Death:Â 303 AC at the Cave of the Three-Eyed Raven
Hodor, originally named Wylis, was a simpleminded servant of House Stark at Winterfell working in the stables.
Hodor is simple-minded and he is only capable of saying one word, "hodor", though he can apparently understand complex instructions other people give him. "Hodor" is a seemingly nonsense word, though in the process it became the name everyone calls him. It is derived from the phrase "hold the door", the words that Hodor heard during the seizure that mentally disabled him as a result of the future Bran Stark accidentally warging into his young self during a vision. Nonetheless, House Stark set him to work at a productive occupation within his capacities, as a stableboy serving at Winterfell. Hodor is incredibly large and strong. While he is slow of wits, he is gentle and loyal to the Starks. He is actually Old Nan's great-grandson and only known relative.
Appearance and PersonalityÂ
Hodor is seven feet tall with brown hair, brown eyes and a brown beard. Osha believes that he could have giant's blood in him.Â
Hodor generally seems to have a happy demeanor, overjoyed by basic things. He is deeply loyal to the Starks, who have treated him very well. Despite his large size and strength, Hodor is a gentle soul who is terrified by violence - even violence done by himself, as he often cowers in fear instead of fighting back against foes who are actually smaller than he is. When he kills Locke, he expresses total horror at what he had done, even though he had been under Bran's influence at the time. Even so, his loyalty to the Starks is so great that he continues to follow Bran Stark through great dangers.
In his youth, before his fateful seizure, Wylis had a friendly personality, capable of normal speech. In spite of their class differences, he got on well with Lyanna, Ned, and Benjen Stark. He was also somewhat interested in learning how to fight, and paid enough attention to the Stark children's training that he was able to articulate their strengths and weaknesses in combat. Wylis was polite, referring to Lyanna as 'm'lady' despite their clear friendship.
Although normally peaceful, Hodor's imposing size, incredible physical strength, and years of service to the Starks have made him a force to be reckoned with whenever the situation demands it. He is able to carry Bran on his back over long distances with no visible signs of fatigue, and lift a full-grown man off the ground and break his neck with minimal effort. However, he lacks initiative and does not enter combat unless being warged by Bran.
