“The first inhabitants of the continent were the Children of the Forest, a nature-worshipping Stone Age anthropoid species who carved the faces of their gods in weirwood trees. Some time later, Bronze Age human settlers, known as the First Men, migrated from Essos via a land bridge at the southeastern end of the continent and gradually spread to the entire continent. The First Men’s attempts to chop down forests and cultivate the land led to a millennia-long war with the Children of the Forest, that eventually was settled by an agreement known as “The Pact”. This was the beginning of the Age of Heroes, during which the First Men adopted the religion of the Children of the Forest. Those gods later became known in Westeros as the Old Gods.^[3]

“Eight thousand years before the events of the novels,^[4] an enigmatic arctic humanoid species called the Others emerged from the Land of Always Winter, the northernmost part of Westeros, during the decades-long winter known as “The Long Night”.^[5] The Children of the Forest and the First Men allied to repel the Others, and then built the Wall barring passage from the far north. The region north of the Wall was since collectively known as the land “Beyond the Wall”, and settled by tribal descendants of the First Men known as the Wildlings or Free Folk.

“Sometime later, the Iron Age humans from Essos called the Andals invaded Westeros, bringing along the Faith of the Seven. One by one, kingdoms of the First Men south of the Neck fell to the Andals, and only the North remained unconquered. The Children of the Forest were slaughtered and disappeared from Andal lands. Over time, seven relatively stable feudal kingdoms were forged across Westeros, although their territories fluctuated over the next few thousand years through constant warfare, and no kingdom remained dominant for long:

• The Kingdom of the North, ruled by House Stark of Winterfell
• The Kingdom of the Isles and the Rivers, ruled by House Hoare of Harrenhal
• The Kingdom of Mountain and Vale, ruled by House Arryn of the Eyrie
• The Kingdom of the Rock, ruled by House Lannister of Casterly Rock
• The Storm Kingdom, ruled by House Durrandon of Storm’s End
• The Kingdom of the Reach, ruled by House Gardener of Highgarden
• The Principality of Dorne, ruled by House Martell of Sunspear.^{[S 1]}

“Three hundred years before the novels begin, the Targaryen dragonlord Aegon the Conqueror and his two sister-wives Visenya and Rhaenys, whose ancestors migrated from Valyria to Dragonstone^[6] a century prior, invaded the Westerosi mainland and landed his army at the mouth of the Blackwater Rush.^[7] The three assembled a temporary bastion called “Aegonfort”, which later grew into the massive capital city known as King’s Landing.^[7] Aided by their three formidable fire-breathingdragons, the Targaryen armies subdued six of the Seven Kingdoms through conquest or treaty, wiping out three of the seven ruling houses that refused to bend their knees, replacing house Durrandon with house Baratheon, house Gardener with house Tyrell, and house Hoare with houses Tully (in the Riverlands) and Greyjoy (on the Iron Islands). Only the defiant Dorne remained independent for almost another two hundred years through asymmetric guerrilla resistance, until it was finally absorbed under the Iron Throne through a marriage-alliance by King Daeron II in 187 AC.^[2] The Targaryens built the Iron Throne, forged from the swords of their defeated enemies by dragonfire. They also annexed the land regions of the riverlands and stormlands around the Blackwater Bay as the Crownlands. House Targaryen remained the ruling house of the Seven Kingdoms for almost three centuries until they were overthrown by a rebellion led by Robert Baratheon in 283 AC, who then became the first king of the Seven Kingdoms not of House Targaryen.” Wikipedia

Ned Stark’s land is just below the Wall. North of the Wall is where the Wildthings Live. Craster’s Keep is in the Haunted Forest, which is just above the wall, and Craster is the undesirable Wildthing there who murders his sons and marries his daughters.

Not far north of the Haunted Forest is the frozen abyss call the Land of Always Winter.

Image Credit:quartermaester.info

Image Credit:quartermaester.info

Winterfell is the home of the House of Stark. On the above map, note that it is the northernmost region, just below the Wall. Early in the season Ned Stark was called to King Castle, where the king and his long-time friend Robert Baratheon lived

“House Stark is described as one of the Great Houses of the Seven Kingdoms and the principal house of the North. Its seat is at Winterfell, one of the oldest castles in the Seven Kingdoms. Its coat of arms displays a grey direwolf running on a white field, and its words are Winter is Coming. Bastards born in the North are given the surname “Snow”. House Stark had ruled as the Kings in the North for thousands of years until House Targaryen conquered Westeros, whereafter the Starks were known as the Lords of Winterfell and Wardens of the North. For prizing honor and devotion to duty, House Stark is the closest of the noble houses to heroism.

