This is a listing of stewards of the Night's Watch in A Song of Ice and Fire.
For the main character index, see here
For the main Night's Watch entry, see here
Stewards of the Night's Watch
- "The order of stewards keeps the Watch alive. We hunt and farm, tend the horses, milk the cows, gather firewood, cook the meals. Who do you think makes your clothing? Who brings up supplies form the south? The stewards."—Chett
The stewards of the Night's Watch are the largest of the three main services in the order. They are responsible for maintaining the day-to-day functions of the castles on the Wall, including cooking, cleaning, smithing, hunting, and other vital tasks. They are commanded by the First Steward.
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First Steward Bowen Marsh
First Steward Bowen Marsh
The Old Pomegranate
- "Take the high ground and win the battle, my uncle used to say. No ground is higher than the Wall, Lord Commander."
A member of House Marsh from the Neck, Bowen is Lord Steward of the Night's Watch and an advisor to Lord Commander Jeor Mormont.
- Anti-Villain: While he does stab Jon Snow, he was extremely reluctant to do so, and unlike in the show the final straw isn't entirely a matter of petty racism, his breaking point comes when Jon essentially breaks his vow of neutrality to help Stannis after receiving Ramsay Bolton's series of threats.
- Battle Butler: As First Steward, Marsh supervises the Night's Watch members who provide food, clothing, animal care, and indoor maintenance to the rest of the group, making him like a butler with an unusually large staff. He leads a contingent of men to defend the Bridge of Skulls from Mance's army.
- Berserker Tears: Cries as he leads the stabbing of Jon at the end of A Dance With Dragons.
- Brutal Honesty: He never holds back on how much he opposes many of the decisions Jon makes, particularly when it comes to letting the wildlings through the Wall, to which Jon counters that the wildlings are people too and therefore, they are part of the realms of men the Watch's oath is sworn to protect. Bowen is unswayed and remains vocal about his disagreement.Bowen: The lord commander must pardon my bluntness, but I have no softer way to say this. What you propose is nothing less than treason. For eight thousand years the men of the Night's Watch have stood upon the Wall and fought these wildlings. Now you mean to let them pass, to shelter them in our castles, to feed them and clothe them and teach them how to fight. Lord Snow, must I remind you? You swore an oath.
- Colonel Badass: He is left in command of the Wall when the Great Ranging departs and defends the Bridge of Skulls from a huge wildling assault, which he manages to repulse with heavy casualties.
- Commander Contrarian: Every move that Jon makes after becoming Lord Commander is opposed by Bowen, as Bowen refuses to acknowledge that the wildlings will be needed to fight the Others and would prefer to let them all die, even though that would create an army of undead for the Others. This and other disagreements lead to Bowen and a group of conspirators trying to assassinate Jon.
- Ear Ache: Loses part of one of his ears to the head wound he took at the Bridge of Skulls.
- Even Evil Has Standards: It's subtle, but he never eats any of the food Jon Snow offers him; he still believes in Sacred Hospitality and refuses to break guest right, even when killing his commanding officer.
- Fatal Flaw: Being unable to look past the conflict with the wildlings, is unable to recognize the wildlings are people too, and doesn't acknowledge that the Others are the true enemy.
- Formerly Fat: Loses a lot of weight after recovering from his head wound.
- Good Old Ways: He worships the Old Gods, and when escorting Jon and Samwell to swear their vows before a weirwood grove, he has them stop and get off their horses before entering it, saying it is a sacred place and they won't defile it by bringing in horses.
- Good with Numbers: Several people point out how great Bowen is at counting up things quickly, which is quite the asset when one is Lord Steward, but not so helpful when fighting a battle or trying to asses tricky political and moral situations.Mance Rayder: Bowen knows a deal more about counting swords than he's ever known about using them.Edd Tollett: He's the man you want in front when the foes are in the field. He'll count them right up for you. A regular demon for counting, that one.
- Graceful Loser: By proxy. Despite supporting a candidate opposing Jon through the Lord Commander Election, he compliments Jon on his victory.
- Hypocrite: Not that he does realize. He opposes Jon Snow's reforms and doubts his neutrality in state matters as he sees him too close to Stannis. On the other side, he was on board with electing Janos Slynt to appease the Lannisters.
- In-Series Nickname: Mockingly called "Old Pomegranate" by many members of the Night's Watch, due to his red face and weight. Jon notes he doesn't look much like a pomegranate anymore after Bowen loses so much weight following his injuries at the Bridge of Skulls.
