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  === Jeor Mormont ===
  Jeor Mormont, called the Old Bear, is the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch. He was the Lord of Bear Island in the North but joined the Watch to pass the title to his son Jorah Mormont. Mormont is considered a strong, resolute leader and commands respect. He keeps a raven capable of speaking simple phrases as a pet. In ''A Game of Thrones'', he chooses Jon Snow as his personal steward and potential successor. Soon afterward, a wight (a dead body reanimated by the Others) attempts to kill him, but Jon kills the wight. In gratitude, Mormont gives Jon his ancestral sword, Longclaw, and changes its pommel to a wolf's head, in accordance with the House Stark sigil. To investigate the return of wights, the disappearance of several Rangers, and rumors of a wildling army, Jeor leads an expedition beyond the Wall in ''A Clash of Kings'', but his force is annihilated by Others and an army of wights in ''A Storm of Swords''. He leads the survivors to Craster's Keep, where he is killed in a mutiny.
  In the HBO television adaptation, he is portrayed by James Cosmo.