“Descended from Bran the Builder, the architect of the Wall, House Stark is the chief First Men dynasty in Westeros due to their successful repulsion of the Andal invasion and became the ruling house in the North after defeating the Barrow Kings and slowly uniting the North into one kingdom, contesting for dominance with House Bolton of the Dreadfort, the second-most powerful Northern house with a sinister reputation for their flaying tradition. Their expanding dominion would also repel incursions of pirates and raiders, and secure control of the Neck through their vassals of House Reed. They would also gain a new vassal from the Reach after House Manderly was exiled, granting them White Harbor in exchange for protection against piracy.

“House Stark would ultimately unite the North and drive the ironborn away, making enemies with House Hoare, and a new vassal in House Mormont of Bear Island, just as the Andals arrived in Westeros and began conquering every kingdom the First Men had built and converting them to the Faith of the Seven. The Starks made peace with the Boltons and finally unified the North and began opposing the Andals as one force instead of individually like the rest of the First Men, sacking Andalos and driving them back from the fortress of Moat Cailin. They would lose their strength at sea after a failed voyage across the Sunset Sea ended in all their ships being torched. House Stark would also aid the Night’s Watch several times against wildling raids, defeating many Kings-beyond-the-Wall, and forming a second branch, called House Karstark.

“During Aegon’s conquest of Westeros, the Starks intended to oppose the Targaryens, unwilling to bow to an outsider, but King Torrhen Stark knelt after hearing of the scorching of Harrenhal and the devastating outcome of the Field of Fire caused by the Targaryen dragons, becoming the first Warden of the North, and had a marriage alliance with House Arryn to keep the realm together.” Wikipedia

“Eddard “Ned” Stark is the Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North, and briefly serves as Hand of the King to Robert Baratheon. He is executed, by Joffrey’s order, on the steps of the Great Sept of Baelor….

“Catelyn Stark is the Lady of Winterfell, wife of Lord Eddard Stark, and mother to his children Robb, Sansa, Arya, Bran, and Rickon. She is the daughter of Lord Hoster Tully of Riverrun; niece to Ser Brynden Tully (also known as the legendary “Blackfish”) and sister to Lysa Arryn of the Vale and to Edmure Tully…..

“Robb Stark is the oldest child of Eddard and Catelyn Stark, and the heir to Winterfell. …

Sansa Stark is the second child and elder daughter of Eddard and Catelyn Stark.

Arya Stark is the third child and younger daughter of Eddard and Catelyn Stark.

Brandon “Bran” Stark is the second son and fourth child of Eddard and Catelyn Stark. ..In A Game of Thrones, he sees Queen Cersei and her brother Jaime Lannister committing incest, and Jaime pushes Bran from the window to keep the relationship secret. Bran survives, but loses the use of his legs. While comatose, Bran dreams of a three-eyed crow. Slowly, he develops the ability to assume his wolf Summer’s consciousness, making him a warg or skinchanger. After his older brother Robb is crowned King in the North, Bran becomes Robb’s heir and the acting Lord of Winterfell. …In A Game of Thrones, he sees Queen Cersei and her brother Jaime Lannister committing incest, and Jaime pushes Bran from the window to keep the relationship secret. Bran survives, but loses the use of his legs. While comatose, Bran dreams of a three-eyed crow. Slowly, he develops the ability to assume his wolf Summer’s consciousness, making him a warg or skinchanger. After his older brother Robb is crowned King in the North, Bran becomes Robb’s heir and the acting Lord of Winterfell….

Rickon Stark is Ned Stark’s youngest child and is three years old in A Game of Thrones.^[1] When Theon Greyjoy captures Winterfell in A Clash of Kings, Rickon hides in the crypts. After Winterfell is sacked, he and the wildling woman Osha travel through the North.^[2] In A Dance with Dragons, he is said to be on an island of cannibals, presumably Skagos.^[3]

Jon Snow was raised as Ned Stark’s illegitimate son….He shares the Stark family values of honour, and tries to stay morally correct and honest, even when forced to act otherwise. He is theorized to be the son of Lyanna Stark, Ned Stark’s sister, and Rhaegar Targaryen.

