This is a listing of the members of House Tully that appear in A Song of Ice and Fire.
For the main character index, see here
For the main Riverlands entry, see here
House Tully of Riverrun
Lords of the Riverlands from their fortress of Riverrun. Unlike many of the other Great Houses, they were never Kings of their own realm, but were made the overlords of the Riverlands under Aegon the Conqueror after they were stripped from the extinct House Hoare. Their current head, Hoster Tully, has three children: the two daughters Catelyn and Lysa, who married Eddard Stark and Jon Arryn, and the son Edmure, who will succeed him when he dies. They ally with the North during the War of the Five Kings. Their members tend to have fiery red hair, high cheekbones and bright blue eyes. Their sigil is a leaping silver trout.
Riverrun is a three-sided castle nestled into the fork of a river. The waters lap up to the sides of their curtain wall, and in times of trouble they can raise their sluice gates and create a moat on the third side. When defended thusly, the castle is essentially impregnable.
Not to be confused with House Tarly, a Tyrell vassal house from The Reach.
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Tropes related to House Tully
- Animal Motifs: Leaping trouts, referencing the Riverlands' rich, well, rivers.
- Butt-Monkey: Unfortunately, House Tully's domain (the Riverlands) is the main battleground of the civil war. And it's not the first time that's happened
- The Clan: Blood is usually thicker than water for this family. Even exiles like the Blackfish will hurry back home when the need is obvious.
- Color-Coded Characters: Tullys tend to have red hair and blue eyes.
- Comes Great Responsibility: To almost Blessed with Suck degree. Aegon probably gave the most difficult job to Edmyn Tully: administrate a land with no real culture to hold them together (like the North or the Westerlands have) and that is pretty much a nest of Feuding Families. The reason why most of the Riverlands like having them as Lords Paramount — particularly the smallfolk — is they are usually quite practical, reasonable and even-handed. After some of the absolute diplomatic disasters the region has had ruling it, they have made for a stable and refreshing change of pace during their stewardship.
- Conflicting Loyalty: Check their motto. Duty is in the middle but to what: Family or Honor?
- Elemental Motifs: Water. Unlike House Greyjoy, whose motifs are built around the violent and volatile nature of the ocean, House Tully evokes the nurturing role of rivers, especially in a politically turbulent region. Their house colors are blue and red, their seat is Riverrun, and their sigil is a leaping trout. Their house words are "Family, Duty, Honor", reflecting their heavy focus on family.
- Everyone Went to School Together: Petyr "Littlefinger" Baelish grew up at Riverrun as a ward of Hoster Tully, and as such has had (mis)adventures with all three Tully siblings and even Brandon Stark. Jaime Lannister, while a squire for Lord Crakehall, visited Riverrun to get to know Lysa for a prospective betrothal that eventually fell through.
- Famous Ancestor:
- Lord Edmyn Tully was the first Riverland lord to join Aegon's cause, probably because he was clearly the best chance to get rid of the Iron-born. Aegon rewarded him by making him Lord Paramount and trusting him as Hand of the King when Orys Baratheon resigned.
- Lord Medgar was an Ashford tourney participant.
- Celia Tully was one of the arranged marriages by Aegon V Targaryen for his son Jaehaerys, who obviously rejected the betrothal.
- Fiery Redhead: Red hair is a Tully trait, and most of its members are considered attractive.
- Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: Catelyn was the Responsible to Edmure/Lysa's Foolish.
- Freudian Trio: Hoster's three children.
- Catelyn: The Reliable One, devoted to family and duty (Superego).
- Lysa: Overtly unstable, resentful, and took out her frustrations by murdering her husband and causing a Civil War (Id).
- Edmure: Brash and impulsive, but not psychopathic (Ego).
- Gate Guardian: House Tully's ancient role after the raising of Riverrun was to defend the Trident's western borders against invasions of the Kingdom of the Rock.
- The Lancer: To House Stark in the War of the Five Kings.
- Land, Sea, Sky: In terms of Animal Motifs, House Tully's sigil is a fish (Sea), while their bannermen House Bracken and House Blackwood have, in their respective sigils, a horse (Land) and a raven (Sky).
- Massive Numbered Siblings: Tragically subverted - Lady Minisa Whent bore Hoster Tully six children in all (four sons and two daughters), but Edmure's the only son who survived past infancy and pushing out the sixth child killed her. We don't know where the birth placement of the first two dead children falls, though we can make several deductions from the ages of the survivors (Catelyn is two years older than Lysa, both are older than Edmure, and Cat was roughly ten when Minisa died).
- Meaningful Name: Tully means "flood" in Irish Gaelic, aside from the obvious river association, the Tully seat, Riverrun, has the means to flood a large area around it, turning the castle into an island, increasing it's defences.
- Overshadowed by Awesome: The historical Tullys, as outlined by Fire & Blood. Between the various far more colorful houses around them, and the fact the Riverlands were quiet until the Dance of the Dragons, they were something of a non-entity until then, just quietly getting on with keeping things running smoothly.
- The Reliable One: Usually they are: Catelyn, Hoster, Brynden, even their Famous Ancestor Edmyn Tully was that to Aegon I. Probably the reason why they were made Paramounts of the Rivelands and stayed so for 300 years despite the long and unstable history of the region. Till the War of the Five Kings at least.
- Thicker Than Water: Usually, yes. The flip side is when the blood does manage to turn bad between family members, it can take decades to mend.
- A Tragedy of Impulsiveness: There's an annoyingly persistent tendency for Tullys to act rashly in the heat of the moment without really thinking things through.
- Viking Funeral: They bury their dead this way. It makes sense as the Riverlands used to be under Ironborn control.
- More importantly, and less meta, it makes sense as the Riverlands are dominated by, well, rivers.
