Rickard Stark is one of the overarching protagonists of A Song of Ice and Fire and its TV adaptation, Game of Thrones.
He was the father of Brandon, Eddard, Lyanna and Benjen Stark, the former Lord of Winterfell, the paternal grandfather of Robb, Sansa, Arya, Bran and Rickon Stark and Jon Snow (maternal grandfather of the latter in the TV series).
Before the series Richard was executed by the Mad King, Aerys II Targaryen, and his eldest son Brandon died trying to save him. This and Aerys' demand to Jon Arryn hand over Robert Baratheon and Eddard Stark led the three men to declare war on House Targaryen for the unwarranted deaths of Ned's father and brother.
In A Song of Ice and Fire[]
In Game of Thrones[]
Personality[]
Rickard was a fair and honorable man and often patient and calm compared to his eldest son. He was very patient with his children, as seen in flashbacks. However he disliked his eldest son Brandon's affair with other lovers. When his daughter Lyanna was abducted and raped by Rhaegar, Rickard was furious and demanded that King Aerys force Rhaegar to give up Lyanna, but to no avail. In the TV series, Jon Snow and Sansa Stark had complicated relationships with Daenerys Targaryen and her family was due to how her father executed their grandfather and uncle, showing that Rickard's grandchildren even held him in the highest regard. Bran also enjoyed watching his grandfather and uncle. In a sense, he was a lot like his second oldest son, Eddard (nicknamed Ned).
In the TV series it is unknown what he would think if he knew the truth behind Lyanna's abduction; she and Rhaegar were truly in love and had a child together, Rickard's grandson, Jon; but honestly, his and Brandon's deaths could've been much avoided if the truth came out sooner.
Appearance[]
In the TV series, Rickard retains all of his Stark traits, like dark hair and grey eyes. However he wears his hair like Eddard from Season 1 and his grandson, Jon Snow in seasons 6, 7 and most of 8.
Abilities[]
Trivia[]
- In the TV series, he and Jon are related differently. Instead of being his paternal grandfather, Rickard is Jon's maternal grandfather. In a terrible sense of irony, Jon's maternal grandfather was executed by Jon's paternal grandfather, Aerys II Targaryen, further adding the complexity to relationships to the TV series.
- Both Rickard and his youngest grandson Rickon's name start with Rick.
- In the TV series, t is unknown if Rickard's wife is named Lyarra and if they are distantly related.
