Is the Night King really a Stark? The Starks ruled The North long before the Targaryen family stepped foot in Westeros, and as such, their house has a deep connection to the land. From the Neck to the Last Hearth, each and every noble house respects the Starks for their duty and honour, well, every house but the Boltons.
That said, even the noblest of houses has their bad apples, and there are rumours that one Stark may have been more than a little rotten, even worse than the Rogue Prince, Daemon Targaryen. Yes, in the deep of winter, some Northern lords tell stories of the Night King, a wicked icy warrior who came from beyond The Wall to conquer. But as the Night King a Stark?
Is the Night King a Stark?
No, the Night King is not a Stark. In the fantasy series, we never find out what house the man who became the Night King was from. To be honest, he likely doesn’t have a house (or at least not one we’d recognise) because he was born thousands of years before the house system we know was invented during the Children of the Forest’s War with the First Men.
In the books, however, the Night King may be a Stark. You see, the story of the Night King is very different from George RR Martin’s books. There the Night King isn’t the leader of the White Walkers. Instead, he’s a former commander of the Night’s Watch who cast his vows aside to marry a “corpse queen” and crown himself a king.
This Night’s King then spent several months committing acts so unspeakable that even George RR Martin doesn’t describe them. Eventually, his crimes became so foul that the Straks decided he had to be stopped, and they put the Night’s King to the sword.
While the Night’s King’s house hasn’t been confirmed, there are whispers he was a Stark, specifically Brandon Stark, according to Old Nan. That said, it’s worth noting that this Night’s King is a mythical figure who may not have really existed.
If you want to know more about the crimes the Targaryens definitely did commit during their civil war, then check out our guide to House of the Dragon season 2, or we have guides on some of the best House of the Dragon characters, including Larys Strong, King Viserys Targaryen, Daemon Targaryen, Otto Hightower, Alicent Hightower, The White Worm, and Rhaenyra Targaryen.
If you’re curious about the future of the Seven Kingdoms, then check out our guide looking at the possibility of a Game of Thrones season 9 and the return of Daenerys Targaryen and the rest of the Game of Thrones cast. No, we don’t want it to happen either.