House Stark

House Stark is a fictional noble family from George R. R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire". Several of the main point of view characters of the series are members of House Stark. House Stark is the principal noble house in the North; many lesser houses are sworn to them. Their seat is Winterfell. Their sigil is a grey direwolf on a field of white, and their house motto, referred to in-universe as their "words", are "Winter Is Coming."

History

The Starks are descended from Brandon the Builder, a legendary figure from the Age of Heroes thousands of years in the past, who built Winterfell and the Wall. They were Kings of Winter in the North from the Age of Heroes beginning with Bran the Builder until Torrhen Stark submitted to Aegon the Conqueror at the end of the War of Conquest. Since that time the Starks have held the North for the kings of Westeros as Lords of Winterfell and Wardens of the North.

After Robert's Rebellion, the Starks have become a relatively small Great House. They share a common ancestor with the Karstarks, and may have distant relatives elsewhere in the North, possibly in White Harbor and Barrowtown. [http://www.westeros.org/Citadel/SSM/Entry/1239/]

House Stark genealogy

│ ┌───┴────────────────────────────────────┐ │ │ Edwyle═╤══Lady of the Flint Clan Unknown daughter══╤══member of House Royce │ │ Rickard══╤══? 3 daughters═╤═Vale Lords │ │ ┌─────┼────┬─────┐ offspring Brandon │Lyanna Benjen │ ?═══════╤═══════Eddard════════════════════╤══Catelyn Tully │ │ │ ┌─────────────────────────┼───────┬───────┬────────┐ Jon Snow Robb═══Jeyne Westerling Sansa Arya Brandon Rickon

Current members

Eddard

Eddard Stark, informally called "Ned", is Lord of Winterfell, Lord Paramount of the North, and Warden of the North. He is a POV character. He and Catelyn Tully Stark have five children, and he claims a bastard son, Jon Snow. Eddard is known for his sense of honor and justice; he dislikes deceit, intrigue, and secrecy. Though his family finds him kind, some consider his reserved personality a sign of coldness and disdain.

From the age of eight, Ned was fostered by Jon Arryn at the Eyrie, alongside Robert Baratheon. Ned befriended Robert, and came to consider Lord Arryn a second father. After Ned's father and brother died by command of King Aerys II, the king demanded that Arryn send him the heads of the two wards. Arryn refused and instead launched a rebellion, in which Ned and Robert joined as lords of their houses and chief commanders. Shortly before the final battles of the rebellion, Ned married Catelyn Tully, who had been betrothed to Ned's brother Brandon before his death. Ned was present, along with Howland Reed, at a tower on the Dornish border known as the "tower of joy" when his sister Lyanna died there, an incident surrounded in mystery that haunted Ned ever after.

Once the conflict had ended and Robert had taken the throne, Ned returned home, bringing with him a bastard son, Jon, about whose origins he refused to speak, even to his own wife; he quickly silenced rumors that the boy's mother was the Dornish noblewoman Ashara Dayne. He spent the next fifteen years as Lord of Winterfell, a task he had never expected and did not always feel equal to; he rarely left his lands, and did not involve himself in the complex intrigues of the southern courts.

After Jon Arryn's death, King Robert asked Eddard to replace him as Hand of the King, the monarch's closest advisor. Ned preferred to decline the request, but went south at his wife's urging to investigate Arryn's death. He discovered that Robert's children were actually the product of incest between Robert's wife Cersei and her brother, Jaime Lannister. Pursuing his usual forthright, honorable approach, he confronted Cersei with this knowledge, giving her a warning to flee while she could. Instead, Cersei used her time to orchestrate Robert's assassination and buy off the city watch, known as the Gold Cloaks. Ned trusted Petyr Baelish to keep the Gold Cloaks loyal to him, but Baelish betrayed him. Cersei had Ned imprisoned for treason. Although Ned's daughter Sansa, who was betrothed to King Joffrey, pleaded for Ned's life, Joffrey unexpectedly had him executed, against Cersei and her council's wishes. Illyn Payne, the King's Justice, decapitated Eddard with his own greatsword, Ice.

Catelyn Tully

Catelyn Tully Stark is Lord Eddard's wife. She is the mother of Robb, Sansa, Arya, Bran, and Rickon Stark. Catelyn is another POV character.

