Ramsay Bolton

File:House-Bolton-sigil.jpg Ramsay Snow File:House-Bolton-sigil.jpg
World of Westeros
Season(s)	3, 4
Appeared in	6 episodes (see below)
First seen in	"Dark Wings, Dark Words"
Last seen in	"Mhysa"
Portrayed by	Iwan Rheon

"If you think this has a happy ending you haven't been paying attention."

―Ramsay Snow to Theon Greyjoy

Ramsay Snow is a recurring character in the third season. He is portrayed by Iwan Rheon, and debuts in "Dark Wings, Dark Words".

Biography

Background

Ramsay Snow, better known as "The Bastard of Bolton", is Lord Roose Bolton's bastard son and only living child. He stayed behind at the Dreadfort when his father left for the south to fight in the War of the Five Kings.

Season 2

Ramsay besieges Winterfell in the name of King Robb Stark as ordered. He infuriates Theon Greyjoy - who currently held the castle in the name of the Iron Islands and his father - by having a soldier blow a horn all through the night. In the morning of the next day, when Theon rallies his men to defend the castle, he is betrayed and knocked out cold by his men, who take Robb Stark's offer of mercy for any ironborn in the castle except Theon, as expected. However, the castle is sacked by Ramsay afterwards and instead of letting the ironborn walk free he flays them alive.

Season 3

Ramsay watches Theon being tortured

Following the Sack of Winterfell Ramsay commands a group of men who successfully capture Theon Greyjoy, and transport him to an undisclosed fortress, where he is relentlessly subjected to extreme torture. Embarking on a twisted campaign of psychological manipulation, Ramsay poses as an ironborn emissary of Theon's sister, Yara, and falsely claims to have been sent by her to liberate him.

Ramsay Snow sends a false report to Harrenhal, where the main force of the Northern army has established, of the sacking of Winterfell by the ironborn, of the disappearance of Bran and Rickon Stark, and the unknown whereabouts of Theon Greyjoy

Later that evening Ramsay returns, and releases Theon, provides him with a horse and tells him to ride east to Deepwood Motte, where his sister is waiting for him. Theon's captors, however, track him down and capture him again. As punishment, their leader attempts to rape Theon. Ramsay appears and swiftly dispatches the kidnappers with bow and arrow, deepening the bond of trust between them.

Ramsay reveals his true colors.

Afterward Ramsay promises Theon to take him to Deepwood Motte. Some time later the men reach a holdfast, Theon questions them having to sneak inside since Yara's men are loyal to her. Ramsay warns Theon that some of the men belong to his father Balon. As the mysterious boy struggles to open a locked gate Theon confesses his jealousy of Robb's status, the murder of the two boys he passed as Bran and Rickon and acknowledges that Eddard Stark was his true father. After opening the gate Theon and Ramsay enter a darkened room. The young man lights a torch and Theon, much to his horror, notices he's back in the torture chamber. Armed men enter and Ramsay claims that Theon killed their comrades and escaped but he has brought their captive back. Kicking and screaming, Theon is refastened to the rack, as Ramsay drops his facade, grins sadistically and tells the men to put Theon "back where he belongs".

File:BoyflayingTheon-3x06.png

Ramsay torments Theon in "The Climb".

Ramsay awakens Theon with a horn to continue torturing him. He threatens to remove Theon's pinky finger if he cannot guess Ramsay's true identity and their current location. After several guesses, Ramsay tells Theon he is correct in guessing that Ramsay is the brother of Torrhen Karstark, and that they are in Karhold. However he then points out that Theon never asked if he was a liar. He admits that he was lying, and begins flaying Theon's finger.

Theon is freed from his constraints by two young women, Myranda and Violet. They give him water and clean his wounds. Theon is apprehensive about their aid, until they disrobe and begin pleasuring him. The three are soon interrupted by Ramsay, who enters the chamber wielding a knife. After taunting Theon about his sexual prowess, he orders his men to restrain Theon as he appears to remove Theon's genitals.

