In the popular HBO series Game of Thrones, one of the most hated characters is Sandor Clegane, better known as “The Hound”. As Joffrey Baratheon’s personal bodyguard, The Hound carries out despicable acts on his prince’s behalf. However, in later seasons, The Hound redeems himself through his relationship with Arya Stark. This begs the question – who ultimately kills The Hound in the end?
The Hound’s Backstory
To understand The Hound’s arc, it’s important to know his backstory. Sandor Clegane is the younger brother of Ser Gregor Clegane, also known as “The Mountain”. When they were children, Gregor held Sandor’s face to a hot brazier, horrifically scarring him. This created Sandor’s deep hatred of his brother and began his cynicism towards knights and chivalry.
The Hound serves as the Lannisters’ attack dog, carrying out the violent orders of those he serves. He murders Arya’s friend Mycah on Joffrey’s command. He also kills Sansa’s direwolf Lady, brutalizes civilians, and ransacks villages. However, glimpses of The Hound’s humanity occasionally peek through his tough exterior when he helps Sansa.
Over time, The Hound becomes disillusioned with the Lannisters and Joffrey’s cruelty. After the Battle of Blackwater, he deserts his post. This is a major turning point for The Hound’s redemption arc.
The Hound and Arya
One of the most important relationships that leads to The Hound’s redemption is his unlikely bond with Arya Stark. After fleeing King’s Landing, The Hound captures Arya with plans to ransom her to her family. However, their journey takes many twists and turns, leading to a complex connection between the two.
At first, Arya hates The Hound for killing her friend. She even attempts to kill him herself at one point. However, they end up developing a grudging mutual respect. The Hound protects Arya, and she comes to appreciate his blunt honesty. He teaches Arya harsh lessons about survival and avenging her family’s honor.
“You’re learning, but you’re not making it easy”, The Hound tells Arya regarding her quest for vengeance. Their time together makes The Hound reflect on his life and consider changing his ways. However, he struggles to fully cast aside his anger and cynicism.
The Hound vs Brienne
A major confrontation that pushes The Hound further down his redemptive path is his fight with Brienne of Tarth. Brienne had sworn an oath to Catelyn Stark to find and protect her daughters. With Arya in tow, The Hound encounters Brienne, who demands she release the girl.
They engage in a brutal, savage duel. Brienne matches The Hound’s strength and rage with her own determination and sense of honor. Though they fight brutally, there is a shared respect between the two warriors. In the end, The Hound is severely wounded and left for dead by Arya, who refuses his plea for mercy.
The fight with Brienne cements The Hound’s disillusionment with senseless violence. His wounds combined with Arya’s coldness forces The Hound to confront the wreckage of his life in service to cruel masters. This pushes him further down the path of redemption.
The Hound’s Redemption
Against all odds, The Hound survives his wounds. He is found by a septon named Ray, who nurses Sandor back to health. Under the septon’s guidance, The Hound starts to transform his life through humble work and finding faith. He even begins to bury his past violence, until tragedy strikes again.
When a rogue group of Lem Lemoncloak’s Brotherhood Without Banners members raid the village and kill Septon Ray, The Hound’s old quest for revenge is reignited. He hunts down Lem’s group, slaughtering them brutally in retribution. Though the pacifist Septon would have disapproved, this act of vengeance shows The Hound’s fierce loyalty to those who treat him with kindness.
Cleganebowl
In the final season of Game of Thrones, The Hound’s destiny arrives during the battle with Cersei Lannister at King’s Landing. He finally gets his long-awaited confrontation with his brother and lifelong tormentor, The Mountain.
In one of the most anticipated showdowns in Game of Thrones – nicknamed “Cleganebowl” – the brothers engage in a vicious battle as the Red Keep crumbles around them. The Mountain is near impossible to kill due to being an undead puppet of Cersei’s bidding. But the Hound manages to finally end his brother by tackling him into a pit of dragon fire.
Both brothers perish in the flames, but The Hound succeeds in defeating his nemesis and destroying the monstrous creation Qyburn had made of his brother. The Hound conquers his greatest demons and completes his redemption.
Who Ultimately Kills The Hound?
When reviewing The Hound’s entire character arc, it’s clear his death is the result of multiple factors that led him down the path of redemption.
In a narrow sense, his brother The Mountain ultimately kills him during their final battle. But The Hound only ends up in that confrontation through the broader circumstances of his redemption journey.
The initial pivotal moments are when The Hound flees King’s Landing and then begins traveling with Arya Stark. His disillusionment with violence, confrontation with Brienne, and recovery with Septon Ray all lead The Hound closer to redemption.
So in a poetic sense, the very violence and anger that defined him eventually kill The Hound after he transforms his life. The Hound finally conquers his demons – but it ultimately requires giving his life to fully destroy them.
The Hound dies on his own terms, finally at peace after overcoming his past traumas. His story comes full circle through his redemption and climactic final battle.
Conclusion
The Hound undergoes one of the most compelling redemptive arcs in Game of Thrones. His character transformation is driven by a desire to overcome his past, channel his anger toward better purposes, and find peace. This quest leads him down a path that ends with his destiny: conquering the source of his torment by sacrificing himself.
So in a sense, The Hound’s death comes at the hands of his own redemption. His choice to change brings him before the brother who scarred him long ago for one final confrontation. The Hound redeems himself through destroying the monster The Mountain had become – and in doing so, finally puts his tortured past to rest.
The Hound’s death is not a defeat, but the completion of his character arc. He dies not as a hateful attack dog of the Lannisters, but as a man who found purpose. While the Mountain kills him in combat, The Hound’s redemption leads him there to fulfill his destiny.
