How Cregan Is Related To Game Of Thrones’ Starks
Warning: SPOILERS for House of the Dragon Season 1 Finale – « The Black Queen » – And Future EpisodesCregan Stark’s arrival in House of the Dragon season 2 was set up by season 1’s finale, and here’s how the Wolf of the North is related to Game of Thrones’ Ned Stark (Sean Bean) and his children. The Starks were absent from House of the Dragon season 1, save for an appearance by Rickon Stark (David Hounslow), who bent the knee and swore the North’s allegiance to Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen (Milly Alcock) as the heir to the Iron Throne. 20 years later, Jacaerys Velaryon (Harry Collett) flew to Winterfell to press the Starks’ pledge of loyalty to his mother, Queen Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy).
Cregan Stark is the Lord of Winterfell in House of the Dragon season 2, having succeeded his father, Rickon, who died at some point during House of the Dragon season 1’s time jumps. As Rhaenyra noted, Cregan is a younger man who is closer to Jace’s age, and the Wolf of the North should be in his early-to-mid 20s. Since House of the Dragon season 1 takes place about 170 years before Game of Thrones, several generations pass between Cregan and Lord Eddard Stark. The lineage of Lord of Winterfell passes from Cregan to Brandon to Berron to William to Edwyle to Rickon to Ned. This makes Cregan the great-great-great-great grandfather of Ned Stark. Add another ‘great’ for Ned’s children, Robb (Richard Madden), Sansa (Sophie Turner), Arya (Maisie Williams), and the rest.
Ned Stark’s family was in disarray and had to recover from being orphaned, separated, and then losing Robb and Rickon in Game of Thrones. But in House of the Dragon, Cregan Stark is a powerful Lord with the North fully on his side. The Warden of the North commands many great houses, and he can amass a powerful army, including the Winter Wolves, consisting of two thousand of the North’s fiercest warriors. Cregan himself is a formidable fighter and known as one of the greatest swordsmen in Westeros.
As Warden of the North, Cregan is essentially what Robb Stark tried to be when he raised an army to avenge the murder of his father, Ned, in Game of Thrones seasons 1 and 2. Cregan does fight for Rhaenyra’s side in the Dance of the Dragons, but unlike Robb or Ned, he isn’t murdered nor is he victimized by the guile of his enemies. Cregan is a major player in the Dance of the Dragons who will help decide the fate of Westeros following the Targaryen civil war.
Warning: Possible SPOILERS For House of the Dragon Season 2 And Future Episodes
According to George R.R. Martin’s Fire and Blood, Jacaerys does become allies with Cregan. The dragon and the wolf form what’s known as the Pact of Ice and Fire, so that in return for the North’s support of Queen Rhaenyra, Jace agrees to marry his firstborn daughter, if he has one with his betrothed, Baela Targaryen (Bethany Antonia) to Cregan’s eldest son, Rickon. Cregan’s army and the Winter Wolves will fight in several key battles in House of the Dragon’s future, including the Butcher’s Ball and the First Battle of Tumbleton,
Cregan’s biggest role will likely be depicted after House of the Dragon season 2, however. Toward the end of the Dance of the Dragons, Cregan’s army will march upon King’s Landing after Rhaenyra has fled the city. Cregan will be the one who cleans up the mess left behind by the Targaryen civil war, and he’ll install Rhaenyra’s son, Aegon the Younger, as King of Westeros. Cregan will also serve as Hand of the King. As he ages, Cregan’s nickname changes from the Wolf in the North to the Old Man in the North, but that will be many years after the war still to come in House of the Dragon.
House of the Dragon Season 1 is streaming on HBO Max.