- We ARE Struggling Together: Probably the only thing the Riverlords can agree on is that the Ironborn really suck. When House Tully gained leadership of the Riverlands, it had to deal with the Ironborn, the feud between the Blackwoods and the Brackens, stewarding a region that had never been a distinct, independent region, and protecting its territorial integrity from the five other kingdoms with which it shares a land border. In at least two different wars, the Riverlords were split between different factions. In hindsight, Aegon probably gave Edmyn Tully one of the hardest jobs in the Seven Kingdoms.
- Weak Boss, Strong Underlings: Most of their bannermen have more wealth, larger armies and wider territories than them. This makes House Tully potentially the weakest of the great houses.
Current Generation
Hoster's Family
Lord Hoster Tully
Lord Hoster Tully
- "Did you see me, little Cat?"
The patriarch of the Tully family, who starts the series on his deathbed.
- Create Your Own Villain: Hoster promising his daughter Catelyn to Brandon Stark led to Petyr Baelish challenging Brandon to a duel. Petyr lost the duel and his bitterness shaped him into a cruel, manipulative schemer who masterminded the War of the Five Kings, with the Riverlands taking the brunt of the damage during the war and becoming a blasted wasteland. All because Hoster didn’t think his ward was worthy of his daughter.
- Didn't Think This Through: Alongside the example given under Unwitting Instigator of Doom, arranging a marriage for Lysa in the Vale left her in close proximity to Littlefinger, who used Lysa as his primary piece to gain power and eventually to persuade Lysa to poison her husband and blame it on the Lannisters, leading to the War of the Five Kings.
- Dying Clue: Hoster's last word is "Tansy," which turns out to mean that he forced his daughter Lysa to drink tansy tea (an abortive drug) after he found out that she was pregnant with Littlefinger's child. Lysa and Littlefinger have been lovers since way before the first book which is why Lysa was the one who killed Jon Arryn and blamed the Lannisters at Littlefinger's insistence.
- Formerly Fit: Justified, Catelyn remembers him as an active lord in his youth, with Hoster being broad and strong, but as with many other men, he grew portly with age. But his illness took all of that extra weight away.
- Inter Class Friendship: Downplayed since they were both lords, but with vastly different statuses. Hoster Tully, liege lord of the Riverlands, one of the most powerful lords in the Westeros and of a distinguished old line, befriended Lord Baelish during the War of the Nine Penny Kings, whose father was a hedge knight, and whose domain consisted of a single little windswept village on a small peninsula in the Vale. The friendship was great enough for Hoster to foster Lord Baelish’s son Petyr.
- The Mourning After: Catelyn notes that some of the life had gone out of Hoster after Minisa's death.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Hoster goes to his grave regretting that he tricked Lysa into aborting Littlefinger's child. It's implied that her miscarriages and stillbirths were caused by her early abortion. Lysa refuses to forgive him, not even responding to any of the messages about his ill health, let alone visiting Riverrun.
- My Greatest Failure: He utterly destroyed his own daughter. He is entirely responsible for Lysa's crippling insecurities and irrational behavior by forcing her to abort her child with Littlefinger and damaging her capacity to bear children after promising she'd have healthy, plump babes. He dies buried in guilt and apologizing to an empty room, since Lysa has no interest in ever forgiving him.
- Offing the Offspring: When his daughter Lysa became pregnant with Petyr Baelish's child, he tricked her into aborting it with moon tea. She never forgave him for this, and he died knowing she hated him.
- Retired Badass: By all accounts he seemed like Tywin-lite and managed to form one of the strongest alliances in the Seven Kingdoms. He also personally fought on the frontlines during Robert's Rebellion, during which he was wounded at the Battle of the Bells by Lord Jon Connington.
- Scatterbrained Senior: As he lays dying from illness and old age, his memory becomes faulty. At one point when Catelyn comes to see him, he thinks she's Lysa and begs her forgiveness for the moon tea, promising that she'll have many healthy, trueborn children.
- Soap Opera Disease: It is never mentioned exactly what Hoster is dying from, just that he became ill in 295 and his condition has been going downhill ever since.
- Given that he himself says "The crabs are in my belly, pinching, always pinching" and that the Ancient Greeks thought that cancer was literally caused by crabs inside the body, it's heavily implied Hoster had stomach or bowel cancer.
- So Proud of You: While he's ill most of the time, he was lucid during the Battle of the Camps and personally witnessed Robb and Ser Brynden trouncing the Lannister army besieging Riverrun. When he's talking with Catelyn, he's very proud of how great a general his grandson grew to become.
- Token Evil Teammate: Not really evil, but out of the rebel leaders, he was easily the most ruthless. During Robert's Rebellion he burned down the village of House Goodbrook, Riverland lords who remained loyal to the Iron Throne, and slaughtered their smallfolk as punishment. Arya Stark, his granddaughter is seriously disappointed when the Brotherhood Without Banners escort her through its ruins. A surviving member of House Goodbrook is married to the Freys and takes part in the Red Wedding, perhaps venting some revenge.
- Unwitting Instigator of Doom:
- A significant portion of the misery found in the series can be directly or indirectly traced to him forcing Lysa to have an abortion, which is heavily implied to have damaged her reproductive organs and contributed to her and Littlefinger going on darker paths later in their lives, leading them to plot the War of the Five Kings and the resulting ouster of the Starks and Tullys from power.
- While Lord Hoster did mess up, it's arguable that he was just clearing up a really messy situation. Lysa's illegitimate baby was the product of something dangerously close to female-on-male rape, since it was conceived when Lysa seduced a drunk Petyr, who was under the impression that it was Catelyn who was seducing him. Moreover Lysa's "love" for Petyr was more of an extremely obsessive crush rather than love, and it was completely one-sided as Petyr never had the slightest interest in Lysa. Finally the series has other characters who have used tansy tea, but none of them seem to suffer from any side effects. Maybe, Lysa was just extremely unlucky, or her metabolic system was somewhat defective from birth, thanks to her Whent side.