The Hound’s Redemption Journey
Here is a summary of the key points in The Hound’s redemption story arc:
| Stage of Journey | Description |
|---|---|
| Serves the Lannisters | Carries out orders violently as Joffrey’s bodyguard |
| Deserts King’s Landing | Leaves his post during Battle of Blackwater, disillusioned |
| Captures Arya Stark | Plans to ransom her to her family |
| Travels with Arya | Develops grudging respect and bond during their adventures |
| Fights Brienne | Defeated and left for dead by Arya, pushing him further toward redemption |
| Recovers with Septon Ray | Finds faith and starts reforming his life |
| Kills Lem’s Group | Retaliates for Septon Ray’s death, showing his loyalty |
| Battles The Mountain | Fights his hated brother, finally finding closure and peace |
The Evolution of The Hound’s Character
Analyzing The Hound’s character progression throughout the seasons of Game of Thrones reveals his steady redemption:
| Season | Character Summary |
|---|---|
| 1 | Joffrey’s violent bodyguard who kills innocents on his orders |
| 2 | Carries out Joffrey’s cruel commands but shows flickers of humanity in helping Sansa |
| 3 | Deserts King’s Landing and the Lannisters, capturing Arya Stark |
| 4 | Bonds with Arya during their travels, defends and teaches her |
| 5 | Nearly killed by Brienne, forcing him to confront his violent life |
| 6 | Recovering with Septon Ray, turning his life around until tragedy strikes |
| 7 | Gets vengeance for Ray’s death, showing his fierce loyalty |
| 8 | Battles The Mountain, completing his redemption through sacrificing himself |
Quotes Showing The Hound’s Transformation
The Hound’s redemption arc can also be seen through key quotes demonstrating his evolution:
| Quote | Context |
|---|---|
| “A hound will die for you but never lie to you.” | Explaining his blunt, brutal honesty to Sansa Stark in Season 2 |
| “Fuck the king.” | Showing his disillusionment with Joffrey in Season 2 |
| “I’m done serving.” | Departing King’s Landing in Season 4 |
| “Hate’s as good a thing as any to keep a man going.” | Motivating Arya while traveling in Season 4 |
| “You’re learning, but you’re not making it easy.” | To Arya as she struggles between revenge and mercy in Season 4 |
| “I was wrong.” | Admitting he was wrong to Septon Ray in Season 6 |
| “It’s never too late to come back.” | Septon Ray offering him redemption in Season 6 |
| “What kept you going?” “Hatred.” | Admitting to Arya what fueled him in Season 8 |
The Hound’s Death Completes His Arc
Ultimately, The Hound could only find peace and redemption through his destined final clash with his brother. Several key factors led him to this endpoint:
- Leaving the Lannisters forced him to chart a new path
- Traveling with Arya made him confront his violent acts
- Losing to Brienne showed the futility of rage and hate
- Recovering with Septon Ray gave him faith in starting over
- Getting vengeance for Ray proved his fierce loyalty
With his life transformed, only conquering his childhood trauma could complete The Hound’s redemption. He found purpose in protecting the Stark sisters, mentoring Arya, and defending the helpless – redeeming himself from his past as an attacker of the weak.
The Hound’s entire arc builds toward his destined end: sacrificing himself while destroying the monster his brother had become. This finally brings him the closure and inner peace he had sought. The Hound’s death is not a defeat, but the fulfillment of his redemption.
The Hound’s Redemption in the Books
The Hound’s redemption arc has some key differences in George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire novels. Most significant, his storyline is left more open-ended:
- He never fights Brienne or gets mortally wounded by her
- His fate after the Red Wedding is unknown, with rumors he became a gravedigger
- He possibly redeems himself through quiet simple work, rather than violence
In the books, The Hound’s redemption comes from finding peace through anonymity and simple living. He disappears from the chaos of Westeros, shedding his rage to live a humble life. The show took his arc in a more violent direction for dramatic effect.
But both versions follow the general story beats of The Hound deserting his post, bonding with Arya, losing his taste for violence, and overcoming his past demons before his end.
The Significance of The Hound’s Arc
At his core, The Hound represents how cycles of violence and trauma shape people’s lives. His visible facial scars symbolize his inner pain and turmoil. But his story shows the possibility of overcoming one’s past.
The Hound transforms from hateful attacker to unlikely protector. He channels his fighter’s instincts toward redemption through defending the Starks, instead of terrorizing for the Lannisters. In teaching Arya and sacrificing himself to defeat his brother, The Hound breaks free of the leash Tywin Lannister once held.
His arc displays how loyalty and connection can redeem people, more than sworn oaths or ideals. The Hound’s redemption shows it is never too late change, if you find purpose in protecting others instead of harming them.
Through The Hound’s story, Game of Thrones argues trauma does not have to define a person. He proves people can always choose to transform their pain into a different legacy.
Closing Thoughts
The Hound undergoes a profound character transformation over the course of Game of Thrones, seeking to redeem himself of a violent past serving cruel masters. His journey intersects with key events and characters that lead him down the path toward confronting his childhood traumas.
In the end, The Hound fulfills his destiny by sacrificing himself to destroy the monster within his brother. This finally brings him the closure and inner peace he had sought through his redemption. While the Mountain kills him in combat, it is ultimately The Hound’s choice to change that leads him there.
The Hound dies not as a rage-filled attacker, but a man who found purpose in protecting the weak and helping those who treated him with kindness. His arc is a testament to how loyalty and human connection can redeem people, no matter how lost they seem. He proves it’s never too late to change if you can channel your pain toward better ends.