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105-450: Bran is the second son and fourth child of Lord Eddard and Lady Catelyn Stark of Winterfell , the ancient capital of the North of the kingdom of Westeros . Bran dreams of becoming a knight since childhood, but is rendered paraplegic by Jaime Lannister in the first novel after stumbling upon the latter's affair with twin sister Cersei Lannister . Awaking from a months-long coma , he

210-468: A retiarius ); she is able to defeat Bran's direwolf , Summer, in mock combat by entangling the direwolf in her net. The legacy of Bran's late aunt Lyanna Stark is also largely narrated through her storytelling. The younger brother, Jojen, is thirteen when he first appears, but his sullen seriousness and maturity make him seem older. He is short and slim with unusually deep green eyes, and he wears green-colored clothing. He claims to have "greensight" and

315-497: A "golden crown all men will fear", and is killed as the Khal pours molten gold over his head. Daenerys names one of her dragons Viserion in his memory, though only out of respect for keeping her alive for years by protecting her and finding shelter in the free cities. Daenerys Targaryen , referred to sometimes as 'Daenerys Stormborn', 'Khaleesi', the 'Mother of Dragons', is the daughter and youngest child of King Aerys II Targaryen and

420-607: A horse. When Robb rides south to relieve Ned 's arrest in King's Landing , Bran becomes the acting Lord of Winterfell. 1998's A Clash of Kings finds Robb named King in the North, and Bran, as Robb's heir, rules Winterfell in his brother's absence. When Theon Greyjoy betrays the Starks and captures Winterfell, Bran and Rickon escape, aided by the wildling Osha . To hide his failure, Theon has two other children murdered and proclaims them to be Bran and Rickon. Having been hiding in

525-423: A knight dashed by the crippling attempt on his life in A Game of Thrones , duty forces Bran to overcome his new limitations and embrace his new abilities. Although he doesn't realize his newfound powers at first, he grows to discover what he can accomplish. His gradual acceptance of his seemingly-prophetic visions (called the "greensight") and his ability to psychically inhabit his direwolf Summer (which marks him as

630-576: A litter of recovered direwolves given to the Stark children and names him Summer. During the King's visit to Winterfell, Bran accidentally interrupts the Queen, Cersei, having sex with her brother, Jaime, who shoves him from the window. While he is unconscious and recovering from his injuries, Summer kills an assassin sent to murder Bran. When he awakens Bran cannot recall the events before his fall and finds that he

735-402: A missing ranging party, but he and his men also disappear. The bodies of two of his men are later found and brought back to Castle Black; they reanimate as undead wights and kill several men before they are destroyed, but no trace of Benjen has yet been found. Lyanna Stark is Eddard Stark's younger and only sister, and has been deceased for 14 years at the beginning of A Game of Thrones , but

840-770: A new Watch recruit, finds Bran first and takes him hostage. Bran wargs into Hodor and snaps Locke's neck. The group then continues on without telling Jon, who Jojen claims would stop them. Bran eventually reaches the Heart Tree but is set upon by wights outside the entrance. Jojen is killed in the attack, but the Children of the Forest lead Bran and his company safely into a magic cave, to meet the Three-Eyed Raven. The Three-Eyed Raven declares that Bran will not walk again but will fly, instead. As part of his training, Bran

945-503: A political prisoner. During the 2014 San Diego Comic Con , George R. R. Martin stated that Jeyne Westerling will appear in the prologue of the sixth book, The Winds of Winter , but did not reveal whether she would be the prologue POV character. Lord Roose Bolton is a significant vassal of Lord Eddard Stark. His seat is the Dreadfort and his sigil is a flayed human, a homage to the ancient Bolton tradition of flaying enemies. He

1050-551: A rebellion against Aerys, with Robert personally killing Rhaegar in single combat at the Battle of the Trident, and ultimately overthrowing House Targaryen . Though Robert continues to vilify Rhaegar throughout A Game of Thrones , many other characters express admiration for him. Daenerys's stillborn son Rhaego and her dragon Rhaegal are named after Rhaegar. Viserys Targaryen is the seventh-born child of Aerys II Targaryen , and

1155-520: A sling on his back. When Winterfell is sacked and burnt, Hodor escapes north with Bran, Jojen, Meera, Rickon and Osha. Osha ( / ˈ oʊ ʃ ə / ) is a wildling woman who sneaks south of the Wall to escape the Others . When she and her fellow refugees try to kidnap Bran Stark in A Game of Thrones , she is captured by Robb Stark and taken back to Winterfell , eventually employed as a scullery maid , and

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1260-511: A type of skin-changer known as a warg . Bran, Hodor, Meera and Jojen travel north to the Wall in search of the three-eyed crow in A Storm of Swords (2000). In A Dance with Dragons (2011), Bran, Hodor, Meera and Jojen are joined by the mysterious Coldhands , and a Child of the Forest named Leaf takes them to the three-eyed crow (actually a human telepath), who in turn offers to train Bran in retrocognition and clairvoyance . Bran Stark

1365-473: A type of skinchanger known as a warg ) show his growing maturity and his worth beyond the loss of his legs. He also manages to enter Hodor's mind, and later skinchanges into crows and even weirwood trees under the mentorship of the Three-Eyed Crow . In A Game of Thrones (1996), Bran accidentally sees Queen Cersei Lannister and her twin brother Ser Jaime having sex; whereupon he is pushed from

