Is Ned's mother a commoner?

[HexMachina]

Actually, the opposite is true. Take for instance the Lannister succession: After Tywin is killed his daughter Cersei and not his younger brother Kevan inherits Casterly Rock, which Kevan openly acknowledges.

ETA: Since those are the rules of Andal succession, the wildlings may have different rules, but we haver never heard about them being different.

No, children come before siblings, and a son comes before a daughter. So the succession goes:

Tywin

Jamie (KG so out)

Tyrion (Guilty.of regicide so out)

Cersei

Then, iirc, it would actually go to the children of Tywin's siblings

[AnnieStace]

Someone asked GRRM who Neds Mother was and what happened to her:

"Lady Stark. She died."

Maybe that's all there is to know? Rickard could have married a cousin. SSM about "She-wolves" suggests that there were several branches of House Stark:

GRRM pointed out that things were not so good 90 years either, with a lot of Stark widows struggling for power, with the current lord dying from a wound taken against some Ironborn. <...> There is a lot of Stark kids around though, so ending the line wasn't a problem. I think he said 10 children, from various Starks members.

http://www.westeros.org/Citadel/SSM/Entry/1408/

[bloodsteel bitterraven]

No, children come before siblings, and a son comes before a daughter. So the succession goes:

Tywin

Jamie (KG so out)

Tyrion (Guilty.of regicide so out)

Cersei

Then, iirc, it would actually go to the children of Tywin's siblings

No it would go to Tywin's siblings, then their children.

[HexMachina]

No it would go to Tywin's siblings, then their children.

Well the point I was making still stands - all of Tywin's children, and then his siblings. But thanks for letting me know :)

[Lady Woodland]

I'm fairly new to the books ( have read them all though.) One thing that always struck me was Benjen is a really odd name. Does anyone think this is some kind of homage to his mother? A Jenny?

This may have been brought up elsewhere so sorry if it's been hashed. I'm not very proficient with the search feature, and tried to find a history that fit. His name just jarred while I'm doing a re-read. He is never referred to as anything other than Benjen.

IE: Bran is Brandon, Ned is Eddard, it just seems significant.

[Kienn]

I'm fairly new to the books ( have read them all though.) One thing that always struck me was Benjen is a really odd name. Does anyone think this is some kind of homage to his mother? A Jenny?

This may have been brought up elsewhere so sorry if it's been hashed. I'm not very proficient with the search feature, and tried to find a history that fit. His name just jarred while I'm doing a re-read. He is never referred to as anything other than Benjen.

IE: Bran is Brandon, Ned is Eddard, it just seems significant.

Jenny is his grandmother, so I doubt his mother was also a Jenny - although not impossible of course since IRL some families like to do that (with fathers -> sons mainly).

But yes, Benjen could be named partly for his grandmother Jenny.

[Lady Woodland]

Never mind.... I just found the passage where Bran recounts the names of past Starks while down in WF crypts, seems there were already a couple of significant "Benjen's" in their past history.

[TheCrannogDweller]

Jenny is his grandmother, so I doubt his mother was also a Jenny - although not impossible of course since IRL some families like to do that (with fathers -> sons mainly).

You can repeat that as many times as you want, but that won't make it true. Even the *insert name of Tywin's child* is a Targ" theories have more circumstantial evidence than the Oldstones-Flint connection.

Come to think of it, except the vague link between Oldstones and Flint, is there any actual textual proof to support your theory?

[The_Crannogman]

You can repeat that as many times as you want, but that won't make it true. Even the *insert name of Tywin's child* is a Targ" theories have more circumstantial evidence than the Oldstones-Flint connection.

Come to think of it, except the vague link between Oldstones and Flint, is there any actual textual proof to support your theory?

The oldstones and flint link does seem very tenuous, the best theory I have seen is http://asoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/topic/96492-a-dragonfly-among-the-reeds-is-howland-reed-the-grandson-of-duncan-the-small/

[Kienn]

You can repeat that as many times as you want, but that won't make it true. Even the *insert name of Tywin's child* is a Targ" theories have more circumstantial evidence than the Oldstones-Flint connection.

Come to think of it, except the vague link between Oldstones and Flint, is there any actual textual proof to support your theory?

Sure lots of stuff, I'll go toe-to-toe with RLJ and come out with excess quotes. It's actually exceedingly hilarious every time you scoff it off.

1) Dragonfly symbolism can be linked to the Starks

2) Stone themes all around the Starks:

Alayne Stone

Arya in Braavos, a "city of stone"

Bran in a stone cave

Rickon on Skagos, which means "Stone" in the Old Tongue

Lady Stoneheart and the quotes establishing Catelyn's children as her "heart"

3) The tower/high-places theme connecting Jenny, Lyanna, Ghost/Jon, Sansa, and Bran

4) Ned's claim to the throne

5) Brandon's death

P.S. Joanna was a targ so yea all of Tywin's kids sort of are too.

[Shireen Shireen]

Maybe that's all there is to know?

This. There are too many mysteries already to be revealed in the next two books.

[Ser Hugh BuckweII]

She's Old Nan.