How does Gregor Clegane, the most famous zombie of Game of Thrones, work? How does Gregor Clegane, the most famous zombie of Game of Thrones, work? Who fought the mountain in Game of Thrones

Information has emerged about one of the biggest fights in the history of the series!

In a recent interview with fans on Instagram, Hafthor Bjornsson was asked which of The Mountain's battles was his favorite. The actor answered succinctly:

Journalists believe that all signs point to the long-awaited duel between the Clegane brothers - the Mountain and the Dog. However, all this is rather vague, since lately we have seen the revived Mountain extremely rarely. If Rory McCann, who played the Hound, said this, there would be no doubt, since this is a character who managed to fight with a large number of heroes like Brienne of Tarth, Arya Stark and even the army of the dead itself. Bjornsson's hero can only boast of an extremely memorable squeezing of the contents out of Oberyn Martell's head in season 4, which was one of our most terrible deaths in the series.

But what could lead to a battle between the brothers? In addition to an extremely tragic past (as a child, Grigor “The Mountain” burned out half of Sandor “The Hound’s” face because of a wooden toy), the last time the Cleganes saw each other was in the Dragon’s Lair, when Daenerys, along with Jon and the Hound, arrived for negotiations with Cersei, whose bodyguard is the Mountain. The Dog could not resist mocking his brother's current state: after death, Cersei's right hand somehow revived the Mountain, and now he only silently obeys her every word. Apparently, they have enough reasons for a dozen battles.

For the wedding of King Joffrey and Margaery and the House of Tyrrell, whose marriage should cement the union of the two richest houses, many guests from all corners of the Seven Kingdoms came to King's Landing.

The young king's uncle, the dwarf Tyrion Lannister ( Peter Dinklage), learned that instead of the ill ruler of Dorne, his younger brother, the excellent fighter Oberyn Martell, who was nicknamed the Red Viper for his habit of smearing his weapons with deadly poison, secretly came to the celebration.

During a meeting with Tyrion, Oberyn admits that he came with one purpose - to take revenge on Gregor Clegane, nicknamed the Mountain, who, during the rebellion of Robert Baratheon, raped his sister Elia, and then brutally killed her and her children. Knowing about Martell's hatred of his house, the head of the Lannister family - Tywin - actually offers him an alliance, introduces him to the Small Council and assures him that none of the Lannisters are involved in the murder of his sister.

At the wedding, King Joffrey humiliates Tyrion in every possible way. However, during the next insults, the young ruler suddenly grabs his throat and, poisoned by poison, dies in agony in his mother’s arms, pointing his hand at his uncle.

7. Tyrion Lannister's trial by duel between The Mountain and Oberyn Martell

Everyone decides that the king was poisoned by Tyrion, who repeatedly made threats against Joffrey. By order of Tywin Lannister, the dwarf is imprisoned while awaiting trial. Tyrion's fate will be decided by his father, as well as the head of the Tyrrell house, Mace, and the Dornishman Oberyn Martell.

At the trial, Tyrion's loved ones betray him by giving false testimony against him. During the break, Jaime's brother tells him that his father is ready to pardon his unloved son if he agrees to join the Night's Watch. However, the lies of his beloved woman Shai overwhelm the dwarf’s patience; he says everything he thinks about those present. Realizing that it is impossible to achieve justice, Tyrion demands a trial by combat.

But there is no one to fight for him: Jaime’s older brother lost his right hand in captivity and ceased to be a skilled fighter, and the mercenary thug Bronn, who saved Tyrion many times, refused the fight after learning that his opponent would be the invincible giant Horus (chosen by Cersei Lannister).

Oberyn Martell, who dreams of killing the Mountain, suddenly volunteers to fight for Tyrion. The Red Snake fought magnificently, even wounding the giant with a poisoned spear. But, winning during the battle, he became too carried away by the thirst for revenge and died. After this, Tywin announced that the gods had made a decision and sentenced his son to death.

Sire Grigor Clegane by nickname Galloping Mountain, or just Mountain- a knight of enormous stature from the Western Lands, the head of the House of Clegane, vassals of the Lannisters. He is the older brother of Sandor "The Hound" Clegane.

Gregor Clegane received the nickname "Leaping Mountain" due to his gigantic height: the eight-foot giant towers over even the largest people of the Seven Kingdoms. As a weapon, he uses a long two-handed sword, which he holds with one hand. Not only his colossal physical strength and endurance, but also his thoughtless cruelty gave him a bad reputation - the usually imperturbable Grigor Clegane easily kills and maims people and animals.

The Mountain became infamous during Robert Baratheon's rebellion: when he, Amory Lorch and other Lannister fighters stormed Maegor's stronghold in the Red Keep, the Mountain killed the little prince Aegon Targaryen, smashing his head against the wall, and then raped and killed the boy's mother, Elia Martell.

Past

At the age of 16 he was knighted by Rhaegar Targaryen, and four years earlier he crippled his younger brother Sandor when he saw how the boy took his children's toy without asking: Grigor held his seven-year-old brother over the fire until three adult men pulled him away from the brazier . The Clegane brothers also had a younger sister, who remained nameless and died under extremely dubious circumstances, possibly killed by Grigor.

