Catelyn Stark (), later known as Lady Stoneheart, is a fictional character in the A Song of Ice and Fire series of fantasy novels by American author George R. R. Martin and its television adaptation Game of Thrones. She is a prominent point of view character in the first three novels. She also appears in the fourth novel, A Feast for Crows (2005), and will return in a prominent role for the forthcoming sixth novel, The Winds of Winter.
Catelyn is portrayed by Northern Irish actress Michelle Fairley on the HBO series Game of Thrones. Fairley's portrayal has garnered critical acclaim, with many praising her performance during the episode "The Rains of Castamere".Game of Thrones: Michelle Fairley is shunned by the Emmy Awards, but the show picks up 17 nominations (Yahoo TV UK) Due to this popularity, many fans were disappointed she did not appear again in the series despite the character's resurrection in the novels. Author George R. R. Martin confirmed he argued against the decision, which he called "the first major diversion of the show from the books", and the character being cut was ultimately made by the television showrunners David Benioff and D. B. Weiss.
Character description Background Catelyn was initially betrothed to Eddard Stark's older brother, Brandon, the heir to Winterfell at the time. When Brandon was sadistically executed by "Mad King" Aerys II Targaryen, Lord Jon Arryn, the guardian of Eddard, and Robert Baratheon rebelled against House Targaryen. Soon after the rebels won the Battle of the Bells, Catelyn married Eddard, having never met her new groom before the wedding day, to consolidate the alliance between the Riverlands and the North. She was initially disappointed, as Eddard was shorter and perceived to be less handsome than his brother Brandon. Still, she fell in love with him after seeing the "good sweet heart beneath his solemn face."
As Catelyn Catelyn Stark is described as beautiful, with fair skin, long auburn hair, blue eyes, long fingers, high cheekbones, and full breasts, and dressed simply in the grey color of House Stark or the blue and red of her father's House Tully. She is proud, strong, kind, and generous, has a firm grasp of politics, and is often guided by a desire to protect her children. Catelyn is usually in accord with her husband Eddard, but resents his admission of his extramarital son, Jon Snow, into their household.
As Lady Stoneheart Having decomposed in the river for several days, half of Catelyn's auburn hair had fallen out, and what remained was completely grey. Due to her throat being cut, her ability to speak is greatly impaired. From clawing at her face after Robb's murder, Stoneheart also has deep, gashing flesh wounds. She is a hooded woman and has been mistaken for Beric Dondarrion's lover.
Stoneheart has been described as having "nothing of Catelyn's mercy or kindness". Her objective as leader of the Brotherhood Without Banners is to slaughter anyone associated with the Red Wedding. This includes anyone with the Freys, Boltons, or Lannisters. She has been dubbed an "antagonist" or a "villain", especially an antagonist to Brienne of Tarth. She cannot speak properly because her throat has been slashed, earning her the nickname "the Silent Sister." To give commands verbally, she has to cover her throat wound with her hand. She is also known as "The Hangwoman" or "Mother Merciless."
Storylines
Book series A Game of Thrones
After the royal party arrives at Winterfell, Catelyn receives a letter from her sister, Lysa Arryn, stating that the Lannisters had killed her husband, Jon Arryn, King Robert Baratheon's "Hand" (i.e., second-in-command). Robert persuades Ned Stark, Catelyn's husband, to take his place. When her son Bran is grievously injured and falls into a coma, she sits by his bed until the two are attacked by a would-be assassin who has come to kill Bran. Catelyn is wounded in the attack and travels to King's Landing to warn Eddard after recovering. There, her childhood companion Petyr Baelish tells her that the dagger used in the attack belongs to Tyrion Lannister. On her way back to Winterfell, she takes Tyrion to her sister at the Eyrie for trial, where Tyrion escapes execution by demanding and winning a trial by combat. After news of Eddard's execution by order of King Joffrey Baratheon, Robert's supposed son, reaches Catelyn, she argues for peace but is overruled by the newly crowned King Robb Stark of the North and his bannermen.
A Clash of Kings
Catelyn advises against Robb's plan to send Eddard's former ward, Theon Greyjoy, to forge an alliance with Balon Greyjoy. Robb sends Catelyn to attempt an alliance with Renly Baratheon and his massive host from the Reach and the Stormlands. Catelyn meets Renly at Bitterbridge and follows his host to the ancestral Baratheon seat of Storm's End, where she first witnesses the unsuccessful parley between Renly and his older brother and rival Iron Throne claimant, Stannis Baratheon, and then Renly's subsequent murder later that night by a shadow creature. Afterward, Catelyn flees with Brienne of Tarth, one of Renly's Kingsguard, to Riverrun. Upon hearing of her younger sons' supposed murder at the hands of Theon Greyjoy, Catelyn goes to confront the captive Jaime Lannister. Although the second novel ends her storyline ambiguously, it is revealed at the beginning of the third novel that Catelyn set him free and asked Brienne to escort him to King's Landing in an attempt to exchange him for her daughters, who were still captives of Joffrey. This, however, causes problems for Robb and costs him an ally, House Karstark, which had held grudges against the Lannisters.
