Bastards born in the North carried the surname of "Snow" in Game of Thrones, and the reasoning stems from a system put . document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); You have entered an incorrect email address! Driven by religious beliefs, bastards in Westeros were viewed negatively, lacking rights to inherit noble titles or land ownership. 1 Why are the bastards in Game of Thrones called Snow? "You're going to die tomorrow, Lord Bolton," Sansa Stark told her husband early in "Game of Thrones" on Sunday. For bastard children to be raised by their father in his own castle alongside his trueborn children - such as Eddard Stark did for his "bastard son", Jon Snow - is considered extremely unusual. A meeting of minds between the Bastard of Winterfell and the Kingslayer. The latest episodes of House of the Dragon reveals that life for bastards in Westeros isnt any better in the prequel series. Despite the rules set in place by Game of Thrones when it came to recognized bastards, the show didnt always remain accurate with surnames. Indeed, many characters are so called throughout their journey, for the simple reason that they are the result of an extramarital affair across the Seven Kingdoms. Some children in the series were not entitled to a very precise name, for example Gendry, known as Gendry Rivers. Since at least the unification of the Seven Kingdoms during the Targaryen Conquest (three centuries before the narrative begins), the use and implementation of the bastard surnames has been quite uniform: there is one bastard surname used for each of the nine regions in the realm (the original "Seven Kingdoms", plus the borderlands that became the Riverlands, and the new region of the Crownlands that the Targaryens carved out around their new capital city, King's Landing). If for some reason you have not seen season one or read the first book this post will contain a spoiler. Bastards born in the North carried the surname of Snow in Game of Thrones, and the reasoning stems from a system put in place throughout Westeros. The only region that gets out of the norm are The Iron Islands, in which bastards are named after the capital, Pyke. Driven by religious beliefs, bastards in Westeros were viewed negatively, lacking rights to inherit noble titles or land ownership. Based on the cold nature of the North, as well as the presence of frozen precipitation, the official surname of the North became "Snow." However, the fact that the fight between John and Ramsay is known as the Battle of the Bastards makes it clear that the stigma surrounding the bastards persists even on the rare occasion when he is given a family surname. Further, as the product of not merely bastardy, but incest, the Faith of the Seven would want to outright kill them as abominations before the gods if their actual parentage was ever revealed. At once Lord Stark sees the similarity with King Robert I Baratheon and recognizes that Gendry is his bastard. Martins A Song of Ice and Fire books, which served as the basis for Game Of Thrones, the TV series revealed an array of surnames for bastards of specific regions. How does the bank in Game of Thrones / A Song of Ice and Fire work? "Let me give you some counsel, bastard," Lannister said. Based on their discrimination and unequal treatment, many bastards turned to the Night's Watch. Here's a list of known surnames and the regions in which they reside: In most cases, bastards carry the name from the region in which they were born. Related: Rhaenyra's Bastard Children Reveal 5 Major Jon Snow Parallels. Marriage in the real-life Middle Ages was primarily focused on producing "legitimate" children - i.e. Ramsay Snow is a case in point; even after he had been legitimized as Ramsay Bolton, his future was still uncertain. In practice, however, a nobleman would be much more likely to acknowledge a bastard child born to a noble lady than he would a child born to a commoner. All of this, of course, would only happen if Jaime were to openly acknowledge Joffrey, Myrcella, and Tommen as his children, which is an impossibility given the disastrous political fallout this would create. Game of Thrones used the term bastard to refer to any human born out of wedlock throughout the Seven Kingdoms. Thus it is possible that Mya Stone uses the bastard surname because Robert wanted to acknowledge her, and her status as his daughter was an open secret. What is the bastard name of the Northlands? Kara Hedash is a Jr. Lead Editor and writer for the Features team at Screen Rant. In most cases, bastards carry the name from the region in which they were born. For example, John of Gaunt asked and received a legitimization decree from King Richard II for his children by Katharine Swynford - his sons had been born out of wedlock but he later married Katharine as his third wife. Make it your strength. Instead he had chosen a black cloak and a wall of ice. We additionally oer variant types and in addition to type of the books to browse. A Snow, not a Stark. Jaime knew he had but he also knew the secret that had this King on edge. HBO. What sort of strategies would a medieval military use against a fantasy giant? Though Jon was later revealed to be a Targaryen, he was originally thought to be the illegitimate son of Ned Stark and raised as a member of House Stark. As of now, Rhaenyra has (rightfully) been accused of siring three bastards, presumably with Ser