Cotter Pyke

Cotter Pyke
© Fantasy Flight Games
Title	Commander of Eastwatch-by-the-Sea
Allegiance	Night's Watch
Culture	ironborn
Books	A Game of Thrones (mentioned) A Clash of Kings (appendix) A Storm of Swords (appears) A Feast for Crows (mentioned) A Dance with Dragons (mentioned)

Cotter Pyke is a member of the Night's Watch and the commander of Eastwatch-by-the-Sea.

Appearance and Character

See also: Images of Cotter Pyke

Cotter has small, close-set eyes, a broken nose and a pox ravaged face. He has a widow's peak and a sparse, rough beard. He is lean, hard and wiry.

Cotter is illiterate, and Maester Harmune must read and write his letters. He is considered rough of speech and bold. Samwell Tarly finds Cotter to be more intimidating than Ser Denys Mallister.

History

Cotter is the bastard son of a tavern wench from the Iron Islands. According to Ser Denys Mallister, Cotter has been violent since his childhood. He is a veteran of many battles.

Recent Events

A Game of Thrones

Jeor Mormont, Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, assigns Dareon to help Cotter with visiting merchants. Cotter writes to Jeor that elk herds have been streaming toward the Shivering Sea and Bay of Seals, and that mammoths and large footprints have also been spotted near Eastwatch-by-the-Sea.

A Storm of Swords

Cotter captures Rattleshirt at the Long Barrow. When Stannis Baratheon lands his men at Eastwatch, Cotter leads him and his men along hidden paths which allow Stannis to take the wildlings unaware during the battle beneath the Wall.

Cotter puts his name forth as a candidate for the position of Lord Commander of the Night's Watch when they hold the choosing, and is a leading candidate. Cotter is vocally opposed to King Stannis naming the next lord commander, asking if he is to wipe their arses as well. He and the commander of the Shadow Tower, Ser Denys Mallister, dislike one another, but are both convinced by Samwell Tarly to withdraw their candidacy and support Jon Snow, lest the other be elected. In truth, Sam was trying to avoid the election of Janos Slynt, who would have won if Cotter and Denys continued to split the vote.

A Dance with Dragons

Cotter hosts Queen Selyse Florent at Eastwatch, and he informs Jon that Lord Davos Seaworth and Salladhor Saan have sailed for White Harbor. Cotter is aware that Lord Wyman Manderly is building war galleys. Cotter requests reinforcements from Jon, but he dislikes the wildlings sent by Jon to help. Eastwatch galleys spot increasing numbers of wildlings near the shore.

Captaining Talon, Cotter sails from Eastwatch towards Hardhome with eleven ships by the command of Lord Commander Jon Snow. He is to rescue the wildlings brought there by the vision of the woods witch Mother Mole, who saw in her vision that ships would come to take the wildlings south. Eastwatch is commanded by Ser Glendon Hewett in Cotter's absence.

By the time Cotter arrives at Hardhome, he has lost five ships and the wildlings are eating their own dead. The undead are lurking in the woods and in the waters. Cotter sends a raven to Jon Snow, pleading him to send help by land, since the weather was very harsh on the seas. His current fate is unknown.

Quotes by Cotter

Lord Snow, if you muck this up, I'm going to rip your liver out and eat it raw with onions.

—Cotter to Jon Snow

Quotes about Cotter

Those look like Eastwatch men. Sailors on horses. Cotter Pyke always had more guts than sense.

—Mance Rayder to Jon Snow

Samwell, it is not my habit to speak unkindly of my brothers, but let us be frank ... the ironborn are a race of pirates and thieves, and Cotter Pyke was raping and murdering when he was still half a boy.

—Denys Mallister to Samwell Tarly

We are done with Eastwatch. We did not like it there. A queen should be mistress beneath her own roof. We found your Cotter Pyke to be an uncouth and unpleasant man, quarrelsome and niggardly.

—Selyse Florent to Jon Snow