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Ser Rodrik Cassel is a supporting character in the A Song of Ice and Fire novel series and the HBO adaptation Game of Thrones. He is the head of House Cassel, a honorable knight, and the master-at-arms of Winterfell. As a member of the Stark household, he is loyal to Lord Eddard Stark and his wife Lady Catelyn. During the War of the Five Kings, he is named Castellan of Winterfell.
Rodrik's father is buried beneath Winterfell, and his mother has been dead for forty years by the time the story of the novels begins. He is a widower to three deceased wives, and had many daughters from them, but they all died except Beth Cassel. He is the older brother of Martyn Cassel, and the uncle of Martyn's four sons. Three of Rodrik's nephews died very young, and only the youngest, Jory Cassel, lived to be a man. Rodrik's brother was a proud man, and was killed by the three remaining members of King Aerys II Targaryen's Kinsguard at the tower of joy during Robert's Rebellion.
After his death in the Battle at Winterfell, his heir Beth becomes the head of House Cassel. She currently remains a captive at the Dreadfort.
In the television series, he is portrayed by Ron Donachie, and by Fergus Leathem as his younger self.
Books[]
Rodrik has served House Stark all his life. As the master-at-arms of Winterfell, Rodrik taught Jon Snow and Robb Stark how to fight. He also continued the training of the ward and captive Theon Greyjoy, who had already a training under Dagmer Cleftjaw, the master-at-arms of Pyke. Lord Eddard Stark (or just Ned) sometimes invites him to join him for meals, as he invites each of the men serving him by turn regularly.
When Ser Waymar Royce joined the Night's Watch, Lord Yohn Royce accompanied his son to the north, and the two stopped at Winterfell, where Waymar befriended Robb Stark, Jon Snow, and Theon Greyjoy. Lord Royce, also commonly known as Bronze Yohn, defeated Ned during a sparring session at Winterfell, and then defeated Rodrik as well.
During the visit of King Robert I Baratheon's royal family and entourage at Winterfell, Rodrik supervisions sparring sessions between Robert's sons and Eddard's sons. He watches Bran Stark easily defeating with Prince Tommen Baratheon. He refuses to allow Robb and Prince Joffrey Baratheon to spar with steel, as the two heavily dislike each other. Rodrik's refusal to allow the boys to use steel causes both Sandor Clegane and Joffrey to mock him and Robb, while Jon Snow and Arya Stark watch. Rodrik is part of King Robert's party when the king hunts for boar near Winterfell.
Rodrik is one of the people trusted by Catelyn with her suspicions that the Lannisters tried to kill her son Bran. Rodrik accompanies Catelyn to King's Landing where she goes to investigate so he can protect her.
Later, He and several other men, mostly rivermen, help Catelyn take Tyrion Lannister prisoner and bring him to the Eyrie. He is wounded by Vale mountain clansmen on the High Road, while on the way to the Mountains of the Moon. He might risk death by the time he and his party reach the Bloody Gate days later, but he is resistant. He and another wounded riverman knight, Ser Willis Wode, are taken by Ser Donnel Waynwood to receive medical aid by a septon, as the two men are unable to reach the nearby castles Gates of the Moon or the Eyrie. After recovering days later, Rodrik and Willis join Catelyn, Lady Lysa Arryn, and Ser Brynden Tully at the Eyrie, where they are forced to release Tyrion after he wins a trial by combat.
After Robb goes to war and marches in the south, Rodrik and Brynden escort accompany Catelyn in the Vale on the way to its biggest city, Gulltown, to take a ship to White Harbor in the North. Once there, they march in House Manderly's contingent, led by Ser Wylis and Ser Wendel Manderly, to the south. At the Neck, they unite with Robb's army at Moat Cailin, where the war council discuss plan to aid the lords of the Riverlands and the besieged Riverrun, where Ser Edmure Tully has been defeated and captured by Ser Jaime Lannister. Catelyn then sends Rodrik back to Winterfell and names him its castellan, ruling the castle along with Maester Luwin on behalf of the Starks. He has Osha's chain removed since she has served Bran loyally, allowing her to become a full Stark retainer.
