Theon Greyjoy Is The Real Hero Of The Battle Of Winterfell

Theon Greyjoy: the real knight in the Battle of Winterfell. 

Over the course of Game of Thrones, Theon Greyjoy (Alfie Allen) was both a beloved and very much hated man in the Northern community. Theon back story is revealed as a captivated boy who winds up being the ward to the honorable Ned Stark.

Theon studies with Maester Luwin alongside the Stark children, including Robb (Richard Madden), Jon (Kit Harrington), Sansa (Sophie Turner), Arya (Maise Williams), Bran (Isaac Hempstead) and Rickon (Art Parkinson), and trains at arms with Ser Rodrik Cassel in Winterfell. The last son of Balon Greyjoy was a close friend and pseudo-brother to Robb, whom he saw become King in the North after Ned’s execution by King Joffrey Baratheon.

Theon originally served as the ward to Nedd Stark, the former King in the North.
SOURCE: Fandom

“My sword is yours, in victory and defeat, from this day until my last day,” Theon reportedly tells Robb at the ceremony. 

Yet, shortly afterward, Little Theon betrays Robb and works with his father, Balon, to invade the North and seize Winterfell from Bran and Rickon Stark. Theon burns two young farm boys alive and claims they were the Stark brothers, who had actually escaped Theon’s grasp with help from a man named Hodor and a wildling named Osha.

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But the Prince of Winterfell is soon betrayed by House Bolton who in turn took control of Winterfell, leaving Theon to be severely tortured by Ramsay Snow, the cruel-hearted bastard of Roose Bolton. During the time, Theon is castrated and given the pet name “Reek.”

It was Ramsay who tells Theon about Robb Stark’s death at the Red Wedding.  

Incredibly, Theon managed to get over his bullied life starting by saving Sansa from the very Ramsey Snow. He tried to make up for his betrayal to House Stark by helping one of their daughters escape after Sansa had been forced into marriage with the bastard of Roose Bolton. 

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Once she finds safety with the valiant Brienne of Tarth, Theon returns home to his sister Yara and discovers his uncle Euron Greyjoy (Pilou Asbæk) has killed their father to secure the Salt Throne of the Iron Islands. Consequentially, Theon and Yara forms an alliance with Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke), but are defeated by their uncle before they could be playing a part in the besiegement of King’s Landing. Yara is captivated by Euron while Theon escapes from a gunpoint.

Watch the final scene of Theon in Game of Thrones.

Shortly before his death, in the ongoing season, Theon rescues his sister, who returns to the Iron Islands. He then makes the decision to head north to Winterfell to fight alongside the Starks in the battle against the Night King and his army of the dead. Striving to redeem himself in the Starks’ eyes, Theon offers his protection to Bran during the clash but is unfortunately butchered by the Night King.

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Theon may have been the victim of his own greed and cowardness, but he is also the one who vindicated it all by himself. Then immolating himself in a big moment to help the starks achieve victory brought a satisfying amount of closure to his story in Game of Thrones.

There are still some major bloodsheds to come in GoT, which can stand the respective characters as more of a great hero than Theon. But as for the day, there is no other bigger martyr than the ought to be king of the Iron island.