Wikipedia. The original content was at Strongholds of A Song of Ice and Fire. The list of authors can be seen in the page history of Strongholds of A Song of Ice and Fire. As with A Wiki of Ice and Fire, the content of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.