- Given that the ingredients listed as being included in moon tea are all highly toxic and can actually kill you, and that we don't know how far along Lysa was in her pregnancy (after a certain point it isn't safe AT ALL to conduct an abortion), Hoster might have also have given Lysa far too much of the moon tea, also poisoning her to the point where not just her reproductive organs, but likely her entire endocrine and metabolic systems were impacted by chronic, low-level damage to her liver, kidneys, pancreas and spleen, too. In short, Lysa may always been emotionally unstable and heading towards becoming a nasty piece of work through her own actions, but she may well have had ample physical reasons to hate her dad, even as her mental state unraveled further.
- He may also have accidentally set the ball rolling towards the current civil war by insisting that the new Lord Stark must marry his brother's intended bride to have access both to the South and his support during the last one. By pulling a Walder Frey on Ned and Catelyn regardless of how either felt about going into the wedding, what their previous vows entailed or how their marriage could have turned out given the But Thou Must! nature of it, he ultimately doomed them and their kids to play major roles during the War of the Five Kings, not least due to the Littlefinger factor.
- Vague Age: His precise birth year has not been given, although we know it's within 238-241 AC.
- Viking Funeral: In the third book.
- Wring Every Last Drop out of Him: Hoster Tully lasts more than two books before succumbing —and he spends all of his appearances delirious from painkillers. In a possible acknowledgment of this, by the time he dies, his daughter has become inured enough to death that she barely reacts either.
Ser Brynden Tully
Ser Brynden Tully, Warden of the Southern Marches
The Blackfish
"Black fish or no, I am still a Tully."
- "My first rule of war, Cat, is never give the enemy his wish."
Hoster's unmarried younger brother and uncle to Catelyn, Lysa, and Edmure, the Blackfish serves as a capable warrior and much-needed voice of reason. He is appointed Warden of the Southern Marches by his great-nephew, King Robb Stark.
- Anti-Hero: He's fiercely loyal to House Stark, but some of his action are very immoral... like scouring the lands clean and locking up in Riverrun while Edmure's people starve.
- Appropriated Appellation: Hoster Tully once cursed his younger brother for being the "Black Goat" of the family. Brynden just laughed and wondered whether, the Tully sigil being what it is, he should be considered a black fish instead? And that's how Brynden Tully got his nickname (not to mention his personal coat-of-arms).
- Black Sheep: Brynden's refusal to marry a woman who would help his family's fortune is a contrast to their words promoting Family and Duty. Arguing with his brother over this led to the Brynden's long estrangement from Hoster and the rest of his family. His refusal to serve his family by marrying, combined with an insult Hoster aimed at him, led to Brynden adopting the name, the Blackfish. In the series proper, he's quite dutiful to his family and returns to help with the war efforts when his niece, Lysa, refuses to do so.
- Bruiser with a Soft Center: He is one of the most feared and skilled warriors in Westeros, but is the one his nieces and nephew always turned to for advice.
- Colonel Badass: He is generally considered one of the finest commanders in Westeros. Robb Stark's reputation for never losing a battle owes a great deal to having the Blackfish as his chief military advisor.
- Confirmed Bachelor:
Fanon has him of the Armored Closet Gay variety, although he has no known lovers in-continuity. In any case, he famously refuses an Arranged Marriage despite the decision requiring him to cut ties with much of his family and never marries after. - Cool Uncle: Its mentioned that whenever one of Hoster's children had a problem, they would often go to Brynden first for advice.
- Deadpan Snarker: Frequently snarks at idiocy of others, and even agrees to a parley with Jaime mostly just to snark at him for numerous things because the siege was, in his words, "deadly dull".
- Gate Guardian: Formerly: he served as the Knight of the Bloody Gate for years in the Vale, protecting the region from anybody who sought access without permission. He resigned the post in A Game of Thrones to defend the Riverlands when the war broke out.
- Horrible Judge of Character: Believes Jon gained his position as Lord Commander of the Night's Watch by aid from Tywin Lannister when in reality Tywin's choice was Janos Slynt. He bases this on Catelyn's animosity toward Jon, and doesn't realize Jon hates the Lannister's no less than he does.
- Jerkass Has a Point: While giving a commander an audience just to mock them is a bit cruel, the Blackfish is completely correct that Jaime's word about being civil to the surrendering Tullys can't be trusted. As he puts it, the Lannisters violated Sacred Hospitality through the Red Wedding and it sets a precedent for them being dishonorable. He's all but laughing as Jaime sensibly decides to leave, realizing the negotiations will go nowhere.
- Named After Somebody Famous: When Bran meets the Three-Eyed Crow who is revealed to be Brynden "Bloodraven" Rivers, he mentions that his uncle shares his name, and the Three-Eyed Crow states that it's likely that the Blackfish might have been named after him, noting that it was a name that became popular during his time as Hand, and is still used in parts of the Seven Kingdoms after he's been virtually forgotten.
- Noble Fugitive: Is forced to go on the run after Riverrun surrenders to the Iron Throne in A Feast for Crows. There are fan theories he has joined the Brotherhood without Banners, which is currently being led by his reanimated niece.
- Not So Above It All: Seems to share the same prejudice toward bastards as most nobles do, if his terrible assumptions about Jon are any indicator.
- Number Two: Shares this position with The Greatjon to Robb.
- Old Soldier: He earned his reputation as one of the best warriors in Westeros during the War of the Ninepenny Kings close to forty years before the start of the series. He fought alongside fellow Old Soldier badass Ser Barristan Selmy. The Blackfish is 52-55 years old at the start of the series and still a highly capable warrior. Even after surrendering Riverrun to Jaime Lannister, he manages to escape by swimming under the portcullis - raised just below the water level - and then swimming for some miles. In the middle of the frikkin night.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Makes his feelings for Jaime Lannister quite clear during their parley at Riverrun. Given that the Blackfish was a hero of Jaime's when he was just a squire, his contempt makes it clear that despite his recent Heel–Face Turn, the Kingslayer still has a long way to go.
- The Remnant: Leads the last remaining holdout of the Northern kingdom's army holed up in Riverrun in A Feast for Crows.
