7 Starks = 7 Gods?

[Victarion Chainbreaker]

For christ's sake, you have nothing to add to the OP. You're trying to refute it by refusing to understand the common definition of 'family.'

When did Catelyn give birth to Benjen?

:bowdown:

[Game Of Thrones]

When did Catelyn give birth to Benjen?

I was being sarcastic about Benjen.

[gamegeknee]

Catelyn is not a Stark, she is a Tully.

Last I checked her name was Catelyn STARK.

Is your mom not a (insert last name here) because she wasn't born with that name?

[Game Of Thrones]

For christ's sake, you have nothing to add to the OP. You're trying to refute it by refusing to understand the common definition of 'family.'

:bowdown:

For the gazillionth time, generally in the Middle Ages extended family was family as much as your wife.

The modern nuclear family is a modern phenomenon and was rare in the Middle Ages. I'm not refusing to understand what 'family' means, you're being anachronistic.

And since when was criticizing a theory such an evil thing to do?

[I Am TheSongOf IceAndFire]

...always so much freaking hate and lashing out...

op, its not bad. i understand (i think) that you were trying to say the core of the Stark family (lets see how bad i get butchered for saying 'core') represents them. Jon has stated several times hes not a stark. even if he has lyannas blood. after all he was excluded from being show in public and a general shame to cat and sansa. and cat often lamented how she had become a stark by growing older in the north. so i see what youre saying, although i dont necessarily think its correct or will come into play. or maybe i missed the mark completely. either way, its a freaking fantasy story and people need to chill and respect other peoples rights to put their thoughts down in writing, without attacking on the basis that they know all and you know nothing.

[TheLastStark]

For the gazillionth time, generally in the Middle Ages extended family was family as much as your wife.

The modern nuclear family is a modern phenomenon and was rare in the Middle Ages. I'm not refusing to understand what 'family' means, you're being anachronistic.

And since when was criticizing a theory such an evil thing to do?

It's not and I understand your POV but you seem to be misunderstanding the OP, it's about Ned and his family(wife and true born children), not his extended family.

[TheLastStark]

For christ's sake, you have nothing to add to the OP. You're trying to refute it by refusing to understand the common definition of 'family.'

:bowdown:

Lol, I just felt like you were alone in defending this theory and getting ganged up on, I had to try and help

[Victarion Chainbreaker]

Lol, I just felt like you were alone in defending this theory and getting ganged up on, I had to try and help

Many thanks.

[Chebyshov]

Last I checked her name was Catelyn STARK.

Is your mom not a (insert last name here) because she wasn't born with that name?

You may want to check again. When two high houses marry, it is tradition for the woman to keep her maiden name. It's not Cersei Baratheon. The show does it differently though, so I certainly understand the point of confusion.

I've seen a few posts like this (I guess we'll just have to assume that Rickon will be buildery eventually, because we know little of his nature), and I think the parallels have some merit. Though I'm wondering what the stickiness of this theory is; that is, how will it affect anything, or what will it mean? We also know of the Stark children's connection with the Old Gods and their warging, so is this suggesting something broader about religions in Westeros?

[Mikkel]

Let's try and get back on track, so if we could step away from the definition of just who qualifies as a Stark or not, and for the sake of argument ignore the exclusion of Jon (relevant though it might be), we're still left with

1) Bran is a young boy, not an old woman

2) Rickon isn't a builder, or at least hasn't shown anything like that. If anything he has shown destructive/aggressive tendencies so far, lacking though his personality is. Which is unsurprising given his age, and what must be full-on post-traumatic stress following his mother abandoning him*, and being chased from his home.

3) Catelyn is a vengeful-undead-zombie-kinda-thing, whose purpose in (un)life seems to be destroying those who harmed her and her family - it doesn't seem to fit the definition of "the Mother" laid out in the OP very well.

*from his perspective

[Bloodrobin]

Catelyn is not a Stark, she is a Tully.

Jon Snow is the Mother. It is known.

[Cold Crashing Waves]

Bran is the Crone because the Crone represents wisdom. I shouldn't have to elaborate on that one. Stop clinging to the old lady/little boy shit. That's missing the point.

Rickon is the Smith because (presumably) he will be one of the key players to rebuild the Starks.

Catelyn is the Mother because...

fuck it.

[Mikkel]

Bran is the Crone because the Crone represents wisdom. I shouldn't have to elaborate on that one. Stop clinging to the old lady/little boy shit. That's missing the point.

Rickon is the Smith because (presumably) he will be one of the key players to rebuild the Starks.

