Calculating Facts About Sansa Stark
“My skin has gone from porcelain, to ivory, to steel.” –Sansa Stark, A Storm of Swords.
Sansa Stark is the second child and eldest daughter of Lord Eddard Stark of Winterfell and his wife Lady Catelyn Tully. Played by Sophie Turner in HBO’s Game of Thrones TV series, she presents herself as a typical lady’s lady: pretty, soft-spoken, and a master of all the “girly” arts. In her mother’s words, “Sansa was a lady at three, always so courteous and eager to please.” Beneath her gentle exterior, however, lies a ton of pain. When a fantasy civil war coincides with the onset of puberty, stuff like that happens.
Can we blame her for sometimes seeming passive? Sansa is one of the more put-upon heroes of HBO’s Game of Thrones and its book version, but she has grown up fast. Over several seasons, Sansa has evolved from a fairytale fangirl into a fairytale hostage and, finally, into a big-time political player of her own terms. Practice that curtsy to these 42 calculating facts about Sansa Stark.
Sansa Stark Facts
42. Knees of Steel
When Sansa and Tyrion are forcefully wed in the show, she politely crouches down so he can tie her bridal cloak upon her shoulders. In the books, however, Sansa literally refuses to bend the knee for the Lannisters.
Tyrion insistently tugs her skirt a few times, but Sansa she stands her ground and thinks, “I won’t. Why should I spare his feelings, when no one cares about mine?” Mind you, Sansa is a hostage-bride and literal child. It’s the most “
polite” form of public protest she has.
41. Jeyne Rhymes with Pain
Much of Sansa’s season 5 plot from the show is directly lifted from the subplot of her best friend in the books, Jeyne Poole. As children, Jeyne was the daughter of the Stark family steward at Winterfell and grew up alongside Sansa. She even follows Sansa and her family to King’s Landing, where they are separated after the arrest of Ned Stark. Fast-forward to A Dance of Dragons and it’s Jeyne who is forced to impersonate Arya, endure marriage with Ramsay, and escape Winterfell with Theon Greyjoy. Not sure book Sansa would trade her life for Jeyne’s.
40. Who Can Never Be Sure?
George R. R. Martin refuses to give a firm answer on how to interpret Sansa and Sandor Clegane’s relationship. When asked whether it was romantic or platonic, he simply told fans, “It could be very different things to each of those involved.”
That’s really helpful, George.
