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| “ | You won't love him so much when you find out what he really is. | „ |
| ~ Orell talking about Jon Snow. |
Orell is a minor antagonist in the A Song of Ice and Fire novel series and its television adaptation Game of Thrones. He is a wildling skinchanger who can enter and see through the mind of an eagle.
In the show, he was portrayed by Mackenzie Crook who also play Ragetti on Pirates of the Caribbean.
A Song of Ice and Fire
Early Life
Many years ago, Orell took part in gatherings between Free Folk skinchangers in the woods beyond the Wall. The majority of the skichangers in these meetings were wargs, as wolves and dogs have always been the most common choice of animal, as men and canines bonded more easily. Orell, however, was part of the more unique skinchangers, as his choice of animal was an eagle. Others like Orell included Borroq with his boar, Briar with his shadowcat, and Grisella with her goat. During one of these gatherings, the boy Orell and his people met the 10 year old warg Lump, who was brought by the old warg and hunter Haggon.
A Clash of Kings
Many decades later, in 299 AC, Orell is part of Mance Rayder's united Free Folk tribes marching south to the Wall, serving as one of Mance's scouts. Aware of the arrival of a Night's Watch host during the Great Ranging, Orell and Ygritte, the latter one of Rattleshirt's warriors, are part of a scouting party sent by Mance to observe the Night's Watch, while the great wildling host is camped at the Frostfangs mountains.
As multiple parties of rangers are dispatched through roads to reach the great camp, Orell inhabits the body of his eagle to search one of these parties. While Orell's conscience is in the animal's body, his human body and another wildling are killed in the Skirling Pass by the steward Jon Snow. The two men's bodies are tossed down the mountains by Jon and the ranger Stonesnake, while the spearwife Ygritte is taken prisoner.
However, thanks to the magic power of skinchanging, Orell managed to live his "second life", as his consciousness lives on inside his eagle, which develops a deep hatred towards Jon Snow. Within his eagle, Orell keeps aiding the Free Folk and helps Rattleshirt track down Jon and Qhorin Halfhand, who are both captured.
When Jon is surprised by the eagle being so hostile to him, Ygritte explains the animal has a good reason to hate him, for it was a man before Jon killed him.
A Storm of Swords
Orell's eagle keeps tormenting and assaulting Jon Snow, who has been taken captive by Rattleshirt and brought to Mance Rayder. Jon cannot help but still wondering if a bird is capable of hate, as despite the fact he slain Orell, he can see a part of him lingers within the eagle, its golden eyes staring at Jon with cold malevolence. Orell's eagle attacks Jon and scars his face with its talons, and Tormund has to shout to Rattleshirt to call off his "hellcrow". Jon infiltrates Mance's ranks, joins the marching wildling host, and is eventually made part of Jarl's warband, leaving the eagle that kept stalking him.
Varamyr Sixskins, another wildling skinchanger who knew Orell, takes control of Orell's eagle. In 300 AC, during the days-long Battle Beneath the Wall, Varamyr uses the eagle to scout Castle Black and above the Wall. When Mance sends word to the Night's Watch's garrison for negotiations, Janos Slynt sends Jon Snow to him for a parley. When Jon is brought by Tormund to the wildling camp within the Haunted Forest, Varamyr meets the boy and feels an immediate deep hatred for him. Varamyr desires to kill Jon and informs him that took Orell's eagle for his own. But Orell's conscience keeps living within the animal, and Varamyr tells Jon that Orell still hates Jon and wants him dead.
During the parley between Mance and Jon, Varamyr is outside the former's tent, and uses Orell's eagle to scout Castle Black. He spots a small host of Night's Watch riders from Eastwatch-by-the-Sea, coming from the northern side of the Wall toward Mance's camp. After Mance sends out mounted warriors to engage them, however, Varamyr discovers a larger army coming, revealing that the wildlings have been baited by Eastwatch's rangers. Varamyr alerts the Free Folk about the arrival of Stannis Baratheon's host of southron knights. Orell's eagle suddenly bursts into flames from within its body, burning to death from a firemagic spell casted by Melisandre. This deeply scars Varamyr, who temporarily goes insane from the pain, while Orell is fully killed for good from the world of the living.
Game of Thrones
Orell (or at least as a human) played a much larger role in the show than he did in the books. In the 3rd Season, he, alongside most of Mance Rayder's wildling host, along with Jon Snow, who Orell is constantly suspicious of, begin to march through the Frostfang Mountains. Orell wargs his eagle, and discovers dead members of the Night's Watch at the Fist of the First Men.
When the host reaches the Fist, Orell and the other wildlings find several corpses of horses slaughtered by the White Walkers that have been made into a pattern. However, they did not find human corpses anywhere. In Episode 6, the wildlings climb the wall, which causes an avalanche due to a crack in the ice. Orell cuts Jon and Ygritte's rope after losing footing, but they manage to swing to safety.
After passing through the wall the wildlings find a horse breeder and Queenscrown, in the Gift. Orell wargs his eagle and find some horses, gold and steel to supply for their invasion attack. The wildlings want to kill the breeder, which Jon opposes, eventually leading him to hit a stone to warn him. The man tries to ride off but is cornered by the wildlings. Tormund wanted to kill him himself, but Orell insists that Jon must do it to prove whether he is still loyal to the Night's Watch. Jon is unable to do it, and Ygritte shoots the man herself.
Orell then proclaims that Jon is still a "crow", and a fight ensues. Jon stabs him in the chest, but before dying, Orell wargs into his eagle one more time. The eagle attempts revenge by scarring Jon in the face with his talons but is fended off by Jon who manages to flee.
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