After the heirless widow Lady Donella Hornwood is kidnapped by Ramsay Snow, castellan of the Dreadfort, and forced to marry him, Rodrik is sent with a party of Stark soldiers from Winterfell to Hornwood's lands to execute him in the name of King Robb. The lands are invaded by Boltons, who are fighting against Hornwoods and Manderlys. Rodrik catches Ramsay and his accomplice Reek with the corpse of a girl they raped and killed, one of many. Rodrik kills Ramsay (actually Reek), whilst he arrests Reek (actually Ramsay) and brings him back to Winterfell as a prisoner. He is, however, too late to save Lady Hornwood, who starved to death by her forced husband, after writing an inheritance of Hornwood and all its lands for him.
Despite Rodrik executing Ramsay, the Manderlys and the Hornwoods keep fighting the invading Boltons in Hornwood's region, also holding a garrison at the castle Hornwood to prevent Ramsay from claiming the seat. Now that "Ramsay" has been executed, Rodrik and Bran need to inform Lord Roose Bolton in the south of his criminal son's fate, so Roose can order the Dreadfort's forces to pull back from Hornwood lands. Maester Luwin and Bran decided to have Robb legitimize Larence Snow, bastard of the late Lord Halys Hornwood, in order to name him the new lord and continue House Hornwood's line.
The North is suddenly surprised by another new foe, ironborn warriors of the Iron Islands. When the ironborn invade the North in the name of King Balon IX Greyjoy, a warrior force led by Dagmer Cleftjaw attacks Torrhen's Square, and Rodrik is sent by Winterfell with a Stark cavalry host to defend House Tallhart and repel the ironmen. The Starks and the Tallharts' cavalry charge manage to break the shield wall of Dagmer's infantry force, who are forced to retreat.
After Theon Greyjoy captures Winterfell and kills "Bran and Rickon" in his father and family's name, Rodrik assembles an army of the North at Torrhen's Square to retake Winterfell. The northmen also sent ravens at Riverrun in the Riverlands and at the Crag in the Westerlands to inform Catelyn and the Tullys and Robb and his army about the deaths of Bran and Rickon and the status of the ironborn invasion, while in the south Lord Captain Victarion Greyjoy, his forces, and the Iron Fleet are fighting the crannogmen in the Neck and occupying Moat Cailin to cut Robb's army's return via land.
Along with Lord Cley Cerwyn and the castellan Leobald Tallhart, Rodrik leads an army of the North and they march back to Winterfell. As the siege starts, Rodrik and Theon agree to have a parley and meet each other at the Winter Town outside the castle's walls, with Rodrik accompanied by Cley and Leobald. Rodrik confronts Theon, who now wears a poorly made prince crown, and accuses him of being a traitor, while Theon defends his actions by reminding him he is a member of House Greyjoy of the Iron Islands. The angered Rodrik keeps insulting Theon and still considers him a turncloak due to the fact that Theon already swore an oath to King Robb, yet switched to his father King Balon.
Rodrik's terms are for Theon to surrender himself as a prisoner, so that Rodrik can hold him at Winterfell until Robb will return and personally judge him. Rodrik offers to the ironborn garrison the freedom and safety to leave the castle alive, if they surrender the castle without resistance. Theon refuses and insists that Winterfell is his, causing Rodrik and Cley to mock Theon's arrogance and deluded behavior, as the northern host outnumbers Theon's small garrison. Theon, however, pulls his "winning card" that he already prepared, and has the ironmen show Rodrik his daughter, Beth Cassel. Theon reminds him she his hostage, has his men pull a noose around her neck, and threatens to hang her. Theon delivers his terms; Beth will hang if Rodrik dares to attack, or if his army still stands outside Winterfell by sunset. Rodrik is angry and anguished, and protests that Theon is playing dirty and forcing him to choose his duty or family. He curses Theon and leaves the parley, still decided to attack.
