Catspaw

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Catspaw assassin TheMico.jpg

Died 298 AC
Winterfell
Book A Game of Thrones

Played by Lalor Roddy

The unnamed catspaw is the assassin who tries to kill Bran Stark in A Game of Thrones. He was prevented from doing so by Catelyn Stark and Bran's direwolf Summer. In the TV series, he is played by Lalor Roddy.

Appearance

He is described as being a small, dirty man in filthy brown clothing that smells of horses. He has a gaunt face, limp blond hair and pale deep-sunk eyes. He wields an Valyrian dagger that has a dragonbone hilt. Catelyn notes that he moves unexpectedly fast. [1]

Recent Events

A Game of Thrones

The assassin arranges for a fire to start in the library tower of Winterfell as a diversion. This succeeds in drawing Robb Stark from Bran's room in order to attend to the fire, leaving Catelyn behind. Upon entering the room, he finds Catelyn and claims that she was not supposed to be there. As he moves to Bran, he states that killing him would be a mercy. As she attempts to scream for help, Catelyn is attacked by the assassin, who moves to try and attempt to slit her throat. They struggle and he injures her hand, as well as pulling out some of her hair. As he is about to attack again, when Summer, Bran's direwolf' attacks him and tears out his throat. [2]

Bran's wolf rescues Catelyn.

Following this, Hallis Mollen informs Catelyn that he was not part of the castle's servants and had been seen wandering around the castle following the weeks after Bran's fall. Mollen also reports that the assassin had been sleeping in the stables, explaining why he had smelled of horses. Amongst the possessions found in the stables, Robb mentions that the assassin had been paid 90 silver stags to kill Bran. [3]


A Storm of Swords

Tyrion recalls a memory whilst he was at Winterfell, in which he overheard Joffrey Baratheon jesting with The Hound to send a dog to kill a wolf. He guesses that Joffrey hired the catspaw among those that joined the king's party as they made their way North and that he had found the dagger amongst his father's weapons and had simply taken it. However, Tyrion is unable to figure out why Joffrey wanted Bran dead, and attributes it to his innate cruelty for the moment. [4]

Jaime later deduces that Joffrey sent the assassin it in an attempt to impress his father, after overhearing a drunken Robert say it would be kinder to put the crippled Bran Stark out of his misery. [5]

Quotes

"You weren't supposed to be here" [6]

- Unnamed catspaw to Catelyn, upon entering Bran's room.

"A child hungry for a pat on the head from that sot you let him believe was his father" [7]

- Jamie to Cersei Lannister, explaining Joffrey's reasons for wanting Bran dead.

References and Notes

  1. A Game of Thrones, Chapter 14, Catelyn III, page 415
  2. A Game of Thrones, Chapter 14, Catelyn III, page 415-419
  3. A Game of Thrones, Chapter 72, Catelyn III, page 422-433
  4. A Storm of Swords, Chapter 60, Tyrion VIII, page 7640-7643-433
  5. A Storm of Swords, Chapter 72, Jamie IX, page 8206-8027
  6. A Game of Thrones, Chapter 14, Catelyn III.
  7. A Storm of Swords, Chapter 72, Jaime IX.