Benjen Stark is Ned Stark’s younger brother and a First Ranger in the Night’s Watch. He appears briefly at the start of A Game of Thrones, first in Winterfell and then later on the Wall at Castle Black, where he travels with his bastard nephew Jon Snow. Benjen is sent on a mission into the lands beyond the Wall to search for a missing ranging party, but he and his men also disappear. The bodies of two of his men are later found and brought back to Castle Black; they reanimate as undead wights and kill several men before they are destroyed, but no trace of Benjen has yet been found.

Lyanna Stark is Eddard Stark’s younger and only sister,^[4] and has been deceased for 14 years at the beginning of A Game of Thrones, but is mentioned in every published book in the series. She died at the age of 16 and was said to have been very beautiful by all who knew her as “a child-woman of surpassing loveliness”^[5] and “a wild beauty”.^[6] She was also remembered as being headstrong and “had a touch of” the fabled Starks’ “wolf blood”, and was one of the best horse-riders in the North. She was betrothed to Robert Baratheon, who was deeply in love with her,^[5] although she was unimpressed by Robert’s reputation for infidelity..

In Martin’s fictional universe, House Targaryen was the ruling house of the Seven Kingdoms for nearly 300 years, holding royal court in King’s Landing. Its coat of arms shows a red, three-headed dragon breathing fire on a black field, and its words are Fire and Blood.

The Targaryens originally came from Valyria on the continent of Essos, one of forty dragonlord families in the Valyrian Freehold, but not the most powerful. Before Valyria was destroyed, the Targaryens left for Dragonstone, the westernmost outpost of their empire. A century after the Valyrian “Doom”, Aegon I Targaryen was approached by an alliance of some of the Free Cities against Volantis, Valyria’s oldest colony, who sought to rebuild the Freehold under their rule, which Aegon consented to before defeating Volantis with his dragon, Balerion. With the Valyrian Freehold broken, Aegon turned west towards Westeros, intent on uniting the Seven Kingdoms under one ruler, with Dragonstone being the perfect staging point for his conquest, due to having deep waters for his fleet and within range of the continent. With the aid of his sister-wives, Rhaenys and Visenya, the Targaryens, using their three dragons, successfully conquered six of the Seven Kingdoms by destroying defiant houses and making subjects of submissive ones, with the seventh one peacefully joining the realm through marriage. Aegon built the Iron Throne with his enemies’ swords and his dragon’s flame, building the Red Keep as his throne room and King’s Landing as his new capital.

The Targaryen dragons were the last known to exist and died out long before the events of A Game of Thrones. People of Targaryen ancestry, referred to as “blood of the dragon”, tend to have silver-blonde hair and amethyst eyes.^[17]

Fifteen years before the events of the series, the Targaryens were deposed in Robert’s Rebellion, with the last two fleeing to Essos.

Rhaegar Targaryen, the ‘Last Dragon’, was the eldest son of King Aerys II and the heir apparent to the Iron Throne, and the older brother to Viserys and Daenerys Targaryen. He died 14 years before the events of A Game of Thrones, Rhaegar married the Dornish princess Elia Martell of Sunspear, and fathered with her a daughter named Rhaenys and son named Aegon. After winning the Tourney at Harrenhal, the greatest tourney in Westerosi history, he surprised everyone by passing over his wife Elia and crowning Lyanna Stark as the tourney’s “Queen of Love and Beauty”. One year later, he and Lyanna both disappeared, prompting rumors that he abducted and raped Lyanna. Enraged, Lyanna’s oldest brother, Brandon, goes to King’s Landing to confront Rhaegar, which results in both him and his father Lord Rickard being brutally executed by King Aerys. Lyanna’s other older brother Eddard Stark, her betrothed Robert Baratheon, their foster father Jon Arryn and Brandon’s father-in-law-to-be Hoster Tully then started a rebellion against Aerys, with Robert personally killing Rhaegar in single combat at the Battle of the Trident, and ultimately overthrowing House Targaryen.

