Ellaria Sand

Character description

Ellaria Sand is a bastard from Dorne but is not discriminated against for this, as Dorne's views and customs towards children born out of wedlock differ from those of the rest of Westeros, where bastards are often discriminated against. She is the paramour of Oberyn Martell's, as even in Dorne a Prince cannot marry a bastard, and mother of the four youngest Sand Snakes, Oberyn's bastard daughters. She is vengeful, and like Oberyn, bisexual.

Overview

In the novels, Ellaria Sand is mostly a background character. She is not a point of view character; rather, her actions are witnessed and interpreted through the eyes of other people.

A Storm of Swords

Ellaria comes with Oberyn to King's Landing, as part of Tyrion Lannister's efforts to win them to the Iron Throne. Oberyn, however, clearly wants revenge for his relatives' deaths, apparently on the orders of Tywin Lannister, during King Robert's rebellion. Oberyn wants Ellaria to sit with him at Joffrey Baratheon's wedding, causing trouble when Olenna Tyrell calls her "the serpent's whore". Later, when Tyrion is condemned for poisoning Joffrey Baratheon, Oberyn acts as his champion in a Trial by Combat against Ser Gregor Clegane, who had raped and murdered Oberyn's sister Elia Martell, during the Sack of King's Landing. Oberyn wounds Gregor with a poisoned spear but is killed by Gregor. Afterwards, Ellaria returns to Dorne.

A Dance with Dragons

Gregor Clegane apparently dies of the poison after spending days in agony (Oberyn having treated the poison to work slowly). His skull is sent to Dorne, where Oberyn's brother Doran Martell, the ruling Prince of Dorne, sees it. Despite Gregor and Tywin's deaths Oberyn's bastard daughters want revenge. Ellaria argues against revenge, saying all those they want revenge against are dead and the Lannisters they are now targeting took no part in their kin's deaths. She reminds them Oberyn died for trying to avenge his relatives' deaths and worries they will get killed if they try to get vengeance for him, and will draw her daughters into the cycle of revenge. Doran sends her back to her father Lord Harmen Uller of Hellholt with her youngest daughter Loreza Sand.

Season 4

Ellaria Sand's storyline is very similar to her storyline in A Storm of Swords.

Season 5

Ellaria goes to Doran Martell, Prince of Dorne and Oberyn's brother, to try to persuade him to take revenge for his brother's death. However, Doran refuses, as Oberyn's death was caused by trial by combat, and therefore by Westerosi law, Gregor Clegane did not murder Oberyn. Ellaria soon realises after this that Jaime Lannister is sailing for Dorne, and Ellaria presumes correctly that Jaime is planning to rescue Cersei Lannister's, and Jaime's, daughter Myrcella, who is in Dorne and betrothed to Doran's son Trystane. When Jaime arrives at the Water Gardens, a residence of House Martell where Myrcella and Ellaria and situated, the Sand Snakes, Oberyn's bastard daughters, one of which is Ellaria's daughter, attack Jaime and Bronn, acting under orders of Ellaria. However, the skirmish ends when Jaime, Bronn, the Sand Snakes and Ellaria are all arrested by the Martell guards. Soon after this, Doran and Jaime reach a deal where Trystane will still marry Myrcella, but the two will live in King's Landing and Trystane will be granted a seat on the Small Council. Ellaria is threatened with death by Doran if she ever defies him again and she feigns allegiance to him. She kisses Myrcella goodbye at the docks, secretly wearing lipstick coated with a slow-acting poison, which kills Myrcella on the ship headed for King's Landing.

Season 6

After Doran Martell realises that Myrcella has been murdered, Ellaria stabs Doran, while in King's Landing Obara and Nymeria Sand, who had snuck onto the ship headed to King's Landing, kill Trystane. This makes Ellaria de facto ruler of Dorne. A while later, Ellaria meets Olenna Tyrell, whose son and grandchildren have been killed by Cersei, now Queen of the Seven Kingdoms. Ellaria then reveals her allegiance to Daenerys Targaryen. Later, Martell and Tyrell ships can be seen in Daenerys' fleet heading for Westeros.

TV adaptation

Ellaria Sand is played by the British actress Indira Varma in the television adaption of the series of books. She won the Empire Hero Award along with the rest of the cast in 2015. She was also nominated, along with the rest of the cast for Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series in 2016.