1470-530: A younger brother Rickon , and an older illegitimate half-brother Jon Snow . Bran is constantly accompanied by his direwolf Summer, the intellectually disabled stableboy Hodor (who carries him around after his crippling), and the Reed siblings Meera and Jojen . Martin describes Bran as favoring his mother in appearance, having the thick auburn hair and deep blue eyes of the Tullys . According to Martin, Bran

1575-404: Is Walder, he is commonly called "Hodor" because that is the only word he is capable of saying. He is over seven feet tall, and hinted to possibly have giant ancestry. He has a friendly, childlike disposition and possesses great physical strength, though he is too timid and gentle to use it against others. After Bran Stark is crippled in A Game of Thrones , Hodor is tasked to carry him around in

1680-413: Is able to delay the assassin long enough for Bran's direwolf, Summer, to kill him. Senseless, Bran dreams of his falling from the tower and of a three-eyed crow that offers to teach him to fly. With the crow's guidance, Bran wakes; but having been crippled by the fall, he is unable to walk. Thereafter he relies on the giant simpleton Hodor to move around, and a harness designed by Tyrion Lannister to ride

1785-671: Is assassinated by a member of his own Kingsguard, Jaime Lannister . Rhaegar Targaryen, the 'Last Dragon', was the eldest son of King Aerys II and the heir apparent to the Iron Throne , and the older brother to Viserys and Daenerys Targaryen . He died 14 years before the events of A Game of Thrones , and his life's tales are mainly narrated through the words of Jaime Lannister , Cersei Lannister , Barristan Selmy and Daenerys (via visions of sorcery), as well as commentaries by Eddard Stark , Aemon Targaryen , Jorah Mormont , Meera Reed , Jon Connington and Gilly . Rhaegar married

1890-460: Is betrothed to Daryn Hornwood, heir to the Hornwood, but Jaime Lannister kills him alongside two of her brothers. Her father offers her to whoever captures Jaime Lannister, so the sadistic sellsword Vargo Hoat captures Jaime in the hope of becoming Lord of Karhold. However, after Rickard's death his uncle Arnolf Karstark plots to take control of Karhold. He declares for Stannis when he comes North in

1995-674: Is crippled from the waist down, forced to be carried everywhere by the stableboy Hodor. Slowly, he realizes that he has gained the ability to assume Summer's consciousness, making him a warg or a skinchanger. After his older brother, Robb, is crowned King in the North, Bran becomes Robb's heir and the Lord of Winterfell. After Theon Greyjoy captures Winterfell, Osha helps Bran and his younger brother Rickon go into hiding. To cement his claim on Winterfell, Theon has two orphan boys killed and their bodies burned, and passes their charred corpses off as Bran and Rickon. After Theon's men betray him and Winterfell

2100-649: Is described as one of the Great Houses of the Seven Kingdoms and the principal house of the North . Its seat is at Winterfell , one of the oldest castles in the Seven Kingdoms. Its coat of arms displays a grey direwolf running on a white field, and its words are Winter is Coming . Bastards born in the North are given the surname "Snow". House Stark had ruled as the Kings in the North for thousands of years until House Targaryen conquered Westeros, whereafter

2205-524: Is fascinating to watch Martin's characters mature and grow, particularly Stark's children, who stand at the center of the book." Noting Bran's absence in 2005's A Feast for Crows , James Poniewozik of Time wrote in his review of A Dance with Dragons (2011): Some favorite characters were MIA for eleven long years. ADWD brings them back—bastard warrior Jon Snow, exiled dragon queen Daenerys Targaryen , fugitive dwarf Tyrion Lannister and crippled, mystical Bran Stark, among others—and almost from

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2310-411: Is finally reunited at Winterfell with Sansa and Arya, who are both concerned by Bran's knowledge about their tribulations following Ned's execution. Littlefinger gives Bran a Valyrian steel dagger (the one used by Bran's would-be assassin in season one), which Bran passes to Arya. Meera leaves Winterfell to return to Greywater Watch; Bran's indifference to her departure makes her realize that Bran "died" in

2415-550: Is given limited freedom for her good behavior. She becomes close to Bran Stark and often gives him advice about the oncoming winter. When Theon Greyjoy captures Winterfell, Osha chooses to protect Bran and Rickon over her freedom. She joins Bran and Rickon hiding in Winterfell's crypt after faking escape. She later parts ways with Bran and is entrusted to take care of Rickon through the North in their escape, and by A Dance with Dragons , they are reported to have landed on

2520-470: Is his own bastard by a woman named Ashara Dayne. In actuality, he is the son of Lyanna and Rhaegar. Although Jon Arryn persuaded Robert to marry Cersei Lannister, Robert greatly mourns Lyanna for over a decade, causing great strain in his marriage with Cersei. Jeyne Westerling is the older daughter of Lord Gawen Westerling of the Crag, a Westerlands bannerman of House Lannister . She meets Robb Stark when he

2625-422: Is intensely loyal and protective of her "prince" as well as of her own brother, with Bran commenting that the only one who ever angers or upsets her is her brother, Jojen. Though she is never described as being particularly beautiful, both Theon Greyjoy and Bran Stark seem to consider her attractive. She is a skilled huntress and fights with a small fishing net and a three-pronged frog spear (similar in style to

