Eddard's Mother

[Brave Danny Flint]

Hi, I'm Rossifuss and this is my first thread! I'm from Northern Ireland, I've read all the books and my favourite character is Barristan Selmy.

Right. Just wanted to ask if anyone knows anything about Ned's mum, the wife of Rickard Stark? Perhaps my memory is fuzzy but I can't recall too much being said about her throughout the series which seems a bit strange as we hear a great deal about families such as the Targaryans or Martells and their respective histories.

Was she of noble birth? A member of another powerful family? Maybe she was of Flint or Norrey descent.

I've lurked on this forum for months now but couldn't resist joining in! Hope someone can come up with an answer!

Hi Rossifuss

Eddard Stark's mother is/was a Flint of the North. Old Nan tells Bran that he can climb so well because his Grandmother is a Flint of the mountains (in the North). Don't know whether she is alive or dead. Most likely dead.

[Blisscraft]

Rossifuss, welcome! I had the same question, too. I looked and looked. I am glad you asked. I can't imagine that GRRM simply left out the mother of Brandon, Eddard, Lyanna, and Benjen, especially in a book series with so many fascinating and important female characters.

I'm glad to hear from the other posts that more information about her will be forthcoming. Also, I like the idea that she is a Flint (thanks unknown_daughter). But in ASOS, Bran remembers that Nan tells him his mother's mother is a Flint. It's in the scene with the man from the mountain people (Bran thinks he's a Liddle because of his pinecone clasp).

[lojzelote]

Two possible reasons why Ned´s mother is never mentioned:

1) She was from an extinct House. (as Northern light said)

2) She was a Stark cousin. (They wouldn´t be the first, Tywin married his cousin Joanna, and Jon Arryn´s second wife´s maiden name was Rowena Rawenclaw Arryn if appendix of aGoT is to be believed.)

I think that both options explain rather well why would her name never has been mentioned in connection with relation to the Stark children. No relatives out there.

Pure speculation: Another reason could be that she had done something horrendous (hanged herself in the Godswood? :devil: ), and that´s why nobody will talk about her.

[Lord Damian]

My theory is that Ned's mother or grandmother was a Targ princess.

[Top Notch Balanter]

My ingenious theory about Ned mother and the unlikely fact that she is skagosi goes as follows. We know there was a rebellion on skagos about 100 years before Agot in which Neds great grandfather fought ( and possibly died?) and which was very bloody so to reconcile an agreement was made 50 odd years later to solve the issue completely by arranging a marriage between Rickard and a daughter of a powerfull Skagosi lord possibly from house Magnar. Also there were Skagosi in the NW until a few years ago and my theory is when they found out a kinsman benjen was joining they joined up too

Of course it appears that Lady Stark is a Flint so my theory doesn't really work :frown5:

[lojzelote]

My theory is that Ned's mother or grandmother was a Targ princess.

It can´t be, Ned would then have the same (or even better!) claim to the throne as Robert, which would make Ned´s argument with King Bob about who should have become the King after RR invalid as he said, that it had to be Robert, because he had the best claim (Robert´s grandmother was Princess Rhaelle Targaryen).

Of course it appears that Lady Stark is a Flint so my theory doesn't really work

I´m pretty sure it was a further relation . . . Wasn´t she something like "his (Bran´s) father´s grandmother"?

[Teal'c]

Gilraen did not give Aragorn to Elrond. Arathorn, Gilraen's husband, was killed by a troll when their son was very young (two or four). Gilraen and Aragorn took refuge with the Elves, in Rivendell; and their whereabouts were kept secret for 20 years; Aragorn was renamed Estel and kept ignorant of his true identity until he was 20. But before that, Elrond, Master of Rivendell, had fostered Aragorn's ancestors for a thousand years or more...

I hope that GRRM will at least reveal the name of Ned's mother. Ned seems to have had compassion and respect for women, even his enemies; he might well have had a strong mother who made a lasting and positive impression on him.

He fostered them because they were all descendants of his brother Elros.

[Dr. Pepper]

Rickard's wife is unknown but her mother was of the Flint clan. The Flints seem to have a fairly comfortable relationship with the wildlings. They don't hate them like the Umbers and they answer Jon Snow's call for help. I think it's likely that Ned's grandmother was married to a wildling. Perhaps a Magnar of Thenn. I recall that there was some talk about how either Ned or Rickard had tentative plans for something to do with the Gift. The marriage alliances could have been a part of aiding in those plans that unfortunately never came to fruition when Rickard was killed and the rebellion broke out.

