#karhold

[westerosenvogue]

Cloak for a Karstark

Zuhair Murad

[blizzardin-summer]

“the sun of winter”

house karstark // a song of ice and fire aesthetic

[teen-spirited-away]

House Karstark

"The Sun of Winter"

Sigil: White Sun

Colors: Black and White

Seat: Karhold

"We are kin, Stark and Karstark"

House Karstark is a noble house in the North. They are a distant branch of their overlords House Stark, descending from Karlon Stark.

[thesunwillshineonusagain757]

𝗧𝗢𝗨𝗥𝗜𝗦𝗧 𝗔𝗨- 𝗔 𝗦𝗢𝗡𝗚 𝗢𝗙 𝗜𝗖𝗘 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗙𝗜𝗥𝗘

Have you ever asked yourself what a book for tourist traveling to Westeros would look like ? Well, my intrusive thoughts and lack of sleep helped me come up with this idea. It's just the first part of 9 I'll do one for each region of the land of Westeros, but I already have plan to do it to the region's of Westeros too. I based myself not just on the cultures of the real world but also Westeros, and what they would look like in a modern setting, so yeah enjoy my crazy shit because I sure did when I woke up today and decided to do this.

VALE. RIVERLANDS. WESTERLANDS. REACH. STORMLANDS. CROWNLANDS. IRON ISLANDS. DORNE.

[thenorthsource]

Locations of The North

[malcontent7]

Mirri Maz Duur’s Prophecy

I’ve been thinking about this prophecy for the last little while now, trying to figure out if the conditions could be met. The prophecy goes:

“When the sun rises in the west and sets in the east. When the seas go dry and mountains blow in the wind like leaves. When your womb quickens again, and you bear a living child. Then he will return, and not before.”

Obviously these are impossibilities in a literal sense, but what if they were possible in a metaphorical sense. Prophecies being examined from a metaphorical angle is something of a staple of the Game of Thrones fandom, so I thought I’d take a whack at it.

First we have

“When the sun rises in the west and sets in the east.”

My initial thought was that this will be represented by the birth and death of a character whose House banner featured a sun. The first family to occur to me was the Karstsrks, who have a sun on their banner, and whose house words are “The Sun of Winter”

Rickard Karstark being beheaded by Robb Stark could have qualified. Unfortunately it turns out that the seat of House Karstark, Karhold, is in the East of the North, and he was executed in near Riverrun, I believe, which is in the West of the Riverlands, so about the centre of the Seven Kingdoms.

Then I thought of Oberyn Martell, Fighting the Mountain.

House Martell’s banner features a sun, and he definitely died in Kingslanding, which is in the East of the Seven Kingdoms. Unfortunately upon checking it turns out the seat of House Mertell, Sunspear, is in the East of Dorne, but it turns out that Oberyn was fostered in a place called Sandstone, the seat of House Qorgyle, which is in the West of Dorne. Raised in the West, set in the East.

The next part I haven’t really worked out yet:

“When the seas go dry”

I can’t really think of a specific alternative for this.

It could be actually literal. The seas freezing over during the winter, maybe.

Another possibility could be Theon’s castration.

The line of House Greyjoy, who represent the sea, effectively ending, or running dry. Hard to say.

The next part goes:

“and mountains blow in the wind like leaves.”

The mountain in question is most likely represented by the Mountain, Ser Gregor Clegane.

He’ll more than likely find himself on the receiving end of a dragon’s breath, turning him to so much ash, blowing in the wind like leaves.

I just hope it doesn’t happen before Clegane Bowl.

Finally we have:

“When your womb quickens again, and you bear a living child.”

Well, that should be obviously.

“Then he will return, and not before”

[asoiafhistory]

asoiaf meme ♦ Places in the North

[elenatria]

Tormund’s wedding II

http://archiveofourown.org/works/10614180/chapters/23472495

Sansa gave a tiny yell and sucked her index finger. Embroidering was a tough job, bloodier than most people thought. Lady Karstark smiled at her, she was busy too sewing tiny silver suns on a large tunic.

