House Frey

This page is about the Great House. For the short, see: House Frey (short)

House Frey
Information
Coat of arms	Per fess smoke grey and blue water, two pale grey stone towers connected by a bridge
Words	"We Stand Together"
Titles	Lord of the Crossing Lord of Riverrun (300-303 AC) Lord Paramount of the Trident (300-303 AC)
Seat	Twins
Region	Riverlands
Overlords	House Tully {House Baratheon of King's Landing} (300-303 AC)
Vassals	House Charlton House Erenford House Haigh
Religion	Faith of the Seven
Founded	c. 300 BC by {Lord Frey}

"The Freys have held the Crossing for 600 years, and for 600 years they have never failed to exact their toll."

―Catelyn Stark

House Frey of the Twins is a noble house from the Riverlands and a vassal of House Tully. They were briefly a Great House of Westeros after betraying their liege lords at the Red Wedding, but they were eventually subdued once more.

Their ancestral seat is known as the Twins for its two identical keeps on both sides of a river linked by a bridge, sometimes called the Stone Bridge. The Twins is one of the primary crossings over the Green Fork of the Trident River, and tolls from bridge crossings have made the Freys quite wealthy fairly quickly, elevating them from obscurity six centuries ago to being one of the most powerful noble houses in the Riverlands - though they are looked down upon by older aristocratic families. The construction of the Twins took the Freys three centuries, and ever since they have grown wealthy by charging the travelers crossing the Twins.

The current head of the house is unknown following the Assassinations at the Twins in revenge for the Red Wedding. After the defeat of House Lannister, Edmure Tully regained control of the Riverlands.

The heraldry of House Frey represents their castle-seat of the Twins: it consists of two grey towers linked by a bridge, on a darker grey background, over an escutcheon of blue water. Their house words are "We Stand Together."

History

Background

House Frey was a noble house in the Riverlands that had emerged about six hundred years before the War of the Five Kings. Their seat is at the Twins, a castle consisting of two identical towers and a bridge intersecting the Green Fork of the Trident river. The Freys grew rich from exacting tolls on travelers crossing the Green Fork. For most of their history, the Freys have been vassals of House Tully, the paramount lords of the Trident since the Targaryen conquest. During Robert's Rebellion, Lord Walder Frey was late in marshaling forces to assist the forces of his liege lord Hoster Tully during the Battle of the Trident. For this insolence, Lord Hoster mockingly referred to Lord Frey as the "Late Walder Frey", much to Walder's chagrin.

Game of Thrones: Season 1

When the North rises in rebellion against the Iron Throne, Robb makes a pact with the Freys for gaining their support by agreeing to marry one of Lord Walder Frey's daughters.

Game of Thrones: Season 2

Robb breaches the pact with the Freys by marrying Talisa, instead of one of Lord Frey's daughters. His mother warns that Lord Frey will be displeased, but Robb does not listen. In response to the breaching of the pact, House Frey withdraws its soldiers from Robb's army.

Game of Thrones: Season 3

After losing the support of House Karstark, Robb appeals to the Freys for help in taking Casterly Rock. Lord Frey allegedly agrees to mend the strained relationship with the Starks, on condition that Edmure Tully marries Roslin Frey.

House Bolton makes a alliance with the Freys, sealed by Roose Bolton's marriage to Walda Frey.

The Freys slay the Starks at the Red Wedding. Walder Frey becomes the Lord of Riverrun. The Freys are also given paramountcy over the Trident and become the Crown's main vassals in the Riverlands.

Game of Thrones: Season 4

The Freys' actions during the Red Wedding earn them the enmity and disdain of the Riverlands and the North. None of House Tully's former vassals accept the authority of the Freys.

Game of Thrones: Season 6

House Frey's position in the Riverlands is weakened when Brynden Tully retakes Riverrun. In addition, the Freys face opposition from House Blackwood, House Mallister, and the Brotherhood Without Banners.

Frey forces under the command of Lame Lothar and Black Walder lay siege to Riverrun. A large Lannister host, under Jaime and Bronn, arrive to reinforce the Frey troops on behalf of the Iron Throne. Edmure yields Riverrun to the Freys and Lannisters.

Shortly after the Lannister forces depart, Arya Stark kills Lord Frey, Lothar, and Black Walder as a payback for the Red Wedding.

Game of Thrones: Season 7

Arya, disguised as Walder Frey, slays a large number of the Freys.

Military strength

Frey soldiers during the second siege of Riverrun.

Due to their wealth from river tolls, the Freys command one of the larger armies among the Houses of the Riverlands, between 3,000-4,000 infantry levies and some cavalry. They are not renowned as particularly experienced warriors or intelligent commanders, however, given that during his long life Lord Walder made sure to keep his House's armies out of actual fighting whenever possible. Frey soldiers appear to have very poor equipment compared to most of the houses. They almost never wear mail or plate, and don't often carry shields. Frey soldiers often wear punched leather chestpieces, with headgear that usually consists of a leather coif and/or a bowl-shaped skullcap. Rarely, they wear brigandines.

