Jeyne Arryn

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House Arryn.svg Lady
Jeyne Arryn
the Maiden of the Vale
House Arryn.svg
Jeyne Arryn and Jessamyn Redfort by Riotarttherite.png
Jeyne and Jessamyn Redfort by Riotarttherite

Alias The Maiden of the Vale[1]
Titles
Allegiances
Culture Valemen
Born In 94 AC[4]
Died In 134 AC[5], the Motherhouse of Maris in Gulltown[6]
Father Lord Arryn
Lover Jessamyn Redfort
Books

Played by Amanda Collin
TV series House of the Dragon: Season 2

Jeyne Arryn, called the Maiden of the Vale, was the Lady of the Eyrie and the head of House Arryn during the reign of kings Jaehaerys I, Viserys I, Aegon II, and Aegon III Targaryen.[7][2][1]

Character

According to The Testimony of Mushroom, Lady Jeyne had a voracious appetite for men. In his The Reign of King Viserys, however, Septon Eustace repeats the widespread rumor that Jeyne preferred other women, but goes on to say it was not true.[2] Jessamyn Redfort was a "dear companion" of Jeyne.[5]

History

Early Life

Jeyne became Lady of the Eyrie in 97 AC when she was three years old, after her father and older brothers were killed at the hands of the Stone Crows.[2] She did not attend the Great Council of 101 AC. In her stead went Lord Yorbert Royce, who served as Lord Protector and regent during this time.[8]

Jeyne's inheritance was twice contested by her cousin, Ser Arnold Arryn. Consequently, he was imprisoned in one of the sky cells,[5] while he and his descendants were disinherited from the Arryn line of succession by her last testament.[5] Jeyne would later say that "thrice" her own kin had tried to replace her, but it was also clearly stated that Arnold only rebelled against her twice - apparently the third time was when she was initially named ruler of the Vale at only three years old.

On the death of Lady Rhea Royce in 115 AC, her husband Prince Daemon Targaryen appealed to Lady Jeyne in the hopes of claiming Runestone for himself. Jeyne not only rejected his claim, but also ordered him to leave the Vale of Arryn.[7]

Dance of the Dragons

At the start of the Dance of the Dragons, Prince Jacaerys Velaryon flew north on his dragon, Vermax, to foster allies for the cause of his mother, Rhaenyra Targaryen, herself the daughter of Aemma Arryn. According to Mushroom, Lady Jeyne offered Jacaerys the allegiance of the Vale of Arryn if he could bring her to climax using his tongue. Grand Maester Munkun's True Telling makes no such mention. He quotes Jeyne citing that, despite her contempt for Prince Daemon Targaryen, Rhaenyra was an Arryn on her mother's side and women should band together. Her only request was dragonriders to protect the Eyrie from the greens' own dragons. After Jacaerys agreed, Lady Jeyne and her warriors knelt before the prince, bringing the Vale into the civil war on the side of the blacks.[2]

Rhaenyra later sent her third son Joffrey Velaryon to the Vale, with his young dragon Tyraxes, to deter the greens from attacking the Vale. Grand Maester Munkun suggests Rhaenyra's son Jacaerys really sent Joff to the Vale to keep him safe, as his young dragon was barely large enough to ride and would be no match for the greens' dragons in combat (though a young dragon would still deter enemies with no dragons, while fulfilling the promise to Jeyne). Joff brought Rhaena of Pentos with him to the Eyrie, one of Daemon's twin daughters and Joff's betrothed (as well as his first cousin), and Jeyne made Rhaena her ward. Rhaena brought with her three dragon eggs and prayed nightly for their hatching.[9][3]

While the Vale ultimately suffered no direct attacks in the war, Jeyne sent forces by sea by way of Gulltown to join the queen's hosts at King's Landing after the fall of the city.[10]

Following the Storming of the Dragonpit, Rhaenyra fled the capital for Duskendale. If Rhaenyra were to send transport ships to Gulltown, Jeyne was willing to send her troops, but the queen lacked ships and gold. Ser Harrold Darke of the Queensguard urged her to seek refuge with Lady Jeyne in the Vale. Rhaenyra, however, was determined to return to Dragonstone and refused his council. The queen was eventually killed by Sunfyre.[11]

