- "If I'm going to die, let it happen while there is still some of me left."
- ―Sansa Stark
Princess Sansa Stark is a major character in the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh seasons. She is played by starring cast member Sophie Turner, and debuts in the series premiere. Sansa is the eldest daughter of Lord Eddard Stark of Winterfell and his wife Lady Catelyn, sister of Robb, Arya, Bran and Rickon Stark, and "half-sister" of Jon Snow. She initially starts off as a soppy, slightly petulant girl with a very naive idea of the world, but as time goes on and she and her family suffer one cruelty and betrayal after another, she becomes a more hardened and learned individual.
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Biography
Background
A young Sansa being tutored by Septa Mordane.
Sansa Stark is the eldest daughter and second child of Lady Catelyn and Lord Eddard Stark. Eddard is the head of House Stark and Lord Paramount of the North. The North is one of the constituent regions of the Seven Kingdoms and House Stark is one of the Great Houses of the realm. House Stark rules the region from their seat of Winterfell and Eddard also holds the titles of Lord of Winterfell and the Warden of the North to King Robert Baratheon.[2]
Sansa was born and raised at Winterfell. She has an older brother, Robb, two younger brothers, Bran and Rickon, a younger sister, Arya and a "bastard half-brother" Jon Snow, whom she had a distant relationship with due to her mother's influence (which, like her mother, Sansa later regretted). Sansa enjoys proper "lady-like" pursuits, and is good at sewing, embroidering, poetry, singing, dancing, literature and music. When she was young she dreamed of being a regal Queen like Cersei Lannister, and that just like in the epic songs she would meet her knight in shining armor. She has inherited her mother's Tully coloring, unlike most of her siblings, and Lady Catelyn thinks Sansa will be even more beautiful than she was when she was younger. She is often seen in contrast with her sister, Arya Stark who has neither her looks nor her accomplishments in feminine activities and comportment.[3]
Season 1
Sansa is given gratitude by Septa Mordane after exceeding in her sewing abilities, in contrast to her sister Arya, who finds this tedious and difficult.
When her brothers find an orphaned litter of direwolf pups, Sansa adopts the gentlest one and names her Lady. When King Robert Baratheon visits Winterfell to offer Sansa's father the position of Hand of the King, he also offers to betroth his son Joffrey to Sansa. Sansa, who is very taken with the handsome young prince, thinks this is a splendid notion. She longs for the excitement of the capital and begs her parents to agree to the match, until they do so. Eddard takes the Handship and decides to take his daughters with him to the capital.[4]
Sansa with her direwolf, Lady.
At the Crossroads Inn on the kingsroad, Joffrey offers to walk Sansa along the riverbank after the disquieting experience of meeting Ser Ilyn Payne, the king's headsman. They find Arya practicing her swordwork with Mycah, a butcher's son, and Joffrey starts to hurt him for acting above his station and striking a girl of noble blood. Arya strikes Joffrey, and when the prince threatens her with his sword, Arya's direwolf, Nymeria, intervenes and bites Joffrey's arm. Arya and Mycah flee and Joffrey cries before snapping at Sansa to get him help. Sansa is taken before King Robert and his retainers and asked to corroborate Joffrey's claim, that he was the victim of an unprovoked attack. Arya tells her to tell the truth, but to Arya's fury, Sansa is worried about upsetting her relationship with Joffrey, so she says that it happened too fast for her to know. Queen Cersei orders that Nymeria be executed for harming Joffrey, but when the direwolf cannot be found she suggests that Lady be substituted for her. Eddard, furious with Robert for agreeing to this, carries out the execution himself, to Sansa's anger.[5]
Sansa Stark dining in King's Landing.
Arriving in King's Landing, Sansa's enmity towards Arya and her father continues. Eddard fails to mollify Sansa by buying her a doll as she hasn't played with dolls for years. Eddard explains to Arya that Sansa could not defy Joffrey or go against his version of events if she wished to maintain his goodwill in marriage.[6]
Septa Mordane shows Sansa the throne room of the Red Keep as part of a history lesson, Sansa realizes that her grandfather and uncle were killed there by the Mad King. Sansa is fearful that she will not be able to give Joffrey sons, only daughters like her friend Jeyne Poole's mother, but Mordane doesn't think this likely.[7]
At the Hand's tournament, Sansa witnesses Ser Gregor Clegane killing Ser Hugh of the Vale during a joust. Littlefinger tells Sansa about how Gregor burned the face of his brother, Sandor, when they were very young. Sandor is Joffrey's bodyguard and Littlefinger advises against relaying the story to Sandor.[7]
Sansa attends the Tourney and cheers for Ser Loras Tyrell.
Sansa is given a flower by Ser Loras Tyrell, the famous Knight of the Flowers, before his tilt with Ser Gregor Clegane. He gives the flower to Sansa, but he is looking at Prince Renly who is sitting behind her. She witnesses him defeating Gregor, and Gregor's subsequent furious attack on him, which is halted only by the intervention of Sandor. She joins the smallfolk in applauding Sandor's actions.[8]
Joffrey gives a Lannister pendant to Sansa, identical to the one Cersei wears.
Sansa and Septa Mordane are embroidering, and Sansa begins speaking very rudely to her, as time at court around Cersei is changing her for the worse. Joffrey visits Sansa and gives her a present. He also apologizes for the incident on the Kingsroad and kisses her, winning back her favor. Sansa is later told by her father that he is sending her and Arya back to Winterfell, and her betrothal to Joffrey is to be broken. Sansa refuses to accept this: she tells them that she loves Joffrey, she will be his queen, and give him beautiful blonde-haired children. He will be a great king and a golden lion. When Arya points out that he isn't a lion, but a stag like his father, King Robert, Sansa angrily says Joffrey is nothing like him. This inadvertently leads Eddard to realize that Joffrey and his siblings are not King Robert's true children. Eddard tells Sansa and Arya that they are returning to Winterfell, over Sansa's furious protests.[9] King Robert dies following a hunting accident and Eddard attempts to reveal the truth about Joffrey to prevent him taking the throne. Eddard is betrayed by Littlefinger, his guards are killed and he is arrested.[10]
Eddard's retinue at the Red Keep is slaughtered by House Lannister guardsmen led by Sandor. Mordane moves to confront the Lannister soldiers, while telling Sansa to lock herself in their rooms. Sansa is taken into custody by Sandor and brought to Cersei. She pleads for her father's cause, insisting that a mistake has been made, and proclaiming her own loyalty. Cersei says that she will believe Sansa is loyal on the condition that Sansa write to Robb asking him to bend the knee and swear fealty to Joffrey. The letter is unsuccessful and Robb instead raises an army and marches south to relieve the Riverlands from the Lannister armies. Sansa again pleads for mercy and for her father's life, this time in front of the entire court, and Joffrey agrees to give him mercy if he admits his wrongdoing and acknowledges Joffrey as the true king. Sansa says that she is sure he will.[11]
Cersei, Joffrey, and Sansa watch as Eddard is executed.
At his trial, Eddard Stark acknowledges his "crimes" and swears loyalty to King Joffrey Baratheon. To Sansa's utter shock and horror, Joffrey nevertheless orders Eddard's decapitation. Sansa is forcibly restrained and despite her increasingly hysterical pleas for mercy, Ser Ilyn Payne nonetheless carries out the execution with the Starks own family greatsword, Ice, prompting Sansa to faint in horror.[12]
Joffrey forces Sansa to look upon the severed head of Eddard Stark.
Days later, Sansa is in court and watches as Joffrey orders the removal of the tongue of the singer Marillion, who has written a song unfavorable to the royal family. Joffrey then takes Sansa to the traitor's walkway, where the severed heads of executed criminals are mounted on spikes along the castle walls. He draws Sansa's attention to the severed heads of her father and Septa Mordane. Sansa refuses to give Joffrey the satisfaction of seeing her upset and shows no emotional response. Joffrey tells her that executing Eddard was showing mercy, as he gave him a quick death, and he suggests that he will mount her brother Robb's head on the wall after defeating him. Sansa retorts that maybe Robb will take Joffrey's head instead. Furious, Joffrey has Ser Meryn Trant of the Kingsguard strike her. Joffrey tells Sansa that they are still to be married. Sansa contemplates pushing Joffrey off the walkway, but is subtly stopped by Sandor. After Joffrey and Meryn leave, Sandor gives her a cloth to attend to her cut lip and tells her that she will be needing it again.[13]
Season 2
Sansa remains a captive of Queen Regent Cersei Lannister in King's Landing. She has learned to feign loyalty to King Joffrey Baratheon to avoid further abuse from him. She attends Joffrey's name day tournament and convinces him to spare Ser Dontos Hollard when he attends drunk.[14]
Sansa is humiliated by Joffrey in front of the Royal Court.