2730-401: Is introduced as beautiful and demure. Arya Stark is the third child and younger daughter of Eddard and Catelyn Stark . She serves as a POV character for 33 chapters throughout A Game of Thrones , A Clash of Kings , A Storm of Swords , A Feast for Crows , and A Dance with Dragons . So far, she is the only character to appear in all 5 books as a POV character. Brandon "Bran" Stark is

2835-593: Is later killed by the Lannisters. When Catelyn helps Jaime escape in an attempt to recover her daughters, Rickard murders two of Jaime's cousins and has his army desert Robb to search the Riverlands for Jaime, offering his daughter Alys Karstark to whoever brings him the Kingslayer. Due to this Robb executes Rickard personally. Alys Karstark is the only daughter and youngest child of Lord Rickard Karstark. She

2940-399: Is mentioned in every published book in the series. She died at the age of 16 and was said to have been very beautiful by all who knew her as "a child-woman of surpassing loveliness" and "a wild beauty". She was also remembered as being headstrong and "had a touch of" the fabled Starks' "wolf blood", and was one of the best horse-riders in the North. She was betrothed to Robert Baratheon , who

3045-541: Is nicknamed "the Leech Lord" for regular leechings meant to improve his health. Ramsay Snow is the bastard son of Lord Roose Bolton, later legitimized as Ramsay Bolton. He is known as the Bastard of Bolton or the Bastard of the Dreadfort. Ramsay is vicious, ruthless, psychopathic, sadistic, opportunistic, unpredictable, and fearless. He takes great pleasure and pride in torturing others and enthusiastically practices

3150-406: Is one of the last surviving members of House Targaryen. She serves as the point of view character in thirty-one chapters throughout A Game of Thrones , A Clash of Kings , A Storm of Swords , and A Dance with Dragons . Prince Aegon Targaryen, also known as Young Griff, is the only known son of Rhaegar Targaryen and Elia Martell . Fifteen years before the events of the series, the infant Aegon

3255-423: Is played by Isaac Hempstead Wright in the television adaption of the series of books. Like the other children, Bran is aged up for television. He begins the series a 10-year-old child (3 years older than his book counterpart), and is 17 by the end of the series. Brandon "Bran" Stark is the second son and fourth child of Eddard and Catelyn Stark. He was named after his deceased uncle, Brandon. Bran receives one of

Bran Stark - Misplaced Pages Continue

3360-512: Is reunited with Jon when he returns to Winterfell with Daenerys Targaryen and her forces. Bran reveals to them that the Night King has reanimated Daenerys' dragon Viserion and used it to breach the Wall. Bran urges Sam to tell Jon the truth of his parentage, upon which Jon abdicates his claim in favour of Daenerys'. Jaime later arrives at Winterfell to aid in the fight against the dead, but Bran does not reveal Jaime's role in crippling him. At

3465-538: Is revealed Bran has decided to exile Jon to the Night's Watch for killing Daenerys as a compromise. As Jon leaves, he apologizes to Bran for not being there for him, but Bran responds, "You were exactly where you were supposed to be." Bran tasks himself with finding Drogon. Eddard Stark Too Many Requests If you report this error to the Wikimedia System Administrators, please include

3570-427: Is sacked, Bran, Rickon, Hodor, Osha and their direwolves head north to find his older brother Jon Snow for safety. Bran and his group encounter Jojen and Meera Reed, two siblings who aid them in their quest. Jojen shares Bran's "greensight" and tutors him in his prophetic visions. After coming close to the Wall, Osha departs with Rickon for Last Hearth (to keep him safe) while Bran insists on following his visions beyond

3675-461: Is said to be on an island of cannibals, presumably Skagos. Jon Snow was raised as Ned Stark's illegitimate son and serves as the POV character in 42 chapters throughout A Game of Thrones , A Clash of Kings , A Storm of Swords , and A Dance with Dragons . He shares the Stark family values of honour, and tries to stay morally correct and honest, even when forced to act otherwise. He is theorized to be

3780-517: Is shown several visions of the past, including Ned Stark and Howland Reed confronting Ser Arthur Dayne and Ser Gerold Hightower at the Tower of Joy, and sees how the Children of the Forest injected one of the First Men with dragonglass in a ritual to create the Night King, the first White Walker, as a defense against the other First Men. However, the Three-Eyed Raven is always quick to withdraw Bran from

3885-465: Is strong willed, but a sweet and thoughtful boy, well-loved by everyone at Winterfell. Before his fall he enjoyed climbing and exploring the walls and ramparts of the castle . He grew up wanting to be a knight for the Kingsguard, but those dreams were quickly brought to an end when Bran had to face the fact that he will never walk again. He is also dutiful and tough-minded. With his dreams of being

3990-412: Is subsequently plagued by dreams of a mysterious figure beckoning him to travel north beyond the Wall . Bran's journey alongside a variety of companions lead him deeper into the lore and magic of the North , where he begins to discover various mysterious powers and abilities. Martin told Rolling Stone in 2014 that Bran's momentous chapter with Jaime and Cersei is what "hooked" many readers early in

4095-465: Is the bastard son of Rhaegar and Lyanna, but Sam mentions a former High Septon's record of annulling Rhaegar's marriage to Elia Martell so that he could marry Lyanna. Bran uses greenseeing to confirm that the marriage took place, and then revisits the vision of the Tower of Joy, discovering that Jon's real name is Aegon Targaryen. Bran declares that Jon is therefore the heir to the Iron Throne. Bran

