Sansa Stark
| Character | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Sansa Stark |
| Occupation: | |
| Relationships: | Ned Stark (father), Catelyn Stark (mother), Robb Stark (brother), Arya Stark (sister), Bran Stark (brother), Rickon Stark (brother), Jon Snow (cousin, adopted brother), Joffrey Baratheon (betrothed), Tyrion Lannister (husband), Ramsay Bolton (husband in TV series) |
| Fandom: | Game of Thrones, A Song of Ice and Fire |
| Other: | played by Sophie Turner |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Sansa Stark is a fictional main and POV character from A Song of Ice and Fire, and is played by Sophie Turner on the HBO television series Game of Thrones. Sansa is a well loved character, but was also the target of a great deal of hate and derision within the fandom.
Perhaps, because of her mistreatment in canon, many of her fans wish to see her happy, and will create fanworks where she finds a peaceful life. She is also the fandom's primary little black dress and is shipped with a wide variety of characters, including Jon Snow and Margaery Tyrell. AUs appear to be fairly common, including Modern AUs and Canon Divergences.
Canon
TV Series
At the beginning of the series Sansa lives at Winterfell with her parents and siblings. After King Robert Baratheon visits she is betrothed to his son Prince Joffrey, and she travels south with her father. After King Robert dies her father is named traitor and beheaded, and she remains a prisoner at King's Landing. Joffrey is cruel and abusive toward her. He eventually breaks the betrothal so he can wed Margaery Tyrell. The Tyrells try to arrange a marriage between Sansa and Ser Loras, but are thwarted by the Lannisters when they marry Sansa to Tyrion. After Joffrey's murder she escapes King's Landing with the help of Lord Petyr Baelish, who transports her to the Vale. Baelish kills her aunt Lysa, and afterwards arranges a marriage between her and Ramsay Bolton. Ramsay abuses Sansa, when the opportunity arises she escapes with Theon Greyjoy. She is found by Brienne of Tarth who sees her safely to the Wall where she reunites with her brother Jon Snow. Sansa is able to recruit the Knights of the Vale to come to their aid and they help the Jon and Sansa win the Battle of the Bastards. After Ramsay's death Sansa is named Lady of Winterfell and left in charge of the Stark forces when Jon travels south. After the defeat of the Whitewalkers and Cersei, Sansa declares that the North shall be independent and she is crowned Queen in the North.
Books
Sansa's story is very similar to the television show's until she reaches the Vale. As of the last book Sansa is still in the Vale and going along with Petyr Baelish's plans to eventually seize power in that region.
Fandom
Of all the Starks remaining, Sansa is the only one who hasn't had any supernatural or otherworldly help to get to where she is... Sansa is a normal person in a chaotic world, using her brains and the help of the other ordinary people around her to survive. That's one of the main reasons she is able to connect with people on a level that Jon, Arya, and Bran cannot; she is realistic, grounded, and powerful in her own right.[1]
Pairings
Sansa is the main Little Black Dress of ASoIaF/GOT fandom, appearing in a wide, varied range of ships and even crossover pairings. This may be a result of her overall popularity in the fandom, or because she is something of a canonical LBD, being subjected to multiple political matches throughout the series. It may also be because her canonical relationships do not resonate with many fans. At best, she ends up a child bride in a mutually unwanted political marriage (Tyrion), and at worst she is betrothed/married off to abusive sadists (Joffrey and Ramsay). This has led many fans to imagine her in happier relationships in fic. "Sansa Stark/Happiness" is a popular joke pairing for this reason.
Statistics
- In 2016 Sansa was the 2nd most popular Stark child on Tumblr[2]
- In 2017 Sansa Stark was the most popular Game of Thrones character on Archive of Our Own[3]
- In 2019, during the final season, Sansa was the most popular Game of Thrones character on Tumblr[4]
Common Tropes in Fanworks
- Modern AU: set in a modern setting, where Sansa knows or meets other characters from the series. Most often she is living with her family, however there are some stories where she is older and living independently
- High School AU or College AU: common because of her relative age (these are almost always in modern AUs)
- Arranged Marriage: for a political purposes marriages are arranged for Sansa, often exploring possibilities other than her disappointing canonical relationships, some popular character choices for the potential grooms are Jon Snow, Sandor Clegane, and Willas Tyrell. In AU stories, where same sex marriages are not an issue, you will also see Margaery Tyrell and Daenerys Targaryen thrown into the mix
- Canon Divergence AU: the point at which to diverge varies greatly, a few examples are: Sansa never goes south with Ned, she escapes or is rescued from Kings Landing, she escapes or is rescued from the Vale
- Futurefic: these usually entailed Sansa as Lady of Winterfell, or Queen in the North, and sometimes married with children
- Reunion: before Seasons 6 & 7 many stories focused on how she would be reunited with her remaining family members
- Hurt/Comfort: with Sansa being hurt emotionally or physically, she is usually comforted by members of the Stark family or by potential romantic interests
