Mr. Everdeen

Mr. Everdeen
Occupation	Coal miner Hunter
Home	The Seam in District 12
Gender	Male
Weapon	Bow and arrow
Fate	Deceased
Book Mentioned	The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, Mockingjay
Movie Appearances	The Hunger Games (flashbacks)
Portrayed by	Phillip Troy Linger

Mr. Everdeen was the father of Katniss and Prim, as well as being Mrs. Everdeen's husband. He lived and worked inside the gates of District 12 as a coal miner, poacher, and Katniss's teacher when it came to woods, singing, hunting, and making good quality bows. His teachings are what allowed her to support her family after he died, and herself while she was in the Hunger Games.

Biography

Mr. Everdeen was said to have had a beautiful voice, just like his daughter, Katniss, and it was claimed that even the birds would stop to listen when he sang. That was how he impressed his wife, Mrs. Everdeen. He also sold her plants from the woods when he went hunting. She was a healer from the merchant area of District 12, while he was from the Seam. Their lives were considerably different, and it was a big change for both of them to move on to their new life. Together, the couple had Katniss and Prim. He taught his daughters "The Hanging Tree" song, but Mrs. Everdeen yelled at him when she found the girls singing it and making rope necklaces. After that, he told Katniss they'd "better not sing that song anymore."

Mr. Everdeen also taught Katniss how to swim in a lake in the woods. Mr. Everdeen was a proficient hunter, and he knew how to identify plants that were edible and those that weren't. He had crafted about four bows, and had taught himself and Katniss how to hunt.

Death

Mr. Everdeen in Katniss's flashback

Mr. Everdeen died in a mine explosion in January five years before the 74th Hunger Games. The explosion killed both him and Mr. Hawthorne as well as other workers, who were either vaporized or blown into bits.

That day, sirens went off and all the kids were herded out of school to the entrance of the mine. The elevator brought up many men, but Katniss' father and Gale Hawthorne's father never emerged and were instantly presumed dead.

Katniss had many nightmares about that day, which involved her screaming and telling her father to escape the mine before it exploded. Later, Katniss met Gale for the first time when they were given the Medal of Honor for their fathers' sacrifices.

Family

His only known family members are his two children, Katniss and Primrose Everdeen, and his wife, Mrs. Everdeen. Peeta Mellark later became his son-in-law, and he and Katniss bore him two grandchildren, a girl and a boy, but he didn't live to see it.

Personality

According to Katniss, Mr. Everdeen liked to sing, swim, and hunt, and he had a very level head. He taught Katniss all of these things, and many songs as well. He was well-liked all over District 12, his wife even leaving her merchant life for the Seam.

In addition to being a loving father, Mr. Everdeen also seemed to have a rebellious streak, a trait inherited by his eldest daughter. For example, his work as a hunter and gatherer in the woods surrounding District 12 was technically illegal, although the relatively lenient government officials of District 12 allowed it, as they were among the customers who bought the hunted animals.

Trivia

• Various facts about Lucy Gray Baird, the winner of the 10th Hunger Games, prompted fan speculation that she could be a relative of Katniss and her father, either through one of her cousins (most popularly Maude Ivory) or as a direct ancestor (making her Katniss's paternal grandmother or great-grandmother).
  • Lucy Gray wrote The Hanging Tree, a song Mr. Everdeen taught to Katniss, and that was only sang once in public, not enough for the average person to learn it, meaning either Lucy Gray herself or Maude Ivory could have taught it to him. Lucy Gray also mentioned that Maude Ivory could memorize a song after just one listen, so she may have been able to repeat it.
  • Lucy Gray and the Covey lived in the Seam, which is where Katniss' father was from.
  • She knew of wild herbs such as katniss and stated her preference for that name, maybe becoming an influence for later naming his daughter that way.
  • She and the rest of the Covey knew of the lake and the cabin outside of District 12.
  • The Covey collected milk from their pet goat Shamus, similar to Primrose Everdeen with her goat Lady.
  • Lucy Gray performed The Valley Song, which she may have written, in the Capitol Zoo and at the Hob — in the 74th Games, Peeta mentions that on the first day of school, Katniss was the only one in their class who knew the Valley Song.
  • Lucy Gray used to sing the Deep in the Meadow lullaby to Maude Ivory, which Katniss used to sing to her sister Prim and also sang to Rue when she died.

Etymology

His surname, Everdeen, comes from Bathsheba Everdene, the main character in Far from the Madding Crowd. His given name was never mentioned in the books, films, author interviews, nor any other supplementary material.