What makes Sandor Clegane awesome.

[Rolex Baratheon]

I think that he isn't the typical psychologically scarred anti-hero who had a childhood experience which haunts him to this very day.

I think that, for one, the fact that he is not small and weak like you'd expect the future form of a child victim to be, but huge and strong and fierce is really non-cliche and amazing.

Plus he does not live in fear of the 'monster of his childhood'; instead, he wants to kill it. That's really BA.

[Night Gathers]

Most people would rather deny a hard truth than face it; Sandor never denies the truth, no matter how hard it is.

He ironically has more honor than most knights.

[Winter's Knight]

The fact that he doesn't strike Jaime as the raping sort. This struck me in particular because just a bit before he muses on how even the most normal of men rape in the midst of battle lust.

[Rolex Baratheon]

And he never once goes through with his empty threats to Arya. I loved the interaction between the two. His respect for Arya's toughness was so visible.

[Lady Sansa Stark]

The fact that he is actually an honorable knight in King's Landing while not even being a knight.

Helping out a 13-year-old, abused girl whom he mocks all the time, because she reminds him of himself.

“BUGGER THAT. AND YOU.” “BUGGER THE KING’S HAND.” In the HBOseries, it was even more awesome.

[I'll pay the iron price]

He's a hard as nails guy who had a bad childhood yet does have a heart in that he wanted to Shield Sansa from Joffreys abuse.

I really hope we havent seen the last of the Hound as he deserves a better ending!

[SerStinger]

Actually we were talking about author's avatar, I think Sandor might come across as some kind of "voice of the author", or the conscience of the series. He is scarred, angry, and badass, and he is very honest and straightforward, but what sets him apart from a character like Ned is the fact that he is disillusioned, and he is right, he points out the hypocrisy of knighthood and the corruption behind the values and the social systems of the era, he is more enlightened than any other character in the book, except maybe Sansa.

[lilenadheas]

Because he and Jaime act as the readers voice throughout the series. Both are extremely hostile to the ruling regime, Jaime of the medieval concept of honour and Sandor of the noble ruling classes. THese are thoroughly modern, post revolution views, and allows the reader to empathize with and become engaged with both characters and their arcs. Their views on rape seem to both correspond, and is much more modern than a good deal of the characters. Admittedly, we don't know Sandor's exact feelings, but Jaime says he doesn't strike him as the raping type, which I take as sound judgement.

There is a certain mirroring with both characters, Jaime is the soiled but perfect looking knight and Sandor is the physically mutilated and world weary "I'm no Ser" vagabond, who in actual fact, performs many "knightly" feats, such as protecting the innocent. (Umm, except Mycah...Shit). Jaime's relationship with Cersei is courtly love gone way, way disturbed, while Sandor's relationship with Sansa is in fact much closer to the protecting and idolizing role of the knight to the noble lady.

[Jolene Brown]

I think that he isn't the typical psychologically scarred anti-hero who had a childhood experience which haunts him to this very day.

I think that, for one, the fact that he is not small and weak like you'd expect the future form of a child victim to be, but huge and strong and fierce is really non-cliche and amazing.

Plus he does not live in fear of the 'monster of his childhood'; instead, he wants to kill it. That's really BA.

I think that's a really good point, one I've never thought about. It is a really interesting dichotomy, this great strong man carrying around this terrible wound and scar from an even bigger stronger brother. Normally, you would except the "big, giant hulk" brother and the "small weak intellectual" brother, but instead, Sandor and Gregor have similar physical qualities, but Gregor is the brutal, cruel version. There's also something surprising about the fact that what happened was all about a toy, even if it was a toy soldier. There's something poignant about little five year old Sandor wanting to play with the wooden soldier and never even really getting to enjoy it because he knew all along something bad would happen when he was caught.

I LOVE THE HOUND.