Viserys Targaryen is the seventh-born child of Aerys II Targaryen, and the secondborn son to survive infancy.^[1] Thirteen years before the events of the series, he and his sister Daenerys fled Westeros to escape death at the hands of rebel Robert Baratheon.^[17] Viserys is an arrogant, cruel and ambitious man given to violent mood swings. He is widely nicknamed the “Beggar King” across both Essos and Westeros.^[17][19] Hoping to win the Dothraki’s favor to conquer Westeros, Viserys arranges for Daenerys to wed Khal Drogo to form an alliance with them. Travelling with the horde until he gets his “golden crown”, Viserys grows restless and impatient with Drogo’s refusal to march towards the Seven Kingdoms. He also loses influence over Daenerys, who gradually stands up to his abusive behavior.^[20][21] After his scheme to steal her dragon eggs is thwarted by Jorah Mormont, Viserys drunkenly threatens his sister and her unborn child in the Dothraki’s sacred city of Vaes Dothrak, demanding that Drogo make good on their deal. Viserys then unwittingly agrees to Drogo’s offer of a “golden crown all men will fear”, and is killed as the Khal pours molten gold over his head.^[22] Daenerys names one of her dragons Viserion in his memory, though only out of respect for keeping her alive for years by protecting her and finding shelter in the free cities.

Daenerys Targaryen, referred to sometimes as ‘Daenerys Stormborn’, ‘Khaleesi’, the ‘Mother of Dragons’, is the daughter and youngest child of King Aerys II Targaryen and is one of the last surviving members of House Targaryen.^[1][17]…

Missandei is a slave interpreter for Kraznys mo Nakloz when Daenerys Targaryen comes to inspect the Unsullied in Astapor. After Daenerys strikes a bargain with the Good Masters of Astapor concerning payment for the Unsullied, Kraznys gives Missandei to Daenerys as an interpreter to give them commands. Afterwards, she becomes a trusted confidante and handmaiden to Daenerys.

Daario Naharis

Daario Naharis is a leader in the Stormcrows mercenary company. Daario is won over by Daenerys and brings the Stormcrows over to her side. He becomes romantically involved with her, eventually becoming one of her advisors.

House Lannister is described as one of the Major Houses of the Seven Kingdoms and the principal house of the Westerlands. Its seat is at Casterly Rock and they are also given the title Wardens of the West. Its coat of arms displays a golden lion rampant on a crimson field, and its words are ‘Hear Me Roar!’

The Lannisters began as a First Men dynasty descended from the legendary trickster Lann the Clever, who swindled their traditional seat of Casterly Rock of House Casterly, ruling the Westerlands as Kings of the Rock ever since. They also branched into the nearby city of Lannisport and gained the Reynes of Castamere as a vassal after defeating the Hooded King. The Lannisters would become an Andal bloodline, under a First Man name after the Andal invasion, where they made alliances through marriages and wards. Like many Houses, the Lannisters kept a Valyrian steel blade as an ancestral heirloom, naming it Brightroar, which was lost after King Tommen II Lannister left for Valyria with it, and never returned. The Lannisters would stand with House Gardener against House Targaryen’s conquest of Westeros, only to subject their combined armies to annihilation in the Field of Fire, after which King Loren Lannister surrendered and the Lannisters became the Wardens of the West.

Tywin Lannister is Lord of Casterly Rock, Shield of Lannisport, and Warden of the West. He is a calculating, ruthless, and controlling man. In his youth, he witnessed his father grow old and weak. Eventually several nobles revolted against Lannister rule. Disgusted with his father’s inaction, Tywin personally led the Lannister army and utterly destroyed the rebellious vassals, placing the bodies of their entire families on display at Casterly Rock. Impressed with his decisive actions in putting down the rebellion, Aerys II Targaryen appointed the young Tywin Hand of the King. Tywin proved himself a ruthless but capable leader and his tenure was marked by peace and prosperity.

Cersei Lannister

Cersei Lannister is the twin sister of Jaime, (the elder of the two), and the only daughter of Tywin Lannister. …She became queen by marrying Robert Baratheon. She has three children (all of whom are in actuality fathered by her twin brother)

Jaime Lannister

Jaime Lannister is the twin brother of Cersei and the first son of Tywin Lannister. … He was widely considered one of the best swordsmen in all the Seven Kingdoms before having his right hand chopped off by Vargo Hoat.

Tyrion Lannister

Tyrion Lannister is the younger brother of Cersei and Jaime Lannister.

