There has only ever been one Bolton.

[Lion of the West]

I think the Boltons are more about mocking the Starks and their supposed warging than trying to copy it.

[Doorlocks]

I remember reading somewhere about a crackpot theory that Roose Bolton is the only Bolton ever to exist. The Boltons are said to wear the skins of their enemies so is it possible that Roose possessed the knowledge of the Faceless men and has been changing his skin through the ages. I also think it's strange that we've never seen a Bolton family tree.

Does anyone have a link to this theory?I would love to read it again. Maybe Roose is a vampire who knows.

I don't know if this is the specific one you were thinking of, but here's a similar one

A post from Reddit offers a more textual based argument for Roose to be older than he appears (but not necessarily immortal):

GRRM hints a couple of times that Roose is well passed 'well passed 40'. For instance, the younger sister of Roose's second wife is Barbrey Dustin. She is described by the wiki "Barbrey Dustin has wrinkles around her mouth and eyes, but she is still tall, unbent and handsome. Her hair is equal parts brown and grey, wearing it tied behind her head in a widow's knot". She is greying and wrinkled, and younger than Roose's second wife. Pretty weird, Dustin sounds like she is well passed forty.

Another example: Domeric Bolton is described as being able to outrace Lyanna Stark on horseback. That would mean that Domeric would have had to have been old enough to ride a full size steed when Lyanna was still alive. Lyanna dies 14 years before the novels begin. So the son Roose had with his second wife would have been maybe a few years younger than Ned Stark.

Final example: Roose has a namesake, Roose Ryswell. Roose Ryswell is a brother of Barbrey Dustin. Younger, older, we don't know. For someone to be named after someone else, the original Roose must have been a man of some note at the time of Roose Ryswell's birth (maybe ~40 years ago?)

This all suggests to me that Roose is very possibly 60+ years of age, and yet bears almost no signs of his years. I think this potentially lends significant weight to the theory that prunes and regular leechings do wonders for a person's complexion and personal well being.

I don't know if it was in the discussion of one of these theories or a separate theory, but I remember reading an interesting idea wherein "Roose" was staying alive by jumping into the body of his son every generation (and that's why he keeps Ramsay alive and has no interest in an infant heir).

[Berric_Dondiedagain]

I have read the same theory and I do not know where it was either-

There is definitely something fishy going on with his ancestry-

They are the second or third largest (prestige) family in the North and we know more about lesser houses ancestry than we do about older Boltons-

Taking into account GRRM's excessive ancestry and heraldry leanings, I feel it is intentional that we don't know these names- thus hiding something....fishy

[Lion of the West]

I have read the same theory and I do not know where it was either-

There is definitely something fishy going on with his ancestry-

They are the second or third largest (prestige) family in the North and we know more about lesser houses ancestry than we do about older Boltons-

Taking into account GRRM's excessive ancestry and heraldry leanings, I feel it is intentional that we don't know these names- thus hiding something....fishy

If the Boltons turns out to be some supernatural freak show I would say Asoiaf is taking steps away from the reason I was drawn to the series from the start.

[butterbumps!]

I don't think there's only ever been one Bolton, but it's a little bizarre that there's so much backlash against the idea that the Boltons might have something to do with magic. We already know the Starks do (and Targs/ Valyrians/ Bloodraven/ Undying/ Asshai/ Faceless/ R'hllor people, and so on). I don't see why the idea is so bizarre.

Whether this points to something literal or more symbolic, the Boltons are definitely portrayed in a way that's highly questionable. Like, there's a lot of similarities between some of the Bolton "mating practices" and the stories Old Nan tells of the Others, as an example. There's been a dearth of female Boltons mentioned, which is curious. There's a glut of Roose's dead sons in the Dreadfort. They use human skeletons as candelabras. There's the whole "ice-eyes" thing. (there's more that I'm not listing, so this isn't a comprehensive list of oddities by any means). They could just be really weird, but there's a lot in the text that draws at least symbolic parallels between the Boltons and ice, if not just the occult more generally.

[Equilibrium]

No one got Star Wars reference... Really people, and I thought to freshen this another-something-is-supernatural-even-though-it-isn't-thread... I am disappointed :D

[BRANDON GREYSTARK]

Eddard has the same type of eyes grey ice that harden or soften depending on his mood .

[Lady Blizzardborn]

No one got Star Wars reference... Really people, and I thought to freshen this another-something-is-supernatural-even-though-it-isn't-thread... I am disappointed :D

I got the reference. Thought it was clever, but I didn't really have anything to add to the thread so I didn't comment. Actually I still don't have anything to add.

[vox umbrarum]

Reminds me of Alexander from Amnesia: The Dark Descent

In court, the order of the Black Eagle spew their politics at each other while I sit quietly in place, willfully forgotten. Once in a while someone will notice me and lose themselves in a silent cower before regaining their senses.

They all know I am the one and same Alexander who helped their fathers and grandfathers to found this great Order. I've seen them take their fathers' places, and they too will grow old and pass away. While I remain the same, aged not by time, but by anguish.

I don't think I would like that in the world of Ice and Fire though. Yet there is something about this Roose Bolton that's not quite right, I'll grant you.

[butterbumps!]

Eddard has the same type of eyes grey ice that harden or soften depending on his mood .