[The Mountain That Flies]

It's my belief that Sandor (when in perfect health) is the best swordsman in the series. Jaime is better technique-wise, Oberyn is a bit craftier, and Gregor is notably stronger, but Sandor's ferocity and his dedication to killing make him a terrifying presence on the battlefield. Yet underneath that scarred and aggressive condemner, he's a boy who had his childhood destroyed by a single act of malice.

Sandor has no problems defying authority figures and gives precisely zero f***s. He goes out of his way to protect the most fragile of all the POV characters, yet still comes across as a complete and utter bad-ass. He has the honor of a true knight, but looks like a monster. Besides Tyrion (who he has a wonderfully reciprocated antagonism with), he's the best example of a character with strongly contrasting traits in the series, and that make him and incredibly engaging character.

[Mad Madam Mim]

When we first meet Sandor he is painted as a one dimensional monster who thrives on killing and violence and is the least likely person we would expect to form a bond with the fragile, delicate lady Sansa. I view the Sansa/Sandor relationship as a twisted Beauty and the Beast in which the Beast is not just physically flawed but bears deep emotional scars aswell. I don’t view this in an idealistic way as Sandor’s beast has committed many unforgivable acts (ie. killing inncocent boys = big no no), however, through his interactions with Sansa we realise that his character is much more complex and this large brute who claims “killing is the sweetest thing there is” slowly begins to unravel as he begins to question the life he has been leading which eventually leads to the ultimate act of defiance and deserting during the battle of Blackwater. Despite Sandor protesting that he is not a knight, he unwittingly displays many knightly virtues and the dichotomy between the hound and Sandor gives the reader hope that Sandor can cast aside the hate and self-loathing which have been the primary motivations behind his actions so far and become the person he was suppose to be before his brother burned his face in the fire.

Add to this his cracking one liners and we have ourselves an awsome Sandor Clegane (with a wicked horse).

[Kittykatknits]

You might like this thread if you haven't seen it before:

My response is below

Sandor Clegane is on my top five favorite character list; I find him fascinating. Lots already have given their opinion, some I agree with and some I do not. I think Martin's introduction of Sandor the character through to his complete breakdown is an incredible read. His speech is beautfiul to me, it is a mix of the poetic and the profane, unique from other characters. The descriptions of him are great, not just the burns, but his eyes glow and shine, he growls, he hulks. He doesn't just have the name of a dog, he is physically described as one too.

GRRM introduced us to Sandor in one of the first chapters of the book, through Ned. The first several mentions of him are not positive. He teases Robb, kills Mycah, calls the wolves nursemaids, and offers to kill Summer (is it wrong that this bothers me more than Mycah?). I started the first half of GOT hating the guy. Then, out of nowhere we get a glimpse of the man underneath when he tells Sansa the story of his burns. We are given a hint in to his past, forced to reflect on knighthood, and realize he's not just a dog. It was a hard scene to read and tells us quite a bit. He's playing with not just any toy, but a knight. He was once just as attracted as Sansa to the ideals of knighthood and chivalry. But that got ripped away in one single moment, not just damaging him physically but emotionally as well.

Then, the very next day, at the tourney we see him jump in to defend Loras against his brother. There are three things going on here. First, the most obvious, is to stop his brother from going after someone who is defenseless. Second, we see him fight defensively against his brother which indicates just how skilled he is as well as his refusal to attack when his brother is unhelmed. However, there is something else going on that I think is much less obvious. Sandor stops fighting very quickly when the king commands them to stop, which I believe Sandor may be a bit grateful for. His life, until this point, has been centered around the desire to kill his brother. But, I also believe he is still afraid of him, especially in light of many of his later comments, think of "As long as I have this, there is no one I need fear", alluding to his sword. Gregor is the demon he can't slay. Then, of course, we get Ned's comment on Sandor winning the love of the commons for the first time ever, which is a rather heartbreaking line as it further reinforces just how much of an outsider he is.

