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"Mature Content Warning!" |
| “ | Ramsay: You forgot to ask one question: you forgot to ask if I'm a liar!… I'm afraid, I am. Everything I told you is a lie. This isn't happening to you for a reason—well, one, one reason: I enjoy it! Theon: PLEASE, CUT IT OFF! CUT IT OFF! CUT IT OFF! Ramsay: I win! |
„ |
| ~ Ramsay while sadistically torturing Theon Greyjoy as part of a twisted game. |
| “ | Ramsay. Snow, my wife called me before she ate her fingers, but I say Bolton. | „ |
| ~ Ramsay reveals his identity to Theon Greyjoy. |
| “ | If you think this has a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention. | „ |
| ~ Ramsay to Theon and his most iconic line in the show. |
Ramsay Bolton, formerly known as Ramsay Snow and sometimes called The Bastard of Bolton, is one of the main antagonists of the A Song of Ice and Fire novel series and its television adaptation Game of Thrones. He is the bastard son of Roose Bolton, who would later be legitimized by his father by royal decree.
He was portrayed by Iwan Rheon.
What Makes Him Pure Evil?[]
In general[]
- He openly admits to torturing people for his own amusement. He is also highly creative with his methods, remorselessly flaying enemies alive and feeding women who bore him to his hounds.
- He starves his dogs to keep them bloodthirsty, and he names them after the girls he's killed.
- He razed Winterfell to the ground on his father's orders, despite supposedly being there to save it. He kills all the Ironborn garrison holding the castle, even though they supposedly were on the same side.
- He tortures and castrates Theon, who begins to go by the name of "Reek" from that point on due to being psychologically broken by Ramsay’s torture until he finally escapes Winterfell. The castration is implied in the novels and confirmed in the TV show.
- When he wasn’t responsible for the Red Wedding, he was glad for Starks’ deaths and was even reminded by Theon of the death of his former best friend, Robb.
- Flayed the surrendering Ironborn warriors of Moat Cailin, even after he promised them mercy. After feasting with the grateful ironmen and getting them drunk, Ramsay had them all seized, and flayed them all alive to death at night.
Exclusive to the books[]
- According to his mother, he was already a cruel, psychopathic and wrathful problem child, to the point that she had to ask her rapist Roose Bolton to help her raise him, resulting with Roose sending her Reek.
- Allegedly, Ramsay and Reek ended up corrupting each other worse, becoming more evil in the process.
- Allegedly murdered his older brother, Domeric, out of sheer envy for being Roose's trueborn son, as his vengeful mother encouraged Ramsay to become Lord of the Dreadfort after Roose will die.
- After killing Domeric, Roose was forced to acknowledge Ramsay as his natural son and take him to live at the Dreadfort.
- He hunts people for sports. When he catches any women he likes, mostly young girls, he rapes them and flays them alive.
- But if they give him good sport, he'll kill them before flaying them, and his favorites have a female dog named after them.
- The skin is taken back to the Dreadfort as a trophy, with the meat fed to his dogs.Every girl he killed, he would hand her corpse over to his necrophile servant Reek (Theon's predecessor) so the latter could rape it.
- But if they give him good sport, he'll kill them before flaying them, and his favorites have a female dog named after them.
- Taking advantage of Lord Halys Hornwood and his son and heir Daryn perishing in war in the Riverlands, he forcibly married Halys' widow, Lady Donella Hornwood, to claim House Hornwood's lands and holdings. He raped her to consummate the marriage, forced them to sign a document of inheritance at swordpoint, and locked her in a tower to starve to death. Her corpse was found by Ser Rodrik with a bloody mouth and fingers chewed off.
- Afterwards he attempted to steal the Hornwoods' wealth and lands, naming himself Lord of the Hornwood, provoking the wrath of Donella's cousin, Lord Wyman Manderly, and resulting in a long period of skirmishes in House Hornwood's lands, as Ramsay's men attempted to claim Hornwood castle.
- After Roose Bolton became the new Warden of the North, the Boltons abused their power to have their overlord, King Tommen I Baratheon, legally acknowledge Ramsay as Lord of Hornwood, forcing the Manderlys to relinquish all resistance.
- Afterwards he attempted to steal the Hornwoods' wealth and lands, naming himself Lord of the Hornwood, provoking the wrath of Donella's cousin, Lord Wyman Manderly, and resulting in a long period of skirmishes in House Hornwood's lands, as Ramsay's men attempted to claim Hornwood castle.
- Set up Reek to be killed by Ser Rodrik Cassel, by switching clothes with him.
- Killed two miller's boys and flayed their severed heads to present them as Bran and Rickon Stark.
- While leading his father's garrison to join the siege of Winterfell, he betrays and slaughters most of Ser Rodrik Cassel’s Northern army. As a revenge for Reek's death, he sliced off Rodrik’s arm and killed him after he offered to be Ramsay’s friend. During the battle, he kills Rodrik and causes the deaths of Lord Cley Cerwyn and Leobald Tallhart.
- After the ironborn garrison acknowledges the Boltons as friends and let them through Winterfell's castle without objecting, Ramsay betrays them all, after demanding for Theon to hand him over his young mistress Kyra for one rape session.