Catelyn is the Mother because...

fuck it.

Eloquent. Equating other people's opinion to shit is a very good way to promote discussion in a reasonable tone, too.

Yes, the crone represents wisdom, which may be something Bran acquires eventually (he's certainly well on his way), but for the moment he's still (mostly) a boy who wanted to be a knight.

Rickon is the smith because... that's the vacant spot? He may turn out to be the one to "rebuild the Starks" sure, but there's zero evidence that he's about to do this, he's a 5-year old boy and it seems a little presumptuous to assign him that role just yet. At best a prologue of some sort could tell of him doing this, but it's not likely to happen in-story.

[Bloodrobin]

You may want to check again. When two high houses marry, it is tradition for the woman to keep her maiden name. It's not Cersei Baratheon. The show does it differently though, so I certainly understand the point of confusion.

I agree with the point you are making, but it is probably worth pointing out that a search of the books for the phrase "Catelyn Stark" returned 77 hits. So the books aren't entirely consistent on the "tradition for the woman to keep her maiden name" thing. There were seven hits for "Catelyn Tully" including, interestingly, two hits for "Catelyn Tully Stark."

To the OP, it's an interesting observation but is more likely the result of apophenia than any intent by the author.

[Sword of the Morgan]

Never thought of this. Pretty interesting.

[gamegeknee]

I agree with the point you are making, but it is probably worth pointing out that a search of the books for the phrase "Catelyn Stark" returned 77 hits. So the books aren't entirely consistent on the "tradition for the woman to keep her maiden name" thing. There were seven hits for "Catelyn Tully" including, interestingly, two hits for "Catelyn Tully Stark."

To the OP, it's an interesting observation but is more likely the result of apophenia than any intent by the author.

This only holds true with the current ruling family. You cannot marry into a noble house. Hence why Cersei is still Lannister.

But otherwise, yes it's very inconsistent.

In other cases it appears the woman has the choice of taking her husbands name or retaining her family name. Catelyn and Lysa for example take the Stark and Arryn names respectively.

But in many other cases woman do not. Olenna Redwyne, Alannys Harlaw, Roslin Frey (?),

So I'm not really sure what dictates that, I'm guessing it's just a choice.

[Chebyshov]

On the topic of naming inconsistencies, found this from a past thread (quotes an SSM).

[TheLastStark]

Let's try and get back on track, so if we could step away from the definition of just who qualifies as a Stark or not, and for the sake of argument ignore the exclusion of Jon (relevant though it might be), we're still left with

1) Bran is a young boy, not an old woman

2) Rickon isn't a builder, or at least hasn't shown anything like that. If anything he has shown destructive/aggressive tendencies so far, lacking though his personality is. Which is unsurprising given his age, and what must be full-on post-traumatic stress following his mother abandoning him*, and being chased from his home.

3) Catelyn is a vengeful-undead-zombie-kinda-thing, whose purpose in (un)life seems to be destroying those who harmed her and her family - it doesn't seem to fit the definition of "the Mother" laid out in the OP very well.

*from his perspective

First off IIRC in the book(Catelyn's POV) it's said the the seven faces represent the seven aspects of ONE god.

So if that is correct then....

1)Crone represents wisdom, which Bran would now have being tapped into the wierwood network

2)Not enough known to either prove or disprove Rickon

3)Yes, but I think he means before she died and came back, and even then we don't know what will happen with her, she might change after getting her revenge.

[Janicia]

The Starks almost fit, but not quite. Bran is like the crone in some ways, but he's not a perfect fit. Who knows what Rickon will get up to - he could come to seem more like the Stranger or the Warrior than the Builder. Sansa may become a Mother and a Builder. Gentle isn't a particularly good descriptor of Catelyn. Ned was probably more of a Warrior than Robb ever got to be. Arya may become more of a Warrior than a Stranger, and heck, maybe she ends up becoming a crone.

By comparison, Tywin is a pretty good fit for Father (he's heavier on the judging and lighter on the loving, but he is very much defined as the father of the family), Joanna was a good fit for Mother, Jaime for Warrior, and Tyrion could fit Stranger (in Tywin's eyes) or Smith (in Tyrion's eyes). Young Cersei kinda fits Maiden (beautiful girl, fairy tale dreams, marries a prince). Take a big family, you can make most of the roles fit somebody.

[Faint]

An old and widely held theory. I always thought the whole thing quite obvious but have never thought it held any particular significance apart from being a clever little Easter egg.