There are a couple other great scenes in GOT that help reveal the Hound as well. After Barristan is kicked out of the KG, Sandor is asked to join. He considers this with a very long, pregnant pause, it's obvious something is going through his head but we don't know what. Finally, he agrees stating that he has no land, wife, or family to forsake and no one who would care if he did. So, that makes us wonder, did he ever dream of those things or is this another expression of his bitterness? I personally believe it is a mixture of both, especially when combined with his tale to Sansa earlier. The other revealing scene with him is later after Ned's death and Sansa is hit for the first time. He offers her some very good advice, showing he's got insight in to not just Joff but others at court. He's more observant than his role as the hulking bodyguard would indicate.

At Joff's name day tourney, we see him lie for Sansa, express scorn for knights with his "you'd be one knight the poorer" line, and commend Tommen for his courage. It's a great scene, showing us once again that there is more to the guy than may appear on the surface as we get another reference to his fighting skills, a subtle dig at Joff, and an indicator that for all his talk of lies, he's willing to bend the truth when he needs to.

I think most would agree that Sandor is a broken man but the common assumption is that this happened during the BBW. I disagree, it's been happening almost since the time we met him. We have his burn story and the comments about the KG. At the end of GOT, he lies to the king, stops Sansa from killing Joff, and offers her advice on how to handle Joff as well. Small acts in some ways but these are huge for someone who has defined himself for most of his life as the Lannister Dog, The Hound. We are already getting clues that something is not right with him. Then, during the serpentine steps conversation, he helps her out with Blount. But, paying attention to what he says, wevknow that he feels disgust and contempt for his so-called brothers. He's not a part of them, he doesn't belong. Then, when she is beaten and stripped Sandor flat out refuses an order and says "enough". This tells us his breaking is now further along. His efforts in the past were circumspect in the form of advice. Now, he's refusing orders and trying to stop Joff. He's gone public so to speak. Even worse for him, Tyrion, who he despises, is the one that stops the beating. For Sandor, who defines himself as a fighter and warrior, this must be a very shaming and emasculating act. At the riot, he was the one assigned to protect Joff but, when forced to make a decision, he chose Sansa over the king. Again, going against his vows and tearing himself further away from his "Hound" persona. He's just told the world who he would protect if he had to make a choice. Then, we see him on the rooftop just before the BBW. He's watching the fire, he's trying to face his fears. His words and conversations here are very erratic. Finally, the BBW happens and we all know what he does. Sandor refuses Tyrion's orders after spending the past several hours fighting in fire. He goes to Sansa's room and completely botches his rescue attempt. Instead of saving her, he takes a song at the point of a knife. Yes the fire played a big role in his breaking but it's been coming all along. The BBW just made it a very sudden and violent break.

Then in Storm, we see him fight against Beric and beat him, with HIS ARM ON FIRE. Of course, before he does this, we get one of my favorite speeches in the series, "a knights a sword on a horse...", he owns Thoros and the BBW, and shows off some of his dark humor. But, he's burned again and completely breaks down, reverting back to the small boy who was held down in to the flames by his brother. He loses his gold and then has another great line about making his knight a horse.

Next, he's wandering the Riverlands with Arya, hoping to ransom her off to her brother and then her aunt. After those hopes are dashed, it's pretty clear this guy is suicidal and that taking care of Arya is one of the few things holding him together, but even that is proving less effective over time. He may be his own dog but the man has no idea what to do without a master. He's spent his life spurning knights yet at the same time enjoyed all the benefits of knighthood. He is now no longer a part of the system but having been a part of it, can not be accepted elsewhere. He's stuck, with no purpose. The final moment of his breaking occurs at the Inn of the Crossroads when he finds out what happens to Sansa. If you match his words with the actions, you can see what he is thinking. He knows a fight is coming and is just waiting for it to start. Finally, Arya leaves him to die under a tree after hearing his dying words, which are some of the most misinterpreted lines in the entire series.

