It’s a bit complex.
Immediate family counts. First cousins is a bit unclear, since I couldn’t find examples of first cousins fighting each other in ASOIAF; second cousins don’t count (since Robert Baratheon killing Rhaegar isn’t considered kinslaying by anyone).
However, foster brothers do count – which is a big part of the reason why the custom of fostering exists in order to prevent future wars by harnessing the power of taboo.
Doesn’t Rickard Karstark call Robb a kinslayer for executing him? Was that just him making a desperate bid to save his life or is it an indication that kinslaying is taken a lot more seriously in the North?
It’s the former, but less trying to save his life and more trying to do as much damage as possible as he goes down, because Rickard Karstark is a man who believes in burning his bridges while he’s standing on them.
In some ways, you really have to admire the willingness of the members of House Karstark to always go more extra in everything they do.
Want revenge for your dead sons? Kill some prisoners, don’t deny it, spit in your liege lords face, and then burn all the fucking bridges and go for maximum PR value while he’s beheading you.
Want to usurp Karhold? Cut a high-risk high-reward deal with the Lannisters and Boltons to remove the male impediments to your line, then pretend to join up with Stannis Baratheon with an eye towards betraying him in the midst of a pitched battle.
Want to not be usurped? You steal a horse, escape Karhold in the dead of fucking winter, ride it to death to get to your distant cousin in the Night’s Watch who you met, like, once when you were six, marry a wildling, and then use him and his people to get your castle back.
The Karstarks go hard. They don’t mess around. I can’t speak to anyone else but I’d think twice before fucking with them, because they’re pretty crazy.
Good point, hadn’t thought about it as a family trait before but it’s true, all of the Karstarks approach life like Warhammer 40k orks.
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