Euron Greyjoy, also known as the Crow’s Eye, stands out as one of the most (if not the most) sinister characters in George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series. By all accounts, his overarching goal appears to be apotheosis: transcending his mortal form to achieve godhood, or, at the least, god-like power.
Euron puts little value in worldly things like castles and treasure. He showers his men with loot whilst barely taking a share and gifts his lovers with all kinds of silks and furs and jewels, or “rags and rocks,” as he calls them.
From what we can glean from the story so far, Euron’s ambitions are focused towards one thing and one thing only: achieving godhood. This quest for divinity is heavily interwoven with the threads of manipulation, terror, and the esoteric. Bit by bit we are exposed to the cruelty and the truly wicked nature of a man who is effortlessly able to pose as charming, generous and level-headed. Though it soon becomes clear that when men deem themselves divine, they think themselves above all the struggle and suffering they bring about in the world.
Manipulation and Misdirection
Euron’s interactions with his brothers, particularly Aeron and Victarion, exemplify his manipulative tactics. He captures Aeron and uses his body for what we can only speculate will be some sort of blood sacrifice. He misleads Victarion into sailing to Slaver’s Bay to bring back Daenerys Targaryen, ostensibly for marriage. However, his true intention seems to be to use Victarion as a pawn in his larger schemes. In A Feast for Crows, Euron provides Victarion with a dragon horn named Dragonbinder, under pretenses that might conceal its true nature or the peril it represents:
“No mortal man shall sound me and live.”
—Text inscribed into the dragon horn, A Dance with Dragons – Victarion I
Victarion, despite being daring and dangerous, is also bullheaded and… well… stupid. Euron’s presentation of the horn to him is a classic example of his cunning, using his brother’s simplicity and adherence to convention against him. This act also serves his larger goal by potentially binding dragons to his will, which are arguably among the most destructive powers in the world of men and about as close to a god’s wrath as man is liable to get. Euron more than likely keeps up with Vic’s progress through a glass candle whilst staying out of dodge himself.
This is only reinforced by Moqorro when he talks to Tyrion on the question of what others are in search for Dani: “One most of all. A tall and twisted thing with one black eye and ten long arms, sailing on a sea of blood.” Tall and twisted, exactly how a glass candle is described. And who other than Euron, with one black eye and multiple long, tentacle-like appendages like the kraken of his house? He is even in the beginning phases of creating a “sea of blood.” No great leap to think Euron is with Vic every step of the way, even if the latter doesn’t realize it. Vic the brick, thick as a castle wall. If the horn works, chances are high Euron will somehow be able to reclaim it as he is significantly more clever than his brother. Doubtlessly, he would have planned for any and all possible outcomes.
artist: Mike Halstein
Divine Aspirations and Visions
Euron’s conversation with his brother Aeron Damphair give us a chilling insight into his god-complex and visions of grandeur. He claims to have visited the ruins of Valyria, surviving where others fell and even hints at having supernatural experiences. In his vision, Aeron sees him seated upon the Iron Throne with all other gods impaled all around him.
“From Ib to Asshai, when men see my sails, they pray.”
—Euron, The Forsaken, unpublished chapter from The Winds of Winter
This quote illustrates his self-view as a figure of dread and divine retribution, an unstoppable force of nature almost, only further underlining his delusions of godhood. His confidence and declarations suggest a belief not only in his right to rule but in his transformation into a deity-like figure.
Esoteric Knowledge and Practices
Euron’s potential apotheosis is also supported by his pursuit of arcane knowledge and dark magic. He forces a captive Aeron to drink the warlock’s potion of evening’s shade. This sparks Aeron to have a vision where Euron rises out above the impaled corpses of the gods whilst seated on the Iron Throne. Furthermore, he dabbles in blood sacrifice and possesses the dragon horn previously discussed. Euron’s brutal treatment of the priests and holy men he’s captured suggests a deep engagement with forbidden arts:
“The bleeding star bespoke the end… These are the last days, when the world shall be broken and remade. A new god shall be born from the graves and charnel pits.”
—Aeron bears witness to Euron’s monologue, The Forsaken, unpublished chapter from The Winds of Winter
ASOIAF 2022 Calendar by Arantza Sestayo
This passage not only ties Euron’s aspirations to apocalyptic prophecies but also positions him as a crucial figure in the dark days to come. It is clear he views himself as the herald–if not the embodiment–of this new god of which he speaks.
Upon witnessing Euron in his Valyrian armor (something the world hasn’t witnessed for hundreds of years), to his shock, Aeron is left to conclude the Crow’s Eye has indeed been to Valyria and lived to tell the tale.
Speculation
While Euron is pretty confident in his convictions to transcend to godhood, he might be meddling with powers that far exceed his grasp. I believe there is a possibility that instead of consuming the magic force he thinks will serve to achieve his ends, that same force might ultimately end up consuming him instead. What if the Euron we know is killed in the process of this esoteric ritual and his body becomes the vessel for some ancient eldritch evil like the Great Other or the Drowned God/Deep Ones? Or some other power far beyond human comprehension? This would suddenly leave Westeros exposed to an evil far greater than Euron would have ever posed for the realm.
Conclusion
Euron Greyjoy’s path towards apotheosis is characterized by his risky tampering with the mystical and his confident exploration of blood magic. The manipulation of his kin, his contempt for conventional values, his embrace of dark sorceries and the grandiose perception of himself all point towards a character driven by a desire that goes beyond the power of kings and instead aims for ultimate transcendence.
Whether he will achieve such a status or fall victim to his hubris remains to be seen as the story unfolds. Through his endeavors, Euron not only challenges the mortal bounds of his existence but also the very fabric of reality inside the world he inhabits. As ruthless, savage and heartless he is as a man, it would all pale in comparison to what he would become as a god. And that, ladies and gents, is what makes him one of the world’s most horrifying villains to date.
