Fictional character in A Song of Ice and Fire
Sansa Stark, later Alayne Stone, is a fictional character in the "A Song of Ice and Fire" series of epic fantasy novels by American author George R. R. Martin. Introduced in "A Game of Thrones" (1996), Sansa is the eldest daughter and second child of Lord Eddard Stark and his wife, Lady Catelyn Stark. She subsequently appeared in the following three novels: "A Clash of Kings" (1998), "A Storm of Swords" (2000), and "A Feast for Crows" (2005). While absent from the fifth novel, "A Dance with Dragons", Sansa will return in the forthcoming book, "The Winds of Winter".
In the television adaptation of "Game of Thrones", she is portrayed by English actress Sophie Turner. Sansa's character development in the novels has received critical praise, though her television counterpart has been met wih a more mixed reception. Turner and the rest of the cast were nominated for Screen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series in 2012, 2014, 2015, and 2016. Turner also received an Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 2019.
Character and appearances.
Sansa Stark is the second child and the elder of the two daughters born to Lord Eddard Stark and Lady Catelyn Stark, the ruling liege of the North. She was born and raised in Winterfell with an older brother, Robb, a younger sister, Arya, two younger brothers, Bran and Rickon, and an older bastard, half-brother Jon Snow. Through her mother, Sansa is also first cousin to Robert Arryn, the lord paramount of The Vale, and the niece of Edmure Tully, the lord paramount of the Riverlands. She was once betrothed to Crown Prince Joffrey Baratheon and is still legally married (though never consummated) to Tyrion Lannister by the end of "A Dance with Dragons".
Raised as a noblewoman, Sansa embodies the traditional femininity stereotype expected by the Westerosi society and is widely praised as a courteous and lovable young maiden. Sansa has been described as tall, slim, womanly, and classically beautiful, destined to be a lady or a queen. Inheriting from her mother, Sansa has the Tully features, blue eyes, high cheekbones, and thick auburn hair, but later has her hair dyed dark brown while hiding in the Vale under the guise of "Alayne Stone", the alleged bastard daughter of Petyr Baelish. Sansa's interests are music, poetry, and singing, and she excels in embroidery. She fantasizes about becoming like the damsels of romantic tales who will find a prince, knight, or gentleman to fall in love with. She once owned a direwolf cub named Lady, which was killed in place of her sister Arya's direwolf Nymeria after the latter fled after attacking and wounding Crown Prince Joffrey.
Sansa is 11 years old at the beginning of "A Game of Thrones" and nearly 14 at the end of "A Feast for Crows". The most naive of the Stark children at the start of the series, Sansa chooses the treacherous Queen Cersei over her father. She finds herself abused by her then-fiancé Joffrey and becomes a pawn in the machinations of House Lannister. However, as the story progresses, she matures and becomes more of a strategic player in the political game.
Storylines.
"A Game of Thrones".
Sansa Stark begins the novel by being betrothed to Crown Prince Joffrey Baratheon, believing Joffrey to be a gallant prince. While Joffrey and Sansa are walking through the woods, Joffrey notices Arya sparring with the butcher's boy, Mycah. A fight breaks out and Joffrey is attacked by Nymeria (Arya's direwolf) after Joffrey threatens to hurt Arya. Sansa lies to King Robert about the circumstances of the fight in order to protect both Joffrey and her sister Arya. Since Arya ran off with her wolf to save it, Sansa's wolf is killed instead, estranging the Stark daughters.
During the Tourney of the Hand to honour her father Lord Eddard Stark, Sansa Stark is enchanted by the knights performing in the event. At the request of his mother, Queen Cersei Lannister, Joffrey spends a portion of the tourney with Sansa, but near the end he commands his guard Sandor Clegane, better known as The Hound, to take her back to her quarters. Sandor explains how his older brother, Gregor, pushed his face into a brazier of hot coals for playing with one of Gregor's wooden toys.
After Eddard discovers the truth of Joffrey's paternity, he tells Sansa that he is sending her and Arya back to Winterfell. Sansa is devastated and wishes to stay in King's Landing, so she runs off to inform Queen Cersei of her father's plan, providing Cersei with the information needed to prevent her and Arya's departure from King's Landing. After Robert dies and Eddard is arrested for treason, Sansa begs Joffrey to show mercy on her father and he agrees, if Ned will swear an oath of loyalty, but Joffrey executes Eddard anyway, in front of Sansa. Sansa is now effectively a hostage in King's Landing and finally sees Joffrey's true nature, after he forces her to look at the tarred head of her now-deceased father.
"A Clash of Kings".
Sansa is a hostage in King's Landing, and has learned to be outwardly loyal to King Joffrey to avoid severe physical abuse.
At the celebration for Joffrey's name day, she ostensibly saves the life of Ser Dontos Hollard, when he shows up late and inebriated, begging Joffrey to spare him, in turn winning Dontos' loyalty. Sansa is routinely beaten by Joffrey's guards. After her brother has won a battle against Joffrey's maternal family, she is publicly beaten in the throne room and has her clothes torn. Tyrion Lannister intervenes on her behalf, and Sandor Clegane gives her his cloak to cover herself. Later, Sandor Clegane saves Sansa from a riot in King's Landing.
During the Battle of Blackwater Bay, all of the highborn ladies in King's Landing seek refuge within a doubly secure, moated chamber within the Red Keep. There, Queen Cersei talks about her own life experiences with Sansa, when Cersei then flees to the throne room with her son, Tommen, when the tide of the battle falls. This leaves Sansa to stay to give comfort to the ladies before retreating to her own quarters. There she finds Sandor Clegane, who offers to take her away from any imminent danger and the Lannisters themselves, in which Sansa declines. When Sansa awakens, the battle is over. House Lannister has won, but her betrothal to Joffrey is soon ended, so as he may marry Margaery Tyrell whose family just helped turn the tide of battle. However, Joffrey informs Sansa that he still has use for her when married, and to "expect a nightly visitor for a long while".