Current status

Arya Stark killed Lord Walder Frey in the Season 6 finale, along with his two most prominent sons, Lame Lothar Frey and Black Walder Rivers. Lord Walder had several dozen descendants, about a dozen of whom are prominent recurring characters in the novels, but their actions were massively condensed into just these two in the TV version. Lame Lothar was the Steward of the Twins and his father's right hand, coordinating the day to day activities of the castle; Black Walder Frey and Walder Rivers are two of their prominent army commanders (condensed in the TV version into just one character, "Black Walder Rivers").

In the novels, several characters express their fear that when old Lord Walder eventually dies, it will lead to a fratricidal bloodbath within House Frey, as different internal rivalries play out for who will rule. Before this could break out, Arya, donning Walder Frey's face, gathers all of the lord's sons at the Twins and poisons them, essentially exterminating a house that seemingly had an endless supply of heirs. As the Frey women are unharmed (and presumably any very young Frey men - there are no children shown being poisoned), House Frey is not rendered extinct. Because the full family tree of Walder's more than a hundred descendants is not known in the TV series, the head of House Frey after the assassinations is not known. Per inheritance customs, the lordship of the Crossing passed to the children of the eldest son of Walder's to have children. If the sons of this son of Walder were exterminated by Arya, or if the son did not have any sons, the lordship would have passed to this son's daughters. Going by this, the current head of House Frey could be Janeya Frey, stated in Season 3 to be Walder's eldest granddaughter.

As of the Dragonpit council shortly after Daenerys's death, the title of Lord of Riverrun is again held by House Tully, specifically Edmure Tully, who was freed shortly after Arya's assassinations of the Freys.

Members

Several members of House Frey.

• {Walder Frey}, called "the Late Lord Frey," Lord of the Crossing. Throat cut by Arya Stark in retaliation for the Red Wedding.
  • Lady {Joyeuse Frey}, Walder's eighth wife. Killed by Catelyn Stark at the Red Wedding.
  • Lady Kitty Frey, Walder's ninth wife.

Lord Walder's descendants

During Robert's Rebellion, the jest was made that Lord Walder arrived late to the Battle of the Trident because he was waiting for his army to come of age, given that he had produced most of his soldiers from within his own britches (directly or indirectly through his previous children). Walder devoted the next seventeen years to making this claim a reality.

Notable legitimate descendants of Walder Frey:

• Ser {Stevron Frey}, Walder's eldest son and heir. Either deceased after Season 2 or poisoned by Arya Stark.
• {Lothar Frey}, called "Lame Lothar," Walder's twelfth trueborn son. Steward of the Twins, running the day-to-day operations of his father's castle. Killed and carved into a pie by Arya in retaliation for killing her mother and brother at the Red Wedding.
• Roslin Tully, Walder's daughter. Married to Lord Edmure Tully and mother of his son.
• {Walda Bolton}, called "Fat Walda," Lord Walder's granddaughter. Married to Lord Roose Bolton. She and her newborn son were murdered by Ramsay Bolton shortly after the latter's birth.

Other trueborn descendants of Lord Walder Frey:

• {Olyvar Frey} - son
• {Waldron Frey} - son
• Derwa Frey - daughter
• Waldra Frey - daughter
• Arwaya Frey - daughter
• Walda Frey - daughter
• Shirei Frey - youngest trueborn daughter
• Janeya Frey - granddaughter
• Neyela Frey - granddaughter
• Serra Frey - granddaughter
• Sarra Frey - granddaughter
• Marianne Frey - granddaughter
• Freya Frey - granddaughter
• Merry Frey - granddaughter
• Walda, Lord Walder's grandniece.
• Numerous unidentified sons, daughters, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, numbering at least over eight score altogether.

Lord Walder Frey's bastard descendants, by various women:

• {Walder Rivers}, called "Black Walder," Lord Walder's bastard son. The most prominent of Lord Walder's bastards, Black Walder Rivers has risen to a position of prominence within House Frey and is one of his father's chief enforcers. Killed and carved into a pie by Arya in retaliation for killing her mother and brother at the Red Wedding.
• Ser {Ryger Rivers}, Walder's bastard son by a milkmaid.
• Numerous unidentified bastard sons, daughters, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, the exact number unknown even to Lord Walder himself.

Freys of unspecified relationship to the main branch:

• {Willem Frey}, unspecified relationship to the main branch.

Quotes

"'More Pride than Honor'; those should be the words of House Frey."

