Game of Thrones Characters, House of Stark

On the first of April we were able to get reunited with the Game of Thrones characters from the HBO series of the same name. The TV series is based on George RR Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire fantasy series, Game of Thrones was the first book. The second season is based on the second book, A Clash of Kings, and continues to follow the many, Game of Thrones characters, both good and bad, or more often a mixture of the two, that the first season introduced. If you feel you need a recap of all the characters that featured in the books and series, or would like some background on the world of the Seven Kingdoms on Westeros, their religions and habits, then I hope you can find it in these hubs.

Before the conquest of Westeros by Aegon Targaryen on his dragons, The Seven Kingdoms were each ruled by their own major House, and in the North the House of Stark was paramount. Since the Targaryen dragons were impossible to fight, king Torrhen Stark bent the knee to the Aegon and accepted the lesser position of “Wardens of the North”, but because of the remoteness of their region and the harsh weather and terrain, they continue to rule in the North without much interference from King’s Landing, the capital of Westeros. A notable thing about the North is the Great Wall at the boundary of the region, which is guarded by the Night’s Watch. Although the Sworn Brothers who watch the wall, have lost a lot of their status now, few noblemen join them of their own free will and they are reduced to looking for new recruits in various dungeons were criminals are promised a pardon if they join, once guarding the wall was considered a very noble calling, there was always a Stark on the wall, currently Benjan Stark, the younger son of the House is the chief Ranger.

The Starks’ have not adopted the main religion of Westeros, of worshipping the Seven, seven idols, who represent the seven aspects of god, instead they cling to the older religion, which is represented by Weirwood trees, in the godswood. These are strange white trees with red leaves, and faces carved into the bark, which appear to weep red sap.

The Starks seat is Winterfell, their sigil is a grey direwolf on a white background, and their family motto is: Winter is coming.

In season one of the GOT, Eddard Stark was the head of the House. A strong, righteous and honorable man, he played an important role in Robert’s Rebellion which overthrew the Targaryens. He was the second son of the Rickard Stark, his brother Brandon would have been Lord of Winterfell and was betrothed to Catelyn Tully. However after the crown prince Rhaegar Targaryen kidnapped their sister, Lyanna, leading to Eddard’s father and brother being murdered by Mad King Aerys. Eddard thus became Lord of Winterfell and married Catelyn.

Eddard was a good friend of king Robert Baratheon, they were fostered together by Jon Arryn and they grew up like brothers. Robert was betrothed to Ned’s sister Lyanna, and after she was abducted by Rhaegar and the death of Rickard and Brandon Stark, Eddard and Robert led the rebellion against the Targaryens, resulting in the almost complete annihilation of the household. Robert Baratheon became king, since his house was descended of an offshoot of the Targaryens. In episode 7 of the first season of the HBO series he is told by Cersei Lannister that he should have taken the crown instead of Robert, he replies that he never desired the thrown, leading to her famous rejoinder “when you play the game of thrones, you win or you loose”

Cat Tully was the oldest daughter of Hoster Tully, Lord of the Riverlands. She was betrothed to Brandon Stark, but married Eddard after Brandon’s death. Although she found the cold and harsh conditions in the North, unwelcoming at first, and does not follow the Stark religion, she mentions in the first episode that she feels like an intruder every time she comes into the godswood, she and Eddard have a very good marriage based on love and mutual respect. Only marred by the presence of Eddard’s illegitimate son, Jon Snow, whom Cat truly dislikes, and treats uncharacteristically badly. She found it very difficult to forgive Ned, after he returned from Robert’s Rebellion with a child by another woman, having left her pregnant, soon after they were married to avenge the death of his family.

Robb Stark is Eddard’s oldest son. He takes on much of the running of Winterfell when his father leaves for King’s Landing to act as Hand of the king, and his mother falls into a deep depression after Bran’s accident. When Eddard is imprisoned for treason by Cersei and young king Joffrey orders Robb to come to King’s Landing and swear fealty, he decides that he will go to King’s Landing, but at the head of an army and calls his father’s bannermen. Although not taken seriously at the beginning since he is only a boy, his tough stance in facing up to the far more experienced heads of the lesser clans wins him respect. After he defeats and captures Jamie Lannister in battle, he is proclaimed as the King of the North. He has a grey direwolf, which he raised from a pup , called Grey Wind.

s Eddard and Catelyn’s oldest daughter. She is vey ladylike and dreams of being a sophisticated lady at a Southern court. When she becomes betrothed to Joffrey Baratheon, the crown prince, and moves to King’s Landing with her father, all her dreams come true. She had a direwolf called Lady, but it was killed on Queen Cersei’s oders.

Arya is the younger daughter of the house, unlike Sansa she is a tomboy and despises lady like pursuits like needlework. She is not pretty and is nicknamed variously, Arya Horseface, or Arya Underfoot. To her great delight her father arranges for her to have fencing lessons with a Braavosi ‘dancing master’, so she can learn to use her small sword, Needle. After Eddard Stark is imprisoned for treason and his household is butchered, Arya manages to escape, and lives in King’s Landing as a steet urchin, eating pigeons that she catches. She witnesses Ned’s beheading from the crowd, but is taken by Yoren, a Black Brother who was in King’s Landing “recruiting” new brothers for the Night’s Watch. Arya, with short hair, is not the orphan boy Arry, pretending to go to the wall, but expecting to be dropped off in Winterfell on the way. Arya had to chase her direwolf, Nymeria, away when she attacked prince Joffrey in Arya’s defence. Nymeria is now living wild and leading a pack of wolves in the forest of Westeros.

The middle son of the Eddard and Catelyn Stark, he was a carefree boy, looking up to his big brother, practicing archery and dreaming of becoming a knight. He was also very fond of climbing the walls of Winterfell, and on one such expedition he saw Cersei, making out with her twin brother Jaime Lannister and was thrown from the window by Jaime. Although Bran survived he is paralyzed, his dreams of becoming a knight over. He seems to be developing an unusual closeness with his direwolf, Summer, at night he seems to mind meld with the wolf and dreams of being Summer. He also has strange prophetic dreams of a three-eyed raven.

Rickon Stark is the youngest Stark child. He appears to be growing wild without his father or mother. His direwolf is called “Shaggy Dog”. Both Bran and Rickon had a prophetic dream about their father appearing in the Winterfell crypts on the night Eddard was beheaded.