Old Wyk

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Old Wyk among the Iron Islands

Old Wyk is one of the islands that make up the Iron Islands. Considered the holiest of the isles,[1] Old Wyk is home to the noble houses Drumm, Goodbrother of Shatterstone, and Stonehouse.[2] Lord Dunstan Drumm is known as the Lord of Old Wyk.[3]

Geography

Located in Ironman's Bay and inhabited by the ironborn, Old Wyk is found north and east of Great Wyk and west of Orkmont.[4][5]

Windy hills and black mountains make up much of Old Wyk, and Nagga's hill and the ruins of the Grey King's Hall are located on it near Nagga's Cradle.[6][7] Shatterstone, the seat of the Goodbrothers of Old Wyk, is located by the island's coast.[7]

History

High Kings

Nagga's hill on Old Wyk, by zippo514 ©

Ironborn believe that the Seastone Chair was found on Old Wyk when their First Men ancestors first arrived on the uninhabited isle.[8][2]

The ironborn consider Old Wyk to be the holiest of all the Iron Islands.[1] The Grey King's Hall is said to have been made of the bones of Nagga after the sea dragon was slain by the legendary Grey King. His hall was where kingsmoots to choose the High King of the Iron Islands were held for thousand of years, beginning with the crowning of Urras Greyiron by Galon Whitestaff. Urras Ironfoot's son, Erich I Greyiron, later tried to claim the crown without a kingsmoot, but opposition from Galon led to Erich renouncing his claim and the selection by kingsmoot of Old Wyk's rock king, Regnar Drumm.[9]

Ragged Ralf was a famous reaver from the island.[1] King Harrag Hoare included longships from Old Wyk in his forces when he attacked the north of Theon Stark.[10]

Iron Kings

The selection of high kings through the kingsmoot ended when Urron Greyiron gathered his rivals to Old Wyk and slaughtered them amidst Nagga's ribs. Old Wyk's rock and salt kings were reduced to lords sworn to hereditary dynasties of Kings of the Iron Islands.[11]

When a sept was built on Old Wyk during the reign of King Horgan Hoare, the priests of the Drowned God burned the sept, killed the septon, and drowned its congregation. The king reacted by slaughtering the priests, earning him the sobriquet Horgan Priestkiller.[12]

Iron Throne

After the death of King Harren Hoare during Aegon's Conquest, priests of the Drowned God crowned the priest-king Lodos at Nagga's Hill. During the invasion of the Iron Islands by King Aegon I Targaryen, the new Lord of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, in 2 AC, Lodos called upon krakens to destroy Aegon's ships. When that did not occur, a stone-laden Lodos urged his followers to walk into the Sunset Sea and seek counsel with the Drowned God. Thousands of corpses washed up on the island's shores, although the body of Lodos was never found.[13][14]

When Lodos the Twice-Drowned rose in rebellion, Goren Greyjoy, Lord of the Iron Islands, led a hundred longships to Great Wyk and Old Wyk to defeat the second Lodos on behalf of King Aenys I Targaryen.[15]

After the death of Lord Dalton Greyjoy, there were battles on Old Wyk and Pyke in the resulting struggle for power in the Iron Islands.[16]

Ser Barristan Selmy of the Kingsguard led the attack on Old Wyk on behalf of King Robert I Baratheon during Greyjoy's Rebellion.[17]

Recent Events

A Clash of Kings

Dunstan Drumm, Lord of Old Wyk, by Jeff Lee Johnson © Fantasy Flight Games

Balon Greyjoy, Lord of the Iron Islands, sends Dagmer Cleftjaw to roust the Stonehouses and the Drumms on Old Wyk.[18] Balon declares himself first King of the Iron Islands[19] and then King of the Isles and the North[20] during the War of the Five Kings.

A Feast for Crows

At Pebbleton, Aeron Greyjoy preaches that a kingsmoot should be held on Nagga's hill on Old Wyk to choose the new king after Balon's death.[21]

Longships from throughout the Iron Islands sail to the shore of Old Wyk along Nagga's Cradle, and most of the Iron Fleet returns from the north. The ironborn celebrate in feast tents set up along the holy strand.[7] Dunstan Drumm, Lord of Old Wyk, is a candidate during the kingsmoot on Old Wyk, but Euron Greyjoy is chosen as king by the assembled ironborn.[22] Aeron Greyjoy disappears from Old Wyk after the kingsmoot.[23]

A Dance with Dragons

Following Euron's election as king, Asha Greyjoy flees the small island for Ten Towers and then Deepwood Motte.[24]

Quotes

Ahead loomed the sacred shore of Old Wyk and the grassy hill above it, where the ribs of Nagga rose from the earth like the trunks of great white trees, as wide around as a dromond's mast and twice as tall.[7]

—thoughts of Victarion Greyjoy

Nine wide steps had been hewn from the stony hilltop. Behind rose the howling hills of Old Wyk, with mountains in the distance black and cruel.[22]

—thoughts of Aeron Greyjoy

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 The World of Ice & Fire, The Iron Islands.
  2. 2.0 2.1 A Clash of Kings, Chapter 24, Theon II.
  3. A Feast for Crows, Appendix.
  4. A Feast for Crows, Map of the Iron Islands
  5. The Lands of Ice and Fire, Westeros.
  6. A Clash of Kings, Chapter 19, Arya V.
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 A Feast for Crows, Chapter 18, The Iron Captain.
  8. The World of Ice & Fire, Ancient History: The Dawn Age.
  9. The World of Ice & Fire, The Iron Islands: Driftwood Crowns.
  10. The World of Ice & Fire, The North: The Kings of Winter.
  11. The World of Ice & Fire, The Iron Islands: The Iron Kings.
  12. The World of Ice & Fire, The Iron Islands: The Black Blood.
  13. Fire & Blood, Reign of the Dragon - The Wars of King Aegon I.
  14. The World of Ice & Fire, The Iron Island: The Greyjoys of Pyke.
  15. Fire & Blood, The Sons of the Dragon.
  16. The World of Ice & Fire, The Iron Islands: The Red Kraken.
  17. A Storm of Swords, Chapter 67, Jaime VIII.
  18. A Clash of Kings, Chapter 11, Theon I.
  19. A Clash of Kings, Chapter 46, Bran VI.
  20. A Clash of Kings, Chapter 49, Tyrion XI.
  21. A Feast for Crows, Chapter 1, The Prophet.
  22. 22.0 22.1 A Feast for Crows, Chapter 19, The Drowned Man.
  23. A Feast for Crows, Chapter 29, The Reaver.
  24. A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 26, The Wayward Bride.