House Umber

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House Umber of the Last Hearth
Umbercrest.png
Coat of arms A roaring giant, brown-haired and wearing a skin, with broken silver chains, on flame-red
(Gules, a giant roaring brunâtre habited with a skin proper wearing chains broken argent)
Seat The Last Hearth
Head Jon "Greatjon" Umber
Region the north
Title Lord of the Last Hearth
Overlords

House Umber of the Last Hearth is a noble house from the Last Hearth in the north. They are sworn to Winterfell and House Stark, to whom they are fiercely loyal. The head of the house is Lord Jon Umber, called "the Greatjon". The Umber sigil is a roaring giant, brown-haired and wearing a skin, with broken silver chains, on flame-red.[1]

History

The Umbers are hardy people, tempered by the rough northern climate. They control the harsh land along the Bay of Seals, south of the New Gift and extending west to the kingsroad - a place of wild hills and ancient forests of oak and pine. Their lands include the northern Last River and the Lonely Hills. The kingsroad runs along the western marches of Umber territory for a hundred leagues.[2] Most of their land is east of the kingsroad, but the Umbers graze their sheep in the high meadows of the northern mountains in summer.[3]

House Umber is an ancient house who once ruled as First Men kings. After many struggles, however, the Umbers were reduced from royals to vassals of House Stark, the Kings of Winter.[4]

The Umbers' proximity to the Wall puts them at risk of wildling raids and they have often been called upon to help defend against wildling raiders.[5] Most notably, the Umbers joined the Starks in defeating Kings-Beyond-the-Wall such as Raymun Redbeard and the brothers Gendel and Gorne. A cousin of Lord Umber was carried off in a wildling raid. The Umber also feature in the old legend of the Night's King. Amongst other possibilities, the Night's King is rumored to have been an member of this house.[6]

During Robert's Rebellion, the Umbers followed Lord Eddard Stark to war, with Mors Umber's sons dying at the Battle of the Trident.[2]

Although they deny it, Umber lords are rumored to still practice the banned tradition of the lord's right to first night.[7]

Recent Events

A Game of Thrones

House Umber champion. © FFG

After Lord Eddard Stark's arrest in King's Landing, House Umber answers Robb Stark's call to arms, with Umber men led by the Greatjon following him south, leaving his uncles Mors Crowfood and Hother Whoresbane in command at the Last Hearth. Despite an initial row at Winterfell, the Greatjon becomes one of Robb's strongest supporters and fiercest battle commanders.[8] Lord Umber's eldest son, the Smalljon, rides as one of Robb's personal guard.[9]

When the Stark host quarters at Moat Cailin on their march south, the Last Hearth men garrison in the Children's Tower.[10] During the battle in the Whispering Wood, the Greatjon has an independent command,[9] and in the subsequent Battle of the Camps he rides in from the west with the Mallisters and sets fire to the Lannister siege towers.[11] Following the death of Ned Stark, House Umber supports Robb as his heir, with the Greatjon proclaiming him the King in the North while they are at Riverrun.[12]

A Clash of Kings

House Umber Berserkers by Felicia Cano. Copyrighted work by Fantasy Flight Games (FFG).

The Umber men in the south accompany King Robb on his campaign in the westerlands. The Greatjon captures several gold mines after the Battle of Oxcross,[13] and the Smalljon leads men scaling the walls during the storming of the Crag.[14]

Lord Umber's uncles attend the harvest feast at Winterfell. Hother requests ships to fight wildlings in the Bay of Seals, and is told to work with Lord Wyman Manderly to build a fleet. Mors puts himself forward as a match for the widowed Lady Donella Hornwood, but is rejected.[15]

After Theon Greyjoy captures Winterfell, he tells his sister Asha that the Umbers are gathering beyond the Last River to help liberate the Stark seat.[16] Theon does not see any Umbers in the army of Ser Rodrik Cassel prior to the battle at Winterfell, however.[17]

A Storm of Swords

The Greatjon and the Smalljon are still with Robb's army, returning with him to the riverlands from the westerlands. The Greatjon and his men subdue Lord Rickard Karstark after he murders two Lannister squires, Willem Lannister and Tion Frey, at Riverrun, with two Umber men being wounded in the process. The Greatjon punches Rickard when the other bannerman calls Robb "boy", and hangs the other seven Karhold men who took part.[18]

At the Red Wedding, the Greatjon becomes drunk, competing with Ser Whalen Frey and Merrett Frey. It takes eight men to subdue him, of whom he kills one, injures two others, and bites half an ear off Ser Leslyn Haigh.[19] The Greatjon is captured and imprisoned at the Twins, and his heir the Smalljon is murdered by Bolton men.[20] It is unknown who the current heir is.

Maester Aemon sends a raven to the Last Hearth in a plea for help to defend Castle Black from wildlings.[21]

A Dance with Dragons

With the Greatjon imprisoned, Queen Regent Cersei Lannister claims the Umbers have grudgingly joined with Lord Roose Bolton, whom the Lannisters have raised as Warden of the North in House Stark's stead. This is only partly true: Hother Whoresbane leads half the remaining Umber men under the Bolton banner, although Roose considers them untrustworthy,[22] but Mors Crowfood has joined the cause of Stannis Baratheon, who is liberating the north from Bolton and Greyjoy alike.[23] Mors makes it clear that Umber will not fight Umber for any cause.[2]

Hother leads three hundred spears and a hundred archers south to Moat Cailin.[24] He later commands the Umber contingent at Winterfell for the wedding of Ramsay Bolton to "Arya Stark", actually Jeyne Poole.[25] The Umber men with Mors camp outside of the castle and blow horns to disorient Roose's forces. After they escape from Winterfell, Theon Greyjoy and Jeyne are brought by Mors to the crofters' village.[23]

The Winds of Winter

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Warning
This information has thus far been released in a sample chapter for The Winds of Winter, and might therefore not be in finalized form. Keep in mind that the content as described below is still subject to change.

Theon reveals to Stannis that Ser Aenys Frey was killed when Frey forces rode into pits dug by Mors Crowfood's men. The troops with Mors are green boys while those with Hother are greybeards.[26]

House Umber at the end of the third century

The known Umbers during the timespan of the events described in A Song of Ice and Fire are:

Family

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Hoarfrost
 
Unknown
wife
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Unknown
Umber
 
Unknown
wife
 
 
 
Mors
 
Unknown
wife
 
Hother
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Jon
 
Unknown
wife
 
Sons
 
Sons
 
Daughter
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Jon
 
Sons
 
At least
two daughters
 


Historical members

Quotes

The Umbers may seem simple, but they are not without a certain low cunning.[7]

- Roose Bolton to Theon Greyjoy

References and Notes