―Catelyn Stark

Family tree

Walder Frey Deceased

Seven wives and other mistresses Deceased

Joyeuse Frey née Erenford 8th wife Deceased

Kitty Frey 9th wife

Stevron Frey Deceased

Lothar Frey Deceased

Edmure Tully

Roslin Frey

Children Sons deceased

Walder Rivers Deceased

Ryger Rivers Deceased

Son

Roose Bolton Deceased

Walda Frey Deceased

Grandchildren

Son Deceased

In the books

The Frey coat of arms in the A Song of Ice and Fire novels: blue twin towers united by a bridge on silver-grey.

In the A Song of Ice and Fire novels, House Frey controls the Twins, two castles that hold the Crossing, the only bridge over the Green Fork of the Trident for hundreds of miles in either direction. House Frey is the northern-most house of the Riverlands, not far south of the loose border with the North, and has a history of enmity with House Reed, who control the marshes of the Neck to the north of the Twins.

House Frey was a minor house of no notability until they bridged the Green Fork six centuries ago and defending the bridge with two wooden castles. Charging wayfarers for the use of the Crossing, they grew rich and influential, replacing the castles with strong stone keeps. Their growing wealth and influence saw them gain several vassal houses of their own: House Erenford, House Haigh, and House Charlton. Given the relatively recent rise of their House, the Freys are looked down upon by other noble Houses of the Riverlands as uncouth and honorless.

Their military strength is formidable, allowing them to raise 4,000 soldiers by themselves - almost 10% of the total strength of the Riverlands. The current Lord Frey's father was involved in the scandal of the Whitewalls Tourney, when the Second Blackfyre Rebellion was halted in its tracks, roughly ninety years ago, leading to the current Lord Frey being a cautious man, extremely reluctant to commit himself to any cause until the outcome is certain. During Robert's Rebellion he delayed the arrival of his army at the Battle of the Trident until Robert Baratheon had secured victory. For this, Lord Frey's liege, Hoster Tully, dubbed him "The Late Lord Frey", a nickname which has stuck, to Walder Frey's fury.

The Red Wedding has destroyed what honor is left in the house, as they have violated one of the oldest and most sacred traditions, the guest right. This leads to antipathy and disgust towards the house by most Westerosi, even by their own allies. Moreover, the name Frey has become a synonym for dishonor and treachery.

Little has been revealed about members of House Frey who are not descendants of Lord Walder himself. It is probable that due to his advanced age of ninety years, Walder may have simply outlived any siblings or cousins he may have had. The one minor reference to Walder's family is in the Tales of Dunk and Egg prequel novellas, which take place almost ninety years before the beginning of A Game of Thrones. Walder himself actually makes a brief appearance in the prequels as a misbehaving toddler - making him one of the only characters who are present in both the main series and the prequel novellas; Maester Aemon is about a decade older than Walder, thus he is also alive during the early prequel novellas, though he does not prominently appear (instead, his younger brother Aegon "Egg" Targaryen is a major character). Walder's father appears in the prequel but is referred to simply as "Lord Frey" without revealing what his name was. However, the prequels also reveal that Walder actually had a sister, who was about a dozen years older than him, who marries Lord Ambrose of House Butterwell, a noble House from the Crownlands. Given that the Butterwells are disgraced during the events of the prequels, it isn't clear if they died out between the prequels and the main series - no current Butterwells have been mentioned in the main series. Given the limited information, it isn't clear if Lord Walder has any surviving nieces, nephews, grand-nephews, or distant cousins from cadet branches of the main Frey line.

Despite their prominence in the storyline, the motto of House Frey has not yet been revealed, even in the first five novels.

The heraldry of House Frey is somewhat different in the books than it is in the TV series. In the books, it is the two towers and bridge of the Twins colored blue, on a silver-grey background. The TV series made the towers stone grey, and over the same dark grey field as in the books, but now above a blue escutcheon which is drawn to resemble the waves of the Green Fork of the Trident River. The color change may be because after the blue river was added as an escutcheon at the bottom, it would have been visually confusing to have the castle be the same color as the water. Unfortunately, reversing the colors like this makes it vaguely resemble the reversed colors used in heraldry by bastard children (though in such cases, without the escutcheon, the entire background field is blue, not just the escutcheon).

Some Freys are named after known members of House Targaryen, among them: Ser Aenys, Lord Frey's third son; his sons Aegon "Bloodborn" and Rhaegar; Aegon "Jinglebell", the lackwit son of Stevron. These names hardly impress anyone, though; Lord Wyman Manderly scornfully regards Rhaegar Frey as "a smirking worm who wears a dragon's name".

Gallery

House Frey banner from a promotional image released by HBO.

Frey soldiers at the second siege of Riverrun

House Frey icon from the HBO viewer's guide.

A map-marker used to represent House Frey forces.

External links

• House Frey on A Wiki of Ice and Fire (potential spoilers for House of the Dragon)
• House Frey on Telltale's Game Of Thrones Wiki