10 Most Beautiful Westerosi Women
George R.R. Martin’s famed A Song of Ice and Fire novels is known for having a multitude of characters. What’s even more fascinating is how Martin has given each of them detailed and unique physical attributes and personalities. Certain women in the story are renowned for possessing exquisite beauties—many of which have even started wars and shaped the political landscape of Westeros and the lands beyond.
1. Daenerys Targaryen
With silver-gold hair and eyes the color of amethyst—characteristic of every Targaryen—Daenerys Targaryen is famously touted as the fairest woman in the world of Ice and Fire within the period that she lived. She is the daughter of the last Targaryen to sit the Iron Throne of Westeros, King Aerys II. Dany was born while a storm raged in the island of Dragonstone, and was thus dubbed as Stormborn.
Following the Rebellion, she was exiled to Essos, across the Narrow Sea, with only her elder brother, Viserys. There, they led a difficult life until a marriage was arranged for her to Khal Drogo, a chief of the nomadic, horse-riding people called the Dothraki. Then Daenerys became known as the Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea. Later on, after having been widowed, she will marry the noble Meereenese, Hizdahr zo Loraq to secure political power, and will be crowned the Queen of Meereen. Prior to this marriage, she took the Tyroshi sellsword Daario Naharis as lover. Meanwhile, the knight Jorah Mormont who was initially a spy for the Iron Throne will eventually turn his cloak as he fell in love with her. Dany hatched three dragons (the only known remaining ones) and came to be called the Mother of Dragons. Her most notable act would have to be the freeing of slaves in the cities of Astapor, Yunkai, and Meereen that gave her the title, Breaker of Chains. She plots to reclaim the Iron Throne of Westeros.
“The fairest woman in the world if my brother could be believed. Her hair is silver-gold, her eyes are amethysts. ” –Victarion Greyjoy on what his brother Euron told her about Daenerys Targaryen (A Dance with Dragons)
2. Lyanna Stark
Dauntless, clever, and a skilled horse rider, Lyanna Stark is fondly identified as a She-wolf. She possessed the dark brown hair and long face of the Starks. The daughter of Rickard Stark, Lord of Winterfell, Lyanna was to Westeros what Helen was to Troy. She was betrothed to Robert Baratheon, who was then Lord Paramount of the Stormlands. Her alleged abduction by Prince Rhaegar Targaryen will spark Robert’s rebellion which will eventually lead to the downfall of the Targaryen Dynasty, who have ruled the Seven Kingdoms for hundreds of years. A year prior, in the fateful tourney at Harrenhal, Rhaegar defeated four Knights of the Kingsguard to become champion of the joust. He then named Lyanna as the Queen of Love and Beauty and placed a crown of blue winter roses in her lap. This humiliated the prince’s wife, Elia Martell of Dorne and Robert Baratheon, who were both present at the tourney.
The Rebellion that ensued ended with Robert killing Rhaegar with his warhammer at the Battle of the Trident. Robert will eventually usurp the throne and rule as king. Following the sack of King’s Landing, Ned found Lyanna dying in the Tower of Joy in Dorne. Her death was shrouded in mystery, but it is widely known that she asked Ned to keep a certain promise as her dying wish. Her remains lie at the Crypts of Winterfell.
“She was more beautiful than that. Ah, damn it, Ned, did you have to bury her in a place like this? She deserved more than darkness.” -Robert Baratheon to Ned Stark, on a statue of Lyanna carved in stone (A Game of Thrones)
“You never knew Lyanna as I did, Robert. You saw her beauty, but not the iron underneath.” –Ned Stark to Robert Baratheon (A Game of Thrones)
3. Cersei Lannister
Cersei Lannister is said to be strikingly beautiful, with green eyes, golden hair, fair skin, and a slender figure in her prime. The daughter of Tywin Lannister, Hand of the King and previously Lord of Casterly Rock, she will become queen of the Seven Kingdoms following his marriage to Robert Baratheon. This was secured by Tywin after the Lannisters betrayed the Targaryens to side with the usurper. Their marriage will be loveless, partly owing to the king’s fixation with the dead Lyanna, his womanizing and drunken ways, as well as the queen’s extramarital affair. Cersei will bear three children, all believed to be fathered through her incestuous union with her twin brother, Jaime. In her desire to take power, she will arrange for the death of Robert so that her son Joffrey may sit the throne. In several instances, Cersei will use her beauty and powers of seduction to seek underhanded favors and manipulate other key figures in court.
