Which is your favourite Westerosi House and why?

[Light a wight tonight]

“Bear Island knows no king but the King in the North, whose name is STARK.” No more needs to be said.

[Canon Claude]

On 2018-04-02 at 3:10 PM, LindsayLohan said:

While I'm not a fan of any family Targ-related, I will say this is a fantastic and persuasive post.

Thank you!

[Stuart Littlefinger]

Another one for house Dayne

Also fascinated by the Tolands 

 

 

 

[Rhae_Valarie]

I can never choose. House Stark is up there. Book Winterfell is far superior to what we see on screen, I love the Weirwoods, direwolves, wildlings, giants and other parts of Northern life. Northern politics is one of the most interesting parts of the series right now and overall I like the way that Northern culture is portrayed. But...

Dany is my favorite character. I love her story line, her travels throughout the East, the cultures she sees, her fire. House Targaryen under Dany would for sure be my favorite, but unfortunately the Targaryens of the past have often been strange and dark. Dany wouldn't be the same character if she had grown up in a House Targaryen that hadn't been decimated. (The women of the house haven't exactly been treated well since Rhaenyra lost). And I HATE King's Landing, while Dragonstone would have been grim without any dragons.

And then there are the Houses that we haven't gotten to know as well as the Starks and Targs, but who have the potential to be just as cool. The Daynes, as others have pointed out, have an awesome seat, history, and appearance. Dawn is cool too. And I really love the Eyrie and House Arryn's sigil, so they would be up there too. Maybe after seeing more about Vale in Winds, I'll know how I feel about them. But I've often thought that if I had to live in Westeros, the Eyrie might be one of the safest places, though Highgarden would probably be the most pleasant.

 

Maybe it's easier to pick my least favorite houses, lol (Greyjoy, Baratheon, Hightower, Lannister) But to answer the actual question, I'm going to tentatively go with House Stark for now.

[goldenmaps]

42 minutes ago, Rhae_Valarie said:

I can never choose. House Stark is up there. Book Winterfell is far superior to what we see on screen, I love the Weirwoods, direwolves, wildlings, giants and other parts of Northern life. Northern politics is one of the most interesting parts of the series right now and overall I like the way that Northern culture is portrayed. But...

Dany is my favorite character. I love her story line, her travels throughout the East, the cultures she sees, her fire. House Targaryen under Dany would for sure be my favorite, but unfortunately the Targaryens of the past have often been strange and dark. Dany wouldn't be the same character if she had grown up in a House Targaryen that hadn't been decimated. (The women of the house haven't exactly been treated well since Rhaenyra lost). And I HATE King's Landing, while Dragonstone would have been grim without any dragons.

And then there are the Houses that we haven't gotten to know as well as the Starks and Targs, but who have the potential to be just as cool. The Daynes, as others have pointed out, have an awesome seat, history, and appearance. Dawn is cool too. And I really love the Eyrie and House Arryn's sigil, so they would be up there too. Maybe after seeing more about Vale in Winds, I'll know how I feel about them. But I've often thought that if I had to live in Westeros, the Eyrie might be one of the safest places, though Highgarden would probably be the most pleasant.

 

Maybe it's easier to pick my least favorite houses, lol (Greyjoy, Baratheon, Hightower, Lannister) But to answer the actual question, I'm going to tentatively go with House Stark for now.

Just curious why do you not like House Hightower.  I can see why you don't like the houses you mentioned except the children of house Baratheon seem ok.  (Like shireen, mya, gendry and edric) Same with mycella and tommen of house lannister.

[TPTWP Timett]

Lannister and Tollett.

"There's days I want the rats back."

[Rhae_Valarie]

On 4/8/2018 at 9:40 PM, goldenmaps said:

Just curious why do you not like House Hightower.  I can see why you don't like the houses you mentioned except the children of house Baratheon seem ok.  (Like shireen, mya, gendry and edric) Same with mycella and tommen of house lannister.