Sansa is forced to sit through the Lannisters discussing killing her brother Robb Stark over dinner. She vents her frustration on her new handmaid Shae.[15] When Robb wins a crushing victory at the Battle of Oxcross, Joffrey responds by having Sansa stripped and beaten in front of the court. Tyrion Lannister intervenes and offers to end her engagement to Joffrey, but she retains her facade of loyalty, impressing the Imp.[16]
Sansa attends the departure of Princess Myrcella Baratheon for Dorne. She stands up to Joffrey when he mocks his brother Tommen for crying. As the royal party returns to the Red Keep Joffrey is struck by excrement thrown by the angry crowd. Joffrey causes a city wide riot by demanding that his guards kill all of the smallfolk present. Sansa is separated from the rest of the group and almost raped by a group of commoners. She is rescued by Sandor Clegane, just as Tyrion is in the process of browbeating Joffrey for losing her in the first place. Shae treats her injuries and Sansa tries to rationalize being attacked when she hates Joffrey more than anyone. Shae warns her not to say such things and to trust no-one.[17]
Cersei and Sansa chat following Sansa's first "flowering".
Sansa has a nightmare that she is being stabbed by her attackers from the riots. She wakes up to find her mattress bloodied by the onset of her first period. Shae tries to help her conceal the evidence as it means she is ready to bear Joffrey's children. The Hound catches them and (reluctantly) informs the Queen. Cersei gives Sansa advice on motherhood, reassuring her that she will love her children if not her husband. She tells Sansa that the more people you love, the weaker you are.[18]
Stannis Baratheon sails his fleet into the bay outside King's Landing, triggering the Battle of the Blackwater. Sansa is summoned to the throne room to say goodbye to Joffrey. He forces her to kiss his new sword and she subtly undermines his bravado. She then takes refuge in Maegor's Holdfast with Shae; Cersei is hosting the women of the court there. She torments Sansa during the battle, mocking her faith, telling her that Ser Ilyn Payne is present to kill her if the walls are breached and drunkenly telling her to use her sexuality as a weapon. Cersei eventually storms out, believing the battle lost. Sansa attempts to keep the morale of the women up with prayers and singing. Shae tells Sansa to return to her chambers and bar her door to keep her safe should Stannis breach the keep. Sansa finds Sandor waiting for her inside. He tells her that he is going north and offers to take her with him. She is reluctant to leave the potential safety of being rescued by Stannis but he warns her that all men are killers. Stannis's force is ultimately defeated by a host of House Lannister and House Tyrell reinforcements led by Tywin Lannister.[19]
Sansa during the Battle of the Blackwater
Sansa attends court as Joffrey doles out rewards. Tywin is named Savior of the City and Hand of the King, Petyr Baelish is made Lord of Harrenhal and Loras Tyrell is allowed to name a favor from the king. He asks Joffrey to marry his sister Margaery. Joffrey asks Margaery if this is what she wants while Cersei looks at Sansa deviously. Joffrey says that he would be honored to return Margaery's love, but regrets that he is promised to Sansa. Cersei suggests Joffrey set Sansa aside because of her family's treachery. Joffrey accepts the betrothal. Joffrey states that he will adore her from this until his last day - the same endearment he once offered Sansa.[9] Sansa turns away, feigning sadness but allowing herself laughter once she has privacy. Her revelry is halted by Petyr consoling her; she pretends to be upset. Petyr crushes her hopes of freedom and warns her that her situation has worsened, as she will no longer have the token protection of becoming Joffrey's queen but will remain his captive. Petyr tells her that she reminds him of her mother and vows to help her return home. Sansa is reluctant to trust him and maintains her facade.[20]
Season 3
Sansa and Shae sit on the docks watching ships arrive and depart. Sansa wants to play a game making up stories about where the ships are headed, but Shae, in typical fashion, is uninterested. Sansa tells Shae that she enjoys the game because the truth is either "terrible or boring." Baelish arrives and tells Sansa of a new role that he has taken which will allow him to leave King's Landing, and offers to smuggle her out of the city. She is hesitant about the idea.[21]
Sansa confides in Margaery and Olenna Tyrell.
Sansa discusses the possiblity of Littlefinger being in love with her, but Shae warns her that Baelish is manipulative and men usually want "one thing" from young ladies. Margaery and her grandmother Olenna Tyrell invite her to lunch in the gardens, where they ask her about Joffrey. Sansa is initially too fearful to speak the truth, but eventually breaks down, her eyes blazing, and angrily recounts how Joffrey had said he would show her father mercy, only to behead him in front of her, and how he then took her up to the wall and forced her to look at her father's head on a spike. Sansa nervously attempts to backtrack, but Olenna tells her that they will never betray her confidence. Sansa admits that Joffrey is a "monster".[22] While she prays at the Red Keeps's godswood under guard, Margaery comes and talks to her, telling her that they should see Highgarden, the Tyrell home, together. Sansa replies that Cersei would never allow her to leave King's Landing. Margaery tells her that she could be a wife to Margaery's brother Loras Tyrell, to which Sansa is overjoyed.[23] They go to see Loras during his swordplay practice, during which she admires him. Loras and Sansa spend more time together in the following weeks, though Sansa is far more enthusiastic about their impending marriage than he is. Loras admits he's always wanted a big wedding with lots of guests, fancy food and a good tournament, though he only seems to remember that there will be a bride when Sansa gives him an expectant look. One subject where they do find common ground is their shared hatred of King's Landing, with Loras declaring the capital to be "the most terrible place there is".[24]
Sansa walks with Margaery Tyrell.
The plan to wed Sansa to Loras is scuppered when Cersei grows increasingly suspicious of the Tyrells and learns of the proposed marriage through Petyr Baelish, which prompts Tywin Lannister to instead arrange for Cersei and Tyrion to marry Loras and Sansa respectively, to curb the ambitions of House Tyrell and to bind two of the other great houses of the Seven Kingdoms closer to the Lannisters.[25]
As she watches Littlefinger's ship depart for the Vale of Arryn, Sansa is devastated as she realizes that both of her chances to leave King's Landing have gone, and she has no choice but to marry into the family that killed her father.[24] Margaery consoles her that Tyrion might be able to make her happy, given his skill as a lover. When Tyrion promises to Sansa that he will not mistreat her,[26] she concedes that there are worse Lannisters she could be wed to.[27]
Sansa is wed to Tyrion Lannister.
The wedding itself is an embarrassing affair. Joffrey smugly escorts Sansa to the altar in place of her father and removes the stool upon which Tyrion was to stand on to cloak Sansa in Lannister colors as part of the ceremony. Tyrion then spends the wedding feast becoming steadily more drunk, which clearly annoys Sansa, prompting her to ask if he will pardon her from their table, which he does. Against Cersei's ineffectual protests, Joffrey follows Sansa and taunts her that she finally found a way to marry a Lannister and soon she will have a Lannister baby. He then ponders it doesn't really matter which Lannister gets her pregnant, and asks if she would like it if he would pay her a visit later when his uncle passes out. Although Sansa doesn't answer him, Joffrey can clearly see that she is not enthused but he brushes it off and says Ser Meryn and Ser Boros will hold her down. Joffrey then claps his hands and declares it is time for the bedding ceremony, which visibly horrifies Sansa. Tyrion says there will be no bedding ceremony but Joffrey brushes him off, prompting Tyrion to loudly slam a dagger into a table and threaten his nephew with castration if he doesn't let it drop. Joffrey seethes with outrage but Tywin defuses the situation by telling him that his uncle is clearly quite drunk. Taking the hint, Tyrion plays along and takes a visibly relieved Sansa out of the room before Joffrey can take it any further.[26]
Sansa begins to form a friendship with Tyrion, despite their circumstances.
Tyrion realizes how unhappy Sansa is with him and their marriage, and reassures her that they will not consummate it unless she wants to, even if that means never. Shae is pleased to see that Sansa's bedsheets are unstained the morning after the wedding, as it means that Sansa remains a virgin.[26] Sansa and her new husband actually get along rather well, sharing jokes and a common enemy in Joffrey. However, their cordial relationship suffers a crushing blow when Sansa receives news of the death of her mother and brother at the Red Wedding, an event orchestrated by Tyrion's father.[28]
Season 4
Sansa remains distraught over the deaths of her mother and brother.
Sansa remains despondent over the deaths of her mother and brother. Despite encouragement from Shae and Tyrion, she refuses to eat, declining even her favourite lemon cakes. She tells Tyrion that she lies awake all night thinking of how Catelyn and Robb died, how Robb's body was desecrated, and how Catelyn's body was dumped into the river. Sansa excuses herself from the table, saying she is going to the godswood and reveals that she no longer prays; she is seeking solitude. While in the godswood, Sansa is watched by Jaime Lannister and Brienne, and later finds herself being followed by someone.
Sansa is given a diamond necklace by Dontos Hollard.
