Favorite/Least favorite major house of Westeros and why

[oakenhelm]

Interesting to see how many Greyjoy haters there are, and in my opinion rightfully so. Its kinda puzzling then why GRRM gives them so much love, including about 25% of AFFC. That trend seems like it's only going to continue what with Damphair returning as a POV in winds of winter, and Victarion sailing to meet his "bride" And when I put bride in air quotes I'm talking like Lucille Bluth air quotes from arrested development. I think the fanbase would be severely let down if any of the ironborn were to ride a dragon or take part in the battle for westeros against the others considering how awful they've been to the country at large. The ironborn are that bully in school that will only pick on somebody when they're a foot shorter and 50 pounds lighter.

At first I thought they were just another construct of GRRM to give you a house that is easy to hate and have them ruin the House you like (Starks). But I did not expect them to play such a prominent role either. I just can't stand their POV.

[Grail King]

Favorite - House Stark, yes the honor thing can be a handicap, but far and away it is the most Known and respected house

Non favorites- Lannisters, overly ambitious to the point they will actually harm their own family members to get ahead, they are ruthless with other houses that don't blow their way.

Favorite Minor house - House Manderly beats Mormonts by a mm.

Most hated minor house - Frey and Bolton

[ChristophUL]

Favorites - Martell & Targaryen.

I like how the Martell's think before they act unlike most Houses. The extremes of the Targaryen's is also compelling to me even though I dislike Dany.

Least Favorite - Greyjoy

[StannisBamfatheon]

Well the madness is sort of related to the incest and cruelty isn't more common in the Targaryens than in any other family.As for Aerys yes he was insane, not a good person and in the end not capable of being king but that doesn't make Robert less of a usurper or more simpathetic to me.Anyway I simpathise with the rest of the family not with Aerys, he had only himself to blame for what happened to him.

I think this is the most civil forum on the entire internet. I see you're point technically Robert was a usurper by definition, I personally feel like due to what happened to the Stark's, Lyanna not withstanding, cause who knows for the most part their are indications her and Rhaegar's love was mutual, what happened to the Targaryen's during the reign and fall fo Aerys II was justified. Could you imagine Viserys on the throne? He'd kill people for giving him dirty looks in the hallway. I look at Robert the way Barristan does "A good knight, but a poor king" and he was really only a poor king by dereliction of duty. Greyjoy rebellion not withstanding, in the words of Ned Stark Robert's reign was "15 good years" due to Jon Arryn, Stannis and the small council. Somehow after A dream of Spring I would love a prequel, so we could truly see the great knight Robert was. "The true Steel" as Donal Noye called him. He did defeat Rhaegar afterall and Rhaegar was a paragon, said to be a savant at anything he tried his hand at.

[Fire and Blood!]

I think this is the most civil forum on the entire internet. I see you're point technically Robert was a usurper by definition, I personally feel like due to what happened to the Stark's, Lyanna not withstanding, cause who knows for the most part their are indications her and Rhaegar's love was mutual, what happened to the Targaryen's during the reign and fall fo Aerys II was justified. Could you imagine Viserys on the throne? He'd kill people for giving him dirty looks in the hallway. I look at Robert the way Barristan does "A good knight, but a poor king" and he was really only a poor king by dereliction of duty. Greyjoy rebellion not withstanding, in the words of Ned Stark Robert's reign was "15 good years" due to Jon Arryn, Stannis and the small council. Somehow after A dream of Spring I would love a prequel, so we could truly see the great knight Robert was. "The true Steel" as Donal Noye called him. He did defeat Rhaegar afterall and Rhaegar was a paragon, said to be a savant at anything he tried his hand at.

