Bastards

Bastards, children born to parents who are not properly wed, are common in Westeros. Whores, for example, frequently have bastard children and may raise them in their own profession. Bastards — politely referred to as "natural sons" or "natural daughters" — unfairly bear the stigma of their parent's lasciviousness. Popular belief says the lust and lies leading to their conception lives on in the child, making bastards naturally lecherous and treacherous. The law reinforces this belief: bastards may not inherit. However they may become knights, septons, or maesters. The Night’s Watch does not discriminate against bastards, and some have even become Lord Commander.

Region Surname
Dorne Sand
Crownlands Waters
Iron Islands Pyke
North Snow
Reach Flowers
Riverlands Rivers
Stormlands Storm
Vale Stone
Westerlands Hill

Among the smallfolk, bastardy is not a particularly notable matter. Things are different when the bastard is highborn. In almost every case, the highborn parent is the father. If the lord feels some responsibility or affection for his offspring, he may acknowledge the bastard and pay at least some attention to the child’s career. In this case, to distinguish the highborn bastard from the house, the custom is to give the child one of nine surnames according to the region where it was born or raised, or sometimes based on where the highborn parent holds lordship. The parent might choose a unique surname altogether, though this is rare.

Even when acknowledged, highborn bastards are generally still treated as less than their noble kin. One of the most famous bastards in recent history, Jon Snow, was taken in by his father, Lord Eddard Stark, and raised alongside his brothers and sisters nearly as their equal. This is an unusual situation, however. It’s more common for the bastard to be given employment suitable to his mother’s station, often some distance from the lord’s seat.

Bastards cannot legally inherit noble titles or lands unless they are legitimized, which can only be done by the reigning monarch. Such a declaration is rare, due both to the prejudice against bastards and to the concerns of legitimate heirs over the potential sudden appearance of older brothers. However, in some cases, it can be the best way to resolve potentially nasty political crises caused by unexpected deaths or to ensure that an important lordship is held by an ally. As a result, while rare, it is certainly not unheard of.

Bastards are not often called lord or lady, but when they are, it is usually out of an excess of generosity or veiled ridicule. In the hierarchy of things, while highborn bastards may be elevated above the smallfolk by their blood, they are still on the very bottom rung of that particular ladder.

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