Her pursuer corners her, revealing himself to be Dontos Hollard, whose life she had saved earlier. Dontos expresses his gratitude to Sansa for speaking on his behalf while no one else would and offers her a necklace that had once belonged to his mother, saying it is the last heirloom of House Hollard. Sansa turns it down at first, not wanting to take something with such sentimental value but after urging from Dontos says she will wear it with pride.[29]
Sansa attends a breakfast held before the wedding of Joffrey Baratheon and Margaery Tyrell. There, Joffrey is presented with a gift from Tywin Lannister; the second sword re-forged from Ice, the recently-destroyed ancestral sword of House Stark and which had been used spitefully to kill her father. Sansa shoots the sword a grim look of understanding when this occurs, and is shocked when the sword is turned on Tyrion's gift to Joffrey, a copy of The Lives of Four Kings. Joffrey names his new weapon Widow's Wail, commenting that he will be reminded of Ned Stark's beheading each time he uses it. Sansa looks on in obvious grief. At the end of the wedding itself, Sansa comments bitterly that "we have a new queen." Tyrion encourages her to look on the bright side: at least she isn't queen. Later, at the wedding feast, Olenna walks up to Sansa to offer her condolences over the Red Wedding and invites her to visit Highgarden sometime when things settle down. During the exchange, Olenna toys with Sansa's hair in a grandmotherly fashion.
Olenna consoles Sansa during the wedding feast.
Meanwhile, Joffrey amuses himself with a farcical "reenactment" of the War of the Five Kings, with each king being played by a dwarf. The dwarf playing Robb Stark wears a wolf's head that is eventually knocked off by the dwarf playing Joffrey. Sansa again looks on in grief. When Tyrion makes a veiled reference to his nephew's cowardice during the Battle of Blackwater, a furious Joffrey pours wine over his uncle's head and orders him to be his cupbearer to humiliate him further. Joffrey drops his goblet on purpose and then kicks it under the table when Tyrion tries to pick it up. Sansa, seemingly feeling pity for Tyrion, picks up the goblet and hands it to him. At Sansa's behest, she and Tyrion try to leave, but Joffrey calls them back and demands Tyrion bring him the cup again. Tyrion grudgingly obliges but unbeknownst to everyone, Olenna had slipped some poison into Joffrey's cup. Poison that was contained in a stone that Olenna pilfered from the necklace that Sansa was wearing. Later, as Joffrey lies dying from being poisoned, Dontos Hollard approaches Sansa and encourages her to leave in order to save her life, a suggestion Sansa takes to heart.[30]
Dontos escorts Sansa away from the Purple Wedding.
After the events of the Purple wedding, Sansa and Dontos make a quick escape and get on a boat, leaving the city. Dontos takes Sansa to a ship which turns out to belong to Petyr Baelish. Baelish has Dontos killed to guarantee his silence and destroys the necklace Sansa was wearing. Sansa screams and asks why he killed Dontos. Baelish simply states that Dontos was working solely for money, and that now, she is safe.[31]
Littlefinger reveals his role in Joffrey's murder to Sansa while en route to the Eyrie.
Petyr visits Sansa in her cabin and Sansa deduces that he was involved in Joffrey's death. After he tries to deny it, he simply ends up telling her everything about the wedding. Sansa is confused because of everything that the Lannisters have done for him and tells him that she doesn't believe that he would risk his life just to confuse the Lannisters. In response, Baelish states that he would risk anything to get what he wants. She asks him what he wants and he vaguely says "everything".[32]
Sansa and Petyr are walking towards the Bloody Gate and Petyr educates Sansa on the Eyrie and its defenses. Sansa uses the disguise as Petyr's niece so no one knows who she is. When they enter the main hall, Sansa greets her aunt Lysa as Alayne, but Lysa interrupts her saying that she already knows who she is and she can't call her 'Aunt' in front of anyone apart from herself, Petyr, and Robin. Despite this, a joyful Robin offers Sansa a tour of the rest of the Eyrie. Later that night, an annoyed Sansa can't sleep due to Lysa's constant screaming from consummating a marriage to Petyr.
Sansa with her Aunt Lysa Arryn.
The next day, Lysa brings Sansa lemon cakes, and tells her that Petyr brought three crates from the capital for Sansa. She tells Sansa a story about Catelyn when she was young, getting fat off how much sweet food she had, which makes Sansa feel self conscious. She stops, but Lysa tells her to carry on. Lysa abruptly turns antagonistic, accusing her of having sex with Petyr. Sansa panics and tries to assure Lysa that she is a virgin. Lysa disregards this, grabbing her hand and squeezing hard. Sansa starts crying while saying that all Petyr says that she is a stupid little girl, with stupid dreams, who never learns and is a terrible liar. Lysa puts on a polite face again and assures her that it is all alright and after Tyrion is executed she can marry her cousin Robin. Sansa is not sure what to make of this.[33]
Sansa constructs a snow castle in the Eyrie
After settling into the Eyrie, albiet with discomfort, Sansa wanders into the courtyards alone, as the snow falls around the Vale. The snow, reminding her of home, prompts her to build a snow castle resembling Winterfell. She has a short-lived friendly conversation with Robin, before she snaps at him for messing up the castle, resulting in a heated confrontation that ends with Robin running into the castle, crying after being slapped by her. Petyr presents himself shortly afterwards, and Sansa questions him as to why he really had Joffrey killed. She allows herself to smile slightly when he claims that he did it for Catelyn, the only woman he ever loved. Sansa is shocked when he kisses her directly on the lips, which Lysa witnesses. She summons Sansa to the High Hall, where she sits over the open Moon Door. Sansa begins to grow concerned when Lysa comments on how far the drop is to the ground. Lysa, enraged over Petyr's interest in Sansa, threatens to have her killed and nearly manages to push her out of the Moon Door to her death, before Petyr intervenes. Sansa watches as he tells Lysa that he only ever loved Catelyn, before pushing her to her death.[34]
Sansa presents her new wardrobe to Littlefinger
Sansa, as "Alayne", is called to testify before Lord Yohn Royce, Lady Anya Waynwood and Ser Vance Corbray before Baelish can get to her, much to his chagrin. Sansa quickly reveals her true identity and relates the tale of her captivity and flight from King's Landing. She then proceeds to truthfully tell of Lysa's mental instability, jealousy and death, changing only a few small details (she kissed Littlefinger on the cheek and Lysa threw herself through the Moon Door). Sansa breaks down in tears and the lords are convinced, but while none of them are looking, she gives Littlefinger a stony, almost triumphant gaze; this indicates she is finally playing the ruthless game of thrones. Later, Baelish visits Sansa and asks why she lied on his behalf. Sansa explains that she has no idea what Royce and Waynwood would want from her if Littlefinger were eliminated, but she knows exactly what he wants. Later on, as Littlefinger and Robin prepare to depart on a tour of the Vale, Sansa accompanies them, appearing with noticeably darker reddish brown hair and garbed in a feathered black dress with a plunging neckline.[35]
Season 5
Sansa watches Lord Robin practice his swordsmanship along with Littlefinger and Yohn Royce.
Sansa, still under the alias Alayne, attends a sword jousting session for Lord Robin at Runestone, along with Littlefinger and Yohn Royce, visibly unimpressed with Robin's sub-par skills at swordsmanship. Sansa notices that Littlefinger receives a raven message. Soon after, they leave Robin in the care of Lord Royce, for further training. On the carriage ride, Sansa questions Petyr as to why they are heading west when Lord Royce was told they would be traveling to the Fingers, unsure of his source of distrust. Petyr promises her that they are going somewhere far away, where Sansa will be safe from Queen Cersei.[36]
Brienne of Tarth pledges her service to Sansa.
