House Martell
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House Martell is a fictional noble family from George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire. House Martell is the ruling house of the kingdom of Dorne. Their seat is at Sunspear. Their sigil is a gold spear piercing a red sun, and their words are "Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken."
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[edit] History
House Martell's founding is unknown, except that they were one of the ruling Lords of Dorne which at the time was a coalition of states and petty kingdoms. Lord Mors Martell married the legendary warrior queen of the Rhoyne, Nymeria; thereafter their full surname was changed to "Nymeros Martell." The two united all of Dorne under their rule and House Martell has reigned for the last thousand years. The House follows several Rhoynar customs, using equal primogeniture to determine inheritance and styling their rulers as 'Prince' rather than 'King.'
After two centuries of fighting off Targaryen occupation, House Martell ultimately submitted Dorne to Targaryen rule through marriage between the two houses; their Martell words evoke this feat. King Daeron II, called Daeron the Good, married Princess Myriah Martell, sister of the ruling Prince of Dorne, Maron Martell. In turn Prince Maron married a Targaryen princess, a sister of Daeron named Daenerys [1] . Since then, the Martells have ruled Dorne in the name of the King on the Iron Throne, while keeping the title Prince of Dorne.
[edit] House genealogy
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Lady of Dorne |
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Lewyn Martell |
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| Doran |
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Mellario of Norvos |
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Mors |
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Olyvar |
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Elia |
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Rhaegar Targaryen |
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Various women |
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Oberyn the Red Viper |
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Ellaria Sand | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Arianne |
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Rhaenys |
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Obara Sand |
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Loreza Sand | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Quentyn |
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Aegon |
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Nymeria Sand |
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Obella Sand | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Trystane |
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Tyene Sand |
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Dorea Sand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Sarella Sand |
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Elia Sand | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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[edit] Current members
[edit] Doran
The Prince of Dorne and Lord of Sunspear, Doran Martell is in his fifties and badly afflicted with gout, barely able to walk and is usually confined to a wheeled chair. He spends a great deal of time at the Water Gardens, the summer home of the Martells, watching children play. He avoids the commoners and only sees his trusted courtiers and advisors to hide his weakness from his enemies. Unlike most of his kin, Prince Doran is a cautious, pensive man who does not wear his emotions on his sleeve. For this, he is considered by the other great Lords of Westeros to be very dangerous.
Doran originally refused to swear allegiance to King Joffrey Baratheon and considered supporting Renly Baratheon. However, Tyrion Lannister was able to gain his allegiance by sending him Myrcella Baratheon and betrothing her to his son Trystane, offering justice for his murdered sister Elia, and giving him a seat on the King's Small Council. Not being fit enough to journey to King's Landing, he sent his brother Oberyn to claim both the seat and justice. When Oberyn died in King's Landing, Doran refused all suggestion of going to war for vengeance. He returned to Sunspear to show his people that he still held power, and had Oberyn's warlike daughters "the Sand Snakes" imprisoned to maintain the peace. After his daughter's foiled attempt to crown Myrcella, Doran revealed to her that he had been working secretly for the fifteen years since Elia's death to rob Lord Tywin Lannister of all he held dear, and that he plans to ally with House Targaryen.
[edit] Arianne
The eldest child of Doran and Mellario, Arianne is the heiress to Sunspear and the rule of Dorne through Rhoynar law. She is beautiful, with olive skin, large dark eyes, and hair that is a spill of glossy black ringlets. Favoring her mother, she is short and buxom. Despite her beauty and high station, Arianne is still unmarried at the age of 23. She is calculating, adventurous and fierce-tempered. When she sees something she desires, she strives to obtain it at all costs. Arianne has a clique of courtiers and confidants who accompany her, including Sylva Santagar and Ser Gerold Dayne. She is also extremely close with her cousins, the Sand Snakes, especially Tyene Sand.
Arianne appears as a POV character in A Feast For Crows. She has long been dissatisfied with her father and his style of rule, thinking him weak and vacillating. As heiress to Sunspear, she was permitted to hold the titular governance of Dorne when her father was absent at the Water Gardens, although prior to Oberyn's death, he was accounted the true reigning power.
Despite her claims that she lost her virginity to the Bastard of Godsgrace, Arianne expected a marriage match that befit her rank as the putative heiress of Sunspear. Instead, Doran publicly entertained suits from various elderly lords such as Walder Frey, whom Arianne would scorn, and forbade younger and/or higher-ranked matches such as Edmure Tully and Willas Tyrell. Doran's apparently humble marriage plans for her, vague misinformation put out by him regarding Quentyn's location, and a spied letter in which Doran wrote that Quentyn would rule Dorne in his stead, brought Arianne to the conclusion that her father intended to pass over her in his succession.
