The Eyrie
Seat of House Arryn, Lords of the Eyrie and Defenders of the Vale
- House
- House Arryn
- Region
- The Vale of Arryn
- Raised by
- Raised, the Andals say, for Ser Artys Arryn, the Winged Knight
- Age
- Of the Andal age in the Vale
The stones themselves
The Eyrie is the smallest of the great castles and, by repute, the most impregnable — seven slender towers of pale stone perched on the Giant's Lance far above the green Vale. There is no room within its walls for a proper garrison, nor need of one: the only way up is a treacherous mountain road past three waycastles named Stone, Snow, and Sky, and a final stretch climbed by mule track or hauled up in a wicker basket on a chain. It cannot be held through winter, when the way freezes and the household descends to the Gates of the Moon below.
Famous halls and features
The Moon Door
A white weirwood door in the floor of the High Hall that opens onto empty air and a fall of six hundred feet — the Arryns' ancient and unsubtle instrument of justice.
The sky cells
Dungeons open to the sky on one side, their floors sloping gently outward, so that a prisoner's only company is the wind and the long temptation of the drop.
The waycastles
Stone, Snow, and Sky — three small forts strung up the mountain road, each of which must be passed in turn before a traveller can reach the basket to the Eyrie itself.
Sieges and history
Where the story of The Eyrie touches the great chronicle of the realm — follow each thread back into the timeline.
A legend of The Eyrie
The Andals tell that the first Eyrie was raised for Ser Artys Arryn, the Winged Knight, who is said to have flown to the summit of the Giant's Lance on a great falcon to slay the Griffin King and win the Vale. Falcons do not bear knights, whatever the singers claim — but the falcon-and-moon still flies on the Arryn banner, and the Vale lords have never wearied of the tale.
Beyond the chronicle's edge
What lately passed through the Moon Door is best left to those who have followed the tale to the Vale.
These partings name deaths, endings, and roads not yet ridden in the books. Unveil them only if both roads are known to you — or if you do not fear to know.
Common questions
Why is the Eyrie considered impregnable?
The Eyrie sits atop the Giant's Lance, reachable only by a narrow mountain road guarded by three waycastles and a final climb hauled up in a basket. No large force can assault it, and it has never been taken by storm.
What is the Moon Door?
The Moon Door is a hinged door in the floor of the Eyrie's High Hall that opens onto a sheer drop of roughly six hundred feet. The Arryns use it to execute prisoners by casting them out to fall to the Vale below.
Why is the Eyrie abandoned in winter?
The mountain road and the approach freeze over in winter, cutting the Eyrie off entirely. The Arryns and their household descend to the Gates of the Moon at the foot of the mountain and return only when the thaw comes.
What are the sky cells?
The sky cells are the Eyrie's dungeons — cells with one side open to the sky and floors that slope outward toward the drop. Prisoners are tormented less by their jailers than by the wind and the ever-present edge.