Robb

Robb is Eddard Stark's eldest legitimate child, and the heir to Winterfell. He bears great responsibility with scant complaint, and shares his father's devotion to honor and justice. His appearance favors his Tully side, with a stocky build, blue eyes, and thick auburn hair. His companion direwolf is named Grey Wind.

When Eddard became the King's Hand, Robb remained at Winterfell to rule in his father's stead. Upon Eddard's execution, Robb was declared King in the North and King of the Trident by his father's bannermen. The armies of the north and the riverlands rallied to his cause. Robb won many great battles against the Lannister armies, but confessed himself to have botched the non-martial aspects of the war.

His downfall was triggered by failure to fulfill one of his mother's pacts that cemented his tenuous reign. As part of an alliance with House Frey, she pledged to Lord Walder Frey that Robb would marry one of the women of his house.

Wounded after a hard fought battle against House Lannister, Robb learned that his brothers had apparently been killed by his one-time friend Theon Greyjoy. Jeyne Westerling, daughter of a minor House serving House Lannister, who was personally tending Robb after his injury, tried to comfort him. Full of conflicting emotions, Robb deflowered her that night, and felt honor-bound to marry her when he realized what he'd done. Robb quietly wed Jeyne before they left the Westerlings' home, naming her his queen and taking her brothers into his service: her older brother, Ser Reynald, joined his honor guard and her smaller one, a boy named Rollam, became Robb's own squire. The controversial marriage incited the rage of House Frey; Robb offered an apology to Lord Frey for breaking his pledge, and believed the matter resolved. As a portent of things to come, Jeyne's fear of Grey Wind led Robb to keep the wolf outdoors and at a distance, a decision that Lord Frey played to his own advantages and was, inadvertently, an indirect role in Robb's death.

Lord Frey's claims of forgiveness eventually proved false, for when Robb attended his uncle's wedding to a Frey, he, Grey Wind, his mother, and many of his men were murdered by Frey soldiers. House Bolton threw off the allegiance to Robb when Roose Bolton personally slew the young king. His body was defiled as the Freys sewed the head of Grey Wind onto the decapitated body of Robb. Because of the bloodshed, this event became known as the Red Wedding. The incident outraged Robb Stark's surviving loyal bannermen, and sullied the honor of House Frey, which had violated one of the oldest traditions of the Seven Kingdoms: that of the safety of guests who have been given food and shelter.

Shortly before Robb was murdered, he designated an heir by an official decree, believing his brothers and his sister Arya to be dead. During a conversation with his mother, they agreed that his sister Sansa, as the sole remaining lawful child of Eddard Stark, should be specifically disinherited to forestall her prospective children by Tyrion Lannister from having claim to Winterfell. In that conversation, he had suggested Jon Snow as the most plausible heir to Winterfell, as he is known to the Stark vassals as a son of Eddard Stark. It was not revealed who was named as heir in that decree, however. The only Lord who knows the identity of Robb Stark's heir is Roose Bolton.

Jeyne Westerling

Jeyne Westerling is the wife/widow of Robb Stark.

ansa

Catelyn and Eddard's elder daughter, Sansa (a POV character) possesses the traditional feminine graces of her milieu and is a strong believer in the world of chivalry portrayed in stories and songs. She is traditionally beautiful, with high cheekbones, vivid blue eyes, thick red hair and, as she grows up, a tall and graceful figure. She excels at many female leisure activities, including singing, dancing, playing musical instruments, sewing, fashion, and social graces. She does not always have a good relationship with her sister Arya, whose interests are opposite in many respects and bewildering to Sansa. Her direwolf companion was named Lady.

When her father became the Hand of the King, eleven-year old Sansa was delighted at the prospect of life at court in King's Landing, and thrilled to be betrothed to the handsome Prince Joffrey. She adored Joffrey in spite of his violent mood swings, and gave false testimony defending him against Arya, which resulted in the death of her own direwolf, Lady. She was dismayed when her father announced plans to send her home and end the betrothal. Still trusting those at the royal court to be noble, she told Queen Cersei of her father's plans to send her away, unknowingly aiding the queen's plot against Eddard. It was only when her father was beheaded at Joffrey's command that Sansa saw Joffrey for what he really was.