"A Storm of Swords".
In the third book, Sansa is invited to dine with Margaery and her grandmother, Olenna Redwyne. The two women seek to learn the true nature of Joffrey Baratheon now that he and Margaery are betrothed. In turn, Olenna suggests that Sansa should marry her grandson Wilas Tyrell. Sansa reveals the marriage plan to Ser Dontos, who warns her of the Tyrells; however, Sansa develops a close friendship with Margaery and is excited about becoming a part of her family. However, when Tywin learns of the marriage plot he schemes to have Sansa's brother Robb Stark killed, knowing that would leave Sansa to inherit Winterfell and the North. He then commands his son Tyrion Lannister to marry Sansa. Tyrion is initially opposed to the marriage, but is eventually enticed by the prospect of becoming Lord of Winterfell, and so agrees to marry her.
Sansa is shocked one morning to learn that she is being fitted for a gown to marry Tyrion that day. Joffrey taunts Sansa and acts on behalf of her father to give her away during the ceremony to add further insult. Sansa ignores Tyrion and refuses to bend as he attempts to put his cloak around her, a marriage ceremony custom in Westeros. In turn, Joffrey commands Ser Dontos to act as a stool so that Tyrion can cloak his bride in spite of his short stature. At the banquet, Sansa dances with many lords, who offer words of comfort; however, Joffrey merely threatens to rape her. Tyrion intervenes and states a desire to castrate Joffrey. After the wedding ceremony, Tyrion chooses not to consummate the marriage due to Sansa's lack of desire in him. It is not long before many in King's Landing come to know that the marriage was never consummated.
Not long after Sansa's marriage, Joffrey and Margaery are wed and afterward a grand feast. At the wedding, Joffrey is poisoned. As Joffrey begins to choke to death, Cersei orders both Tyrion and Sansa arrested, but Sansa manages to flee in the chaos. Once in her room, she gathers her belongings and notices that one of the amethysts from her hairnet, a gift from Ser Dontos, is missing. Sansa immediately realizes that the prince had been poisoned and starts to doubt Ser Dontos' rescue plan. Understanding that she will be implicated in the murder of Joffrey, she chooses to flee King's Landing with the knight anyway. Ser Dontos is later killed by Petyr Baelish, who reveals that he is the mastermind behind nearly all of the capital intrigue. He reveals that he was the one who sent Dontos to her and that Olenna took the amethyst from Sansa's hairnet.
Baelish smuggles Sansa to safety in the Vale of Arryn, where she poses as his bastard daughter Alayne Stone. She is taken to her aunt Lysa Arryn, now married to Baelish. Lysa declares that Sansa must marry her sickly boy Robert, heir to the Vale. Petyr Baelish and Lysa are wed; however, Lysa becomes jealous when she witnesses Baelish kissing her niece. Lysa later attempts to murder Sansa, but she is saved once again by Baelish, who kills Lysa.
"A Feast for Crows".
After Lysa's death, Sansa becomes mistress of the Eyrie and still pretends to be Baelish's illegitimate daughter, Alayne Stone. Baelish successfully pacifies the lords of the Vale, who suspected Baelish's hand in Lysa's death. Afterwards, Baelish reveals to Sansa his plans to eventually marry her to the heir to the Vale, Harrold Hardyng, and his long-range plans to reveal her true identity and reclaim the North. Sansa acts as a mother figure to Robert Arryn, caring for him after the death of Lysa. By now she has lost much of her naivety, as well as trust for Baelish.
Adaptations.
Media.
Sansa appears in several adaptations of "A Song of Ice and Fire". She is a main character for eight seasons of the HBO television series, "Game of Thrones" (2011—2019), and the graphic novel series, "A Game of Thrones" (2011—2014). She has also appeared in the video game "" (2018) based on the television series interpretation of the character.
In the television series, Sansa is adapted by D.B. Weiss and David Benioff. She first appears in the series two years older than her book counterpart, and her storyline diverges significantly from the fifth season onwards. However, there are also numerous differences from the beginning of the series.
Television storylines.
Season 1.
Sansa is first seen with Arya at Winterfell, during their embroidery lesson with Septa Mordane. Following the arrival of Robert Baratheon and his escort at Winterfell, he insists to Ned that Joffrey and Sansa should be married in order to join their houses. Sansa, who is desperate to leave Winterfell, begs Catelyn to make Ned agree to the engagement.
Joffrey is bitten by Arya's direwolf Nymeria while bullying Mycah the butcher's boy and Arya. Sansa, an eyewitness, claims to be ignorant of the event at the inquest. As retribution for Joffrey's injury, Cersei convinces Robert to have Sansa's direwolf, Lady, killed in place of the now-missing Nymeria.
After arriving at King's Landing, Sansa attends the Hand's Tourney where Petyr "Littlefinger" Baelish tells Sansa and Arya the story behind Sandor "The Hound" Clegane's gruesome facial burns. As time passes, Sansa wears her hair like a southerner and is more flippant with Mordane, expressing fears she will fail to give Joffrey a male heir.
Following Ned's initial resignation as Hand of the King, Sansa is devastated to hear she must return to Winterfell. She likens Joffrey to a lion and says he is nothing like Robert Baratheon. This statement inspires Ned to investigate the Baratheon family line, prompting him to realise