Sandor Clegane

Sandor was the son of the head of House Clegane and younger brother of Gregor Clegane. He also had a sister. His childhood seems to have been overshadowed by the violence and brutality of his older brother. At six or seven years old, a carpenter who had settled near the Clegane lands presented Sandor and Gregor with toys. Gregor received a marvelous articulated wooden knight, but he was five years older than Sandor and already a tall and powerful squire, and showed no interest in the toy. On the other hand, Sandor deeply desired the wooden knight and therefore took it. However, Gregor chased after him and, without saying a word, grabbed Sandor with one hand and plunged the side of his face into the burning coals, while Sandor screamed in pain. It took three strong men to pull Gregor away from his brother. To avoid tarnishing his son's reputation, Sandor's father said that his blankets had caught fire. There are rumors of a sister who died young under mysterious circumstances, and his father was killed in a hunting accident, which is also shrouded in suspicion, leaving his family possessions to Gregor Clegane. It is implied that Gregor murdered his father and sister. Sandor joined House Lannister on the same day Gregor Clegane received his inheritance and became head of House Clegane. He claims to have killed a man for the first time when he was twelve years old, presumably during Robert's Rebellion. He never took knightly vows. At some point, Sandor was designated as the Queen's sworn shield, who later assigned him to Prince Joffrey Baratheon. Ser Barristan Selmy unhorsed Sandor during a tournament in 297 AC.

He is considered one of the most dangerous fighters in Westeros, and even great warriors like Ser Jaime Lannister respect his skills, being an extremely strong warrior, very fast, and fighting with a savagery that even some renowned knights could not match. George R.R. Martin frequently lists Sandor and his brother, Ser Gregor Clegane, among the best warriors in Westeros today, alongside Ser Jaime Lannister, Ser Barristan Selmy, Ser Loras Tyrell, Ser Garlan Tyrell, and others. Sandor usually wears chainmail, soot-black armor, a fearsome helmet ornamented in the shape of a snarling black hunting dog's head with bared teeth, and an olive-green cloak over the armor. Sometimes he wears a red wool tunic with a leather dog's head sewn onto the front, and other times a simple brown doublet of coarse fabric with a leather yoke studded with rivets. When he became a member of the Royal Guard, he replaced his green cloak with the traditional white one fastened with a jewel-encrusted brooch.

Sandor is cynical, furious, unpleasant, harsh, and brutal, but not as evil as his older brother, Ser Gregor Clegane, who is considered the true monster of House Clegane. However, he is a tormented and bitter man, consumed by rage and vengeance against his brother, whom he swore to kill, and this anger has always been his greatest motivation in life. Despite this, when he had the chance to kill Ser Gregor during the Tourney of the Hand, he refused to strike his unprotected face for some unknown reason. He often drinks heavily to drown his sorrows. Sandor is extremely obedient to the people he serves, carrying out any and all cruel orders given to him, except those involving his childhood traumas with fire. He is also often aggressive and intimidating towards people who show discomfort with his appearance, as seen on several occasions when he picked on Sansa Stark and Arya Stark. However, he seems to have developed a certain protective instinct towards the Stark sisters, as he saved Arya from being killed at the Red Wedding and Sansa from falling down a spiral staircase in the Red Keep or being raped during the Rebellion at King's Landing, or when he defied King Joffrey Baratheon's orders to have Ser Boros Blount and Ser Meryn Trant strip and beat her in front of the entire court, or when he tried to take her out of King's Landing after the Battle of the Blackwater. Despite Sansa's deep fear of Sandor, she somehow feels protected with him around and is grateful for his saving. When George R.R. Martin was asked if Sansa unconsciously replaced her deceased direwolf Lady with the Hound as her protector, Martin found the question interesting but chose not to answer, leaving readers to discover it for themselves. They argue about it. On the other hand, Arya hates him and left him to die alone.

Sandor's face is terribly burned on the left side: a twisted mass of scars around his eye, where the skin is smooth, black, and tough as leather, but riddled with craters and torn by deep fissures that glow red when he moves; in the jaw area, a bit of bone can be seen where the flesh has been ripped away. He has no lips on the burned side of his face, and his scars cause one side of his mouth to twist when he speaks or smiles. However, the unburned right side of his face is thin, with sharp bones. His nose is large and hooked, and his hair is thin, dark, and long, combed to the left side where no hair grows due to his burn. He has a heavy brow, and his eyes are gray with a drunken, rage-filled look. His laugh is like the growl of fighting dogs, and his voice is as rough as the sound of a saw on wood. Sandor is a muscular man, like a bull, with large, strong hands and broad shoulders. He is considered a powerful and large man, being only slightly taller than Robert Baratheon and Brienne of Tarth. His left arm also bears burn scars from the elbow to the wrist after his fight against Beric Dondarrion.

Sandor Clegane, also known as "The Hound" because of his family's sigil and his savagery and unquestioning obedience to his masters, is a member of House Clegane and the younger brother of Ser Gregor Clegane, the current head of the house. In the television series, he is portrayed by actor Rory McCann. Pseudonym(s): Hunting Dog Dog Loyalty to House Clegane House Lannister (formally) Royal Guard: (formally) Birth: 270 AD or 271 AD Death: 300 AD (supposedly)