- There technically are more holdouts of Stark loyalists in the North itself, but these are just lords and their personal guards rather than a mobilized army.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: When Lysa refuses to assist the Riverlands when they come under attack by the Lannisters, Brynden quits his position as Knight of the Gate and joins Catelyn in rushing to join Robb.
- Team Dad: Offers much needed emotional support to his family members during the War of the Five Kings.
- Troll: As he admits, he was never going to negotiate with Jaime when they were parleying. He just wanted the guy to show up to mock him.
- Vague Age: What information we do have suggests he was born within 243-246 AC (more likely earlier than later, as he distinguished himself during the War of the Ninepenny Kings - which Westeros took part in during 259-261 AC). He's also precisely five years younger than Hoster, so a confirmed date for one of them would in turn pinpoint the other's as well).
- Warrior Therapist: Uses his knowledge of Jaime Lannister's personality to help Robb capture him at the Whispering Wood.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: He fled Riverrun when Edmure Tully surrendered the castle to Jaime Lannister. His whereabouts are currently unknown.
- You Are in Command Now: After the Red Wedding, he led what remained of the armies of the Trident loyal to the North.
Lady Catelyn Tully
Lady Lysa Tully
Edmure's Family
Edmure Tully
Lord Edmure Tully
- "He would try to hold every inch of his soil, to defend every man, woman and child who named him lord."—Eddard Stark
Hoster's only son and heir, and younger brother to Catelyn and Lysa. Becomes Lord of Riverrun after his father's death in the third book. Edmure is a kind-hearted man whose strengths unfortunately lie in peacetime politics rather than wartime strategy.
- Annoying Younger Sibling: He is still regarded as this somewhat by Catelyn, who never truly takes him seriously.
- Aw, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other: The first thing he worries about given a chance to? His wife and unborn child. Family, Duty, Honour? Nope: seems smitten with the girl whose marriage to him is practically a death sentence for him. They don't actually fight themselves. But, wow — the family issues surrounding them make that almost shocking. He also knows she wasn't responsible for the Red Wedding and was forced into it by her father.
- The Baby of the Bunch: He is treated this way by his family and later, by his own nephew Robb Stark. On one hand it's implied that he has had a very spoilt and indulgent upbringing, being taken care of by his father, his elder sister and his uncle, on the other hand this has put a sizable chip on his shoulder and a need to be "taken seriously" which results in a major mess for Robb Stark's cause.
- Butt-Monkey: Edmure is the butt-monkey of the Tully family itself. The poor guy can't even take a bath without somebody threatening to put his baby in a catapult.
- Cool Helmet: In battle he wears a greathelm with a silver trout on the crest.
- Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: Yes, he's often a fool with misplaced priorities, but let's remember that he defeated Tywin Lannister in the field in a pitched battle despite being outnumbered, and forced Tywin to beat a retreat. Strategically it was a failure since Tywin still retained a huge portion of his army but in isolation, it was impressive tactically.
- Distracted by the Sexy: Twice:
- The first time he was sleeping with prostitutes in one of the towns outside of Riverrun, which almost allowed Jaime Lannister to escape Riverrun.
- The second time was at his wedding when he was so busy getting to know his new bride that he completely fails to notice his family, friends, and king being massacred down the hall.
- Face Death with Dignity: One impressive character trait is he can stare death in the face and not lose his nerves. Jaime finds out that he was threatened with hanging every day and refused to help his captors, complete with a noose around his neck. His wife and unborn child, however, are another matter.
- Fiery Redhead: Inherited the family hair. Also got a bargain on the Hot-Blooded and badass tropes.
- Foil: Like Edmure, Jaime Lannister can be impulsive and act independently of command serving as a Spanner in the Works. Most notably attacking Ned Stark in the streets of King's Landing which ruined Tywin's Batman Gambit of forcing Ned to come in the field to strike Gregor Clegane in an ambush intended to capture him. This prevents the Stark-Lannister feud from having the speedy resolution Tywin envisioned. Later Jaime gets lured into a trap by Blackfish who correctly used his Leeroy Jenkins restlessness against him, forcing Jaime to be a captive for most of the War of the Five Kings.
- Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: Foolish to Catelyn's Responsible; she notes in A Storm of Swords that this had gone on since childhood.
- Frontline General: Despite his General Failure status, he does not lack the courage to go into battle himself. The problem is there are some battles that don't need to be fought.
- Get Out!: Edmure was on the receiving end of this; Catelyn remembers that Littlefinger never forgave Edmure for being The Squire to Brandon Stark at their duel, and sent him away when Edmure tried to pay Petyr a visit while he was convalescing.
- General Failure: Edmure Tully lost to Jaime Lannister in the early part of the war, and ended up becoming a hostage to the Lannisters, and later made an error dispatching his bannerman to return to their homes rather than staying at hand for Robb's army, splitting up the huge army that had gathered. This leads Blackfish and Robb to underestimate him and gives him a huge chip on his shoulder, leading to Edmure exceeding his command, and proving his mettle in a tactically impressive but strategically useless battle against Tywin's army. What's worse is that Edmure doesn't comprehend the full impact of his failure, even after Tywin and Tyrion beat Stannis at Blackwater. He has to be explained his failure by Blackfish and Robb in private, after he spent the full evening boasting of his victory.
- Hidden Depths: Despite most everyone around him viewing him as a bit of a goof, and having made more than one tactical and personal error during the course of the story, there are several hints that Edmure's far from a bumbling fool:
- Despite the Battle of the Fords costing his side in the long-run, it must be noted that Edmure won a battle against Tywin Lannister, an opponent the whole of Westeros considers the The Dreaded as far as war-time strategy and tactics.
- The advice Edmure gives Robb following Rickard Karstark's murder of hostages is not at all unsound. The main issue Robb seems to take with it is that it displays moral flexibility rather than rigid adherence to the demands of "honor".
- While Catelyn considers Edmure's sheltering of smallfolk in Riverrun during wartime an example of his "soft head", one could also take it as an important display of PR sensibility (alongside pure compassion). As multiple characters have pointed out, the peasants care little for who is in charge beyond their ability to guarantee stability, security and life. While protecting smallfolk presents a short-term risk, in the long-term it can build a reputation which the brick-and-mortar of the realm are willing to fight and die for as it represents their best interest.
