This is a listing of the members of House Karstark in A Song of Ice and Fire.
For the main character index, see here
For the main Northern entry, see here
House Karstark of Karhold
- "The Sun of Winter"—Karstark House Words
A powerful Northern House with ancestral ties to the Starks, having become a separate house after Karlon Stark put down a rebellious house, believed to be House Bolton. Their seat is Karhold, in the northeastern part of the North, near the Grey Cliffs. The current head of the house is Rickard Karstark, who fought alongside Lord Eddard Stark during Robert's Rebellion.
Their house sigil is a white sunburst on a black background.
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Tropes related to House Karstark
- An Arm and a Leg: In The Winds of Winter, when Stannis makes it plain he's aware of their intentions to betray him, one of the younger Karstarks draws his sword, clearly intending to fight his way out. Unfortunately for him, one of Stannis's knights was clearly expecting this and takes the boy's arm off at the elbow before he can do any damage.
- Big, Screwed-Up Family: Not as big in importance, size or in the amount of screwed-up-ness as some in the series. To start with, at least. Then the wheels fall off and their secret issues spill out into the open for all to see. Yes: they were hiding their Dysfunctional Family status that then grows into full-blown Dysfunction Junction in front of our eyes.
- The Clan: A somewhat larger version than many Northern Houses, what with cousins and branches. Turns into a problem due to a lesser branch trying to become the main branch.
- The Dragon: Eventually they become this as a whole to the Boltons, though secretly.
- Evil Counterpart: To the Starks, of whom they are a cadet branch. The last two generations of House Stark are honest to a fault and utterly refuse to scheme. The Karstarks, meanwhile, have no problem feigning their loyalty to Stannis so they can get ahead. In addition, Eddard famously considered children off-limit and refused to harm them even if it meant straining his relationship with Robert, whereas Rickard killed two young squires who had done him no wrong simply due to their Lannister connections. Also, while the modern Starks are famous for their familial love towards each other, the Karstarks are a downright Dysfunction Junction whose cadet branch schemes to usurp the main branch. By contrast, Ned was still feeling guilty for becoming the Lord of Winterfell instead of his brother even though his death was no fault of his.
- Face–Heel Turn: Most of the Karstarks turn their back on Robb Stark after Catelyn releases Jaime Lannister. After Robb's death, Arnolf Karstark aligns himself and the house with Roose Bolton
- Famous Ancestor: Margaret Karstark, the wife of Bennard Stark, uncle of Cregan Stark. Mother of Benjen, Brandon and Elric Stark.
- Another Alys Karstark was the wife of Brandon Stark, youngest child of Cregan Stark and mother of Rodwell, Beron and Arsa Stark.
- Lynara Karstark, the wife of Artos Stark, the Implacable.
- Honor Before Reason: Very quick to call others out when their honor seems to have been impinged in some way, even when doing so is outright ill-advised. Many are not that quick to meet their own obligations in spirit however: a much more twisted version of the Stark tendency to this same trope.
- A House Divided: They split and start an inheritance struggle with each other right in the middle of a greater war. Each main division tries backing different Great Houses in a bid to solidify their claim, while another tries to Take a Third Option just to survive. It's not pretty. And, with winter here, it's pretty close to triggering suicide not to band together.
- Named After Somebody Famous: A few of the current generation Karstarks appear to have been named after famous Starks. For instance, Eddard is named after Eddard "Ned" Stark, Torrhen is named after Torrhen Stark, the King Who Knelt, and Cregan is named after Cregan Stark, the Hand of the King for Aegon III after the Dance of the Dragons.
- The Resenter: As it turns out, a fair number of them seem to have been this to House Stark for quite a while in all likelihood. The difficulty of the War of the Five Kings, as well as their Revenge Before Reason tendencies, pushed them over the edge into outright rebellion against the Starks. But, it has to be said, not all of them follow this trope.
- Revenge Before Reason: Justice? Well, many within the Family might say that's what they're after. But, only if you've mistaken "an eye for an eye" to include allowing yourselves to take the head off to get it...
- Thicker Than Water: Oh, so played with. Being distantly related to the Starks, they start the series solidly on their side. And, on the face of it, show some cultural similarities with them. Or, so you'd think: the cracks, however, very quickly start to show, indicating that most members of this cadet, Stark-derived branch are not as united with the older House as they appeared. Nor are they quite as united amongst themselves. Dissatisfaction at being the "lesser" House may have been bubbling for quite a while, or they wouldn't have been so quick to cry of kinslaying in the first place. They may be cousins, yes, but it's from so long ago that it stretches the concept of "blood-kin" considerably. Add to that the in-House in-fighting that openly breaks out when the succession becomes murky puts paid to the whole notion of the trope. Granted, one side isn't out to kill the other directly, but they wouldn't mind if the Lannisters (or anybody else) accidentally got so annoyed they'd do the job for them.
