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The periodization of Westerosi history can be roughly classified into the Dawn Age, the Age of Heroes, the Coming of the Andals, the Age of Valyria, the Seven Kingdoms, the Targaryen Dynasty, their fall and King Robert’s Reign. HBO’sGame of Thronesuniverse has covered a bit of ground on the Age of Valyria, the Seven Kingdoms, the Targaryen Dynasty, the Fall of the Dragons, King Robert’s Reign through the two TV adaptations that focus on the Targaryen dynasty, and the time after King Robert’s Reign.
Migration or invasion/ colonization are the defining features of present human life in Westeros. All history is questionable; written records of history begin afterthe Andal Invasion of Westeros, whereas the First Men used their Runic writing system. This nature of Westeros' history raises questions over theGame of ThronesUniverses' best-known Houses and how far back they can trace their descent.
The History of Westeros At A Glance
The First Men left engravings and etchings on stones, objects, cave walls all over most of Westeros. The Runes are evidence of humans thriving on the Honeywine River in the Reach since the Dawn Age. In the Stormlands, the First Men carved tree trunks which haven’t lasted. The prehistoric Runes cannot be accurately deciphered, thereby challenging what the Maesters have known about the history of Westeros. The Archmaesters at the Citadel do not consider the history of Westeros as a set of true facts. Furthermore, it doesn’t help that the author ofA Song of Ice and Firefantasy series, George R. R. Martin, has sometimes been deliberately imprecise with dates. Everything written about the Dawn Age,the Age of Heroes, and the Long Night originates from stories, the stuff of legend set down by Septons thousands of years later, and even the Archmaesters raise questions about them. Nonetheless, there are moments of ingenuity in these half-legendary tales, and accordingly, these Houses claim the oldest descent in HBO’sGame of ThronesUniverse.
The Age of Heroes
Humans are relative latecomers to Westeros, as in the prehistoric age the continent was inhabited by mysterious non-human races, namelythe Children of the Forest, giants and other magical creatures. The first human settlers, the First Men, colonized Westeros by crossing the Arm of Dorne from Essos, resulting in generations of war over land control. The First Men wielded bronze weapons, while the Children of the Forest, outnumbered, possessed strong magical powers. The latter succeeded in destroying the pass (the Arm of Dorne) that made possible the First Men invasion, but by then there was a massive influx onto the southern continent. After years of the Children fighting back to protect their territory, they negotiated to take control of the forests and grant the open lands to humans. This ended the Dawn Age and marked the beginning of the Age of Heroes.
Houses Greyjoy, Stark, Lannister, Durrandon-Baratheon
The First Men who established themselves onthe Iron Islands(off the west coast of the mainland) developed a distinctive culture - life of seafaring, pillaging and raiding. The Ironborn, worshiped a deity known as the Drowned God. The Greyjoys of Pyke, claim to be descended from the legendary monarch known asthe Grey Kingwho ruled during the Age of Heroes. As seen inGame of Thrones, Theon Greyjoy’s father, Baelon, takes pride in the Ironborn way of life.
Houses Stark, Greyjoy, and Lannister trace their lineage to the Age of Heroes. These Houses are founded by mythic, legendary figures, or simply put, people of impact who left an imprint on history. The legendary hero, namely Brandon the Build orBran the Builder, is considered to be the founder of House Stark. He and his descendants' culture borrows from the traditions of the First Men colonists/ settlers/ immigrants. Brandon the Builder is considered the ancestor ofthe Starks Kings of Winter, possibly the King of Winter himself. As the word “Builder” in his name suggests, he is said to have built the Wall and Winterfell.
The legendary hero,Lann the Clever, tricked Casterlys out of Casterly Rock and founded House Lannister. The extinct House Casterly is thus older than House Lannister, with roots in the Dawn Age. Garth the Gardener, who was the firstborn son of the mythical High King of the First Men, Garth Greenhand, founded House Gardener. It is pertinent to mention that House Gardener was decimated during Aegon’s Conquer inthe Field of Fireand in its place House Tyrell was raised. The Tyrells, which boast members such asOlenna, Mace, Margaery and Loras, trace their descent through the female line of the legendary Garth the Gardener. House Durrandon of Storm’s End, whose Kingdom was founded andcastle was raised by the legendary, Durran Godsgrief, also met a similar fatein the Conquest. The Storm Kings trace their descent to Durran and the last of their line was Argilac the Arrogant, who fought and lost to Aegon’s commander, Orys Baratheon. Orys married his heir, Argella, adopted his words, banners and established House Baratheon. The Durrandon-Baratheon line continued through their union.
House Hightower
The Hightowers fromHouse of the Dragontrace their descent back tothe Dawn Age, and are one of the oldest Houses. They were petty-kings, generally believed to have been descended from the First Men. Maester Yandel’s writings state that the Hightowers are the descendants of the seafarers and traders who settled at the top of the Whispering Sound (a Bay Area on the southwestern coast of the Reach) before the First Men. The Hightowers lived in (not built) the large black stone square fortress at Battle Isle. The Hightowers used the stone fortress as a foundation and built the Hightower on it.
House Dayne
The Daynes are considered one of the oldest Houses in the Seven Kingdoms, andGame of Thronespays an ode to them throughSer Arthur Dayne. Ser Arthur was a member of the Mad King’s Kingsguard, Rhaegar Targaryen’s close friends, and he held the title of Sword of the Morning. He guarded Rhaegar’s wife, Lyanna Stark, and was slain by the dual efforts of Ned Stark and Howland Reed outside the Tower of Joy in Dorne.
The Daynes are the descendants of the First Men, but the House dates back ten thousand years to the Dawn of Days. They are among the prestigiousHouses in ancient Dorne, backed by the legendary claim that the first Dayne followed a shooting star and raised the castle of Starfall at the mouth of Torrentine where he found a magic stone. Legend says the Daynes' ancestral sword, Dawn, was made from the heart of this fallen star. The Daynes were the Kings of the Torrentine but submitted to House Nymeros Martell during Nymeria’s War.
The Blackwoods And The Brackens et al.,
The infamous rivals,the Blackwoods and the Brackens of the Riverlands, are of the First Men descent. The Blackwoods, in particular, claim that they ruled most of the Wolfswood until the Kings of Winter drove them out. The Redforts of the Vale claim descent to the First Men. House Royce of the Vale, which rules from Runestone, is one of the oldest Houses, also claiming First Men descent. The Valeman, Yohn Royce, for example, dons ancient bronze plate armor, inscribed with runes, which is thousands of years old.The Strongs of Harrenhal (seen inHouse of the Dragon)also have a First Men descent.
The blood of the First Men flows through the veins of many noble Houses in Westeros, but over generations, they have heavily intermingled with the iron and steel-wielding Andal invadors. The Andals conquered all of Westeros, except the North, and as such, the North preserved its First Men cultural identity and traditions.
House of the Dragon
House of the Dragon is HBO’s prequel series to Game of Thrones. Set hundreds of years earlier, the show follows the inner machinations and rivalries of the Targaryen royal family. The show was created by Ryan Condal and George R.R. Martin, and stars Matt Smith, Emma D’Arcy, Rhys Ifans, and Olivia Cooke.
