Biter

Biter
Biographical information
Died	301 AC Near the Mountains of the Moon
Political information
Affiliation(s)	Night's Watch (recruit) House Lannister
World of Westeros
Series	Game of Thrones
Season(s)	1 · 2 · 4
Appeared in	5 episodes (see below)
First seen in	"Fire and Blood"
Last seen in	"Mockingbird"
Died in	"Mockingbird"
Portrayed by	Gerard Jordan (Seasons 2-4)

Arya: "They don't scare me."

Gendry: "Well, then you're stupid: They scare me."

— Arya and Gendry discussing Rorge, Biter, and Jaqen

Biter was a menacing criminal forcibly recruited into the Night's Watch.

Biography

Background

Biter is a mute criminal from King's Landing with filed teeth. Along with Rorge and Jaqen H'ghar, he was fished out of the dungeons by Yoren and forcibly recruited into the Night's Watch. He was accompanying the rest of Yoren's new recruits northwards to the Wall before taken prisoner and inducted into the Lannister army.

Game of Thrones: Season 1

When looking for fresh recruits for the Night's Watch, Yoren is given permission by Eddard Stark to go through the dungeons and take any criminals who would swear to take the black. He chooses murderer Biter as a potential candidate, as well as two other criminals (Jaqen H'ghar and Rorge) from the black cells, where the worst criminals are kept.

Biter is in the party led by Yoren that leaves King's Landing for the Wall, along with Hot Pie, Lommy Greenhands, Gendry, and Arya. Because Yoren is traveling so far with so few men, the worst three criminals are kept in a locked barred cell on the back of a wagon.

Game of Thrones: Season 2

Biter, alongside Rorge and Jaqen H'ghar, are kept inside a cage for their trip to the Wall. When Jaqen asks "Arry" for water, Rorge demands beer and insults Arya, who says that he should have asked nicely and hits Rorge's hand with a stick. He recoils and then tries to grab Arya through the cage. Biter moves up behind Rorge and hisses as Rorge threatens Arya again.

The group is resting in a barn, when they are roused to arms by Yoren and told they are being attacked. As they rush outside, one man trips and drops his torch, setting a fire near the prisoner wagon. They are encountered by a Lannister force led by Ser Amory Lorch. Lorch points out the Gold Cloaks with him and says that they have come for Gendry, and orders Yoren and the recruits to drop their weapons. Yoren remains defiant and Lorch orders him shot.

Seeing their leader killed, Gendry and many of the other recruits join the fight. Arya is distracted by Jaqen calling for help as the flames lick the bars of the cage. She hands him an axe before rushing to join the fray. They use it to escape the wagon. Gendry is overwhelmed and knocked down. As Arya runs round a corner she is knocked over and taken prisoner along with the other survivors.

Biter and Rorge intimidate Arya.

Rorge, Biter and Jaqen are inducted into the Lannister army. They serve at Harrenhal, where their former fellow recruits are also taken as captives. Arya approaches Rorge and Biter looking for Jaqen. Rorge repeats his earlier threats and shows no acknowledgement of her saving his life.

Game of Thrones: Season 4

Biter attacks Sandor, seconds before he kills him.

Arya and the Hound come across a homestead recently burned and pillaged by Rorge and Biter. After granting a mortally wounded peasant a merciful death, the Hound is suddenly ambushed from behind by Biter who sinks his teeth into the flesh of his neck. The Hound quickly overpowers Biter and snaps his neck, killing him. Rorge then attempts to accost them before being recognized and slain by Arya.

Later, the bite wound inflicted by Biter begins to fester, due to the Hound's fear of cauterizing it with fire.

Behind the scenes

The character speculated to be Biter in "Fire and Blood", next to the alleged Rorge

Fans have speculated that the three prisoners in Yoren's wagon in the final episode of the first season of the series were meant to be Rorge, Biter and (in a cloak with his face hidden) Jaqen H'ghar. However, these three roles were played by extras, with full-time actors for the roles not hired until filming of Season 2 was underway.

In the books

Biter by Roman "Amok" Papsuev.©

In the A Song of Ice and Fire novels, Biter is a mindless, mute thug from King's Landing, an associate of Rorge. According to semi-canon source, Rorge ran several fighting pits where dogs and bears would fight one another and also people. Biter fought in these pits and developed a reputation for savage cruelty. He has no tongue and only speaks through hisses. His teeth have been filed to points.

Rorge and Biter helped Arya and Jaqen H'ghar to free the Northern prisoners at Harrenhal. Afterwards they join the Brave Companions, the notorious sellsword company led by Vargo Hoat.

Biter is known for his bestial savagery. He tears flesh out of his victims' bodies with his sharpened teeth. According to Rorge, Biter once chewed the breasts of a septa sometime during their pillaging.

While Vargo Hoat becomes delirious due to his festering head injury, many of the Brave Companions leave Harrenhal, among them Rorge and Biter. They and five more form a gang that sacks Saltpans. They never encounter Arya and the Hound.

Rorge and Biter have nothing to do with the dying man that Arya and the Hound find. He was injured by a Bolton soldier.

Rorge's gang encounters Brienne near the Inn at the Crossroads. Brienne fights Rorge and kills him, but Biter tackles her down, overcomes her and savagely chews her face. Eventually Gendry intervenes and kills Biter by driving a spear through the back of his neck (similarly to Karl Tanner's death in the TV series), but not before Brienne's face is horribly disfigured.

Appearances

• – "Fire and Blood"
• – "The Night Lands"
• – "What Is Dead May Never Die"
• – "The Prince of Winterfell"
• – "Mockingbird"

External links

• Biter on A Wiki of Ice and Fire