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 The Shepherd, as depicted by Douglas Wheatley in Fire & Blood | ||||
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| Culture | Crownlands | |||
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the last day of 130 AC King's Landing | |||
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The Shepherd was a prophet and begging brother who lived in King's Landing during the Dance of the Dragons. He was a follower of the Faith, but his name has been lost to history.[1] His words inspired a mob to rise up against House Targaryen and their dragons.[2]
Appearance and Character
[edit]The Shepherd was an itinerant brother of the Faith of the Seven, one-handed, religious, and insane. The "barefoot scarecrow" wore only a hair shirt and roughspun breeches, and he hung a begging bowl about his neck. He was filthy and unwashed, and smelled like a pigsty. The stump of his right hand was covered in ragged leather. Mushroom states that he resembled a corpse with his paleness and foul smell, calling him "the Dead Shepherd".[1]
The Shepherd was tireless and fearless, and would preach all night and day, his angry voice carrying across the public square.[1]
History
[edit]Origin
[edit]Grand Maester Munkun, in his True Telling, suggests the Shepherd was one of the outlawed Poor Fellows. Archmaester Gyldayn, in his book Fire & Blood, believes the Shepherd lost his right hand for thievery. Otherwise, Gyldayn states that nothing else is known of the Shepherd before his preaching began, not even his name.[1]
Dance of the Dragons
[edit]During the Dance of the Dragons, the night after word arrived in King's Landing of the horrors of the First Battle of Tumbleton, the Shepherd began to preach against Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen in Cobbler's Square. He claimed that dragons were demons, the spawn of godless Valyria, and the doom of men.[1][3] The Shepherd declared Westeros would only avoid being doomed like Valyria if King's Landing were cleansed of dragons and the Targaryens. Crowds gathered to hear his words, and by dawn thousands of people were fighting to enter Cobbler's Square to hear him. Any who tried to argue with the Shepherd were assaulted by the crowd, and even forty gold cloaks were driven off when they tried to clear the square.[1]
Munkun believes that the Shepherd originated the calumnious story that Queen Rhaenyra sent Ser Luthor Largent to murder Queen Helaena Targaryen. However, Mushroom believes the Shepherd only spread the lie that Larys Strong had manufactured. Wherever the story came from, thousands of people heard the Shepherd rail against Helaena's "murder" and against Rhaenyra.[2]
During the riots in King's Landing, the Shepherd declared that just as he had foretold, the day of doom was at hand. During his speech, five hundred men of the City Watch, led by Ser Luthor Largent, arrived to disperse the crowd and arrest the Shepherd. However, the Shepherd's acolytes took him to safety, while his ten thousand followers overwhelmed the gold cloaks, slaughtering them. Luthor was pulled down from his armored warhorse, stabbed in the stomach, and bludgeoned to death. The next night, the Shepherd led a mob in the Storming of the Dragonpit, where two of the blacks' dragons and three of the greens' dragons were killed by the crowd. A tale oft repeated in King's Landing names the Shepherd as the slayer of the dragon Syrax, Rhaenyra's mount. The Shepherd allegedly stood alone against the dragon, calling upon the Seven for succor, until the Warrior manifested and beheaded Syrax.[2]
Moon of the Three Kings
[edit]After the Storming of the Dragonpit and Rhaenyra's flight from King's Landing, the Shepherd and his mob ruled much of the city from the ruins of the Dragonpit. This period was dubbed the Moon of the Three Kings by maesters even though the Shepherd never claimed kingship, styling himself a simple son of the Seven. He preached every night among the heads of the five slain dragons, set up on posts by his followers.[2]
The Shepherd preached against lords, knights, and rich men, commanding his followers to cast off fine attire and walk barefoot with roughspun robes. Although thousands obeyed, his crowds grew smaller with each passing night. Other factions of rioters seized control of other parts of the city, particularly Trystane Truefyre at the Red Keep on Aegon's Hill and Gaemon Palehair on Visenya's Hill.[2]