- Jerkass Has a Point: Bowen's criticisms of Jon's decisions as Lord Commander can make him seem stubborn, unpleasant, and prejudiced (though he is against the wildlings), but he's not always wrong. He just doesn't offer viable alternatives to the plans that he criticizes. He opposes Jon's focus on saving lives, partly due to the long term problem of keeping everyone fed as he doesn't believe Jon is considering this enough. It won't matter how many refugees they've saved or how many become wights if everyone at the Wall starves to death.
- Regarding his objection to the Hardhome relief campaign, yes suggesting that thousands of wildlings and potentially Cottor Pyke and his men be abandoned to their fates is nasty. But the truth is, given how badly the Watch's fighting strength was mauled by the failed Great Ranging, and Mance's onslaught; the Watch really cannot afford to throw more men into an expedition to a far-off place like Hardhome. Given that Pyke reports wights around Hardhome makes this almost certainly a suicide mission. Plus there's the whole food and logistics issue mentioned above.
- Number Two: As First Steward, he is the main advisor to the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch and takes command of Castle Black and the Wall when Jeor Mormont leads the Great Ranging.
- Obstructive Bureaucrat: To Jon, after he becomes Lord Commander. Jon and Bowen often find themselves on opposite sides in their discussions: Jon's focus is on saving lives and manning the Wall against the Others, while Bowen (in charge of inventory) is very concerned with conserving resources, fears there isn't enough to keep everyone fed in the long-term, and is pretty much against saving wildling lives Jon wants to rescue.
- Pet the Dog: When Jon and the other boys complete training, Bowen and the cook Hobb give them a very nice meal made special for the occasion. Bowen also shows respect for the Weirwood trees, refusing to let horses tread all over them.
- Politically Incorrect Villain: He's more of an Anti-Villain but other than logistical issues his opposition to Jon stems in large part from his prejudice toward Wildlings, seeing them as nothing but enemies and believing that Jon Snow basically committed treason by allowing them through the Wall, and can't see that the Others are the true enemy and that the Watch needs all help possible to fight them. He's also angered that Jon made Satin his personal steward because he used to be a prostitute.
- Scars Are Forever: Takes a blow to the head while defending the Bridge of Skulls, which leaves a scar after healing. He has a habit of touching it whenever someone mentions wildlings.
- Shoot the Dog: When informed of thousands of wildling men, women, and children stranded and starving at Hardhome, Bowen is in favor of leaving them all to die, even after Jon explains that doing so is wrong because the wildlings are people in dire need of help and also, by not rescuing them, this would result in them rising again as wights and becoming part of a growing army of undead serving the Others. Bowen's reasoning is that even if he trusted the wildlings, he would have no way of feeding all of them due to the Night's Watch already low stock of food. It sounds cruel of him, but, well, see (Jerkass Has a Point) above.
- Took a Level in Jerkass: Several in A Dance with Dragons, as his hatred of wildlings blinds him to the true threat of the Others and puts him into increasing conflict with Jon. Before this point, he is a reasonable and friendly guy.
Samwell Tarly*
Samwell Tarly
Sam, Ser Piggy, Lady Piggy, Sam the Slayer, Black Sam
- "The worst isn't done. The worst is just beginning, and there are no happy endings."
A Sworn Brother of the Night's Watch introduced in the first novel, Sam later becomes a point-of-view character in the third book. A self-confessed Dirty Coward, Sam is fat, weak and soft, preferring the songs of harps to combat-training but he is extremely book smart and loyal. He is essentially disowned by his father, Lord Randyll Tarly of Horn Hill, and shipped off to the Wall. Fortunately, he has found close friends in the Nigh's Watch and his book smarts prove to be an asset to the Watch, garnering Sam a solid place in the order. Despite Sam's beliefs about himself, he has shown bravery and tries to do the right thing. He is currently at Oldtown training to become a maester for the Night's Watch.
For the main House Tarly entry, see here.
- Abusive Parents: His father beat him, chained him up, and threw him in water to make him learn to swim or drown, all in an effort to make him manly and "worthy" of being the Tarly heir. When none of that worked, Randyll threatened to kill him if he didn't join the Night's Watch so his younger brother Dickon could be heir. However, his mother loved him.
- Badass Bookworm: Only later on. In addition to his impressive feats in combat and politicking, he is also badass as a bookworm; when researching history he concluded that the series backstory makes no sense and is almost certainly wildly inaccurate.
- Band of Brothers: With Jon, Pyp, Grenn, Toad, Halder, and Matthar. Edd later gets added to the group.
- Bully Magnet: Poor Sam is an easy target for bullying due to being fat, nonathletic and a sensitive soul who cries easily. When he was ten years old and he and his father were guests at the Arbor, Horas and Hobber Redwyne would thrash him in the practice yard every morning until he begged for mercy. Later in his life, he's bullied by the other Night's Watch recruits until Jon puts a stop to it.
