Fans of the “Song of Ice and Fire” cycle are well aware that not all George Martin’s heroes moved from the pages of books to the series. One of such "forgotten" directors of the heroes was John Connington, Lord of the Griffon Roost and the head of the House of Connington.
Biography
John is the only surviving son of Lord Armond Connington. From his youth he was a squire in the Royal Harbor. First he served with the young Prince Reigar, and later for him. During the meeting, young people became close friends. For belonging to the home of the Connington, the heir was given the nickname Grif.
During the uprising raised by Robert Baratheon, King Ayeris Targaryen appointed John as his right hand. He hoped that Connington would succeed in crushing the riot. But he did not manage. For this, after the bell battle, Ayeris stripped the young man of all his titles, lands, wealth and sent into exile overseas. There, John Connington joined the detachment of Golden Swords, served for 5 years. He was expelled for theft of the treasury. After that, John was rumored to have drunk in Lisse and died.
This is a short story of John. Now let's talk about his life path in more detail.
Appearance and character
Photo by John Connington - as a rule, drawings of fans of the cycle "Song of Ice and Fire." For the first time, readers will learn about him in the book "Dance with the Dragons." According to the fans of the cycle, at that time he was over forty. His blue eyes are unusually cold. It seems to people that he has not eyes, but two prickly ice cubes, around which time has drawn wrinkles. While in exile, John dyed his fiery red hair blue in Essex fashion, and his chin shaved clean. On the way back to Vasteras, he again released his beard.
Kivan Lannister recalled John as a bold, stubborn, hungry for glory and reckless youth. Thanks to these qualities, as well as his military talents and high origin, he became the right hand.
Later, an experienced fighter and a prudent commander appear before the reader. John is the strongest figure on the side of Eigon Targaryen. Only he is able to put the young man on the throne.
John Connington and Reyegar Targaryen
The young people became friends at a time when both were squires. Later, John joined the service of Reyegar and became his close friend.
Many readers suspect Greif of being gay because of his fond memories of his fallen comrades (Reyegar and captain of the Golden Swords Toyne). Interestingly, George Michael himself did not refute these rumors, but rather gave them a new round in one of his interviews. Also in favor of this theory is the fact that Grif was not interested in girls and could not stand Reyegar's wife. He considered her unworthy of the "silver prince."
Bell battle
Thanks to courage, perseverance, thirst for glory and military abilities, John became the right hand of King Airis II. As a reward, he received the lands of the Stormbreaker, although in fact the castle remained with Stannis Baratheon.
Under Ashford, a significant battle took place - the only defeat of Robert during the uprising. The wounded rebel left the battlefield and headed for the river lands, where reinforcements awaited him. John Connington overtook the enemy in the small town of Stone Septa, and began to look for Robert in all the buildings of the city. But the inhabitants transferred the wounded leader from house to house, so the royal army had no chance to find a fugitive. At this time, Stark, Tally and Arron with the army came to the aid of Robert. A fierce battle broke out on the streets of the city, nicknamed Kolokolnaya, because the septons rang the bells, urging civilians not to leave their houses.
John fought bravely, but knew defeat due to the numerical superiority of the enemy. Despite this, he managed to withdraw the remnants of his army from the city. The vulture could set fire to the whole city with Robert, but he wanted to win in a fair fight. The killing of innocent citizens he considered a low deed.
Upon learning of the victory of the rebels, Ayeris II robbed the Connington family of lands, wealth, and sent John overseas.
Here's what John Connington himself says about the Bell Battle in Dragon Dance. Quote:
"The bells rang for all of us that day. For Ayris and his queen, for Elia Dorniyskaya and her little daughter, for every real man and honest woman in the Seven Kingdoms. And for my silver prince."
Exile to Essos
After Vulture lost everything, he arrived in Essos and joined the detachment of Golden Swords. He fought a lot and became famous in the battles. Therefore, gradually over the five years of service, John rose to the right hand of Captain General Miles Toyne. But then he disappeared.
