Who Is the Most Admirable (by Modern Standards) Female Character in <i>Game of Thrones</i>?

I am probably oversimplifying, but Dany just wants to win back her kingdom at any cost, Catelyn's actions were all motivated by family, Cersei wants the crown, many of Sansa's earlier decisions are based on infatuation, Arya is just plain wild.
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I am going to go with Brienne of Tarth.

What stands out is her loyalty, and her unfailing sense of duty, not to mention her prowess with a sword -- Westeros is a man's world after all, and Brienne throws that out the window. Also, she's one of the few major female characters without a powerful family (read Great House) backing.

My second choice would probably be Meera Reed. I feel that there's much more exploration required before we can fully assess Meera, but she's definitely very resourceful, loyal, and without any hidden agendas.

There's a long list of strong female characters in the series - Daenerys, Catelyn, Cersei, Arya, Sansa, Asha, Arianne, Melisandre, Margaery, to some extent Olenna, Ygritte, etc. But when it comes to admirable, it's hard to look past the ruthlessness and the selfishness that's prevalent in the characters. There's always an agenda, or a self-righteous reason for their actions.

I am probably oversimplifying, but Dany just wants to win back her kingdom at any cost, Catelyn's actions were all motivated by family, Cersei wants the crown, many of Sansa's earlier decisions are based on infatuation, Arya is just plain wild (still my favorite character in the series, though), Asha wants the Seastone Chair, Arianne is again just looking for power, R'hllor only knows why Melisandre is doing what she's doing, Margaery and Olenna are also playing the game for power, Ygritte is well, Ygritte. Selyse and Val aren't portrayed enough in my opinion. Selyse probably is devoted to Stannis and R'hllor, all she wants is her husband to come to power. Then there are the Mormont women - Maege, Dacey, and Alysanne - again under-portrayed. And Wylla Manderly was delightful, though she had only like one dialogue.

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