I don't dislike them the way I would dislike, say House Bolton or Frey. They are objectively a very interesting house, but I have mixed feelings about them. For instance, I'm a pretty big Rhaenyra fan so I dislike the role that House Hightower played in the Dance and I dislike Queen Alicent as a person (though she's a fabulous character). In addition, of all the religions in the series, the Seven is my least favorite and House Hightower is very entrenched within that institution. I am also slightly resentful of the Citadel's exclusion of women, which keeps me from being as excited about their connection to the Citadel as others seem to be. Take all those things together and House Hightower seems to help perpetuate the patriarchy of Westeros and my favorite characters tend to be those that challenge it (Brienne, Dany, Arya, etc.) Regardless, they are fascinating enough that I would like to see more of them.

I do like Shireen, Mya, Gendry and Edric but I don't particularly like the overall personality of House Baratheon. When you look at the major Baratheon lords throughout the ages (for instance, Robert, Stannis, Renly, Orys) they tend to be immersed in violence and are very morally grey. Orys for instance, behaved quite gallantly toward Argella Durrandon, but died consumed by vengeance in a disgusting manner. This makes it hard for me to really like and root for him, but also hard to dismiss him as well. Robert strikes me in a similar way. I don't like him the way I like other characters in the series and I never really rooted for him, but he had enough redeeming characteristics that it's difficult for me to dislike or discount him either. Same with House Lannister. I love so many Lannister characters and think their plot lines are some of the best of the series, but I don't find the "personality" of the House very likable, at least as we have seen it under Tywin during the events of the series. I do think this could change though, if we get to see a pre-Tywin House Lannister in the Dunk and Egg novellas. 

 

So yeah, I don't dislike those Houses, they're just not in the running to be my favorites. The only two Houses that I truly dislike are Bolton and Frey. Greyjoy is on the fence between being truly disliked or simply not a favorite. They have a fascinating culture and religion and Asha is a compelling POV character, but they're also violent, primitive and have produced some true monsters. So I'm still deciding how I feel on that front.

 

Also, one of my favorite more obscure houses is House Farwynd of the Lonely Light. I would LOVE to see more about them, especially if it leads to the discovery of lands west of Westeros  

[goldenmaps]

24 minutes ago, Rhae_Valarie said:

I don't dislike them the way I would dislike, say House Bolton or Frey. They are objectively a very interesting house, but I have mixed feelings about them. For instance, I'm a pretty big Rhaenyra fan so I dislike the role that House Hightower played in the Dance and I dislike Queen Alicent as a person (though she's a fabulous character). In addition, of all the religions in the series, the Seven is my least favorite and House Hightower is very entrenched within that institution. I am also slightly resentful of the Citadel's exclusion of women, which keeps me from being as excited about their connection to the Citadel as others seem to be. Take all those things together and House Hightower seems to help perpetuate the patriarchy of Westeros and my favorite characters tend to be those that challenge it (Brienne, Dany, Arya, etc.) Regardless, they are fascinating enough that I would like to see more of them.

I do like Shireen, Mya, Gendry and Edric but I don't particularly like the overall personality of House Baratheon. When you look at the major Baratheon lords throughout the ages (for instance, Robert, Stannis, Renly, Orys) they tend to be immersed in violence and are very morally grey. Orys for instance, behaved quite gallantly toward Argella Durrandon, but died consumed by vengeance in a disgusting manner. This makes it hard for me to really like and root for him, but also hard to dismiss him as well. Robert strikes me in a similar way. I don't like him the way I like other characters in the series and I never really rooted for him, but he had enough redeeming characteristics that it's difficult for me to dislike or discount him either. Same with House Lannister. I love so many Lannister characters and think their plot lines are some of the best of the series, but I don't find the "personality" of the House very likable, at least as we have seen it under Tywin during the events of the series. I do think this could change though, if we get to see a pre-Tywin House Lannister in the Dunk and Egg novellas. 

