The banner of House Stark of Winterfell , the rulers of the North. They rule over the vast region known as the North. It is one of the oldest lines of Westerosi nobility by far, claiming a line of descent stretching back over eight thousand years.
Both the North and Winterfell were taken over by House Bolton. However, the Boltons' hold was jeopardized when Sansa Stark escaped their clutches after learning her brothers Bran and Rickon Stark were still alive and reunited with her half-brother, Jon Snow , at Castle Black.
Sansa and Jon marched on the Boltons to save their younger brother Rickon, who was later murdered by Ramsay Bolton , and retake Winterfell. House Stark was restored to their former stature after the Battle of the Bastards. The Stark victory led to House Stark's return to royal status in the North with their bannermen declaring Jon as the King in the North. He later abdicated his title as king in order to gain the full support of Daenerys Targaryen in the Great War , becoming the Warden of the North.
Following the Battle of King's Landing , Bran Stark was chosen as the new king of the Six Kingdoms , allowing the North to secede as an independent kingdom under Sansa. House Stark's sigil is a grey direwolf on a white background, over green. They are one of the few noble houses whose words are not a boast or threat. Instead, the House Stark family motto is a warning, one that, no matter the circumstances, will always be relevant: "Winter Is Coming," [2] [3] which served as a reminder of their beginnings in the wake of the Long Night and a grim portent of things to come.
House Stark, as the only First Men dynasty to resist the coming of the Andals , proudly hold on to the worship of the Old Gods. Due to their rule over the North and knowledge of it's troubles, they are unfailing supporters of the importance of the Night's Watch , despite it's fall from glory in current times. As one of the last remaining Valyrian steel items, from Old Valyria , House Stark greatly treasures it's ancestral sword of Ice , which has been used in battles and executions. The Starks were not originally the monarchs of the North; they began as vassals to the Barrow Kings , who lost support due to their inactive rule while their ancestor Bran the Builder built the Wall and protected the North.
