Brotherhood Without Banners

Outlaws of the Riverlands led by a knight who will not stay dead.

The Brotherhood Without Banners is an outlaw band of the Riverlands formed by Beric Dondarrion and the red priest Thoros of Myr. In A Game of Thrones Ned Stark sends Beric with Thoros to arrest Gregor Clegane; when Beric is killed, Thoros accidentally revives him with magic during the funeral service.

Quick Facts

Leader: Beric Dondarrion
Red priest: Thoros of Myr
Territory: The Riverlands

Lore & Background

By A Storm of Swords Beric and his men have become the Brotherhood and wage a guerrilla war against the raiders ravaging the Riverlands, and Thoros keeps resurrecting Beric each time he is killed. They capture Sandor Clegane, who wins a trial by combat against Beric on Arya Stark's charge of murder and goes free, and later Brienne and Podrick. Gendry joins them, and under Frey rule they hang Freys and their allies.

Reader's Guide

Beric then recruits the Hound for the journey north to help Jon Snow fight the White Walkers. Clegane sees the dead marching in the Brotherhood's fire, and Beric and Thoros go beyond the Wall with Jon; at the Battle of Winterfell Beric sacrifices himself so Arya and the Hound can escape the wights.

In the television series the Brotherhood find Arya, Gendry and Hot Pie, try the Hound by combat and sell Gendry to Melisandre, to Arya's fury. Rogue members later slaughter the community Clegane has joined; he hunts them down and finds Beric and Thoros hanging the last of them, who say the killers acted on their own.