Joffrey Baratheon

Joffrey Baratheon is the eldest of Queen Cersei Lannister‘s children. Though a Baratheon in name, Joffrey is actually a product of incest between Cersei and Jaime Lannister, but unaware of his true parentage. He is described as a strong-willed child with a vicious temper and a sadistic streak

Myrcella Baratheon

Princess Myrcella Baratheon is the second-oldest child and only daughter of Queen Cersei Lannister. Like her brothers, she was fathered by Cersei’s brother Jaime Lannister, but she is ostensibly unaware of this. She is described as delicate, beautiful and courteous, and is said to have all her mother’s beauty but none of her cruel nature. To ensure that House Martell will support Joffrey, Myrcella is betrothed to marry Prince Trystane Martell when they come of age and is sent to Dorne in A Clash of Kings.

Tommen Baratheon

Prince Tommen Baratheon is the younger brother of Prince Joffrey and Princess Myrcella and is second in line for the throne. Tommen is Queen Cersei Lannister’s youngest child and, like his siblings, he is also the son of Cersei’s brother Jaime Lannister, but he is unaware of this, as he believes Robert Baratheon to be his father. Like his sister, he shares none of his mother’s ruthlessness, and is in fact, mild-mannered, courteous, and kind-hearted.

Gregor Clegane

Ser Gregor Clegane, known as “the Mountain That Rides,” or simply “the Mountain,” is the older brother of Sandor Clegane and is a vassal to Tywin Lannister.^[1] His size and strength make him a fearsome warrior, and he has earned a reputation for brutality

Sandor Clegane

Sandor Clegane, known as “the Hound,” is a retainer to House Lannister and the younger brother of Gregor Clegane. He is regarded as one of the most dangerous and skilled fighters in Westeros. His face is distinguished by gruesome burn scars, which he received as a child when his brother pushed his head into a brazier

Image Credit:quartermaester.into

At the beginning of the HBO Series The Game of Thrones, Robert Baratheon was the King, and his home was at King’s Landing, which is on the East Coast of Westeros, and situated on a cove Backwater Bay, which opens into the Narrow Sea.

House Baratheon

In the book series, House Baratheon is the youngest of the great houses of the Seven Kingdoms and the principal house of The Stormlands. It was founded by Orys, the supposed bastard half-brother of the first Targaryen king. Under Robert, House Baratheon occupies the Iron Throne in King’s Landing, with his younger brothers Stannis and Renly ruling Dragonstone and the ancestral seat Storm’s End, respectively. The Baratheon coat of arms displays a black stag on a field of gold; a crown was added after Robert Baratheon took the Iron Throne. The house motto is Ours is the Fury.^[1] Bastards born in the Stormlands are generally given the surname “Storm”.

Robert Baratheon

Robert Baratheon is King of the Seven Kingdoms at the beginning of A Game of Thrones. He was the ward of Jon Arryn and was raised at the Eyrie alongside Eddard Stark. Fifteen years before the novels, Robert was betrothed to Ned’s sister Lyanna, and after Lyanna and Rhaegar Targaryen disappeared, Robert killed Rhaegar and seized the throne.

Stannis Baratheon

Stannis Baratheon is the younger brother of King Robert and older brother of Renly.^[1] He is portrayed as a brooding and humorless man with a harsh sense of justice and an obsession with slights both real and imagined. He is regarded as a skilled but overcautious military commander

Melisandre

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Melisandre of Asshai is a priestess of R’hllor in service to Stannis Baratheon. …She is described as a beautiful woman with red eyes, always dressing in red and rarely sleeping or eating.

Davos Seaworth

Main article: Davos Seaworth

Ser Davos Seaworth, called the Onion Knight after smuggling onions and salted fish into Storms End during Robert’s Rebellion, is the common-born head of the newly founded House Seaworth and was formerly known as an elusive smuggler. …During the Siege of Storm’s End, Davos smuggled food to the starving Stannis Baratheon, earning him a knighthood and choice lands. Before knighting him, Stannis removed the last joints from four fingers on Davos’s left hand as punishment for years of smuggling.

Renly Baratheon

Renly Baratheon is the youngest of the Baratheon brothers and Lord of Storm’s End. He is described as handsome and charismatic, winning friends easily. Renly serves on Robert’s council as Master of Laws. He is gay and in love with the Knight of Flowers, but he is married to the knight’s sister: Margaery Tyrell.