- Ramsay breaks Theon's jaw, commands his men to sack and burn the whole castle and the Winter Town outside, leading to the brutal deaths of all the grown male population, including Maester Luwin. His men burn Theon and Bran's horses, Smiler and Dancer, alive. He takes all the women and children as captives to the Dreadfort, while only Theon's 12 year old squire, Wex Pyke, manages to escape from the massacre. The image of Smiler burning and its human-like screams still haunts Theon in his dreams.
- He has Catelyn Stark's Frey wards, Little Walder and Big Walder, write and sign a false report to Lord Walder Frey at the Twins, for King Robb to receive, accusing Theon and his ironmen for the Ser Rodrik's army's destruction and the sack of Winterfell.
- During Theon's early captivity, Ramsay set up a trap for him and Kyra, by tricking Kyra into finding the keys to Theon's dungeon. After freeing Theon, Kyra escaped from the Dreadfort with him.
- Having ordered the castle's garrison to deliberately let the two run away in the Wolfswood and give them a headstart before commencing their game, Ramsay and his men pursued them with hounds, the "bastard's girls". After capturing the two again, Ramsay gave Kyra a slow and painful death, at the age of 19 or 20. As Ramsay enjoyed hunting her, he named his newest bitch named after her, although he did not grant her a quick death.
- As a result of Theon shouting terrible insults and curses at him, Ramsay repeatedly tortured him with worse brutality and anger, until Theon would learn to respect him. Ramsay knocked out half of Theon's teeth because he hated his smile, and mutilated him.
- After a period of torture, he grew bored of his "broken toy" Theon, locked him in a dark dungeon beneath the Dreadfort with no light, and forgot him for a long time to starve there. He sent a piece of Theon's skin to his father Roose, who presented it to Robb and Catelyn at the Twins, much to the two's horrors and an upset Robb complaining that he wanted Theon detained, not tortured.
- While forgotten in a dark dungeon for a long time and many weeks, Theon became extremely skeletal and bony, and assumed an old man's appearance, his heir becoming frail and white. Only after becoming Lord of Winterfell, Ramsay released Theon from the dungeon cell to use him as an envoy for the ironborn at Moat Cailin, "promoting" him as a dog after the successful end of the siege.
- After a period of torture, he grew bored of his "broken toy" Theon, locked him in a dark dungeon beneath the Dreadfort with no light, and forgot him for a long time to starve there. He sent a piece of Theon's skin to his father Roose, who presented it to Robb and Catelyn at the Twins, much to the two's horrors and an upset Robb complaining that he wanted Theon detained, not tortured.
- He corrupted his squire Little Walder Frey, Fat Walda's little brother, grooming him to become as cruel and psychopathic as he is, much to the horror and contempt of his other squire Big Walder Frey and Theon.
- Killed an old peasant in a fit of rage for calling him “Lord Snow”.
- His father admitted that he expects Ramsay to kill any newborn son that will be birthed by Roose's third wife, Walda Frey.
- He sent a piece of Theon's flayed skin to Asha Greyjoy, threatening her to leave the North with all her men or else they will receive the same fate as Theon and Moat Cailin's garrison.
- He repeatedly abuses and rapes Jeyne Poole after marrying her, believing it to be Arya (who at the time was 11 years old, meaning Ramsay is technically a pedophile). It’s implied he forces her to have sex with his dogs as well.
- After a brutal infighting scene between Freys and Manderlys, one of Ramsay's "bastard's boys" end up mortally wounded, causing the man to call for his mother while holding his own guts. An irritated Ramsay remorselessly finished him off to stop his whining, instead of comforting him and thanking him for his loyal service.
- Forces Theon, now the second Reek, to rape his own bride, threatening to cut off his tongue if he doesn’t do it.
- According to himself, he flays all the corpses of a group of wildling spearwives sent by Melisandre, who helped Theon and Jeyne Poole to escape from Winterfell. He made cloaks out of the women's flayed skins and forced his captive Mance Rayder to wear them while he is locked in a cage to starve.
- He wrote a fraudolent letter for Jon Snow, the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, falsely claiming to have defeated Stannis Baratheon and his whole army after a seven days long battle, claiming to own Stannis's magic red sword Lightbringer now.
- He used this lie in the attempt to intimidate the Night's Watch to hand him over Shireen Baratheon, Selyse Florent, and "Stannis's red whore" (Melisandre), so Ramsay can actually use them as captives against Stannis and possibly torture them. He also demanded Jon to hand him over Mance's infant son and his sister-in-law Val, as well as "Arya" (Jeyne) and "his Reek" (Theon), assuming that the two were at Castle Black, when they actually ended up at Stannis's war camp in a deserted crofter's village. He threatened to murder Jon if he fails to comply, despite the Watch's vow of neutrality. Ramsay's death threats also led to Bowen Marsh' group's mutiny at Castle Black against Jon.
- Unlike his television counterpart, he has zero comedic moments and he is always taken seriously and even portrayed as a politically incompetent and chaotic person, unfit to be a lord.
