The Brave Companions, also known as the Bloody Mummers, is a sellsword company led by Vargo Hoat of Qohor. They got the nickname Bloody Mummers for their intense brutality toward victims. As a sellsword company, the Brave Companions had no loyalties on the battlefield, as they switched sides whenever it suited them best.
The Brave Companions is a sellsword company known for its cruelty. Fighters in the company got called the Footmen because their leader cut off people’s hands and feet with the Toes of the Goat standard. When Ser Jaime Lannister and Brienne of Tarth leave Riverrun, a bounty gets placed on their head, and Vargo’s crew finds them. Jaime’s sword hand gets cut off, and he arrives at Harrenhal. When Lord Roose Bolton realizes what Vargo did, he tells Jaime he never ordered the action and sends him back to his father in King’s Landing. Roose then leaves Harrenhal in Vargo’s hands and travels to the Twins for Edmure Tully’s wedding Roslin Frey.
Bloody Mummers Details
- Banner: A black goat with bloody horns portraying the Black goat of Qohor.
- Commander: Vargo Hoat.
- Infantry Size: 100.
- Year Disbanded: 299 AC.
Brief History
The Brave Companions are a group of sellswords from Essos. They are not an old mercenary company but are one of the most brutal combat units in the known world. They got formed before Vargo Hoat and comprised the worst criminals from every corner of the known world. The leader of the Brave Companions before Vargo Hoat was not Qohorik. Because there is no predetermined order for handing over the chain of command, the next leader could be a Lyseni, Dornishman, or Ibbenese.
With monsters from everywhere, the Brave Companions include lancers on zorses, swordsmen with multi-colored beards, brown-skinned men in feathered cloaks, Lyseni men, Dornishmen, and Dothraki men.
Relevance in A Song of Ice and Fire
A Game of Thrones
After the Battle of the Camps, Lord TywinLannister givesVargo Hoat, Ser Gregor Clegane, and Ser Amory Lorch three hundred men each and tasks them with pillaging the Riverlands near the Red Fork and Gods Eye.
A Clash of Kings
After Lord Eddard Stark’s death, the War of the Five Kings intensifies. Lord Tywin Lannister brings the Brave Companions to the Seven Kingdoms to aid in the fight against the Starks. During the war, the Bloody Mummers reportedly kill Lord Beric Dondarrion. They follow Lord Tywin Lannister to Harrenhal, and Arya Stark watches as they camp at the Widow’s Tower. On the night of their arrival, a fight breaks out, resulting in Ser Harys Swyft’s squire’s death. Two members of the Brave Companions get hanged, and one of Lord Lewys Lydden’s men dies.
When Tywin leaves Harrenhal for King’s Landing, Vargo Hoat secretly colludes with Lord Roose Bolton to support King Robb Stark. The Brave Companions bring some Northmen under the guise of prisoners into Harrenhal to attack Ser Amory Lorch’s garrison. However, before the plan takes effect, Arya employs the help of Jaqen H’ghar, Biter, and Rorge and frees the prisoners. Harrenhal then falls into the hands of the Boltons, and Amory gets killed.
With Lord Roose Bolton in charge of Harrenhal, he tasks the Brave Companions with destroying the Lannister forces in the countryside. With the promise of owning Harrenhal, Vargo splits his men into four units and uses his former alliance with Lord Tywin Lannister to fool unsuspecting Lannister soldiers.
A Storm of Swords
After Arya Stark, Hot Pie, and Gendry flee Harrenhal, three men from the Brave Companions chase after them. However, they get abused and killed by a pack of wolves led by Nymeria, Arya’s direwolf. After Sandor Clegane gets captured by the Brotherhood without Banners, he gets taken to Hollow Hill, where he mistakes the Brotherhood for the Brave Companions. Lord Beric and Thoros of Myr lead the Brotherhood to attack a sept held by the Brave Companions. After successfully defeating the Bloody Mummers, all the criminals get hanged, including Septon Utt.
Meanwhile, Vargo Hoat suspects the Boltons will join the Lannisters after the Battle of Blackwater. After some of his men capture Jaime and Brienne, he orders Zollo to chop off Jaime’s hand, hoping the action will create a rift between Lord Roose Bolton and Tywin Lannister. On reaching Harrenhal, Roose orders Qyburn to treat Jaime and he tells him he had nothing to do with the incident. Roose sends Jaime back to King’s Landing and leaves Brienne with Vargo. Vargo gets bitten on the ear when he tries raping Brienne. Jaime then returns for her, and Vargo’s wound gets infected.
Lord Roose Bolton colludes with Lord Walder Frey to betray Robb Stark. After the Northern cause falls, Tywin orders Ser Gregor Clegane to kill all the members of the Brave Companions. By the time Gregor reaches Harrenhal, Vargo has become maddened by fever, and his men have disbanded. The almost-dead Vargo is tortured and forced to eat his flesh.
A Feast for Crows
Once one of the cruelest mercenary companies, the Brave Companions get disbanded and become bandits. The strongest faction, led by Rorge, pillage, rape, and destroy everything in their path during the raid on Saltpans. On her mission to find Sansa Stark and Arya, Brienne meets Timeon, Pyg, and Shagwell at the Whispers. A confrontation happens, and Brienne kills the men. She later confronts Rorge and Biter in the Inn at the Crossroads and kills them.
The Brave Companions: The Evil Monsters
No group in George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire embodies the definition of pure evil like the Brave Companions. The sellsword company knew only death, amputation, and destruction. None of its members were sane or reasonable people, and even the group’s leader was an incredibly vile rapist who enjoyed death. In the end, they got killed brutally.
FAQs
What happened to the Bloody Mummers?
After the Battle of the Blackwater, Vargo Hoat realized that Lord Roose Bolton might side with the Lannisters. To prevent an alliance from happening, he orders his men to cut off Jaime’s sword hand, believing it will create a rift between the Lannisters and Boltons. However, the plan fails and Jaime returns to King’s Landing. Vargo gets infected from a bite to the ear and falls into madness. He then gets killed brutally by Ser Gregor Clegane.
Were the Brave Companions cruel?
Yes. The Brave Companions were one of the cruelest fighting factions. They pillaged, raped, and killed without mercy. Their signature move was limb decapitation.
Why was Vargo Hoat so cruel?
Vargo was cruel because he managed a sellsword company made of criminals. He was a sick twisted man who enjoyed sadistic acts. In the end, he died brutally by eating his flesh.
What happened to the Brave Companions after Vargo’s death?
After Vargo fell into madness, his men left him. Some of them created their own factions and began raiding and pillaging. One of the most popular groups comprised Rorge and Biter.
