Ygritte
| House / Order | None (Free Folk) |
|---|---|
| Race / Culture | Free Folk (wildling) |
| Status | Deceased |
| Origin | Beyond The Wall |
| Born | c. 281 AC, beyond the Wall |
| Died | 300 AC, Castle Black |
| Weapon | A bow; a knife |
| Fate | Killed by an arrow during the wildling assault on Castle Black, dying in Jon Snow's arms |
| Portrayed by | Rose Leslie |
Ygritte is a wildling spearwife from beyond The Wall and the great love of Jon Snow's life. Fiery, fierce, and free-spirited, she embodies the proud independence of the Free Folk, who bow to no king and "kneel" to no lord. Her romance with Jon, a sworn brother of the Night's Watch, stands at the heart of his arc in A Storm of Swords.
Best known for her teasing refrain "You know nothing, Jon Snow," Ygritte challenges Jon's vows, his loyalties, and his understanding of the people his order has long called the enemy.
Background
Ygritte was born one of the Free Folk beyond the Wall, raised among a people who reject the lordships, knighthoods, and hierarchies of Westeros. A spearwife, a woman who fights alongside the men, she is skilled with a bow and unafraid. She is kissed by fire, that is, red-haired, which the Free Folk consider lucky. She rides with the host of Mance Rayder, the King-Beyond-the-Wall.
Biography
A Clash of Kings
During the Night's Watch's great ranging, Jon Snow and Qhorin Halfhand's party capture a band of wildlings, among them Ygritte. Ordered to execute her, Jon cannot bring himself to kill her and lets her go, an act of mercy that binds their fates together.
A Storm of Swords
After Jon is taken by the Free Folk (having killed Qhorin on his orders to win their trust), Ygritte vouches for him and the two grow close. She pursues him relentlessly, teasing his Night's Watch celibacy and his ignorance of her people's ways with the words "You know nothing, Jon Snow." They become lovers, and Jon breaks his vows for her. Ygritte longs for Jon to be truly one of the Free Folk and to forget the Watch. When the wildlings scale the Wall and raid south, Jon's divided loyalty finally breaks: he flees back to the Watch, leaving her behind, a betrayal she feels keenly. During Mance Rayder's assault on Castle Black, Ygritte is struck by an arrow. She dies in Jon's arms, her last words a wistful "You know nothing, Jon Snow," and a memory of a cave where they had been happy together.
Character
Ygritte is bold, passionate, and uncompromising, a woman shaped by the harsh freedom of life beyond the Wall. She loves fiercely and lives without the constraints of southron custom, scorning the very idea of kneeling to lords or keeping celibate vows. Her bluntness masks real tenderness, and her love for Jon is genuine and generous, even as it sets her against the loyalties he cannot abandon.
Relationships
Ygritte's defining relationship is her love affair with Jon Snow, which transforms both of them and forces Jon to see the Free Folk as people rather than enemies. She rides with the host of Mance Rayder and the raiding party of Styr, the Magnar of Thenn, to whom she is nominally promised before choosing Jon.
Quotes
You know nothing, Jon Snow.
We should have stayed in that cave. (her dying words to Jon)
In the television series
In HBO's Game of Thrones, Ygritte was portrayed by Rose Leslie. Her arc and death follow the novels closely, though the show heightened her bitterness at Jon's betrayal, having her wound him with arrows before her own death at Castle Black.