Winterfell

The Courtyard

Place Kings of Winter The Courtyard

Winterfell holds dozens of yards and open spaces, and this is the greatest of them. The doors of the Great Hall open onto it, and so does the Great Keep, which a covered bridge joins to the square armoury. A well stands in the yard, its stones worn by generations of buckets.

Here the boys of the castle learn the sword. The master-at-arms sets them against one another in padded jerkins with blunted steel, and the household stops to watch the better bouts. The bow is taught elsewhere, in the inner ward beside the broken tower, a yard far older than this one.

Read next

  • The Great Hall

    The castle’s long hall, where the household eats together below the dais and the lord feeds his guests.

  • The Gatehouse

    The main gate of Winterfell, where the road from the winter town crosses the moat and passes under both walls.

  • The Broken Tower

    Once Winterfell’s tallest watchtower, struck by lightning long ago and never rebuilt; crows hold the top of it now.

  • The Hot Springs

    Winterfell stands over hot springs whose water is piped through its walls, so the castle stays warm while the North freezes.

In the journey: The Courtyard