- Butt-Monkey: He is constantly mocked and bullied by other members of the Night's Watch, although this situation improves somewhat after most of the nastiest members are killed on the Great Ranging and Sam gains some courage.
- Celibate Hero: Like Jon, he tries to be this. Also, like Jon, he fails.
- Cowardly Lion: He still thinks of himself as a coward even after killing an Other and manipulating the politics of the Night's Watch to get Jon Snow elected Lord Commander.
- Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?: He kills an Other with a dragonglass dagger during the retreat from the Fist of the First Men. Very few of the other Night's Watchmen believe him or Grenn about it.
- Dirty Coward: Per his own words, though he comes across as a Lovable Coward.
- Fat Best Friend: To Jon Snow.
- Father, I Don't Want to Fight: Father doesn't care; man up, leave or die.
- Friend to All Living Things: Sam has a way with animals, including the maester's ravens and Ghost the direwolf.
- Geek Physiques: Sam is described as being quite fat and nonathletic.
- Guile Hero: Sam isn't much for strength at arms, but he is quite adept at politicking. He engineers Jon's Dark Horse Victory as Lord Commander of the Watch by convincing two of the other top contenders, Denys Mallister and Cotter Pyke, to drop out and endorse him. They dislike each other, but they REALLY can't stand Janos Slynt, so Sam persuades them to throw their support behind Jon to stop Slynt from winning.
- Inadequate Inheritor: His father believed this, so he gave him an ultimatum: join the watch or I'll kill you. Its implied he didn't send Sam to the Citadel because he considers a Tarly wearing a chain an abomination.
- In-Series Nickname: "Sam the Slayer" by his black brothers after killing a White Walker, and "Black Sam" by the Summer Islanders on the Cinnamon Wind, who find his Night's Watch blacks unusual compared to their colorful feathered cloaks.
- Ironic Name: He was most likely named after his ancestor "Savage Sam" Tarly, famous for slaying numerous outlaws in the Second Dornish War. Our Sam, though, is a nonathletic boy who very much prefers reading to fighting.
- Licked by the Dog: Immediately trusted by Bran as soon as his direwolf gives him a friendly lick.
- Locked Away in a Monastery: The reason he was sent was so that his younger brother Dickon could inherit his family's lands. Ironically, he was earlier prevented from joining the maesters to keep him as a successor.
- Mama's Boy: The fact that his lady wife loved her elder son was the only thing that gave Lord Randyll pause when plotting to remove him from Horn Hill's line of succession.
- Named After Somebody Famous: Probably after his ancestor "Savage" Sam Tarly.
- Nerds Are Virgins: Played straight, until A Feast For Crows.
- Never Gets Fat: Inverted; despite living on the meager Nights Watch rations for at least a couple years, and participating in the Watch's blizzard death march on a starvation-level food intake, Sam somehow remains as fat as he was in the start of the series until he travels by sea for a few weeks in the fourth book.
- Nice Guy: Underneath all his cowardice, he's one of the more compassionate characters in the series. Amazingly enough, this hasn't yet proven detrimental to his lifespan.
- Non-Action Guy: He does not want to fight and is not very good at it either. While his only kill, an Other, is obviously very impressive, he just stabbed it in the back with a weapon that just happened to be lethal to it.
- The Oath-Breaker: He sleeps with Gilly after Maester Aemon's death during the voyage to Oldtown. The day after Sam is so guilty he thinks he should have thrown himself overboard out of shame and spends all day avoiding Gilly until the crew of the Cinnamon Wind corner him and convince him that he did nothing wrong and he and Gilly simply sought comfort in each other after their friend's death, as Sam has no intention of further breaking his vow and marrying her or having kids.
- Protectorate: Jon, Pyp, Grenn, and Sam's other friends all regard Sam as their friend they'll defend to the end.
- Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: Sam is this to his father's Manly Man. And to his brother's. And even while he and his best friend Jon Snow share compassionate character traits, he is this to Jon's too — and, well, Sam is this to... most guys he meets, really.
- The Smart Guy: Thanks to his extensive reading, Sam is quite knowledgeable on a number of subjects, a fact which earns him praise from Lord Commander Jeor Mormont. This is also why Jon sends Sam to become a maester, knowing that with Sam's love of reading and incredible book intellect, he is easily the most qualified person in the Night's Watch to become one in a short amount of time.
- The So-Called Coward: A deconstruction. People call him a coward and he believes them, but he is the first current Night's Watchman to have ever killed an Other. Jon and Gilly are among the few who recognize Sam's bravery.