I disagree with you about Viserys.I don't belive he was truly a bad man his acts of cruelty were born of desperation and he was desperate because he was powerless to do anything to improve his and his sister's situation.For all he's done he did nothing that unforgivable(I don't believe he was really going to harm Dany or her child, it was an empty threat) even marrying Dany was for her benefit as much as for his by marrying her to Drogo he made her a khaleesi - a queen in her own right, if he kept her with him what could he offer her, to be his "beggar queen"?I honestly think that if Viserys was king or prince or even lord of something he would have been a decent person, not necessarily a competent ruler but he wouldn't have been some cruel madman like his father.

[What Is Dead Already Died]

Favorite: Targaryen, too many split feelings on other houses.

Least: Arryn, post-Jon Arryn. I hate Lysa and Robert

[StannisBamfatheon]

"I would let the whole tribe fuck you, all forty thousand men,and their horses too, if that's what it took"

In the words of Barristan....Viserys was his father's son.

[Lady Faceless]

FAVORITES:

House Targaryen ; Madness / Greatness, either side of the coin sounds fun to me. Plus, DRAGONS.

House Greyjoy ; All my personality attributes point to House Greyjoy. Yes, i'm selfish. Yes, i'm an asshole. I'm very okay with this. Besides, who doesn't want to be a pirate?

House Martell ; Woman's rights and spicy food. Pretty much seals the deal.

LEAST FAVORITES:

House Frey ; Treacherous whores. Also, there are so many; they multiply like rabbits!

House Tully ; Boring. Plus, i'm not all for doing things just because it's my duty, or because it's the honorable thing.

House Arryn ; Boring. Boring. Boring. Lysa. Boring.

[Batman]

Favourite - Baratheon

Least Favourite - Targaryen/Martell

I dont really know why I hate them because really they have been victims when it comes to Elia, Aegon and Rhaerys. But I would liike nothing better than for Stannis to throw all of them into the sea the way Ned said.

[The Last Direwolf]

Favourite: Stark

Out of the Great Families at the start of the series, the Starks seem the most "human" if you can understand that? The Lannisters, Greyjoys and Arryns are predominantly clinically crazy, the Tullys are mediocre or average, the Baratheons are either too childish or too serious and the Martells seem a very dysfunctional family, what with a disabled, seemingly useless father and sibling rivalry.

The Starks on the other hand are different - Ned and Cat are both good parents and love their children immensely, Arya is just an ordinary tomboy, Sansa is a girly girl, Robb and Jon are the cool older brothers and Bran and Rickon are the annoying little brothers - they're relatable to real people and families.

And plus, the Starks are proven to be completely awesome.

Least Favourite - Arryn

Completely useless bunch of idiots after Jon dies. Lysa Arryn wouldn't even call her banners to the aid of her sister and nephew when they were outnumbered in the south and had had their home taken in the North. She is one of the most despicable characters of ASOIAF in my opinion, just below Walder Frey, Ramsay Bolton and Joffrey Lannister. Robert's just a stroppy child so I'll reserve judgement on him for the moment.

[Lady Arianne Martell]

Fav:

Martell.

Sexy,spicy folks. Also love how interesting and independent they are. Humane people-not monsters. Also, smart and cool.

Least fav:

Greyjoy: jerks. Bullies,rapers,murderers,cold evil. Only good one is Asha!

[Princess_of_Sunspear]

Favourites :Martells, I like their culture (equal primogeniture ftw) and they strike me as a very intelligent family. Red Viper alone is a great character

Starks- many would call them fools for being honorable, but it's a trait I admire. To put it simply, I'd rather be friends with someone like Ned than Tywin.

Worst family:

Lannisters. Hypocritical, two-faced, ruthless.

Tyrells: Would swear to anyone who throws them a bone, if it furthers their cause. They are like less offensive and cunning Lannisters.

Freys & Boltons. I hope LadyS kills them all (except women)

[Kung Fu Kiddo]

I'll stick with the great houses.