The remaining blacks refused to surrender: Lady Arryn assembled a host of eight thousand men-at-arms and fifteen hundred knights in opposition to King Aegon II Targaryen, and a new host of Northmen assembled to march south led by Cregan Stark himself. Late in 131 AC, one of Rhaena's dragon eggs hatched at the Eyrie, and she named the hatchling Morning. News of Morning's birth emboldened the blacks while greatly troubling the greens, because by that point in the war both sides had lost all their other dragons (save for three others that had gone wild or missing). Dowager Queen Alicent Hightower feared that the blacks' possession of this new dragon at the Eyrie, even if it was still just a hatchling, would make the smallfolk see their side as more legitimate.[12]

Regency of Aegon III

Lady Jeyne served as one of the seven initial regents to Rhaenyra Targaryen's eldest surviving son, King Aegon III Targaryen, following the conclusion of the civil war. Jeyne returned to the Vale of Arryn in 132 AC to deal with raiding mountain clansmen.[3]

Jeyne died in 134 AC of a chest cold while at the Motherhouse of Maris in Gulltown.[13] The unmarried Maid of the Vale passed away in the arms of her "dear companion," Jessamyn Redfort.[5]

Lady Jeyne named her distant cousin and the Knight of the Bloody Gate, Ser Joffrey Arryn, as her heir in her last testament. However, a conflict over her succession ensued upon her death, as Ser Eldric Arryn, and Isembard Arryn, head of the Gulltown Arryns, tried to contest Lord Joffrey's inheritance. Ser Corwyn Corbray ruled that Jeyne's will must prevail.[5]

Quotes

Thrice have mine own kin sought to replace me. My cousin Ser Arnold is wont to say that women are too soft to rule. I have him in one of my sky cells, if you would like to ask him.[2]

—Jeyne to Jacaerys Velaryon

In this world of men, we women must band together.[2]

—Jeyne to Jacaerys Velaryon

Family

The exact relationship of Jeyne's father to his predecessor Rodrik Arryn is unknown, but he was probably Rodrik's eldest son from his first marriage. His second marriage, to Daella Targaryen, resulted in her dying giving birth to Aemma Arryn, mother of Rhaenyra Targaryen. If true, this would make Aemma the half-sister to Jeyne's father - and thus make Jeyne the half-first cousin of Rhaenyra on her mother's side.

In the House of the Dragon TV series adaptation, during the Season 1 finale Rhaenyra Targaryen describes Jeyne as "my lady mother's cousin" (possibly being deliberately ambiguous until Jeyne is introduced on-screen in Season 2).

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Lord Arryn
 
Unknown
wife
 
Unknown
Arryn
 
Unknown
wife
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
House Arryn
of Gulltown
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Sons
 
Jeyne
 
 
 
Arnold
 
Unknown
wife
 
Joffrey
 
Isembard
 
Unknown
wife
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Eldric
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Sons
 


References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Fire & Blood, The Dying of the Dragons - The Blacks and the Greens.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 Fire & Blood, The Dying of the Dragons - A Son for a Son.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 Fire & Blood, Under the Regents - The Hooded Hand.
  4. See the Jeyne Arryn calculation.
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 Fire & Blood, The Lysene Spring and the End of Regency.
  6. The World of Ice & Fire, The Targaryen Kings: Aegon III.
  7. 7.0 7.1 Fire & Blood, Heirs of the Dragon - A Question of Succession.
  8. The World of Ice & Fire, The Vale: House Arryn.
  9. The Princess and the Queen.
  10. Fire & Blood, The Dying of the Dragons - Rhaenyra Triumphant.
  11. Fire & Blood, The Dying of the Dragons - Rhaenya Overthrown.
  12. Fire & Blood, The Dying of the Dragons - The Short, Sad Reign of Aegon II.
  13. The World of Ice & Fire, The Targaryen Kings: Aegon III.
Preceded by Lady of the Eyrie
Defender of the Vale
Warden of the East

97 AC134 AC
Regent: Yorbert Royce (97 AC–?)
Succeeded by