Mors Umber
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 Mors Umber by Robert O'Leary | ||||
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| Alias | Crowfood | |||
| Title | Castellan of Last Hearth | |||
| Allegiance | House Umber | |||
| Culture | Northmen | |||
| Born |
In or before 244 AC[1] Last Hearth[2] | |||
| Father | Hoarfrost Umber | |||
| Spouse | Deceased wife | |||
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| Books |
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Mors Umber, known as Mors Crowfood or Crowfood Umber, is a member of House Umber, the uncle of Lord Greatjon Umber, and the joint castellan of Last Hearth with his younger brother, Hother.[3]
Contents
Appearance and Character
Mors is an old man, huge and powerful, with a ruddy face and a shaggy white beard.[4] He wears a chunk of dragonglass in place of a lost eye[5] or conceals the empty socket with a stained white leather eye patch.[4] He wears a cloak made of a snow bear with its head as a hood.[4] Mors enjoys boasting about the crow which took his eye.[3]
Mors Crowfood is usually drunk.[5] Catelyn Stark considers Mors and his brother Hother to be hoary old brigands.[6]
History
A crow once took Mors for dead and pecked out his eye.[3] According to Old Nan, he grabbed the bird at its feet and bit its head off, earning him the nickname Crowfood.[5]
Mors was a fierce fighter in his youth.[3] His wife died in childbirth, his sons were killed in the Battle of the Trident during Robert's Rebellion, and his only daughter was abducted in 270 AC by wildlings, leaving Mors with a deep hatred of the free folk.[3]
Recent Events
A Clash of Kings
Mors and his brother, Hother Umber, serve as joint castellans of the Last Hearth while their nephew, the Greatjon, fights in the south during the War of the Five Kings.[7][8]
Mors Crowfood and Hother Whoresbane attend the harvest feast at Winterfell, where Mors puts himself forward as a possible match for the recently widowed Lady Donella Hornwood. Maester Luwin promises to pass the request on to Robb Stark, the new King in the North, and Donella, who dislikes Mors.[5]
When Luwin answers Hother's request for longships and men to sail them as protection against the influx of wildlings in the north with the suggestion to strike an alliance with Lord Wyman Manderly, Mors is dismissive, calling Wyman a "waddling sack of suet". However, Ser Rodrik Cassel commands the Umbers in the name of Robb to ally with the Manderlys and they give in, but not without grumbling.[5]
During the harvest feast, Mors and his brother Hother play a drinking game, slamming their horns together hard. When a spinning skirl is started, Mors tosses an embarrassed serving girl in the air.[9]
A Storm of Swords
At Riverrun, the Greatjon tells Robb that his uncles wish to remarry. Robb considers the possibility of Mors marrying a daughter of Lord Walder Frey.[6] Robb is killed and the Greatjon is captured during the Red Wedding at the Twins.[10][11]
A Dance with Dragons
Mors is one of the few representatives of the north to declare fealty to Stannis Baratheon. He agrees to serve Stannis if he is sent the skull of Mance Rayder. Mors also states to Stannis that he will not fight his brother, Hother Whoresbane, who is supporting the new Warden of the North, Lord Roose Bolton. Stannis is advised by some to attack Last Hearth for this, but Jon tells him not to. Hother supports the Boltons only because the Greatjon is a prisoner of the Iron Throne. Stannis agrees and promises to place Mors and his host on the opposite side of battle to his brother.[3]
Mors camps outside Winterfell during a blizzard, his men repeatedly blowing warhorns to cause confusion and to draw out the Bolton host. There he is able to capture Theon Greyjoy and Jeyne Poole, when both are fleeing Winterfell and their captor, Ramsay Bolton, the heir of Roose. Also during this time, the Braavosi banker Tycho Nestoris comes looking for Stannis but meets Mors instead. Mors sends Theon and Jeyne with Tycho and his escort to Stannis at a crofters' village.[12]
The Winds of Winter
| Warning This information has thus far been released in a sample chapter for The Winds of Winter, and might therefore not be in finalized form. Keep in mind that the content as described below is still subject to change. |
Theon reveals Mors asked Jeyne, who is still claiming she is Arya Stark, questions about Winterfell, such as names of servants of the keep, to confirm her identity. Since Jeyne lived at Winterfell for most of her life, she was able to answer them correctly. Also, Mors was only able to muster a few crippled men and green boys as part of his force, as most of the Umber strength had gone south with the Greatjon and the remaining guard had left with Hother.
Mors had his green boys dig a pit trap outside the Winterfell gates. Due to the blizzard, the sentries' visibility was impaired and they were able to do it without detection. When the Freys rode out of Winterfell's gate, several of them fell into this trap. Ser Hosteen Frey lost his horse and Ser Aenys Frey broke his neck and died.[4]
Quotes by Mors
Mors: The Greatjon's the Young Wolf's strong right hand, all know that to be true. Who better to protect the widow's lands than an Umber, and what Umber better than me?
Luwin: Lady Donella is still grieving.
Mors: I have a cure for grief under my furs.[5]
— Mors and Luwin
Quotes about Mors
I shall wed again if His Grace commands it, but Mors Crowfood is a drunken brute, and older than my father.[5]
— Donella Hornwood to Luwin
Stannis: Can this man Mors be trusted?
Jon: Your Grace should have him swear an oath before his heart tree.[3]— Stannis Baratheon and Jon Snow
Godry: I have slain a giant, boy. Why should I fear some flea-ridden northman who paints one on his shield?
Jon: The giant was running away. Mors won't be.[3]— Godry Farring and Jon Snow
An old man, huge and powerful, with a ruddy face and a shaggy white beard.[4]
— thoughts of Theon Greyjoy
Family
| Hoarfrost | Unknown wife | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Unknown Umber | Unknown wife | Mors | Unknown wife | Hother | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Jon | Unknown wife | Sons | Sons | Mors Umber's daughter | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Jon | Sons | At least two daughters | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Theories
It has been speculated that Mors Umber's abducted daughter is actually Rowan, one of Mance Rayder's spearwives.[3]
References
- ↑ See the Mors Umber calculation.
- ↑ George R. R. Martin's A World of Ice and Fire, Mors Umber.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 17, Jon IV.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 The Winds of Winter, Chapter , Theon I.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 A Clash of Kings, Chapter 16, Bran II.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 A Storm of Swords, Chapter 14, Catelyn II.
- ↑ A Clash of Kings, Appendix.
- ↑ A Storm of Swords, Appendix.
- ↑ A Clash of Kings, Chapter 21, Bran III.
- ↑ A Storm of Swords, Chapter 51, Catelyn VII.
- ↑ A Storm of Swords, Epilogue.
- ↑ A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 62, The Sacrifice.