4200-467: Is the character most deeply involved in magic, and the handling of magic and sorcery and the whole supernatural aspect of the books is something I'm trying to be very careful with. So I have to watch that fairly sharply. All of which makes Bran's chapters tricky to write. Booklist cited Bran as a notable character in 1999, and the Publishers Weekly review of A Game of Thrones noted, "It

4305-417: Is the hero of the story. He's young King Arthur. We're going to follow this young boy—and then, boom: You don't expect something like that to happen to him. So that was successful [laughs]. In 2000, Martin called Bran the hardest character to write: Number one, he is the youngest of the major viewpoint characters, and kids are difficult to write about. I think the younger they are, the more difficult. Also, he

Bran Stark - Misplaced Pages Continue

4410-590: Is wounded, and falls in love with him during his convalescence. He marries her the next day to preserve her honour, in doing so breaking a marriage contract with House Frey . After Robb's departure for the Twins, Jeyne remains in Riverrun and does not witness the massacre. After the Red Wedding, she is granted a royal pardon. In A Feast for Crows , she is openly mourning and last appears riding to Casterly Rock as

4515-513: The line of succession and his older brother Aemon chose to abdicate by joining the Night's Watch . He was called "Aegon the Unlikely" because as the fourth son of a fourth son, he was placed very low down the line of succession and therefore considered unlikely to inherit the Iron Throne. Aegon V's reign lasted more than twenty-five years, during which he tried to push policies more favorable to

4620-534: The three-eyed crow after Ramsay Snow sacks and burns Winterfell. At the end of A Storm of Swords , they travel beyond the Wall and Jojen becomes very weak. In A Dance with Dragons , Meera struggles to keep the group's spirits up but implies that Jojen's future is bleak. In Martin's fictional universe, House Targaryen ruled the Seven Kingdoms as Kings of the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the First Men, and as Lords of

4725-516: The Barrow Kings and slowly uniting the North into one kingdom, contesting for dominance with House Bolton of the Dreadfort, the second-most powerful Northern house with a sinister reputation for their flaying tradition. Their expanding dominion would also repel incursions of pirates and raiders, and secure control of the Neck through their vassals of House Reed. They would also gain a new vassal from

4830-579: The Bolton custom of flaying their enemies. Roose suspects that Ramsay murdered Roose's legitimate heir and expects that Ramsay will kill all of Roose's future children. He is described as ugly, with blotchy skin and dry, dark hair. Rickard Karstark is the Lord of Karhold and one of the main Stark vassals. During the Battle of the Whispering Wood, Jaime Lannister kills two of his sons, who were guarding Robb Stark. Rickard's surviving son Harrion Karstark

4935-952: The Dornish princess Elia Martell of Sunspear, and fathered with her a daughter named Rhaenys and son named Aegon . After winning the Tourney at Harrenhal, the greatest tourney in Westerosi history, he surprised everyone by passing over his wife Elia and crowning Lyanna Stark as the tourney's "Queen of Love and Beauty". One year later, he and Lyanna both disappeared, prompting rumors that he abducted and raped Lyanna. Enraged, Lyanna's oldest brother, Brandon, goes to King's Landing to confront Rhaegar, which results in both him and his father Lord Rickard being brutally executed by King Aerys. Lyanna's other older brother Eddard Stark , her betrothed Robert Baratheon , their foster father Jon Arryn and Brandon's father-in-law -to-be Hoster Tully then started

5040-719: The Free Cities of Essos. The Targaryens originally came from Valyria on the continent of Essos , one of forty Dragonlord families in the Valyrian Freehold, but not the most powerful. Before Valyria was destroyed, the Targaryens left for Dragonstone, the westernmost outpost of their empire. A century after the Valyrian "Doom", Aegon I Targaryen was approached by an alliance of some of the Free Cities against Volantis, Valyria's oldest colony, who sought to rebuild

5145-486: The Freehold under their rule, which Aegon consented to before defeating Volantis with his dragon, Balerion. With the Valyrian Freehold broken, Aegon turned west towards Westeros, intent on uniting the Seven Kingdoms under one ruler, with Dragonstone being the perfect staging point for his conquest, due to having deep waters for his fleet and within range of the continent. With the aid of his sister-wives, Rhaenys and Visenya,

5250-551: The Freys and Boltons when he attends Ramsay's wedding, even eating some himself. The Freys suspect him of murdering their kin, and when Little Walder is murdered (possibly by his cousin Big Walder Frey) their uncle Hosteen Frey attacks Wyman and cuts him in the neck. It is unclear if he survives. Hodor / ˈ h oʊ d ɔː r / is Old Nan's great-grandson and a slow-witted stable-boy at Winterfell . Although his real name

5355-488: The Freys present for their treachery. Wyman apparently has him executed but secretly executes a criminal in his place, leading to Cersei returning his heir. Wyman reveals to Davos he knows where Rickon Stark is hiding and will support Stannis if Davos returns him. Wyman is implied to have murdered the White Harbor Freys when their stay was over (thus keeping to guest right), then put them in pies which he serves to

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5460-486: The Freys. Due to his heir being held captive Wyman cannot openly defy the Lannisters. Three Freys come to his city with Wendel's bones and a peace is apparently made, in which Wyman's granddaughters Wynafryd and Wylla will marry one of these Freys, Rhaegar Frey, and another of Walder Frey's grandsons, "Little" Walder Frey. When Davos Seaworth arrives in White Harbor to treat with Wyman to support Stannis, Davos denounces

