Tormund Giantsbane is a fictional character in the A Song of Ice and Fire series of fantasy novels by American author George R. R. Martin and its television adaptation, Game of Thrones.
Introduced in 2000's A Storm of Swords, he is a renowned wildling leader and chief lieutenant of Mance Rayder, the King-Beyond-The-Wall. He subsequently appeared in Martin's A Dance with Dragons. Although initially antagonistic towards Jon Snow and the Night's Watch, he later proves to be a crucial ally in their fight against the White Walkers.
Tormund Giantsbane is portrayed by Norwegian actor Kristofer Hivju in the HBO television adaptation, for which he has received positive reviews.
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Character
Tormund, better known as Tormund Giantsbane or Tormund Thunderfist, is a famous wildling raider. He wears golden bands engraved with runes of the First Men on his massive arms, passed down from his forefathers. Tormund is armored with heavy ringmail taken from a dead Night's Watch ranger. Like most of the wildlings, he is illiterate. He has four sons: Toregg, Torwynd, Dryn, and Dormund; and one daughter, Munda.
The often jovial Tormund enjoys food and drink, especially ale and mead, and likes cracking dick jokes. He is styled Tall-talker, Horn-blower and Breaker of Ice, Husband to Bears, the Mead-king of Ruddy Hall, Speaker to Gods and Father of Hosts. Mance Rayder named him Horn-blower for the power of Tormund's lungs, as it is said that Tormund can laugh the snow off mountaintops. Although Tormund is said to have slain a giant, he claims to have actually cut open the belly of a sleeping giantess and slept in her for warmth during a winter storm. Tormund claims the giantess, thinking he was a babe, then suckled him for three months in the spring. Tormund also claims to have once drunkenly slept with a bear.
Tormund once thought to make himself King-Beyond-the-Wall, but he was defeated by Mance Rayder. He distrusts the men of the Frozen Shore.
Storylines
In the books
Tormund is not a point-of-view character in the novels, so his actions are witnessed and interpreted exclusively through the eyes of Jon Snow.
When Jon Snow is captured, Tormund is among those gathered in Mance Rayder's tent when Jon is presented to Mance. Jon is later attached to Tormund's war party, with Ygritte and Longspear Ryk joining as well. Tormund is friendly towards Jon, and Jon grows quite fond of him despite the distrust. Tormund joins in the singing of "The Last of the Giants" and encourages Jon to sleep with Ygritte.
During the battle beneath the Wall, Jon spots Tormund and two of his sons near a siege turtle. When Jon goes to meet with Mance for the Night's Watch, Tormund is the first to greet him. He brings Jon to Mance's tent and defends Jon's right to speak, and during the negotiation, Mance threatens to have Tormund blow the Horn of Winter to bring down the Wall. When Stannis Baratheon attacks the wildlings, Tormund leads a triple line of spearmen but is flanked and routed by Stannis's knights. Tormund escapes capture, but his son Dormund is killed by Ser Richard Horpe.
With Mance a captive at Castle Black, Tormund leads a band of four thousand free folk beyond the Wall. He is forced to kill one of his sons, Torwynd, who dies from a chill and later rises as a wight. Tormund's daughter, Munda, marries Longspear Ryk, much to his chagrin.
Jon Snow, now Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, and other officers expect that Tormund will besiege the undermanned Wall again. Jon sends Mance Rayder's sister-in-law, Val, to find Tormund and offer him peace. When Jon meets with Tormund, Tormund dislikes the terms offered by the Night's Watch but agrees because of the increasing attacks by the Others and the need to get his people south of the Wall. According to the terms, the free folk must give their valuables to the Watch to help pay for food, while each of their chiefs must send a son as a hostage. This rule is put in place to prevent the free folk from raiding lands in Westeros. Tormund gives over his gold wristbands, but though Jon insists he keep them because of their personal importance to Tormund, Tormund refuses; he will not let it be said he made the rest of his people give up their wealth while he kept his. Tormund also confides in a sympathetic Jon about losing his son.
In the show
Kristofer Hivju plays Tormund in the television adaptation of the book series. He is one of Mance's top generals, fierce and terrifying in combat.
When Jon Snow first arrives in the wildling camp, Jon initially mistakes Tormund for Mance Rayder, much to Tormund's amusement. Mance directs Tormund to lead a group of wildlings, including Jon Snow and his captor, Ygritte, south of the Wall to await the signal of Mance Rayder to attack the Night's Watch.
After joining up with a clan of the cannibalistic Thenns, Tormund leads the wildlings in a rampage through the lands south of the Wall, including a sack of Mole's Town. During the Battle of Castle Black, he duels and severely wounds Ser Alliser Thorne but is brought down by several arrows and taken prisoner. After his wounds are healed by Maester Aemon, Jon briefly talks with him, and Tormund tells Jon that Ygritte loved him, citing Ygritte's apparent desire to kill him as proof. He asks Jon to burn Ygritte's body north of the Wall.
Tormund is later present at Mance's execution and is saddened by his friend's death. Jon frees Tormund, and they journey to Hardhome, where Tormund attempts to convince the local wildlings to ally with the Night's Watch against the White Walkers. When Hardhome is overrun by wights, Tormund and Jon fight them off, and they, along with the surviving wildlings, escape to the boats. Jon takes Tormund and the wildlings south of the Wall and into Westeros.
After Jon's assassination by Ser Alliser and his mutineers, Tormund and the wildlings are summoned by Edd Tollett to help capture them. Jon is later resurrected by the red priestess Melisandre, and Tormund tells him that some of the wildlings believe him to be a god. Several days later, Jon's half-sister Sansa Stark arrives at the Wall fleeing her abusive husband, Ramsay Bolton. Tormund is attracted to Brienne of Tarth and attempts to court her, although she does not seem interested in his advances. After Ramsay sends a letter to Jon threatening to kill Jon's half-brother Rickon and the wildlings if Sansa is not returned, Tormund persuades the wildlings to help Jon and Sansa defeat the Boltons. Tormund later participates in the Battle of the Bastards, killing Lord Smalljon Umber, biting off his ear in the process. Following the battle, he is amongst those who declare Jon the king in the North.
Reception
Recognition and awards
Norwegian actor Kristofer Hivju has received critical acclaim for his performance as Tormund Giantsbane in the television series. He and the rest of the cast were nominated for Screen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series in 2014.
