Catelyn Stark

Lore & Background

Catelyn Stark is described as beautiful, with fair skin, long auburn hair, blue eyes, high cheekbones, full breasts, and long fingers. She typically wears the grey of House Stark or the blue and red of House Tully. Proud and kind, she possesses a strong grasp of politics but is often governed by her desire to protect her children. While usually in accord with Eddard, she resents his admission of their extramarital son, Jon Snow. Her story shifts dramatically after the Red Wedding, where Walder Frey and his men slaughter Robb Stark's host. Catelyn takes Aegon Frey hostage and kills him when Roose Bolton murders Robb, but Raymund Frey slashes her throat. Mutilated and stripped naked, her corpse is thrown into the Green Fork. Three days later, she washes ashore, drawn to by Nymeria, Arya's stray direwolf, while Arya skinchanges into the wolf. Resurrected by Lord Beric Dondarrion, who sacrifices his life force in repayment for Eddard's honor, Catelyn returns as Lady Stoneheart.

In Their Own Story

As Lady Stoneheart, Catelyn is a hooded woman with half her auburn hair fallen out and the rest turned completely grey. Deep gashes mar her face from clawing at it after Robb's death, and her ability to speak is greatly impaired due to her slashed throat; she must cover the wound to verbalize commands, earning her nicknames like "the Silent Sister" and "The Hangwoman." She leads the Brotherhood Without Banners with a singular objective: to slaughter anyone associated with the Red Wedding, including Freys, Boltons, and Lannisters. Described as having "nothing of Catelyn's mercy or kindness," she is viewed as an antagonist, particularly by Brienne of Tarth. In *A Feast for Crows*, her spy Tom of Sevenstreams infiltrates Ryman Frey's camp at Riverrun to retrieve Robb's bronze crown. When Brienne arrives seeking Sansa and carrying Oathkeeper, a sword forged from Ned Stark's Ice, Stoneheart brands her a traitor. She demands Brienne kill Jaime Lannister or face the noose. Just before the hanging, Brienne shouts a word—revealed in *A Dance with Dragons* to be "sword"—and spares her life.

Reader's Guide

Catelyn's arc is defined by her transformation from a political matriarch into a vengeful phantom. In *A Game of Thrones*, she travels to King's Landing after receiving Lysa Arryn's letter about Jon Arryn's death and warns Eddard before being wounded by an assassin sent to kill Bran. She captures Tyrion Lannister, taking him to the Eyrie where he demands trial by combat. After Ned's execution, she argues for peace but is overruled by her son Robb. In *A Clash of Kings*, she advises against sending Theon Greyjoy to forge an alliance with Balon and witnesses Renly Baratheon's murder by a shadow creature while accompanying Brienne to Storm's End. Her decision to free Jaime Lannister to exchange him for Sansa and Arya costs Robb the support of House Karstark. In *A Storm of Swords*, she attends the wedding at the Twins, where her attempt to save Robb ends in her own death. The television showrunners David Benioff and D. B. Weiss decided against bringing her back as Stoneheart, a move Martin called "the first major diversion of the show from the books."

Did You Know?

• Michelle Fairley's portrayal of Catelyn in "The Rains of Castamere" received such critical acclaim that many fans were disappointed she did not appear again despite her resurrection in the novels.
• George R. R. Martin confirmed he argued against cutting Lady Stoneheart from the show, calling it "the first major diversion of the show from the books."
• Catelyn was initially betrothed to Brandon Stark and married Eddard on their wedding day without having ever met him before.
• Lady Stoneheart is unable to speak properly due to her throat being slashed and must cover the wound with her hand to give commands.
• The word Brienne shouted to save herself from hanging was "sword," leading Lady Stoneheart to spare her life.