“You’d think after all these years of practice I wouldn’t prick my fingers anymore,” Sansa joked.

“If you bleed on your handiwork more people will like it when you finish it, that’s what my septa used to say,” Alys smiled.

“Then I should prick my fingers more often.”

They laughed. Brienne was standing behind them patiently, observing them. They looked like sisters with their long red hair and pale skin. Lady Sansa was in a particularly curious mood that day. She leaned over Alys’ tunic.

“Let me guess, it’s for him,” she teased her companion.

Alys lifted her head giving her a hesitant half smile.

“It is. I hear his name day is near, Lady Brienne told me.” She gave their guard a grateful look. Brienne nodded respectfully but didn’t return the smile.

“I’m sure he’ll love it” Sansa said. “It’s about time he got rid of those shaggy furs. He’s a lord now.”

Alys tried to hide her worry but Sansa couldn’t help noticing.

“What is it?”

“I’m not so sure… he likes it here…” Alys sighed.

“Why do you say that?” Sansa asked putting her dress aside.

“He’s…” Alys hesitated, she didn’t want to speak ill of her husband. “He wakes up early in the morning, even before sunrise, goes hunting alone, and never comes back before sunset. And when he does he’s too tired to spend time with me. He’s almost never here.”

Alys lowered her eyes, she had already said too much. Sansa felt sympathy for the girl. She took her hand.

“He’s a wildling, Alys, wildlings don’t do well in stone walls. They’ve spent their whole lives in wooden huts and tents. That’s why they’re called wildlings, they’re wild like the wind but I’m sure in time-“

“Free folk.”

Sansa turned towards Brienne. Her guardian’s words were rare these last few days and this was the first thing that came out of her mouth since that morning.

“What was that?”

“Free folk. They call themselves the free folk.” Brienne was almost thinking out loud although she knew it wasn’t her place to make corrections. She had never done that before, never in her life. She felt such shame.

“I’m-I’m sorry” she said almost panicking, shifting her eyes from Alys to Sansa. “I meant no disrespect. I just thought it would please Lord Karstark if Lady Alys learned a few things about his people and his culture.”

“Thank you, Lady Brienne,” said Alys awkwardly. “I want to learn more.”

Sansa couldn’t help noticing Brienne’s flushed cheeks before turning back to Alys.

“Marriage is a complicated thing but you can trust me, and you can trust Brienne. I wish I had good friends around me when I got married, then again marriage was forced upon me both times, I don’t know if friends would have made things easier…”

Her eyes wandered off but she was quick to put on a forced smile.

“However it doesn’t have to be like this for you. Tormund is an honest caring man, I’m sure he respects you and your needs.”

Brienne felt her heart stop, biting her lower lip. She didn’t want to hear any of it. She wanted to get out of that room as soon as possible, find a nice hole in the ground far away from the castle and burry her head in it so she could scream her lungs out.

“I… I guess so.” Alys lowered her eyes once more. “I wish I wasn’t so scared.”

“Does he mistreat you? I mean when you’re alone,” Sansa asked.

“What? Oh no, mistreat me… how. It’s not like we’re ever alone together. It’s been nearly a month and…”

Sansa’s eyes opened wide.

“And?”

“…”

Brienne’s breath hitched. It couldn’t be true. The gods couldn’t be that good.

“Never?” Sansa asked in utter surprise.

Alys shook her head. She didn’t know if it was a good thing discussing her husband’s abstinence with others but it was too late now.

“You have to be patient,” Sansa tried to comfort her. “Everything is new to him as it is to you. Give him time. I’m sure you and him will fill Karhold with quite a few little lords and ladies very soon.”

Alys smiled gratefully. Brienne shut her eyes as soon as she made sure lady Sansa wasn’t looking. She had fallen from despair to hope then back to despair.

“Please don’t encourage her, oh gods, please…”

She squeezed her eyes tighter. Then she felt such shame for her disloyal thoughts that she realized she deserved a bigger hole in the ground, big enough to swallow her whole. When she opened her eyes again the two girls were giggling and discussing other matters, trivial, innocent, unimportant matters.

Brienne sighed with relief.