Ser Gregor Clegane is the head of House Clegane, a landed knight and bannerman to Lord Tywin Lannister of Casterly Rock. He is the elder brother of Sandor Clegane, Joffrey Baratheon’s hound. Because of his ferociousness and gigantism, he got feared throughout Westeros and earned the nickname, The Mountain That Rides, or The Mountain for short. Gregor and his brother Sandor had a falling out when they were young as the giant mutilated his brother’s face. Years later, while fighting for House Lannister during Robert’s Rebellion, he and Ser Amory Lorch committed a grave crime that incurred the never-ending hatred of Dorne and House Martell.
Gregor Clegane Personal Details
- Name: Gregor Clegane.
- Titles: Ser, Knight of the Clegane’s Keep.
- Year of Birth: 265 or 266 AC.
- Year of Death: 300 AC at the Red Keep.
- Allegiances: House Clegane, House Lannister.
- Culture: Westermen.
- Religion: Faith of the Seven.
- Brother: Sandor Clegane.
- Aliases: The Mountain That Rides, The Mountain, The Great Dog, The Enormity That Rides, Lord Tywin’s Mad Dog.
Appearance and Personality
Gregor Clegane is a man of monstrous size. He is about 8 feet, or 2.4 meters tall, and has massive shoulders. His voice is so scary they sound like stones breaking, and his hands are as thick as the bark of trees. Gregor’s size is a wonder of nature as all his weight is composed entirely of muscle.
Besides his monstrous appearance, Gregor is a solitary, sadistic, and evil killer. He shows no compassion for anyone and violently kills and rapes innocent women. Though having one of the worst reputations in the Seven Kingdoms, he gets praised for his exceptional battle skills. He wears a dull-grey steel plate armor which is said to be the heaviest in Westeros. His armor is so hefty that an average-sized man cannot lift it.
Due to his size, Gregor comfortably wields a six-foot-long greatsword in one hand; this gives him enough reach and force to cut his enemies in half with a single blow. He also wears a plate helm that completely covers his face except for a narrow slit for vision. Gregor’s stallion is big.
Due to his size, Gregor drinks the milk of the poppy to alleviate the throbbing headaches he gets. Though many believe the headaches to be because of his inhumane size, others, like Merrett Frey, point out that he might have suffered an injury while participating in a tourney.
Gregor Clegane Biography
Early Life
Gregor was born into House Clegane as the first son of his father. At a young age, he stood at a staggering height. At around eleven or twelve, Gregor mutilated his brother’s face because he played with one of his old toys; this led to later years of enmity between the Clegane brothers. Four years after injuring his brother, Gregor got knighted by Prince Rhaegar Targaryen. Soon after, rumors spread about him killing his father, sister, and first two wives.
When King Aerys killed Lord Rickard and Brandon Stark, he sparked a rebellion. After Prince Rhaegar’s death at the Battle of the Trident, Lord Tywin Lannister proceeded to King’s Landing. After Grand Maester Pycell convinced the King to open the gates, the Lannister soldiers proceeded to sack the city. During the Sack of King’s Landing, Tywin ordered Gregor and Ser Amory Lorch to kill Princess Elia Martell and her children.
On getting to her chambers, Gregor smashed Elian’s infant son, Aegon’s head, on the wall and proceeded to rape her with her son’s brain matter in his hand, then he killed her, almost parting her in half with his sword. On learning of their deaths, Prince Doran Martell and his brother, Oberyn Martell, got furious and began planning revenge against the Lannisters.
Relevance in A Song of Ice and Fire
A Game of Thrones
After Lord Eddard Stark agrees to be the new Hand of the King, Robert Baratheon organizes the Hand’s Tourney in his honor. At the tourney, Gregor and his brother defeat many opponents. The Mountain kills Ser Hugh of the Vale, a newly made knight. He defeats Ser Balon Swann but gets unhorsed by Ser Loras Tyrell.
On getting defeated, Gregor goes into a raging mode and almost kills Loras when his brother Sandor stops him. They duel until King Robert orders them to stop. After the tourney, The Mountain travels back to his keep, but along the way, he and his men gang rape a brewer’s daughter.
When Catelyn Stark travels to King’s Landing and learns from Lord Petyr Baelish that the assassin knife that belonged to a failed killer belongs to Tyrion Lannister, she arrests him in the Inn at the Crossroads. Tywin sends Gregor to begin raiding the Riverlands without banners. On learning of Gregor’s deeds, Ned Stark sends Lord Beric Dondarrion to execute him.
When Ned gets arrested, his son, Robb Stark, marches with a northern host to rescue him. With Tyrion freed from the Eyrie after his trial by combat, he arrives at his father’s camp and the Northmen attack. During the Battle on the Green Fork, Tywin Lannister places Tyrion under Gregor’s command.