Harwin, since none of them look like her husband Ser Laenor Velaryon something that causes even more division in the Targaryen family, especially from those who wish to make it a publicly known fact. While it is rare and scandalous for a lord from outside of Dorne to raise his bastard child in his home castle alongside his trueborn children (as Eddard Stark did with Jon Snow), it is actually commonplace in Dorne to see bastards living at the court of their noble parents; Oberyn Martell raised his eight illegitimate daughters in Sunspear, alongside his brother's trueborn children. In the core regions of the Seven Kingdoms, standards about bastardy are more similar to late Medieval Europe: bastards are considered "illegitimate", a shameful reminder of sins of the flesh, and they cannot inherit lands and titles from their parent. Driven by religious beliefs, bastards in Westeros were viewed negatively, lacking rights to inherit noble titles or land ownership. The world of Russell Brand and Sen. Bernie Sanders are mad as hell, and they don't want you to take any more of Tom Sizemore poses for a portrait during the Sundance Film Festival on January 17, 2014 in Park City, Utah. Since his debut as the 16-year-old bastard son, Jon Snow, Kit Harington has lent his acting skills and voice to a number of films, theater productions, and video games . Is it possible to reduce 2 kgs in a month? This is sometimes used as an example of what happens if a bastard is treated too well and given too much power and legitimacy. In the north that name is Snow, in the Riverlands it's Rivers etc. Driven by religious beliefs, bastards in Westeros were viewed negatively, lacking rights to inherit noble titles or land ownership. There is no marriage in Naath so the concept of bastardy is unfamiliar to its people. Parents may give a bastard a different surname if they choose, however. Bastards in Dorne still face a few restrictions, but these are relatively minor compared to the rest of the Seven Kingdoms. why are bastards called snow in game of thrones. why are bastards called snow in game of thrones. Characters bearing the surname were accepted by an aristocratic parent. A lot of them are motivated to do a good job in the hopes of becoming, @Monty129 Being noble and being a knight are two different things. Sometimes, being bad is good. Moreover, the Riverlands were a border zone always contested between its powerful neighbors - when the Riverlands were conquered and held by the Stormlands for three full centuries, did bastards born there use the special surname "Rivers" or "Storm"? [2] When Roose Bolton and Ramsay Snow discuss their search for the remaining male Stark children, Ramsay suggests that they get rid of Jon Snow, reasoning that since he is Eddard Stark's bastard son, Jon could become a threat to their rule in the North, even though he has joined the Night's Watch and given up any possible future claim. All major religions in the Seven Kingdoms - the Faith of the Seven, followers of the Old Gods of the Forest, and followers of the Drowned God - attach very negative social stigmas to bastardy. Therefore, possessing a bastard surname is simultaneously a mark of distinction and badge of shame. Notes: . The one exception is Dorne, where bastards face no discrimination. One of the more infamous examples of bastard heraldry is House Blackfyre, a cadet branch of House Targaryen founded over a century before the War of the Five Kings. What is the name given to the bastards of the reach? The best answers are voted up and rise to the top, Not the answer you're looking for? By Posted kyle weatherman sponsors In automann slack adjuster cross reference @Monty129 - Plenty of bastard knights running around. Anyone who encounters someone with a bastard surname will immediately know that they are not simply a bastard, but the bastard child of a noble. where the mother is from, not where the father is from. #[6+ sources] Bastards born in the North carried the surname of "Snow" in Game of Thrones, and the reasoning stems from a system put in place throughout Westeros. Why do they call it snow in the north and South? Westeros was not always divided into these "Seven Kingdoms" however, and after the Andal invasion the continent was still divided into dozens of petty kingdoms, which only unified into seven larger kingdoms within the past two thousand years or so. cscl star vessel flag autism and narcissism differences. Site design / logo 2023 Stack Exchange Inc; user contributions licensed under CC BY-SA. Sansa blew out a sound of sheer frustration before turning and stomping about two steps before stilling. Martin, A Game of Thrones They are also referred to as "baseborn" or "natural" in the lands of the Seven Kingdoms. Rather than using his nephews birth name of Aegon, which would have given away his real parentage, Ned gave the baby the name Jon after his great friend and mentor Jon Arryn, Lord of the Vale, whom he loved like a second father. The names generally reflect the geography of the region. It is up to their father, if he knows they exist, on how to raise or treat them. Fans sometimes derisively assume that "Joffrey, Myrcella, and Tommen Baratheon" should really be called by the Lannister surname because of their status as the bastard offspring of the incestuous relationship between Cersei Lannister and Jaime Lannister, and not the sons and daughter of King Robert Baratheon at all.