Harrying of the Stony Shore

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Note: The title of this article is pure conjecture and may be subject to change.
Harrying of the Stony Shore
Conflict War of the Five Kings
Date 299 AC
Place Stony Shore, the north
Result Greyjoy victory
Combatants
House Stark.svg Kingdom of the North and the Trident/ House Stark:

The North

House Greyjoy.svg Kingdom of the Isles and the North/ House Greyjoy:

The Iron Islands

Commanders
House Tallhart.svg Benfred Tallhart House Greyjoy.svg Theon Greyjoy
House Greyjoy.svg Aeron Greyjoy
Dagmer Cleftjaw
Strength
Stony Shore villagers
House Tallhart.svg Wild Hares
8 longships[3] ~200-250 ironmen[4]
Casualties
Various Stony Shore male villagers
All Wild Hares
Light
Todric

The harrying of the Stony Shore begins the Iron Islands' campaign against the north during the War of the Five Kings.[3][1]

Prelude

Theon Greyjoy is sent to Pyke as an envoy of Robb Stark, King in the North, offering his father Balon Greyjoy, Lord of the Iron Islands, an alliance and a strike against the Lannisters. Balon rejects the offer, however, and instead plans to strike at the vulnerable north.[5] As part of the plan, Theon, accompanied by Aeron Greyjoy and Dagmer Cleftjaw, is to take eight longships and harry the Stony Shore, sinking any ship chance met.[3]

Theon and his party attack a fishing village in the dark of the early morning, slaying most of the men and taking the women for salt wives or thralls. A few men are allowed to escape and inform Torrhen's Square.[1]

Wild Hares

When news of ironborn raiding reaches Torrhen's Square, Leobald Tallhart sends Benfred Tallhart and his Wild Hares to investigate.[6] Expecting no trouble from the ironmen, Benfred and his party approach the Stony Shore without scouts, singing and talking loudly. In a crook of a road, the ironborn fall on the party, first loosing a flight of arrows from concealed positions. Theon leads the men-at-arms into hand-to-hand combat and massacres the northerners.[1]

The captured Benfred refuses to answer questions and insults the Drowned God within Aeron Greyjoy's hearing. He is put to death on Theon's command, being drowned by Aeron and his followers.[1] Theon mortally wounds one of his raiders, Todric, after the drunken man squabbles over loot, so he orders Maron Botley and his sons to silence Todric.[1]

Aftermath

After defeating the Wild Hares, Theon gives six of his eight longships to Aeron so he can continue harrying the coast, while the crew of Theon's Sea Bitch and Dagmer's Foamdrinker advance inland.[1][7]

By killing Benfred's party, the true size of the assault by the ironmen is kept secret a little longer, which allows the taking of Deepwood Motte and an attack on Torrhen's Square.

Quotes

Robb will gut you, Greyjoy. He'll feed your turncloak's heart to his wolf, you piece of sheep dung.[1]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 A Clash of Kings, Chapter 37, Theon III.
  2. A Clash of Kings, Chapter 66, Theon VI.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 A Clash of Kings, Chapter 24, Theon II.
  4. Dagmer tells Theon that Asha has four or five times as many men in A Clash of Kings-Chapter 37. Theon tells Asha she needed a thousand men to take Deepwood Motte in A Clash of Kings-Chapter 56.
  5. A Clash of Kings, Chapter 11, Theon I.
  6. A Clash of Kings, Chapter 35, Bran V.
  7. A Clash of Kings, Chapter 46, Bran VI.