Catelyn Stark

Lady Catelyn Stark née Catelyn Tully,is the wife of Eddard Stark, Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North. Together they have five children: Robb, Sansa, Arya, Bran, and Rickon. Catelyn was born into House Tully of Riverrun, the liege lords of the riverlands. She is the eldest daughter of Lord Hoster Tullyand Lady Minisa Whent, and has two younger siblings: Lys and Edmure. She is a major POV character in the books and is portrayed by Michelle Fairley in the television adaptation Game of Thrones. Catelyn is beautiful, with fair skin, long auburn hair and blue eyes. She has long fingersand high cheekbones. Catelyn resembles her own mother, Minisa Whent. Her own sons Robb, Bran and Rickon, and daughter Sansa take after Catelyn in their coloring.

 Catelyn is proud, strong, kind, and generous. She is seen as honorable and upright by acquaintances, holding duty over desire as a governing principle of behavior. Catelyn also has a strong grasp of politics and possesses considerable insight into what makes Westeros run. Nevertheless, Catelyn is also a fiercely protective woman and more often than not follows her heart rather than her head, especially when it comes to her family, whom she loves deeply. She strongly follows the words of House Tully, "Family, Duty, Honor. However, she regards the bastard Jon Snow as an outsider to her family, and has never forgiven Eddard Stark for bringing him into the Stark household. She holds to the Faith of the Seven. Catelyn is the eldest daughter of Lord Hoster Tully, the Lord of Riverrun, head of House Tully and Lord Paramount of the Trident, and his wife, Lady Minisa Whent. She was annointed with the seven oils and named in the sept of Riverrun.

Catelyn had two older brothers, who both died in infancy, causing her father to regard her as his heir until the birth of Catelyn's younger brother, Edmure. Catelyn also has a sister, Lysa, who is two years younger than her. Catelyn was raised at Riverrun. She was close with her sister Lysa, and would play with her two younger siblings, as well as with her father's young ward, Petyr Baelish. Just as her younger siblings and Petyr were wont to do, Catelyn would go to her uncle, Ser Brynden Tully, with her tears and tales, whenever Lord Hoster was too busy, and Lady Minisa was too ill.When Catelyn's mother died in childbirth, along with her son, Lord Hoster told his daugther that she had to be the Lady of Riverrun in her mother's stead.

“The singers make much of kings who valiantly die in battle, but your life is worth more than a sword. To me at least, who gave it to you.”

Catelyn does not have many memories of her mother, though she still remembers her warm smile and soft hands.Her relationship with her father was a close one, and according to Catelyn, Lord Hoster cherished her best of all his children. Whenever Hoster would ride off to court or a battle, he would tell Catelyn to watch for him from the battlements of Riverrun, which she did. And when his eyes tired, Hoster would have Catelyn read to him in his solar. Catelyn and Lysa played together as girls, and even had a secret language. Once, they made mud pies and served them to Petyr, who ate them and as a consequence was sick for a week. Catelyn and Lysa also practised kissing with Petyr in the godswood of Riverrun, where Petyr attempted to stick his tongue in their mouths - an attempt which Catelyn halted, but Lysa both allowed and enjoyed. Catelyn often accompanied her father on his travels, and had visited the inn at the crossroads on multiple occasions. Once, Catelyn, Lysa and Petyr accompanied Hoster to Seagard.

During the journey to the seat of House Mallister, they stopped at Oldstones, where Catelyn had played at being Jenny of Oldstones, while Petyr had pretended to be her Prince of Dragonflies. On their way back from Seagard to Riverrun, Catelyn and Lysa got lost in the mist, and were eventually found by Petyr Baelish.