House Bracken

House Bracken
Information
Coat of arms	A red stallion contourny on gold
Seat	Stone Hedge
Other estates	Burning Mill (disputed) Lambswold Mory
Region	Riverlands
Head	Lord Jonos Bracken
Overlords	House Tully House Frey (300-303 AC)
Religion	Faith of the Seven Old Gods (pre-coming of the Andals)

"The red stallion was always a welcome sight at Riverrun. My father counts Jonos Bracken amongst his oldest and most loyal bannermen."

―Catelyn Stark

House Bracken of Stone Hedge is a noble house of the Riverlands. Their lands are in the heart of the Riverlands, located along the banks of the Red Fork of the Trident. Their current lord is Jonos Bracken. House Bracken's sigil is a red stallion on a gold field.

History

Background

The Brackens hold an ancient grudge against their neighbors, House Blackwood of Raventree Hall. The two houses, both of which have the blood of the First Men in their veins, competed for the throne of the Riverlands when it was an independent kingdom. The enmity and competition continue to this day and was increased when House Bracken converted to the Faith of the Seven.

House of the Dragon: Season 1

During Rhaenyra Targaryen's tour of the realm, she stops at Storm's End, where Jerrel Bracken is slain in a duel by Willem Blackwood.

House Bracken illegally annexes land owned by House Blackwood, causing Lord Samwell Blackwood to send a complaint to the Small Council. The dispute is ultimately handled by House Tully with an asize and the establihsment of boundary stones to demarcate the border.

Lord Amos Bracken swears allegiance to King Aegon II at the start of the Dance of the Dragons.

House of the Dragon: Season 2

While near the border with House Blackwood, Ser Aeron Bracken, a knight of House Bracken and nephew of Lord Amos Bracken, and his group are accosted by Davos Blackwood and a group of his own. The two quickly get into a heated argument, with both men denouncing each other, their respective houses, and the side their house supported in the wider conflict of the Dance, culminating in Aeron drawing his sword on Davos. Sometime later, House Bracken launches an attack against House Blackwood in an area that would come to be known as the Burning Mill. During the battle, both sides sustained heavy losses, Aeron among them.

Sometime after Prince Daemon Targaryen claimed Harrenhal for the Blacks, Lord Amos meets with Daemon atop Caraxes and Ser Willem Blackwood. Daemon gives simple terms to Amos and his Bracken retinue: House Bracken renounce Aegon and bend to him or refuse and their House burns. Amos promptly refuses, declaring him and his house would rather burn then stand alongside the Blackwoods. Daemon ultimately allows Amos and his retinue to depart without incident.

House Blackwood launches a raid on Bracken land, kidnapping Bracken women and children. Following this, Lord Amos Bracken agrees to swear fealty to the Blacks.

Game of Thrones: Season 1

The banner of House Bracken flies at the tourney of the Hand in King's Landing.

House Bracken joins the army of Robb Stark as it crosses the Riverlands, following their victory in the Battle of Whispering Wood. Lord Bracken is among the Riverlords who proclaim Robb their king and seceding their lands from the authority of the Iron Throne.

Game of Thrones: Season 5

With the intended betrothal of Wyllis Bracken to Lollys Stokeworth, House Bracken has apparently surrendered to the Iron Throne in the aftermath of the Red Wedding.

Members

Houses Bracken and Blackwood share a long-standing and mutual animosity.

• Lord Jonos Bracken, the current head of the house.
• Ser Wyllis Bracken. Betrothed to Lollys Stokeworth.

Historical members

• Ser {Lyle Bracken}, a knight who joined the Faith Militant during its uprising. Killed by Maegor the Cruel in a Trial by seven.
• Ser {Jasper Bracken}, a Lord Commander of the Night's Watch.
• Lord {Humfrey Bracken}, the head of the house during the reign of Viserys I Targaryen.
  • Lord {Amos Bracken}, his son and successor.
    • {Raylon Bracken}, his son and heir.
  • {Jerrel Bracken}, his son. Killed by Willem Blackwood in a duel.
• Ser {Aeron Bracken}, Amos's nephew. Killed in the Battle of the Burning Mill.
• {Bethany Bracken}, a mistress of King Aegon IV Targaryen.

Household

• {Kurleket}, a man-at-arms sworn to House Bracken. Killed by hill tribesmen while escorting Catelyn Stark through the Mountains of the Moon.

Family tree

Humfrey Bracken Deceased

Lady Bracken

Amos Bracken

Lady Bracken

Jerrel Bracken Deceased

Son

Wife

Raylon Bracken

Aeron Bracken Deceased

In the books

In the A Song of Ice and Fire novels, House Bracken is a loyal vassal of the Tullys. The enmity between Brackens and Blackwoods was radically exacerbated when Ser Otho Bracken slew Lord Quentyn Blackwood in a tourney accident roughly a century ago, and it still exists at present - even when the two houses were temporarily on the same side at the War of the Five Kings.

The sigil of House Bracken is slightly different in the books: like the TV series, it consists of a red stallion on gold, however, in the books the outside edge of the gold field also has a brown border - though it was briefly shown surmounting a brown escutcheon at the tournament in Season 1.

House Bracken suffers a lot during the war: the Mountain steals its harvest, burns everything he cannot carry off, puts Lord Jonos's castle to the torch and rapes one of his daughters. Yet, following the Red Wedding, House Bracken yields to the Iron Throne, since Lord Jonos (similarly to many of the Riverlords) figures there is no point to keep fighting for a lost cause.

After receiving a pardon, Lord Jonos besieges Raventree Hall, the castle of his nemesis Lord Tytos Blackwood, on behalf of the Iron Throne. Since the rivalry between the Blackwoods and Brackens goes back thousands of years, neither side asks for a parley. Eventually, Jaime arrives and persuades Lord Tytos, non-violently, to surrender.

Known members

• Lord Jonos Bracken, Lord of the Stone Hedge and head of the family.
  • Lady Bracken, his wife.
    • Barbara Bracken, their first daughter and heir.
    • Jayne Bracken, their daughter.
    • Catelyn Bracken, their daughter.
    • Bess Bracken, their daughter.
    • Alysanne Bracken, their daughter.
• {Hendry Bracken}, his nephew. Killed by Lannister soldiers during the liberation of Stone Hedge.

With unspecified familiar relationship to the main branch of the house there is also:

• {Harry Rivers}, the Bastard of Bracken, the natural son of a member of House Bracken, claimed to be Lord Jonos's son. Killed by Lannister soldiers during the War of the Five Kings.
• Lord Bracken's daughter. One of the possible matches for Brynden Tully in his youth. Possibly a sister of Lord Jonos.

Gallery

The banner of House Bracken at the Tourney of the Hand in "The Wolf and the Lion".

Tyrion Lannister defends himself using the shield of a fallen man-at-arms of House Bracken on the road to the Eyrie. Promotional image from "The Wolf and the Lion".

The Bracken sigil in the HBO Season 1 viewer guide.

House Bracken soldier.

External links

• House Bracken on A Wiki of Ice and Fire (potential spoilers for House of the Dragon)

House Bracken
Head	Jonos Bracken	Heir	Unknown
Seat	Stone Hedge	Region	Riverlands
Ancestors	Lyle Bracken · Jasper Bracken · Humfrey Bracken · Amos Bracken · Jerrel Bracken · Raylon Bracken · Aeron Bracken · Bethany Bracken
Members	Wyllis Bracken
Household	{Kurleket}
Overlords	House Tully