 

So yeah, I don't dislike those Houses, they're just not in the running to be my favorites. The only two Houses that I truly dislike are Bolton and Frey. Greyjoy is on the fence between being truly disliked or simply not a favorite. They have a fascinating culture and religion and Asha is a compelling POV character, but they're also violent, primitive and have produced some true monsters. So I'm still deciding how I feel on that front.

Thanks for elaborating.  You have many valid points on why some houses aren't your favorite. Thanks for your insights.

And I do like the Baratheon kids.  But, they are outsiders (in society and their house)  Shireen because of her grey scale and her cousins because they are bastards.  I think they will each come out better for it.  The Baratheon Bros are are a dysfunctional lot.  They don't seem to value family unity.  I can remember cat being exasperated when she met Renly and stannis and how happy Cersei was when she found out they were fighting each other.  

I also don't like the Bolton and the freys.  Hope karma bites them in the behind.  

[Frey Kings]

Frey Lannister Bolton

Blackwood Bracken Blackfyre

House Stannis

 

 

Sweet Robin for the Iron Throne 2020

[Frey Kings]

7 hours ago, goldenmaps said:

 

I also don't like the Bolton and the freys.  Hope karma bites them in the behind.  

The deserved it for all their crimes against the Northern Kings for the past 8000 years 

 

And for not bending the knee for Stannis

[Shi Qiang]

On 1/3/2018 at 11:11 AM, Tour De Force said:

I love House Targayen because it is the house of Daenerys.  They're beautiful, fascinating, smart, and have noble lineage dating back to the Freehold of Valyria.  And they ride dragons.

I choose the Targaryens.  Basically for the same reasons.  Plus, they are the first family of Song of Ice and Fire.  This long saga is about them.  

[Scorpion92]

Starks, Lannisters and probably Daynes of Starfall. And some individual characters, but not their houses though, like Baelish, Stannis, Roose, etc.

[Lady Jowana]

I've always respected the Arryns and how secluded they are from the rest of Westeros. Their seat is unique and you never hear trouble from them, and their words are very poetic.

[Rhae_Valarie]

15 hours ago, goldenmaps said:

Thanks for elaborating.  You have many valid points on why some houses aren't your favorite. Thanks for your insights.

And I do like the Baratheon kids.  But, they are outsiders (in society and their house)  Shireen because of her grey scale and her cousins because they are bastards.  I think they will each come out better for it.  The Baratheon Bros are are a dysfunctional lot.  They don't seem to value family unity.  I can remember cat being exasperated when she met Renly and stannis and how happy Cersei was when she found out they were fighting each other.  

I also don't like the Bolton and the freys.  Hope karma bites them in the behind.  

No problem! And excellent points about the Baratheon kids being outsiders. It's almost as if they are who they are in spite of their house, rather than because of it. Dany strikes me in a similar way. As I said earlier, I find it impossible that she would be who she is today if she had grown up in House Targaryen. She represents the best parts of House Targaryen, but that's only half of their legacy as a dynasty, and the other half must be taken into consideration as well.

[goldenmaps]

3 hours ago, Lady Jowana said:

I've always respected the Arryns and how secluded they are from the rest of Westeros. Their seat is unique and you never hear trouble from them, and their words are very poetic.

I would like to hear more about Jon Arryn.  I hope we learn more. 

 

4 minutes ago, Rhae_Valarie said:

No problem! And excellent points about the Baratheon kids being outsiders. It's almost as if they are who they are in spite of their house, rather than because of it. Dany strikes me in a similar way. As I said earlier, I find it impossible that she would be who she is today if she had grown up in House Targaryen. She represents the best parts of House Targaryen, but that's only half of their legacy as a dynasty, and the other half must be taken into consideration as well.

You make a good point about Dany.  I like her because of her struggles and her overcoming these struggles.