#house botley

[remusjohnslupin]

asoiaf sigils → the iron islands (part 1/2) | You may dress an ironman in silks and velvets, teach him to read and write and give him books, instruct him in chivalry and courtesy and the mysteries of the Faith, but when you look into his eyes, the sea will still be there, cold and grey and cruel.

[duchess-of-oldtown]

You gotta have mad respect for Wex. The kid survives a massacre and then risks his neck to gather intel on Rickon's whereabouts (all the while avoiding Osha and Shaggydog's notice) and then using his knowledge to manipulate two major Lords in the North? The kid could have walked into the nearest village and started a new life, there's no way to tell he's Ironborn, he has no distinguishing features nor able to be betrayed by an accent. But no, this little kid says no, fuck it, "I'm staying right here and creating chaos on purpose". He learned from Theon but does it ✨successfully✨

[game-of-style]

House Botley of Lordsport, sworn to House Greyjoy - Rahul Mishra Haute Couture Spring 2023

[ironbornsource]

The Best Song Yet To Come by treegoats / @nosafeanchorage Rated: T Words: 1946 Archive Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Category: Gen Characters: Theon Greyjoy, Wex Pyke Summary: Wex and Theon meet again.

Besides an incredibly sweet reunion, this is such an interesting look at ironborn culture (and a very funny external pov on some members of house Greyjoy) through the very snarky pov of a lowborn child and it feels really fresh and past the sometimes onedimensional portrayal in the books, with the different perspective and focus on the importance of oral history. The dynamic between Wex and Theon is such a touch of pure sweetness in the bitterness of the circumstances, Wex's oddly complete trust and loyalty feels perfectly justified and Theon struggling to break the cycle and give him all the validation and affection he has to give is so genuinely touching.

[blessthemwithsaltstonesteel]

TristiferBotley by MaximilienRobb

[theshooting-alice]

House Botley of Lordsport is a noble house from the Iron Islands, one of the principal houses sworn to the Greyjoys. Their seat of Lordsport is located on the island of Pyke, at the opposite side of the Greyjoys' keep of Pyke.

Their blazon is a shoal of silver fish on pale green. Their words do not appear in the books.

[goodqueenaly]

House Words Wednesdays: House Botley

Welcome to House Words Wednesdays! Each week, I take a House without known canon or semi-canon words and present what I think could make sense as that House’s motto. You’re free to suggest more as well, if your favored House has not yet been suggested; take a look at this link to see what has already been suggested, and shoot me an ask through Tumblr if you have another House you’d like to see done.

House Botley is a noble House on the Iron Islands, with its seat of Lordsport being on the Greyjoys’ Pyke. It's unclear how long the Botleys have been around - they're not mentioned at all before the Greyjoy Rebellion - but by the time of the main series House Botley is certainly one of the more important lordly Houses of the Islands (indeed, House Botley is specified as one of House Greyjoy's main vassal Houses in AGOT's Appendix). The Botleys control the town of Lordsport, the largest and perforce most important town on the Iron Islands (though it tells you about everything you need to know of Old Way culture that, even as the largest town, Lordsport is half the size of Lord Hewett's Town, hardly the largest settlement in the Reach). Being a prominent settlement on Pyke meant that Lordsport was targeted by King Robert in the final stage of the Greyjoy Rebellion: Robert's forces sacked and razed Lordsport upon landing on Pyke, destroying the timber and wattle castle of Lord Sawane Botley. However, in the intervening years the Botleys have rebuilt, with a “small square keep” made of stone the first sight of Pyke to greet Theon in ACOK.

The Botley family, though, has seen its own share of divisions and troubles, far less easy to fix than a burned castle and broken buildings. Upon the death of Balon Greyjoy, Lord Sawane Botley proclaimed that Theon was the rightful heir to Pyke - for which Euron had him drowned in a cask of seawater (a move which twisted Aeron into condoning the actions of his most “ungodly” enemy). Sawane's brother Germund has proved far more willing to support the Crow's Eye, and got the Botley lordly title in return for swearing allegiance to Euron (although half the Botley lands were given to House Wynch, another pro-Euron family). As you might expect, Sawane's six trueborn sons were none too pleased by this development: while oldest son Harren died with Victarion's force at Moat Cailin (poisoned by a crannogman dart), second son Tristifer shouted Asha’s name at the kingsmoot, and later went into exile with her. Wex Pyke, bastard son of Sawane’s half-brother Sargon, may be doing the best of all his Botley kin, having escaped the Bolton massacre at Winterfell (unlike the two Botleys with Theon) and been taken in by Wyman Manderly for his knowledge of Rickon's whereabouts; we’re certain to see more of him in TWOW with Davos, among the Skagosi. 

For the Botley words, I chose Strengthened When Gathered. The Botley sigil being a shoal of silver fish on green, I thought it fitting that the Botley words should match. Alone, a fish can be small and vulnerable; in a shoal, a fish can be protected from predators, and can have a better chance of finding food and mates. The Botleys too are strengthened when many gather in Lordsport, boosting the town's economy and increasing the Botleys’ importance as masters of their port. Yet as the family has become divided and fallen apart, so the family’s strength has dissipated. Uncle Germund quite literally lessened the family's strength by divorcing himself from his nephews, with Euron taking half the Botley lands for a more eager supporter. The scattered Botleys - the two with Theon at Winterfell, Tris at Deepwood, Harren at Moat Cailin, Sawane’s other sons - have found themselves dispossessed, killed by poison and treachery or captured in a strange land far from their ancestral strength.

Let me know what you think of these words for House Botley. Next week continues ironborn Houses but jumps from Pyke to Harlaw and one of Lord Rodrik’s vassals.

[hong-ara]

Awesome book-only characters:

Alysane Mormont, Qarl the Maid and Tristifer Botley