[Brave Danny Flint]

Rickard's wife is unknown but her mother was of the Flint clan. The Flints seem to have a fairly comfortable relationship with the wildlings. They don't hate them like the Umbers and they answer Jon Snow's call for help. I think it's likely that Ned's grandmother was married to a wildling. Perhaps a Magnar of Thenn. I recall that there was some talk about how either Ned or Rickard had tentative plans for something to do with the Gift. The marriage alliances could have been a part of aiding in those plans that unfortunately never came to fruition when Rickard was killed and the rebellion broke out.

I think it was in one of Jon's chapters where he describes Ned's discussing his plans with Benjen to reinforce the gifts to better defend the wall and the north from wildlings. The plans involved making marriage matches and raising lords to move into castles on the gift and tax them. Or something along those lines.

Eddard Stark's grandmother was half a Flint. This is what Bran remembers Old Nan telling him. She married into the Starks. Sorry I got that wrong on my previous post. So there is still no confirmation of who Eddark's mother is. It could well be that the Flints are half wildlings for sure.

[Brave Danny Flint]

It can´t be, Ned would then have the same (or even better!) claim to the throne as Robert, which would make Ned´s argument with King Bob about who should have become the King after RR invalid as he said, that it had to be Robert, because he had the best claim (Robert´s grandmother was Princess Rhaelle Targaryen). I´m pretty sure it was a further relation . . . Wasn´t she something like "his (Bran´s) father´s grandmother"?

Here is a crackpot theory for you. The song Mance Raydar sings about a female Flint that dressed up a member of the Night's Watch and was raped and murdered. See this link to the asoiaf wiki page: http://awoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/Brave_Danny_Flint and http://awoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/Danny_Flint

My theory is that Danny Flint could be Ned Stark's mother, my only reasoning being that the Stark women have a tendency to be tomboyish: think of Arya and Lyanna. It could stand to reason that Ned's mother had this trait and dressed as a man to see what the wall was like and met a gruesome end. It could also explain why she is never mentioned by anyone at Winterfell, the Stark men have too much honour and pride and something like this would bring shame to the Stark name. It could have also sparked a war between the Starks and the Nightswatch which no one would have wanted. So Danny Flint (aka Danny Stark) was buried and forgotten, except in song.

Far fetched I know.

[Ice Turtle]

Here is a crackpot theory for you. The song Mance Raydar sings about a female Flint that dressed up a member of the Night's Watch and was raped and murdered. See this link to the asoiaf wiki page: http://awoiaf.wester...ave_Danny_Flint and http://awoiaf.wester...php/Danny_Flint

My theory is that Danny Flint could be Ned Stark's mother, my only reasoning being that the Stark women have a tendency to be tomboyish: think of Arya and Lyanna. It could stand to reason that Ned's mother had this trait and dressed as a man to see what the wall was like and met a gruesome end. It could also explain why she is never mentioned by anyone at Winterfell, the Stark men have too much honour and pride and something like this would bring shame to the Stark name. It could have also sparked a war between the Starks and the Nightswatch which no one would have wanted. So Danny Flint (aka Danny Stark) was buried and forgotten, except in song.

Far fetched I know.

Though it rather would be a grandmother. Ned's mother was a half Flint. What is interesting is that everyone mentions her mothers house, not fathers which would be far more usual. So there is something strange about that part of family tree. Maybe the house had been extincted or disgraced or she was even a bastard.

[Brave Danny Flint]

Though it rather would be a grandmother. Ned's mother was a half Flint. What is interesting is that everyone mentions her mothers house, not fathers which would be far more usual. So there is something strange about that part of family tree. Maybe the house had been extincted or disgraced or she was even a bastard.

It is something to note that there is no mention of Lady Stark's parentage other than the maternal Flint side. I agree most noble houses mention the bloodlines passing from the paternal side. Unless it is the Baratheon's who had claim to the throne via their maternal grandmother, who was a Targ....

[The Sleeper]

It is not particularly odd, since she was mentioned in regard to Bran's ability in climbing.

[Brave Danny Flint]

It is not particularly odd, since she was mentioned in regard to Bran's ability in climbing.

