Why didn't the iron born attack bear island?

[Sir bron of the blackwater]

If you think about it logically it would of been one of the best places to attack in the north. For one its a island easy to get there and attack plus the north it this time had none or very little ships the could take it back?

[thelittledragonthatcould]

There was no rush. Taking Moat Cailin stops Robb from safely returning home and Deepwood Motte gives them a base within the North.

 

I imagine Deepwood Motte and the West Coast were easier to take than Bear Island where the women folk have had centuries of practice of fighting with the Ironborn. They would have put up more of a fight.

[Frey Pie]

Makes too much sense for them. Bear island would have fell easily enough given the numbers on either side, despite the ferocity of the natives. This is the one place where I feel the ironborn could conquer and keep in the North

[Barty]

Bear Island is always on the lookout for attacks from the IB. And they had not sent all their strength down South as seen by the men Alysane brings to Stannis (not many but even a few hundred can be a lot when defending their home turf). Also even their women have been trained to fight the IB.

 

Having said that - Bear Island makes a much better target than DM. Winterfell can gather men to retake DM but cant do so for Bear Island easily. Then again one should never expect common sense from someone like Balon GreyJoy

[Lord Wraith]

 Then again one should never expect common sense from someone like Balon GreyJoy

 

Indeed.

[Frey Pie]

The one reason for attacking the western coast (besides plot) instead of bear island is that it gains them the advantage of surprise and the possibility to make some temporary gains

[pigpiginsunspear]

Too impoverished? Too far North? Too cold?

[digger]

Nothing to plunder, not strategic, and full of bad asses who won't go down without a fight.

[Raving Stark the Mad]

There's nothing there.  It's like choosing between attacking Maine, or attacking the Ile d'Anticosti. 

[Frey Pie]

Nothing to plunder? Nothing strategic?

Bear island is huge compared to most of the isles. It's densely wooded, which is as valuable as it gets to a society where boats and naval warfare are so prevalent. It's provides land and lumber, as well as new fishing grounds

Not strategic? The iron isles are hundreds of miles away from the North. It's impossible to coordinate reinforcments and orders from their Hq on Pyke. Beat island is right next door to the north. It gives them a secure base within the north to work from

Bear island is massively valuable to the ironborn, far more so than the places they attacked

[Ferocious Veldt Roarer]

Maybe, when you lose an island in a wrestling match fair and square, retaking it by force makes you look a sore loser and other kids won't play with you again.

 

I know it sounds stupid, but hey, they're the ironborn, that's how they like it. B)

[Raving Stark the Mad]

Nothing to plunder? Nothing strategic?

Bear island is huge compared to most of the isles. It's densely wooded, which is as valuable as it gets to a society where boats and naval warfare are so prevalent. It's provides land and lumber, as well as new fishing grounds

Not strategic? The iron isles are hundreds of miles away from the North. It's impossible to coordinate reinforcments and orders from their Hq on Pyke. Beat island is right next door to the north. It gives them a secure base within the north to work from

Bear island is massively valuable to the ironborn, far more so than the places they attacked

I get the idea that the Ironborn dont' have a "wood problem".  They're not looking for wood.  They're looking for gold, slaves, and women.  They don't need a secure base because they already have one in the Iron Isles. 

 

Bear Island seems to be pretty short on gold, short on food, and their women are apparently either hairy, disagreeable, or into bestiality.

[Wavey Sauce]

Bear Island is useless

[Frey Pie]

I get the idea that the Ironborn dont' have a "wood problem".  They're not looking for wood.  They're looking for gold, slaves, and women.  They don't need a secure base because they already have one in the Iron Isles. 
 
Bear Island seems to be pretty short on gold, short on food, and their women are apparently either hairy, disagreeable, or into bestiality.

Logically speaking they should have a wood problem. Where are the woods on the isles? But of course a lot of this doesn't make it into the books, as there is only so much room between two covers.

Slaves and women they can get off Bear Island. Dacey Mormont us supposed to be pretty mint and I'm sure she's not the only one. And I'm also sure the ironborn would prefer the woman to be disagreeable...

The iron isles are too fat away. How long does it take word to get to Balon that the Manderlys have an army marcching on the Moat? How long does it take balons orders to Asha to help Victarion take? All too long. Bear island gives them a line of supply and a secure base far closer to their actual operations

[sweetsunray]

I get the idea that the Ironborn dont' have a "wood problem".  They're not looking for wood.  They're looking for gold, slaves, and women.  They don't need a secure base because they already have one in the Iron Isles. 

 

Bear Island seems to be pretty short on gold, short on food, and their women are apparently either hairy, disagreeable, or into bestiality.

 

And the possible bear curse.

 

short bear folklore: Bears are lords of the forest, king of nature, they are nature's force. They don't hunt game, but they protect it. Catching one can mean a yearlong bountiful hunting period. You can do it the right, respectful way so the bear spirit doesn't take revenge on you. Or you can do it the wrong way, and the bear spirit annihilates your male bloodline.