Selyse Baratheon

Selyse Baratheon (née Florent) is the wife of Stannis and mother of Shireen. She is described as being fairly unattractive with extremely prominent ears and a hint of a mustache on her upper lip. Selyse has a cold relationship with her husband. She is the first of her family to be converted to the religion of the Red God by Melisandre.

Gendry

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Gendry is one of Robert Baratheon’s many bastard children. He lives in King’s Landing as an armorer’s apprentice and is unaware of his true parentage. Gendry later joins the Brotherhood without Banners.

Brienne of Tarth

 A tall and imposing but extremely plain woman, she is mocked by many as “Brienne the Beauty”. She is a maiden on a quest.

House Arryn

House Arryn is described as one of the Great Houses of the Seven Kingdoms and is the principal house in the Vale. It is descended from Kings of Mountain and Vale. Its main seat is at the Eyrie, a small castle atop of a mountain and reputed to be impregnable, where they are the Wardens of the East. Its coat of arms displays a white moon-and-falcon on a sky blue field, and its words are As High as Honor.^[1] Bastards born in the Vale are generally given the surname “Stone”.

Jon Arryn was the head of the Arryn family until he was poisoned shortly before A Game of Thrones. His only child, Robert “Sweetrobin” Arryn, became Lord of the Vale with Lysa Tully acting as regent.

Jon Arryn

Jon Arryn was the Lord of the Eyrie, Defender of the Vale, Warden of the East, and Hand to King Robert Baratheon before the events of A Game of Thrones.^[1] He took Robert and Eddard Stark as wards and became a father figure to both. When King Aerys II Targaryen commanded him to hand over his wards for execution, Jon rose up in rebellion.^[49] To earn the support of House Tully in the rebellion, Jon married the much younger Lysa Tully.^[50] Throughout Robert’s reign, Jon was left with most of the responsibility of the Seven Kingdoms.^[51] When Stannis Baratheon had doubts about the parentage of Queen Cersei Lannister’s children, he brought his suspicions to Jon, who confirmed that Cersei’s children were not fathered by Robert, but by her brother Jaime.^[52] Before he could reveal this publicly, Lysa poisoned him on Littlefinger’s orders to stop him from sending their son Robin Arryn away as a ward.^[53]

House Greyjoy

House Greyjoy is one of the Great Houses of the Seven Kingdoms in Martin’s fictional universe and is the principal noble house on the Iron Islands, home to the Ironborn. Its seat is on Pyke. Its coat of arms displays a golden kraken on a black field, and its words are We Do Not Sow. Bastards born in the Iron Islands are given the surname “Pyke”. The Greyjoys became Lords Paramount of the Iron Islands after House Targaryen conquered the Seven Kingdoms and allowed the Ironborn to choose who would have primacy over them. Balon Greyjoy is the current Lord of the Iron Islands. He has two surviving children, his only daughter, Asha, and Theon

Theon Greyjoy

Theon Greyjoy is the only living son, and heir apparent of Balon Greyjoy. …He is arrogant and proud. Ten years before the events of the series, he was taken hostage by Ned Stark to be executed if Balon displeased the king. Theon was raised at Winterfell with the Stark children and became a close friend to Robb Stark in particular.

Wex Pyk

Wex Pyke is the twelve year old bastard nephew of one of Balon’s vassals. He is made Theon’s squire. Wex is born mute, a fact that belies his cunning. He is among Theon’s crew that captures Winterfell and the only one to survive when the castle is sacked by Ramsay. While hiding in the heart tree in the godswood he sees Bran and Rickon flee with Osha and the Reed-children. When Rickon and Osha splits from the rest of the group he follows them, learning that they have traveled to the supposedly savage Northern colonies on the island Skagos. Eventually falling into Manderly control, Wex is able to communicate the location of Rickon as well as that Theon was not responsible for the sack of Winterfell to lords Wyman Manderly and Robett Glover. Glover has started teaching him to read and write in order to find the true culprit.

House Martell

In Martin’s fictional world, House Martell is one of the Great Houses of the Seven Kingdoms and is the ruling house of the kingdom of Dorne. Its seat is the castle of Sunspear. Its coat of arms displays a gold spear piercing a red sun on an orange field, and its words are Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken. Bastards born in Dorne are generally given the surname “Sand”. Dorne, along with House Martell, is culturally, ethnically, and politically distinct from the rest of the kingdoms. The rulers of Dorne are styled Prince or Princess because Dorne resisted direct conquest and joined the rest of the Seven Kingdoms through marriage.