5565-526: The King to Robert Baratheon. He is executed, by Joffrey's order, on the steps of the Great Sept of Baelor. He serves as a POV character for 15 chapters in A Game of Thrones . Catelyn Stark is the Lady of Winterfell , wife of Lord Eddard Stark , and mother to his children Robb, Sansa, Arya, Bran, and Rickon. She is the daughter of Lord Hoster Tully of Riverrun; niece to Ser Brynden Tully (also known as

5670-469: The Night King when he emerges. The Night King eventually breaches the castle and approaches Bran, killing Theon in the process. He is about to kill Bran, but Arya intervenes and manages to stab the Night King with the Valyrian steel dagger, eliminating the Night King as well as all the other White Walkers and undead he resurrected. Westeros is left without a ruler when, after Daenerys successfully wrests King's Landing from Cersei Lannister, she proceeds to burn

5775-536: The Night's Watch several times against wildling raids, defeating many Kings-beyond-the-Wall, and forming a second branch, called House Karstark. During Aegon's conquest of Westeros, the Starks intended to oppose the Targaryens, unwilling to bow to an outsider, but King Torrhen Stark knelt after hearing of the scorching of Harrenhal and the devastating outcome of the Field of Fire caused by the Targaryen dragons, becoming

5880-628: The Reach after House Manderly was exiled, granting them White Harbor in exchange for protection against piracy. House Stark would ultimately unite the North and drive the ironborn away, making enemies with House Hoare, and a new vassal in House Mormont of Bear Island, just as the Andals arrived in Westeros and began conquering every kingdom the First Men had built and converting them to the Faith of

5985-609: The Second, also called The Mad King, is the last Targaryen king to rule the Seven Kingdoms. While his rule started out well, he slowly descended into madness. His sister-wife Rhaella bore him eight children, but only three survived into adulthood: sons Rhaegar and Viserys and daughter Daenerys , who was not yet born when the Targaryen dynasty fell. After Rhaegar absconded with Lyanna Stark , Aerys had Ned Stark's father and brother executed, beginning Robert's Rebellion. When Aerys plans to burn King's Landing rather than let Robert rule, he

6090-404: The Seven Kingdoms from the largely unmapped area in the most northern portion of the continent. Each chapter is narrated in the third-person limited point of view through the eyes of a single character. Beginning with nine POV characters in A Game of Thrones (1996), a total of thirty-one such characters have narrated over the course of the first five volumes of the series. House Stark

6195-565: The Seven. The Starks made peace with the Boltons and finally unified the North and began opposing the Andals as one force instead of individually like the rest of the First Men, sacking Andalos and driving them back from the fortress of Moat Cailin. They would lose their strength at sea after a failed voyage across the Sunset Sea ended in all their ships being torched. House Stark would also aid

6300-562: The Starks were known as the Lords of Winterfell and Wardens of the North. For prizing honor and devotion to duty, House Stark is the closest of the noble houses to heroism. Descended from Bran the Builder, the architect of the Wall, House Stark is the chief First Men dynasty in Westeros due to their successful repulsion of the Andal invasion and became the ruling house in the North after defeating

6405-470: The Targaryens, using their three dragons, successfully conquered six of the Seven Kingdoms by destroying defiant houses and making subjects of submissive ones, with the seventh one peacefully joining the realm through marriage. Aegon built the Iron Throne with his enemies' swords and his dragon's flame, building the Red Keep as his throne room and King's Landing as his new capital. The Targaryen dragons were

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6510-449: The Three-Eyed Raven's cave. For that reason, Bran remains aloof from his siblings as well. He uses his greenseeing abilities to discover Littlefinger's betrayal of Ned. When Sansa confronts Littlefinger about his treason towards House Stark, Bran corroborates the accusations leveled against him, and Arya executes Littlefinger at Sansa's command. Samwell Tarly arrives in Winterfell and comes to visit Bran. Bran tells Sam his discovery that Jon

6615-483: The Wall . In A Dance with Dragons , Bran meets the Three-Eyed-Crow: an alias of the last trained clairvoyant. Rickon Stark is Ned Stark's youngest child and is three years old in A Game of Thrones . When Theon Greyjoy captures Winterfell in A Clash of Kings , Rickon hides in the crypts. After Winterfell is sacked, he and the wildling woman Osha travel through the North . In A Dance with Dragons , he

6720-542: The Wall. Bran and his group encounter Sam and Gilly, who try to persuade Bran not to venture beyond the Wall, but Bran claims it is his destiny and leaves through the gate with Hodor and the Reeds. During their travels beyond the Wall, Bran and his group stumble across Craster's Keep, where they are captured and held by Night's Watch mutineers, led by Karl Tanner. Night's Watchmen led by Jon eventually converge on Craster's Keep, but Locke, an agent of Roose Bolton, pretending to be

6825-574: The War of the Five Kings the Manderlys and Boltons begin a private war over the Hornwood lands after Ramsay kidnaps the widowed Lady Donella Hornwood, Wyman's cousin, forces her to marry him and then starves her to death. Wyman's heir Wylis is captured when Roose Bolton treacherously sends a large Northern force to be wiped out by Randyll Tarly. Wyman's younger son Wendel is murdered at the Red Wedding by

