Eddard Stark is the head of House Stark and Lord Paramount of the North. The North is one of the constituent regions of the Seven Kingdoms and House Stark is one of the Great Houses of the realm. House Stark rule the region from their seat of Winterfell and Eddard also holds the title Lord of Winterfell. In addition, he is the Warden of the North.

Eddard is married to Lady Catelyn of House Tully. Though they barely knew one another when they wed they have formed a strong and loving marriage.They have five legitimate children: Robb, Sansa, Arya, Bran and Rickon. Eddard also has an illegitimate bastard son, Jon Snow, reportedly by a common serving girl named Wylla. Jon's presence at Winterfell is a source of friction between Eddard and his wife.

Robert dies after being injured while hunting and Eddard challenges the legitimacy of his successor, Joffrey Baratheon, but is betrayed by his political allies and arrested for treason. He confesses to the crime to protect his family, but is nevertheless executed due to Joffrey's impulsive sadism. The conflict between House Stark and House Lannister sets the stage for the War of the Five Kings.

Eddard is the second son of Lord Rickard Stark. Lord Rickard served King Aerys II Targaryen as Warden of the North. Eddard's older brother Brandon was Rickard's heir. Eddard also has a younger sister Lyanna and a younger brother Benjen. Eddard is a stoic, dutiful and honorable man and is considered to embody the values of the North.