For me, watching this journey is tragic and sad. I find him absolutely fascinating. Superficially, he's the ideal male specimen in Westeros. A prized fighter, a warrior, tall, strong, fit, and one the best swordsmen in the realm. But, underneath it is a man with deep trauma who is emotionally stunted and has only been able to connect with a single person in his entire life. It's a great story.

Oh, and also, he's a bad ass.

[Little Red Riding Hood]

Sandor is saying (and being viscerally sincere) us all the time (forces us to hear and we are trembling for that):

Put aside social conventions, all these falsehood.

Say what you really feel and (in the case of Sansa almost always. And is for that reason the Hound that is so Hot:)

Let us do everything we want to do, you and me, the one with the other : their deepest desires, even when they are wild and dark (Irresistible, Ha?!)(y además haciéndonos sentir empatía!):

A clear example is this scene(Night´s feast of the tournament in a dark field):

Sansa could feel the Hound watching her. ..

The Hound snatched up a torch to light their way. Sansa followed close beside him. The ground was rocky and uneven; the flickering light made it seem to shift and move beneath her. She kept her eyes lowered, watching where she placed her feet. They walked among the pavilions, each with its banner and its armor hung outside, the silence weighing heavier with every step. Sansa could not bear the sight of him, he frightened her so, yet she had been raised in all the ways of courtesy. A true lady would not notice his face, she told herself. “You rode gallantly today, Ser Sandor,” she made herself say.

Sandor Clegane snarled at her. “Spare me your empty little compliments, girl . . . and your ser’s. I am no knight. I spit on them and their vows. My brother is a knight. Did you see him ride today?”

“Yes,” Sansa whispered, trembling. “He was . . .”

“Gallant?” the Hound finished.

He was mocking her, she realized. “No one could withstand him,” she managed at last, proud of herself. It was no lie.

Sandor Clegane stopped suddenly in the middle of a dark and empty field. She had no choice but to stop beside him. “Some septa trained you well. You’re like one of those birds from the Summer Isles, aren’t you? A pretty little talking bird, repeating all the pretty little words they taught you to recite.”

“That’s unkind.” Sansa could feel her heart fluttering in her chest. “You’re frightening me. I want to go now.”

“No one could withstand him,” the Hound rasped. “That’s truth enough. No one could ever withstand Gregor. That boy today, his second joust, oh, that was a pretty bit of business. You saw that, did you? Fool boy, he had no business riding in this company. No money, no squire, no one to help him with that armor. That gorget wasn’t fastened proper. You think Gregor didn’t notice that? You think Ser Gregor’s lance rode up by chance, do you? Pretty little talking girl, you believe that, you’re empty-headed as a bird for true. Gregor’s lance goes where Gregor wants it to go. Look at me. Look at me!” Sandor Clegane put a huge hand under her chin and forced her face up. He squatted in front of her, and moved the torch close. “There’s a pretty for you. Take a good long stare. You know you want to . I’ve watched you turning away all the way down the kingsroad. Piss on that. Take your look.”

His fingers held her jaw as hard as an iron trap. His eyes watched hers. Drunken eyes, sullen with anger. She had to look.

The right side of his face was gaunt, with sharp cheekbones and a grey eye beneath a heavy brow. His nose was large and hooked, his hair thin, dark. He wore it long and brushed it sideways, because no hair grew on the other side of that face.

The left side of his face was a ruin. His ear had been burned away; there was nothing left but a hole. His eye was still good, but all around it was a twisted mass of scar, slick black flesh hard as leather, pocked with craters and fissured by deep cracks that gleamed red and wet when he moved. Down by his jaw, you could see a hint of bone where the flesh had been seared away.

