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Family Defining Features - Will No Longer Get Updates


Corvo the Crow

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While I was doing research for Stark men are not so Stark, I've noticed there aren't any threads (or at least recently active ones) on what defining features some families typically have.

 

To determine whether it's a familial feature or not I'm trying to find characters sharing the trait from at least three generations or two characters coming from the same descent but aren't parent and child or siblings (ex. Clegane brothers are a no go while Catelyn and Blackfish is) This is because a trait may just have been added in the last generation from some other family or a longstanding one may have been lost (Eddard's sons being Tully colored)

I'm open for improvements on how I try to determine this so feel free to give advice!

 

I am grouping the houses by their region of origin, so Blackwoods are  in North and Manderlys are in Reach and Crownlands doesn't exist.

 

  • Beyond the Wall:

First Men Origin:

  1. Redbeard: They are red haired.

 

  • North

First Men Origin:

  1. Blackwood: Black hair. They are perhaps tall (Hoster and Tytos).
  2. Karstarks: They share the same traits as Starks with the exception of their men being bigger.
  3. Mormonts: They are probably short  (Maege and Alysanne are short, Jorah is shorter than Barristan) but with a big strong body (Jorah and Jeor are big shouldered Alysanne is chunky and muscular)
  4. Starks: Brown hair. Grey eyes. Long face. Lean/Thin build (Jon, Benjen, Arya, and even Alys Karstark) They could also be tall ( Brandon the Strangled, Karstark men and old Kings of Winter are) They may have small ears and pointy chins (Alys, who looks so much like Arya) They may have long legs (Benjen and Alys, who looks so much like Arya)
  5. Umbers: They are huge (Greatjon, for example is twice as wide as Hodor with same height)

 

  • Riverlands

 

  1. Brackens: Dark hair (Aegon the Unworthy's mistresses and Jonos)
  2. Tullys: Generally have auburn hair but brown is seen too (Hoster). They have blue eyes. Being tall could also be a Tully feature(Brynden and Hoster are)

Unknown Origin:

  1. Whents: Likely high Cheekbones (Catelyn gets Minisa's jaw and high cheekbones, passes on the cheekbones to Sansa)
  2. Rosbys: They aren't robust
  3. Pipers: They are perhaps short with bowlegs and bushy red hair (Lewys, Clement)
  4. Heddles: They are perhaps tall (Long Jon, the founder of the house and Long Jeyne)
  5. Mallisters: They have blue-grey eyes (Denys and Jason)
  6. Freys: Many of Walder's descendants are described as chinless.
  7. Strongs: They were probably brown haired and brown eyed as Rhaenyra's children are said to look like "Strongs". Probably they were also big and very strong, as their name suggests and Harwin said to be the strongest man in westeros and his father a large man.

 

 

  • Vale

 

First Men Origin:

  1. Borrels: They have "The Mark", hands and feet with webbed fingers.
  2. Royces: They have grey eyes(Yohn Royce and Waymar Royce has grey eyes, Myranda Royce has Brown eyes,). They are tall (Yohn Royce is tall, Nestor Royce and Albar Royce are massive, Myranda Royce is short, ).

Unknown Origin:

  1. Waynwoods: They are horse faced and have brown hair. However this is likely due to a recent Stark ancestor and they may have lost their own familial features, if they had any to begin with.

 

  • Westerlands

First Men Origin:

  1. Crakehalls: They are big boned and strong. Their women are also wide hipped and big breasted. Lyle Crakehall, as well as the Freys "Little Walder", Hosteen and Merrett have these features.
  2. Lannisters: Green eyes. Blonde hair. They are perhaps tall (Jaime, Tywin and Tywin's grandfather Gerold are)
  3. Reynes: They may be Red haired  (Tion Tarbeck, Ellyn Reyne's son is called Tion the Red due to his hair color. Lannister lion has the gold color of their hair, Reyne's red lion may also be coming from their hair)

 

  • Iron Islands

First Men Origin:

  1. Greyjoys: They are probably thin (Balon, Theon, Asha, Aeron. Victarion is large but has a flat stomach) They are probably beaky nosed (Asha, Aeron) They are black eyed and black haired.
  2. Hoares: They have black hair and black eyes. During their early generations as kings, they have married with Andals.

