Guest right

Guest right is an ancient and sacred tradition in the Seven Kingdoms. When a guest, be he common born or noble, eats the food and drinks the drink off a host's table beneath the host's roof, the guest right is invoked. Once invoked, neither the guest can harm his host nor the host harm his guest for the length of the guest's stay

Major violations

 * The Mutiny at Craster's Keep

In the books
In the A Song of Ice and Fire novels, the guest right is a ancient and sacred tradition that goes back thousands of years to the time of the First Men. Bread and salt are the traditional provisions. To violate guest right is to break a sacred covenant that is believed to invoke the wrath of the gods both old and new. Even robber lords and wreckers are bound by the ancient laws of hospitality.

A lord with a bared sword across his knees is making a traditional sign that he is denying guest right. It is sometimes customary for a host to give "guest gifts" to the departing guests when they leave the host's dwellings; this usually represents the end of the sacred guest right and thus the departing guest is no longer considered under the host's protection. In addition, visiting guests will sometimes offer their host "guest gifts" as gratitude for giving them food and shelter.

Highborn hostages, despite being part of a noble's household, sharing their food and drink, and being treated according to their status, are not considered guests, thus they are not subject to the protection of guest right.