House Martell was an Andal house that was founded in Dorne during the Andal invasion, where they defeated the ruling First Men houses like the Wades and the Shells, but remained as vassals of other kings like those of Houses Jordayne, Allyrion, and Yronwood while maintaining their own territory. House Martell would rise to prominence with the arrival of the Rhoynish warrior-queen Nymeria in Dorne, along with the remnants of the Rhoynish people, fleeing the wrath of the Valyrian Freehold from the Rhoynish Wars. Lord Mors Martell wed Nymeria and used their combined strength to subdue all his rivals and unify Dorne into one principality. Their marriage would also see the Martells take up Rhoynish customs in place of Andal ones, with much of their civilization, such as the Spear Tower and the Tower of the Sun built in Rhoynish fashion.

The Martells of Sunspear, along with Dorne, stood out in the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros as the only kingdom to resist Aegon Targaryen’s conquest, with the Dornish resorting to guerilla warfare instead of fielding large armies (to avoid another Field of Fire) and hiding in strong palaces (to avoid the Burning of Harrenhal), assaulting the Targaryen armies when the dragons vanished and escaping whenever they took to the sky. House Martell secured a great Dornish victory against the Targaryens by killing Meraxes, along with Queen Rhaenys, with a scorpion.

Doran Martell

Doran Martell is the Prince of Dorne and the Lord of Sunspear. He is the father of Arianne, Quentyn, and Trystane. By A Game of Thrones, he is in his fifties, and his gout leaves him barely able to walk and dependent on a wheeled chair. He is a cautious, pensive man who does not display his emotions. He swears loyalty to Joffrey only after Myrcella Baratheon is betrothed to Trystane by Tyrion Lannister, sending her off to Dorne. Tyrion also gives him a position on Joffrey’s council. In A Storm of Swords, Doran sends his brother Oberyn to claim the position. After Oberyn’s death, Doran refuses to start a war and returns to Sunspear to reassume control of his principality. He imprisons Oberyn’s vengeful daughters, called the Sand Snakes (who have been calling for war for the death of their father), to maintain peace. After foiling his daughter Arianne’s attempt to crown Myrcella the Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, he reveals that he has long been planning the downfall of Tywin Lannister to avenge Elia and intends to ally Dorne with House Targaryen.

Arianne Martell

Arianne Martell is the eldest child of Prince Doran Martell of Dorne and heir to Sunspear. She serves as the third-person narrator for two chapters in A Feast for Crows, and will be the narrator for at least two chapters in The Winds of Winter.^{[S 1]} She is cunning and beautiful and is also close with her cousins, the Sand Snakes. By A Feast for Crows, she is dissatisfied with her father, believing him to be weak. She plans to name Myrcella Baratheon the Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, as by Dornish law Myrcella inherits the title over her brother. Arianne seduces Arys Oakheart to win his support of Myrcella’s claim. The plot is foiled and Myrcella is wounded in the kidnapping attempt. As Arianne confronts Doran after he foils her plans, her father reveals that he has been plotting revenge on Tywin Lannister for many years and was waiting for the perfect time to strike. After the Golden Company invades Westeros, Doran sends Arianne to find out the truth about Aegon Targaryen.

Oberyn Martell

Oberyn Martell is the younger brother of Doran Martell. He is described as a hot-headed, forceful, and lustful man with a quick wit and a barbed tongue. He is a formidable fighter and is called the “Red Viper” because it is rumored he poisons his weapons. In A Storm of Swords, he leads a Dornish envoy to King’s Landing to claim the seat on the small council on his brother, Prince Doran Martell’s, behalf and obtain justice for his sister Elia Martell’s murder.

Ellaria Sand

Ellaria Sand is the paramour of Prince Oberyn Martell, and the mother of the four youngest “Sand Snakes”. She accompanies Oberyn to King’s Landing when Oberyn takes the seat on the small council. After returning to Dorne, she is distraught when she hears Obara’s statement on how the Mountain’s death “is a start”, as she sees the futility of it, and is worried about her own daughters’ safety.

