A before and after in the history of television. How many of us believed when watching Game of Thrones for the first time that Ned Stark was the protagonist and that somehow he would be saved?
Lord Eddard Stark was beheaded for treason on the steps of the Sept of Baelor in King's Landing before the eyes of the gods and a furious mob in the year 298 after the Conquest. His two daughters, Sansa and Arya, witnessed the scene.
His death was the unfailing sign that in the A Song of Ice and Fire books and series, no character is safe, not only because he is one of the most important protagonists, but also because it happened so unexpectedly at the beginning of the books and the series.
After discovering that the royal princes were Lannister bastards and following the death of Robert Baratheon, Ned is arrested for refusing to recognize the legitimacy of King Joffrey in an ambush orchestrated by Queen Cersei, Petyr Baelish and Janos Slynt.
Finally, he is brought to a public trial where, having reached an agreement conditioned by the well-being of his daughters, he confesses to having betrayed the Crown and recognizes Joffrey as the legitimate heir to the Iron Throne.
Initially, the deal was that the king would grant him the option of serving the rest of his days in the Night's Watch, however, and to everyone's surprise, Joffrey ordered his execution at the hands of Illyn Payne with his own Valyrian steel greatsword, Ice.
The quote from the book reads like this, just before the sentencing: "My mother asks me to allow Lord Eddard to wear the black, and Lady Sansa has begged me for mercy for her father." She looked at Sansa, smiled, and for a moment Arya thought the gods had heard her.
But Joffrey turned to the crowd and continued speaking. "They are women, and their hearts are soft. As long as I am your king, treason will not go unpunished. Ser Ilyn, bring me his head!" It must be said that the series adapted this very faithfully and spectacularly.
The execution of Ned Stark also marked a turning point in the history of Westeros, not only for the direct consequences, but also for the secrets he took to the grave.
Among which stand out what happened at the Tower of Joy, when Ned and his men supposedly fought against the Sword of the Dawn, Arthur Dayne, the promise he made to his sister Lyanna Stark, and the true origin of Jon Snow.
On the other hand, his death had enormous political consequences throughout Westeros, which would become the War of the Five Kings. Stannis Baratheon proclaimed himself the rightful king.
Renly Baratheon was also crowned, while the northerners, upon receiving the news, proclaimed Robb Stark king of the North. Ned's death marked the beginning of the fall of House Stark. His remains were sent home.
TRIVIA AND THEORIES: Did you notice that right after the sentencing, Varys tried to convince the queen to stop the execution?
Ned Stark desperately shouted "Baelor" to Joren (of the Night's Watch) before being brought to trial, his last attempt to ensure at least one of his daughters survived without worry. Baelor is the statue where Arya stood.
Ned's death was a huge shock to people and on social media, many people refused to believe that the most important character in the series had died so soon.
A second before dying, Ned Stark whispered a few inaudible words that led fans to develop several theories. Some suggest that Ned uttered one of the most iconic lines in the series, "Valar Morghulis," which means "All men must die."
There were even theories that Ned might have cast some kind of spell or witchcraft to switch bodies and suddenly reappear, perhaps a kind of resurrection or reincarnation. Of course, there was no shortage of well-known theories.
The truth is that Sean Bean put an end to these theories when, in an interview with the Huffington Post, he was asked about the words his character muttered before being decapitated.
"There's not much you can do at a time like this, and all you can do is mutter a few words, something like 'protect my family,' the only prayer I had in mind at the time," he added.