- Sam is willing to put himself in harm's way at times to help, such as when he threw himself between his best friend Jon Snow and master-at-arms Alliser Thorne while the former tried to attack the latter when the latter insulted his recently murdered father. While Sam does not recognize the bravery of his own actions, it demonstrates that he has more power over his own fear than he realizes.
- In A Clash of Kings, Jon notes that Sam (the self-professed coward) is becoming braver while everyone else is becoming more afraid as they travel.
- Took a Level in Badass: A few throughout the series.
- In A Storm of Swords, he becomes the first person in thousands of years to slay an Other, albeit more by luck and having the right weapon at the right time.
- Also in A Storm of Swords, he takes a political level in badass when he manages to manipulate the Night's Watch into electing Jon to be the new Lord Commander.
- By the end of A Feast for Crows, Sam has lost a significant amount of weight during his voyage south to Oldtown and was taught how to shoot a bow by the Summer Islanders, the best archers in the known world.
- The Unfavorite: Of his father, who vastly prefers Sam's brother Dickon over Sam, to the point where he threatened to murder Sam if he did not take the Black.
- Undying Loyalty: To Jon, who was his first real friend and helped him make other friends.
- "Well Done, Son" Guy: Despite his father's incredible abuse, when he believes himself near death, Sam laments that he couldn't please his father.
Donal Noye
Donal Noye
- "His treasures were his tools, and the swords and knives he made. His life was at the forge."—Jon Snow's thoughts on Noye
The blacksmith of the Night's Watch. Noye had served the Baratheons before and during Robert's Rebellion (forging Robert Baratheon's first warhammer and Stannis' first longsword when they were boys), losing his left arm during the Siege of Storm's End. He took the black after recovering and became the smith of Castle Black.
- Almighty Janitor: He is the blacksmith of Castle Black but his advice is highly respected by the upper ranks and, when all the high ranking officers are gone from the Castle, it is Donal who takes command and helps fight off a wildling assault. Even Stannis Baratheon thinks highly of him, and thinks that had Noye not died, he would have made a great Lord Commander. Noye proves to be a pragmatic and highly effective commander, and manages to completely out gambit Sigorn, the Magnar of Thane (a veteran war leader), wiping out the whole of Sigorn's company during the attack on Castle Black.
- An Arm and a Leg: Lost his left arm after a glancing a blow from an axe at the Siege of Storm's End. This resulted in his arm becoming infected and needing to be amputated.
- The Blacksmith: Even one-armed, he still manages to work the forge.
- Dying Moment of Awesome: Makes a Last Stand alongside a few other black brothers, defending the gate to Castle Black from heavy Wildling assault, which includes giants. They all die, but not only do they kill many times their number, but Donal kills the leader of the giants in a Taking You with Me moment.
- Handicapped Badass: How much of a badass? His Last Stand is against Mag the Mighty, leader of the giants, and though Noye dies, he takes the giant with him.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: He's the blacksmith of the Watch but, nonetheless, his opinion is highly valued. When most of the other senior members of the Night's Watch are not at Castle Black, Donal takes command and instantly accepts Jon telling him that he hadn't really defected to the wildlings and puts him in charge of defending the top of the Wall.
- Taking You with Me: Dies defending Castle Black in A Storm of Swords, and his last act is to kill Mag the Mighty, the King of the freaking Giants. Jon finds them together in the tunnel beneath the Wall, Donal in Mag's grip and Mag with Donal's sword in his throat, unable to determine who died first.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Shortly after Jon Snow arrives at the Wall, Donal stops a fight between him and four other new recruits who — while they are older and bigger than Jon — have all been beaten badly by Jon in the training yard as Jon has superior combat skills. After sending the other four away, Donal gets Jon to recognize his highborn upbringing when he explains that the others see him as a bully as he is a castle-bred "lordling" who has trained under a badass knight at Winterfell his whole life while the others had never been trained to use a sword before. Donal successfully shames Jon by forcing him to realize these circumstances, suggesting that Jon rethink his "victories" in the training fights or he will have to sleep with a dagger at all times. Jon takes Donal's advice to heart and starts training the other recruits himself. Thanks to Donal, Jon and these other recruits become True Companions and a Band of Brothers.
- Sergeant Rock: Though not an officer, he takes it upon himself to lead when the wildlings attack the Wall. Most people immediately fall into line and anyone who doesn't get yelled at until they do. It doesn't take them long.
