Jeor Mormont

Lord Commander **Jeor Mormont**, often called the **Old Bear**, was the 997th Lord Commander of the Night's Watch at the end of the third century after Aegon's Conquest.

## Appearance and Character

Lord Mormont was an imposing figure with broad-shoulders, a stern gaze, and a long grey-white beard. Most consider him to be a good and strong leader, and a proven military commander.

## Biography

He was once Lord of Bear Island and the head of House Mormont, having sworn loyalty to House Stark of Winterfell. He fought under Lord Eddard Stark during Robert's Rebellion. A few years later, he chose to take the black and abdicate his seat in favor of his son, Ser Jorah Mormont.

He has an obnoxious talking raven and a Valyrian steel bastard sword named *Longclaw*. He later gave Longclaw to his steward, Jon Snow.

## Recent Events

### *A Game of Thrones*

Jon Snow is named Jeor's steward. When he tells Jon of his father Eddard Stark's imprisonment in King's Landing, he has him watched in case he deserts south.

Lord Commander Mormont sends First Ranger Benjen Stark to search for two missing rangers, Ser Waymar Royce and Will, and to spy on or interrogate wildlings to figure out King Mance Rayder's activities. Later, two members of Ben's party are discovered close to the Wall. Jeor has them brought back to Castle Black for inspection. That night, the corpses are shown to be wights. The dead men end up killing several sworn brothers of the Night's Watch, including Ser Jaremy Rykker, until Jon intervenes with Ghost, his direwolf, and saves Lord Commander Mormont's life. For this, Jeor gives Jon the ancestral weapon of House Mormont, a Valyrian steel bastard sword named *Longclaw*.

### *A Clash of Kings*

Jeor informs Jon Snow that his paternal half-brother Robb Stark has been named King in the North. After this, he has Jon watched again.

The Night's Watch receives shocking reports that wildings living close to the Wall are abandoning their villages, that the King-Beyond-the-Wall, Mance Rayder, is assembling the Free Folk into one location, and that Benjen Stark's entire ranging party has disappeared beyond the Wall. On top of that, Jeor had seen dead men walking with his own eyes, the corpses of Jafer Flowers and Othor. Due to this, Lord Commander Mormont leads three hundred men of the Night's Watch into a campaign known as the Great Ranging beyond the Wall, to discover further information.

Jeor's party stops at Craster's Keep, where he learns that the King-Beyond-the-Wall is gathering the Free Folk at Frostfangs, to prepare for an assault on the Wall. The Old Bear leads the expedition to the Fist of the First Men, where the wildlings have to pass through to get to the Wall. He sends out three scouting parties.

### *A Storm of Swords*

Jeor's party is assaulted by wights at the Fist of the First Men. The party ends up breaking up, with many men dying, some going missing, and some deserting. Jeor leads all the survivors he can find back to Craster's Keep.

When he reaches Craster's Keep, Samwell Tarly, a steward of the Night's Watch, tells him that he killed a White Shadow with a dagger made of dragonglass. After discussing obsidian weaponry with Sam, Jeor is murdered by Ollo Lophand in a mutiny. As he lies on the floor bleeding out, he tells Sam his dying wish; for him to tell his son, Ser Jorah Mormont, to come home to Westeros and take the black.