If the Greyjoys do not sow...

[zaphodbrx]

How do they not starve? In times of peace.

We know that they are terribly ashamed of paying the gold price, so where do they get their food? Do they raid coastal villages to steal food? How come King Bob didn't notice?

Do they raid other house territories on the iron islands ( who presumably do sow? )

Do they pay them gold price ( ooh, how shameful.. )

How do they get all the lumber to build their war ships?

In fact, how does the economy of the iron islands work at all?

Imagine a normal day at the Pyke marketplace. The shopkeeper says, 'Well that'll be ten gold pieces'. The customer says- 'Nah, I pay the IRON PRICE!'

-Slash!

Can we all agree that the whole idea is absurd and unrealistic?

The old way is stupid. It's not only discriminatory and immoral, but it's just so screwed up it could never work at all. It's something that could be like a personal belief of some pirate captain, not that of an entire race of tens of thousands of people.

One of the best scenes from the HBO series that they added was the one where Theon basically called out Balon on his whole 'take what is mine' BS and it pretty much sums up their culture in a nutshell..

[Zupoleon]

It is a figure of speech that has more to do with their relationship towards outsiders. The iron islanders that live inland do attempt to plant crops; however, it is acknowledged that the soil quality is quite poor...

[Sullen]

They mainly eat fish and the little vegetation they manage to grow. And yes, they do starve, but not because of their mentality, because the Iron Isles are a hard, hard place.

Also, the Old Ways also dictate that no Ironborn shall shed the blood of another Ironborn.

[The Dornish Direwolf]

I always took it to mean that House Greyjoy does not sow, and perhaps the lesser houses of the Iron Islands. I always thought that the salt wives, sons of salt wives(basically slaves at first) were the ones who planted and harvested on the islands.

[Sullen]

I always took it to mean that House Greyjoy does not sow, and perhaps the lesser houses of the Iron Islands. I always thought that the salt wives, sons of salt wives(basically slaves at first) were the ones who planted and harvested on the islands.

The sons of salt wives are not slaves, every man is born free on the Isles.

They used to use thralls for menial tasks though.

[Frey Pentos]

How do they not starve? In times of peace.

We know that they are terribly ashamed of paying the gold price, so where do they get their food? Do they raid coastal villages to steal food? How come King Bob didn't notice?

Do they raid other house territories on the iron islands ( who presumably do sow? )

Do they pay them gold price ( ooh, how shameful.. )

How do they get all the lumber to build their war ships?

In fact, how does the economy of the iron islands work at all?

Imagine a normal day at the Pyke marketplace. The shopkeeper says, 'Well that'll be ten gold pieces'. The customer says- 'Nah, I pay the IRON PRICE!'

-Slash!

Can we all agree that the whole idea is absurd and unrealistic?

The old way is stupid. It's not only discriminatory and immoral, but it's just so screwed up it could never work at all. It's something that could be like a personal belief of some pirate captain, not that of an entire race of tens of thousands of people.

One of the best scenes from the HBO series that they added was the one where Theon basically called out Balon on his whole 'take what is mine' BS and it pretty much sums up their culture in a nutshell..

Pretty sure the books mention that the thralls farm the land and fish the sea. Add in trade and reaving and you have an economy. The Ironborn themselves don't sow but they have other people to do it for them.

[zaphodbrx]

I always took it to mean that House Greyjoy does not sow, and perhaps the lesser houses of the Iron Islands. I always thought that the salt wives, sons of salt wives(basically slaves at first) were the ones who planted and harvested on the islands.

Well of course the nobles do not sow by themselves. Do you think any of the other nobility in westeros do their own sowing? Of course not, they have smallfolk do it for them.

Having thralls doing the sowing is a sort of cheat really. It makes their house motto useless.

While we're at it, where do they get all their thralls from? Does the seven kingdoms really put up with them sstealing smallfolks from everywhere all the time?

[Penguin king]

None of the Great Houses sow. Ned Stark doesn't tend to fields of wheat, Tywin lannister doesn't plant corn. They all have serfs to sow their harvests for them.

