Game of Thrones: Top 10 castles in Westeros, ranked
4. The Eyrie
Although the Eyrie is the smallest of the great castles of Westeros, it is arguably the most impenetrable, especially if the invaders do not have dragons. Located thousands of feet high in the Mountains of the Moon in the Vale, the Eyrie is the ancient seat of House Arryn, the Wardens of the East. Built from fine white stone, the Eyrie features seven closely bunched towers, a main hall with two thrones of carved weirwood, sky cells where one side of the cells do not have a wall and a moon door with a six-hundred foot drop for executing prisoners.
The only way to get to the Eyrie is by first getting past the Bloody Gate, a heavy fortress with multiple battlements. The Knight of the Gate commands the garrison; Brynden Tully held that position in A Game of Thrones. Further up the path, there are three small castles called Stone, Snow and Sky that act as checkpoints on the trail through the mountains to the Eyrie. The only way to actually get to the Eyrie is from Sky castle, where one can climb up stone slits in a chimney up to the Eyrie’s lower chambers, or use a winch on the outside that can ferry people and supplies to the top. During the winter when the Eyrie is much too cold to inhabit, the lords descend to Sky and travel to a sub-castle called the Gates of the Moon.
King Ronnel Arryn was the King of the Vale during Aegon’s conquest, but his mother Sharra ruled as regent since he was just a boy. Queen Visenya was tasked with conquering the Vale for her brother Aegon, and the Arryns were ready to meet her with their row of fortresses leading to the Eyrie. However, Visenya simply flew her dragon right to the top. Sharra was shocked when she walked into her courtyard to find Ronnel on Visenya’s lap with her dragon Vhagar nearby. Sharra subsequently bent the knee and pledged the Vale to Aegon.
During the Dance, Rhaenyra’s son Jacaerys Velaryon flies his dragon Vermax to the Eyrie to beg support for his mother’s cause. Jeyne Arryn, the Lady of the Vale, agrees to support the Blacks only if Jacaerys promises to send dragonriders to defend her castle from enemy dragons.
In their youth, both Eddard Stark and Robert Baratheon were fostered at the Eyrie under Lord Jon Arryn. Because of their time together, Robert, Ned and Jon forged a lifelong friendship that made Robert’s Rebellion possible. After the Mad King Aerys kills Ned’s father and brother in King’s Landing and his sister Lyanna is seemingly abducted by Rhaegar Targaryen, Aerys demanded that Jon Arryn bring him Ned and Robert’s heads. Instead, Jon called his banners in the Vale and openly declares himself a rebel.
In A Game of Thrones, Catelyn’s sister Lysa rules in the Vale as regent for her young son Robin Arryn. Catelyn brings a captured Tyrion Lannister to the Eyrie to confess his alleged crime of trying to murder Bran Stark. Lysa also accuses Tyrion of murdering her husband Jon Arryn (a crime for which she is actually responsible) and throws him in a sky cell. The Tully sisters are eventually forced to release Tyrion after his champion Bronn wins his trial by combat.
After the death of Joffrey Baratheon, Littlefinger brings Sansa Stark to the Eyrie where they tell everyone that she is his bastard daughter. Littlefinger and Lysa get married and they live at the Eyrie for a time. One day when Littlefinger is helping Sansa build a snow castle of Winterfell, he kisses the girl and Lysa sees it. Lysa threatens to throw Sansa through the moon door for trying to steal Littlefinger away. It is revealed that Littlefiner orchestrated the entire War of the Five Kings conflict by using Lysa’s infatuation with him to manipulate her into poisoning Jon Arryn and sending a letter to Catelyn blaming Jon’s death on the Lannisters. Littlefinger soothes his wife and tells her there is only one woman he has ever loved: her sister Catelyn. He then shoves Lysa through the moon door and blames the murder on a singer named Marillion (in the show, Sansa and Littlefinger claim Lysa jumped out the moon door herself).
After Lysa’s death, Littlefinger remains the Lord Protector of the Vale since he is technically Robin Arryn’s stepfather. The other lords of the Vale attempt to get rid of Littlefinger, but he convinces them to give him a trial period, which buys him time to either get rid of or forge alliances with his dissenters. Littlefinger arranges for Sansa to marry Robin’s heir Ser Harrold Hardyng.