“The northern girl had a wild beauty, as he recalled, though however bright a torch might burn it could never match the rising sun.” –Kevan Lannister, comparing Lyanna Stark to his niece, Cersei Lannister (A Dance with Dragons)
4. Sansa Stark
Taking after her mother Catelyn, Sansa will have the thick auburn hair, high cheekbones, and blue eyes of the Tullys. She is genteel and ladylike, in contrast to her sister, Arya. In the beginning, Sansa’s character is naïve and unsuspecting. From her sheltered upbringing in Winterfell, she will slowly learn the ways of the world at King’s Landing. She was initially betrothed to Joffrey Baratheon and was poised to become queen. But after some major turn of events, she will be married to Tyrion Lannister, though this will not be consummated. Lord Petyr Baelish, who was in love with her mother, will then begin to take interest in Sansa. Petyr will bring her along with him to the Vale of Arryn and incorporate her into his schemes to take power.
“Sansa was a lady at three, always so courteous and eager to please. She loved nothing so well as tales of knightly valor. Men would say she had my look, but she will grow into a woman far more beautiful than I ever was, you can see that. I often sent away her maid so I could brush her hair myself. She had auburn hair, lighter than mine, and so thick and soft... the red in it would catch the light of the torches and shine like copper.” –Catelyn Stark describing Sansa Stark to Brienne of Tarth (A Clash of Kings)
“You have your mother's eyes. Honest eyes, and innocent. Blue as a sunlit sea. When you are a little older, many a man will drown in those eyes.” –Petyr Baelish to Sansa Stark (A Feast for Crows)
5. Ashara Dayne
Ashara Dayne of Starfall is described as tall and fair, with long dark hair and haunting violet eyes. She is lady-in-waiting to Princess Elia Martell and is the sister of Ser Arthur Dayne, one of the Kingsguard to King Aerys. Many men were said to have been captivated by her beauty, most notably, Ser Barristan Selmy. In Ser Barristan’s accounts, Ashara conceived a child after having been “dishonored” during the tourney at Harrenhal, but the child was said to be stillborn. In a story told to Arya Stark, Ned and Ashara were said to have fallen in love during the tourney at Harrenhal. On the aftermath of Robert’s Rebellion, following the events at the Tower of Joy, Ned Stark will inform House Dayne of the death of Ser Arthur and return the greatsword “Dawn” at Starfall. Ashara then jumped off from the Palestone Sword, a tower on a cliff atop the sea. Her body was never recovered. Several reasons are given why she committed suicide: the death of her child, the death of her brother and Ned’s role in it, or because of “the man who dishonored her at Harrenhal.” Ned then returns to Winterfell with the infant Jon Snow, which initially sparked rumors that Ashara was Jon’s mother.
“Even after all these years, Ser Barristan could still recall Ashara’s smile, the sound of her laughter. He had only to close his eyes to see her, with her long dark hair tumbling about her shoulders and those haunting purple eyes.” –Ser Barristan Selmy recalling Ashara Dayne (A Dance with Dragons)
6. Margaery Tyrell
Margaery Tyrell has big brown eyes, thick brown curly hair, and smooth unblemished skin. She bears a great resemblance to her brother, Loras Tyrell, and has been likened to Lyanna Stark (though Ned disagrees). Margaery is the daughter of Lord Mace Tyrell of Highgarden, the Lord Paramount of the Reach. It is the most fertile and populated territory in the Seven Kingdoms, and the second wealthiest, next to the westerlands. She will marry Renly Baratheon who had the support of the Reach during the war of the five kings. When Renly died, the Lannisters arranged for Margaery to marry Joffrey Baratheon, to secure their alliance with the Tyrells. Joffrey will die on their wedding day. Subsequently, she will wed his younger brother Tommen, and become the young queen of Westeros. Margaery is said to have inherited the guile and cunning of her grandmother, Olenna Tyrell.
“So the girl is as clever as she is pretty. Tommen could do a deal worse for a queen.” –Jaime Lannister thought to himself (A Feast for Crows)
6. Arianne Martell
Arianne Martell has an exotic beauty, with jet-black curly hair, and a lush curvy figure. She is short at five feet-two, taking after her mother, Mellario of Norvos. She is the daughter of Doran Martell, Prince of Dorne, and heiress to throne of Sunspear (in accordance with Dornish custom which allows women to rule). Her beauty captivated the Knight of the Kingsguard Ser Arys Oakhart who came to Dorne to accompany Myrcella Baratheon. Arianne will seduce Ser Arys into conniving with her scheme to crown Myrcella as Queen of the Seven Kingdoms following Joffrey’s death. On their way to Hellholt, where she plans to raise Myrcella’s banners, Arianne and her co-conspirators will be intercepted by Sunspear’s Captain of the Guards, Areo Hotah and his men.
