5. SHE WON’T BE COMING TO THE TELEVISION SERIES
The news came a little earlier this year. For those who hadn’t already come to the conclusion that it was too late to bring Catelyn back from the dead, Martin detailed how he had one of his biggest disagreements with showrunners on the series when it came to the inclusion – or lack of – Lady Stoneheart.
“I think one of the biggest ones [arguments] would probably be when they made the decision not to bring Catelyn Stark back as Lady Stoneheart,” he explained. “That was probably the first major diversion of the show from the books and you know, I argued against that.”
4. BUT THERE ARE THEORIES THAT SANSA OR ARYA COULD TAKE HER PLACE
While we don’t exactly know where Stoneheart’s journey will take her in the future of the book series, as George R R Martin has yet to finish writing, we find it unlikely that she would have been able to execute a plan such as Arya’s so brilliantly. Still, there are theories that suggest Arya and even Sansa have taken on the role of which Stoneheart would have played if she made it onto the small screen.
Of course, the most obvious character to have taken on all that Lady Stoneheart would have done is Lord Beric Dondarrion. Having passed the flame of life to Stoneheart in the novels, he’s done no such thing in the television series.
3. HBO AND GAME OF THRONES STARS HAVE NO TROUBLE TROLLING STONEHEART FANS
Then, as episode titles were revealed for season 5, eagle-eyed fans spotted one that looked like it could mark Catelyn’s return. “Mother’s Mercy” was the name of season 5’s penultimate episode, and as we know, is one of Stoneheart’s monikers. It was too similar to be a red herring, surely? Nope. HBO trolled us all again. This was in fact the episode where Cersei took the dreaded Walk of Shame.
A year later, during the airing of season 6, actor Jóhannes Haukur, who plays Lem, tweeted that he couldn’t say whether or not “that b—h” (how rude) turned up. Many thought he wouldn’t tweet about Stoneheart at all if she wasn’t coming. Once again, we were all let down.
Still, at least now we know for sure that Stoneheart won’t be making an appearance on TV in the future.
2. THERE ARE RUMORS THAT SHE’S LORD BERIC’S LOVER
“And there’s this other band, led by this woman Stoneheart…” he explains. “Lord Beric’s lover, according to one tale. Supposedly she was hanged by the Freys, but Dondarrion kissed her and brought her back to life, and now she cannot die, no more than he.”
Unfortunately, this rumor would prove to be untrue, as Beric had to give his life to save Catelyn from permanent death. Exchanging the flame of life from his body into hers and encountering his final death in the Riverlands, Stoneheart never had the chance to enjoy a romance with the former Brotherhood Without Banners leader.
Though, it’s obvious that she’s got more pressing matters on her mind anyway…
1. SHE’S A MORALLY AMBIGUOUS CHARACTER
When it comes to Lady Stoneheart, however, she is perhaps the most morally ambiguous character on offer. Though we wish to root for her and cheer her on in her quest to eradicate the world of Freys, Boltons, and Lannisters, she makes some strange decisions, such as nearly killing Brienne and Podrick.
She also refuses to hear how those associated with the various families she hates may be innocent to their relations’ actions. They cannot choose the family they’re born into, after all. Obviously, Brienne sees Stoneheart as a villain and a shadow of the woman she knew in Catelyn, but when it comes down to judging her actions, a final decision is reserved for each individual reader.