Theon Greyjoy/Sansa Stark

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Pairing
Pairing: Theon Greyjoy/Sansa Stark
Alternative name(s): Theonsa
Gender category: Het
Fandom: Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire
Canonical?: No
Prevalence: Small to moderate
Archives:
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Theon Greyjoy/Sansa Stark, also known as Theonsa, is the het pairing of Theon Greyjoy and Sansa Stark in the A Song of Ice and Fire and Game of Thrones fandoms.

Canon

Theon was taken as a hostage/ward by Ned Stark as a boy after his father's failed rebellion. He grew up alongside Ned's daughter Sansa at Winterfell, but they had little interaction, as Theon was a few years older, and was primarily friends with her brothers Robb and Jon Snow. In A Dance with Dragons, Theon recalled dreaming as a boy that Ned Stark might one day wed him to Sansa, and claim him as a son.

Sansa married Ramsay Bolton after returning to Winterfell in season six (in the books, Sansa's friend Jeyne Poole was forcibly wed to Ramsay in the guise of Arya Stark, but since Jeyne was cut from the show, her story arc was given to Sansa). Theon, imprisoned and tortured by Ramsay for several years at this point, gave Sansa away during the wedding. That night, Ramsay brutally raped Sansa, forcing Theon to watch.

Later in the season, Sansa pleaded for Theon's help, asking him to light a signal candle. Theon, broken and fearing Ramsay's wrath, told Ramsay instead. Sansa later confronted Theon about this, prompting Theon to reveal he hadn't murdered her brothers, Bran and Rickon, as he'd claimed. When a chance to escape later opened, Sansa went to light the signal, but help did not arrive. On her way back to her room, she was intercepted by Ramsay's lover, Myranda. Theon pushed Myranda to her death. He and Sansa leapt off the castle into the snow.

In season six, Sansa and Theon escaped into the woods outside Winterfell, but were soon caught by Bolton men. Brienne of Tarth and her squire Podrick Payne rode in, killing the soldiers. Sansa accepted Brienne into her service, and she and Theon parted ways. Theon returned to the Iron Islands.

Theon inquired after Sansa upon reuniting with Jon Snow in season seven. Jon, grabbing Theon, told him "what you did for [Sansa] is the only reason I'm not killing you."

In season eight, after rescuing his sister Yara from captivity, Theon returned to Winterfell. He stated his wish to fight for the Starks in the war against the dead to Sansa and she hugged him tearfully. On the eve of the battle, the two were shown sharing bowls of soup in the courtyard, finding solace in each other's company. Theon died in a last stand defending Bran from the Night King. After the battle, Sansa wept over Theon's body as the survivors mourned the fallen, placing a Stark pin on him before lighting his pyre.

Fandom

Reaction

The pairing of Theon and Sansa has had a small following since the beginning of the show. One of the earliest Theon/Sansa fics on FanFiction.net dates from 2012.[1] After Sansa and Theon shared two emotional scenes in season eight, episode two ("A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms"), speculation emerged in the mainstream press about the possibility of a romance between the characters, and the ship experienced a surge in popularity in fandom.[2][3][4][5] Theon died in the following episode, precluding the ship's chances of becoming canon on the show, but the ship moved out of rare pair territory, mirroring the sudden rise of Jon Snow/Tormund Giantsbane.

Statistics

  • In 2019, Theon Greyjoy/Sansa Stark was one of the least common ships for Sansa in the ASOIAF category in a survey of FanFiction.net, accounting for only 1% of sampled fics.[6]
  • In 2019, during the final season, Theonsa was the sixth most popular Game of Thrones ship on Tumblr.[7]

Common Tropes in Fanworks

  • Arranged Marriage: Set in an AU in which Theon and Sansa are betrothed at a young age or enter into a political marriage later.
  • Hurt/Comfort: Some fics feature Sansa and Theon giving each other comfort during their time as Ramsay's prisoners, or trying to find healing and overcome their trauma together in the aftermath.
  • Love Triangle: Sansa is torn between Theon and another lover, typically Robb or Jon.
  • Theon Lives: Theon does not die during season eight.

Fanworks

Fan Art

Fanfiction

Fan Vids

Resources

References

  1. ^ Lives of Different Fairytales by bkgrl, published August 22, 2012
  2. ^ "Game of Thrones: Are Sansa and Theon in Love?"
  3. ^ "Is Game of Thrones Trying to Romantically Pair Sansa and Theon?"
  4. ^ "Pardon Me, But Are Sansa Stark & Theon Greyjoy In Love?"
  5. ^ "People Are Shipping Sansa Stark and Theon Greyjoy on Game of Thrones After Their Tearful Reunion"
  6. ^ Phantom Statistician: Sansa's FanFiction Shipping Chart 2013 - Present
  7. ^ "Fandometrics In Depth: For The Throne Edition". Archived from the original on 2019-05-24.
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