- Hold the Line: Robb Stark's specific orders to Edmure was "hold Riverrun and guard my rear" which meant to defend the fortress itself (much as Robert had ordered Stannis to hold Storm's End). Edmure generously over-intepreted this command to mean "the whole Riverlands". The two unintended consequences was that Tywin did not go West but remained in the Riverlands, continuing to pillage and forage the countryside (the very thing Robb was trying to put a stop to), leaving him time to link up with the Tyrells and pull a Big Damn Heroes at the Battle of Blackwater. The other consequence is that his absence from Riverrun and lack of soldiers gave Catelyn Stark the opportunity to free Jaime Lannister from his holding cells and abscond under Brienne's position. None of this could have happened if Edmure had not exceeded his command.Edmure Tully: "You never told me."
Robb Stark: "I told you to hold Riverrun. What part of that command did you fail to comprehend?"- One could also argue Edmure was perfectly reasonable to interpret the command to also "guard [Robb's] rear" as he did; note that Robb seems to forget (or leave out) the seconx part of his orders while berating his uncle. A good example of Poor Communication Kills
- Leeroy Jenkins: Faced with a problem, he'd much rather fight it head-on and upfront.
- Locked Out of the Loop: He suffers from continually getting only part of the picture, as others make decisions behind his back which directly affect him. Yes, he's impetuous and hot-headed, but he's actually not thick and is a fine, instinctual battlefield tactician who, although not brilliant with overarching strategy, can comprehend it when it's actually explained to him. Pity his uncle, sister and nephew (following their advice) don't see fit to share information, still treating him like an impatient boy rather than a lord. On top of that, it's also clear his father also kept things from him: he certainly didn't know the full story around Lysa's pregnancy, for example. Poor Communication Kills thousands quite literally ensues, as you can't intervene if you don't know to.
- The Millstone: For some reason, his tendency to charge first and barely think even afterwards causes problems. What's worse is that Edmure is aware of his reputation as a millstone and this leads him to want to overcorrect at every error rather than take responsibility and learn from his mistakes. After Robb and Blackfish pointed out his error, Edmure asked for another chance to prove his worth in the field of battle to make amends. Catelyn on hearing this thinks to herself, "For amends, Brother? Or for glory?"
- For all more ruthless characters, like the Blackfish, criticize his "care for the people; look after the land" instincts for messing things up, it's not the Blackfish or others who prioritise strategic manoeuvres that screw the little guy over that the smallfolk actually want back in charge.
- Nice Guy: Other characters note that despite Edmure not being a great strategist, he would make an excellent lord in peacetime since he does truly care for his smallfolk.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: In the books it's a recurring pattern with him that costs his liege, Robb, his house, and him personally at every turn.
- By ignoring Catelyn's advice in trading Jaime for Sansa and Arya, and sending out "wanted" posters to recapture the Lannister knight, he very effectively scuttles the trade and endangers not only House Tully, but Jaime, Brienne, and both Sansa and Arya.
- By rushing out to challenge Tywin's army, instead of heeding his orders to guard Riverrun, he completely upends Robb's strategy to entrap Tywin and utterly wear him down until he surrenders or dies, thus allowing Tywin to return to Lannister lands and rescue both Joffrey and Cersei at the Battle of the Blackwater. If he had obeyed orders instead, Robb would never have had to return to Lord Frey and there would have been no "Red Wedding."
- By having his troops return home, and then bedding his wife right then and there, he left Robb completely exposed to Lord Frey.
- By trying to make up for all that by rushing out to face the Lannister army head on, instead of preparing for a siege back at Riverrun, he gets himself captured, held hostage, and allows the Lannisters take his ancestral lands... just as it starts to snow.
- Nice to the Waiter: When he may have to fight a war out of his castle, he nonetheless allows starving refugees to take shelter there, and when questioned who are they, he says: "My people. They were afraid". Genna Frey describes him as "soft of heart and soft of head."
- Perfectly Arranged Marriage: Despite how the wedding itself turned out, it seems that Edmure and his wife, Roslin Frey do genuinely love each other. Edmure expresses extreme relief when Jaime promises him in AFFC that after she gives birth, Roslin and their child will join him at Casterly Rock. It's said that Roslin prays every day for a daughter so Edmure won't be killed by her family - the birth of a Tully/Frey son and heir means they would have no use for him anymore.
- The Peter Principle: On a tactical level, he's arguably brilliant: he defeated Tywin at the Battle of the Fords, taking advantage of the terrain to deal the Westermen heavy losses and smash them in every engagement despite having only 11,000 men to Tywin's 16,000-18,000. However, he's not exactly fit to conduct a country-scale war effort: his initial handling of the conflict gets his forces scattered, damaged, and separated by the more strategically minded Tywin despite the Riverlands and Westerlands being about equal in wealth and population (though Tywin had the advantage of the initiative), and he ends up indirectly screwing over Robb's plan to draw Tywin into the Westerlands. If this plan had succeeded, the Riverlands would have been free to raise their full strength (without Tywin reaving the area and effectively cutting the northeast Riverlands off from the rest by squatting at Harrenhal) and Tywin would have been trapped between Robb, Edmure, and Roose's hosts, effectively dooming him. Stannis wiping out his only other extant host in a Curb-Stomp Battle at King's Landing (killing the royal family in the process) would have sealed Tywin's fate even further.
- Pyrrhic Victory: Edmure wins a battle that severely hampers his side's war effort.
- Skewed Priorities:
- All the time. He really misjudges how to respond to a crisis and it costs him. For example, with war with the Lannisters looming, Edmure's first priority would have been to rally his army and prevent Jaime's main force from invading the Riverlands. Instead, he is easily goaded into action by Gregor Clegane's looting. He splits his army into little companies, to protect as many villages as possible. This allows the Lannisters' main army to defeat his army piecemeal, while Clegane continues his foraging. By the end of the first book, most of the Riverlands is held by the Lannisters, Riverrun is under siege, and Edmure himself is Jaime's captive. And then, when Robb rescues him, he makes this same mistake again, dividing his army to reclaim every settlement lost. They are retaken for barely a fortnight before being savagely retaken.