Exclusive to the TV show[]
- He flayed all the Ironborn garrison of Winterfell to death, even though they surrendered and fulfilled his demands.
- Threatened Balon Greyjoy by Theon life on the latter, without his father even knowing.
- While he said that he would let Theon go if he could correctly guess where they where and who he was, this isn’t preventing as Ramsay tauntingly reminded him that he should’ve asked if he was a liar before beginning to flay his finger.
- Encourages his father to send Luke to kill Bran and Rickon, going so far as to say that even Jon Snow should be killed as a Stark, even though his father overrules it.
- He killed Yara Greyjoy's best fighters as they tried to release Theon.
- Flayed Lord Medger Cerwyn alive for being taken from his family to pay their taxes.
- He raped Sansa, who was handed to him by Petyr Baelish, on their wedding night (even forcing Reek to watch), and continues to sexually and physically abuse her throughout the rest of the marriage.
- He flayed alive women who tried to release Sansa from Winterfell.
- He kills his own minions twice: first when "saving" Theon from being raped in the woods, and second when they're engaged with the Wildlings during the Battle of the Bastards.
- Conquered Moat Cailin and then flayed alive all the Ironborn soldiers that surrendered after they were promised to return home.
- He concocted the idea of killing all of Stannis' soldiers, burning their food and contents (which indirectly caused Stannis to sacrifice his daughter), and even when a soldier surrendered, he brutally killed him.
- While he has a girlfriend (Myranda), he sees her as nothing but a minion and a sex object. Though he claims he'll avenge her death, he ultimately decides to feed her corpse to his dogs instead of giving her a proper funeral, and Rheon himself confirmed that he doesn't truly love her.
- He killed Violet after she became pregnant because he found it "boring".
- After Sansa escaped with Theon, he sent after them the Bolton’s best soldiers to give them back.
- When he thought that Sansa had escaped to Castle Black to get Jon Snow protection, he Considered the possibility of fighting against the Black Watchs, even though his father was appalled at the idea.
- He stabbed his father, Roose, in the heart and then fed his stepmother and newborn brother to his hounds in order to become the new Warden of the North. Although he felt a flicker of remorse for killing his father, and he seemed to briefly consider sparing Walda and the baby when she promised to leave, even guiltily looking away for a split second as the dogs ate them alive, Ramsay was ultimately far more concerned with securing his own power, and any potential feelings of mercy he has are quickly vanquished.
- He lied, saying that his father was "poisoned by his enemies".
- According to Davos, he caused divisions between the families of the North, which could have sealed the fate of the North if the white moves had scored the wall.
- Threatened to torture and murder everyone Jon Snow was protecting, including giving threats to have his men rape Sansa, flay all the people, and feed Jon to his hounds after taking his eyes.
- Even before that, he decided to fight the wildlings, disgusted that Jon had saved their lives, and decided to put them in the same camp without proof.
- Murdered Osha in cold blood and captured Rickon Stark, a pre-teen.
- He shoots at Rickon with a bow as he runs to his half-brother, Jon (actually his cousin), finally killing him when they're mere feet away from each other.
- After his men are defeated, he flees with his bows to the walls of Winterfell. When the giant Wun-Wun manages to open the walls, he shoots him in the eye, even though the giant is already dying.
- He "agrees" to fight one-on-one against Jon in a desperate attempt to save himself and kill his opponent with arrows.
- Although his death was horrific, as he was devoured by his own dogs, it was portrayed as karmic in-universe given that he had his dogs brutally murder other people and even starve themselves.
- By killing the members of his family, he made sure to destroy the memory of the Bolton House legacy.
- While he does have some comedic moments, they pretty much only show how sadistic he is.
Exclusive to the video game[]
- He tries to take the young Talia away, asking her if she likes hunting. Given how Ramsay hunts women with his dogs in the TV show (which the game is soft-canon to), it really can't mean anything good.
- He kills the child, Lord Ethan Forrester, stabbing him in the neck.
- He kidnaps Ryon, a little boy, and hands him over to the Whitehills, ordering them to kill him if the Forresters give them any trouble.
- He tortures Arthur to death, repeatedly cutting and then disemboweling him.
- He starts an all-out war between Houses Forrester and Whitehill, saying only one house can survive. Said war results in massive casualties on both sides, as well as Ironrath being torn to the ground.
Trivia[]
- In 2015, Ramsay was officially voted as “the worst person on television” of all time, even beating out Joffrey Baratheon by more than a thousand votes and being considered the most evil Games of Thrones villain by far.
- Like Joffrey, Ramsay is so evil that even his own actor despised him and wanted him to die a horrible death.
- Iwan Rheon stated in an interview that HBO's Ramsay is partly based off another Pure Evil, that being Joker from The Dark Knight.
External Links[]
- Ramsay Bolton on the Villains Wiki
- Ramsay Bolton on the Hate Sink Wiki
- Ramsay Bolton on the Game of Thrones Wiki
- Ramsay Bolton on the Wikipedia
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 Pure Evils
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 Pure Evils
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Novel Continuity Television Continuity | ||