The death of Oberyn in King's Landing spurred Arianne to take action, believing her father would not. Arianne schemed to crown Myrcella Baratheon under the laws of Dorne following Joffrey Baratheon's death, knowing that would precipitate a war. She seduced Arys Oakheart, a knight of the Kingsguard and Myrcella's sworn shield, convincing him to aid and abet her with the promise that once Myrcella was crowned queen, she would permit them to marry. The plan was foiled, Arys was killed and Myrcella badly scarred.
She was imprisoned by her father in a pleasantly appointed tower cell. Forbidden contact with the outside world and attended by servants who would not speak to her, she began a hunger strike. Eventually, a weakened Arianne was brought to her father and she confronted him with her beliefs. After learning of her belief that he intended to deny her her inheritance, he revealed that he did not entertain serious suits for her hand because he had planned in secret for her to wed Viserys Targaryen, the uncrowned Targaryen king, as part of his overarching scheme to wreak vengeance on House Lannister.
[edit] Elia
Doran's sister, Elia, was very close to her brother Oberyn. She married Rhaegar Targaryen, the Prince of Dragonstone and heir to the Iron Throne, and bore him two children: a daughter, Rhaenys and a son, Aegon. She was regarded as a good and gracious woman, although of delicate health. She was present at the Tourney of Harrenhal when her husband selected Lyanna Stark as the Queen of Love and Beauty, although her reaction to what was regarded as an insult to her is unknown.
During Robert's Rebellion, Elia and her children were confined in the Red Keep by King Aerys II as hostages against the obedience of Dorne. When King's Landing was sacked, and the Red Keep captured, Elia was raped and murdered, by Ser Gregor Clegane who also murdered her infant son, Aegon. Her daughter Rhaenys was stabbed to death by Amory Lorch. Both Lorch and Clegane were bannermen of House Lannister, and both killed the royal children at the command of Tywin Lannister.
[edit] Mellario of Norvos
Princess Mellario Martell is Doran's wife. While traveling in the Free Cities, Doran met and fell in love with her for her beautiful dark skin. Areo Hotah, Sunspear's captain of the guards, originally accompanied her from her native city as her sworn protector. She was angered when Doran sent Quentyn away to Yronwood to be fostered. Unfamiliar with the foreign custom, she saw it as a "selling of flesh", causing a rift between Mellario and her husband. She has since returned to her family in the city of Norvos.
[edit] Oberyn
Oberyn is Doran's hot-headed younger brother. He has been called "the Red Viper" since Lord Yronwood died from wounds sustained in a duel with him, causing rumors that he poisons his weapons. He is a forceful, lusty man with a quick wit and barbed tongue. Oberyn has traveled the world, founded his own mercenary company, and even studied at the Citadel. He became an enemy of House Tyrell after accidentally injuring Willas's leg in a tourney, though Willas himself holds no grudge against him. He has eight bastard daughters, called the Sand Snakes, four of them with his current paramour Ellaria Sand. Some rumors hold that he is bisexual. Oberyn had a very close relationship with his sister Elia, and attempted to raise Dorne for Viserys after her murder. He has desired revenge ever since.
Oberyn went to King's Landing to take his brother's seat on the Small Council, and to obtain justice for his sister's murder as promised by Tyrion Lannister. Oberyn rebuked the Lannisters' empty promises, and his incendiary presence threatened the peace of the city. When Tyrion was accused of Joffrey's murder, Oberyn volunteered to champion him in his trial by combat, knowing that his opponent would be his sister's killer, Gregor Clegane. Despite his enormous physical disadvantage, Oberyn managed to wound Clegane several times and cripple him. As Oberyn prolonged Gregor's death, trying to wring a murder confession from him, the prostrate Clegane managed to grab hold of Oberyn and smash his armored fist into Oberyn's face, killing him. Oberyn achieved posthumous vengeance by having coated his spear in (magically/alchemically) thickened manticore venom, leaving Clegane to die slowly and in tremendous agony.
[edit] Quentyn
Quentyn Martell is the elder son of Doran Martell, but not his heir owing to Dornish law. Quentyn was fostered as the ward and squire of Lord Anders Yronwood to make peace with the house, after the previous Lord Yronwood died from poisoned wounds taken in a duel to first blood with Oberyn.