- Likewise, after Tywin wins at Blackwater and makes his position unassailable with his Tyrell alliance, Edmure doesn't fully comprehend the full consequences of exceeding his command. When Robb and Blackfish return to Riverrun, he spends the whole evening boasting of his victory to the Lords Bannerman, to Robb and everyone before being dressed down in private by Blackfish and Robb.
- Spanner in the Works: His victory accidentally screws up the long-term strategic plans of Robb that Edmure was ignorant of, perhaps as a result of Poor Communication Kills. His Pyrrhic Victory nevertheless demonstrates considerable leadership ability that would have served Robb well had there been better trust between King and Vassal, or nephew and uncle.
- To elaborate, before beginning his campaign in the Westerlands, Robb ordered Edmure to hold Riverrun. After thoroughly wrecking the northern Westerlands, Robb remains, rather than returning to the Riverlands even though he has far too few men to threaten either Casterly Rock or Lannisport. Edmure assumes Robb is staying in the Westerlands to drain them economically, while Robb in fact trying draw Tywin Lannister back to the west (in order to trap them there to prevent Tywin from reinforcing King's Landing against Stannis). When Lord Tywin takes the bait, Edmure positions his army to intercept him, thinking he is covering Robb's flank (when his order was "hold Riverrun and guard my rear"). Edmure smashes the hell out of Lord Tywin's army, but is unable to destroy it.
- During the three days Tywin was held up in the Riverlands, he receives word of Renly's death, the Lannister alliance with the Tyrells, and Stannis's impending attack on King's Landing, and is able to take the bulk of his forces east to link up with the Tyrells and smash Stannis at the Blackwater. Without the seventy hour delay, Tywin would already have been trapped between Robb's cavalry army and Edmure's Riverlands army by the time he learned of Stannis's attack. Robb and the Blackfish then planned to ride south to blockade the only road between the Westerlands and King's Landing, while Edmure held the border with the Westerlands and retook the Lannister-occupied Riverlands. By a mere stroke of fate, Tywin managed to grab an unlikely victory from the jaws of certain defeat, all thanks to the above miscommunication.
- This Is Unforgivable!: He surrenders Riverrun to Jaime to save Roslin, but makes it clear that while he's relieved Roslin and his child will be alive, he's never forgetting that Jaime's family caused the Red Wedding. Jaime brushes it off, because he got what he wanted.
- To Be Lawful or Good: Struggles manfully with this, tending towards the "Good". Unfortunately, this is really the wrong series to have this debate in at all.
- Upper-Class Twit: Edmure has some shades of this. He's not a bad person, but his priorities are typically misplaced, leading him to do the wrong thing at the wrong time. (The filling-his-castle-with-refugees thing is dumb because winning a siege typically depends on whether you have more food and less mouths than the enemy. Note that the only two Storming the Castle moments we have ever seen have resulted in the leaders of those two attempts—Robb Stark and Loras Tyrell—taking significant injury.)
- Vague Age: Besides being younger than his sisters, his birth year has not been pinned right down, though we have a rough idea:
- Firstly Catelyn was born in 264 AC, while Lysa was born in 266 - giving Edmure 267 as his earliest possible birth year.
- Secondly, Cat is stated to have been ten when their mother died; this would be after her birthday in 274 but before her eleventh in 275. Edmure's latest possible birth year would thus be 273, maybe 274 if early enough into the year.
- Therefore, Edmure was born somewhere within the timeframe of 267-274 AC - so when AGOT begins, he'd be twenty-four at the youngest and thirty-one at the eldest
- "Well Done, Son" Guy: Downplayed. Edmure's family does love him a lot (and he is an only son) but Catelyn mentions that he does desire glory beyond being heir to Riverrun and would love for his father to be really proud of him.Edmure: Tell Father I have gone to make him proud.
Catelyn: He was always proud of you, Edmure. And he loves you fiercely. Believe that.
Edmure: I mean to give him better reason than mere birth. - The Wise Prince: It is noted that, despite not being a political strategist of note, Edmure would make a superb ruler in peacetime. And, this is reflected in how the smallfolk of the Riverlands respond to the Lannister-Frey alliance that is trying to control them: they want their "he actually cares about us" Edmure Tully back about as much as (or more than) they want those "they don't give a bloody toss" Freys thrown out of Riverrun. And, will support the Brotherhood Without Banners to make that happen.
- You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Post-Red Wedding, he is being held prisoner by his new in-laws the Freys. His wife Roslin is praying that their first child is a daughter, because if she bears a half-Tully son who can inherit the Riverlands, they won't need Edmure anymore and execute him on the spot.
Lady Roslin Tully
Lady Roslin Tully (née Frey)
When Robb Stark forewent his betrothal to a Frey daughter, choosing to save Jeyne Westerling's honor instead, the Freys are understandably unhappy but agree to continue the alliance if Edmure weds a Frey girl in Robb's place. Roslin herself, a surprisingly sweet, gentle girl then marries Edmure in Jeyne and Robb's stead.
See the House Frey page.
- Authority in Name Only: Invoked and subverted. She would have been the Lady of Riverrun and the spouse of the Lord Paramount of the Riverlands had the Red Wedding not happened. Still, should the Tullys be awarded Riverrun and the Lordship of the Riverlands once again, these would be her titles.
- Aw, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other: Not quite in the usual way. She wants her child to be a girl so Edmure doesn't "accidentally" wind up dead thanks to her family deciding they don't need him any more. Playing for time doesn't exactly sound like hating the guy's guts, does it?
- Beauty Equals Goodness: Is one of the only Freys who is not evil, and also one of the only ones who is attractive.
- Honey Trap: Though unwillingly.