- Wisdom from the Gutter: He is just a simple blacksmith, but he is one of the most insightful and trusted members of the Night's Watch. He even provides a spot-on assessment of the Baratheon brothers to Jon when discussing the civil war:Noye: Robert
was the true steel. Stannis is pure iron, black and hard and strong, yes, but brittle, the way iron gets. He'll break before he bends. And Renly, that one, he's copper, bright and shiny, pretty to look at but not worth all that much at the end of the day. - Worthy Opponent: Considered to be one by Tormund Giantsbane and other wildlings after hearing about Donal's Last Stand in which he and Mag the Mighty killed each other. Tormund even wants a song to be written about it to honor Donal.
Eddison Tollett
Eddison Tollett
Dolorous Edd
- "Have you noticed that the rain stopped the instant I had a roof above me? It will start again now that I’m back out. Gods and dogs alike delight to piss on me."
An older steward who befriends Jon Snow and his group on the Great Ranging, he always has a sour and/or amusing comment ready for any situation. Edd is well-liked by Jon, Sam, and most of the Night's Watch.
Read his self-demonstrating page here.
- Black Comedy: His stock-in-trade, alongside some of his lighter jokes and jests. Edd is at his best when he mines the darkest depths, though, and even his lightest jokes have a touch of this hidden in them.Cotter Pyke: We will defend the wall to the last man!
Edd: [resigned] Probably me. - Commuting on a Bus: In the middle of A Dance With Dragons, Edd is sent by Jon to be the head steward of Long Barrow. He returns to Castle Black occasionally for supplies or to bring more spearwives back to the fort.
- Cosmic Plaything: He often jokes that he is this, but nothing actually bad has happened to him so far in the series, aside from the sucky conditions that come from being a member of the Night's Watch.
- Deadpan Snarker: He'll have a crack at anybody and any subject. The more jumped-up the person, the more likely he'll needle them either in front of them or behind their back.
- Does Not Like Spam: He apparently hates prunes and will even skip a meal (no easy thing to do in the rough Night Watch's conditions) if the meal contains them.Edd: The apples stewed with prunes are excellent, except for the prunes. I won't eat prunes myself. Well, there was one time when Hobb chopped them up with chestnuts and carrots and hid them in a hen. Never trust a cook, my lord. They'll prune you when you least expect it.
- Dork Horse Candidate: He runs for the position of Lord Commander, though one gets the feeling he is only doing so to add some much-needed snark to the proceedings. However, that snark ends up winning him several votes, although he ends up dropping out and nominating Jon Snow for the position.Edd: I just want to say to whoever is voting for me that I would certainly make an awful Lord Commander. But so would all these others.
- The Eeyore: He is always making humorously pessimistic comments. It's unclear how much is his genuine feelings and how much is snark.
- Hidden Depths: Although never brought up, he is a member of the nobility: there's a House Tollett
in the Vale of Arryn, sworn to House Royce. If his comments on his upbringing are true, he was likely part of a distant lesser branch of the house that didn't have much power or money. Many of his snarky comments actually bring up pretty good points and observations.Edd: Not to say that the wildlings mean us harm. Aye, we hacked their gods apart and made them burn the pieces, but we gave them onion soup. What's a god compared to a nice bowl of onion soup? - Gallows Humor: His specialty. Edd doesn't just whistle while walking past the graveyard. He brings an accordion and asks the occupants if they have any special requests.Edd (to Jon Snow): The dead are likely dull fellows, full of tedious complaints — the ground's too cold, my gravestone should be larger, why does he get more worms than I do...
- Mirth to Power: He is always snarking under the guise of being The Eeyore and, like a jester, he's able to get away with making those comments to a higher up (in this case the Lord Commander) in a way that others aren't.
- Number Two: To Iron Emmett, commander of Long Barrow.
- Sad Clown: One interpretation of his character is that he embraces a kind of semi-official Fool role as a coping device. If he is a Sad Clown, though, he's one in his own Kafka Komedy mixed with Cosmic Horror tale which occasionally bleeds into the main plot (see both the Great Ranging and the election), and he has made certain accommodations for that by actually finding the absurd to laugh at (bitterly and/or genuinely) in all the horrible.
- Sarcastic Devotee: Even if he likes you, you are not safe from that tongue. Isn't that right, Jon?
- The Squire: Serves as Jon's after his election as Lord Commander until he is sent be the commander at Long Barrow.
- Undying Loyalty: To Jon and his friends.
Satin
Satin
A whore from Oldtown who was born and raised in a brothel.
- All of the Other Reindeer: He gets this from the Night's Watch and the King's and Queen's Men of Stannis' guard because he was a whore. Despite half the watch being thieves, murderers and rapists.
- Ambiguously Gay: Due to his past as a male prostitute, many of the black brothers assume Satin is gay, leading to a lot of speculation whether or not this is true. However, there's no evidence as to whether the rumors are true or not, and it is not mentioned if he served male or female clients in Oldtown. And whichever it was could just as easily have been to earn a living as opposed to actual interest—hey, a golden dragon is a golden dragon, no matter where it came from.