- A Family Tree in "The World of Ice and Fire" shows that Robb's great x3 grandmother and great x4 grandmother was Alys Karstark. It's still quite a stretch.
- Token Evil Teammate: For the North alongside the Boltons, but to a lesser degree. While some of them are assholes, most of their evil acts are motivated by Rickard's grief. The remaining members of the House willingly serve under Roose Bolton after the Red Wedding, likely due to Robb Stark executing Rickard, though their liege Lord Harrion had been captured by the Lannisters. Only Alys Karstark has averted this trope so far.
- Uncanny Family Resemblance: They have what could be described as a "typical Karstark look"; blue-grey or green eyes, strong frames that are neither overly tall, nor particularly short, with often unruly brown hair that goes white with age. On the surface, this "Karstark look" doesn't resemble the classic Stark "horsefaced, grey-eyed, dark haired" one at all much. Well, until you stop to think a bit: the genetics behind grey, blue, hazel and green eyes involves the same mutation, just interacting with other pigmentation genes in different ways. And, where you draw the line between "brown" and "dark" hair is up for debate. Or if the unruly shagginess they're known for leans more towards "you could stand to use a comb more often" than "you got hit with medium curls that defy both order and hair gel", for that matter.
Rickard's Family
Lord Rickard Karstark
Lord Rickard Karstark, Lord of Karhold
- "Any man who steps between a father and his vengeance asks for death."
Head of House Karstark and Lord of Karhold. When Robb Stark calls his bannermen to war against the Lannisters, Rickard and his sons join him. Two of his sons die at the hands of Jaime Lannister, and Harrion is captured, making him extremely vengeful against the Kingslayer.
- Action Dad: Responded to Robb Stark calling the banners alongside his sons and fought alongside them.
- Anti-Villain: His villainy is the result of his grief over the deaths of his sons.
- Asshole Victim: Murdering unarmed children makes it hard to have much sympathy when he gets executed.
- Colonel Badass: Leads the Karstark forces in Robb's army and is one of his primary commanders.
- Death Seeker: His revenge plot seems deliberately engineered to force Robb to execute him, while also hurting his cause the most he can, what with sending his men away PRIOR to murdering Willem Lannister and Tion Frey, which ensures he can't be kept alive as a hostage to ensure their collaboration.
- Defiant to the End: Never once begs for mercy from Robb and continues insulting him the entire time.
- Didn't Think This Through: Promises the hand of his daughter Alys to whoever can recover Jaime Lannister. Vargo Hoat, a Sadist who likes chopping off limbs, tries to cash in. For all of Lord Karstark’s talk of caring for his sons, he left his daughter wide open to a lot of trouble.
- Dying Curse: His final words to Robb Stark before his execution:Rickard: Kill me, and be cursed. You are no king of mine.
- Fallen Hero: A good and honorable lord who served the Starks faithfully for decades before grief drove him to mindless vengeance.
- Grudging "Thank You": Gives one to Robb for having the guts to execute him himself.
- Grumpy Old Man: Judging by comments made by his daughter Alys, Rickard was never the most pleasant person to be around, but his bad attitude got much worse following the death of his sons.
- Jerkass: Most of his jerkass moments are understandable due to his grief over losing two sons, but murdering two unarmed children who are being kept prisoner and then repeatedly insulting both Robb and Catelyn loses him most of the sympathy the reader may have for him..
- Jerkass Has a Point: He is not wrong pointing out that Catelyn committed treason by freeing Jaime Lannister and yet goes unpunished.
- Kneel Before Frodo: Is the second Northern lord to proclaim Robb as "King in the North".
- Lean and Mean: He's described as "gaunt".
- Named After Somebody Famous: Named after Rickard Stark (Ned's father).
- Nepotism: Karstark accuses Robb of this for allowing his mother Catelyn to remain almost completely unpunished for her releasing Jamie Lannister.
- Off with His Head!: Beheaded by Robb for treason.
- Old Soldier: Fought for Ned during Robert's Rebellion.
- Outliving One's Offspring: He's driven mad with grief after his sons are killed in battle.
- Papa Wolf: Desperately wants Jaime Lannister's head as vengeance for his sons. Possibly a deconstructed trope, however, and hit with an Idiot Ball to boot. He took his seemingly beloved sons into a war in the first place, forgetting that lots of people die in wars, and then expects special leave to avenge them when they died.
- Rank Scales with Asskicking: He is one of the highest lords in the North and also one of their best warriors and commanders.
- Revenge Before Reason:
- Wants Jaime Lannister executed despite his high value as a hostage in order to get vengeance for the two sons Jaime slew.
- He sends his army off to search for Jaime instead of fighting for Robb, meaning whatever Robb does he has lost the Karstark force.