On their journey, Sansa and Baelish stop for lunch at an inn, where she tries ale for the first time. Sansa can't see what all the fuss is about, although the entire episode is designed to catch Littlefinger off-guard so she can ask about the raven-message he received back at Runestone. Baelish doesn't answer the question beyond indicating that the old saying "dark wings, dark words" doesn't apply in this instance. Shortly thereafter, Brienne of Tarth appears unexpectedly and declares herself for Sansa. Baelish doubts that Sansa would want a sworn shield who let both of her previous masters die, even when Brienne reveals the true, somewhat unbelievable circumstances of Renly's death. Sansa seems inclined to agree with Littlefinger, pointing out that Brienne was present at Joffrey's wedding, to which the warrior replies that neither of them wanted to be there. Sansa rejects Brienne's offer of service and watches as she quickly defeats the guards and escapes.[37]
Baelish reveals his plan of marrying Sansa off to Ramsay
Sansa and Baelish eventually arrive at the ruins of Moat Cailin, where Sansa learns that they are actually returning to Winterfell and Baelish's plan is to have her marry Ramsay Bolton, the recently legitimized son of Roose Bolton, the current Warden of the North. Sansa is initially reluctant to marry into yet another family that betrayed hers, but Baelish pacifies her by claiming it will be an opportunity for her to avenge her family. They arrive at Winterfell, where Baelish introduces Sansa to the Boltons. Roose and Ramsay greet Sansa politely, and after a tense moment during which she is repulsed merely by looking at Roose, Sansa greets them with courtesy, while Myranda, Ramsay's secret mistress, eyes Sansa with jealousy. She is later brought back to her old room by a servant, who expresses joy at the presence of a Stark and tells her that "The North Remembers". While walking around, she unknowingly passes her childhood friend, Theon Greyjoy, who hides his face from her.[38]
Sansa returns to the crypts of Winterfell
Settling in to life at Winterfell, Sansa visits the Stark family crypts, re-lighting the votive candles and cleaning up the offerings left by visitors prior to Winterfell's fall. Littlefinger finds her regarding the statue of her long-dead aunt Lyanna Stark. Littlefinger, with minimal commentary, tells Sansa of the events at the tourney at Harrenhal, where Rhaegar unhorsed Ser Barristan Selmy, passed by his wife, and gave Lyanna a crown of flowers blue as frost, all to the shock of the crowd. He then tells Sansa that he's been recalled to King's Landing, and that keeping Cersei waiting much longer would be unwise. Littlefinger explains parts of his master plan to Sansa: Stannis Baratheon will inevitably take the North, and when he does, he will need a Stark at Winterfell, and would almost certainly declare Sansa the Wardeness of the North. Even if Stannis fails, Ramsay is already betrothed with her, and thus Sansa, who has learned to manipulate from the very best, can take control of House Bolton from within.[39]
Sansa meets Myranda
Sansa’s maid brings a message to her. Consoling Sansa that she still has allies in the North, she tells Sansa to light a candle in the highest window of the Broken Tower if she's ever in trouble. As Sansa wanders around the castle, she runs into Myranda. Myranda puts on a friendly façade, talking to Sansa about her mother’s demise. To help Sansa “remember” how things used to be before her family's death, Myranda leads Sansa down to the kennels, where Sansa finds Reek, formerly Theon Greyjoy, asleep in one of the cages. Awoken by Sansa’s arrival, he just shakes his head when Sansa calls him Theon. He warns her that she shouldn’t be down there. Seeing Reek in such a pitiable condition, Sansa angrily storms away.
At dinner, Ramsay is initially well-behaved, toasting his wedding to Sansa, but is soon back to his old self as he forces Reek to apologize to Sansa for murdering Bran and Rickon. With much difficulty, Reek finally mutters an apology. He then suggests that Reek be the one to give Sansa away at the wedding, since he is the closest thing Sansa has to a kin and Roose accepts this suggestion. Roose and Walda announce Walda's pregnancy, upsetting Ramsay, which in turn delights Sansa.[40]
Sansa dines with Lord Roose and Ramsay.
On the night of her wedding, Myranda draws a bath for Sansa, during which she advises Sansa not to bore Ramsay, and tells her about the fates of Violet, Tansy, and a third unseen girl named Kyra all of whom Ramsay murdered as examples. When Myranda mentions that both she and Ramsay killed Tansy by hunting her, Sansa becomes angry and boldly asks Myranda how long she has been in love with Ramsay and if she really expected Ramsay to marry her. She coolly tells Myranda that she is a Stark of Winterfell and will not be intimidated so easily by her, and dismisses her to finish her bath herself, though she is visibly shaken by Myranda's story. Later, when Theon comes to fetch Sansa for the wedding, she refuses to hold Theon’s arm, even after he pleads her to, saying that Ramsay will punish him if she doesn't. Sansa coldly asks if he thinks she cares what Ramsay does to him, and strides past him. Reek then gives Sansa away to Ramsay, and they wed in front of the Godswood. After returning to the bedroom, Ramsay tells Sansa to take off her clothes. Reek is about to leave but Ramsay orders him to stay. Ramsay quips to Reek: "You grew up with her as a girl, now watch her become a woman." Annoyed by Sansa's hesitance, he pushes her face-down over the side of the bed and angrily rips open the back of her dress. As he unbuckles his clothes, Sansa obediently remains still but begins crying softly. Reek is visibly distraught and begins silently crying himself, as Ramsay proceeds to roughly consummate their marriage.[41]
Sansa during her wedding to Ramsay Bolton.
Over the next few days, Ramsay has continued to force himself on Sansa every night, leaving bruises on her arms and body, and she effectively becomes a prisoner of the Boltons, who keep her locked in her bedchamber. Reek brings her breakfast, and when she realizes he is there, she tries to talk to him and get him to help her. However, Reek reminds Sansa that she is Ramsay's wife now and merely tells her to do what he says or else he will hurt her. Sansa protests that Ramsay hurts her every night and finds it hard to believe that it could possibly get any worse but Reek warns her that it can. Sansa asks Reek what Ramsay did to break him to such an extent but when he tries to flee she grabs him hard by the wrist and angrily reminds him that he betrayed her family, making him apologize profusely. She tells Reek that he can still redeem himself by lighting a candle in the broken tower in order to signal the Starks' allies she was told about. Though Sansa address him as Theon throughout this conversation, Reek keeps repeating his name is Reek, forcing Sansa to grab him by the face and look him directly in the eye. She insists that his name is Theon Greyjoy, the last surviving son of Balon Greyjoy, which initially seems to get through to him. During a walk on the battlements, Ramsay gloats that one day he will be the Warden of the North with Sansa as his Wardeness. Sansa counters by telling him his position is still threatened by Roose and Walda's unborn son, since Ramsay is technically bastard-born and was only legitimized by King Tommen Baratheon, who Sansa asserts is another bastard. Ramsay responds by saying that even bastards can rise high in the world, such as Sansa's own "bastard half-brother" Jon Snow, who was recently elected Lord Commander of the Night's Watch. Sansa is surprised by this development, having not considered what became of Jon. As they descend into the courtyard, Sansa pockets a corkscrew while Ramsay reveals that Reek reported the candle to him, and Ramsay responded by flaying Sansa's elderly maid and forcing Sansa to view the corpse. She is then ordered back to her chambers.[42]
Ramsay forces Sansa to look upon the corpse of the flayed old woman.
Sansa remains angry at Theon for his betrayal, as well his role in Bran and Rickon's murder. When Theon enters her chambers again to bring her latest meal, she demands an answer for his latest betrayal and coldly expresses approval when he tells her about the torture Ramsay put him through. Theon shamefully admits he deserved it as he did terrible things, specifically killing "those boys". Enraged by his reference seemingly to her brothers as "those boys" rather than Bran and Rickon, Sansa vehemently demands to know why they should be dead while he still breathes the air, forcing Theon to finally admit that they were not in fact Bran and Rickon, only two farm boys. Stunned by this admission, her anger towards Theon cools but when she asks if he knows where they might have gone to, he breaks down and leaves the room, fearful of what Ramsay will do if and when he finds out what he just told her. However, Sansa appears to be left with a sense of
Theon reveals to Sansa that Bran and Rickon are indeed alive.
renewed hope by the revelation that she still has surviving family left.[43]
Elated by the news of her brothers' survival, Sansa attempts to escape during the battle between the Boltons and Stannis Baratheon by picking the lock on her door with the corkscrew and lighting the candle in the tower, however, Brienne and Podrick don't see the candle due to being distracted by Stannis' army. In the process of trying to escape, Sansa runs into Myranda and Theon, with the former aiming a bow at her. Myranda says that she has come to escort Sansa back to her chambers, and Theon initially begs Sansa to go with her. Though Sansa is visibly frightened, she stands her ground and refuses to go with Myranda, saying, "If I'm going to die, let it happen while there's still some of me left."
Theon and Sansa prepare to jump.
A bemused Myranda briefly lowers her arrow and admits Ramsay needs her alive in order to secure his hold on the North. But Myranda adds Ramsay doesn't need Sansa in one piece to do that, just the "parts" that he needs to produce his heir. Still, Myranda maliciously renocks her arrow and prepares to at least maim Sansa with it. Before she can release it, however, Theon grabs Myranda, making her fire and miss, and throws her off the battlement, killing her instantly on impact. Theon and Sansa then escape Winterfell by jumping off the side of Winterfell's walls, hoping to survive the long fall by landing in the deep snow.[44]
Season 6
Sansa while on the run from the Boltons.