- Ascended Extra: He was briefly mentioned as a new recruit brought to Castle Black in A Clash of Kings, not even being named by the text. Come A Dance of Dragons, he is Jon's personal steward after Jon is elected Lord Commander.
- Bring My Brown Pants: When the wildlings first attack Castle Black, Satin pisses himself shortly before the battle begins.
- Dancing Is Serious Business: He is aware of this trope, which is why at the wedding between Alys Karstark and Sigorn, Satin makes sure to dance only with serving girls and not any highborn ladies. He knows that many of Queen Selyse Baratheon's knights would take that as a grave insult given his past and might kill him for it.
- Fingore: He tears off half a fingernail during archery practice while using a longbow.
- Noodle Incident: How he ended up in the dungeons of Oldtown before being recruited to become a crow is currently a mystery.
- Pretty Boy: Noted to be very pretty several times, with his hair worn in curly ringlets. He even combs perfume into his beard.
- The Social Expert: Despite being initially scorned for being a former whore, Satin manages to win over and make friends with his fellow recruits.
- Son of a Whore: Some of the other Night's Watch members look down on him for being born and raised in a brothel.
- The Squire: Technically, he is Jon's, though Jon is Lord Commander and has never been knighted. It is tradition for the Lord Commander's personal steward to also be his squire and the duties are exactly the same.
- Took a Level in Badass: Being a former whore, Satin had no combat experience before joining the Night's Watch, but proves to be efficient with a crossbow and pots of boiling oil during the attack on Castle Black.
- Undying Loyalty: To Jon. He even swears his oath to the Night's Watch before a heart tree because Jon follows the Old Gods, even though he is from the Reach and presumably grew up believing in the Seven.
Clydas
Clydas
An assistant to Maester Aemon, he serves as a secondary healer and raven keeper for the Night's Watch. Clydas is in his sixties and is bald, short, and ugly.
- The Medic: He isn't a maester, but learned a lot about healing from serving under Aemon for years.
- Nice Guy: He is very helpful and friendly.
- Number Two: To Aemon.
Owen the Oaf
Owen
Owen the Oaf
A simple-minded and amiable steward.
- Childhood Brain Damage: He's happy to tell anybody who asks how his mom dropped him on his head as a boy and half his wits leaked out his ear.
- The Ditz: Not the brightest member of the Night's Watch, but he is a good guy.
- Dumb Muscle: He's big and strong, but not very bright. He puts his strength to good use defending the Wall, being able to quickly knock large barrels off it to crush wildlings, giants, and mammoths below.
- Hidden Depths: Despite being slow, he is a good worker and is quite adept at woodworking and fixing catapults. He also turns out to be a very good fiddle player and plays at Alys Karstark and Sigorn's wedding feast.
- Undying Loyalty: To Jon Snow, as one of his supporters.
Chett*
Chett
Hailing from the village of Hag's Mire near The Twins, Chett was sent to the Wall for killing Bessa, a girl who spurned his advances. He served as one of Maester Aemon's personal assistants until he was replaced by Samwell Tarly. He was made the keeper of the Night Watch's dogs and participates in the Great Ranging.
- Asshole Victim: One of the greatest examples in the series, having gotten off on murdering a girl who rejected him and now hoping to follow in the footsteps of slaver and daughter-raping Craster.
- And Then John Was a Zombie: He gets turned into a wight after being killed.
- Bring My Brown Pants: The third horn blast signaling Others approaching makes him wet himself.
- Character Death: He is killed by the Others at the Battle of the Fist of the First Men.
- A Day in the Limelight: After being a minor character for the first two books, Chett becomes the point-of-view character for the introductory chapter of A Storm of Swords.
- Entitled to Have You: He felt this way towards Bessa, a girl from his village, because she had the reputation of being easy and he's a man.
- Evil Is Petty: Yup, pick on the fat boy. It makes you look so tough.
- Flowers of Romance: He tried giving wildflowers to a girl from his village, but she rejected him. So he gave her a stab in the chest instead.
- Freudian Excuse: His dad beat him on at least one occasion, almost certainly more. His face is also covered in hideous boils, which led to Town Bicycle - at least in Chett's eyes - Bessa rejecting him.
- Hidden Depths: His inner monologue hints that he may feel some regret for killing Bessa, deep down.It wasn't the knife I wanted to put in you, he wanted to tell her. I picked you flowers, wild roses and tansy and goldencups, it took me all morning.
- If I Can't Have You…: He got packed off to the Wall for stabbing a girl to death when she refused to sleep with him and laughed at him.
