Osha

"- "...just don't understand how you southerners do things." - "I'm not a southerner." - "You're from south of The Wall: that makes you a 'southerner' to me.""

- Osha and Theon Greyjoy

Osha is a recurring character in the first and second seasons. She is played by guest star Natalia Tena and debuts in "A Golden Crown." Osha is a woman of the Free Folk, now in service to House Stark at Winterfell.

Background
Osha is a wildling spearwife, one of the "Free Folk" who live north of the Wall. She worships the Old Gods of the Forest and is knowledgeable about the mythical creatures found in the far north.

Season 1
Osha joins Stiv and Wallen to form a band of wildlings. They flee south and abandon their service to Mance Rayder. They cross the Wall and travel into the Wolfswood north of Winterfell. They chance upon Bran Stark and try to steal his horse. Robb Stark intervenes, killing Wallen and disabling Osha. Stiv holds Bran at knifepoint, but is shot in the back by Theon Greyjoy. Osha surrenders to Robb and is taken to Winterfell.

Osha is put to work as a servant. Theon is irritated when she refuses to call him "My lord," especially when she correctly points out that his father is still alive so he is not entitled to the honorific title yet. Maester Luwin sends Theon away and asks Osha why she was south of the Wall. She replies that there were things sleeping under the ice which are not sleeping any more. Luwin is skeptical of her claims.

Osha goes to Winterfell's godswood to pray to the Old Gods of the Forest, and finds Bran there. She tells him that north of the Wall, the old gods are the only gods. She also says that Robb is leading his army in the wrong direction. The true enemy lies to the north, beyond the Wall, not the south. When Hodor passes by naked, Osha remarks he must have giants' blood in him, and tells Bran that giants - and worse - exist north of the Wall.

Bran dreams that he saw his father Ned in the catacombs of Winterfell. Osha carries Bran into the tombs to check. Once inside they are surprised by Shaggydog and find Rickon there too: he has had the same dream. When they emerge from the tomb Luwin tells the boys that their father has been killed.

Season 2

 * Main: Osha Season 2

Osha continues to discuss Bran Stark's strange dreams with him. He denies having had any more but nevertheless insists on being taken to the pool in the Godswood. She correctly predicts that the Red Comet signifies the return of Dragons to the world. Bran tells Osha that he has dreamt of a Three-eyed raven but she offers no explanation. He also confides a dream about the sea coming to Winterfell and drowning Ser Rodrik Cassel. Ser Rodrik leaves Winterfell to relieve a siege of nearby Torrhen's Square by unknown forces.

The siege was a feint orchestrated by Theon Greyjoy to draw away Winterfell's defenders. Theon infiltrates and seizes the castle forcing Bran to surrender to him. Osha offers to fight for Theon but he refuses, suspecting treachery. Ser Rodrik is captured and then executed by Theon. Osha tells Bran that his dream has come true.

She seduces Theon, claiming that she wants her freedom. While he sleeps she frees Bran and Rickon and escapes with them. She murders the guard Drennan as they make their exit. They walk to a shepherd's farm in the Stark lands. They consider approaching the farmer for food. Theon tracks them to the farm using hounds and then loses their scent. He returns to Winterfell with the charred corpses of two boys, claiming they are Bran and Rickon. He makes no mention of Osha and Hodor. The escapees actually doubled back, using a stream to mask their scent and are hiding under Theon's nose in the crypts of Winterfell. Luwin spots Osha smuggling bread into the catacombs and follows her. She explains their escape and Luwin tells her that the bodies must be the farmhands. She promises not to tell the boys, agreeing that they have suffered enough.

Before escaping with Bran, Rickon and Hodor she uses a dagger upon the request of a dying Luwin to give him the gift of mercy.

Quotes
"A red comet means one thing, boy. Dragons."

- Osha to Bran Stark

Maester Luwin: The things you speak of, they've been gone for thousands of years.

Osha: They wasn't gone, old man. They was sleeping...and they ain't sleeping no more.

In the books
In the A Song of Ice and Fire novels Osha, is a capable spearwife and raider who becomes a servant of the Starks at Winterfell. She is tall and lean with shaggy brown hair, and significantly older than how she is portrayed in the TV series.

In the novels, Osha never had sex with Theon. After he conquered Winterfell, she requested to serve him as fighter, and he agreed on condition that she bent her knee and swore an oath to him. Osha did as he demanded, but it was only pretense.

She is described as strong, being able to lift Bran with ease. She is also somewhat informal, dubbing Theon "that squiddy prince" behind his back.

"Osha" is pronounced "oh-shuh", not "ah-shuh", "osh-uh", "ahsh-uh", etc.