She remained betrothed to Joffrey, suffering verbal and physical abuse at his hands and on his orders, until she was set aside in favor of Margaery Tyrell. No longer certain whom she could trust, she accepted the promise of the alcoholic knight Ser Dontos Hollard that he would see her sent safely home, seeing him as a gallant rescuer. Sansa remained courteous to everyone she met, including Joffrey's bodyguard Sandor Clegane, who was by turns brusque and gentle with her, and the Tyrells, who were planning to have her marry their heir Willas Tyrell. During this time she also learned to lie, or at least to say things that could be mis-interpreted to her advantage. Various characters have both praised and disparaged her aptitude at it.

After revealing the Tyrell plan to Ser Dontos (who told his master Petyr Baelish, who in turn told the Lannisters), Sansa was instead forced to marry the king's uncle, the dwarf Tyrion Lannister. Dismayed by her new husband's hideous appearance and horrified by the deaths of her siblings and parents, a now thirteen-year old Sansa nonetheless hid her feelings and tried to be the ideal wife she had been trained to be, though her disgust at the thought of sex with her husband was so great that he never forced her to consummate the marriage.

Sansa ultimately escaped King's Landing on the day of Joffrey's wedding during the chaos caused by Joffrey's poisoning and death. Believing Ser Dontos to be her savior, she was yet again disillusioned when she learned that he was working for payment, from Petyr Baelish. Baelish took her by ship to the Eyrie, which was ruled by Sansa's aunt, Lysa Arryn, whom Baelish then married. Sansa was instructed to pretend she was Baelish's bastard daughter, as the queen was searching for her. She again tried to fit in, playing with her young cousin Robert Arryn, but Baelish was attracted to Sansa and kissed her, not knowing that his wife was watching. Thus Petyr murdered his wife after she demonstrated her instability and threatened Sansa.

While at the Eyrie, Sansa pretended to be Baelish's bastard daughter, taking the name and persona of 'Alayne Stone' so thoroughly that she no longer thought of herself as Sansa. After Lysa's death Alayne became the mistress of the Eyrie, demonstrating again her aptness for household duties, and learned something of courtly intrigues from Baelish. He also planned for her marriage to Harrold Hardyng, the heir to House Arryn, and the eventual revelation of her true identity and the reclaiming of Winterfell in her name.

Arya

Arya (a POV character) is a spirited girl with an interest in fighting and exploring. She is a foil of her proper sister Sansa, whom she often describes as "stupid". Throughout her travels, Arya displays great resourcefulness, cunning, and an unflinching ability to accept hard necessity. She is skinny, athletic, and often mistaken for a boy. She has strong Stark family features, with a long face and brown hair. She is said to take after her fiery aunt Lyanna in temperament and appearance. Her direwolf companion is named Nymeria.

Arya traveled with her father to King's Landing. On the way south to the capital, however, she was forced to abandon her direwolf Nymeria when it defended her from Prince Joffrey. Queen Cersei then ordered Arya's sister's direwolf, Lady, to be killed when Nymeria ran away, an incident that created in Arya a deep hatred for the crown prince and the queen. While at court, she trained under Syrio Forel, a celebrated Braavosi swordsman. Under his strict but creative tutelage, Arya learned to fight in the Braavosi style with Needle, an edged rapier that Jon Snow gave her. During the purge of Starks from the Red Keep, Syrio held off Arya's attackers so she could escape. She lived on the streets until the day she witnessed her father's public execution.

With no family or home, and being hunted for a highborn prisoner, Arya became a servant to many parties under different names. First, with Yoren of the Night's Watch, she was "Arry", a boy headed to join the Night's Watch; he planned to return her to Winterfell until he was killed in a battle, where Arya saved the lives of Jaqen H'ghar, Rorge and Biter. She was "Weasel", a servant girl at Harrenhal under the command of Tywin and, later, Ser Amory Lorch. Jaqen offered her three murders for the lives she saved; her first two choices were Chiswyck and Weese, two minor characters who made life miserable for her. For the last death, she chose Jaqen himself. In an effort to make her unsay his name, (he'd sworn a solemn oath to kill whoever she named) he helped her free the imprisoned northmen, her father's men. With Harrenhal under the command of Roose Bolton, she called herself "Nymeria, or Nan", a servant girl, and became one of Roose's personal servants. After Harrenhal was left to Vargo Hoat, Arya escaped it with two companions, Gendry and Hot Pie, fellow boys from Yoren's party of recruits. They were captured by the Brotherhood Without Banners; her friends joined the outlaws while they made plans to ransom her, knowing her to be Arya Stark.