 

short analogy to bear island: capturing Bear island, can provide great reaving success of other territory and riches. But it can end up annihilating the male bloodline. House Hoare of IB did it. And they went extinct with Harren, who incidentally also was a huge fan of bear-bating and built a bear-pit at HH. Why'd you think HH is cursed? We see Vargo trying to do the exact same thing by bringing in a bear, and double his "forage" results, and he gets literally obliterated by being eaten, including by himself. Craster's keep has a bear skull hanging at the gate, with flesh still on it, and Dolorous Edd remarks on glumly as he talks about how Craster "extorts" Jeor the Old Bear out axes and wine and such (having GRRM put emphasis on the skull being there, after Jon already noted it long before that) + some strange talk between Edd and Dywen about bears a little later -> Craster's sons are "sacrificed" already, Craster gets kills, mutineers kill the Old Bear, and get offed by Coldhands and eaten by wolves. And Theon notes bear scratch marks while hunting Bran & Rickon in the forest and then a little later talks aloud about hunting bear and wishing for a bear (bears in folklore belief can understand human speech), and Theon supposedly lost his ....

 

Maybe Balon is superstituous of Bear island?

[Sullen]

I get the idea that the Ironborn dont' have a "wood problem".  They're not looking for wood.  They're looking for gold, slaves, and women.  They don't need a secure base because they already have one in the Iron Isles. 

 

Bear Island seems to be pretty short on gold, short on food, and their women are apparently either hairy, disagreeable, or into bestiality.

 

TWoIaF implies they do have a wood problem, and resort to stealing wood from other regions in order to build their ships.

 

Also, the North in general is short on gold, they didn't attack because they were looking for gold, they attacked because they were looking for land. (And in Balon's case, a bit of revenge)

[Frey Pie]

I get the idea that the Ironborn dont' have a "wood problem".  They're not looking for wood.  They're looking for gold, slaves, and women.  They don't need a secure base because they already have one in the Iron Isles. 
 
Bear Island seems to be pretty short on gold, short on food, and their women are apparently either hairy, disagreeable, or into bestiality.

Logically speaking they should have a wood problem. Where are the woods on the isles? But of course a lot of this doesn't make it into the books, as there is only so much room between two covers.

Slaves and women they can get off Bear Island. Dacey Mormont us supposed to be pretty mint and I'm sure she's not the only one. And I'm also sure the ironborn would prefer the woman to be disagreeable...

The iron isles are too fat away. How long does it take word to get to Balon that the Manderlys have an army marcching on the Moat? How long does it take balons orders to Asha to help Victarion take? All too long. Bear island gives them a line of supply and a secure base far closer to their actual operations

[mediterraneo]

My take is that Bear's Island is too far North with respect to their main axis of attack.
So it is non-decisive in the main struggle, and open to be taken at a second time if things go well, and not able to create problems on its own if things go good. If Deepwood Motte and Bear's Island strenght were equal, you could concentrate DM forces with Winterfell's for a reaction, but not the opposite. Winterfell's defenders and Bear's Island ones would be each fortificate their position separately, with great difficulties in comunication, cooperation and decision making.
 

Balon plans on winning, on winning fast, winning often, force a decisive battle by having lots and lots of vassals go crying to Robb.
It actually worked, with Theon handstrike helping greatly. Robb was going to come North, and having to face Moat Cailin.

The plan relied on quick, decisive strikes. Attacking Bear Island would have taken time, men, ships. Deepwood Motte, Torrhen's Square, Barrowtown and Moat Cailin are all better objectives to menace Winterfell and White Harbour. On the amount of spoils there, we can speculate but...

Stony Shore has probably lots of little harbours -the "fishermen's villages" Theon mentions - where a captain could feel himself a king.
Maybe that's what the Ironborn ship captains dream of - when they are not Greyjoy forgotten heirs.
Stony Shore, with Deepwood Motte taken and Torrhen's Square contested (Theon took it with ONE ship and NO losses!) is de-facto an island, much bigger than Bear's Island. And farther away from any organized resistence from the northerners.
Being sparcely populated can also be a plus: the ships ravaging Stoney Shore can occupy the place with little resources, doubling up to take Flint's Finger too, if and when Robb gets north of Moat Cailin or gets defeated.

 

Bear's Island richness - in people and arable lands and maybe even wood - can be a tough prey to eat and digest: any subject you get is a subject you have to control too. Maybe it will be worthy of a coordinated campaign later on, if the North is de-facto defeated.

If there is something tha Ironborn have in shallow levels is manpower.

 

Just my two cents!

[Raving Stark the Mad]

And I'm also sure the ironborn would prefer the woman to be disagreeable...
 

Why in the name of the drowned gawd would the ironmen want disagreeable thralls and saltwives? 

 

OK, let's say they have a wood problem.  Now, Balon's plan seemed to be to seize and maintain control over as much land as possible in the North.  He probably wants land that has more people, more industry, better ariability, and more defensible, hence the reasons he attacked the places he did.  Bear Island, again, is even MORE sparse then the rest of the North. It's not valuable at all.

[The Mountain That Flies]

Taking Bear Island would have been a logical first step in a long-term plan to organically grow the Ironborn's realm, which would have taken hard work, patience, and lots of logistical planning.

In short, it would have been the antithesis of everything Balon Grejoy stands for.