Gared

Gared is a ranger of the Night’s Watch. He gets sent by the Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch, Jeor Mormont, to scout a group of wildlings with Ser Waymar Royce and Will. However, the expedition ends terribly as his companions fall to a mysterious entity beyond the Wall; this later influences the Great Range organized by the Lord Commander.

Gared Details

• Name: Gared.
• Year of Birth: Around 241 and 246 AC.
• Year of Death: 298 AC.
• Allegiance: Night’s Watch.
• Title: Ranger.

Appearance and Personality

Gared is a middle-aged man past fifty. He is skinny and one of the most experienced rangers in the Watch, having more than four decades of experience. Throughout his career as a ranger, he lost both ears, the little finger on his left hand, and three toes to frostbite. Though he does not hate Waymar Royce, Gared makes fun of the lordling because of his flashy clothes.

Biography

There is little detail on Gared’s life as a child. However, he reached the Night’s Watch as a boy and joined the order. He served for forty years and lost his ears, fingers, and toes. Lord Mormont tasked Gared, Will, and Waymar Royce to search for some wildling raiders. Though Gared had more experience, Waymar got given command of the team as his father was Lord Yohn Royce. On getting to the wildlings, Gared realizes something is amiss and tries to alert Waymar. However, his warnings fell on deaf ears. Suddenly, the real enemy of the realm shows up, and the group faces their nightmares.

Relevance in A Song of Ice and Fire

A Game of Thrones

After trailing the band of wildling raiders for days in the haunted forest, Gared and his companions arrive at their camp on the ninth day. After passing a Great Sentinel tree, the rangers reach the wilding group.

Gared tells Waymar Royce that they should head back to the Wall and alert the Watch as something seems amiss. However, Ser Royce mocks Gared. When the rangers discover the wildlings got killed, Gared insists on the group returning to Castle Black, but with Waymar in charge, his advice gets tossed away. 

Knowing there is no way to convince Waymar, Gared suggests they light a fire due to the chilly ice wind, but he mocks him for lacking courage. However, the experienced ranger tells the lordling there are enemies the fire can fight. Suddenly, a group of mysterious creatures called Others emerges from the snow.

In bravery, Waymar faces them but realizes they are not humans, as no human metal is as deadly-looking as the pale blades they wield. The creatures dance with a pale blue light. Waymar’s sword shatters to the creature’s blade. He gets killed and turns into a wight. As a reanimated corpse, he kills Will, but Gared luckily escapes and flees South of the Wall.

After becoming one of the Night’s Watch deserters, Gared gets arrested and brought before Lord Eddard Stark and his sons and ward, Jon Snow, Robb Stark, Bran Stark, and Theon Greyjoy. Though Ned tries questioning him on what had happened, the ranger is too distraught to say anything, and he gets executed for breaking his vow.

After getting killed, Theon tosses his head around, an act that infuriates Jon. Ned sends the ranger’s head back to Lord Mormont. On the way, Ned’s sons find six direwolf pups and give the remaining three to Sansa, Arya, and Rickon.

After Robert Baratheon, King of the Seven Kingdoms arrives at Winterfell from King’s Landing with his wife, Cersei Lannister, he and Ned talk about the threat beyond the Wall. After Ned agrees to become the Hand of the King, Tyrion Lannister travels to the Wall with Jon Snow. He meets Lord Mormont, who begs him to ask the King for more men.

A Clash of Kings

When Lord Commander Mormont decides to go on the Great Range, he and 300 men arrive at Craster’s Keep. On reaching the Keep, they learn from Craster that three men stopped on their mission.

Appearance in Adaptations

In HBO’s Game of Thrones, Gared got portrayed by Dermot Keaney. He appeared in season one and starred in only one episode. When Will discovers dismembered wildling corpses arranged brutally in a cold butchery, he alerts Waymar and Gared.

After passing through a thicket to reach the scene, they meet an empty clearing. Gared finds a piece of clothing under the snow and suddenly sees a tall shadow with eyes that give off a faint blue shimmer, armor-like old bones, and a frost-covered longsword attack Ser Royce. 

Though Waymar gets injured as droplets of blood soak his moleskin glove, he keeps fighting as he swings his sword in a flat sidearm slash. He goes for a second blow, a third, and more to defeat the mysterious warrior he faces. However, none of his attacks cause any damage. There is no ring of metal on metal when his sword collides with that of the creature, and only a thin sound emanates.

The knight falls to his knees after his broken sword falls to the ground. His muscles twitch as the blood oozes from his splendid sable cloak. Later Benjen Stark gets sent to learn about what happened and goes missing.

Gared: A Great Soldier

Gared was one of the best soldiers of the Night’s Watch. His loyalties were in the right direction, and he wanted what was best for the Watch. However, his getting placed under Waymar’s leadership led to his death. Though he was a great ranger and fighter, there was no way he could use his skills to the maximum under the guidance of a pompous lordling like Ser Waymar Royce.

FAQs