You are absolutely right. Not odd at all. Just fun to speculate on the Stark's genealogy.

[alienarea]

If Eddard's mother had been a Stark it could be an explanation why all of Eddard's children have warging abilties.

I know it is far-fetched to apply real world genetics to a fantasy story bur if all Stark's have a genetic ability to warg the chances would increase by incest. It could also multiply (="super wargs"). And as a genetic ability it would skip one generation. Which would fit nicely if R+L = J is true.

[Ylva]

Rossifuss, welcome! I had the same question, too. I looked and looked. I am glad you asked. I can't imagine that GRRM simply left out the mother of Brandon, Eddard, Lyanna, and Benjen, especially in a book series with so many fascinating and important female characters.

Same here. This persistent not mentioning is a bit weird. And makes me think there's more to Ned's mother than would be good for the narrative atm.

Then again, it might be a red herring.

[Mumatil]

That's a weird thing to say, unless GRRM has never read the LOTR apendices, or simply is not such a hard-core fan to remember this stuff. It rather feels like avoiding the answer. If I recall correctly, Benjen was just a "pup" at Harrenhall, so I take it he was a couple of years younger than Ned, so even if Ned's mother died at childbirth, he would still have some memory of her. Although, I can't recall him remembering Lord Rickard at any moment, either.

Why not? Unless Osha herself has some relatives there, I cannot see why she chose to go just there.

I remember Master Lewin had a talk with Osha out of range of the children. Possibly he knows something about Skagos?

[TheSpottedCat]

I recall an interview or chatsession where there was a question about Ned's mother. If my brain isn't wightified (it's late where I live) he said that no one ever asked Tolkien about Aragorns mother :frown5:

Back in Tolkien's time there were no forums, chatsessions or conventions. And, strictly speaking, Tolkien gave us quite a bit of info on Gilraen (Aragorn's mom) -well, maybe not all that much, but certainly more than the info we get on Eddard's mother. But that's just the different style that the two writers have. Tolkien focused a lot on the backstory, the mythology, the accurate description of his world and wrote volumes on it. Martin only gives us glimpses of the backstory here and there, just enough where it is needed. Although, I'm curious about certain things myself, I think it's too much to ask the writer to fill in every detail the fans happen to be curious about, if he doesn't feel the need to do it. It's his story, after all.

[Ylva]

Just noticed something. Assumin the wiki is correct, it's Ned's grandmother who was of clan Flint (http://awoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/Eddard_Stark), there's no info about his mother at all. It's a bit like with Howland Reed. We know he's there and we know he probably knows what happened at the Tower of Joy, but there's nothing else. So there might be suprises in store for us.

Maybe we'll learn more about the grandmother in 'She-Wolves of Winterfell' (and maybe something about a match for Rickard)

[Dr. Pepper]

Here is a crackpot theory for you. The song Mance Raydar sings about a female Flint that dressed up a member of the Night's Watch and was raped and murdered. See this link to the asoiaf wiki page: http://awoiaf.wester...ave_Danny_Flint and http://awoiaf.wester...php/Danny_Flint

My theory is that Danny Flint could be Ned Stark's mother, my only reasoning being that the Stark women have a tendency to be tomboyish: think of Arya and Lyanna. It could stand to reason that Ned's mother had this trait and dressed as a man to see what the wall was like and met a gruesome end. It could also explain why she is never mentioned by anyone at Winterfell, the Stark men have too much honour and pride and something like this would bring shame to the Stark name. It could have also sparked a war between the Starks and the Nightswatch which no one would have wanted. So Danny Flint (aka Danny Stark) was buried and forgotten, except in song.

Far fetched I know.

Actually, this could possibly work. Manderly has Abel sing the Danny Flint song at Ramsay and Fake Arya's wedding. Could it be a "The North Remembers" type of request?

I think it might make more sense if Danny Flint was actually Ned's maternal grandmother. It sort of fits in with my theory that his maternal grandmother was a Flint yet his maternal grandfather was a wildling. Perhaps the wildling stole Lady Flint, returned her and she gave birth to Ned's mother. Then she goes to the wall hoping to either find the wildling or seek her revenge...or something. Obviously it goes terribly wrong for her. Her murder creates some pretty massive problems between the clans and the Watch. The Starks step in and to help establish peace and perhaps appease the Flints, Rickard is married to Danny Flint's daughter.

Maybe?