Ramsay admits that the rumors about Theon were true, and that he did have a "good-sized cock", before momentarily tricking Theon into believing that the pork sausage he is eating is his penis. Ramsay talks about amputees having phantom limbs and wonders if Theon will have a phantom penis, feeling an itch whenever he sees naked girls. When Theon begs to be killed, Ramsay states that he is no good to him dead. Ramsay decides to give Theon a new name, and beats him until he starts calling himself "Reek". Ramsay also sends a letter to Balon Greyjoy and a box containing Theon's penis. He threatens to flay every ironborn in the North alive if they have not left by the full moon.

Quotes

"My mother taught me not to throw stones at cripples, but my father taught me aim for their head!"

―Ramsay Snow to Theon Greyjoy

Appearances

Template:Season Three Appearances

Image Gallery

Boy-3x04.jpg

Family tree

Template:House Bolton family tree

Behind the scenes

The character that Iwan Rheon was going to be playing in Season 3 was only credited as "Boy" in order to be kept secret that the character was actually the mentioned character of Ramsay Snow which was not revealed to the audience until " Mhysa."

In the books

In the A Song of Ice and Fire novels, Ramsay Snow is Roose Bolton's bastard son. He is an ugly man. Even splendorous garb cannot disguise this fact. He is big boned and slope shouldered, with a fleshiness to him that suggests that later in life he will turn to fat. Ramsay is a sadist; he is cruel, savage and wild, taking delight in torturing others. He is quite fond of the old Bolton custom of flaying their enemies alive.

Ramsay is introduced in ​A Clash of Kings​, though his to appearance in the TV series was pushed back until the third season. Following the deaths of her husband and son, Ramsay forces Lady Donella Hornwood marry him so that he can inherit her lands. He rapes her and locks her in a tower after eating some of her own fingers. He is supposedly killed by Ser Rodrik Cassel's men and his servant "Reek" is taken prisoner. Rodrik wished to put Reek to death, but needed him alive as he was a witness to many of Ramsay's crimes.

After Theon takes Winterfell, Reek offers to serve him if released from captivity. He becomes one of Theon's supposedly more trustworthy attendants, helping him hunt for Bran and Rickon Stark and killing and flaying the orphan boys to pass off as the Starks. Theon frames Farlen the kennelmaster for the murders and executes him, while Reek murders Gelmarr, Aggar and Gynir for their knowledge of the truth.

After Rodrik defeats Dagmer Cleftjaw at Torrhen's Square, the Northmen march on Winterfell to liberate it. Theon refuses to give up the castle, and his men prepare to make a final stand. Reek offers to help Theon by taking a large sum of money to the Dreadfort and returning with much-needed reinforcements. Theon reluctantly agrees.

When Northmen led by Rodrik Cassel surround Winterfell, an army bearing the flayed man of House Bolton arrives, lead by a mysterious armored captain. As Rodrik offers his hand in friendship, the captain cuts off his arm and the Bolton army attack the other Northmen. They enter the castle and the captain presents Theon with the bodies of Rodrik, Leobald Tallhart and Cley Cerwyn. He removes his helmet and reveals himself to be Reek, then reveals that he is in fact the real Ramsay Snow. He had switched clothes with the real Reek when Rodrik arrived to cheat death and get into Winterfell. He tells Theon that he would much enjoy the use of his bed-warmer Kyra, and when Theon refuses Ramsay knocks him out. Ramsay and his men then put Winterfell to the torch and it's people to the sword, as well as abducting Theon and killing the other ironborn.

Ramsay's torture and castration of Theon are not directly described in A Storm of Swords, but rather alluded to in A Dance with Dragons. Ramsay does not send a letter and a box containing Theon's penis to Balon Greyjoy, the Greyjoys remaining oblivious to Theon's survival. He does send his father some skin flayed from Theon's finger, which Lord Bolton shows to Robb and Catelyn Stark before the Red Wedding as proof that Theon is being punished for his betrayal.

See also

• Ramsay Snow at A Wiki of Ice and Fire (MAJOR spoilers from the books)

References

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