- Revenge by Proxy: When Jaime is let loose by Catelyn and she goes unpunished, Rickard goes off the deep end and murders two young Lannister squires who had nothing to do with his sons' deaths just so he can claim some measure of revenge upon the Lannisters.
- Revenge Myopia: Kills Willem Lannister and Tion Frey after Catelyn Stark lets Jamie Lannister go in order to exact some revenge against the Lannisters for his dead sons. In order to do so, though, he murders two Riverrun guards.
- Spanner in the Works: Kills two valuable hostages, one of which was a Frey. This becomes one of the many pretenses that pave the way for the Red Wedding.
- Standard Hero Reward: Offers his daughter Alys's hand in marriage to whoever brings him Jaime Lannister. Given the two most likely candidates would have been Vargo Hoat or Roose Bolton, it's just as well he never had to deliver on his promise.
- Straw Hypocrite: He taught his sons to fight, kill and die for the glory of their house and their lord. When they die in battle, suddenly It's Personal.
- Thicker Than Water: Subverted: Rickard reminds Robb of the link between Stark and Karstark before Robb executes him, cursing him as a kinslayer if he does it, but it does not change Robb's mind.
- Tragic Villain: His grief and the worsening situation of the war clearly took a toll on him.
- Tranquil Fury: When Jon Snow later tells Rickard's daughter Alys how Rickard killed Willem Lannister and Tion Frey as revenge for her brothers' deaths, she is unsurprised.Alys: My father did not bellow like the Greatjon, but he was no less dangerous in his wroth.
- Would Hurt a Child: Willem Lannister and Tion Frey.
Harrion Karstark
Lord Harrion Karstark
Eldest son of Rickard Karstark and heir to Karhold. He led Karstark forces under the command of Lord Roose Bolton, but was captured by the Lannisters twice. Now Lord of Karhold following his father's execution.
- Affectionate Nickname: Called Harry by his sister Alys.
- Colonel Badass: Commands the Karstark forces in Roose Bolton's host.
- Distressed Dude: He was captured by the Lannisters at the Battle of the Green Fork. He was freed when Roose Bolton captured Harrenhall, but was once again taken captive at the Battle of Duskendale and has been held prisoner since then to ensure House Karstark's loyalty to the Iron Throne after the war ended.
- You Are in Command Now: With his father's death, he is now Lord of Karhold, but is still being held hostage by Randyll Tarly's forces at Maidenpool to keep the other Karstarks in line. Unfortunately, some of them are trying to provoke the Lannisters to kill him so they can take over.
Torrhen and Eddard Karstark
Torrhen and Eddard Karstark
Second and third sons of Rickard Karstark respectively. Both of them join Robb Stark's personal bodyguard.
- Affectionate Nickname: Called Torr and Edd by their sister Alys.
- Bodyguarding a Badass: Both of them are Robb's personal guards.
- Character Death: Both are slain by Ser Jaime Lannister at the Battle of the Whispering Wood.
- Deliberate Values Dissonance: Bran overhears the two of them talking about him while hosting them at Winterfell, with Torrhen saying that Bran is broken on the inside and out, since he thinks he is too cowardly to take his own life instead of living as a cripple. But in their defense, this is what almost all Northerners believe due to their culture regarding unproductive family members during winter.
- Named After Somebody Famous: Torrhen may be named after Torrhen Stark, the last King of the North before Aegon's Conquest.
- Small Role, Big Impact: Although little more than cannon fodder, their deaths drive their father to kill Lannister captives in a misguided act of revenge, leading to his execution and Robb Stark losing the support of the Karstarks.
- We Hardly Knew Ye: Both of them are killed with relatively little fanfare by Jaime Lannister at the beginning of the War of the Five Kings.
Alys Karstark
- See House Thenn on the Northern Houses page.
Arnolf's Family
Arnolf Karstark
Arnolf Karstark, castellan of Karhold
Lord Arnolf
Uncle of Rickard Karstark and castellan of Karhold. One of the few Northern lords to declare for Stannis Baratheon against Roose Bolton. He is secretly loyal to House Bolton and is planning on having his great-nephew murdered so his son becomes Lord of Karhold.
- Animal Motifs: Compared to a vulture.
- Aristocrats Are Evil: There's very little good or honorable about his plotting, whatever he's told himself, that's for sure.
- Bald of Evil: Still has a few wisps of hair on his head, but is, for all intents and purposes, bald.
- Beard of Evil: Not a very impressive one.
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Pretends to be loyal to Stannis, and claims to be motivated by revenge for the Red Wedding. He doesn't care about either one, and is simply trying to advance his family's power.