- Jerkass: Even before Samwell replaces him as Maester Aemon's assistant, Chett despises him and think that he should be made to train under Ser Alliser Thorne until he learns to fight or dies. Also, there was that whole murdering an innocent girl incident that got him sent to the Watch in the first place.
- Kick the Dog: Does so literally. Twice.
- Lower-Class Lout: A leechman's son who's also illiterate, misogynistic, racist, and abusive towards animals. The whole package.
- Never Learned to Read: And, as a result, Chett ultimately wasted the time he spent as Master Aemon's assistant by learning little of what Aemon could teach him because Chett did not know enough to value it.
- Number Two: Was one to Aemon... before Sam replaced him.
- Oh, Crap!: His reaction when he realises the Others are about to attack the Fist of the First Men.
- Politically Incorrect Villain: Oh boy, Chett's goal after deserting is to set himself up as the new Craster, including taking his daughter-wives by force. The misogyny of inner monologue sheds any notion that he was a Dogged Nice Guy whatsoever.
- Pragmatic Villainy: Defends Small Paul's involvement in the conspiracy from Lark, because even though he's a simpleton, the strongest man in the Watch is more useful than the Sisterman.
- The Resenter: Hates Samwell for replacing him as Maester Aemon's assistant, which led to Chett being made to tend to the Watch's dogs.
- Rise of Zitboy: His face is covered in hideous boils, which doesn't improve his attitude any.
- The Starscream: He's part of a conspiracy to kill Lord Commander Mormont and several black brothers to end the Great Ranging and take the chance to desert and flee south of the Wall.
"Clubfoot" Karl
Karl
Clubfoot Karl
A steward who takes part in the Great Ranging and the conspiracy to kill Lord Commander Mormont and several black brothers to desert and flee south of the Wall. He later becomes one of the ringleaders of the mutiny at Craster's Keep.
- Evil Cripple: He has a clubfoot, as his nickname states, and is quite evil.
- Karmic Death: He is killed by Coldhands alongside the rest of the Betrayers.
- Named After the Injury: Or after the inborn deformity, in this case. Either way, the other Watchmen call him Clubfoot Carl after his CTEV.
- The Starscream: He's one of Chett's conspirators and later one of the mutineers that kill Lord Commander Mormont and Craster.
Small Paul
Paul
"Small" Paul
A dim-witted steward and a member of Chett's conspiracy.
- And Then John Was a Zombie: After being killed he's made a wight. He attacks Samwell Tarly and Gilly when they make their way back to the Wall.
- Be Careful What You Wish For: He spends his time in the conspiracy wanting to keep Lord Mormont's pet raven for his own and worrying about what to feed it. When he shows up as a wight, it's riding his shoulder and eating his face.
- The Brute: He once broke a wildling's back with a hug.
- Character Death: He is killed by an Other during the march of the survivors of the Battle of the Fist of the First Men to Craster's Keep.
- Dumb Muscle: He is simple and easily manipulated, but very strong.
- Expy: He shares many similarities with Lennie Small of Of Mice and Men, both being large-sized but mentally disabled men unaware of their own physical strenght and with an affinity for animals.
- Friend to All Living Things: As he was charged with killing Jeor Mormont, he was worried about his pet raven and wanted to keep him. Heck, even upon being wighted, he doesn't go for the bird: most would kill any warm-blooded creature in the vicinity, but not him. He's also outraged that the Other that attacks him, Grenn and Sam killed a horse so it could use it for a mount.
- Ironic Nickname: He's one of the largest men at Castle Black.
- Kill It with Fire: Sam manages to set the wight of Small Paul on fire and destroy it.
- Mauve Shirt: We barely knew you, you big lunk. Pity we couldn't know you without those jerks you hung with.
- Punch-Clock Villain: He's only "evil" because he's easily manipulated by Chett and other evil Night's Watch members. During the retreat from the Fist of the First Men, he carries Sam to try and save his life.
- Taking You with Me: When he's killed by the Other, his weight drags the monster's sword out of its grasp, leaving Sam an opening to stab it with a dragonglass dagger.
- Token Good Teammate: To Chett's conspiracy. He comes across as more manipulated then evil, the rest of the conspiracy being rapists, murderers, and complete jerk-asses. Paul also wants to keep Jeor's raven, even having food for it. He even carries Sam during the march, probably saving his life and tries to fight the Other that attacks them.
Donnel Hill
Donnel Hill
Sweet Donnel Hill
The squire of Ser Malladore Locke, who claims to be a bastard of House Lannister.
- Class Clown: Known for being quick to japes.