Sandor Clegane then stole her away to return her to her brother Robb and collect a rich reward. Clegane and Arya reached the Frey castle at the Red Wedding, just as Arya's brother and mother were being murdered. Clegane prevented Arya from running to them, and decided that the only place left to take her was to the Vale of Arryn, which was ruled by Arya's aunt, the Lady Lysa. On the way, Clegane took a mortal wound, and Arya left him to die and caught a ship to Braavos to become an acolyte of the Faceless Men, the elite and terrifying company of professional assassins to which Jaqen H'ghar belonged.

Part of her training involved her assuming the new identity of "Cat of the Canals". Arya's training included abandoning all personal identity, but one night she took actions suitable for Arya Stark: killing a deserter from the Night's Watch and accepting milk meant for "Arya". She awoke blind the next morning.

Before sleeping, Arya always recites the names of her living enemies, finishing with "Valar Morghulis", a High Valyrian phrase meaning "All men must die." She has pitilessly eliminated several names from her list. Arya is bent on avenging her murdered family.

At the end of "A Storm of Swords", Jaime Lannister observed a girl calling herself "Arya Stark" departing from King's Landing, betrothed to Ramsay Bolton, the now-legitimized bastard son of Roose Bolton.

Bran

Catelyn and Eddard's second son, Bran (a POV character) enjoys climbing and exploring Winterfell. Like his siblings, he is dutiful and tough-minded. He is named for his deceased uncle Brandon, elder brother of Eddard. He dreams of one day being a great knight. His direwolf companion is named Summer.

On a climbing expedition, he passed a window through which he could see Queen Cersei and her brother Jaime having sex. Jaime Lannister pushed him from the window to kill him and keep the secret, but Bran survived and entered a coma. During that coma, Bran had visions of a three-eyed crow that told him it could teach him to fly. With the crow's guidance, he was able to open his "third eye" and Bran awoke from his coma and immediately named his direwolf "Summer". However, Bran was left crippled from the fall and unable to walk, therefore deciding that the crow had lied to him about his ability to "fly". He has also forgotten the events leading to his fall due to head injury or has possibly repressed those memories. He soon realized he has the ability to skin-change (an ability associated with those known as "wargs" – persons with the ability to enter the minds of animals and control them).

After Robb became King in the North, Bran, as Robb's heir, became the Prince of Winterfell and ruled the castle in his brother's absence. He befriended Meera and Jojen Reed, children of his father's most trusted friend, Howland Reed, when they came to pledge the fealty of House Reed. Jojen told Bran that he had seen him in his green dreams and told Bran that he is "the winged wolf" bound in chains. While sleeping, Bran frequently entered Summer's mind, though he thought at first that he was simply dreaming. Jojen recognized Bran's ability as skinchanging and instructed him on how to use it properly. After learning of Bran's visions Jojen claimed that if Bran went north beyond the Wall, he could find the three-eyed crow. When Theon Greyjoy betrayed the Starks and captured Winterfell, Bran hid in the crypts until Theon was betrayed in turn by the Bastard of Dreadfort. With Winterfell burned, except the crypts and godswood, Bran, the Reeds, and the stable boy Hodor went north to seek the three-eyed crow of Bran's dreams. They traveled beyond the Wall and met Coldhands, an enigmatic figure of uncertain allegiance.

Rickon

Eddard's youngest child, only three years old when the series begins. Rickon is a naturally aggressive and strong-willed child, but his youth makes it difficult for him to cope with the terrible changes that come to his family and life. His direwolf companion is named Shaggydog.

Shortly after Eddard's death in King's Landing, both Bran and Rickon shared a vision of their father's spirit in the crypts. As the turmoil of Eddard's death shakes his family, Rickon became largely unsupervised as his eldest brother and mother left to war, and his sisters were held captive at King's Landing. Alone with his crippled brother Bran at Winterfell, Rickon developed an unruly, often violent temper. His fear and rage were reflected in his direwolf, Shaggydog, who turned largely feral and attacked several people before being restrained. Several times, Bran's direwolf Summer was forced to fight Shaggydog into submission. Rickon hid with Bran in the crypts during Theon Greyjoy's brief reign at Winterfell. When Winterfell was sacked and burned by Ramsay Bolton, the brothers were separated for their safety. The wildling woman Osha took Rickon and Shaggydog to parts unknown.