- My Nayme Is: Roslin, not Rosalyn.
- Nice Girl: A rarity among her family. Despite knowing about the Red Wedding and crying and trembling throughout the ceremony, she did nothing to warn the Starks and the Tullys and consummated her marriage with Edmure while her in-laws were being slaughtered, but this is because her relatives threatened her to keep quiet.
- Obvious Second Choice: As Walder Frey's most beautiful daughter, she would have been the front runner in the betrothal to Robb Stark had he not married Jeyne Westerling.
- Perfectly Arranged Marriage: To Edmure, see his entry.
- Token Good Teammate: One of only a handful decent Freys, along with two of her full-blooded brothers, Perwyn and Olyvar. Was upset at the Red Wedding, but didn't reveal it.
- The Ugly Guy's Hot Daughter:
- You could practically feel Edmure's relief rising off the pages in waves. Seems she was favored with the dominance of Rosby genes, though we have no other girl of Rosby blood to compare.
- Had the betrothal with Robb Stark been accomplished, she was the choicest daughter of Lord Walder to marry him. Had she been present when Catelyn made Robb's concessions to Lord Walder to gain the crossing, they wouldn't have looked elsewhere.
Tully Household
Maester Vyman
Maester Vyman
The Maester of Riverrun.
- Bearer of Bad News: He delivers the letter to Catelyn that claims Bran and Rickon Stark are dead at the hands of Theon Greyjoy. She makes him swear to secrecy the contents of the letter so she has time to grieve before everyone else knows.
- Loyal to the Position: Remains in service at Riverrun after it is taken over by Emmon Frey, although he is less than pleased by the situation.
- The Medic: Takes care of Hoster Tully as he is dying, giving him medicine for his pain and to ease his passing.
- Old Retainer: Like most of the Tully household, he's rather aged, though not as old as Lord Hoster.
- Replacement Goldfish: He's the successor Maester Kym, the one who aborted Lysa's pregnancy by Petyr Baelish.
- Secret-Keeper: Albeit, an unwilling one: when a letter arrives at Riverrun, Vyman opens it and discovers that it is from Cersei Lannister to her twin Jaime, professing her love for him and begging him to come rescue her from the High Septon. Vyman is clearly terrified when giving Jaime the letter, worried that he will kill him for his knowledge of Jaime and Cersei's relationship. Jaime merely tells him to keep the contents of the letter to himself and then has it burnt.
Historical Tullys
Pre-Conquest
Edmure Tully
Ser Edmure Tully
One of the first Tullys in historical record, a First Man warrior that fought along his sons beneath the banner of Tristifer IV Mudd, the Hammer of Justice. However, after Tristifer IV's death he went over to the mightiest of the Andal conquerors, Armistead Vance. Being a First Man, having the "Ser" title indicate he converted to the Faith of the Seven and was knighted by Armistead Vance.
- Les Collaborateurs: Seems ol'Edmure put family way above duty to his Mudd overlords or his honor. For this his son Axel received land on which he built Riverrun.
- Famous Ancestor: And the namesake of future Edmure Tullys.
- Turn Coat: He abandoned his overlords of House Mudd after the mighty King Tristifer IV was defeated.
Lord Elston Tully
Lord Elston Tully
Elston Tully was Lord of Riverrun during the reign of Humfrey I Teague.- Real Men Love Jesus: Or rather the Old Gods.
- Rebel Leader: Against the Teagues when they outlawed Old Gods worship.
Lord Tommen Tully
Lord Tommen Tully
Tommen Tully was Lord of Riverrun and head of House Tully during the reign of the Storm King Arrec Durrandon's rule over the riverlands.- Alliterative Name: Tommen Tully
- Outliving One's Offspring: His bastard was killed before him.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Abandoned Riverrun and joined forces with the Blackwoods, but still lost.
Ser Samwell Rivers
Ser Samwell Rivers
A bastard son of Lord Tommen Tully. He was the first Riverlander to try and halt the invasion of Iron King Harwyn Hoare, but was defeated.
- Curb-Stomp Battle: His army was defeated when Harwyn led a crushing charge through his lines.
- Half the Man He Used to Be: He was cut in half so the Ironborn could deliver one part to each of his parents.
- Heroic Bastard: He was one of a handful of Riverlanders who tried to halt the Ironborn invasion of the Riverlands.
Post-Conquest
Lord Edmyn Tully
Lord Edmyn Tully
The Lord of Riverrun during the reign of Harren the Black. When Aegon the Conqueror arrived in Westeros, Lord Edmyn quickly rallied the rest of the Riverlords to aid Aegon drive the Ironborn from the Riverlands. Afterward he was made Lord Paramount of the Riverlands and Lord Paramount of the Trident.
- Death by Childbirth: The unfortunate fate of his wife, leading to his resignation as Hand of the King.
- Heel–Face Turn: Stopped supporting the tyrannical Harren Hoare the moment he had a chance.
- Les Collaborateurs: To Aegon. A more sympathetic example since the Riverlands were oppressed by a tyrannical king.
- My Nayme Is: Edmyn instead of Edwyn, which is itself a variation of Edwin.
- Number Two: He served as Hand of the King to Aegon I for two years between 7 and 9 AC. He resigned the office in order to return to Riverrun and his family.
- Papa Wolf: Decided raising his children after the death of his wife took priority over ruling the realm as Hand of the King, sacrificing a lot of political influence in the process.
- Rebel Leader: Led the Riverlords against the Ironborn.
- The Reliable One: Aegon trusted him first with the Riverlands wardenship (tough job), and then with being Hand of the King (even tougher). It's easy to see him as such.
- Replacement Goldfish: He was the next Hand after Orys Baratheon's resignation from the job. Whatever he did during his rule, it must have difficult to replace the king's closest friend and (possibly) half-brother.
Lord Prentys Tully
Lord Prentys Tully, Master of Laws
Lord of Riverrun during the reign of Maegor I Targaryen and Jaehaerys I Targaryen. After Maegor's death he was named Master of Laws under Jaehaerys until his replacement by Lord Albin Massey. Married to Lucinda Broome, who proposed her sister Ella as marriage candidate for the young Jaehaerys. Died during the outbreak of the Shivers in 59 AC.