© ill. Mihailo Dimitrovski (TheMico)

Shortly after Gregor became a knight, the Baratheon Rebellion began; in the final civil war Tywin Lannister and his army entered King's Landing and carried out a pogrom there. Among those who broke into the Red Castle was Gregor Clegane. It was alleged that Gregor took the king's grandson, the infant Aegon Targaryen, from his cradle, smashed his head against the wall, and then raped and killed the boy's mother, Princess Elia Martell. The bodies of Aegon, with his head crushed, and his sister Rhaenys, killed by Amory Lorch, were presented to Robert Baratheon to demonstrate Tywin Lannister's devotion to the new power.

It is known that the Mountain later participated in the suppression of the Greyjoy uprising - Eddard Stark remembered him among the other knights, although they never had a chance to talk.

Some very terrible things were said about Ser Grigor. It was said that he intended to marry a third time, and various rumors circulated regarding the causes of the death of his first two wives. Everyone considered his castle an ominous place, where even servants disappeared without counting, and dogs were afraid to enter the hall. His sister died under dubious circumstances, it was also known about the fire that disfigured his brother and about the hunting accident when his father died. Grigor inherited the castle, gold and family property. His younger brother Sandor left the castle on the same day to become a mercenary for the Lannisters; it was claimed that he never stopped by his home, even for a short visit. Game of Thrones, Eddard VII

Probably, the illness and drug addiction associated with it left their mark on the character of the Mountain. According to Maester Pycelle, who talked with the squire of the Mountain, it is known that Grigor Clegane was constantly tormented by severe headaches, and he became addicted to milk of the poppy and drank whole mugs of this intoxicating drug.

Events

Game of Thrones

Gregor Clegane. Artist Michael Komarck.

When Gregor killed the young knight Hugh of the Vale at a tournament in honor of the Hand, Sandor explained to Sansa that his brother noticed a poorly tied collar and struck in exactly that place. In a duel with Loras Tyrell, Grigor was thrown off by him (due to the anxiety of the stallion, who sensed a mare under Loras), flew into a rage, cut down his horse, rushed towards Tyrell and would certainly have killed him if not for the intervention of Sandor. The fight between the brothers continued until King Robert and 20 knights intervened. “The dog knelt. Ser Gregor's blow ripped through the air, and he finally came to his senses. Gregor dropped his sword and looked furiously at Robert, who was surrounded by the Royal Guard and a dozen knights and guards. Without another word, he walked away, pushing Barristan Selmy out of the way...”

Clash of Kings

Storm of Swords

Ser Gregor later returned to King's Landing, where he was exhibited as Joffrey's wrestler in the trial of Tyrion Lannister. Oberyn Martell, Tyrion's fighter, was known for using poisons, so although Gregor ended up killing his opponent, he himself was seriously wounded. With the permission of Queen Cersei, he was given alive to Qyburn for experiments and died in the dungeons of the Red Keep. Qyburn, with the help of beetles, cleared the Mountain's huge skull of flesh, and in a silver-inlaid ebony box, this “consolation gift” was sent to Doran Martell - with the goal of at least slightly improving the broken relationship between the Iron Throne and Dorne.

Feast of Vultures

However, Qyburn continued some mysterious manipulations in the dungeons. He promised Queen Cersei to create a magnificent bodyguard for royal family- incredibly loyal and capable of defeating anyone alive. For this purpose, Qyburn, through the queen, ordered huge armor, the size and weight of which caused extreme surprise among the blacksmiths. When Cersei fell into the hands of the Church of the Seven, Qyburn announced that the "ideal protector" was ready.

A Dance with Dragons

When news of the death of Arys Oakheart reached the capital, a new and unexpected replacement did indeed appear in the Royal Guard - the protector Qyburn had promised to the queen, "Ser Robert Strong", an eight-foot-tall giant who hides his face under a closed helmet and supposedly took a vow of silence. No one had heard of this knight before, and no one had seen him eat, drink, or go to the restroom. Presumably, under the armor of “Robert Strong” is hidden the corpse of Gregor Clegane, revived by black magic.

Quotes

A mindless monster prone to fits of blind rage. Game of Thrones, Tyrion

“A person who doesn’t see anything doesn’t know how to use his eyes,” declared the Mountain. “Such eyes need to be torn out and given to another intelligence officer; let him know that you believe that four eyes see better than two. If he doesn’t understand, the next one will have six eyes. Game of Thrones, Tyrion IX

Ser Gregor didn’t even look at what we were doing, but then he looked like this and demanded that the girl be brought to him. The old man dragged her from the kitchen - it was his own fault, there was no one else to blame. The sire looked at her and said. “Is it this whore that you are so worried about?” - and the old fool right in his face: “My Laina is not a whore, sir.” The sire, without blinking an eye, says: “You’re wrong.” A Clash of Kings, Arya VII

The Red Snake stopped and asked loudly:
- Did they tell you who I am?
“Dead,” Clegane grumbled through his teeth. A Storm of Swords, Tyrion X

TV series

Conan Stevens in the first season

The first actor invited to play the role of the Mountain is Conan Stevens, an Australian bodybuilder and actor, a man of impressive physical appearance: height 7 feet (~213 cm) and weight 145 kg. He originally auditioned for the role of Khal Drogo.