- Even Evil Has Standards: While he may have been planning to desert at the Fist of the First Men, he was against the mutiny at Craster's Keep and stayed loyal to the Night's Watch.
- Heel–Face Turn: Even though he was part of Chett's conspiracy he remains loyal to the Watch during Dirk and Ollo Lophand's mutiny and makes his way back to the Wall.
- In-Series Nickname: Sweet Donnel Hill.
- Mercy Kill: He's one of the four to put "Mance" (really Rattleshirt) out of his misery.
- The Squire: To Ser Malladore.
"Three-Finger" Hobb
Hobb
Three-Finger Hobb
The head cook of Castle Black.
- Camp Cook: He's the main cook of Castle Black.
- Dork Horse Candidate: He runs for the position of Lord Commander, although why he did so is anyone's guess. Sam is very perplexed that Hobb keeps getting some votes.Samwell Tarly: Who are these five who keep voting for Three-Finger Hobb?
Clydas: Brothers who want him out of the kitchens? - Lethal Chef: Is often joked about, but he is a fairly competent cook, although, apparently, his sausages aren't very good.
- Mystery Meat: His sausages are made of "grease and salt and things that did not bear thinking about."
- Named After the Injury: He lost one of his fingers at some point, hence his nickname.
- Nice Guy: He is among the most pleasant members of the Night's Watch. After word of Robert's death and Lord Eddard Stark's imprisonment reaches Castle Black, Hobb gives Eddard's kid Jon Snow a larger serving of dinner in sympathy for Jon's plight.
- Non-Action Guy: He is a cook, not a fighter, so during the battles at the Wall, he stays at his post in the kitchen, constantly making the best food he can to send to the defenders on the Wall.
- Team Chef: He is the head cook of Castle Black's kitchen and does his best to keep up the morale of the Night's Watch with his food.
Dannel
Dannel
A steward who finds Alys Karstark as she comes to the Wall.- Nice Guy: It's mentioned that he offered Alys a sausage he was carrying.
Kegs
Kegs
A steward who helps with the preparations for the Free Folk Siege.- Acrofatic: Very much downplayed but he is a stout guy who can move quick enough to retreat from the Free Folk.
- Distressed Dude: A Thenn almost kills him before being shot by Satin.
- Old Soldier: He isn't normally a fighter but does help at the wall and is described as old and slow, as well as considering strategy, as when he suggests leaving the stairs blockaded.
Old Henly
Henly
Old Henly
A steward.- Old Soldier: Old Henly is pushing eighty is at the front lines making barricades against Mance's army and then fighting them.
- One-Steve Limit: His nickname comes from another Watch member being Young Henly.
- We Hardly Knew Ye: He falls to Mance's army with little characterization or page-time.
Easy
Easy
A delusional Steward who takes part in the Battle of Castle Black.- Cloudcuckoolander: He believes that he is the reincarnation of Florian the Fool.
- Dissonant Laughter: He laughs merrily while swinging and slashing at the attacking Free Folk.
- Sacrificial Lamb: He goes down quickly and with little fanfare during the Battle of Castle Black.
Jeren
Jeren
One of Jon's fellow recruits, who is sent to the Stewards.- Heroic Bastard: He's a seemingly decent Watch member and the illegitimate son of a Septon.
- Non-Action Guy: He's made a Steward instead of a Ranger and Thorne calls him as weak as a girl in training, with him not being mentioned as especially improving under Jon's tutelage.
Wick Whittlestick
Wick Whittlestick
A Steward at Castle Black.- Beware the Nice Ones: Seems fairly unassuming and helpful for most of the book but is The first to stab Jon when Marsh and his men mutiny.
- Key Confusion: Zigzagged. He wears a large ring of keys around his neck and while others have trouble distinguishing them Wick is always able to bring out the right one with no trouble.
- Number Two: He's apparently Bowen Marsh's aide.
Left Hand Lew
Left Hand Lew
A Steward who returns from the Great Ranging. Described as a man in his prime.- Ambiguously Evil: He's noted as being a crony of Bowen Marsh in the fifth book but isn't explicitly identified as One of Jon's attackers.
- Bodyguarding a Badass: He's one of Jon's guards during the parley with Tormund.
- Off Screen Moment Of Awesome: It's unrevealed how he made it back to the Wall but its implied he was one of the first to do so, or at least he's one of the first names that comes to Aemon's mind as he describes this.
Hake
Hake
A cook who takes part in the Great Ranging.- Sacrificial Lamb: He is one of the Ranging's casualties.
Red Alyn of the Rosewood
Red Alyn of the Rosewood
A steward and stone carver at Castle Black.- Disney Villain Death: He falls off the wall and dies after an arrow hits him in the leg.
