Alaric Stark

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House Stark.svg Lord
Alaric Stark
House Stark.svg
Alaric Stark.png
Illustration generated by Stable Diffusion, © Westeros.org

Titles
Allegiance House Stark
Culture Northmen
Died 72 AC[2]
Father Brandon Stark
Spouse Lady Mormont[3]
Issue
Books

Alaric Stark was the Lord of Winterfell and the head of House Stark during the reign of King Jaehaerys I Targaryen.[1]

Character

Alaric was notoriously prickly and had a flinty reputation. He was said to be hard, stern and unforgiving, tight-fisted almost to the point of being niggardly, humorless, joyless, and cold. Although he was respected by the northmen, most did not love him, except for the garrison at Winterfell.[3]

According to Archmaester Gyldayn, after spending some time at Winterfell, Queen Alysanne Targaryen came to know Alaric as having taciturn humor with an edge to it, and as being not an ill host, despite being careful with his coin.[3]

History

Alaric attended the Golden Wedding in King's Landing with his father, Lord Brandon Stark, and older brother, Walton, in 49 AC.[4] Brandon died soon after returning to the north and was succeeded by Walton.[1] While pursuing rebels from the Night's Watch in 50 AC, Lord Walton was slain beyond the Wall by giants. Now Lord of Winterfell, Alaric blamed King Jaehaerys I Targaryen for his brother's death, as the rebels had been spared by the young king and sent to the Wall after the wars of Maegor I Targaryen.[1]

Lord Alaric was wed to a Mormont from Bear Island. They had two sons and a daughter, Alarra. Alaric said his wife had taken an axe to a pack of wolves when she had been twelve, had killed two of them and had sewed a cloak from their skins. Alaric's wife died in 55 AC.[3]

Alaric and his sons alone received Queen Alysanne Targaryen during the royal progress to Winterfell in 58 AC. He asked the queen not to take her dragon, Silverwing, within the castle walls, and declined her initial offers to arrange marriage alliances for his sons with daughters of great southern lords, by pointing out that House Stark keeps the old gods. After Alysanne pointed out that several southern houses kept the old gods, he promised to discuss the matter with his sons. Alaric also scoffed at not wanting to have to feast a large royal delegation, citing that "winter is coming", even though it was summer, because they could not feed a thousand men for long.[3]

Alaric was uncertain on how to entertain a queen, and unhappy that Jaehaerys had not come with Alysanne. However, he warmed to the queen, and eventually took her hunting in the wolfswood for elk and wild boar, and showed her the bones of a giant. He also allowed her to rummage as she pleased through his modest castle library. When Alysanne continued her journey north, Alaric sent word ahead to Lothor Burley, Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, informing him of her upcoming arrival at Castle Black. Alaric was cold toward Jaehaerys when the king arrived, showing him Walton's tomb in the crypt of Winterfell.[3]

According to Archmaester Gyldayn, Alysanne charmed a reluctant Alaric into granting the New Gift to the Night's Watch because, even though Alaric was a strong friend to the Watch, he knew the northern lords who already held the lands in question would not be happy to give them away.[3] According to Maester Yandel, however, the Starks were opposed to the royal demand, and Alaric's sons wrote letters to the Citadel asking the maesters about precedents against forced donation of property.[5]

Alaric did not attend the tourney in King's Landing in which was celebrated the tenth anniversary of Jaehaerys's coronation, sending his sons instead.[3] Alaric ordered his bannermen to put aside half of their harvests in anticipation of the winter of 5960 AC, but not all of the northmen obeyed, resulting in famine.[2] Lord Alaric died in 72 AC and was succeeded by his grandson, Edric Stark, as Alaric's two sons had preceded him in death.[2]

Quotes by Alaric

If you are expecting balls and masques and dances, you have come to the wrong place.[3]

—Alaric to Alysanne Targaryen

Walton lies down here in darkness in no small part thanks to you. Stars and Swords, the leavings of your seven gods, what are they to us? And yet you sent them to the Wall in their hundreds and their thousands, so many that the Night's Watch was hard pressed to feed them ... and when the worst of them rose up, the oathbreakers you had sent us, it cost my brother's life to put them down.[3]

Quotes about Alaric

Methinks Lord Alaric has not moved his bowels since he was twelve.[3]

Family

Brandon
the Boastful
 
Unknown
wife
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Walton
 
Alaric
 
Lady
Mormont
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Two
sons
 
Alarra
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Edric[6]
 
Ellard
 
Benjen
 
Lysa
Locke
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
House Stark.svg
 


References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Fire & Blood, A Surfeit of Rulers.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 Fire & Blood, The Long Reign - Jaehaerys and Alysanne: Policy, Progeny, and Pain.
  3. 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 Fire & Blood, Jaehaerys and Alysanne - Their Triumphs and Tragedies.
  4. Fire & Blood, The Year of the Three Brides - 49 AC.
  5. The World of Ice & Fire, The North: The Lords of Winterfell.
  6. Edric Stark was a grandson of Alaric Stark. It is unknown by which of Alaric's two sons, however.
Preceded by Lord of Winterfell
Warden of the North

50 AC72 AC
Succeeded by