Sansa began to cry. He let go of her then, and snuffed out the torch in the dirt. “No pretty words for that, girl? No little compliment the septa taught you?” When there was no answer, he continued. “Most of them, they think it was some battle. A siege, a burning tower, an enemy with a torch. One fool asked if it was dragonsbreath.” His laugh was softer this time, but just as bitter. “I’ll tell you what it was, girl,” he said, a voice from the night, a shadow leaning so close now that she could smell the sour stench of wine on his breath. “I was younger than you, six, maybe seven. A woodcarver set up shop in the village under my father’s keep, and to buy favor he sent us gifts. The old man made marvelous toys. I don’t remember what I got, but it was Gregor’s gift I wanted. A wooden knight, all painted up, every joint pegged separate and fixed with strings, so you could make him fight. Gregor is five years older than me, the toy was nothing to him, he was already a squire, near six foot tall and muscled like an ox. So I took his knight, but there was no joy to it, I tell you. I was scared all the while, and true enough, he found me. There was a brazier in the room. Gregor never said a word, just picked me up under his arm and shoved the side of my face down in the burning coals and held me there while I screamed and screamed. You saw how strong he is. Even then, it took three grown men to drag him off me. The septons preach about the seven hells. What do they know? Only a man who’s been burned knows what hell is truly like.

My father told everyone my bedding had caught fire, and our maester gave me ointments. Ointments! Gregor got his ointments too. Four years later, they anointed him with the seven oils and he recited his knightly vows and Rhaegar Targaryen tapped him on the shoulder and said, ‘Arise, Ser Gregor.’”

The rasping voice trailed off. He squatted silently before her, a hulking black shape shrouded in the night, hidden from her eyes. Sansa could hear his ragged breathing. She was sad for him, she realized. Somehow, the fear had gone away.

The silence went on and on, so long that she began to grow afraid once more, but she was afraid for him now, not for herself. She found his massive shoulder with her hand. “He was no true knight,” she whispered to him.

The Hound threw back his head and roared. Sansa stumbled back, away from him, but he caught her arm. “No,” he growled at her, “no, little bird, he was no true knight.”

[Makes No Sansa]

What makes you beautiful. That's what is truly important. There's only one direction.

[servethe_Realm]

I enjoy how Sandor's one true fear/weakness is fire, because of what Gregor did to him. It shows a certain vulnerability, and I love when he fled the Blackwater Battle because of all the wildfire.

He's a cool dude. I'm a Sansa/The Hound shipper :)

[Summer is Ending]

It's awesome how he rode down Mycah and butchered him. He could have taken the boy back to Cersei alive but chose not to. That's badass.

[Little Red Riding Hood]

Summer: said GRRM:

"I know a little of this man, Sandor Clegane. He was Prince Joffrey's sworn shield for many a year, and even here we would hear tell of his deeds, both good and ill. If even half of what we heard was true, this was a bitter, tormented soul, a sinner who mocked both gods and men. He served, but found no pride in service.

[Little Red Riding Hood]

He drank, to drown his pain in a sea of wine.

[Groat]

I always loved it when Arya descibed him chopping the wood. He wood chop log after log, in a rage, for hours. Some nights he wouldn't even eat or light a fire, just pass out after chopping wood for hours on end. BA

[boojam]

And he never once goes through with his empty threats to Arya. I loved the interaction between the two. His respect for Arya's toughness was so visible.

And he never once goes through with his empty threats to Arya. I loved the interaction between the two. His respect for Arya's toughness was so visible.

This makes him one of George's most unusual characters.

He has the physicality of his brother , and he does not seem stupid at all, yet he seems naive in a rough way.

He really has a complex feeling towards Sansa , and knowing Arya is her sister also seems to color his feelings.

In his own grumpy way he really comes to like Arya, at least he trusts her... and she in turn never makes an attempt on his life, even tho she thinks about it a lot.

The whole bit of her leaving him out of her revenge prayer and then puzzling as why she did that is interesting.

Have always thought , of all the rough characters about, I could see the Dog taking the black, which he apparently never does.