- "I was merely expressing how proud I am of my family, mother. Mm, though it seems my nephews aren't quite as proud of theirs."
- ―Aemond Targaryen
House Strong[3] of Harrenhal is a noble house from the Riverlands and a vassal of House Tully. Their sigil is three rivers (blue, red, and green) on white, flowing from a black escutcheon displaying a white hand.[1]
Members[]
- Lord {Lyonel Strong}, the late head of the family. Lord of Harrenhal, former[5] Master of Laws,[2] and Hand of the King[6] to Viserys I Targaryen. Killed in a fire at Harrenhal orchestrated by Larys.[3]
- Ser {Harwin Strong}, his eldest son and heir.[3] Also known as "Breakbones."[7] Former commander of the City Watch of King's Landing. Biological father of Prince Jacaerys Velaryon, Prince Lucerys Velaryon, and Prince Joffrey Velaryon. Killed in a fire at Harrenhal alongside his father.[3]
- Lord Larys Strong, his youngest son. Also known as "the Clubfoot."[8] Lord Confessor in the court of Viserys I Targaryen and Aegon II Targaryen.[9] The current head of the family and Lord of Harrenhal.[4]
- Ser Simon Strong, Lyonel's uncle, the castellan of Harrenhal.[10]
- Paxter Strong, with unspecified relation to the main branch.
Family tree[]
 Strong Deceased | Strong | Strong | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Strong Deceased | | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Strong Deceased |  Targaryen  |  Strong | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Velaryon  |  Velaryon Deceased |  Velaryon | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In the books[]
The Strong coat of arms in the A Song of Ice and Fire novels: a tripartite pale (blue, red, and green) on a white field.
In the A Song of Ice and Fire novels, some alleged descendants of House Strong live in exile in the Free Cities.[11]
Ser Osmund Strong was the fourth Hand of the King, being named to the position by Aegon the Conqueror in 17 AC after the death of Alton Celtigar.[12] He died in 34 AC and was succeeded by Alyn Stokeworth.[13]
Ser Lucamore Strong, known as "Lucamore the Lusty," was a knight of the Kingsguard during the reign of Jaehaerys I who broke the Kingsguard vows of chastity by secretly marrying three women and fathering sixteen children. His sworn brothers discovered this and informed the king, who then had the Kingsguard geld Lucamore and sent him to the Wall to join the Night's Watch. All of his children were deemed bastards, and were ordered to bear the surnames Rivers, Waters, and Storm before being relocated to Harrenhal, Driftmark, and Storm's End.[14][15]
Ser Bywin Strong was named Lord of Harrenhal in 73 AC by King Jaehaerys following the death of the dowager queen Rhaena, who had taken up residence there and unofficially ruled as Lady of Harrenhal.[14] By 105 AC Lyonel Strong was the Lord of Harrenhal, but his exact relation to Bywin is unknown.[16]
Lyonel served as master of laws, and later Hand of the King following the dismissal of Otto Hightower. He and his firstborn son Harwin Breakbones died in a mysterious fire at Harrenhal after Harwin had been sent away from King's Landing due to the growing rumor that he had fathered three bastards on Princess Rhaenyra, passed off as the trueborn sons of Laenor Velaryon. Three main culprits were suspected of having caused the fire: Daemon Targaryen, to eliminate a rival for Rhaenyra's affections; Corlys Velaryon, as revenge for his son being cuckolded; or Harwin's own younger brother Larys, to claim the lordship of Harrenhal. Others simply blamed the event on the legendary curse of Harrenhal.[16]
House Strong had grown wealthy by the time of the Dance of the Dragons, and Larys Strong was a leading figure of the greens, serving on the green council as master of whisperers and Lord Confessor. His great-uncle Simon Strong held Harrenhal as castellan in his stead during this time.[17]
Although House Strong is considered extinct,[18] during the time span of the events described in A Song of Ice and Fire novels there are three known characters whose surname is Strong:
- Duncan Strong, an exile serving with the Golden Company.[11]
- Denys Strong, an exile serving with the Golden Company.[11]
- Ser Robert Strong, a knight of the Kingsguard under Tommen I Baratheon. Presumed to be Gregor Clegane, reanimated by the disgraced maester Qyburn.[19]
It is uncertain whether the aforementioned Duncan and Denys actually belong to House Strong, because in the free companies a man can call himself whatever he chooses;[11] in the case of Robert Strong, it is undoubtedly an assumed name.
In Fire & Blood, it is revealed that the Strongs boast descent from the First Men.[20] Their name is a typical example of First Men naming conventions, in which surnames are usually single words that may describe the house founder's appearance, personality, or occupation.
Gallery[]
.jpeg "Strong men (The Princess and the Queen).jpeg (71 KB)")
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 House of the Dragon: Season 1, Episode 1: "The Heirs of the Dragon" (2022).
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Lyonel Strong. HBO. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 House of the Dragon: Season 1, Episode 6: "The Princess and the Queen" (2022).
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 House of the Dragon: Season 1, Episode 7: "Driftmark" (2022).
- ↑ Jasper Wylde. HBO. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
- ↑ House of the Dragon: Season 1, Episode 5: "We Light the Way" (2022).
- ↑ House of the Dragon: Season 1, Episode 3: "Second of His Name" (2022).
- ↑ Larys Strong. HBO. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
- ↑ House of the Dragon: Season 1, Episode 9: "The Green Council" (2022).
- ↑ 'House of the Dragon' Season 2 Casts Alys Rivers and Three More Characters | Variety
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 24, The Lost Lord (2011).
- ↑ Fire & Blood, Three Heads Had the Dragon — Governance Under King Aegon I (2018).
- ↑ Fire & Blood, The Sons of the Dragon (2018).
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Fire & Blood, Jaehaerys and Alysanne — Their Triumphs and Tragedies (2018).
- ↑ Fire & Blood, The Long Reign — Jaehaerys and Alysanne: Policy, Progeny, and Pain (2018).
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Fire & Blood, Heirs of the Dragon — A Question of Succession (2018).
- ↑ Fire & Blood, The Dying of the Dragons — The Blacks and the Greens (2018).
- ↑ A Feast for Crows, Chapter 22, Arya II (2005).
- ↑ A Dance with Dragons, Epilogue (2011).
- ↑ Fire & Blood, The Dying of the Dragons — Rhaenyra Triumphant (2018).
External links[]
House Strong on A Wiki of Ice and Fire (potential spoilers for House of the Dragon)
House Strong
| |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Head
|
Larys Strong | Heir
|
Unknown |  | |
Seat
|
Harrenhal | Region
|
Riverlands | ||
Titles |
Lord of Harrenhal | ||||
Members |
Simon Strong · Paxter Strong | ||||
Deceased |
Lyonel Strong · Harwin Strong | ||||
Overlords |
House Tully | ||||
Houses from the Riverlands | |
|---|---|
| Great House | |
| Noble houses |
|
| Landed knights | |
| Extinct houses | |