 

  • Reach

First Men Origin:

  1. Caswells: They are thin/weakly built ( Joffrey was thin, Lorent is weak).
  2. Florents: Big ears.They are likely tall and thin ( Alester and Selyse are tall and thin while Axell is short and muscular) They probably have pale eyes (Selyse, and Samwell Tarly who has a Florent mother).
  3. Fossoways: They are probably strongly built and also big (Steffon is muscular, his cousin Raymun, founder of the Green Apple branch, is stocky, Franklyn Flowers, a bastard of Red Apple branch is described as a "shambling hulk of a man").
  4. Manderlys: They are probably big/stout (Wyman and sons are fat but cousin Marlon is also stout, while not being fat)
  5. Redwyne: They are probably orange haired (Paxter and his twin sons)

Andal Origin:

  1. Tyrells: Brown hair Brown-golden eyes. They are possibly slender( Leo "Longthorn", Loras and Margaery are slender, Mace is described as a once powerful looking man turned fat, Garlan was plump) It is interesting that Tyrells, a family of Andal origin has brown hair which is mostly seen in Firstmen houses. Perhaps this was a Gardener trait as a Tyrell married a Gardener princess once.

Unknown Origin:

  1. Inchfields: They are big (Lucas is big and while we never get a description of Owen, he is able to seize and kiss Brienne of Tarth, who is huge even when compared with men.
  2. Osgreys: They are tall (Eustace Osgrey and his ancestor Wilbert the little lion)
  3. Webbers: They are short (Wendell and Rohanne)

 

  • Stormlands

 

Unknown Origin:

  1. Baratheons: Blue eyes, Coarse Black Hair. They are tall. Broad in the shoulder and perhaps also chest (Robert and Edric) Their other defining features are their jaws (possibly square, Stannis) and their cheekbones (possibly high, considering Orys is supposedly a bastard Targaryen).

First Men Origin:

  1. Conningtons: Red hair. (Red Ronnet, Ronald Storm, Jon).
  2. Durrandons: Possibly Blue eyes; While we get no description of Durrandon eye color, Orys Baratheon had black hair and black eyes, so blue eyes of Baratheons possibly came from Argella.

 

  • Dornish Marches

First Men Origin:

  1. Dondarrion: They are thin and have Red-gold hair (Manfred and Beric)

 

  • Dorne(Stony)

They are fair skinned with blond and brown hair

First Men Origin:

  1. Yronwoods: They are huge (Archibald and Edgar) Blonde hair. Blue eyes.
  2. Daynes: Purple eyes (Ashara, Gerold, Edric) They are perhaps tall (Ashara) We see both dark haired (Ashara) and light haired (Edric) Daynes.

 

  • Dorne(Sandy)

Sandy Dornish are darker skinned then Salty dornish

 

  • Dorne(Salty)

They are olive skinned with black hair.

Andal Origin:

  1. Martells: Black hair. They have later become Nymeros Martell and  mixed with Rhoynar people heavily; Nymeria's coming increased the Martell Strength tenfold.

 

 

  • Valyrian Freehold

Valyrians: Some of their features are: Purple, Lilac and Pale-blue eyes, Silvery (gold or white) hair, blonde hair, aquiline noses, pale skin. They may also have high cheekbones.

 

  • Slaver's Bay

Red-black hair.

 

  • Dothraki

Almond shaped black eyes, copper skin, black hair.

 

  • Qaathi (people of Qarth)

 

They are tall and pale skinned.

 

  • Myrish

They are olive skinned and dark haired.

 

What are some other familial features?

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Roslin had a small gap between two of her front teeth that made her shy with her smiles, but the flaw was almost endearing. Pretty enough, Catelyn thought, but so small, and she comes of Rosby stock. The Rosbys had never been robust. She much preferred the frames of some of the older girls in the hall; daughters or granddaughters, she could not be sure. They had a Crakehall look about them, and Lord Walder's third wife had been of that House. Wide hips to bear children, big breasts to nurse them, strong arms to carry them. The Crakehalls have always been a big-boned family, and strong.(ASOS Catelyn VI)

 

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19 minutes ago, Stormking902 said:

Umbers are usually MASSIVE 

Freys look like weasels 

Dayne have Valaryian features

Hightower have purple eyes which suggest valaryian background

Yronwood have blond hair which is unique in Dorne

 

I must have missed it, which Hightowers had purple eyes?

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3 hours ago, Corvo the Crow said:

While I was doing research for Stark men are not so Stark, I've noticed there aren't any threads (or at least recently active ones) on what defining features some families typically have.

Below are a few from that thread and a few others for starters.

 

Tullys: Generally have auburn hair but brown is seen too (Hoster). They have blue eyes. Being tall could also be a Tully feature(Brynden and Hoster are)

Starks: Brown hair. Grey eyes. Long face. Lean/Thin build (Jon, Benjen, Arya, and even Alys Karstark) They could also be tall ( Brandon the Burned, Karstark men and old Kings of Winter are)

Baratheons(possibly Durrandons): Blue eyes, Coarse Black Hair. They are tall. Broad in the shoulder and perhaps also chest (Robert and Edric) Their other defining features are their jaws (possibly square, Stannis) and their cheekbones.

