House Mormont
House Mormont of Bear Island | |
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Here We Stand
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Coat of arms | Fir-tree topped 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 a black bear over a green wood[2][3] and motto "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]
Lady Maege Mormont rules after her brother Jeor Mormont joined the Night's Watch and his son Ser Jorah fled with his wife Lynesse of House Hightower to the Free Cities after having been found out when he sold some poachers to a Tyroshi slaver. Lady Mormont’s heir is Dacey Mormont, a tall, lanky warrior-woman.
Lady Mormont answers Robb Stark's call to arms and she, her heir Dacey and their bannermen follow him south against the Lannisters. Maege acted as part of Robb's war councils and Dacey stood among his battle companions and guards. Lady Maege was sent by King Robb on a Mallister longship to the Neck to contact the crannogmen, while Dacey was killed during the Red Wedding, making Alysane Mormont the heir.
When Stannis Baratheon demands the fealty of the northlords, young Lyanna Mormont sends Bear Island's denial. However, after Stannis takes Deepwood Motte and restores it to House Glover, the Mormonts join his cause. Alysane joins his army when it marches on Winterfell, becoming one of the guards of the captive Asha Greyjoy.
The Mormont House at the end of the third century
The known Mormonts during the timespan of the events described on 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.
- Lyra Mormont, her daughter.
- Jorelle Mormont, her daughter.
- Lyanna Mormont, her daughter.
- Lord {Jeor Mormont}, her older 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.
- Lynesse Hightower, his wife. She abandoned him after his disgrace, and now is a chief concubine of a Lysene merchant.
- Ser Jorah Mormont, An exiled knight. Lord of Bear Island until sentenced to death for selling poachers into slavery.
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 in the books
A Song of Ice and Fire
- Jorah Mormont is invited at Magister Illyrio's party, where he gets to know Prince Viserys Targaryen and Daenerys Targaryen. Since then, he plays a significant part in Dany's storyline.
- 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 choses Jon as his steward and plays a significant part in his storyline.
- Maege Mormont answers Robb Stark's call to arms, and follows him during the campaign being part of his war councils.
- Dacey Mormont is one of the thirty children of lords who have the honor of riding beside King Robb, being the only woman in the group.
- Ser Jorah Mormont was exiled by Daenerys Targaryen when she discovered that he had been spying on her for Varys.
- Maester Aemon sent a raven to Bear Island in a plea for help to defend Castle Black from wildlings.
- Lyanna Mormont wrote the response to Stannis Baratheon's claim of kingship and demands of fealty, rejecting him.
- Some of Maege's daughters have children of their own.
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.
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