Arrest and Death
[edit]
When Lord Borros Baratheon's army neared King's Landing, the Shepherd ordered his flock to keep him from crossing the Blackwater Rush, but few obeyed from his dwindling mob. Forewarned by the fate of Gaemon Palehair, the Shepherd called upon his "barefoot army" to assemble around the Dragonpit to defend the Hill of Rhaenys. Less than three hundred answered his call, however, and they were easily defeated by Borros and Ser Perkin the Flea. Cursing Borros, the captured Shepherd was carried to the Red Keep in chains and put in a dungeon alongside the other two false kings to await the return of King Aegon II Targaryen and his judgment.[4]
The Shepherd refused to repent when brought before Aegon, cursing the crippled king instead. Aegon ordered the Shepherd's tongue torn out with hot pincers and condemned him and his followers to death by fire. On the last day of 130 AC, two hundred forty-one of the Shepherd's most dedicated followers were covered with pitch and chained to poles on both sides of Hill Street, which ran from Cobbler's Square to the Dragonpit. As septs rang bells in celebration, Aegon's knights set each captive ablaze as the king traveled to the Dragonpit. With two Kingsguard helping him stand, Aegon set aflame the Shepherd, who was chained amongst the heads of the five slain dragons.[4]
Legacy
[edit]Following the burning of the Shepherd and his followers, Hill Street became known as Shepherd's Way.[4] Lord Borros Baratheon was killed in the Battle of the Kingsroad, and King Aegon II Targaryen was murdered by poison.[4]
During the Hour of the Wolf, a two-handed man claiming to be the Shepherd reborn rose and called for the death of the northmen in Lord Cregan Stark's army, as they believed in the old gods instead of the Seven. Hundreds flocked to hear him,[5] but gold cloaks arrested him and removed his tongue.[6] Another false Shepherd, claiming to be the "Shepherd Reborn", was executed by Ser Victor Risley by order of Lord Unwin Peake in 133 AC.[7]
Quotes
[edit]
—The Shepherd, to his followers
The false king and the whore queen shall be cast down with all their works, and their demon beasts shall perish from the earth.[1]
—The Shepherd, to his followers
[I call down the wroth of the gods upon] this unnatural queen who sits bleeding on the Iron Throne, her whore's lips glistening and red with the blood of her sweet sister.[2]
—The Shepherd, to his followers
The Shepherd: Only the Mother's mercy can save you, but you drove your Mother from this city with your pride and lust and avarice. Now it is the Stranger who comes. On a dark horse with burning eyes he comes, a scourge of fire in his hand to cleanse this pit of sin of demons and all who bow before them. Listen! Can you hear the sound of burning hooves? He comes! He comes!!
Crowd: He comes! He comes!![2]—The Shepherd and his followers
When the dragons come, your flesh will burn and blister and turn to ash. Your wives will dance in gowns of fire, shrieking as they burn, lewd and naked underneath the flames. And you shall see your little children weeping, weeping till their eyes do melt and slide like jelly down their faces, till their pink flesh falls black and crackling from their bones. The Stranger comes, he comes, he comes, to scourge us for our sins. Prayers cannot stay his wroth, no more than tears can quench the flame of dragons. Only blood can do that. Your blood, my blood, their blood.[2]
—The Shepherd, to his followers
The Shepherd: There the demons dwell, up there. Fire and blood, blood and fire. This is their city. If you would make it yours, first must you destroy them. If you would cleanse yourself of sin, first must you bathe in dragon's blood. For only blood can quench the fires of hell.
Crowd: Kill them! Kill them![2]—The Shepherd and his followers
—The Shepherd, to Borros Baratheon and Aegon II Targaryen
References
[edit]- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 Fire & Blood, The Dying of the Dragons - Rhaenyra Triumphant.
- ↑ 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 - Rhaenyra Overthrown.
- ↑ The World of Ice & Fire, The Targaryen Kings: Aegon II.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Fire & Blood, The Dying of the Dragons - The Short, Sad Reign of Aegon II.
- ↑ Fire & Blood, Aftermath - The Hour of the Wolf.
- ↑ Fire & Blood, Under the Regents - The Hooded Hand.
- ↑ Fire & Blood, Under the Regents - War and Peace and Cattle Shows.