- Heel–Face Turn: Led forces in the Battle beneath the God's Eye, but as soon as Jaehaerys' support began to increase, he quickly switched sides.
- Punch-Clock Villain: He only sided with Maegor because his lands had front row seats (as always) of most of the fighting during the Faith Militant Uprising.
- Together in Death: He and his wife Lucinda died within a day of each other.
Lady Lucinda Tully
Lady Lucinda Tully (formerly Lucinda Broome)
The wife of Lord Prentys Tully and Lady of Riverrun during the reigns of Maegor I Targaryen and Jaehaerys I Targaryen. Formerly of House Broome, she was famed across Westeros for her piety. She served as a lady-in-waiting, as well as governess to the household of Queen Alysanne Targaryen during her minority.- Lady-In-Waiting: She was one of several dispatched to Dragonstone by Dowager Queen Alyssa Velaryon to serve her daughter, Alysanne (though Rogar Baratheon had Lady Lucinda and the other women sent to Dragonstone try to convince Alysanne to break off her marriage to her brother, Jaehaerys).
- Proper Lady: What she is described as being.
- Real Women Love Jesus: Lady Lucinda was famed for her piety. When the Faith Militant rose in revolt, despite Maegor disbanding them, she convinced her husband to give shelter to Ser Joffrey Doggett and his men at Riverrun and tried (unsuccessfully) to convince King Jaehaerys to repeal his uncle's abolishment of the Faith Militant.
- Together in Death: She and her husband died within a day of each other during the Shivers pandemic in 59AC.
- The Woman Behind the Man: She convinced her husband to look the other way to Ser Joffrey Doggett and his Faith Militant guerrillas roaming the Riverlands and Westerlands.
Lord Grover Tully
Lord Grover Tully
Lord of Riverrun during the Dance of the Dragons.
- Heir Club for Men: Staunchly believed that only men should sit the Iron Throne.
- King on His Deathbed: Was bedridden by the time the Dance broke out.
- Undying Loyalty: To Aegon II.
Lord Elmo Tully
Lord Elmo Tully
A dragon in one's courtyard does wonder to resolve one's doubts.
Grandson of Lord Grover Tully, Ser Elmo defied his bedridden grandfather's wishes during the Dance of the Dragons and entered the war in support of Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen instead of Aegon II.
- A House Divided: He and his grandfather disagreed over who should inherit the Iron Throne, and Elmo actually ignored his grandfathers command to support Aegon. At first, he simply kept the Riverlands out of the war, but soon led their army against Aegon's forces. At least one account of those days claims that Elmo's decision to finally declare for Rhaenyra pissed off Lord Grover so much that he suffered a fatal stroke.
- Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!: He considered Queen Rhaenyra the rightful successor to the Iron Throne and defied his grandfather's legitimate commands to support Aegon II to ensure she and her heirs won it.
- Short-Lived Leadership: Unfortunately he only lasted as Lord of Riverrun for 49 days before dying from drinking bad water en route to King's Landing, forcing his son Kermit to take over.
- Theme Naming: You may notice a pattern in this era of the Tully family, in that they're all named after characters from Sesame Street and The Muppets.
- You Are in Command Now: Grover died shortly after the battle at Second Tumbleton, making Elmo lord in name and fact.
Lord Kermit Tully
Lord Kermit Tully
I will not have it said that Riverrun stood in the way of justice.
Son of Lord Elmo, Kermit inherited his command of the Riverlands army, and eventually became overall commander of the forces loyal to Aegon III. Under his reign, House Tully reached the peak of its power and influence in Westeros.
- The Ace: His Riverlands rulership and command of the Blacks forces is considered the absolute peak of House Tully's prominence.
- Didn't Think This Through: He, along with his brother and his ally Benjicot Blackwood, got chewed out for this by a furious Cregan Stark, who accurately pointed out they were idiots for just taking Corlys Velaryon and Larys Strong's word the war was over and remaining in King's Landing celebrating, when plenty of Aegon II's former loyalists remained at Oldtown, Casterly Rock and Storm's End and could still cause trouble if they weren't destroyed.
- Epic Flail: Wielded a morningstar when he fought and killed Borros Baratheon.
- In-Series Nickname: He and the other young Riverlords who fought during the Dance of the Dragons were known collectively as the Lads.
- Know When to Fold 'Em: Kermit and his allies quickly aligned themselves with Cregan Stark's plans to attack any remaining loyalists of Aegon II. Grand Maester Munkun claims they agreed for the prospect of more glory and plunder, while Mushroom claims they were just scared shitless of Cregan.
- Odd Name Out: Sort of. Of the four Tullys of his era, he's the only one technically not named after a character from Sesame Street (Kermit debuted in Sam and Friends, in 1955).
- Underestimating Badassery: Lord Borros Baratheon was dismissive of him and his army, thinking it was led by nothing but green boys and women. That army crushed his and the young green boy slew Borros.
- You Are in Command Now: He unexpectedly became the new Lord Tully and head of the Blacks forces when his father died during the march towards King's Landing.
- Young and in Charge: At the end of the Dance, he was the chief commander of the Black host that attacked King's Landing. He was 19 at best when he killed Borros Baratheon.
Ser Oscar Tully
Ser Oscar Tully
Second son of Elmo Tully and younger brother of Kermit. He fought alongside his brother during the Battle of the Kingsroad, better known as the Muddy Mess. He eventually leaves Westeros to find his own sellsword company called the Stormbreakers.
- All There in the Manual: Only mentioned in Fire & Blood.
- Glory Seeker: He is eager to prove himself, and technically achieved it during the Muddy Mess.
- Knighting: He was only a squire but was knighted because of his valor during the Battle of the Kingsroad.
- Meaningful Name: He's green (inexperienced) and grouchy.
- Sibling Team: With Kermit.