They said that he was caught behind the theft of the treasury, but these were rumors launched by the faithful birdies of Varis. In fact, the eunuch suggested that John Connington bring up the saved son of Reyegar. Although it is not known for certain whether this is true or not, Varis claimed that he managed to change the babies in the cradle, and thereby saved the heir to the Targaryen house.
Return to Westeros
When Eigon, nicknamed the Young Vulture, matured, the father and son named decided to return to Westeros and join the struggle for the iron throne. While traveling to Valantis on the River Royne, John catches Tyrion from the water, who fell there during a battle with infected with gray ailment. Having reached the city, Vulture met with the captains of the Golden Swords and revealed to them his names and his son. Connington discovered that he had contracted a gray ailment, but kept it a secret.
At the head of the army, John Connington returns to Vasteras and immediately takes his ancestral castle, the Griffins perch. He sends a letter to King Tomen asking for clemency to divert suspicion from the true motive of return.
In The Winds of Winter, John Connington embarks on a successful campaign and takes control of the Storm's End - an impregnable castle. The head of the attack is Eigon Targaryen.
John Connington in the series
In the series "Game of Thrones" John Connington does not appear. Part of his image goes to Jorah Mormont (salvation from the Tyrion River and infection with gray ailment). But at the end of the seventh season it is mentioned that Queen Cersei summoned the Golden Swords detachment from Volantis. This gave rise to fans of books in the cycle "Song of Ice and Fire" to hope that John will appear on movie screens. There are many applicants for the role of the Neck. Consider each of them.
Kevin McKidd
This actor is known for his roles in the series (Rome, Anatomy of Passion) and films (On the Needle, Kingdom of Heaven). The creators of the series really hope that he will be able to join the shooting. But this is difficult due to Kevin’s busy schedule. He plays one of the leading roles in the successful show "Anatomy of Passion." Therefore, there is little chance of seeing this strong-willed man in the role of John Connington in the Game of Thrones. In the photo above, an actor in the image of Poseidon from the movie "Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief"
Ben daniels
This is a famous actor in England. He starred in the British version of the series Law and Order, and in 2015 he played a role in the mini-series Flesh and Bones. Now Ben is also involved in the work on the interesting project "Exorcist", where he appears in the guise of a priest - an exorcist.
Tony curran
Many know this red-haired Scot, who starred in almost a hundred films. The experience gained during the filming of “Blade II”, “13 Warrior”, “Another World: Evolution”, “X-Men: First Class”, “Gladiator” will definitely help him when working on “Thrones”, and the historical surroundings and military uniforms are not new for him. No doubt this actor John Connington will play great.
Jason Isaacs
This actor is known to the Potter fans of the entire planet. His cold, vicious, cowardly hero Lucius Malfoy turned out to be very convincing. But not only the mischievous magician can boast of Isaacs appearance. Captain James Hook also played this talented actor. In 2017, Jason signed a contract to participate in a long-term project and became one of the residents of the Star Trek universe. He again plays a bad person in the series Star Trek: Discovery.
Sean Harris
This is another fiery red temperamental Englishman on this list. He also has experience in filming in historical projects. He gained a lot of fans by starring in the atmospheric TV series Borgia. And in 2015 he took part in the new film adaptation of the English classic Macbeth.
Denouement is close
The seventh season ended, leaving many questions open. Who will be the king (queen) of Westeros? Is it so important if the King of the Night wins? Will Aigon Targaryen and his mentor John Connington be introduced or not Daenerys rivals? But whoever joins the cast, the audience is waiting for the most powerful finale of the most expensive television saga. To shoot this part of the last season, a budget of $ 15 million has been laid. An extravaganza awaits us with many fights and spectacular special effects. The start of the season is scheduled for 2018. But due to the fact that each series will be an hour and a half, and the script is written almost from scratch, the shooting may be delayed. In this case, the final of the Game of Thrones will be released in early 2019. Viewers can only look forward to the epic spectacle. In the meantime, you can review the already released series and re-read books.