Pyke
Seat of House Greyjoy, Lords Reaper of Pyke
- House
- House Greyjoy
- Region
- The Iron Islands
- Raised by
- Raised by the ironborn in the Dawn of Days, and half-eaten by the sea since
- Age
- As old as the ironborn kings, and crumbling
The stones themselves
Pyke is a castle the sea is slowly reclaiming. What was once a single stronghold on a headland has been gnawed apart by the waves until it stands in pieces — a gatehouse and outer ward on the failing cliff, and beyond them towers perched on bare stacks of rock rising from the water, joined only by rope-and-plank bridges that sway sickeningly in the wind. The Sea Tower, oldest and proudest, clings to the outermost spur, wet with spray. It is a grim, salt-eaten seat, and the Greyjoys would have it no other way.
Famous halls and features
The Sea Tower
The oldest tower of Pyke, standing on the outermost stack of rock, its foundations washed by every tide — the heart of the Greyjoy seat.
The rope bridges
Swaying spans of rope and plank that link the sea-stacks, the only paths between the castle's scattered towers above a long fall into the surf.
The Great Keep
The main hall of the Greyjoys on the headland, where the Lord Reaper holds court beneath a roof of driftwood and the words 'We Do Not Sow.'
Sieges and history
Where the story of Pyke touches the great chronicle of the realm — follow each thread back into the timeline.
A legend of Pyke
The ironborn tell of the Grey King, who ruled for a thousand years and a day, took a mermaid to wife, and slew Nagga, a sea dragon whose bones — they say — still stand as the ribs of a hall on nearby Old Wyk. It is the founding myth of the ironborn and their Drowned God both. The bones are real enough; whether they were ever a dragon, or merely a whale grown large in the telling, the maesters decline to guess.
Common questions
Why is Pyke falling into the sea?
Pyke was built on a headland that the waves of the Iron Islands have eroded over centuries. The land between its towers collapsed, leaving them stranded on isolated sea-stacks connected by bridges, with the castle slowly crumbling into the water.
When was Pyke besieged?
Pyke was stormed during the Greyjoy Rebellion of 289 AC, when King Robert Baratheon's forces put down Balon Greyjoy's bid for independence. The south tower of the castle was breached in the assault.
Who was the Grey King?
The Grey King is the legendary founder-hero of the ironborn, said to have ruled for over a thousand years, wed a mermaid, and killed the sea dragon Nagga. His myth underpins ironborn identity and the worship of the Drowned God.
What are the words of House Greyjoy?
House Greyjoy's words are 'We Do Not Sow,' reflecting the ironborn creed of the Old Way — that they take by raiding and reaving rather than earn by labour, paying the iron price rather than the gold.