How did the south historically view house stark?

[fatmike705]

Read something on here the other day along the lines that the southern houses saw the starks as mysterious or strange... Can anyone expand of at least tell me if it's bogus or not ?

[Free Northman]

I would agree with this. But add "awesome" into the description.

Prior to the arrival of the Targaryens, the Seven Kingdoms were a patchwork of constantly warring kingdoms. The Stormlands grew up to the Neck at one stage, before shrinking again when Harren the Black conquered the Riverlands.

The Ironborn captured the Riverlands at one stage, but at other times ruled only the Iron Islands.

The Reach was no doubt often under attack as well - given it's indefensible borders and fertile lands ripe for the picking. And the Westerlands too.

The point is, most of the Kingdoms grew and shrank depending on their current fortunes. Except the massive, mysterious, monolithic North, which threw back every army at Moat Cailin and preserved their First Man heritage for 8,000 years while the other kingdoms all fell to the Andals.

The Starks were the ancient, forbidding Kings of Winter, with proverbial Ice in their veins, ruling their own vast kingdom with little regard for the rest of Westeros.

Terrible enemies to have, if they could be roused enough to turn their northward looking gaze to the south briefly.

That's the way I envisage it anyway.