Balerion (cat)
Balerion is a black cat with a torn ear. As a kitten, he was owned by Rhaenys Targaryen, who liked to pretend he was the dragon Balerion. After her death, the whereabouts of the cat are unknown,[1] though many readers believe he is the vicious one-eared black tom Arya Stark chases in A Game of Thrones, who pesters Tommen Baratheon and his kittens in A Dance with Dragons, and who has been known to attack ravens in the rookery of the Red Keep.[2]
Quotes
That's the real king of this castle right there … Older than sin and twice as mean. One time, the king was feasting the queen's father, and that black bastard hopped up on the table and snatched a roast quail right out of Lord Tywin's fingers. Robert laughed so hard he like to burst. You stay away from that one, child.
- a gold cloak to Arya Stark
Could be. [3]
- George R. R. Martin's reply when asked if the black tomcat caught by Arya was Rhaenys' kitten Balerion.
References and Notes
- ↑ A Game of Thrones, Chapter 32, Arya III.
- ↑ A Dance with Dragons, Epilogue.
- ↑ Jeyne Poole and the Black Cat, November 14, 1999 So Spake Martin