After escaping from Winterfell, Sansa and Theon flee into the Wolfswood, with the Bolton forces in hot pursuit. They cross a stream and briefly take shelter under an uprooted tree, where Theon hugs Sansa to keep her warm. Shortly after, however, they are found by the Bolton men and hounds. Theon urges Sansa to flee to Jon Snow at Castle Black, but she refuses to leave without him and is found when Theon's ruse is discovered. Brienne and Podrick appear just in time and fight off the soldiers, killing them all. Brienne once again offers her service to Sansa, who this time readily accepts, reciting her vows.[45]
On the way to Castle Black, Brienne reveals to Sansa how she briefly met Arya near the Bloody Gate. Sansa is delighted to hear that her sister is still alive and well. Theon decides to part from the group and head towards the Iron Islands. Sansa implores him to accompany them to Castle Black and join the Night's Watch so his crimes will be forgiven, saying that Jon will protect them from Ramsay, and promising that she will tell Jon the truth about Bran and Rickon. But Theon reminds her that he also killed two farm boys and Ser Rodrik Cassel, for which Jon will never forgive him. Sansa bids him farewell, and the two share a tender hug.[46]
Sansa reunites with Jon.
Sansa, Brienne, and Podrick arrive soon at Castle Black where they find Jon. At first, both "siblings" are too stunned to even speak when they see each other, but quickly share a loving embrace after their long and tragic separation. As Jon offers Sansa food, they reminisce about their happy childhood and how they both regret ever leaving Winterfell. Sansa apologizes to Jon for her dismissive treatment of him while growing up. She then asks him to help her reclaim their home from the Boltons. However, Jon tells her that he is tired of fighting, that he had done nothing but fight since he left the Starks behind, and that he was killed for it. Although Sansa appears to accept his choice, she tells him that she will reclaim Winterfell and the North, with or without his help.
Jon reads a threatening letter from Ramsay.
As Sansa and Jon share a meal with Eddison Tollett, Tormund Giantsbane, Podrick, and Brienne, a messenger arrives from Winterfell with a letter from Ramsay. As the new Lord of Winterfell (having murdered his father Roose Bolton), he demands that Jon turn over the wildlings and Sansa. He reveals that he now holds their younger brother Rickon as his prisoner and that, if Jon refuse to accept his demands, he will harm him and offer Sansa to his soldiers when he gets his hands on her again. Sansa insists that they must take the fight to him with the help of the wildlings. Tormund tells them that they have only two thousand men and women in shape to fight, not enough to match Ramsay's five thousand. Sansa refuses to be discouraged and tells Jon that, as Ned Stark's oldest living son, he can count on the loyalty of the Northern Houses. Jon resolves to reclaim Winterfell, save Rickon and take Ramsay down.[47]
Later, Sansa receives a letter from Petyr asking to meet in Mole's Town. Accompanied by Brienne, they meet in a ruined house, and Sansa angrily tells Baelish the details of her wedding night, asking if he knew the truth about Ramsay all along. Instead, Baelish changes the subject, informing Sansa he has rallied the knights of the Vale to help her, along with news that her great-uncle Brynden has recaptured Riverrun. Realizing by the fear in his eyes and desperation in his voice that he is not lying, she takes an alliance with the Blackfish into consideration, but Sansa still refuses help from Baelish, warning him never to speak to her again.
Sansa confronts Littlefinger in Mole's Town.
At a war meeting at Castle Black, Sansa and Jon discuss which of the Northern houses they can rely on to support them. As the Karstarks and Umbers have already sided with House Bolton, Ser Davos suggests asking House Manderly. When Jon decides to rally the two dozen houses still loyal to the Starks, Sansa informs him they can add House Tully to the list, but lies about how she acquired the information, fearing that Jon will not believe it coming from Baelish. After the meeting, Sansa plans to send Brienne to Riverrun, as the Boltons could intercept any raven sent there. Brienne is worried about leaving her alone, but Sansa assures her she trusts Jon and will be safe with him. Unconvinced, Brienne counters by asking Sansa why she lied to Jon about meeting with Baelish. Before riding south, Sansa gives Jon a new cloak styled after their father's.[48]
Sansa and Jon arrive at Bear Island and are summoned before Lyanna Mormont. Jon asks for the assistance of House Mormont in the upcoming battle for Winterfell, reminding her that House Mormont has always served the King in the North whose name is Stark. Lyanna, however, tells him that he is a Snow and Sansa is a Bolton. Sansa says that she did what she had to do, but she didn't want it. Lyanna ignores this. Ser Davos, however, manages to get Lyanna to pledge her allegiance, telling of the coming threat of the White Walkers. Sansa and Jon later travel to Deepwood Motte, to ask for the assistance of House Glover. They receive a frosty reception from Robett Glover, who has just reclaimed Deepwood Motte from the Ironborn. Sansa points out that the Glovers were pledged to House Stark, but Robett says he pledged to Stark and it cost him his home. Sansa and Jon are only able to recruit a few Northern houses and only gain a few hundred men. Jon says they should strike Winterfell immediately, before Ramsay can gather more men. Sansa says they should try and recruit more houses. When Jon refuses to change his mind, Sansa later writes a letter to an unknown party.[49]
Sansa at the parley with Ramsay Bolton.
Sansa and Jon meet with Ramsay Bolton on the eve of battle. He does his best to taunt Sansa, but she remains stoic throughout. She asks how do they know if he truly has her brother Rickon, knowing what a liar he is. Smalljon answers her question by throwing out the decapitated head of Shaggydog. As Ramsay proceeds to tell the Starks what to do if they want to save Rickon, Sansa cuts him off by telling him that he is going to die the next day and rides off.
Sansa arrives to the Battle of the Bastards with Littlefinger and forces from House Arryn.
As the battle is nearing an end and all hope seems lost, a distant horn is heard sounding in the distance. House Arryn arrives to help Jon and his army reclaim Winterfell. It is now obvious that it was Petyr Baelish to whom Sansa had sent the Raven; requesting more men that were very much needed. Without Sansa's foresight, it is most likely that Jon and the rest of his men would not have survived the battle. After Winterfell is breached, Sansa enters the Winterfell courtyard and witnesses Jon defeat Ramsay in single combat, though Jon temporarily spares Ramsay out of respect for Sansa. With the Stark banners hanging in Winterfell once more, and confronts Jon over Rickon's body and asks where Ramsay is.
Sansa confronts a bloodied and bound Ramsay in his cell. He tries to goad her by telling her how she will never be rid of him because he is "part of her now," but then realizes Sansa is about to commit mariticide and has released his own starving hounds on him. At first, Ramsay is in denial, claiming that his dogs are loyal and ordering them to heel, but Sansa reminds her husband that after a week without food they are starving. As they begin to tear him apart, Sansa walks away, smirking with dark satisfaction.[50]
With Winterfell firmly under Stark control, Sansa joins Jon on the ramparts as he watches an exiled Melisandre heading south. He tells her that he is having her parents' room prepared for her. Although she protests that he should have it, he refuses because he is not a Stark. Sansa tells him that she thinks of him as one, but he still refuses and that she deserves it both as the lawful Lady of Winterfell and the one who won the battle for them. He then asks her about Littlefinger and whether they can trust him, which she insists that they cannot. Although he understands why she didn't tell him about Baelish, Jon insists that they have to trust each other completely from then on. He then gently kisses her on the forehead. As he turns to leave, a smiling Sansa tells him that a white raven arrived from the Citadel, announcing the arrival of winter as their father had always predicted. Jon returns her smile.
Sansa is later found by Littlefinger in the Godswood. She tells him about how she had prayed in it every day as a little girl, always dreaming about being somewhere else. She then asks what he truly wants, and he tells her what his ultimate ambition is: himself sitting on the Iron Throne with Sansa at his side. He tries to kiss her but she rebukes him. As she walks away, he tells her that although he had officially aligned House Arryn with House Stark, reprisals would come from King's Landing. Sansa assures him that, as he had done in the past, he would always manage to ensure his own survival despite choosing a side. Before she leaves, Littlefinger once again reminds her of Jon's baseborn origins.
Sansa glances at Littlefinger as Jon Snow is declared the King in the North.
With the Stark victory, the remaining Northern lords arrive at Winterfell to discuss the new situation in the North. Some, such as Lord Cley Cerwyn, object to the wildlings' presence, but Jon defends them as they had been invited. The lords of both the North and the Vale claim that they need to return to their homes before the winter hits, despite Jon's warnings that the true threat represented by the White Walkers is still coming down on them. At this point, Lyanna Mormont chastises the assembled Northmen for refusing to support Jon in his hour of need. Although she stands by her declaration to Stannis Baratheon that no one but a Stark will rule over the North, she discards Jon's bastard status, instead acknowledging him as having Ned Stark's blood in his veins. With that, she acclaims him as the King in the North, as his "brother" Robb had been before him. Lyanna's speech is followed by a similar declaration from both Lord Wyman Manderly of White Harbor, and Lord Glover of Deepwood Motte. The assembled Lords of the North and the Vale acclaim Jon Snow as the King in the North. Jon looks at Sansa, and she smiles back at him, but her smile fades when she glances at Littlefinger (the only other person not cheering).[51]
Personality
When she lived at Winterfell with her family, Sansa grew up as the eldest daughter of a Great House, trying to emulate her mother's example of a "proper lady" from the southern courts. Sansa's devotion to the traditional, refined "feminine virtues" caused friction between her and her blunt, tomboyish younger sister Arya, with whom she had a playful rivalry. As a little girl, Sansa naively believed in the tales and epic romances in which every princess gets her honorable knight in shining armor to sweep her off her feet. Sansa was infatuated with the traditional romances about mythical figures like Jonquil, and historical figures like Duncan, the Prince of Dragonflies. Her greatest goal in life was to be married to a heroic and handsome prince, sitting around with other noblewomen eating lemon cakes while gossiping about the goings-on at court.
