Oberyn Martell/Ellaria Sand
| Pairing | |
|---|---|
| Pairing: | Oberyn Martell/Ellaria Sand |
| Alternative name(s): | |
| Gender category: | Het |
| Fandom: | A Song of Ice and Fire and Game of Thrones |
| Canonical?: | Yes |
| Prevalence: | Proportionally uncommon |
| Archives: | |
| Other: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Oberyn Martell/Ellaria Sand is the canonical, het pairing of Oberyn Martell and Ellaria Sand in the A Song of Ice and Fire and Game of Thrones fandoms.
Apart from Ned x Cat, I think theirs was the other healthy relationship on the show (from the adults). A loving, accepting couple that were ride or die, even after death in the case of Ellaria (even if I have my reservations about her TV adaptation). The fandom always complaints about GOT not having healthy canon couples apart from Ned x Cat but Oberyn x Ellaria ARE RIGHT THERE.
Angie[1]
Canon
Oberyn and Ellaria have a committed, long-term partnership and four children together. They are not technically married, because Oberyn—as the son of a noble family—might need to enter a strategic arranged marriage someday. Oberyn and Ellaria are all but married, though. They are referred to as paramours, and (in Dorne at least) this is respected.
They have four daughters together: Elia, Obella, Dorea, and Loreza. Oberyn has four more older daughters, from before, and Ellaria is good to them as well.
Fandom
Because the Dornish plot from the books was butchered in the TV show, Oberyn/Ellaria shippers tend to be book fans. Among book fans though, they are quite beloved, even if they're not the more prolific pair.
In the sea of dysfunctional relationships that is the A Song of Ice and Fire, Oberyn/Ellaria, along with Catelyn Stark/Ned Stark and Renly Baratheon/Loras Tyrell, are one of the few canonical happy committed relationships. They've been together for over a decade and are still very much in love. They're good partners to each other, and good parents to their daughters.
Oberyn and Ellaria are both bisexual and have an non-monogamous relationship. This endears then to fans from a smut perspective.
Popular tropes
- Origin story: Elia, their eldest daughter, was born 2 or 3 years after her namesake (Oberyn's beloved sister Elia) died. Many take this to mean that Oberyn and Ellaria's relationship began a year or two before their daughter's birth, and shortly after Oberyn's sister's death. Fics about this time usually deal with Ellaria helping Oberyn come back from the very dark place he was in after her death.
- Threesomes: They canonically have a non-monogamous, swinger type relationship. Fans are happy to add whatever third party they like, and let the smut flow. Sansa Stark or Reader-Insert are popular for this. Occasionally Oberyn's pen-pal Willis.
Controversies
There is some controversy about over-sexualization of the Dornish. The Dornish are a non-white ethnic minority in Westeros who have less restrictive sexual norms than the rest of Westeros. While the controversy does not center around them, Oberyn and Ellaria do exemplify this, as they are both Dornish, bisexual, and non-monogamous.
Fanworks
Fanfic
Cosplay
- Oberyn and Ellaria from Game of Thrones at Zenkaikon 2017, Archived version by nocturnevulgaire and madmusemakeup
- Oberyn Martell and Ellaria Sand - Cosplay, Archived version by Sylar and Sheila
- Dorne by Aniki-Fair and Giada
Fanart
Oberyn Martell and Ellaria Sand by masteryue (2015)
Oberyn and Ellaria by taka0801 (2016)
Sunspear by Hailey Jensen (2015)
Oberyn and Ellaria for Valentine’s Day❤️ by esmedalma (2021)
Resources
- Archive of Our Own tag: Oberyn Martell/Ellaria Sand
- FanFiction.Net pairing: Oberyn M., Ellaria S.
- DeviantArt paring group: Oberyn x Ellaria
- Tumblr tag: Oberyn x Ellaria
References
- ^ "💖 Ship that needs more love". Archived from the original on Nov 16, 2020.