6930-594: The White Walkers several years prior but was revived by the Children. Benjen whisks the duo to safety and advises that Bran is now the Three-Eyed Raven and must learn to control his powers before the Night King attacks the Seven Kingdoms. Benjen leaves Bran and Meera at the weirwood in the Haunted Forest, as the Wall's magic prevents the dead (and therefore, Benjen) from passing it. Bran touches

7035-470: The Wildling leader Sigorn, Magnar of Thenn, in a ceremony performed by Melisandre, which will aid Wildling integration into the North. If Harrion dies childless, Karhold will pass to the newly formed House Thenn. Wyman Manderly is the Lord of White Harbor, the only city in the North, and the wealthiest of the Stark vassals. He is an enormously fat man, with two sons, Ser Wylis and Ser Wendel Manderly. During

7140-421: The army of wights until they overwhelm him. Bran witnesses how his warging accidentally linked Hodor's past and present mind, inducing a brain damaging seizure in young Wylis and causing him to repeat Meera's command to "hold the door" over and over, until he can only slur the word "Hodor". After the wight army catches up to them again, Bran and Meera are rescued by Bran's uncle Benjen Stark, who had been killed by

7245-412: The children of the late Eddard Stark . They become fast friends with Bran Stark and his baby brother, Rickon , and are shown solely from Bran's point of view . The older sister, Meera, is sixteen years old when introduced in A Clash of Kings . As is typical of crannogmen, Meera is short, slim, and flat-chested with long brown hair and green eyes, and is described as having a cheerful disposition. She

7350-534: The crownlands for nearly 300 years. Seventeen Targaryen kings held royal court in King's Landing . Its coat of arms shows a red, three-headed dragon breathing fire on a black field, and its words are Fire and Blood . The Targaryen dynasty ended with the death of Aerys II, known as the Mad King, during Robert’s Rebellion, which overthrew the Targaryens and placed House Baratheon on the throne. Aerys II’s two surviving children, Viserys and Daenerys, fled into exile in

7455-445: The crypts of Winterfell, Bran and his companions emerge to find the castle in ruins. They come upon a mortally wounded Maester Luwin, who advises their traveling party to split. Osha takes Rickon in the direction of White Harbor, while Bran, Hodor, Meera , and Jojen Reed set off north to seek the three-eyed crow. Meanwhile, Bran has slowly accepted the veracity of his dreams, and his ability to psychically inhabit Summer, which makes him

7560-418: The details below. Request from 172.68.168.150 via cp1114 cp1114, Varnish XID 935232987 Upstream caches: cp1114 int Error: 429, Too Many Requests at Thu, 28 Nov 2024 08:29:39 GMT Meera Reed George R. R. Martin 's A Song of Ice and Fire saga features a large cast of characters. The series follows three interwoven plotlines: a dynastic war for control of Westeros by several families;

7665-469: The first Warden of the North, and had a marriage alliance with House Arryn to keep the realm together. Over the course of the novels, the Starks are scattered by the War of the Five Kings, and the fate of the House remains uncertain, as most characters believe that all the legitimate Stark sons are dead. Eddard "Ned" Stark is the Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North, and briefly serves as Hand of

7770-492: The first novel. Bran's characterization in later seasons of the show, including his relationship to the White Walkers and the Night King , has generated many theories in the fandom , as well as significant critical interest. The youngest point of view character in the novels, Bran is in the very first chapter and was set up by Martin as a young hero of the series. Mikal Gilmore of Rolling Stone noted in 2014 that

7875-418: The get-go that gives it a narrative edge over its companion book. Each, in his or her own way, is dealing with a question of power. Bran is seven years old at the beginning of A Game of Thrones (1996). He is the fourth child and second son of Lord Eddard "Ned" Stark of Winterfell, Hand of the King, and his wife Lady Catelyn , and has five siblings: an older brother Robb , two older sisters Sansa and Arya ,

7980-441: The heir to Winterfell. He is not a POV character, but features in the POV chapters of his family members in the first three novels in the series. Robb is also slain at The Red Wedding along with his mother. Sansa Stark is the second child and elder daughter of Eddard and Catelyn Stark. She serves as a POV character for 24 chapters throughout A Game of Thrones , A Clash of Kings , A Storm of Swords , and A Feast for Crows . Sansa

8085-421: The hope this will mean the Lannisters execute his great-nephew Harrion Karstark, so Karhold will pass to Alys, whom Arnolf intends to force into marriage with his son Cregan Karstark. Arnolf also intends to betray Stannis when the Boltons attack. However, Alys (pursued by Cregan) flees to the Wall seeking Jon Snow's help and reveals her uncles' plans. To protect her Jon imprisons Cregan and arranges for Alys to marry

8190-561: The horde until he gets his "golden crown", Viserys grows restless and impatient with Drogo's refusal to march towards the Seven Kingdoms. He also loses influence over Daenerys, who gradually stands up to his abusive behavior. After his scheme to steal her dragon eggs is thwarted by Jorah Mormont, Viserys drunkenly threatens his sister and her unborn child in the Dothraki's sacred city of Vaes Dothrak, demanding that Drogo make good on their deal. Viserys then unwittingly agrees to Drogo's offer of