The Greyjoy house words aren't to be taken literally. They're just another way of saying "we take what we want and we pay the iron price"

[BreastplateWithNipples]

I always took it to mean that House Greyjoy does not sow, and perhaps the lesser houses of the Iron Islands. I always thought that the salt wives, sons of salt wives(basically slaves at first) were the ones who planted and harvested on the islands.

This.

The Greyjoys are the top of the warrior aristocracy. Of course they do not sow. They let others do that for them, and this includes the vast majority of the people on the Iron isles who aren't all highborn and don't have motto animals or family words. :)

"We do not sow" also doesn't mean "Everything we own, we have stolen from someone". In peace times the Ironborn are a trading people as you can tell from Asha's chapter at Deepwood Motte in ADWD where she and that other guy (Qarl? or the guy who swoons for her?) talk about getting the hell out of dodge and starting a trading business in the east.

Oh and of course there is fishing.

[BreastplateWithNipples]

Well of course the nobles do not sow by themselves. Do you think any of the other nobility in westeros do their own sowing? Of course not, they have smallfolk do it for them.

Having thralls doing the sowing is a sort of cheat really. It makes their house motto useless.

It also means, "we don't concern ourselves with agriculture", as in, we don't directly own any farmlands, we let others do that and ask that they pay us tax.

Almost all the other noble houses own extensive farming estates and likely spend some time managing them. The Greyjoys don't do that.

[Juli Greyjoy]

The words are more symbolic. They show how the Greyjoys, and the Ironborn in general, simply take what they want without giving a fuck about anyone.

The Iron Islands have very little economy, just the mines and they might have fields and so on on the bigger islands. The scarcity of basically everything is why they turned to raiding in the first place, without it they wouldn't survive.

[rejndjer]

and where did they get these people? since only war they've been in in last 100 years was lost.

[Fire Eater]

and where did they get these people? since only war they've been in in last 100 years was lost.

They likely reave on the Stepstones, which could be where they got the thralls.

[revenant6]

I've always wondered how they've lasted this long. With just fish and mines, there is not much to eat or sell on the islands. They have to trade. I've guessed they just get more respect for raiding.

I find them interesting (the iron island families) but probably won't miss them when they're gone. They don't seem to have a lot going for them, culture-wise.

[Naathi Prince]

The purpose of the Greyjoy words is to announce that they don't toil in the muck for anything, they just take from those who do work. Thankfully these days, human society has progressed to the point where we just bribe people like this with small weekly or monthly payments.

[Fire Eater]

Their words mean that they consider toiling and other forms of constructive work to be reserved for lesser people, while the Greyjoys themselves are warriors above such lesser people. In short, it is a way of proclaiming their superiority.

[Usrnmhsnomning]

What I never understood was "paying the iron price" for, basically, any personal items. Did Balon pay the iron price for his lordship? No, he was born into it. What about his first sword, did he beat a man to death for it? No, I imagine his father paid a blacksmith for it. His armor? Did he pick that up off the battlefield? Did he run around in the nude until he had killed enough men to scrap together some clothes and protection? Did he swim to Lannisport and steal some ships because he refused to pay to have any built for him? I get the whole "we reap and reave and raid" crap. Sure, you're vikings, we get it. But to actually go so far as to abuse other Ironborn because a ring they were wearing was paid for in silver? Come of it. It's such a backwards, idiotic culture that nobody could actually adhere to. Especially because for the majority of the last 300 years, they haven't been able to actually reave and raid without being absolutely destroyed by other Houses in war.

[Oakenfist]

Basically, the only people who don't get the saying are people who look at things way too literally. Kind of funny actually.

[HouseHarrison]

I always took this that the Noble Families have the luxury to honor the Old Way, while the peasants grow crops and catch fish to eat.

[Usrnmhsnomning]

Basically, the only people who don't get the saying are people who look at things way too literally. Kind of funny actually.

Balon was pretty bloody literal when he slapped Theon upside the head for paying for jewellery and nice clothes.