Later, a contingent of House Bolton joins Rodrik's host, and as Rodrik shakes the hand of the helmeted leader (Ramsay Snow), he is attacked, his arm sliced off. He is then killed by Ramsay, who launches a treacherous surprise attack on his own fellow northmen loyal to the Starks. When the Bolton host wins the Battle at Winterfell, Ramsay shows Rodrik's head to the ironborn garrison, who allows the Boltons in the castle. While Theon recognizes "Reek", both him, Black Lorren, Luwin, and the rest of the ironmen realize there is something threatening about the faces of the Bolton soldiers, but by then they have already entered the castle. After Ramsay reveals his true identity, he commands his forces to massacre the ironmen and all the men in Winterfell and the Winter Town, except for women and children, including Catelyn Stark's two wards from the Twins, the Walders. Always on Ramsay's orders, the Boltons burn Winterfell and its town in the Sack of Winterfell. Rodrik and Beth's dogs are all presumably slaughtered by the Boltons, as Ramsay ordered to kill all the animals as well.
With Rodrik and his army annihilated, Dagmer Cleftjaw's ironborn force attacks Torrhen's Square once more, this time successfully winning and capturing the town and castle, and occupying them and taking the family members of House Tallhart as hostages. They currently still hold the town.
Rodrik's daughter, Beth Cassel, has been brought to the Dreadfort by Ramsay, along with all of Winterfell's women and children. Ramsay as his new wards Little Walder and Big Walder Frey write to the Twins about it, informing Lord Walder Frey that the Battle at Winterfell and the Sack of Winterfell are the work of Prince Theon and his ironmen. The letter informs the riverlands that Theon remorselessly murdered Ser Rodrik and defeated the northern army, whilst Ramsay and his host heroically rescued all the women and children from the wrath of the ironmen. Ramsay assures King Robb and the Freys that he has killed all the ironmen and captured Theon then, and that he will punish the prince for his crimes. Later, Lame Lothar Frey conveys this altered report to the Starks and the Tullys at Riverrun.
A long time after the Red Wedding, and a year after Rodrik's death, Robett Glover and Lord Wyman Manderly at White Harbor learn from the ironborn captive, the boy Wex Pyke - Theon's squire and sole survivor of the Sack of Winterfell - that Ramsay's claim of Theon having killed Rodrik during their parley is false. Wyman tells Lord Davos Seaworth that according to what Wex witnessed, it was instead Ramsay who slew the knight. Wex also revealed that Bran and Rickon are both still alive.
Following King Stannis Baratheon's victory in the lands of Deepwood Motte, and the liberation of the Glovers' seat, survivors of the Battle at Winterfell from the houses Hornwood, Cerwyn, and Tallhart, many of them that were part of Rodrik's army, meet King Stannis's army of southerners and northerners, and decide to join them to march on Winterfell once more to finally retaliate against the Boltons.
Show[]
Rodrik's role in the show is mostly the same in the first season but he is killed far earlier than in the books for insulting Theon and calling him a traitor. Bran and Rickon are very distraught by his death and beg Theon not to kill him beforehand. Rodrik attempted to reassure them by telling them he is off to see their father.
Trivia[]
- The circumstances of Rodrik's death in the novels and the television series differ:
- In the novels, Rodrik's confrontantion against Theon Greyjoy takes place in a parley during the northern army's siege of Winterfell. The angry banter is mainly between Rodrik and Theon, but there are also the teenage Cley Cerwyn and Ser Leobald Tallhart speaking in the parley. After the failed parley, due to Theon using Rodrik's daughter, Beth, as a hostage, Rodrik gets his arm sliced off by a vengeful Ramsay Snow, as he was offering to shake his hand. Ramsay kills him, and then launches the Battle at Winterfell to destroy the northern army, before initiating the Sack of Winterfell as well.