Favorites:

Tyrell: Why not? They seem to, for the most part, have their shit together. I like the scheming and the close-knit family thing they have going on. The loyalty to their family and the dedication to achieving their goals (even if it means doing some bad shit) really intrigues me. I like that family dynamic. I like the scheming. And yet on the outside they appear "normal". In my opinion, they're on the track to falling apart, along with the Lannisters, but they've still retained some strength in their family, unlike the Lannisters, who, without Tywin, really seem....less fearsome.

Lannister: Largely for the same reasons as the Tyrells. I don't like families who play it safe. I like families who aren't afraid to show their teeth, whether by way of force or just political intrigue. They're feared, respected, and bloody wealthy. I like the sense of pride and honor within the family. And Tywin...I know a lot of people don't like him or Cersei, but I love them.

Least Favorites:

Greyjoy: Ugh, just boring. Too dysfunctional, the members of the family are just....not stupid but...they aren't as scheming or wise or whatever as they think they are.

And I don't really like the Targaryens that much either...but I think it's largely because of Dany and Viserys...haha.

[Dimadick]

Favorite Houses:

1) Baratheon.

*Robert Baratheon has a great reputation as a warrior-king and his political arrangements were actually above average. Two younger Baratheons, the Arryns, the Lannisters, and the Starks standing as his chief supporters and pillars of his regime, Tullys also swearing loyalty, and the Florents serving as agents within the Reach. The Greyjoys and the Martells in splending isolation but not posing active threats. That puts Robert way ahead of Aerys II in quality. His predecessor pretty much alienated all his allies and even the "loyal" ones only gave token support in his hour of need.

*Stannis. Extremely talented military commander, determination personified, and some capacity for thinking out of the box. His mottley crew of followers are a testament to this thinking. What other kings can boast the loyalty of tribal warriors, opportunistic knights, socially mobile outlaws, magic users, and a glorified penal colony?

*Renly. A political animal who could pretty much charm anyone and use them for his purposes. And I talent for improvisation. Noticed how quickly Margery Tyrell turned as his intended bride dor Robert to his own consort?

2) Lannisters. Competent schemers, ruthless conspirators, fearless warriors, and single-minded enemies. Whatever happens the lions still have claws. Their downfall is their elitist behavior and complete failure at public relations. Even Stannis seems to have better spin doctors than Tywin and his kids. Oh well, at least they make for more interesting protagonists than the Starks. (Arya, Sansa, and Bran are interesting Starks. The others are rather bland).

3) Freys. A hundred weasels can take down larger predators. A house building up its defenses for centuries, carefully managing its resources, and working its way through the ranks of nobility. Hopefully to the top. They won my sympathy over the Tullys and are nearly always entertaining to read. Too bad they act more like a collective than individually-minded characters, but at least we get glimpses at their inner workings.

Runner ups:

- Targaryens. Three centuries of power, three centuries worth of men and women with a hereditary link to magic, prophecy, and rut power. But the old saying seems false. They are not all either insane or great. The House has had mediocre leaders (Aenys I, Daeron II, Aerys I), over-ambitious fools (Aegon II, Daeron I), and at least one misogynistic religious fanatic (Baelor I). Makes for poor reading material.

-Bolton. Roose is a great character, Ramsay has his moments. But I have trouble think of just two guys as a "House", and one of their greatest assets was their element of surprise. Which Ramsay and his advertised cruelty seem to be eliminating as eeven a possibility. You can't surprise people already expecting the worse from you.

Least Favorite Houses:

-1)Tullys. "Honor" my foot. Hoster Tully forced abortion on his own teenage daughter and forced her to marry an abhorrent old man. Brynden Tully might be a great knight but not anything resembling a politician, Catelyn tends to see enemies in every shadow and misses the ones basking in the sun, Lyssa is a broken bird. Edmure may be sympathetic, but seems to be a boy in a man's body. Big heart, courage, and an air of naivety. Rather out of place among the Lords.

2) Arryns. The glorified hillbillies with the fertility problems. The Valley is a darn interesting setting but its ruling family leaves much to be desired.