Jon Snow

Jon Snow is a POV character and the claimed bastard son of Eddard, by a mother whose identity is not widely known. His direwolf companion is the mute, albino Ghost (due to his albinism and eerie silence, cementing Jon's outsider status as a bastard).

Jon, who received the surname customarily assigned to bastards born of the North, is of an age with Robb. Despite his wife Catelyn's objections, Ned insisted on taking responsibility for the boy, and he grew up side-by-side with the trueborn Starks and is close with everyone but Catelyn and Sansa. He has a long face, grey eyes and lean build, with strong Stark coloring.

As Jon was growing up, his position became increasingly awkward. During King Robert Baratheon's visit to Winterfell, Jon asked his uncle Benjen Stark to join the Night's Watch and was refused at first. After Bran's fall he was allowed to go. Jon was initially resented by other recruits for his noble background, but he eventually learned to fit into the crowd by assuming leadership and uniting the recruits first against their caustic master-at-arms, Alliser Thorne, and then in protection of the cowardly but good-natured Samwell Tarly. In the beginning he had trouble adjusting to the life of the Nightwatch, as it was very different from what he had imagined. At the outbreak of the War of the Five Kings, he tried to desert to join Robb's army, but his new friends brought him back before he could be punished for desertion. By finally deciding to honor his bonds and abandon his past, Jon came to accept the Nightwatch as his new brothers. Jon was appointed personal steward and squire to Lord Commander Jeor Mormont as a means to groom him for command. During a wight attack on Castle Black, Jon saved Mormont's life and received serious burns on his hand. Mormont gave him the Valyrian bastard sword Longclaw of House Mormont, and had a direwolf head engraved onto the pommel in honor of House Stark.

When Mormont mounted an expedition to investigate the disappearances of several rangers, including Benjen Stark, Jon went ahead with a small group of scouts led by the famous Qhorin Halfhand. Along the way, Jon captured a wildling woman, Ygritte, instead of killing her. The party was later discovered and pursued by wildlings. Before they were overtaken, Qhorin commanded Jon to join the wildlings and find out what they were seeking. He forced Jon to kill him in front of the wildings to legitimize his request. Jon was only spared by the support of Ygritte but the thought of being an oathbreaker and turning on his brothers made him wish for death instead. During a dream Jon encounters his brother Bran in the form of a weirwood tree (who has finally opened his third eye). With Bran's help the bond between Ghost and Jon became stronger and he is able to slip into Ghost in his dreams.

Jon joined the wildlings and linked up with the massive wildling army Mance Rayder had drawn together. Jon met Mance and learned his plans to cross the Wall. For a time, Jon became Ygritte's lover and hesitated between betraying her or leaving the Night's Watch. On a mission to scale the Wall and launch a surprise attack on Castle Black from the back(Castle Black has no defenses aside from the Wall), Jon escaped his wildling comrades to rejoin the Watch. There he took command of the skeleton crew left defending the Wall after Mormont's expedition was scattered(the rest of the garrison was taken with Bowen Marsh to defend other parts of the Wall). Despite overwhelming odds, Jon successfully beat back several of the wildlings assaults. Even then it seemed that all was lost but Stannis Baratheon's surprise appearance with reinforcements turned the tide in their favor and they were able to crush the King-Beyond-the-Wall. Mance Rayder was captured along with his newborn son. During the survey of Castle Black Jon discovered, much to his sadness, that Ygritte had been killed attacking the Wall, though thankfully the arrow that slew her was not one of his.

Though several of Jon's enemies in the Watch accused him of being a turncloak during his time with the wildlings, his service defending the Wall and spying on Mance earned him popular support. Jon was released and, due to the efforts of Samwell Tarly, voted the 998th Lord Commander of the Night's Watch. Though Stannis offered to make him Lord of House Stark, Jon refused, and further worked to frustrate the plots of Stannis's priestess Melisandre by sending Mance's child away and Maester Aemon from the wall. He does not trust Stannis, and is full of hatred for the Lannisters for murdering his father and brothers. The one exception to this being Jon's friendship with the disfigured dwarf, Tyrion Lannister.