- Cruel and Unusual Death: Stannis assures Arnolf he and his kin will be on the receiving end of this for their treachery. Also doubles as a form of Scylla and Charybdis as Stannis gives them two choices: confess to their treason and he will grant them the (relative) mercy of being beheaded. Refuse, and his more fanatical devotees to the Lord of Light will burn them alive.
- Evil Cripple: Due to his age, he needs a walking stick and is hunchbacked.
- Evil Old Folks: So old and decrepit that Theon thinks he is a "poor excuse for a man," which is really saying something considering Theon's current state.
- Evil Uncle: Plots to marry his son Cregan to their cousin Alys so that Cregan becomes heir to Karhold since Harrion is held prisoner by the Lannisters, whom Arnolf plans to die when news of him "declaring" for Stannis reaches the Iron Throne.
- Foil: To Roose Bolton, being part of a campaign with Northern Lords and plotting to betray their King, as well as force a woman into marriage with his son to gain control of his liege Lord's lands. He turns out to be not as cunning as Roose though, leaving loose ends and not being in a strong enough position to outmaneuver Stannis...
- Jerkass: Seriously, is that how you'd really want your uncle to treat your children if your positions were reversed?
- Oh, Crap!: Upon seeing Theon being held prisoner by Stannis and realizing that his alliance with Roose Bolton had been discovered. Well, it's more like "oh, pissing hell". He may have had the dawning realisation that Roose might well not have expected him to survive this expedition, too.
- The Mole: For Roose Bolton among the Northern forces that had joined Stannis Baratheon.
- Remember the New Guy?: Never seen or mentioned before A Feast For Crows's appendix.
- The Starscream: This for Stannis' Northern forces.
Cregan Karstark
Cregan Karstark
The eldest son of Arnolf Karstark.
- Aristocrats Are Evil: A noble who has murdered previous wives and plans to force his cousin Alys into marriage.
- Arranged Marriage: He and his father try to force one to his cousin Alys to get her claim to Karhold, but she flees him, forcing Cregan to try and hunt her down.
- Beard of Evil: He has a thick beard and is a monster of man
- The Bluebeard: Has had and killed two wives. Alys believes that as soon as she gives him a child, Cregan would kill her as well. Probably in an "accident" of some description.
- Evil Uncle: Well, he's a cousin called uncle. But, it's a little hard to dispute the evil bit, even if we have only heard one side, in the main.
- Go Mad from the Isolation: After spending days in an Ice Cell, he starts going crazy and throwing his poop at those who come in.
- Honorary Uncle: To Rickard Karstark's kids. Despite being their cousin, they always called him Uncle. Subverted, since he is just as evil as his father and seeks to marry Alys to become Lord of Karhold.
- Hypocrite: Claims that Jon's father is a traitor and if Jon slew him he would be cursed as a kinslayer, while he is part of the plot to have his cousin Harrion killed and betray Stannis.
- Jerkass: He has an unpleasant personality and wants to marry his niece by force.
- Scylla and Charybdis: Jon gives him a choice of this in captivity: confess his sins and take the black, forfeiting any claim to Karhold but getting to keep his life, or refuse, in the knowledge that Stannis will have him hanged the minute he returns to the Wall.
- Shut Up, Hannibal!: When Cregan complains about Jon throwing him in jail upon his arrival at Castle Black, remarking that guest right forbids such treatment. Jon shuts him up by pointing out that, unlike Alys—who came to Jon for help, was given guest right and was saved from Cregan by Jon—Cregan forfeited any such right when he turned up at Castle Black with armed men without Jon's leave and came to carry Alys off against her will, and when Cregan ordered his lackeys to attack the Watch members who rode out to intercept them.
Arthor Karstark
Arthor Karstark
The second son of Arnolf Karstark.
- Aristocrats Are Evil: Possibly with a side of Upper-Class Twit. It certainly takes a while to dawn on him that he and his father are in trouble with Stannis for their double-dealing, plotting and general not-niceness. Seriously, dude: being unable to sit down thanks to the lack of chairs is the least of your worries at that point...
- Fat Bastard: Definitely obese. And, definitely on board with the family's double-dealing with each other, the Starks and Stannis.
- Fat Idiot: Not Mensa material, no.
- Failed a Spot Check: The absence of chairs for anybody other than Stannis was a rather important detail, yes, but the message this was meant to send wasn't initially received. Added to that, he doesn't really notice, say... the guy being prominently hung up by his manacles for who he was (nor does he pause to wonder why he could possibly be there anyway). Whoops.
- Number Two: To his father.
Historical Karstarks
Lord Karlon Stark
Lord Karlon Stark
Karl
A younger son of a King in the North and founder of House Karstark.- Our Founder: Karhold is named after Karlon.
- Portmanteau: Karhold is a combination of the original name "Karl's Hold".
- Standard Hero Reward: Was given his own land after putting a rebel lord down.
- Start My Own: Created his own noble family.