Not really. I don't want to argue for the "there's only been one Bolton ever" position, but Ned's eye color was never described as the "colorless, dirty chips of ice" Roose and Rams' are. They have the lightest eyes it seems. There's some mention of a "Brandon Ice-Eyes Stark" in the time of the Wolf's Den, and Ilyn Payne has fairly light grey eyes, but so far it seems the almost white/ extremely light grey of the Boltons is unique.

[The Marquis de Leech]

So no, if he was described as "young Domeric" when he died around 297ish he'd have to have been born when Lyanna was already a teenager.

He'd be young relative to the only other living Bolton (Roose).

[Game Of Thrones]

Well, no.

There are two right now and there used to be three.

[The Marquis de Leech]

Well, no.

There are two right now and there used to be three.

At the time, Ramsay was merely a Snow. There were two Boltons (Roose and Domeric) then one (Roose) then two again (Roose and Ramsay).

[JonCon's Red Beard]

My only problem with this is how does he hide the fact that he doesn't have a wife or kids? Or get old? Does he disappear and later appears saying "I'm my father's son"?

[TheLionOfTheRock]

Wouldn't other lords get suspicious? I mean for that to work, he'd have to take someone else's face right? So he wouldn't need an heir, unless of course he took their face but still, I think people would wonder when the former lord of the Dreadfort went. Also, he talks about the problem of what will happen after his death with Reek, why would the problem of child heirs concern him if he could just take Ramsays' face and rule through him until fat walda's sons are of an age. I think not having a family tree is not a good reason to suspect he is freaky immortal asshole, as other houses have the same problem, maybe Randyll Tarly is a skinchanger too and he got rid of Sam because he didn't want to take on the form of fat weakling who was afraid of his own shadow??!!??

[JasonJD]

If the Boltons turns out to be some supernatural freak show I would say Asoiaf is taking steps away from the reason I was drawn to the series from the start.

For the Dragons, Others and Shadowbabies!

No one got Star Wars reference... Really people, and I thought to freshen this another-something-is-supernatural-even-though-it-isn't-thread... I am disappointed :D

I got it, I just hadn't read this thread till now.

[Lion of the West]

I don't think there's only ever been one Bolton, but it's a little bizarre that there's so much backlash against the idea that the Boltons might have something to do with magic. We already know the Starks do (and Targs/ Valyrians/ Bloodraven/ Undying/ Asshai/ Faceless/ R'hllor people, and so on). I don't see why the idea is so bizarre.

Whether this points to something literal or more symbolic, the Boltons are definitely portrayed in a way that's highly questionable. Like, there's a lot of similarities between some of the Bolton "mating practices" and the stories Old Nan tells of the Others, as an example. There's been a dearth of female Boltons mentioned, which is curious. There's a glut of Roose's dead sons in the Dreadfort. They use human skeletons as candelabras. There's the whole "ice-eyes" thing. (there's more that I'm not listing, so this isn't a comprehensive list of oddities by any means). They could just be really weird, but there's a lot in the text that draws at least symbolic parallels between the Boltons and ice, if not just the occult more generally.

I should probably specify that if there's been but only Lord Bolton throughout history, then I will revolt against that. Not if they have some magical connection at all.

For the Dragons, Others and Shadowbabies!

With the exceptions of the dragons, I think the series could absolutely do without both Others and Shadowbabies without losing very much.

[LordStoneheart]

Or maybe Roose just looks young for his age.

this.

The Bolton line being magic somehow is a definitely possibility but this is a tenant of that theory that I just can't get behind.

[Snarky]

Is it possible that Roose took Robb Stark's body after the RW to hold onto and use in his skin changing? He could want his flayed skin to slip into and declare that Robb is not dead after all, taking control of House Stark and ruling.

[Lord Martin]

Just a bit on the age of Domeric. From the Harvest Feast in ACOK

"Few do," she replied. "He lived with his mother until two years past, when young Domeric died and left Bolton without an heir. That was when he brought his bastard to the Dreadfort. The boy is a sly creature by all accounts, and he has a servant who is almost as cruel as he is. Reek, they call the man. It's said he never bathes. They hunt together, the Bastard and this Reek, and not for deer. I've heard tales, things I can scarce believe, even of a Bolton. And now that my lord husband and my sweet son have gone to the gods, the Bastard looks at my lands hungrily."

So if Domeric died 2 years before the harvest feast, that means he died roughly 1 year before the start of AGOT.

We also know that when he died, he was a "man grown." From Roose in ADWD:

Domeric had enjoyed the company of Redfort’s sons. He wanted a brother by his side, so he rode up theWeeping Water to seek my bastard out. I forbade it, but Domeric was a man grown and thought that he knew better than his father. Now his bones lie beneath the Dreadfort with the bones of his brothers, who died still in the cradle, and I am left with Ramsay.

I would think he's 16-17 at the oldest making him a bit older than Ned's kids, but younger than even Theon. So I put Roose around 40 considering he was first married to a an unknown wife, then Bethany Ryswell and now Walda Frey.

Roose had to be old enough to have fought at the Trident as we know he advised Robert to kill Baristan the Bold. So if he's 40ish, he would have been about 25 at the time of the Trident which could fit.

I freely admit older ages are possible and some younger ones too.. but I'd be guessing early 40s...