Jon's parentage is a subject of speculation among the series' characters. Eddard would not speak of the matter: when asked point-blank by Catelyn about the rumor that Jon's mother was Ashara Dayne, he would not answer. Years later, when queried by his best friend Robert Baratheon, Ned claimed that a lowborn woman named Wylla is Snow's mother. Cersei Lannister believes Jon's mother is Ashara Dayne, while Lord Edric Dayne of Starfall, who was wet-nursed by Wylla, assures Arya that Jon is her son, but only Ned's close friend Howland Reed, who was present when Ned took possession of Jon, can reveal the truth (Ashara having killed herself soon after Ned left, and Wylla's fate having not yet been established). Author George R. R. Martin, for his part, has likewise refused to comment on either possibility—or, for that matter, any other speculation brought up by readers—but in correspondence has established that Jon's parentage will be revealed over the course of the storycite web |url=http://www.westeros.org/Citadel/SSM/Entry/Many_Questions2/ |title=So Spake Martin - Many Questions |publisher=westeros.org] .

Benjen

Benjen Stark is Lord Eddard's younger brother, and the First Ranger of the Night's Watch. He is Eddard's last surviving sibling.

When King Robert visited the Starks at Winterfell, Benjen was invited back to the castle. At the feast held in honor of the king, Benjen's talk with his nephew Jon Snow ultimately prompted the young bastard boy to join the Night's Watch. Benjen took Jon north with him after the visit. However, Benjen disappeared while ranging beyond the Wall shortly after he and Jon Snow arrived at Castle Black. Lord Commander Jeor Mormont refused to name a new First Ranger until Benjen was recovered, dead or alive, but he has not been seen or heard from since.

Although Benjen's character has very few lines in the series to this point in its published form (through "A Feast for Crows"), he is mentioned or referenced numerous times in every book, long after his disappearance. Given this, fans of the series have speculated that Benjen will return to hold some position of importance later in the series.

Past and historical members

Brandon

Eddard's elder brother, who died before the Usurper's Rebellion. He is described by those who knew him as taller, more handsome, and more passionate than Eddard. He was also an excellent swordsman and jouster.

Brandon was betrothed to Catelyn Tully of Riverrun, but Petyr Baelish, a ward of Catelyn's father, loved Catelyn and challenged Brandon to a duel for her hand. Brandon won their duel, but did not kill Petyr, in concession to Catelyn's pleas. Brandon was on his way to Riverrun to wed Catelyn when word reached him of his sister Lyanna's supposed abduction by Prince Rhaegar Targaryen. Brandon and four companions rode to King's Landing and threatened Rhaegar's life. They were arrested by King Aerys and charged with plotting Rhaegar's murder. Their fathers were called to court to answer the charges. Brandon died while trying to save his father from being burned to death by King Aerys.

Lyanna

Eddard's only sister, Lyanna died at the end of Robert's Rebellion. She is described by many people who knew her as a spirited young woman and an excellent rider. She was said to exhibit the same Stark coloring as her brother Ned, and was regarded as beautiful. Comparisons are made between her and Arya, both in appearance and temperament.

Lyanna was betrothed to Robert Baratheon, who was infatuated with her. Lyanna was not as ardent in her love for Robert, and was fully aware of his philandering ways. However, Prince Rhaegar Targaryen crowned her Queen of Love and Beauty after winning the Harrenhal tourney, passing over his wife, the Dornish princess Elia, in her favor. The exact nature of her relationship with Rhaegar is not presently clear, but shortly thereafter Rhaegar apparently abducted her. Robert and Brandon Stark assumed (possibly inaccurately) that Lyanna had been taken against her will. Their anger over the event triggered Robert's Rebellion. After the sack of King's Landing, Eddard and six companions went to retrieve Lyanna at the building Rhaegar had named the "tower of joy". They fought three Kingsguard knights (including the legendary Gerold Hightower and Arthur Dayne) stationed there, who killed all but Eddard and Howland Reed. Bran recalls in "A Clash of Kings" that Eddard had told him a story of that meeting between Ned and Howland and the knights of the Kingsguard. Eddard had told Bran that Arthur Dayne "would have killed me, but for Howland Reed." This hint suggests that Reed has some great, yet unknown, power that he could defeat the Sword in the Morning (Dayne) who Ned called "the finest knight I ever saw" ("ACOK"). Ned recalled (in his poppy-induced sleep in "A Game of Thrones") hearing Lyanna screaming his name during the fight between himself and Dayne. The significance of this has yet to be revealed.