This encounter will lead to the death of Ser Arys and Myrcella getting seriously injured.
“No, he meant to tell her, I only came to tell you I must go, but when he saw her shining in the candlelight he seemed to lose the power of speech. His throat felt as dry as the Dornish sands. Silent he stood, drinking in the glories of her body, the hollow of her throat, the round ripe breasts with their huge dark nipples, the lush curves at waist and hip.” –Ser Arys Oakhart on a sensual encounter with Arianne Martell (A Feast for Crows)
8. Jeyne Westerling
Jeyne Westerling has brown eyes, a heart-shaped face, chestnut curls, and a slender posture. She is the daughter of Lord Gawen Westerling, whose family is an old house descending from the First Men. During the war of the five kings, Jeyne will nurse Robb Stark when he suffered a wound from an arrow as they stormed the Crag, House Westerling’s Ancestral Keep. Then news will come to Robb that Theon Greyjoy killed his brothers, Bran and Rickon. She will then comfort him in his grief and they will sleep together. He will marry Jeyne the next day to protect her honour, despite his betrothal to the daughter of Walder Frey. This betrayal will eventually lead to the events of the Red Wedding, in which Robb and Catelyn Stark will be killed, together with the all northmen and their allies who were present.
“Jeyne was a willowy girl, no more than fifteen or sixteen, more awkward than graceful. She had narrow hips, breasts the size of apples, a mop of chestnut curls, and the soft brown eyes of a doe. Pretty enough for a child, Jaime decided, but not a girl to lose a kingdom for.” –Jaime Lannister on Jeyne Westerling (A Feast for Crows)
9. Myrcella Baratheon
Myrcella Baratheon is the daughter of Cersei Lannister that was later revealed to be fathered by Jaime Lannister, and not King Robert Baratheon, whose family name she bears. She has the golden hair of the Lannisters. During the war of the five kings, she was betrothed to Trystane Martell, the youngest son of Doran Martell, Prince of Dorne, so that the Lannisters may secure their allegiance. She then travels south with Ser Arys Oakhart, so she may be fostered at Sunspear before the marriage, and serving in effect as hostage. With the death of King Joffrey, Arianne Martell schemed to rally the Dornishmen into raising Myrcella’s banner as Queen of the Seven Kingdoms. In accordance with Dornish law which allow women to rule, Myrcella is the rightful queen, being older than Tommen. This plan was thwarted under orders from Prince Doran and Myrcella was seriously injured on the encounter, losing an ear. Consequently, Ser Balon Swann arrives at Dorne to accompany the princess back to King’s Landing, as requested by King Tommen.
“She had all of her mother's beauty, and none of her nature.” –Tyrion Lannister’s thoughts on Myrcella Baratheon (A Game of Thrones)
“The truth was, the princess was braver than her brother, and brighter and more confident as well. Her wits were quicker, her courtesies more polished. Nothing daunted her, not even Joffrey.” –Ser Arys Oakhart on Myrcella Baratheon (A Feast for Crows)
10. Shiera Seastar
The last of the great bastards, Shiera Seastar was the daughter of King Aegon IV Targaryen with Lady Serenei of Lys. She had silvergold hair, a heart-shaped face and peculiar mismatched eyes of blue and green, which was said to have only enhanced her beauty. Sehira spoke many languages and was a great reader, maintaining a large and arcane library. She was rumored to have inherited her mother’s skill in the dark arts. Many duels were fought in her favor and she was never married, but took many lovers. The two great bastards, Bloodraven and Bittersteel both vied for her affection, but the former was her known paramour.
“Bittersteel and Bloodraven both loved Shiera Seastar, and the Seven Kingdoms bled.” -Barristan Selmy's thoughts (A Dance with Dragons)
“Though she never wed, she had many offers, and several lovers through the years. Duels were fought over the right to sit beside her, men killed themselves after falling from her favor, poets outdid each other writing songs about her beauty. Her most ardent admirer was her half-brother, Bloodraven, who proposed marriage to her half a hundred times. Shiera gave him her bed, but never her hand. It amused her more to make him jealous.” – George R.R. Martin on Shiera Seastar
Sources:
A Game of Thrones
A Clash of Kings
A Storm of Swords
A Feast for Crows
A Dance with Dragons
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