Game of Thrones is a fascinating narrative with a long and engaging tradition of in-universe fiction. Folk tales, old superstitions, and questionable historical accounts inform the actions and beliefs of central characters. Every major family ties their legend back to one or two heroes from the distant past. Some icons in the series have personal mythology, which can provide a powerful reputation. Dagmer Cleftjaw, for example, has a few good stories, but his actions are slightly less impressive.
Game of Thrones had a massive ensemble cast of talented performers. It’s a testament to the show’s casting agents that few can name an inadequate actor in the show. The show filled its ranks with lesser-known talent, elevating a ton of relative unknowns into new positions of fame and notoriety. Looking back at the series today, even performers in minor roles may have found themselves in massive franchises and notable roles.
Who is Dagmer in Game of Thrones?
Dagmer Cleftjaw was one of the many Ironborn reavers serving House Greyjoy. He’s known for his skills as a warrior and sailor. Dagmer has loyally served House Greyjoy for many years. His prominent place in the series comes in season two, when Theon Greyjoy receives orders from his father, Lord Balon. Balon tasks Theon and his sister, Yara, with assaulting Stark strongholds to gradually steal land from the North. Theon, raised in Winterfell by Eddard Stark, feels cheated when his father gives him a meager assignment. Dagmer becomes Theon’s first mate as he prepares to set sail. He goads Theon’s feelings of inadequacy, pushing him to rise to a greater challenge. Dagmer wisely needles Theon, pushing him to prove himself by assuring him that their men won’t listen to him. Subsequently, Theon devises an invasion of Torrhen’s Square. Theon leads Dagmer and his reavers into Torrhen’s Square to draw out Winterfell’s forces, then strikes Winterfell to declare himself the new prince.
Dagmer continues to push Theon to take greater risks. Ser Rodrik Cassel, Winterfell’s master-at-arms, became a defiant prisoner during Theon’s invasion. He suggested imprisoning the loyal servant of House Stark, but Dagmer insisted on executing Cassel. This led to a messy decapitation, making Theon look even weaker. Theon loses Bran and Rickon after Osha, a Free Folk servant, seduces and tricks him. Dagmer helps Theon track the boys to a farm, where he picks up two burned corpses to pass off as Bran and Rickon. He then kills the farmer and his wife, against Theon’s orders, to keep them quiet. Dagmer holds Winterfell with Theon until House Bolton sends Ramsay Snow to seize Winterfell. Theon pitches a suicidal charge against the new invaders, but the Ironborn refuse. Dagmer knocks Theon out, intending to surrender to Ramsay with the promise that they won’t be harmed. This choice proves unfortunate, as the sadistic monster has Dagmer and his fellow Ironborn flayed alive.
Who is Dagmer in A Song of Ice and Fire?
Dagmer Cleftjaw has a slightly more impressive station in the books. His last name, which never comes up in the show, rises from the horrible scar on his face. He received a near-fatal ax blow as a small child that split his lip, knocked out several teeth, and shattered his jawbone. The books explore his background and early life. Dagmer is distantly connected to House Greyjoy through an unnamed bastard four or five generations ago. He wears dozens of rings that he stole while reaving. As the master-at-arms for House Greyjoy, he taught Theon how to fight, ride, and sail. His legendary appearance and stories led some, including the elderly servant Old Nan, to tell tall tales. Old Nan used to say that an ax strike split Dagmer’s skull, but his immense strength allowed him to simply hold the halves together until they healed.
Dagmer’s story is shorter and less important in the books. While they explore his backstory and offer him a more notable rank, he doesn’t have an ending at the moment. Dagmer strikes Torrhen’s Square to provide Theon with the distraction he needs to take Winterfell. While Ser Rodrik Cassel and Leobald Tallhart retake Winterfell with House Bolton, Dagmer steals Torrhen’s Square again. He remains in Torrhen’s Square, holding it without resistance. Stannis Baratheon captures Theon’s sister before she can join Dagmer. When she offers him Dagmer’s surrender, he assures her that Torrhen’s Square isn’t worth the effort. He’s much more charming in the books, offering this quote to Theon:
The day is won, and yet you do not smile, boy. The living should smile, for the dead cannot.
Who plays Dagmer in Game of Thrones?
Ralph Ineson portrays Dagmer in Game of Thrones. Ineson is a fascinating performer who attained his first brush with fame after a solid turn on the original English version of The Office. He appears in countless small, impactful roles in major franchises and interesting film projects. He’s Amycus Carrow in the last two Harry Potter movies. He’s an unnamed pilot in Guardians of the Galaxy. He played the title role in The Green Knight. Ineson has several huge projects in production at the moment. He’ll appear in Robert Eggers’ long-awaited Nosferatu and Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein. Perhaps his biggest project to date will come next year, when he plays Galactus in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Fantastic Four. Ineson lends an excellent voice and perfect sinister energy to the role of Dagmer, despite his limited screen time.
Dagmer undergoes fascinating changes between the book and the screen. He’s one of the few positive influences on Theon Greyjoy in the books, but he’s the devil on his shoulder in Game of Thrones. If the final Song of Ice and Fire novel comes out, fans may get to see the final chapter of this strange figure. As it stands, Ralph Ineson’s take on Dagmer Clefjaw might be the definitive take on the scarred reaver.