Florents: Big ears.They are likely tall and thin ( Alester and Selyse are tall and thin while Axell is short and muscular)

Whents: Likely high Cheekbones (Catelyn gets Minisa's jjaw and high cheekbones, passes on the cheekbones to Sansa)

Lannisters: Green eyes. Blonde hair. They are perhaps tall (Jaime, Tywin and Tywin's grandfather Gerold are)

Blackwood: Black hair. They are perhaps tall (Hoster and Tytos).

Osgreys: They are tall (Eustace Osgrey and his ancestor Wilbert the little lion)

Umbers: They are huge (Greatjon, for example is twice as wide as Hodor with same height)

Daynes: Purple eyes.

Crakehalls: They are big boned and strong. Their women are also wide hipped and big breasted.

Yronwoods: Blonde hair. Blue eyes.

Tyrells: Brown hair Brown-golden eyes. It is interesting that Tyrells, a family of Andal origin has brown hair which is mostly seen in Firstmen houses. Perhaps this was a Gardener trait as a Tyrell married a Gardener princess once.

Royces: They possibly have grey eyes(Yohn Royce and Waymar Royce has grey eyes, Myranda Royce has Brown eyes). They are perhaps tall (Yohn Royce is tall, Nestor Royce and Albar Royce are massive, Myranda Royce is short)

 

 

What are some other familial features?

The Reeds are atypical crannogmen; finely built with small statures and slender figures. Green-eyes (possibly, with brown hair) might be their particular family trait as Jojen and Meera are described as having both, (With Jojen, his moss-coloured eyes are the thing people notice about him.)

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17 hours ago, Lynesse said:

Regarding the Tullys being tall-ish: both Catelyn and Lysa are described as being taller than Littlefinger, which might point to above average height for a female.

But isn't littlefinger very short? That's the reason Edmure gave him the nickname, well also the fact he was living on the smallest finger.

19 minutes ago, HoodedCrow said:

I think Sansa is also referred to as tall.

Yes but does it come from her mother or Ned? We don't know how tall/short either are, without any comparison to anyone else (Littlefinger for Catelyn, Brandon for Ned)

17 hours ago, Faera said:

The Reeds are atypical crannogmen; finely built with small statures and slender figures. Green-eyes (possibly, with brown hair) might be their particular family trait as Jojen and Meera are described as having both, (With Jojen, his moss-coloured eyes are the thing people notice about him.)

Being short could simply be due to malnutrition. But eyes can be a familial feature.

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20 hours ago, Corvo the Crow said:

I must have missed it, which Hightowers had purple eyes?

That one should be thrown out I think; the only people who I can think of with purple eyes and Hightower descent were the children of Viserys I with Alicent Hightower, along with Aegon II's children.

The Florents having large ears makes me think of this theory I have that Pypar is a bastard of House Florent since he's the only person outside of House Florent described as having large ears, but that's neither here nor there.

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2 hours ago, Sigella said:

Velaryons and Celtigars has valyrian features.

Some (or all?) Houses of the Sisters has webbed fingers.

Monford Velaryon has fair hair and Aurane Waters resembles Rhaegar, but IIRC Ardrian Celtigar is just described as being old.

Regarding the Sistermen,

Quote

He was an ugly man, big and fleshy, with an oarsman's thick shoulders and no neck. Coarse grey stubble, going white in patches, covered his cheeks and chin. Above a massive shelf of brow he was bald. His nose was lumpy and red with broken veins, his lips thick, and he had a sort of webbing between the three middle fingers of his right hand. Davos had heard that some of the lords of the Three Sisters had webbed hands and feet, but he had always put that down as just another sailor's story.

and...

The woman brought them a fresh loaf of bread, still hot from the oven. When Davos saw her hand, he stared. Lord Godric did not fail to make note of it. "Aye, she has the mark. Like all Borrells, for five thousand years. (ADWD Davos I)

 

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2 hours ago, Sigella said:

Velaryons and Celtigars has valyrian features.

Some (or all?) Houses of the Sisters has webbed fingers.

 

19 minutes ago, Nittanian said:

Monford Velaryon has fair hair and Aurane Waters resembles Rhaegar, but IIRC Ardrian Celtigar is just described as being old.

Regarding the Sistermen,

 

Sunderlands don't have the mark, apparently; Lord Sunderland has 7 sons aspiring to be knights so their hands and feet must be normal.