8295-459: The interests of common people, and frequently clashed with noble lords as a result. He later perished in the 'Tragedy of Summerhall', a huge fire at the Targaryen summer palace, along with his son Prince Duncan and close friend Ser Duncan the Tall. After he died, his son Jaehaerys inherited the throne. When Jaehaerys died three years later, the Iron Throne was passed to his son Aerys . Aerys Targaryen

8400-416: The island of Skagos, supposedly inhabited by cannibals. Jeyne Poole is the daughter of Vayon Poole, the steward of Winterfell , and Sansa Stark 's best friend. She has brown eyes and dark hair and is described as being very pretty. Following the arrest of Eddard Stark in A Game of Thrones , the members and servants of his household are killed. Jeyne reappears in A Dance with Dragons , having survived

8505-453: The last known to exist and died out long before the events of A Game of Thrones . People of Targaryen ancestry, referred to as "blood of the dragon", tend to have silver-blonde hair and amethyst eyes. Fifteen years before the events of the series, the Targaryens were deposed in Robert's Rebellion, with the last two fleeing to Essos . Aegon Targaryen, nicknamed "Egg" in his youth, is one of

8610-456: The legendary "Blackfish") and sister to Lysa Arryn of the Vale and to Edmure Tully . She is murdered during the Red Wedding, and later resurrected as an undead, vengeful killer under the name of Lady Stoneheart. She serves as a POV character for 25 chapters throughout A Game of Thrones , A Clash of Kings and A Storm of Swords . Robb Stark is the oldest child of Eddard and Catelyn Stark, and

8715-564: The lords of Westeros rather than inheriting the crown. When Tyrion asks Bran if he is willing to be king, Bran replies, "Why do you think I came all this way?" The council holds a vote and all agree except for Sansa, who instead requests the North's independence. Bran agrees, being stylized as Bran the Broken, King of the Six Kingdoms. He appoints Tyrion as his Hand of the King. Later, Brienne, Bronn, Davos, and Sam form Bran's Small Council. It

8820-428: The massacre but being sent to Petyr Baelish 's brothels. The Lannisters use her as a stand-in for Sansa's younger sister Arya and send her north to marry Ramsay Bolton at Winterfell. Theon Greyjoy recognizes that she is a fake, and that the Boltons are aware of the ruse. It is implied that Ramsay Bolton tortures her and forces her to perform sexual acts on dogs. Jon Snow, Arya's half-brother, believes Jeyne to be

8925-406: The moment in A Game of Thrones in which Jaime Lannister pushes Bran to his likely death "grabs you by the throat". Martin commented in the interview: I've had a million people tell me that was the moment that hooked them, where they said, "Well, this is just not the same story I read a million times before." Bran is the first viewpoint character. In the back of their heads, people are thinking Bran

9030-618: The overthrow of House Targaryen . At the end of the war, Eddard and six of his companions ventured to the Tower of Joy within Dorne , where Lyanna was located and guarded by three of the most prominent Kingsguard knights — the "Sword of the Morning" Ser Arthur Dayne, Ser Oswell Whent, and the "White Bull" Ser Gerold Hightower (Lord Commander of the Kingsguard). After a fierce skirmish that killed everyone except Eddard and Howland, Eddard entered

9135-480: The power of prophetic "green dreams", from which he knows various arcane facts, including the day of his death. In Winterfell, Jojen recognizes Bran Stark as a skinchanger who is able to enter the mind of an animal and control it, and he mentors Bran to help him gain control of his abilities. When Theon Greyjoy captures Winterfell, Jojen and Meera hide with Bran and Rickon in Winterfell's crypt after feigning escape, and they join Bran in his journey north in search of

9240-430: The real Arya and sends Mance Rayder to rescue her. The group enlists Theon's help, but their cover is blown and Theon and Jeyne barely escape. Jojen and Meera are the children of Howland Reed, the Lord of Greywater Watch and a loyal Stark bannerman. They first appear in A Clash of Kings , when their father sends them in his place, to attend the harvest festival and renew House Reed's pledge to House Stark and support

9345-623: The rising threat of the undead White Walkers beyond the northern border of Westeros; and the ambition of Daenerys Targaryen , the exiled heir of the previous ruling dynasty. In Martin's fictional world, the Great Houses of Westeros represent the Seven Kingdoms which exist on the continent: the North, the Iron Islands, the Vale of Arryn, the Westerlands, the Stormlands, the Reach, and Dorne. A massive wall of ice and old magic separates

9450-417: The second son and fourth child of Eddard and Catelyn Stark. He serves as the third-person narrator of twenty-one chapters throughout A Game of Thrones , A Clash of Kings , A Storm of Swords , and A Dance with Dragons . In A Game of Thrones , he sees Queen Cersei and her brother Jaime Lannister committing incest , and Jaime pushes Bran from the window to keep the relationship secret. Bran survives, but loses

9555-495: The secondborn son to survive infancy. Thirteen years before the events of the series, he and his sister Daenerys fled Westeros to escape death at the hands of rebel Robert Baratheon . Viserys is an arrogant, cruel and ambitious man given to violent mood swings. He is widely nicknamed the "Beggar King" across both Essos and Westeros. Hoping to win the Dothraki's favor to conquer Westeros, Viserys arranges for Daenerys to wed Khal Drogo to form an alliance with them. Travelling with

9660-402: The son of Lyanna Stark, Ned Stark's sister, and Rhaegar Targaryen. Benjen Stark is Ned Stark's younger brother and a First Ranger in the Night's Watch. He appears briefly at the start of A Game of Thrones , first in Winterfell and then later on the Wall at Castle Black, where he travels with his bastard nephew Jon Snow . Benjen is sent on a mission into the lands beyond the Wall to search for

