Riva Iron-Grip

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Riva Iron-Grip is a fictional character in the David Eddings book series The Belgariad. He is the youngest son of Cherek Bear-Shoulders, the Rivan King and Guardian of the Orb of Aldur. Iron-Grip is described to have been seven feet tall, had coarse black hair and deep blue eyes. His most distinguishing features were his hands, so big that they could have probably crushed iron bars, hence his nickname 'Iron-Grip.' Like most Alorns he had a beard, although he was made to shave this off after his marriage to Beldaran. In Belgarath the Sorcerer, Iron-Grip was described to have an innocence to him. Iron-Grip was one of those who travelled to Cthol Mishrak to reclaim Aldur's orb. According to the Book of Alorn, only Iron-Grip could pick up the orb because he was pure of heart, whereas the Book of Torak claimed that Belgarath used great, powerful enchantments on Iron-Grip so that he could pick up the orb without being destroyed by it. Belgarath, in his prequel, however reveals that the real reason why Iron-Grip claimed the orb was because once touched, the orb would attached itself to the person and that person would become its guardian. However, so great was the orb's power that anyone with the least personal ambitions would try to make the orb do something it did not like, and therefore be burnt by it like Torak was. Therefore only someone with no ambition was right to become the guardian, and that left Riva. After they escaped from Mallorea, Aloria was divided up among the royal family. Riva was ordered by Belgarath to take a fraction of Alorns to found a citadel on the Isle of Winds.