Chances are, if I conduct a survey to evaluate the most popular Game of Thrones characters, the top three spots will go to: Tyrion Lannister, for his quips and outspokenness; Daenerys Targaryen, for her fierce determination and pride; and Arya Stark, for her courage and viciousness. However, what makes this show so great, is how well it translates the novels of “A Song of Ice and Fire” to the screen, and how it nails its characters’ developments. Each and every character has both Ice and Fire to them, i.e. none are completely ‘good,’ nor completely ‘bad.’ Let’s take a moment to recognise one of the most under-recognised people of Westeros.

Catelyn Stark (née Tully) was first and foremost a mother, sworn to protect those who mean everything to her: her children. While such a fierce, relatable character, she is also amongst the most hated characters in the series, simply because she is real. What I mean by that is, she makes mistakes, like everyone. She sometimes makes conscious decisions in favour of her family’s safety, before completely thinking about the repercussions of her actions. The most obvious example is her capture of Tyrion to find justice for Bran’s attempted murder. As a mother who understands her children’s life is in danger, Catelyn understandably acts quite rashly. Yet, viewers of the show seem to struggle to understand how desperate her circumstances were at the time: half of her family had traveled to a city resting in the clutch of the people she had reason to believe tried to murder her son. Another reason many despise Catelyn Stark, is because of her treatment of Jon Snow. As a bastard, Jon is the breathing reminder that Ned Stark betrayed his wife, Catelyn. To her, Jon is the epitome of dishonour and disloyalty, as he sprung from an event which broke her heart. However, Catelyn allows Jon to be a part of her family, to eat with them, to sleep in Winterfell, to be the half-brother of her children. The show has not had enough time to go in-depth into Westeros’ bastardy customs, understandably, though what any fan must know is that Jon Snow is perhaps one of the best-treated, if not the best-treated bastard in the world they know. Catelyn’s coldness towards him is in no way comparable to the way other bastards are frequently killed, disowned, or simply sent to live their live in a frigid wasteland where their freedom is taken from the palm of their hand. No matter the ordeals Catelyn faced, she was always the living embodiment of the Tully House Words: Family, Duty, Honour. Though for the love she bears her family, oftentimes, she makes mistakes; as George RR Martin’s Maester Aemon so brilliantly put it: “Love is the death of duty.”