This is a listing of the members of House Harlaw who appear in the Fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire. Visit here for the main character index.
For the main Iron Islands entry, see here.
House Harlaw of Harlaw
House Harlaw of Harlaw is one of the most powerful houses from the Iron Islands, ruling over the entire island of Harlaw from the castle of Ten Towers. Their blazon is a silver scythe on black. Their motto has not appeared in the books.
All the other houses of Harlaw pledge fealty to them, including Houses Volmark, Stonetree, Myre and Kenning.
Tropes related to House Harlaw:
- Big Fancy Castle: Ten Towers, the largest and newest castle in the Iron Islands, resembling ten castles smashed together to form one giant one. It was built by Lord Theomore Harlaw after three of his sons died in Harlaw Hall due to the damp conditions and frequent flooding.
- Bit Character: Eerl and Gevin Harlaw, two members of the House who participate in the raids on the North.
- Character Death: Dykk Harlaw, a raider under Theon's command who gets killed when the Ironborn who took Winterfell are slaughtered.
- The Clan: Has branches in Grey Garden, Harridan Hill, Harlaw Hall and The Tower of Glimmering.
- Creepy Housekeeper: Three-Tooth, the elderly steward of the Ten Towers, who at present is down to one tooth and whom Lord Rodrik says he is afraid of.
- Famous Ancestor:
- King Erich V Harlaw, who retook the island of Fair Isle from the Westerlands in his youth, only to lose it again as an old man.
- King Erich V's son Harron slew Gareth the Grim of Highgarden in a battle beneath the walls of Oldtown.
- Feuding Families: Houses Kenning and Myre were once a rivals to House Harlaw, but were defeated and forced into vassal positions.
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Lord Rodrik Harlaw
Lord Rodrik Harlaw
The Reader
- "I prefer my history dead. Dead history is writ in ink, the living sort in blood."
Head of House Harlaw, Lord of Harlaw, Lord of Ten Towers, and Harlaw of Harlaw. Uncle of Theon and Asha Greyjoy. He is known throughout the Iron Islands for his love of reading and extensive book collection.
- Armor-Piercing Question: After Euron claims his plans will work by once again boasting of having sailed through Valyria, Rodrik responds with a simple "Have you?" It practically drives Euron from the room and he changes up his plans within a few hours.
- Bookworm: Has an entire tower of his castle serving as a library, but his collection still spills over into other parts of the Ten Towers.
- Brainy Brunette: He is probably the smartest and most knowledgeable person in the Iron Islands.
- The Captain: Of the Sea Song.
- Cool Old Guy: Aside from having an awesome book collection, Rodrik is one of the few people in the series who points out the stupidity of all the conflicts going on and the damage it has done to the realm.Rodrik: Crows will fight over a dead man's flesh and kill each other for his eyes. We had one king, then five. Now all I see are crows, squabbling over the corpse of Westeros.
- Cool Uncle: To Asha, who considers him her favorite uncle. Considering who the rest of her uncles are, this isn't much of a surprise.
- Everyone Has Standards: He is disgusted by what the wars have done to Westeros, and objects to Euron Greyjoy taking captives to sell as slaves.
- In-Series Nickname: Called "The Reader" due to his obsession with books and history.
- Klingon Scientists Get No Respect: Most of the other Ironborn look down on him for his love of reading and history, but a few like Asha and Baelor Blacktyde respect his knowledge and advice.
- Lord Country: Has this a bit worse than even some of the other lords who share their house name with their seat, since one of his titles is actually Harlaw of Harlaw.
- Mr. Exposition: Due to his Bookworm status, he can fill in Asha and the readers in on the history of the Kingsmoot and several other cultural aspects of the Iron Islands.
- My Species Doth Protest Too Much: A wealthy, bookish well-read scholar is a vanishingly rare thing amongst Ironborn lords. Although he's a badass nonetheless, not least for his willingness to stand up to Euron Greyjoy.
- The Nondescript: Described as being of average height, looks, and weight with few distinguishing features.
- Only Sane Man: One of the few Ironborn lords who opposed Lord Balon's plan of independence, believing that they should have instead allied with another side in the War of the Five Kings and demanded land as a reward.
- Outliving One's Offspring: He lost his two sons during Balon Greyjoy's first rebellion, which contributes to his opposition to the new one that Balon begins during the War of the Five Kings.