Sansa's innocent infatuation with the ideals of princesses and knights - perfectly understandable for a 13-year-old girl - made her tragically susceptible to the manipulations of the Lannisters. She held the blind belief that all queens and princes are kind and truthful, as if inherently a result of their titles, when Cersei just happened to be a woman who married a king to secure a marriage alliance, and Joffrey just happened to be her son. Without real cause, she blindly loved Joffrey with all her heart, and trusted and admired Cersei, only for them to repay her love and trust by beheading her father before her very eyes.
Afterwards, Sansa has a harrowing experience as a prisoner of the Lannisters, a plaything for the psychopathic Joffrey to have publicly beaten by his guards for petty amusement. Her shock at the death of her father was only later deepened at the news of how her mother and brother Robb were horrifically killed at the Red Wedding and their corpses desecrated. She was visibly elated upon hearing that Arya, Bran, and Rickon were actually still alive, and though she took mostly after her mother and had a somewhat distant relationship with Jon, she loved him all the same. She was surprised to hear that Jon had become Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, and Jon was the first person for her to decide to turn to for shelter after escaping Winterfell, aware that he would protect her from Ramsay.
Sansa subsequently escapes King's Landing to the Vale with Littlefinger, and her experiences have clearly changed her personality. She had to learn from painful experience how to lie to survive at Joffrey's court, saying one thing but meaning another and manipulating people to her own ends as best she could. No longer under constant control by Joffrey and Cersei's guards, she is in her own way beginning to mature into her own power and influence as a political force.
The numerous tragedies she has suffered, and the crimes against herself and her family, have also darkened her personality turning her more ruthless, though not quite cruel. This shows when she refuses to take Theon's arm when he comes to escort her to the Godswood to marry Ramsay and coldly asks if he thinks she cares what Ramsay will do to him if she doesn't. She also later expresses approval of what Ramsay did to Theon, now Reek, and declares she would do the same. Once reclaiming Winterfell, Sansa feeds her abusive husband, Ramsay to his own hounds, even smiling as it happened.
However, despite all the suffering that she has been through, Sansa appears to have retained a certain degree of compassion that is also demonstrated in her multiple attempts at reaching out to Theon, especially after she gets him to finally forget Ramsay for once and confess the truth about Bran and Rickon. After Theon helps her escape from Winterfell, Sansa once again sees Theon as a surrogate brother and even says outright that she will do her best to stop Jon from harming him. Sansa also becomes more compassionate towards Jon, to the point that she apologizes to him for being "awful" to him when they were children; she may developed feelings of remorse for being generally mean to her half-brother, as shown when she insists for him to forgive her. She has also become significantly more brave, courageous and developing nerves of iron, since when she faced Myranda for the last time before her escape from Winterfell she was about to allow the psychopathic girl to shoot her so that she could die with as much of herself as was remaining.
Sansa is frequently praised as being very beautiful. She has been the victim of multiple attempts of sexual violence: Joffrey expresses a desire to rape her when she is wedded to Tyrion, she very nearly gets gang-raped in the King's Landing riots, and Littlefinger has a creepy obsession with Sansa (as she reminds him of her mother Catelyn, with whom he has always been hopelessly in love). Ramsay himself admits he finds her attractive and, in the letter he sends to Jon, threatens to have her gang-raped by his soldiers the next time he puts hands on her if Snow refuses to return her. Even Tyrion had a brief desire to sleep with her (but thought better of it considering her age), and Sandor tells Arya that he should have "fucked her bloody" when he had the chance during The Battle of Blackwater, but it's unclear how much he meant it.
All the pain she had suffered through has made Sansa stronger and more mature, but also more war-like. No more caring about the traditional feminine virtues she used to praise as a child, Sansa even declares war against Ramsay in order to take back Winterfell and the North, and flat out rejects his conditions for saving her brother Rickon, knowing full well he would never keep his word anyway, and instead tells him that he will die the next day. Her experiences with the Lannisters have also enabled her to watch with dark glee as Ramsay is literally torn apart and eaten by his own hounds, while when she first arrived in King's Landing she was visibly horrified at the violence displayed by Gregor Clegane against Ser Hugh and Loras Tyrell, and fainted when her father was beheaded.
Appearances
Template:Season One Appearances Template:Season Two Appearances Template:Season Three Appearances Template:Season Four Appearances Template:Season Five Appearances Template:Season Six Appearances
Quotes
- Spoken by Sansa
- Sansa Stark: "Do you think Joffrey will like me? What if he thinks I'm ugly?"
- Catelyn Stark: "Then he is the stupidest prince that ever lived."
- Sansa Stark: "He's so handsome."
- — Sansa reveals her huge crush on Joffrey while talking with her mother.[src]
- "There is no honor in tricks."
- ―Sansa Stark
- Tyrion Lannister: "I apologize for my nephew's behavior. Tell me the truth. Do you want an end to this engagement?"
- Sansa Stark: "I am loyal to King Joffrey, my one true love."
- Tyrion Lannister: "(to himself) Lady Stark, you may survive us yet."
- — Tyrion and Sansa, after Joffrey has Sansa publicly beaten at court.[src]
- "The worst ones always live."
- ―Sansa Stark
- Sansa Stark: "I lie awake all night, staring at the canopy, thinking of how they died."
- Tyrion Lannister: "I could get essence of nightshade to help you sleep."
- Sansa Stark: "Do you know what they did to my brother? How they sewed his direwolf's head onto his body? And my mother? They say they cut her throat to the bone and threw her body in the river."
- Tyrion Lannister: "What happened to your family was a terrible crime. I didn't know your brother; he seemed like a good man, but I didn't know him. Your mother, on the other hand, I admired her. She wanted to have me executed, but I admired her. She was a strong woman, and she was fierce when it came to protecting her children. Sansa, your mother would want you to carry on. You know it's true."
- — Sansa Stark and Tyrion Lannister talk about the Red Wedding.[src]
- Theon Greyjoy: "Do what he says! Do what he says or he'll hurt you!"
- Sansa Stark: "He already hurts me every night! All day I'm locked in this room and every night he comes! It can't be any worse!"
- Theon Greyjoy: "It can. It can always be worse."
- — Theon Greyjoy tells Sansa to obey her new husband.[src]
- Ramsay Bolton: "I'm Lord Bolton's eldest son."
- Sansa Stark: "But you're a bastard, a trueborn will always have the stronger claim."
- Ramsay Bolton: "I've been naturalized by a royal decree from..."
- Sansa Stark: "Tommen Baratheon? Another bastard."
- — Sansa antagonizes Ramsay.[src]
- "If it weren't for you, I'd still have a family. If I could do to you what Ramsay did right here, right now, I would."
- ―Sansa reprimands Theon for everything he has done.
- Sansa Stark: "Tell me why Bran and Rickon should be gone while you still breathe the air! [Grabs Theon by the face and shakes his head.] TELL ME TO MY FACE, THEON! TELL ME THAT THEY WEREN'T YOUR BROTHERS!"
- Theon Greyjoy/Reek: "THEY WEREN'T BRAN AND RICKON! I couldn't find them. It was two farm boys. I killed them and burned them so no one would know."
- — Sansa forces Theon to admit that he did not in fact kill her brothers.[src]
- "I know what Ramsay is. I know what he'll do to me. If I'm going to die, let it happen while there's still some of me left."
- ―Sansa to Myranda and Theon.
- "You're the son of the last true Warden of the North. Northern families are loyal, they'll fight for you if you ask. A monster has taken our home and our brother. We have to go back to Winterfell and save them both."
- ―Sansa to Jon Snow
- "You freed me from the monsters who murdered my family and you gave me to other monsters who murdered my family. Go back to Moat Cailin. My brother and I will take back the North on our own. I never want to see you again."
- ―Sansa to Petyr Baelish
- "Did you know about Ramsay? If you didn't know, you're an idiot. If you did know, you're my enemy."
- ―Sansa to Petyr Baelish
- "The Umbers gave Rickon to our enemies, they can hang."
- ―Sansa condemns House Umber for Smalljon's betrayal.
- "No one can protect me. No one can protect anyone."
- ―Sansa to Jon Snow
- Ramsay Bolton: "Now, if you want to save..."
- Sansa Stark: "You're going to die tomorrow, Lord Bolton. Sleep well."