In the first season, there are only scenes of Gregor Clegane participating in the Tournament of the Hand - against Hugh of the Vale and Loras Tyrell, and then Sandor Clegane, and these are the only tournament fights that are shown in the series. Peasants from the Riverlands, in their account of the Mountain's raids, mention that the leader of the raiders cut down his horse with one blow - an obvious nod to a similar scene at the tournament.

In the second season, Stevens was replaced by another actor, Ian White. White is the same height as Stevens, although slightly narrower in the shoulders.

Ian White in season two

The fourth episode of the second season contains scenes with the Mountain at Harrenhal. The Mountain selects a victim to torture among the captives and points to the young man standing next to Arya. Later, Tywin Lannister, having entered Harrenhal, talks to the Mountain and Polliver about the prisoners - why are they being kept in the courtyard? He considers the cruelty of the Mountain to be wasteful and orders that each captive be given work according to his skills.

Throughout the season, the Mountain continues to serve as Cersei Lannister's loyal bodyguard and destroy her enemies. So Grigor, with particular cruelty, kills one of the Sparrows who had the courage to attack him. Cersei's message of disobedience to the High Sparrow reaches Lancel and the other Sparrows through this act of violence, and they retreat. Some time later, Gregor actively participates in Cersei and Qyburn's plot against the Tyrells and Sparrows. On the appointed day, Tommen Baratheon plans to visit the Sept of Baelor, where the Court of the Seven is taking place, but the Mountain blocks the young king's path. The Septa is mined by wildfire, and Cersei does not want her son to die along with the others. After the Sept's explosion, the Mountain leaves, leaving a shocked Tommen to his own devices; Out of grief and despair, Tommen jumps out the window and falls to his death. With one blow, Cersei deals with all her enemies, and Grigor, on her instructions, tortures Septa Unella in the dungeons of the Red Castle. Before this, Gregor removes the helmet of the Royal Guard, revealing his head, touched by decay. When Cersei is crowned in the throne room of the Red Keep, The Mountain and the rest of the Kingsguard accompany their queen.

We explore the biology of the elder Clegane, shown in detail in new series show.

In the fourth season of Game of Thrones, Oberyn Martell very successfully impaled Gregor Clegane on a poisoned spear, but never killed him. Using forbidden practices, Maester Qyburn keeps the Mountain alive, turning him into a zombie-like creature.

Since then, Clegane wears a completely closed helmet, his appearance and capabilities are practically not revealed. You can see Grigor’s face by processing the scene in the dungeons of the Red Castle, where Clegane tortures Septa Unella (or on the actor’s Instagram). The Mountain is not at all bothered by the knucklehead planted in his chest by one of the sparrows.

Now we know what Clegane really is: the Mountain's appearance and biology were revealed in the fifth episode of the final season of Game of Thrones.

It seems that the Mountain is not a mindless zombie after all: Qyburn did not kill him and resurrected him, but rather keeps Clegane alive. A hint of this appeared back in the sixth season, when the Mountain, walking through King's Landing, killed one of the braggarts - this was clearly his own initiative.

However, somehow Qyburn forced the Mountain to strictly obey orders. Well, not entirely strictly: hatred of the younger brother turned out to be stronger than the block put in place by the former maester.

During the duel, the Mountain is stripped of most of his armor; it is clearly visible that his face and body are covered with ulcers and scabs. Outwardly, Clegane really resembles a zombie. However, he thinks and even breathes: this is noticeable when the Mountain, left without a breastplate, tries to break his brother’s neck.

Although Clegane is clearly alive, it appears impossible to kill him by conventional means. During the battle, the brother thrusts a sword into Gora's chest, piercing him right through - he simply pulls out the blade and gets rid of part of the armor. It is clearly visible that some kind of blood is slowly flowing from the wound, but this apparently does not bother Clegane.

He is equally indifferent to several blows of a dagger to the neck. Brain damage, usually fatal to zombies, doesn't stop the Mountain either: he simply pulls out a dagger that is embedded in the eye socket and pierced right through the skull. True, with a broken head, the Mountain acts more slowly than usual and may be in pain.

It is noteworthy that in battle Clegane does not utter a single articulate word; It has been suggested in the past that after Qyburn's "treatment" the Mountain became much stronger, but certainly not wiser.

It can be assumed that to create the Mountain, Qyburn used not traditional necromancy, but blood magic, “the darkest of all witchcraft,” or some scientific discoveries made during the vivisection of living experimental subjects - Qyburn himself told Cersei Lannister about this.

In the series, Clegane's healing methods and the powers he acquired are not directly explained. Perhaps some clarification will appear in George Martin's books.