- The Patriarch: Of House Harlaw, which consists of him and numerous cousins who are competing to be his heir.
- The So-Called Coward: He is dismissed by many Ironborn as a coward due to his opposition to the war, but he is one of the few lords who dares to speak out against Euron Greyjoy after he becomes king despite the fact that Euron had already killed two other powerful lords who had done so.
- Sour Supporter: He supports Asha's claim to the Seastone Chair, but tries to convince her to support someone else because he feels that the Ironborn would never accept a female ruler and that Euron would try to kill her if she went to the Kingsmoot. She doesn't listen to him, and while she does better than he expected at the Kingsmoot, Euron still wins and Asha flees the Iron Islands at Rodrik's urging.
Gwynesse Harlaw
Gwynesse Harlaw
- "I am seven years his elder. Ten Towers should be mine."
Rodrik's older sister who has lived in Widow's Tower since her husbands death in the Greyjoy Rebellion.
- Madness Mantra: Pretty much the only thing she says anymore is that the Ten Towers should be hers due to being Rodrik's elder by seven years.
- The Mourning After: Going on eleven years since her husbands death and she has yet to cease mourning him, although she cannot always remember his name anymore.
- The Resenter: Claims she should be the head of House Harlaw since she is seven years older than Rodrik, despite the Ironborn favoring the firstborn male heir over older female siblings.
- Sanity Slippage: Has spent the past eleven years living in a tower doing nothing but mourning her husband and resenting her brother. She remembers little now except that resentment.
- Scatter Brained Senior: Spending the last eleven years bitterly brooding on her rights and mourning has not been really conductive for her memory, as she knows of little else now.
Alannys Harlaw
Alannys Greyjoy (née Harlaw)
- See the House Greyjoy character page.
Sigfryd Harlaw
Sigfryd Harlaw
Sigfryd Silverhair
Great Uncle of Rodrik Harlaw and Master of Harlaw Hall, the original seat of House Harlaw. His personal sigil is two scythes countercharged on black and silver.
- The Ghost: He has only been mentioned so far.
- In-Series Nickname: Sigfryd Silverhair, due to his great age.
- Long-Lived: Something which annoys his heirs, who want their inheritance.
Ser Harras Harlaw
Ser Harras Harlaw
The Knight of Grey Garden
Cousin of Rodrik Harlaw and his designated heir. He is the Knight of Grey Garden and was named Lord of Greyshield by Euron Greyjoy after Harras captured the island. His personal sigil is the Harlaw scythe quartered with the peacock of his mother's House Serrett.
- Alliterative Name: Harras Harlaw.
- Black Swords Are Better: His sword, Nightfall.
- Childhood Friend: Of Rodrik Greyjoy, the eldest son of Balon Greyjoy.
- Cool Sword: Wields a Valyrian steel sword named Nightfall.
- In-Series Nickname: The Knight of Grey Garden.
- Names to Run Away from Really Fast: Harras Harlaw?
- Pet the Dog: Rodrik the Reader claims that he will protect Asha if she pleads him fealty. He also takes Greysheild with zero civlians casualties, taking it in such a way that ensured the only people at risk was himself and his seven opponents. While the other lords of the Sheild Islands are either murdered or forced to flee, Harras takes Lord Grimm prisoner instead.
- Unwitting Pawn: His appointment as Lord of Greyshield by Euron is intended to get him and the other newly appointed lords out of Euron's way, as they are potential rivals or key supporters of potential rivals. The appointment makes Harras indebted to Euron, making him unlikely to plot against him, while Euron expects that he and the other lords will soon be overthrown by forces from the Reach, with all the blame falling on the lords for failing to defend their charges instead of Euron.
Hotho Harlaw
Hotho Harlaw
Hotho Humpback
Another cousin of Rodrik Harlaw. He becomes Rodrik's new heir after Ser Harras Harlaw becomes Lord of Greyshield. His personal sigil is the Harlaw scythe girdled within an embattled border.
- Alliterative Name: Hotho Harlaw.
- Arranged Marriage: It's unknown if he is in one himself, but he is constantly trying to marry off his daughter in exchange for his support, offering her to at least Victorian Greyjoy and Rodrik.
- In-Series Nickname: Hotho Humpback, due to his humpback.
- Turncoat: He initially offered Victorian his support at the Kingsmoost before switching his vote to Euron. This was after he had already broken with the rest of his house by not supporting Asha.