The Lannisters win but learn that Lord Roose Bolton commanded the army. Gregor sits with Tywin when they hear that Ser Jaime Lannister got captured by Robb Stark. Tywin withdraws to Harrenhal but leaves Gregor, Aer Amory Lorch, and Vargo Hoat to harry the Riverlands.
A Clash of Kings
Gregor Clegane continues raiding and destroying the Riverlands. He unknowingly captures Arya Stark, and she witnesses the horrors of his raids. The Mountain lets his men torture people. Arya adds him to her killing list. After capturing people, Gregor takes them to Harrenhal.
Soon, the Brotherhood without Banners begins attacking Gregor and his men. During the battle of the Fork, The Mountain joins Tywin’s army and attacks the Red Fork. However, Ser Edmure Tully fiercely defends Stone Mill injuring Gregor and forcing him to retreat. Edmure’s victory gives Tywin enough time to learn about King’s Landing, and he marches back with Lord Mace Tyrell to save the city from Lord Stannis Baratheon.
A Storm of Swords
After defeating Stannis, Tywin takes back his position on the small council. He learns of Robett Glover and Helman Tallhart’s move to Duskendale and orders Randyll Tarly and Gregor to stop an attack. Gregor captures many highborn fighters while chasing Lord Roose Bolton’s army. After the Red Wedding, Gregor seizes Ruby Ford and marches to Harrenhal on Tywin’s orders. He reclaims the castle and murders Vargo Haot by feeding him his limbs.
Meanwhile, Prince Oberyn Martell arrives in King’s Landing to claim the seat on the small council promised by Tyrion. Joffrey gets poisoned and dies, and his mother, Cersei Lannister, accuses Tyrion. During Tyrion’s trial, Shae lies and says her lover planned to kill the King all along; this infuriates him, and he asks for a trial by combat.
Oberyn agrees to fight for Tyrion, and during the trial, he wounds Cersei’s champion, Gregor, with his spear coated with manticore venom. Though Oberyn maintains the upper hand for a while, he slips, and Gregor pins him to the ground. Before killing him, the knight confesses to killing Elia Martell and her son with bare hands.
A Feast for Crows
The venom from Oberyn’s spear cause excruciating pain for Gregor, and even Qyburn’s treatment fails to work. When Cersei learns that the poison on Oberyn’s spear is not ordinary, she orders Qyburn to experiment on The Mountain as he pleases. Gregor’s screams echo throughout the Red Keep with such terror it wakes many people at night. Qyburn then tells Cersei he will make her an undefeatable champion. He orders armor of immense size for the mystery knight.
A Dance with Dragons
Cersei sends Gregor’s skull to Dorne to secure peace. However, Prince Doran Martell plots to infiltrate King’s Landing. Meanwhile, in the capital, Cersei gets arrested for adultery. When she learns of Ser Arys Oakheart’s death, she orders Qyburn to make his champion a member of the Kingsguard. After Cersei’s walk of atonement, she returns to the Red Keep to meet Ser Robert Strong, a mysteriously gigantic knight.
Appearance in Adaptation
In HBO’s Game of Thrones, Conan Stevens, Ian Whyte, and Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson starred as Gregor Clegane. The character appeared in 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 and starred in 24 episodes. As the older brother of Sandor Clegane, Gregor was a beat who later got turned into a monster by Qyburn. He served Cersei until the end when King’s Landing got destroyed by Daenerys Targaryen.
Gregor Clegane: The Evil Beast
Many people in A Song of Ice and Fire embody the concept of evil. However, no one unifies terror and evil like Ser Gregor Clegane. He was a madly silent sadistic beast who had no regard for life. His psychopathic tendencies only got heightened by his monstrous size. Gregor’s evil destroyed many families, and though he deserved every bit of suffering he got, that would never compare to the amount he caused.
FAQs
What happened to Gregor Clegane?
After Joffrey Baratheon got killed by poison, Cersei Lannister accused her brother, Tyrion, of the act. During the trial, Tyrion asked for a trial by combat, and Cersei chose Gregor Clegane. Prince Oberyn Martell, Tyrion’s champion, injured Gregor with his poisoned spear. However, he got killed. Gregor got taken by Qyburn, who tried treating him. Later, Cersei sent Gregor’s alleged skull to Dorne.
Is Gregor Ser Robert Stong?
It is most likely that Ser Robert Strong is Gregor Clegane. Robert’s size is very close to Gregor, and he takes a vow of silence to prevent anyone from knowing his voice.
How did Gregor Clegane die in Game of Thrones?
After getting modified by Qyburn, Gregor joins the Kingsguard. When Daenerys attacks King’s Landing, Sandor Clegane confronts his brother, and a searing duel occurs. With the destruction from Dany’s dragons, the Red Keep gets destroyed, and Gregor and his brother die.
Could Arya Stark kill Gregor Clegane?
Arya could kill Gregor when he was still a human. However, it is unlikely she could kill him when he got modified by Qyburn.
