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Robb Stark
Catelyn is Ned’s husband and Robb, Sansa, Arya, Bran, and Rickon’s mother. She was also engaged to Brandon Stark before Brandon died. Catelyn is portrayed as fiercely protective of her children. After Bran’s fall, Catelyn sits vigil at his bedside and hardly sleeps for weeks on end. When someone tries to kill Bran, she undertakes a risky journey to King’s Landing to investigate the assassination attempt. She is also portrayed as courageous and self-possessed, as she makes a speech in the inn to ensure allies of her father will support her and arrest Tyrion. Like Ned, she is perhaps too trusting, as she bases her arrest of Tyrion on little more than Littlefinger’s word that the dagger used in the attempted assassination of Bran was most recently in Tyrion’s possession. Like Cersei and Daenerys, Catelyn’s character shows the limitations of women’s power within a strictly patriarchal society. While Ned and Robb value her opinions when they are in command, Catelyn does not have the same power they do. For example, at the end of the novel, Catelyn pushes for peace to try and ensure that her children can grow up free from violence—but nobody takes her suggestion seriously. When faced with this lack of power, unlike Cersei and Daenerys, Catelyn does not seize power for herself.
Catelyn Stark Quotes in A Game of Thrones
The A Game of Thrones quotes below are all either spoken by Catelyn Stark or refer to Catelyn Stark. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 2: Catelyn Quotes
“Ben writes that the strength of the Night’s Watch is down below a thousand. It’s not only desertions. They are losing men on rangings as well.”
“Is it the wildlings?” [Catelyn] asked.
“Who else?” Ned lifted Ice, looked down the cool steel length of it. “And it will only grow worse. The day may come when I will have no choice but to call the banners and ride north to deal with this King-beyond-the-Wall for good and all.”
“Beyond the Wall?” The thought made Catelyn shudder.
Ned saw the dread on her face. “Mance Rayder is nothing for us to fear.”
“There are darker things beyond the Wall.” She glanced behind her at the heart tree, the pale bark and red eyes, watching, listening, thinking its long slow thoughts.
His smile was gentle. “You listen to too many of Old Nan’s stories. The Others are as dead as the children of the forest, gone eight thousand years. Maester Luwin will tell you they never lived at all. No living man has ever seen one.”
“Until this morning, no living man had ever seen a direwolf either,” Catelyn reminded him.
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Chapter 5: Jon Quotes
“Never forget what you are, for surely the world will not. Make it your strength. Then it can never be your weakness. Armor yourself in it, and it will never be used to hurt you.”
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Chapter 20: Eddard Quotes
Remember why I came here, my love. If I find proof that the Lannisters murdered Jon Arryn …”
He felt Catelyn tremble in his arms. Her scarred hands clung to him. “If,” she said, “what then, my love?”
That was the most dangerous part, Ned knew. “All justice flows from the king,” he told her. “When I know the truth, I must go to Robert.” And pray that he is the man I think he is, he finished silently, and not the man I fear he has become.
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Chapter 22: Arya Quotes
“Your mother and I have charged [Septa Mordane] with the impossible task of making you a lady.”
“I don’t want to be a lady!” Arya flared.
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Chapter 26: Jon Quotes
Fat and awkward and frightened he might be, but Samwell Tarly was no fool. One night he visited Jon in his cell. “I don’t know what you did,” he said, “but I know you did it.” He looked away shyly. “I’ve never had a friend before.”
“We’re not friends,” Jon said. He put a hand on Sam’s broad shoulder. “We’re brothers.”
And so they were, he thought to himself after Sam had taken his leave. Robb and Bran and Rickon were his father’s sons, and he loved them still, yet Jon knew that he had never truly been one of them. Catelyn Stark had seen to that. The grey walls of Winterfell might still haunt his dreams, but Castle Black was his life now, and his brothers were Sam and Grenn and Halder and Pyp and the other cast-outs who wore the black of the Night’s Watch.
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Catelyn Stark Character Timeline in A Game of Thrones
The timeline below shows where the character Catelyn Stark appears in A Game of Thrones. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 2: Catelyn
Catelyn, Ned’s wife, was born a Tully. As such, she was raised at Riverrun in the...
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...100 knights along with his wife, Queen Cersei. Ned is happy to hear that until Catelyn tells him that Cersei’s brothers will also be coming. Ned has disliked the Lannisters (Cersei’s...
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...men on rangings (expeditions past the Wall). Ned says wildlings must be killing those men. Catelyn says it might be the Others. Ned says that Catelyn has been listening to too...
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Chapter 4: Eddard
...Rickard’s firstborn son, which made him the family’s true heir. He had been engaged to Catelyn before the Mad King Aerys II Targaryen ordered him to die. Ned hasn’t seen Robert...
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Robert tells Ned that Jon Arryn’s death seems to have driven his wife Lysa (Catelyn’s sister) mad. She has taken her son, Robert Arryn—Robert Baratheon’s namesake—to the Eyrie. Robert tells...
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Chapter 5: Jon
...asks why he’s not eating with the family, as he usually does. Jon says that Catelyn thought it might offend the king and queen if they were joined by a “bastard.”...
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Chapter 6: Catelyn
In their bedroom, Catelyn and Ned discuss whether Ned should accept Robert’s to become the Hand of the King....
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Catelyn says the message is from her sister, Lysa. It’s written in a private language that...
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Catelyn and Ned begin to plan what will happen when Ned accepts the offer. Sansa, Arya,...
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Chapter 7: Arya
...walking away. When Arya returns to her room, she finds Septa Mordane and her mother, Catelyn, waiting for her.