Also Sansa gives visual confirmation on three Sunderland sons not carrying the mark, at least in their hands. Won't give quotes for these as second information comes from WoW samples.

 

 

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3 hours ago, Corvo the Crow said:

But isn't littlefinger very short? That's the reason Edmure gave him the nickname, well also the fact he was living on the smallest finger.

4 hours ago, HoodedCrow said:

I'm pretty certain Littlefinger is quite small and slight for a man.

 

3 hours ago, Corvo the Crow said:

Being short could simply be due to malnutrition. But eyes can be a familial feature.

I agree it's the green-eyes that seem to stick out as a Reed thing; as I said, all crannogmen are said to be small, according to Meera.

 

4 hours ago, Corvo the Crow said:

Yes but does it come from her mother or Ned? We don't know how tall/short either are, without any comparison to anyone else (Littlefinger for Catelyn, Brandon for Ned)

21 hours ago, Faera said:

The only thing we know about Ned's height is that Cat was disappointed when she met him because he wasn't as handsome or tall as his older brother Brandon. That doesn't mean that he was particularly short. The real question is - is Cat ever described by anyone as being a particularly tall woman, or Lysa? 

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18 minutes ago, Faera said:

I'm pretty certain Littlefinger is quite small and slight for a man.

 

I agree it's the green-eyes that seem to stick out as a Reed thing; as I said, all crannogmen are said to be small, according to Meera.

 

The only thing we know about Ned's height is that Cat was disappointed when she met him because he wasn't as handsome or tall as his older brother Brandon. That doesn't mean that he was particularly short. The real question is - is Cat ever described by anyone as being a particularly tall woman, or Lysa? 

One way of learning how tall Ned is finding a comparison with Jon or Robert. Jon thinks Stannis is towering over him. Catelyn gives a description of her brother when they are burning Hoster and she doesn't think him as tall or short.

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In Alayne sample chapter in Winds:

Spoiler

"Ser Harrold Hardyng looked every inch a lord-in-waiting; clean-limbed and handsome, straight as a lance, hard with muscle. Men old enough to have known Jon Arryn in his youth said Ser Harrold had his look, she knew. He had a mop of sandy blond hair, pale blue eyes, an aquiline nose."

Two Arryns sharing the same (Arryn) trait?

On 10/10/2017 at 9:26 PM, Corvo the Crow said:

Baratheons(possibly Durrandons): Blue eyes, Coarse Black Hair. They are tall. Broad in the shoulder and perhaps also chest (Robert and Edric) Their other defining features are their jaws (possibly square, Stannis) and their cheekbones.

Orys Baratheon had too black hair. Blue eyes is possible a Durrandon trait as Orys had black eyes.It is diddicult to distinguish Baratheon traits and Durrandon traits as Orys seems to have some resemblance to them.

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On 10/11/2017 at 5:32 PM, Faera said:

The real question is - is Cat ever described by anyone as being a particularly tall woman, or Lysa? 

Lysa is supposed to be short, or at least, not tall.  She's initially described as being shorter than Catelyn:

Quote

It had been five years, in truth; five cruel years, for Lysa. They had taken their toll. Her sister was two years the younger, yet she looked older now. Shorter than Catelyn, Lysa had grown thick of body, pale and puffy of face. (AGOT Catelyn VI)

And when Sansa subsequently lives at the Eyrie, she's indicated to be about the same height at 13 as Lysa was as an adult:

Quote

Petyr had given her his late wife's wardrobe, a wealth of silks, satins, velvets, and furs far beyond anything she had ever dreamed, though the great bulk of it was far too large for her; Lady Lysa had grown very stout during her long succession of pregnancies, stillbirths, and miscarriages. A few of the oldest gowns had been made for young Lysa Tully of Riverrun, however, and others Gretchel had been able to alter to fit Alayne, who was almost as long of leg at three-and-ten as her aunt had been at twenty. (AFFC Alayne I)

 

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1 hour ago, of man and wolf said:

Boltons have pale eyes

We only have two Boltons, a father and a son, so it may be just the two of them.

30 minutes ago, Davos the Dragonslayer said:

Manderlyes are obese.

Wyman and his sons are probably fat from all those eels but Marlon, Wyman's cousin is also described as stout so being big, could be part of the Manderly's physical traits.

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Are there any information on how Reyne's look?

Tion Tarbeck, son of Lady Ellyn Reyne, is called Tion the Red because of his red hair. Lady Ellyn's brother, Roger, is also called the Red Lion though we aren't given the reason. With the casterlys having the golden coloring of their lion, perhaps Reyne's also have the coloring of theirs?

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