A Storm of Swords
Catelyn's brother, Edmure Tully, places Catelyn under house arrest at Riverrun, but Robb pardons her after he announces his wedding to Jeyne Westerling, invalidating his marriage proposal to House Frey. Lord Walder Frey agrees to forgive Robb if Edmure marries his daughter Roslin, and Catelyn travels to the Frey seat of the Twins to attend the wedding with Robb and other Northern lords. However, Walder Frey and his men take revenge on Robb for his slight toward their house by slaughtering the Northern host, an act of treachery that became known as the "Red Wedding". In an attempt to save her son's life, Catelyn takes Aegon Frey hostage and kills him when Roose Bolton kills Robb regardless, but she still has her throat slashed by Raymund Frey. The Freys then mutilate Robb's corpse and throw Catelyn's stripped, naked corpse into the Green Fork in mockery of House Tully's tradition of river burial.
Three days later, Catelyn's body is washed ashore downstream along with hundreds of other corpses, and a wolf pack led by Arya Stark's stray direwolf, Nymeria, is drawn to scavenge upon the dead. However, Arya, skinchanging into Nymeria during her sleep, recognizes her mother's body, controls Nymeria to pull it out of the river, and guards it against other wolves until the outlaw Brotherhood Without Banners passes by and repels the wolves. Catelyn is then resurrected by Lord Beric Dondarrion, who sacrifices his life-force to revive her in repayment for her husband Eddard's honor. However, the time she spent deceased has caused Catelyn's body to partially decay, disfiguring her appearance; furthermore, upon her reanimation, she loses most of her previous kind personality, except for her hatred of the Lannisters and the Freys. Catelyn then assumes command of the Brotherhood and changes their aim to terrorizing anyone related to House Frey and Lannister. Her uncompromising brutality earns her the moniker "Lady Stoneheart". Under her leadership, the Brotherhood captures one of Walder Frey's great-grandsons, Petyr Frey, demanding a ransom. When a son of Walder Frey, Merrett Frey, delivers the ransom, he finds that Petyr has already been hanged, and after he is interrogated, he is hanged himself.
A Feast for Crows
Lady Stoneheart has employed Tom of Sevenstreams to be her spy-informant during the siege of Riverrun, where the Frey forces are commanded by Walder Frey's grandson and heir, Ryman Frey. Stoneheart's informant, Tom, is a musician hired by Ryman himself. Tom jokes that he will make a song called "Talking to the Fish" about Lord Emmon Frey's speech to the people of Riverrun.
Inside a tent, Ryman entertains his prostitute, and Ser Jaime Lannister notices Ryman has Robb's bronze crown. Jaime orders the crown to stay behind after dismissing Ryman for disobedience, and Tom provides an alibi for remaining. Off-page, Tom returns the crown to Lady Stoneheart. Jaime learns that the Brotherhood hanged Ryman and his companions Without Banners.
Stoneheart and the Brotherhood come across a small party led by Brienne, who informs Stoneheart that she is searching for Sansa at Jaime Lannister's request. Brienne notices that Stoneheart has retrieved her son's bronze crown and, upon inspecting it, sheds a tear beneath her hood. Brienne is named a traitor by Stoneheart because she carries Oathkeeper, a Lannister sword that was forged from Ned Stark's Valyrian steel blade, Ice. Brienne swears that she is still faithful, but Stoneheart insists she must prove it by killing Jaime, whom she believes played a role in the Red Wedding (since Roose Bolton's final words to Robb were "Jaime Lannister sends his regards"). Stoneheart gives her the ultimatum: sword or noose. Brienne refuses, even when threatened with a hanging. Just before Brienne is to be hanged, she sees the young squire-child Podrick Payne choking, along with Hyle Hill, and "shout[s] out a word" to intervene.
A Dance with Dragons
Stoneheart is revealed to have spared Brienne, with the word shouted by Brienne evidently being "sword". Brienne locates Jaime at a camp in Pennytree during the siege of Raventree, claiming she has found Sansa with Sandor Clegane, who are both a day's ride away. The Maid of Tarth warns Jaime that if he does not come alone, Catelyn's daughter will die. Jaime agrees and leaves. Later, Jaime is reported to have disappeared for weeks, a sign he has been successfully lured into Stoneheart's trap.
The World of Ice and Fire
The book states Tom O'Sevens informed the Brotherhood of Jaime's dismissal of Ryman, allowing the outlaws to ambush and hang Ryman near Fairmarket. However, from Brienne's point of view in the fourth book, Tom states that "our lady" (Stoneheart) had already gone to Fairmarket because she "never sleeps". This suggests Lady Stoneheart killed Ryman herself, and now sources differ (as The World of Ice and Fire is also written from an in-world maester).
The Winds of Winter
In a 2018 interview with the Chinese Esquire, author George R. R. Martin confirmed that Lady Stoneheart will reappear and have a prominent role in the forthcoming novel. He stated: "In the sixth book, I still continue to write her. She is an important part of the entire book."
Family tree of House Tully
Television series In January 2007, HBO secured the rights to adapt Martin's series for television. Jennifer Ehle was originally cast as Catelyn Stark and filmed her scenes in the unaired pilot until she eventually left for family reasons. Michelle Fairley was then cast in the role, which she played for three seasons. Australian actress Essie Davis, who later portrayed Lady Crane in the sixth season, also auditioned for the role when the series was being developed.
Season 1