- — Sansa warns Ramsay of his impending doom.[src]
- "Your words will disappear. Your house will disappear. Your name will disappear. All memory of you will disappear."
- ―Sansa to Ramsay Bolton
- Tyrion Lannister: "She won't rest until my head's on a spike!"
- Jaime Lannister: "Not just yours. She's offering a knighthood to whomever finds Sansa Stark."
- Tyrion Lannister: "Sansa couldn't have done this."
- Jaime Lannister: "She had more reason than anyone in the Seven Kingdoms. Do you think it's a coincidence she disappeared the same night Joffrey died?"
- Tyrion Lannister: "No, but...Sansa's not a killer. Not yet, anyway."
- — Jaime and Tyrion discuss Sansa.[src]
- Cersei Lannister: "You have no loyalty to Catelyn Stark?"
- Jaime Lannister: "Catelyn Stark's dead."
- Cersei Lannister: "So if I told you to leave the capital right now and find Sansa, if I told you to find that murderous little bitch and bring me her head, would you do it?"
- — Cersei to Jaime about killing Sansa.[src]
- "The first time I saw you, you were just a child. A girl from the North, come to the capital for the first time. Not a child any longer."
- ―Petyr Baelish to Sansa
- Myranda: "I saw you staring at her."
- Ramsay Bolton: "I'm going to marry her. That will involve looking at her from time to time."
- — Exchange between Ramsay Bolton and Myranda.[src]
- "You've known Sansa since she was a girl. Now watch her become a woman."
- ―Ramsay Bolton to Theon
- "Lady Sansa desires to take back her ancestral seat from the Boltons and assume her rightful position as Lady of Winterfell."
- ―Brienne of Tarth to Jaime Lannister
- "She's exactly like her mother..."
- ―Brynden Tully after reading Sansa's plea.
Image gallery
Family tree
Paternal
Template:House Stark family tree
Maternal
Template:House Tully family tree
Behind the scenes
- Sophie Turner has naturally baby blonde hair. So to get that Tully red, her hair had to be dyed for Sansa's auburn (reddish brown) hair. Kevin Alexander uses a mix of four different watercolor shades. Since Turner was only thirteen or fourteen when she started on the show, Alexander didn't want to use peroxide on her. The color lasts about ten days and needs to be touched up constantly.
- After the filming of the episode in which Sansa's direwolf, Lady, is executed, Turner adopted the dog that played Lady, a Northern Inuit named Zunni. Series author George R. R. Martin confirmed this on his blog.
- On the Season 6 Blu-Ray, Sansa narrates the Histories & Lore video "Northern Allegiances to House Stark".
In the books
In the A Song of Ice and Fire novels, Sansa is very much obsessed with conventional "ladylike" pursuits, with a keen interest in music, poetry, singing and dancing, and embroidery. She has a romantic notion of handsome princes and knights fighting honorably for love and loyalty. She is sharply contrasted with her far less idealistic and tomboyish younger sister, Arya.
Unlike Arya, Sansa is very passive, always waiting for things to happen rather than take active actions. Only in very rare occasions she temporarily steps out of her passivity, like the time she intervened to save Ser Dontos.
Due to a time jump which was originally planned in the books but later dropped, Sansa is only 11 years old when the narrative begins. Author George R.R. Martin himself has said that he would have aged-up the younger characters had he initially known he would abandon the time-jump. Therefore, in the TV series' timeline, all of the younger characters including Sansa have been aged up two years from the books. Thus, Sansa is 13 years old in Season 1, and 14 years old in Season 2. Keeping in mind that in medieval times the age of maturity was lower than it is today, this younger age in the books isn't quite as unusual as it sounds, but due to the abandoned time jump this still led to some discrepancies. For example, Joffrey's torment of Sansa doesn't have quite the same inherent sexual tension to it in the books, because they're both two years younger. Sansa directly states that she is 13 years old in dialogue from the first episode of Season 1. On her wedding night with Tyrion Lannister, however, she says that she is 14 years old, when she should be 15 years old because two years have passed. It is possible that she either simply had not reached her nameday and turned exactly 15 yet, or that she was lying to try to shame Tyrion before he took her virginity (though as it turned out, Tyrion still refused to consummate the marriage, morally repulsed at being forced to marry such a young girl).
A subplot in the books which is only somewhat alluded to in the TV series is that in her desperation, Sansa starts latching onto the idea of Sandor Clegane as her protector from Joffrey or a potential source of an escape attempt.
In the books Sansa is shown to be partially responsible for her father's arrest by revealing to Cersei his plan to have his daughters leave the capital city. Given that she is only a naive eleven year old, and that Eddard didn't give her any explanation for why he wanted to send her away from King's Landing, she assumed he was simply fighting with Cersei over some matter of state. Still enraptured with the idea of staying and marrying Joffrey, Sansa thought that if she told Cersei she would then smooth over whatever disagreement they had. The main fault is Eddard's, for foolishly revealing his cards to Cersei, and even more foolishly - putting his trust in Littlefinger and revealing his plan to him. Thus Littlefinger and Cersei knew what Eddard planned to do and had time to prepare counter-measures, regardless of what Sansa told Cersei.
Sansa technically gained the title of "princess" when her brother Robb was declared the new King in the North. While her brothers Bran and Rickon use the title of "prince" among the Northerners at Winterfell, Sansa's storyline involves her being held as a prisoner at King Joffrey's court in King's Landing. The Lannisters refuse to acknowledge the North's claims of independence so they don't refer to Sansa as "princess". Meanwhile, Sansa is in fear for her life, subject to frequent beatings at the hands of the Kingsguard at Joffrey's whim, so she doesn't refer to herself as "princess" for fear of angering her captors. Thus her title is rarely if ever invoked (unless Robb and Catelyn in the Northern camp are discussing her captivity).
Unlike in the show, Sansa never befriends Shae and does not trust her. Shae does whatever Sansa tells her, but sometimes she gives Sansa very insolent looks. Sansa has no idea why, for she does not know Shae is her husband's lover.
Following Sansa's escape from King's Landing, Littlefinger takes her first to his ancestral home at the Fingers. There he reveals Sansa part of the scheme to murder Joffrey. He does not reveal certain parts of it, like why was it necessary to involve her in the plot.
After being taken from the capital by Littlefinger, Sansa's hair is dyed black (as her auburn hair would reveal her identity to anyone who has ever met a Tully) and is given the alias of "Alayne Stone", Lord Petyr's bastard daughter who recently decided to seek him out after having been entrusted to the Faith of the Seven. In the series, she is introduced simply as "Alayne", a niece of Petyr, who makes only a vague attempt to hide her hair; she later dyes it of her own volition.
Sansa has no idea that Littlefinger was involved in her father's downfall, but knows well that he is treacherous and cannot be trusted. She reminds herself he was never her friend: she remembers him smiling slyly and whispering in Cersei’s ear; whenever she was in danger, Tyrion and the Hound were the ones who saved her, not him. She knows about his part in Jon Arryn's death (Lysa reveals that in her presence), and saw him killing two people - Ser Dontos and her aunt - the latter by his own hands.
In sharp contrast to the show, Sansa does not become full of confidence overnight following her aunt's death. Although she becomes slightly more involved in the political affairs, in general she remains timid, passive and obedient as ever: she never questions Littlefinger's actions and plans; she has no idea about the current events out of the Vale and particulary in the north, except that Jon has become the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, that Edmure is held captive at the Twins, and that Riverrun is under siege; she does not even know who currently holds her home and does not bother to ask; she does not take any actions to help either her uncle or her great-uncle.
Sansa finds her cousin repulsive. After the incident with the snow castle, she thinks angrily that even Joffrey had more spine than Robert. Still, after Lysa's death Sansa feels sorry for him and treats him patiently as she can. At one occasion, he demands "a hundred lemon cakes and five tales", Sansa's patience nearly runs out and she feels like giving him "a hundred spankings and five slaps", but restrains herself (unlike in the show). Robert first declares he hates "Alayne" (unaware of her true identity), because of his ripped doll, but with time grows to like her. Since he was so accustomed to sleep at his mother's bed, after her death he looks for other beds, and likes Sansa's best. Sansa wouldn't have minded if he only slept, but since he tried to nuzzle at her breasts and wet the bed during his seizures - she asked Lothor Brune to lock his door.
Sansa keeps her true identity hidden whilst in the Vale. She shivers in fear when Nestor Royce inquires about Lysa, barely managing to lie that Marillion was the one who pushed Lysa to her death; she fears that Yohn Royce will recognize her (it is unclear if he does). During her time in the Vale Sansa becomes more astute in political affairs as the protégé of Littlefinger, recognizing that Littlefinger's awarding of the Gates of the Moon to Nestor Royce was utilized by Littlefinger as a means of gaining Royce's political allegiance, who would have to rely on Littlefinger's continued dominance in the Vale of Arryn to retain rule in the Gates of the Moon. She also deduces that during a parlay between Littlefinger and the most powerful Lords of the Vale, namely the Lord Declarants, Lyn Corbray is secretly under the hire of Littlefinger: declaring his hatred for Littlefinger publicly to encourage any plotters against Littlefinger to approach him whilst covertly reporting back to Littlefinger as his spy.
