Lord of Bones

"He's not yours to kill... crow!"

- The Lord of Bones to Qhorin

The Lord of Bones, also known as Rattleshirt, is a recurring character in the second, third, and fifth seasons. He was first played by Edward Dogliani, and later by Ross O'Hennessy for season five. The Lord of Bones is a notorious leader among the Free Folk and a fearsome raider.

Background
The Lord of Bones is an infamous wildling raider. He is known for wearing a giant's skull instead of a helmet and armor made of bones, which he wears to intimidate his enemies. His real name is unknown.

Season 2
Ygritte takes Jon Snow to the rest of the warparty and introduces him, to the Lord of Bones, as "a present". The wildling commander is dismissive of Ygritte's arguments to keep him alive, as he already has Qhorin Halfhand as prisoner. He relents, however, after Ygritte's insistence and the reminder that Mance Rayder would want to decide for himself whether the bastard son of Eddard Stark lives or dies. However, he threatens Ygritte to castrate Jon should he try to escape. As the warband and their prisoners march to Mance Rayder's camp in Skirling Pass, Qhorin attacks Jon, blaming him for the deaths of Stonesnake, Borba and Harker. The Lord of Bones warns Qhorin not to strike his captive again.

When Halfhand attacks Jon once again, as part of his plan to have Jon infiltrate Mance Rayder's host, the Lord of Bones orders his men to let the two fight. After Jon kills Qhorin, the Lord of Bones cuts the ropes binding his hands together and orders his men to burn the Halfhand's corpse. He turns to Jon and taunts him that he would not want Qhorin's corpse coming back for him.

​Season 3
The Lord of Bones successfully brings Jon to the King-Beyond-the-Wall's camp and to Mance Rayder's tent. Removing his helmet, he is commended by Mance and then  asked to leave with his group, including Ygritte, so that Mance may speak to Jon in private to which he obliges.

In the books
In the A Song of Ice and Fire novels, the Lord of Bones is one of a number of formerly fiercely independent wildling warrior leaders who has been recruited by Mance Rayder, the King-Beyond-the-Wall, to join his forces. He is a fierce enemy of the Night's Watch. Though he refers to himself as the Lord of Bones, the Night's Watch dubbed him "Rattleshirt" as a mockery of the rattle sound produced by his armor. His true name is unknown.

It is not Tormund but the Lord of Bones who is captured by the Watch during the Battle of Castle Black.