9765-408: The surrendered populace of the city, during which Cersei is also killed. Jon fails to dissuade Daenerys from further destruction and ultimately assassinates her. He is arrested. Weeks later, Tyrion Lannister proposes choosing Bran as the new king before a council of the lords and ladies of Westeros. He reasons that it would make a good story to unite the people, suggesting that future kings be elected by

9870-439: The surviving Aegon and is under the guardianship of Rhaegar's close friend Jon Connington (under alias of Griff). He is to be used by Varys and Illyrio as a puppet king. Young Griff intends to travel to Slaver's Bay to visit Daenerys Targaryen and propose marriage, but Tyrion provokes him during a cyvasse game and convinces him to abandon the proposal and independently attack Westeros. Revealing himself as Aegon, Griff persuades

9975-443: The tower and found Lyanna dying in a "bed of blood". Before she died, she asked her brother Eddard to make a promise, something that Eddard regarded as a price he paid that haunted him days and nights for 14 years. Eddard later takes her body home to be entombed in Winterfell's crypt, and installs a stone statue in her likeness in front of her sarcophagus. When he returns, he also brings back a newborn boy named Jon Snow, whom he claims

10080-408: The transfer is completed the White Walkers attack the cave, killing the Three-Eyed Raven, Summer, and the Children of the Forest. Bran, still caught in the vision, wargs into Hodor through the latter's younger self (named Wylis), and he and Meera flee as Hodor carries Bran's unconscious body out of the cave. Meera carries Bran into the forest, while Hodor gives his life to hold back the cave door against

10185-486: The two main characters in the Tales of Dunk and Egg novellas. As a child, his father Prince Maekar reluctantly permitted him to serve as squire to the knight errant Ser Duncan the Tall, in the hopes that the lessons learned through humble service and hard experience would help him avoid the excesses and shortcomings of his royal brothers. He was later crowned as King Aegon V when a Great Council bypassed those before him in

10290-417: The use of his legs. While comatose, Bran dreams of a three-eyed crow. Slowly, he develops the ability to assume his wolf Summer's consciousness, making him a warg or skinchanger . After his older brother Robb is crowned King in the North , Bran becomes Robb's heir and the acting Lord of Winterfell. In A Clash of Kings , Jojen Reed teaches Bran how to correctly use his telepathy , and directs him beyond

10395-416: The visions, warning that he may become trapped in them if he stays too long. Growing bored with his slow progress, Bran enters a vision on his own and witnesses the Night King in the present day, who sees Bran and marks him, making the Three-Eyed Raven's cave vulnerable to the White Walkers' magic. The Three-Eyed Raven enters Bran into another vision of Winterfell's past to impart all his knowledge, but before

10500-510: The war council before the battle against the dead, Bran explains that the Night King desires to create an endless winter and will try to kill him during the battle, due to his ability to hold humanity's collective memories. He convinces the council to let him wait in the Godswood as bait for the Night King. Theon, who has returned to Winterfell to fight the dead with his men, offers to defend Bran, and Jon and Daenerys plan to hide in wait to attack

10605-413: The weirwood and witnesses the rest of the vision of Ned Stark at the Tower of Joy. He discovers that Lyanna Stark died giving birth to Rhaegar Targaryen's son Aegon, whom Ned found and raised as Jon Snow at Lyanna's dying request. Bran returns to Winterfell, which has been rebuilt and reoccupied by the remaining Starks. Jon Snow has traveled to Dragonstone to meet with Daenerys Targaryen , after which he

10710-405: The window by Jaime to keep the incest a secret, but he survives in a coma. Although it is speculated by some characters that Jaime and Cersei pushed Bran, there were no public accusations made against the crown. While Bran remains unconscious, a fire is set at an opposite tower as a distraction while an attempt is made on his life. Catelyn, who has remained with Bran while Robb takes care of the fire,

10815-525: Was deeply in love with her, although she was unimpressed by Robert's reputation for infidelity. Her life's tales are mainly told through the words of Eddard Stark and Meera Reed (via Bran Stark 's viewpoint chapter), with some passing commentaries from other people such as Barristan Selmy , Cersei Lannister , Roose Bolton and Kevan Lannister . During the Tourney at Harrenhal, the greatest tourney in Westerosi history, Lyanna rescued Stark bannerman Howland Reed by beating away three bullying squires. She

10920-418: Was later chosen by the eventual jousting champion, Crown Prince Rhaegar Targaryen , as the tourney's "Queen of Love and Beauty". Because Rhaegar was already married, and Lyanna was a maiden betrothed to Robert Baratheon, Rhaegar's wooing of Lyanna was considered an outrageous scandal at the time. One year later, she was said to have been abducted and raped by Rhaegar, triggering a civil war that resulted in

11025-525: Was reported to have been killed along with his mother and sister by Gregor Clegane . In A Dance with Dragons , Varys claims to have switched Aegon with another, lowborn infant (known as the "Pisswater prince") and smuggled Aegon out of King's Landing prior to the capital's fall. During his exile in Essos, Tyrion Lannister (under the alias Hugor Hill) meets Young Griff, a well-trained teenage boy endorsed by Varys's associate Illyrio Mopatis, who claims to be

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