Shiera Seastar

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Shiera Seastar
Image of Shiera Seastar
Shiera Seastar by Amok©.
Alias Star of the Sea[1]
Title Lady[2]
Allegiance House Targaryen
Culture Crownlands
Born 178–184 AC[3]
King's Landing[4]
Died In or after 211 AC[3]
Father King Aegon IV Targaryen
Mother Lady Serenei of Lys
Lover Ser Brynden Rivers (paramour)
Books

Shiera Seastar was the last of the Great Bastards of King Aegon IV Targaryen, born to his last mistress, Serenei of Lys. The known lover of Brynden Rivers, she is said to have been the most beautiful woman of the Seven Kingdoms.[5]

Appearance and Character

See also: Images of Shiera Seastar

Shiera was renowned as a beauty and seductress. She had a heart-shaped face, and thick and curly Targaryen silver-gold hair that she wore very long, at some points in life well below the waist and near to her knees. Shiera was elegant and slender, with a slim waist and full breasts. Although she had two mismatched eyes — one dark blue, the other bright green — it was said that the "defect" only enhanced her beauty. Her eyes were strangly large and fully of mischief, and her rivals claimed she used them to melt men's hearts.[1]

In clothing, Shiera was fond of ivory and lace and cloth-of-silver, but not cloth-of-gold, which she considered too vulgar.[1]

Shiera was a great reader, even at an early age, spoke a dozen languages, and surrounded herself with ancient scrolls. She also was reputed to share her mother Serenei's skill in the dark arts. Shiera was known to possess a heavy silver necklace, with alternating star sapphires and emeralds to complement her unusual eyes, which was her favorite piece of jewelry.[1]

History

King Aegon IV Targaryen sired Shiera upon the ninth and last of his mistresses, Lady Serenei of Lys. Serenei died giving birth to the last of the king's bastard children, naming her child Shiera,[5] Star of the Sea.[1]

Shiera never married, but took several lovers, and numerous duels were fought for her favor. Some men even killed themselves after falling from her favor, and poets competed in writing songs about her beauty. Her half-brother Brynden Rivers, known as Bloodraven, was her most ardent suitor, and repeatedly proposed marriage to her. Although she refused to marry him, Shiera did share her bed with him and was amused by his jealousy.[1] Her other half-brother Aegor Rivers, known as Bittersteel, also desired her, which only served to increase the hatred between Bloodraven and Bittersteel.[5]

There were rumors that Shiera used sorcery to aid Bloodraven when he served as Hand of the King and master of whisperers to King Aerys I Targaryen,[6] and that she bathed in blood to retain her beauty.[2]

Recent Events

Shiera Seastar by Bella Bergolts ©.

A Dance with Dragons

Bran Stark trains beyond the Wall with the ancient three-eyed crow, who calls himself Lord Brynden. After Bran sees his father through the weirwood, and hopes he's not dead, the last greenseer explains that he too has his own "ghosts" that he's seen but cannot reach with words through the trees. One of these is a woman he once desired.[7] Her name is not mentioned, but Brynden was once an ardent admirer of Shiera,[1] his paramour.[2]

While worrying about the potential danger of Daenerys Targaryen's love for Daario Naharis, Barristan Selmy recalls how love of Targaryens past caused several wars in Westeros, including the rivalry of Bloodraven and Bittersteel for Shiera.[8]

Quotes

Duncan: You've known queens and princesses. Did they dance with demons and practice the black arts?
Aegon: Lady Shiera does. Lord Bloodraven's paramour. She bathes in blood to keep her beauty.[2]

—Duncan the Tall and Aegon Targaryen

I have my own ghosts, Bran. A brother that I loved, a brother that I hated, a woman I desired.[7]

—Brynden Rivers to Bran Stark

Bittersteel and Bloodraven both loved Shiera Seastar, and the Seven Kingdoms bled.[8]

—Barristan Selmy's thoughts

Though she never wed, she had many offers, and several lovers through the years. Duels were fought over the right to sit beside her, men killed themselves after falling from her favor, poets outdid each other writing songs about her beauty. Her most ardent admirer was her half-brother, Bloodraven, who proposed marriage to her half a hundred times. Shiera gave him her bed, but never her hand. It amused her more to make him jealous.[1]

—George R. R. Martin

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 So Spake Martin: Shiera Seastar (March 7, 2006).
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 The Sworn Sword.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 See the Shiera Seastar calculation.
  4. ↑ George R. R. Martin's A World of Ice and Fire, Shiera.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 The World of Ice & Fire, The Targaryen Kings: Aegon IV.
  6. ↑ The World of Ice & Fire, The Targaryen Kings: Aerys I.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 34, Bran III.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 67, The Kingbreaker.
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