Challenges
Terminology
- Sansa is sometimes refered to as the Red Wolf in fanworks, because she has red hair and the House Stark sigil is a direwolf
Controversies
- Sexism: Sansa received a lot of fandom hate early in the series, because of her poor decision making and weakness. Many have pointed out that she was very young. Plus, there were accusations of sexism within the fandom because the very things that some fans hated were her classically feminine traits.[1]
[In response to So, why do you think Sansa evokes such hatred?] Sexism and misogyny. So, so much sexism and misogyny. The culture at large hates preteen girls, the things they love, and the way they love them. Nevermind that there is no way for any woman to win in the patriarchy, even if she’s naturally proficient at fulfilling its expectations. That doesn’t stop her fiance from beating her up. Not all women are going to be gifted with those super cool martial skills or be interested in more “masculine” activities. Sometimes they must use other tools for survival that are available to them. But she can’t win with some of these people. She’s mocked for being weak, or dumb, or passive; however, if she becomes too intelligent and cunning, she’s also a treacherous woman.[5]
I think Sansa has become more popular, but the hatred towards her isn’t quite about sexism, it’s about femininity. We still see female traits as “bad.” The popular women exhibit a lot of masculine traits.[6]
- Sexual Assault: many fans were extremely disappointed when the show changed Sansa's book story line and married her to Ramsay Bolton, who proceeded to rape her, and felt it undercut the agency her character had been developing[7]
Fanworks
Fan Art
- Sansa by dalisacg
- Sansa by akizhao
- Sansa and Lady by Sansa and Lady
- Sansa Stark by JanainaArt
- Sansa Stark 1.0 by elia-illustration
- Sansa Stark by IrenHorrors
- Sansa Stark by KalaSketch
- Sansa Stark by bubug
- Sansa by Incantata
- she-wolf, Archived version by MAD SAD CENTRAL
Fanfiction
- The Six Songs of Sansa Stark by thefairfleming
- Into the Wood by Walter Gilman
- all I know since yesterday is everything has changed by bryndentully
- The Lady and the Direwolf by turtle_paced
Fan Vids
- Home by Zurik 23M
- Lady of Winterfell by tabbleey
- Survivor by Tap101Dancer
Graphics and Gif Sets
- Day 4: Family, Archived version gif set by padme-amidala
Meta
- The first thing everyone says when discussing asoiaf and/or game of thrones, Archived version by empresslucrezia
Cosplay
- GoT - Sansa - The Halfman's Bride, cosplay by MilliganVick
- Sansa Stark cosplay by mo-s-art
Fanmixes
- {porcelain, ivory, steel} a sansa stark playlist, Archived version by asongforwinterfell
Zines
Gallery
Fanart
Sansa Stark and Lady by Skab3txina (2011)
Sansa Stark by artAlais (2012)
Arya and Sansa by DanArcane (2012) – Sansa (right) with her sister Arya (left).
Sansa Stark by ladywinde (2012)
Cover art for Running with the Hare and Hunting with the Hound, by JDarnell (2014)
Sansa in her Alayne Stone identity by denkata5698 (2014).
Sansa Stark by Tfilipova (2014)
Sansa Stark by CR0M3R0 (2015)
Sansa Stark by JanainaArt (2015)
Sansa Stark by IrenHorrors (2015)
Queen in the North by JanainaArt (2016)
Lady of Winterfell by Andrea Balmaceda (2017)
Cover art for Ink & Roses, by Rosaria Battiloro (2017)
Sansa Stark by IrenHorrors (2017)
Arya & Sansa by Agustin Paillet (2018) – Sansa (left) with her sister Arya (right).
The Lady of Winterfell by AranelFealoss (2019)
Sansa by Michal Biskup (2019)
Queen in the North by evs-eme (2019)
Sansa Stark by Ingrid Herrmann (2019)
Sansa Stark by Mia Hobbes (2019)
Queen in the North by KuroCyou (2019)
Queen in the North by Gabriella Masi (2019)
Sansa Stark: Queen in the North by Marion by Marion Pasia (2019)
Sansa Stark by Anastasia Sharynskaya (2019)
Sansa Stark by Aleta Vidal (2019)
Cosplay
Cosplay of Sansa by Italian cosplayer CalamityJade (2012)
Cosplay of Sansa CalamityJade (2013).
Cosplay of Sansa CalamityJade (2014).
Cosplay of Sansa CalamityJade (2014).
Cosplay enacting the sibling rivalry between Sansa (CalamityJade) and Arya (unknown).
Sansa cosplay by Italian cosplayer CantoriDelWesteros (2012).
Sansa cosplay by CantoriDelWesteros (2012).
Sansa cosplay by CantoriDelWesteros (2012).
Sansa cosplay by German cosplayer Thaea1402 (2014).
Sansa cosplay by Thaea1402 (2014).
Sansa cosplay by New Zealand cosplayer Jackie Chapman (2018).
Embroidery detail by Jackie Chapman (2018).
Archive and Links
- Sansa Stark tag at Archive of Our Own
- Sansa at FanFiction.net
- Tumblr Tags: Sansa Stark, GOT Sansa Stark
Resources
- Sansa Stark at Westeros.org
- Sansa Stark at Game of Thrones Wiki
- Sansa Stark at Wikipedia
References
- ^ a b Listen Up, Fives: Sansa Stark Is a 10 and You Better Recognize
- ^ "Fandometrics In Depth: Game of Thrones Edition". Archived from the original on 2017-06-29.
- ^ Game of Thrones A03 statistics
- ^ "Fandometrics In Depth: For The Throne Edition". Archived from the original on 2019-05-24.
- ^ "I was looking at those old Westeros org threads and I felt perplexed by the hatred and vile remarks levelled at her". Archived from the original on 2023-06-11.
- ^ "Comment by Bella Silver on Do you think the hatred for Sansa Stark reveals sexism in the ASOIAF fan base?". Archived from the original on 2023-06-10.
- ^ Game of Thrones Absolutely Did Not Need to Go There with Sansa Stark
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