Eddard found Lyanna dying in a "bed of blood" and clutching a withered wreath of blue roses. She forced him to make a promise to her, the nature of which is unknown, but which haunted Eddard for the rest of his life. She was buried at Winterfell, in the ancestral crypts of House Stark.

Other Starks

No precise lineage of House Stark is known, but the individuals listed below are supposed to be in rough chronological order.
*Bran, the Builder, founder of house Stark and the first King of the North, builder of Winterfell castle and the Wall.
*King Theon, the Hungry Wolf
*King Jon
*King Brandon, the Shipwright, loved sailing and built up a mighty Northern fleet.
*King Brandon, the Burner, burned the entire Northern fleet after the disappearance of his father on the Sunset Sea.
*King Jon
*King Jonnel
*King Jon
*King Dorren
*King Jon
*King Jon, built the castle of White Harbor after driving away sea raiders.
*King Rickard, defeated the Marsh King extending their kingdom to include the Neck.
*King Rodrick
*King Edrick
*King Benjen, the Bitter
*King Benjen, the Sweet
*King Eyron
*King Edderion, the Bridegroom
*King Walton, the Moonking
*King Brandon, the Bad
*Karlon, a younger brother of the king and founder of the Karstarks.
*King Jorah
*King Jonos
*King Edwyn, the Spring King
*King Bran, the Daughterless
*Torrhen, the King Who Knelt, The last King in the North, who bent the knee to Aegon the Conqueror, making the North part of the Seven Kingdoms.
*Cregan, who fought Aemon the Dragonknight
*Brandon
*Barth
*Jonnel
*Rodwell
*Beron
*Donner
*Artos, the Implacable
*Willam
*Edwyle
*Rickard, killed by order of King Aerys Targaryen at the start of Robert's Rebellion.

worn Houses

* Bolton of the Dreadfort. In the distant past, the Boltons were the Starks' most powerful rivals in the north. They violently contested Stark authority, but eventually submitted about a thousand years before the beginning of the series. Their sigil is a flayed man, coming from their tradition of flaying captives.
* Cerwyn of Cerwyn. Their motto is "Honed and Ready".
* Dustin of Barrowton.
* Glover of Deepwood Motte.
* Flint. Three branches of House Flint are known:
** "Flint of Flint's Finger".
** "Flint of Widow's Watch".
** "Flint (a clan of the mountains)" Lord Eddard's grandmother was born of this house.
* Hornwood of Hornwood. Their motto is "Righteous in Wrath".
* Karstark of Karhold. The Karstarks are descended from a younger son of House Stark, Karlon Stark, who defeated a rebel lord. He was rewarded with lands of his own, on which a castle named after him was built. Karstark's motto is: "The Sun of Winter".
* Liddle. A clan of the mountains.
* Locke of Oldcastle.
* Manderly of White Harbour. A very rich house coming from the Reach; it is led by Lord Wyman Manderly.
* Mormont of Bear Island. The Mormonts were given the island after King Rodrick Stark took it over from the Ironborn.
* Norrey. A clan of the mountains.
* Reed of Greywater Watch. The Reeds rule the swampy lands of the Neck from a floating fortress. Greywater Watch is the only known stronghold in Westeros that is protected by concealment. The Reeds are the southernmost of the Stark's sworn houses.
* Ryswell of the Rills.
* Tallhart of Torrhen's Square.
* Umber of Last Hearth. Last Hearth is near the Wall. The Umbers are thus used to fighting wildling raiders from the north.

References

External links

* [http://www.towerofthehand.com/reference/k/01067/index.html House Stark entry at Tower of the Hand encyclopedia]
* [http://www.towerofthehand.com/articles/a/0011/ Who are Jon Snow's parents?] - article referencing possible clues within the books
* [http://awoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/House_Stark House Stark on A Wiki of Ice and Fire]