3) Greyjoys. There is a reason they keep loosing in wars. Guys, you have the smallest population and powerbase south of the Wall. You have to work alliances to just survive when continent-wide conflicts erupt. You can't fight all the other factions at the same time. Its not humanly possible to win the conflict that way. Figure it out or someone is going to exterminate you sooner or later.

Runners-Up.

-Martell. Great resources, great characters. No coherent leadership and a tendency for infighting that would put the Cleganes to shame. Doran's obsession with secrecy backfires constantly.

-Tyrell. Lannister-lite. Less competent leadership, much better public relations. All those flowers can't hide the smell of something rotten behind their civilized veneer.

[RhaenysBee]

Hmm, I like Rhaenys because she was cute and because it's so bittersweet how the one eared tomcat still haunts the Red Keep. As for Elia... I don't know... In fact the Starks are really victim type people too, and I'm just indifferent about them, except for the times when I

dislike them for being so bloody annoying or boring.

Anyway:

Favorite: Martell and Targaryen

Because Martells are very passionate people, family centered and deadly. And because Targaryens have this aura that attracts your attention and because they are the rightful regents of the Seven Kingdoms. I do hope they'll kick the usurping asses of all the losers trying to step into their place.

Least Favorite: Greyjoy and Baratheon

Boy, these guys get on my nerves. I find each and every Greyjoy character very antipathetic. As for the Baratheons... is there any other man apart from Steffon Baratheon who whelped three such idiots? Yeah... Quellon Greyjoy.

Honorable mention: Lannister

I couldn't decide yet if I love them or love to hate them. But they have something going on. Lord Tywin didn't become the most powerful man of his time for no reason.

I didn't mean to hurt any fans' feelings, so please don't get upset :)

[Hombre_Lobo]

Martell. The words alone, "Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken". The Martells still have a big part to play, and their words are cool, as is their sigitl.

[rmholt]

Least Favorite: Greyjoys. Someone who reads, stands out. They are stupid and violent and stuck in the past. Damphair is the dumbest nickname ever and I dont blame GRRM because he knows they would have a stupid nickname. Their votes are easily bought with gold and promises.

Second least Favorite: Frey. Cant trust them. Many deviations from the average but the average is pretty scummy and they arent very good at anything. Plus: ugly and grasping.

Oops, Frey not a great house. Not likely to become one either

Favorite: Martell. Smart and clever and still somewhat independent of the throne.

[Bourne]

Favorite: Lannister. They're pretty much the only house capable of doing what is necessary. Tywin did a much better job of protecting and providing for his own smallfolk than the other Lords Paramount. And from a literary standpoint, they have by far the most interesting characters.

Hated: I don't really know. The only great houses I like are Lannister, Tyrell and Baratheon. Pretty much hate all the rest. If I had to choose one it would probably be Targaryen.

[Jon's Queen Consort]

Favorites:

House Stark: They came and follow the customs of the First Men, they live and control a land bigger than the others without a problem and their members, well most of them, are honorable and valiant.

House Dayne: They are one of the oldest Houses in Westeros. They have a great sword created from the heart of falling star, no Valyrian steel modern fashion yet one of the most famous swords. Their best knight named the Sword of the Morning which sounds really bada@@. They have Arthur and Ashara as their members.

House Seaworth: The founder of the House was common smuggle who was more brave and loyal than Knights.

House Martell: They appreciate women as they appreciate men.

House Crowl: I know they don’t appear but the fact that they live in Skagos means that they have to be bada@@.

Least favorite:

House Targaryen: They are conquers which I don’t appreciate. They are also megalomaniac and incestuous psychos.

House Tyrell: Clearly and only opportunist nothing better.

I don't hate Boltons and Freys because they are the villains, they meant to be hated.

edit typo

[barbandazi]

Favorite: Stark

Least Favorite: Lannister, can't believe they still hold the Iron Throne illegally by the 5th book