House Karstark
From A Wiki of Ice and Fire
| Coat of Arms | A white sunburst on black |
|---|---|
| Words | The Sun of Winter |
| Seat | Karhold |
| Current Lord | Lord Rickard Karstark |
| Region | The North |
| Title | Lord of the Karhold |
| Heir | Torrhen Karstark |
| Overlord | House Stark |
| Founder | Karlon Stark |
House Karstark of Karhold is a noble house from the North. The Karstarks descend from Karlon Stark, a younger son of the main branch who put down a rebellion of the Boltons against Winterfell a thousand years ago, and was granted lands for his valor. The castle he built had been named Karlon’s Hold, but that soon became Karhold, and over the centuries the Karhold Starks had become Karstarks.
Their blazon is a white sunburst on black. Their words do not appear on the text but on non canon sources is quoted by the author as "The Sun of Winter".
[edit] House Karstark at the end of the third century
The known Karstarks during the timespan of the events described on A Song of Ice and Fire are:
- Lord Rickard Karstark: Lord of the Karhold. A gaunt and serious man, named after Lord Rickard Stark.
- Torrhen Karstark: His first son and heir. Heir to the Karhold.
- Eddard Karstark: his second son. Presumably born after the Rebellion and named after Lord Eddard Stark.
- Harrion Karstark: his third son.
- Alys Karstark: his daugther. A young maid.
- Arnolf Karstark: His uncle. The castellan of Karhold.
| {?} | Arnolf Karstark | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rickard Karstark | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Torrhen Karstark | Eddard Karstark | Harrion Karstark | Alys Karstark | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
[edit] References in the books
[edit] A Song of Ice and Fire
- The Karstarks, lead by Lord Rickard and his sons Harrion, Eddard and Torrhen, came to Winterfell at Robb's call to banners. They brought three hundred horsemen and near two thousand foot, singing hymns and marching at the rythm of a big drum. Bran saw them as fierece big men, with their faces covered with beards and their bodies with pelts ands skins.
- The Karstark family entered Winterfell to pay their respects to the Starks, wearing black iron halfhelms and black woolen cloaks patterned with the white sunburst. Bran overhears Eddard Karstark muttering to his brother Torrhen that he would sooner die than live crippled as Bran. Torrhen replies that Bran was likely broken inside, but was to craven to take his own life.
- Catelyn warns Robb that cannot seem indecisive in front of men like Roose Bolton and Rickard Karstark.
- When the northern army splits at the Twins, Rickard Karstark and his first two older sons join Robb with the cavalry, while the third son leads the Karstark spears on Roose Bolton's infantry.
- Among others, Tyrion sees the Karstark sunburst among the enemy banners at the Green Fork
- Harrion Karstark is made prisoner in the Battle of the Green Fork.
- Torrhen and Eddard Karstark are two of the thirthy sons of nobles that ride besides the Young Wolf during the war.
- Both Torrhen and Eddard are slain by Jaime Lannister at the Battle of the Whispering Woods.
- Rickard Karstark is seen by Cateleyn praying at Riverrun's godswood with Robb and other followers of the Old Gods.
- Lord Karstark is percieved by Catelyn as a man in a nightmare, gaunt and hollow-eyed in his grief, after the death of his sons.
- Lord Karstark is the second man to claim Robb Stark as King in the North, just after the Greatjon.
- The Karstarks are one of the families with ties to House Hornwood through the feale line, and thus one of the houses interested on the inheritance of their lands after the death of the lord and the heir.
- Arnolf Karstark sent regrets to Winterfell alleging that they could not send help to Rodrik Cassel against the ironborn because all men had gone south with Robb.
- At one point, the acting Hand of the King Tyrion planned to exchange Harrion Karstark and Ser Wylis Manderly for Willem Lannister, but the negotiations failed.
- Rickard Karstark killed Ser Stafford Lannister at the Battle of Oxcross, drinving a lance through his chest.
- Lord Rickard Karstark and Galbart Glover raided along the coast during Robb's campaing at the Westerlands.
- Theon noticed few Karstark banners among the army commanded by Rodrik Cassel that gathered at Winterfell to expell the ironmen.
- After the sack of Winterfell, Bran considers going to the Umbers or the Karstarks, which he considered loyal. He remembers that his father always said Karhold was a strong castle.
- Lord Karstark is upset at Catelyn when she frees Jaime, and tells her that she has robbed him of his vengeance.
- Rickard Karstark murders Tion Frey and Willem Lannister in his cells, as a revenge for the deaths of his sons Torrhen and Eddard. Robb sentences him to death for that. The Karstarks cavalry abandoned Robb's army afterwards.
- Rickard last speech before his execution appealed to his and his family's loyalty to House Stark, and cursed Robb with a (feeble) accusation of kinslaying due to the ancient relation.
- Harrion Karstark, who had been freed by Roose Bolton when he took Harrenhal, was sent with all his Karstark men to the ill fated battle at Duskendale.
- Harrion Karstark was captured at Duskendale by Randyll Tarly's army, and is held at Maidenpool.
- The Karstarks that survived the battle of Duskendale joined the Bolton forces and went with him at the Twins.
- The Karstarks take Stannis side against the ironmen and the Boltons, being to only major noble house from the North do do so.
- Ser Daven Lannister confesses to Jaime that he had sworn not to cut his hair until avenging his father Ser Stafford, but he couldn't accomplish his goal once Karstark had been executed by Robb.
| Houses from the North | |
| Overlords: | Stark |
|---|---|
| Noble houses: | Bolton | Cerwyn | Dustin | Flint (Flint's Finger) | Flint (Widow's Watch) Hornwood | Karstark | Locke | Manderly | Mormont | Reed | Ryswell | Umber |
| Masterly houses: | Glover | Tallhart |
| Mountain clans: | Flint | Liddle | Norrey | Wull |
