Among the many characters in Game of Thrones that did not make the cut, Patchface is by far the most intriguing and, in fact, terrifying. Although his origins are unclear, it is known that he was a jester in Old Volantis as a boy. Like other slaves, he has a tattoo on his face (a red and green motley pattern) to identify his status and purpose. He wears a mock helm on his head (fashioned from an old tin bucket), which is fitted with deer antlers and cowbells (as a parody of the Baratheon arms). He is obese and slump-shouldered, and prone to twitches and trembles. He also has an unusual sideways walk, and often hops back and forth.
What is stranger than his appearance though, is his incoherent mumbles, nonsensical riddles and oddly prophetic songs in the Game of Thrones books — sometimes giving the impression that he is not the simpleton that everyone thinks he is.
Who Is Patchface?
King Aerys II Targaryen sent Steffon Baratheon, the Lord of Storm’s End, across the Narrow Sea to find a bride for Prince Rhaegar (who had no sister to wed at the time). Although Steffon was unsuccessful in his mission, he ran into Patchface, a young slave. Impressed with the “splendid fool”, Steffon bought his freedom, and later wrote to Maester Cressen:
Only a boy, yet nimble as a monkey and witty as a dozen courtiers. He juggles and riddles and does magic, and he can sing prettily in four tongues […] Robert will be delighted with him, and perhaps in time he will even teach Stannis how to laugh.
On the way back to Westeros, Steffon’s ship, Windproud, was struck by a sudden storm in Shipbreaker Bay. It sank within view of Steffon's elder sons at Storm's End. The hundred oarsmen and sailors aboard were killed, along with Steffon and his wife, Cassana. Three days later, a naked Patchface washed up on the shore among other corpses, with his skin wrinkled and “clammy cold”. He was presumed dead, but when he was about to be placed in the burial wagon, he coughed up water and sat up. To this day, no one knows how he survived, although fisherfolk claim that “a mermaid had taught him to breathe water in return for his seed”.
Although alive, Patchface has now lost “half his wits and all his memory”. He is still employed as the court fool at Dragonstone, the castle of Lord Stannis. He is devoted to the latter’s daughter, Shireen (who lovingly calls him ‘Patches’), and follows her everywhere. However, he tends to sing strange songs, which either foreshadow future events or suggest that he is privy to information that he has no way of knowing.
For instance, in A Storm of Swords, he sings, “Fool’s blood, king’s blood, blood on the maiden’s thigh, but chains for the guests and chains for the bridegroom.” This describes the Red Wedding — the “fool” refers to Aegon Frey (the jester); the “king” is Robb Stark; the “maiden” is Roslin Frey, after consummating her marriage with Edmure Tully; and the last part is about Edmure and other imprisoned guests after the massacre.
Similarly, Patchface also predicts the infamous Purple Wedding when he says, “It is always summer under the sea […] The merwives wear nennymoans in their hair and weave gowns of silver seaweed.” Not only is Sansa Stark draped in a silver gown on Joffrey Baratheon’s wedding, but she also wears a hairnet of purple gemstones (including the one with the poison that causes Joffrey’s death).
Patchface may also be warning about the Battle of the Blackwater when he sings, “Under the sea, smoke rises in bubbles, and flames burn green and blue and black.” On another occasion, he states, “The shadows come to dance, my lord […] The shadows come to stay, my lord.” This can allude to the shadow assassin that Melisandre gives birth to, or it can also refer to the White Walkers (who are frequently described as “shadows” in the books). He may also be mentioning the Army of the Dead when he says, “In the dark the dead are dancing.”
The use of water imagery — such as “watery halls”, “mermaids”, “seahorses” etc. — suggests that Patchface can ‘see’ things “under the sea”, like Melisandre does “in the flames”. This has also led to a popular fan theory about what may have happened to him at the bottom of the bay. Similar to how believers of the Drowned God (the sea deity worshiped on the Iron Islands) are ritually drowned and revived, fans believe that he actually drowned but was resurrected by the god to be a prophet of sorts. Aeron Greyjoy also claims to have drowned and been “reborn from the sea”, but he has never performed any particularly divine act — unlike Patchface and his prophecies.
This theory also ties in with the theme of sacrifice in Game of Thrones — as Melisandre explains, “Only death can pay for life […] A great gift requires a great sacrifice.” A hundred men died (along with Patchface’s sensibilities) as a sacrifice to the Drowned God, only for him to be restored to life and have insight on future events.
The question, however, arises: is he warning about the danger, or is he part of it? As Melisandre says about him:
That creature is dangerous. Many a time I have glimpsed him in my flames. Sometimes there are skulls about him, and his lips are red with blood.
Was Patchface in HBO’s Game of Thrones?
According to Westeros.org, Brian Cogman (one of the writers and producers of HBO’s Game of Thrones) stated that he initially wanted to include Patchface in the show, but eventually decided that “having a raving jester in there muddled it more than a bit”. He was even part of the original draft of season 3, episode 5, “Kissed by Fire”, before Cogman realized that bringing him to the small screen would require too much exposition. He believed that Stannis’ storyline was already complicated, and the introduction of the character might alienate or overwhelm those who are not familiar with the books.
Consequently, Davos Seaworth replaced Patchface as Shireen’s companion in the show. Shireen even sang some of his rhymes from the books (as a nod to him) — for example, the lyrics of “It’s Always Summer Under the Sea” were actually sung by him in the prologue of A Clash of Kings. However, it was not indicated in any way on the show that Shireen also has prophetic abilities.
It can be argued that Patchface is a significant part of the House of Baratheon, and would have fit in among the family’s many oddities.
Game of Thrones
Game of Thrones, based on the Song of Ice and Fire book series by George R.R. Martin, tells the sprawling story of warring families in Westeros. This includes the Starks, the Lannisters, the Baratheons, and the Targaryens. Along with human conflicts, Westeros is also threatened by the re-emergence of dragons, and an undead enemy from beyond the Wall.
