Game Of Thrones: 10 Memes That Perfectly Sum Up Catelyn Stark As A Character

After King Viserys chose to marry Alicent Hightower in House of the Dragon, many Game of Thrones fans have been calling him the prototypical Robb Stark. After all, his decision to choose love over duty is incredibly flawed and will almost certainly lead to the destruction of his house, thanks to his own self-inflicted injuries.

The major difference is that Viserys didn’t have a mother to point out his mistakes like Robb did. While Catelyn Stark isn’t one of the more popular characters from the initial series, her strengths and weaknesses have been the subject of many memes over the years, which have summed her up incredibly well.

Has Her Favorites

There are many people who claim that a good mother would never pick favorites. While Catelyn might agree with that point, it was clear she didn’t actually abide by the rule. After all, when Robb went to wage war against the Lannisters, she was right by his side and refused to return to Winterfell.

Despite Rickon being a toddler and Bran needing support after his huge injury (as well as being named the new lord of Winterfell for the time being), Catelyn was dedicated to Robb above all else. While staying with Robb made her one of the bravest Stark family members, this decision did ultimately lead to her losing her life (and her children, a mother).

Can’t Stand Jon Snow

There are few people Catelyn Stark had more disdain for than Jon Snow. The supposed bastard son of her husband Ned, Jon was living proof of Ned’s assumed infidelity. His very presence in Winterfell utterly enraged Catelyn and led her to pray for his death, despite his being a mere child.

Though she later recanted the death wish, the fact that she would make it against a little boy proved the depths of her hatred for poor Jon Snow. She may have failed the others, but she truly proved she couldn’t stand him at all, especially considering how noble and intelligent Jon Snow was and how much he loved the Starks.

Courageous

There can be little doubt that Catelyn was an incredibly brave woman. Having faced off against Walder Frey, Stannis and Renly Baratheon, and Lysa Arryn as an envoy, she proved braver than anyone else could have expected of her. After all, despite having little true power, she managed to free the Kingslayer and try to save her daughters in the process.

In fact, after the death of Renly, she even went out of her way to save Brienne of Tarth. Although they would later develop a friendship that no one could see coming, Catelyn had no reason to step in to save her. It’s why Brienne said that she had a woman’s courage, and it’s why Brienne was right.

Suffered The Worst Betrayal

When thinking of Catelyn Stark, it’s hard to think of anything but her unfortunate end. After walking into Walder Frey’s trap, she, her son, Talisa, and their bannermen were brutally killed. Poor Catelyn was also forced to watch her son die as he called her in his death throes before she too was cut down.

While Catelyn was restored to life in the books, it was the last that fans of the show were able to see of her, and it was an awful ending. Although she begged Walder to let him go, Frey refused. As a woman in the world of Game of Thrones, Catelyn simply didn’t have the power to convince him to let Robb go anymore than she had the power to convince Robb to keep his vows.

Smarter Than She Seemed

Although Catelyn was a character who made many mistakes, she was an excellent advisor who truly knew how to manage a kingdom. She knew not to trust Walder Frey in the end and even had her suspicions about the traitor Roose Bolton, as well as Robb’s decision to send Theon to the Iron Islands.

While Robb was an honorable character, he often ignored his mother (which is part of what led to the Red Wedding). Just as Catelyn was able to foreshadow Daenerys’ rage when she lost her children, Catelyn was socially adept enough to know that Robb’s actions would have retribution. She simply never knew how brutal that retribution would be.

Should Never Have Taken Tyrion

While Game of Thrones is best known for minor conflicts sparking into an inferno, Catelyn’s choice to kidnap Tyrion certainly contributed to the War of the Five Kings. After all, it sparked the conflict between Stark and Lannister too soon (which caused an open rebellion).

Still, it is unfair to blame Catelyn alone. The War of the Five Kings was Littlefinger’s fault, as he manipulated her with the dagger (which eventually became one of the dumbest decisions Littlefinger made as it also came back to bite him as well). Had Tyrion not been kidnapped, all the Starks and Littlefinger could have lived. Instead, seven kingdoms collapsed.

Couldn’t Have Predicted

Catelyn was a person who believed in the ideals of her time. She thought that everyone around her would abide by tradition and by noble behavior (at least as far as society expected it of them). Although she knew that Walder Frey would be angry, she did not know that he would kill her son (and while she knew Theon would betray the Starks, she did not believe he would kill her boys).

Sadly, while Catelyn was smart enough to see through most of her enemies to know what they would do, she failed to realize that there were some who were willing to breach guest right, kill their own kin, or kill children. It was one of her major flaws, and it killed her in the end.

Doesn’t Always Think

To make the kidnapping of Tyrion worse, the man was clearly innocent. After all, the only evidence Catelyn had was a dagger, which could have easily been used to frame Tyrion. Yet, despite behaving nobly by saving Catelyn’s life on the way to the Vale, Catelyn refused to accept that she could possibly be wrong.

While Tyrion Lannister is a smart character who could easily trick those around him, the evidence was entirely in his favor. Catelyn simply refused to see past her own biases about the Lannister, and it was what led to the downfall of her entire house.

Recovered Quickly

Via Reddit

Despite the fact that she was utterly inconsolable after Bran was pushed out of the Broken Tower, Catelyn actually fully recovered after watching a man try to murder her son. Once Summer killed him, Catelyn was back on her feet and contributing to planning a war effort.

It was strange behavior, but it showed her dedication to protecting those around her. At that moment, protecting Bran was her first priority, and the only way she could do that was by visiting Ned and warning him. It was the same courage Brienne lauded her for.

Not The Best Emissary

Despite the fact that she was often sent as an emissary on Robb’s behalf, Catelyn was never actually much good at it. In fact, every attempt she made was met with utter failure that saw deaths or destruction prevail at every turn.

When she was sent to speak with Renly Baratheon, she was forced to witness his death at the hand of Stannis, after he refused to fully align with Robb. When she went to speak to Lysa, she lost both her hostage and her sister’s respect. When she was sent to speak with Walder Frey, she returned to Robb with horrific terms that had her marry a king to a minor lord’s daughter, despite it being his duty to open the gates. As smart as she was, she was a horrible envoy.