Quentyn has not yet appeared "in person" in the series, and has only been mentioned in passing, having been fostered from a young age. However, his older sister Arianne has since discovered that he has in fact been dispatched by his father across the narrow sea. Though Doran put out various misleading rumors as to where Quentyn had gone and why, he confessed to Arianne that Quentyn's true mission is to bring back his family's "heart's desire", which Doran described as "vengeance", "justice" and "fire and blood." It has yet to be revealed exactly what Doran intends Quentyn to do, but it is worth noting that "Fire and Blood" are the house words of House Targaryen, and that the cyvasse piece Doran held during his speech was a dragon. This, combined with author George R. R. Martin's announcement that Quentyn will be a narrating character in the upcoming novel A Dance with Dragons, implies that Quentyn's quest will be to ally with or possibly retrieve Daenerys Targaryen, the last scion of House Targaryen and self-proclaimed Queen of Westeros.
[edit] Trystane
Trystane Martell is the younger son and third child of Doran and Mellario. He is dark in coloring, with shiny black hair.
Trystane was betrothed to Myrcella Baratheon in order to ensure Dorne's support of King Joffrey in the War of the Five Kings. The two children reportedly got along well.
[edit] Sand Snakes
Oberyn's eight bastard daughters, born by various women, are collectively called the Sand Snakes in reflection of their father, the Red Viper. The oldest Sand Snakes are companions and confidantes of their cousin, Arianne. Despite the variances in their birthmothers and appearances, they are all said to have their father's eyes.
Members:
- Elia Sand. Daughter of Oberyn's paramour Ellaria Sand and granddaughter of Lord Harmen Uller. She appears to have been named after Princess Elia.
- Dorea Sand. Daughter of Ellaria Sand and granddaughter of Lord Harmen Uller.
- Loreza Sand. Daughter of Ellaria Sand and granddaughter of Lord Harmen Uller.
- Nymeria Sand. Called Lady Nym, her mother was a noblewoman from Old Volantis. Nymeria is elegant, refined, and beautiful with dark eyes and silky black hair worn in a braid bound with copper wires.
- Obara Sand. Daughter of a whore of Oldtown, and given to martial pursuits as she considers herself a warrior, wielding a spear and whip. She is a sturdily built woman of swarthy coloring and no particular beauty.
- Obella Sand. Daughter of Ellaria Sand and granddaughter of Lord Harmen Uller.
- Sarella Sand. Daughter of a trader from the Summer Isles. Sarella is said to have been the captain of her own ship at age nineteen. She is referred to as playing a "game" in Oldtown.
- Tyene Sand. Daughter of a septa. Tyene is closest of all the Sand Snakes to her cousin Arianne. She is known to have skills in herbcraft and poison, and is regarded as treacherous, while maintaining a sweet and pious persona. She is fair, blue-eyed and blonde.
After the death of their father, the oldest of the Sand Snakes, Obara, Nymeria and Tyene, began to pressure Prince Doran to declare war in retribution, and became involved in various plots to effect the same, including agitating the Dornish populace. Concerned that their efforts would undermine his own schemes, Prince Doran had the oldest ones confined to tower cells in Sunspear castle, with the exception of Sarella, who was in Oldtown. The youngest four, however, were isolated in the Water Gardens with their mother, to prevent them from being used in the plots of others.
[edit] Past and historic members
[edit] Myriah
Wife of King Daeron II. Their marriage brought Dorne into the Seven Kingdoms.
[edit] Houses sworn to House Martell
- Allyrion of Godsgrace.
- Blackmont of Blackmont.
- Dalt of Lemonwood.
- Dayne of Starfall.
- Dayne of High Hermitage a cadet branch of the former.
- Fowler of Skyreach. The Lord of House Fowler is titled Warden of the Prince's Pass. The current Lord of Skyreach has twin daughters, who are companions and bedmates of Tyene Sand.
- Gargalen of Salt Shore.
- Jordayne of the Tor.
- Manwoody of Kingsgrave.
- Qorgyle of Sandstone.
- Santagar of Spottswood.
- Toland of Ghost Hill.
- Uller of the Hellholt.
- Vaith of the Red Dunes
- Wyl of Wyl.
- Yronwood of Yronwood. House Yronwood is accounted the most powerful of the bannerhouses sworn to House Martell. The Lord is titled Warden of the Boneway and The Bloodroyal.
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