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Chapter 8: Bran
...it. The woman wonders if Ned accepting the offer means that he’s onto them. Perhaps Catelyn’s sister, Lysa, sent Ned and Catelyn a message, she says. The man tells the woman...
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Chapter 10: Jon
...been a fortnight since Bran entered his coma. Jon hasn’t been to see him because Catelyn is always at Bran’s bedside, and Jon doesn’t want to upset her. But he knows...
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Chapter 12: Eddard
...and Ned has no power to change his mind. His place, Ned thinks, is with Catelyn in Winterfell.
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Chapter 14: Catelyn
Catelyn hasn’t slept for weeks and has kept an almost constant vigil at Bran’s bedside. Maester...
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As Robb sits with Catelyn, Bran’s wolf howls. The other wolves join him, and they’re then joined by dogs too....
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Afterward, Catelyn talks with Robb, Theon, and Ser Rodrik about what happened. No one knows who the...
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The others express their disbelief, and Catelyn swears them to secrecy before telling them about Lysa’s message, which claimed that the Lannisters...
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Chapter 18: Catelyn
Catelyn and Ser Rodrik are about a half hour away from King’s Landing. They’re approaching by...
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At the inn, after Ser Rodrik has left for the Red Keep, Catelyn falls asleep for longer than she intended. She’s awakened by a knock at the door....
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Catelyn grew up with Littlefinger. He had been her father’s ward, and Catelyn thought of him...
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When Catelyn reaches Littlefinger’s room, he tells her that Lord Varys, the master of whisperers, told him...
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Chapter 20: Eddard
After Ned leaves the council, Littlefinger escorts him to a brothel and says that Catelyn is inside. Ned thinks that Littlefinger is insulting Catelyn and is furious. But Ser Rodrik...
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Chapter 28: Catelyn
Catelyn and Ser Rodrik are making their way back to Winterfell when it begins to rain....
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While Catelyn and Ser Rodrik are eating dinner, Tyrion walks into the inn accompanied by three members...
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Chapter 31: Tyrion
After Catelyn arrests Tyrion at the inn, they set out along the road. In the inn, Catelyn...
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As they pass the mountains, a mountain clan attacks them. They battle, and Catelyn agrees to let Tyrion have a weapon to defend himself. Eventually, they defeat the mountain...
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Chapter 33: Eddard
...to him and his family if he stays, especially considering what Yoren told him about Catelyn arresting Tyrion. Since Robert is already angry with him, Ned is afraid that Tyrion’s arrest...
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Chapter 34: Catelyn
Catelyn and those she is with finally reach the Vale on their way to the Eyrie,...
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Catelyn, Brynden, and the others stop for the night before the last stretch of the climb...
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The climb to the Eyrie is treacherous. Catelyn thinks on multiple occasions that she’s not going to make it, and Mya has to...
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Chapter 35: Eddard
...his sword. Littlefinger is taken aback and can’t believe what’s happening. Jaime asks Ned why Catelyn took Tyrion as her prisoner. Ned says Tyrion needs to answer for crimes against Bran...
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Chapter 38: Tyrion
...lone voice emerges. It’s a soldier for hire named Bronn, who has been traveling with Catelyn’s group. He says he’ll fight for Tyrion.
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Chapter 39: Eddard
...like the fighting that happened between Jaime and Ned. Cersei chimes in to say that Catelyn had no right to lay hands on Tyrion and take him as her prisoner. Jaime...
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Chapter 40: Catelyn
Catelyn wakes up on the morning of Tyrion’s trial intent on speaking with her sister Lysa....
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When Catelyn speaks to Lysa, Lysa refuses to call off the trial. She is convinced that her...
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...Bronn’s strategy appears to be to dodge Vardis’s attacks until Vardis is worn out. As Catelyn watches, she remembers when Littlefinger fought Brandon after her father said she would marry Brandon....
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Chapter 43: Eddard
...the people say no. Ned thinks that Tywin Lannister is attacking various parts of Riverrun (Catelyn’s homeland) to try and stretch Riverrun troops thin. The Lord of Riverrun is now Catelyn’s...
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Chapter 51: Sansa
...a traitor—that is, unless Sansa writes letters to all the members of her family, including Catelyn and Robb, saying that Ned is a traitor, and they must pledge fealty to their...
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Chapter 55: Catelyn
Catelyn arrives at Moat Cailin with Brynden. She’s pleased to see the Stark banners as well...
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Catelyn and Robb talk about military strategy. Robb shows Catelyn the letter he received from Sansa,...
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Catelyn asks again what Robb is going to do. Tywin commands one of the Lannister factions,...
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Chapter 56: Tyrion
...Tywin. Everyone Tyrion meets is surprised to see him. They have heard he was either Catelyn’s captive or that he had died. When Tyrion finds Tywin at a nearby inn, Tywin...
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Chapter 57: Sansa
...from them. Stannis and Renly Baratheon’s names are on that list, as are those of Catelyn, Robb, Bran, Rickon, and Arya.
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Chapter 59: Catelyn
Catelyn and Robb discuss their strategy for facing the Lannister army. A faction belonging to Catelyn’s...
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Catelyn volunteers to negotiate with Walder Frey. She has known him since she was a child...
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Chapter 63: Catelyn
Robb rides into battle against Jaime’s forces. Catelyn stays back, guarded by 30 men, who are charged with protecting her and will escort...
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Chapter 71: Catelyn
Catelyn and Robb are on a ship destined for Riverrun. When they arrive, Catelyn goes to...
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Catelyn then goes to find Robb, who is praying in the godswood with several other men...
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Catelyn advocates for peace. She says they joined the fight to defend the Riverlands and release...
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