- In the TV series, Rodrik and Theon's verbal confrontation also takes place, and the overall dialogue is generally similar to that of the books, but instead of being part a parley, the confrontantion happens early, the same day Theon captures Winterfell. When Rodrik is captured by Theon's ironmen on his way back from Torrhen's Square to Winterfell, he is brought to Theon. He is beheaded by Theon for disrespect on advice of Dagmer, who in novels never joins Theon at Winterfell and leads a larger force at Torrhen's Square, while Theon attacked with a smaller one.
- Also, in the TV show, Theon's garrison is already very small for the start, while in the novels it is much larger first, then, aside for a few deaths, the majority of his garrison abandons him to go back to Deepwood Motte with Asha Greyjoy, and another portion of men are allowed by Theon himself to leave (Theon telling them he'd rather allow them to abandon him than getting betrayed by them). At the end a very small garrison with a similar number as that of TV show remains to Theon, and those men choose to keep holding Winterfell, although begrudgingly and out of pride and duty.
- In the novels, Rodrik's manner of death in the television series (beheading) happens to the kennelmaster Farlen, although not immediately when Theon occupies Winterfell.
- When the castle is captured, Farlen is injured and his daughter Palla is raped. Farlen is later forced by Theon, who holds Palla as a hostage, to take his own hounds and accompany his search party when Bran and Rickon Stark disappear with Osha, the Reeds, and Hodor. Farlen is sent back to Winterfell when Theon and his servant Reek (Ramsay Snow) agree to use two miller's children to pass as Bran and Rickon to the public, both officially killed as a payment for the lives of Rodrik and Maron Greyjoy (in reality to cover for Theon's embarassment of losing a crippled child and a five year old, which would permanently damage his competition with his sister Asha). When the flayed heads of the boys, dipped in tar, are presented above the gate, Farlen attacks Theon until he's beaten senseless by Urzen and Cadwyl.
- To cover the true identities of "Bran and Rickon" Theon allows "Reek" to kill the only witnesses that were left with them: the ironmen Gelmarr, Aggar, and Gynir, who knew the truth about the two bodies Theon brought back to Winterfell. Then Theon lies and blames Farlen for the murders to the rest of the ironborn garrison, and thus sentenced to death. As he is about to be executed, Farlen points out to Theon that Lord Eddard Stark did his own killings, forcing Theon to do the deed himself. Farlen is simply used as a scapegoat by Theon.
- There is no mention of Theon's deed being as sloppy as the beheading of Rodrik in the TV show. In the novels, it is Robb Stark who accidentally botches the beheading of Lord Rickard Karstark. A mortified Robb, who is 16 or near 16 by then, has to repeatedly strikes multiple blows on Rickard's neck, before the head detaches itself. Robb does not kick off Rickard's head, unlike Theon in the TV show, who kicks Rodrik's head off the neck to fully detach it.
- In the television series, Rodrik's reason for being killed is disrespect. In the novels, the reasons for Rodrik and Farlen's deaths are not disrespect. It is Winterfell's main blacksmith, Mikken, who is killed for defiance and for disrespecting Theon and his claim on Winterfell. Mikken's death is first forseen by Jojen Reed in his green dreams, before the ironborn occupation, but Mikken laughs it off when Bran tells him. When Theon Greyjoy captures Winterfell, Mikken angrily refuses acknowledge him as the new lord of the castle and to bend the knee. In response, he is slain by the ironborn raider Stygg, before Theon can even say anything. Other than Mikken, young Septon Chayle is also killed, drowned as a sacrifice to the Drowned God, his death also first foreseen by Jojen. In the television series, Mikken's quotes are given to Farlen, who is simply beaten into submission, however, instead of being killed.
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