Unlike in the show Littlefinger arranges a secret betrothal between Sansa and Harrold Hardyng, the heir to the Vale of Arryn, promising Sansa that on her wedding day they will reveal her true identity to secure the allegiance of the Lords of the Vale to fight in Sansa's name.
In the sample chapter "Alayne", Robert tells her she should marry him. Sansa, who does not have the heart to tell Robert her negative opinion about him, tells him gently but firmly it is out of the question: as the Lord of the Eyrie and Defender of the Vale, he must wed a highborn lady and father a son - not a bastard, otherwise his bannermen will claim that Littlefinger made him do that, and put her and "her father" to death. In the chapter preparations are being made for a tourney, as suggested by Sansa to Littlefinger as a means of orchestrating a meeting between Sansa and Harrold Hardyng. Sansa recognizes during the chapter that Harrold is unpleasant character despite being outwardly attractive - appreciating the fact that although Tyrion Lannister was unattractive, he was kind to her. By the end of the chapter she seduces Harrold during a dance.
Although Littlefinger does not intend to keep Sansa to himself, there are hints he lusts after her, perhaps because she resembles her mother: he occasionally gives her not-so-fatherly kisses, and once touched her left breast, while telling her "You are Alayne, and you must be Alayne all the time. Even here. In your heart".
Sansa's season five story arc diverged from that in the books. Littlefinger does not arrange for her to marry Ramsay Bolton, whom she never meets, and indeed she does not even leave the Vale. Instead she is betrothed to Harrold Hardyng, Lord Robert (Robin) Arryn's unlikely heir, should the weak and sickly Lord Robert die prematurely, as Littlefinger expects (perhaps he intends to "help" Robert die). His plan is to wed Sansa to Harold, and for Sansa to reveal her identity to everyone present during the wedding in order to inspire them to rally against Roose Bolton.
In The Winds of Winter, Sansa meets Harold. She finds him attractive, but immediately reminds herself the bitter lesson she learned - not to judge people by their physical appearance. He initially speaks to her rudely, calling her "Littlefinger's bastard", nearly moving her to tears. Later he apologizes. Sansa treats him courteously but coldly, as Littlefinger instructed her - to charm Harrold but not to look too eager. To test his honesty, Sansa asks him about his bastard daughters, and he answers openly. Harrold asks to wear her favor in the tourney, but she refuses, claiming it is promised to another.
Sansa's storyline in season five is played out by her best friend, Jeyne Poole, who is forced to masquerade as Arya Stark. Her story is almost identical, although it is not Brienne who offers her help if she needs it. Instead, it is Mance Rayder who infiltrates Winterfell as a bard to rescue her on Jon Snow's orders. Also, Jeyne never tries to escape Winterfell on her own or force Theon into helping her as she is mentally in much worse state than Sansa. While Jeyne is being tormented, Sansa is safe, surrounded by friendly people like Myranda Royce and Mya Stone (the elder or Robert's bastards). She has no idea what has become of Arya, either the real or the fake.
Sansa does not make an appearance in the fifth novel. She is mentioned several times by various characters: Theon remembers a time when he had thought that Eddard Stark might marry him to Sansa and claim him for a son, but realizes that had only been a child’s fancy; Tyrion speaks about her with his dwarf companion; Cersei recalls that Petyr Baelish had offered to wed her, but was denied because he was much too lowborn.
There is a fan theory that the book scene, in which Sansa builds a snow model of Winterfell (its analogous show scene in "Mockingbird") is a foreshadowing that she and Jon will restore both their home and House Stark. In view of the finale of season 6, it may actually happen in the books too.
According to the TV series official pronunciation guide developed for the cast and crew, "Sansa" is pronounced "SAHN-suh" (i.e. between "San-suh" and "Sohn-suh").
Sansa Stark not "Sansa Lannister"
Among the powerful noble families of the Seven Kingdoms, women will retain the use of their maiden name if their family is more powerful or ancient than their husband's family.
In Westeros, only members of noble Houses typically have surnames (i.e. "Eddard Stark" is actually "Eddard of House Stark" in full). The nobility of the Seven Kingdoms is actually formed of roughly five tiers, which in descending order are: the royal family that controls the Iron Throne, the Great Houses who rule entire regions, the major noble Houses, the lesser noble Houses, and the knightly Houses. The Targaryens were the royal family though they were recently supplanted by the Baratheons. Great Houses rule each of the formerly independent "Seven Kingdoms" - such as the Starks who rule the North, the Lannisters who rule the Westerlands, and the Tyrells who rule the Reach. Major Houses are those under the Great Houses, such as House Umber which serves the Starks, or House Redwyne which serves the Tyrells. Underneath them are the lesser noble Houses (i.e. House Poole), and below them are knightly Houses (i.e. House Clegane): the difference between the two is that lesser Lords still have the right to dispense justice on their lands while knights do not.
Typically, if a noblewoman marries above her station into a more powerful family, she will switch to publicly using that family name. For example, "Olenna Tyrell" was born Olenna Redwyne, but the Tyrells are the Redwyne's overlords so she switched to use of that name. A noblewoman who married below her station would defiantly continue to use the name of the more prestigious family she was born into.
Given that the Starks and Lannisters were both Great Houses of equal social rank, both former royal houses, it therefore isn't automatically assumed that Sansa would switch to being known as "Sansa Lannister". The major factor is that Sansa was forced into a marriage to a similarly unwilling husband by her captors. Theirs also remains an unconsummated marriage. Such unconsummated marriages can be annulled (not automatically as Littlefinger says in the show, though), but since both Sansa and Tyrion are wanted for regicide and far away from each other - it will be very difficult, though not impossible, to annul their marriage. Morever, the books do not specify the requirements for an annulment (whether both husband and wife must attend, who is authorized to perform the annulment, etc.), thus it is unknown how difficult it will be to annul the marriage.
Sansa believes that her marriage to Tyrion is valid, as she reminds Littlefinger on the fourth novel when he reveals his plans to marry her to Harrold Hardyng. It is unclear whether Sansa knows her marriage can be annulled; Littlefinger never brings up this option. He assures her it is not a problem, her intended marriage must wait until "Cersei is done and Sansa’s safely widowed".
See also
Sansa Stark on A Wiki of Ice and Fire (MAJOR spoilers from the books)- Jeyne Poole on A Wiki of Ice and Fire (MAJOR spoilers from the books)
References
- ↑ Sansa directly stated that she was 13 in the Season 1 premiere (aged up from 11 in the first novel).
- ↑ HBO viewers guide, season 2 guide to houses, House Stark entry
- ↑ HBO viewers guide, season 2 guide to houses, House Stark - Sansa Stark entry
- ↑ "Winter is Coming"
- ↑ "The Kingsroad"
- ↑ "Lord Snow"
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Cripples, Bastards and Broken Things"
- ↑ "The Wolf and the Lion"
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 "A Golden Crown"
- ↑ "You Win or You Die"
- ↑ "The Pointy End"
- ↑ "Baelor"
- ↑ "Fire and Blood"
- ↑ "The North Remembers"
- ↑ "What is Dead May Never Die"
- ↑ "Garden of Bones"
- ↑ "The Old Gods and the New"
- ↑ "A Man Without Honor"
- ↑ "Blackwater"
- ↑ "Valar Morghulis"
- ↑ "Valar Dohaeris"
- ↑ "Dark Wings, Dark Words"
- ↑ "And Now His Watch is Ended"
- ↑ 24.0 24.1 "The Climb"
- ↑ "Kissed by Fire"
- ↑ 26.0 26.1 26.2 "Second Sons (episode)"
- ↑ "The Bear and the Maiden Fair (episode)"
- ↑ "Mhysa"
- ↑ "Two Swords"
- ↑ "The Lion and the Rose"
- ↑ "Breaker of Chains"
- ↑ "Oathkeeper"
- ↑ "First of His Name"
- ↑ "Mockingbird"
- ↑ "The Mountain and the Viper"
- ↑ "The Wars to Come"
- ↑ "The House of Black and White"
- ↑ "High Sparrow (episode)"
- ↑ "Sons of the Harpy (episode)"
- ↑ "Kill the Boy"
- ↑ "Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken"
- ↑ "The Gift (episode)"
- ↑ "Hardhome (episode)"
- ↑ "Mother's Mercy"
- ↑ "The Red Woman"
- ↑ "Home"
- ↑ "Book of the Stranger"
- ↑ "The Door"
- ↑ "The Broken Man"
- ↑ "Battle of the Bastards (episode)"
- ↑ "The Winds of Winter"
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