House Mormont
House Mormont of Bear Island | |
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Here We Stand
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Coat of arms | A wood vert, a bear sable |
Seat | Bear Island |
Head | Maege Mormont |
Region | The North |
Title | Lord of Bear Island |
Heir | Alysane Mormont |
Overlords | |
Ancestral weapon | Longclaw (formerly; now gifted to Jon Snow) |
House Mormont of Bear Island is an old, proud, and honorable house,[1] sworn to House Stark of Winterfell. Their seat is at Bear Island, located in the Bay of Ice far to the north-west of Winterfell. Their blazon is a black bear over a green wood[2][3] and their motto is "Here We Stand".[4]
House Mormont is one of the few houses to have an ancestral weapon of Valyrian steel: a bastard sword called Longclaw. However, due to Bear Island's lack of valuable resources, the Mormonts are a rather poor house. Their hall is made of huge logs, surrounded by an earthen palisade. On the gate is a carving of a woman in a bearskin with a child in one arm suckling at her breast and a battleaxe in the other. Like the other women of Bear Island, the women of House Mormont learn how to defend themselves from ironmen and wildlings.
Contents
History
Legend has it that King Rodrik Stark won Bear Island in a wrestling match (presumably from the ironborn king who controlled it at the time) and gave it to the Mormonts.[5]
When Eddard Stark called his banners to fight in Robert's Rebellion, Lord Jeor Mormont led the Bear Island men to war. Abdicating his lordship in the next few years to join the Night's Watch, Jeor was succeeded by his son Jorah, who earned fame in the Greyjoy Rebellion and subsequent Tourney at Lannisport. Jorah, however, was driven from the North by Lord Stark after selling poachers to a Tyroshi slaver in order to pay for the tastes of his wife, Lynesse Hightower. Jorah fled to the Free Cities and was succeeded by his aunt, Jeor's sister Maege Mormont. Jeor, meanwhile, became Lord Commander of the Night's Watch. Lady Mormont's heir is Dacey Mormont, a tall, lanky warrior-woman.
Recent Events
A Game of Thrones
Lady Mormont answers Robb Stark's call to arms and she, her heir Dacey, and their bannermen follow him south against the Lannisters. Maege acts as part of Robb's war councils and Dacey rides with his battle companions and guards, being the only woman of the group. Both Mormont women are present when Robb is named King in the North at Riverrun.
Jeor Mormont is Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, and is introduced when Tyrion Lannister and Jon Snow arrive at the Wall. Later he chooses Jon as his steward and acts as a mentor to young Jon.
The exiled Ser Jorah Mormont attends Magister Illyrio Mopatis's party in Pentos, where he gets to know Prince Viserys Targaryen and Daenerys Targaryen. Jorah becomes an advisor to Daenerys and the first of her Queensguard.
A Clash of Kings
Lady Maege and Dacey accompany Robb into the Westerlands. After the Battle of Oxcross, Maege captures thousands of livestock and drives them back to the Riverlands.
Jeor leads the Night's Watch in the great ranging beyond the Wall.
A Storm of Swords
In preparation for King Robb's plan to recover Moat Cailin from the ironborn, Maege is sent by Robb on a Mallister longship to the Neck to contact the crannogmen. Dacey is killed during the Red Wedding.
After having survived the Battle of the Fist of the First Men, Jeor is slain by Ollo Lophand during the mutiny at Craster's Keep. Maester Aemon sends a raven to Bear Island in a plea for help to defend Castle Black from wildlings.
Jorah is exiled from Meereen by Queen Daenerys when she discovers that he had been spying on her for Varys.
A Feast for Crows
Alysane is the new heir of House Mormont after the death of her elder sister, Dacey, at the Red Wedding.[6]
A Dance with Dragons
When Stannis Baratheon demands the fealty of the northern lords, young Lyanna Mormont sends Bear Island's denial.[7]
Alysane Mormont and men-at-arms of House Mormont launch an attack on the ironmen longships off the strand of Deepwood Motte, managing to take them unawares by hiding fighters inside a gaggle of fishing sloops. She burns and captures all ships, securing several ironborn captains, knights, warriors and other nobility for ransom.[8]
After Stannis Baratheon takes Deepwood Motte and restores it to House Glover, House Mormont swears fealty to Stannis. Alysane joins his army when it marches on Winterfell.[9] She becomes one of the guards of Asha Greyjoy.[10]
Lyra and Jorelle Mormont are with their mother Maege while Alysane joins Stannis's march to take Winterfell from Roose Bolton.
Jorah takes Tyrion captive in Selhorys and travels with him to Slaver's Bay, where he hopes to present Tyrion to Daenerys in Meereen.
House Mormont at the end of the third century
The known Mormonts during the timespan of the events described in A Song of Ice and Fire are:
- Lady Maege Mormont, Lady of the Bear Island. A short, stout and grey-haired woman who dresses in mail.
- {Dacey Mormont}, her eldest daughter. Slain at the Red Wedding.
- Alysane Mormont, her daughter and heir to Bear Island.
- A daughter of nine
- A son of two
- Lyra Mormont, her daughter.
- Jorelle Mormont, her daughter.
- Lyanna Mormont, her daughter.
- Lord {Jeor Mormont}, her brother. Called the Old Bear. Lord of Bear Island until he chose to take the black. Was Lord Commander of the Night's Watch. Slain at Craster's Keep by his own men.
- Ser Jorah Mormont, an exiled knight. Lord of Bear Island until sentenced to death for selling poachers into slavery.
- a lady of House Glover, his first wife. Died after her third miscarriage in their tenth year of marriage.
- Lynesse Hightower, his second wife. She abandoned him after his disgrace, and now is the chief concubine of Tregar Ormollen.
- Ser Jorah Mormont, an exiled knight. Lord of Bear Island until sentenced to death for selling poachers into slavery.
- Some of Maege's daughters have children of their own.
Lord Mormont | Unknown wife | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Lord Mormont | Unknown wife | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Jeor | Unknown wife | Maege | Unknown | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Unknown Glover | Jorah | Lynesse Hightower | Dacey | Alysane | Unknown | Lyra | Jorelle | Lyanna | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Daughter [Note 1] | Son [Note 1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Notes: |
References and Notes
- ↑ A Game of Thrones, Chapter 12, Eddard II.
- ↑ A Game of Thrones, Chapter 53, Bran VI.
- ↑ The Citadel. Heraldry: the North
- ↑ The Citadel. House Mottoes
- ↑ A Game of Thrones, Chapter 66, Bran VII.
- ↑ A Feast for Crows, Appendix.
- ↑ A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 3, Jon I.
- ↑ A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 35, Jon VII.
- ↑ A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 42, The King's Prize.
- ↑ A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 62, The Sacrifice.
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