The Sand Snakes

The name “Sand Snakes” refers to Prince Oberyn Martell‘s eight illegitimate daughters: Obara, Nymeria, Tyene, Sarella, Elia, Obella, Dorea and Loreza, the latter youngest four were born to Oberyn’s paramourEllaria Sand. The older four, however, were born to different women: Obara from an Oldtown prostitute; Nymeria (also known as Lady Nym) from a noblewoman in Volantis; Tyene from a septa serving the Faith of the Seven; and Sarella from the female captain of the Summer Isles trading ship Feathered Kiss. They are collectively called “Sand Snakes” in reference to their father’s nickname “Red Viper” and the regional norm of giving Dornish highborn illegitimate children the bastard surname “Sand”.

House Tyrell

House Tyrell is described as one of the Great Houses of the Seven Kingdoms and is the principal noble house in the Reach. Its seat is at Highgarden where they reside as the Wardens of the South. Its coat of arms displays a golden rose on a green field, and its words are Growing Strong. Bastards born in the Reach are generally given the surname “Flowers”. When the former rulers of the Reach, House Gardener, were killed in battle against House Targaryen, the Targaryens raised the Tyrells from stewards of Highgarden to Lords of Highgarden. Because House Florent had a better claim to Highgarden, the Tyrells are often seen as “upjumped stewards” by the lords of the Reach and other Great Houses; however, the women of the Tyrell household are noted for being shrewd and clever leaders

Alerie Tyrell

Lady Alerie Tyrell, née Hightower, is the Lady of Highgarden and the wife of Mace Tyrell. Her younger sister, Lynesse is the estranged second wife of Jorah Mormont of Bear Island. She is tall with long silver hair, and joins Margaery’s entourage to King’s Landing upon her betrothal to King Joffrey Baratheon. Following Tywin Lannister‘s funeral, she leaves the capital with her son Garlan.

Margaery Tyrell

Lady Alerie Tyrell, née Hightower, is the Lady of Highgarden and the wife of Mace Tyrell. Her younger sister, Lynesse is the estranged second wife of Jorah Mormont of Bear Island. She is tall with long silver hair, and joins Margaery’s entourage to King’s Landing upon her betrothal to King Joffrey Baratheon. Following Tywin Lannister‘s funeral, she leaves the capital with her son Garlan.;’

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Margaery is a member of the House Tyrell, the second wealthiest and largest of the eight Great Houses in Westeros. She is the younger sister of Lord Willas Tyrell, the heir to Highgarden, Ser Garlan the Gallant, as well as Ser Loras Tyrell, the Knight of Flowers.

She is married to King Remly Baratheon, who is gay and loves Margaery’s brother the Lord of Flowers.

She is close to her paternal grandmother Lady Olenna, the Queen of Thorns, originally of House Redwyne. Like her grandmother, Margaery is shrewd, ambitious and adaptable, and uses her beauty, generosity and family influence to secure power for herself. Having wed herself to three kings over the course of the narrative, she becomes an influential political figure in Westeros, which often brings her into conflict with her chief rival at court, Cersei Lannister.

The North

The North

Winterfell

Winterfell is the ancestral castle of House Stark and the political capital of the North. Located at the geographical center of the North, it has a cold, subarctic climate with snowy winters and cool summers. The castle was built over a natural hot spring, whose scalding water runs inside the castle walls and warms its halls and rooms as well as the glass garden at its northwestern corner. There are several open pools where heated water collects within the godswood. The hot spring also prevents the ground from freezing.^[22] The castle has deep catacombs called “the crypt”, where bodies of deceased Starks are entombed behind statues in their likeness with a direwolf at their feet and their swords in their hands.^[23] The tombs have been used since the old kings of the North, known as the Kings of Winter, were in power. They ruled since before the arrival of the Andals.^[23]

To depict Winterfell, both the pilot and season 1 of the television adaptation used the 16th century clock tower and ancient courtyard of Castle Ward in County Down, Northern Ireland.^{[S 16]} Doune Castle in Stirling, Scotland, which was previously featured as Castle Anthrax in the film Monty Python and the Holy Grail, was also used for exterior scenes.^{[S 17]} Saintfield Estates stood in as Winterfell’s godswood, an enclosed wooded area where characters can worship the old gods beside trees with faces carved in their bark.^{[S 16]} A car park stood in for Winterfell’s courtyard, and a wine cellar was used to depict the Stark family crypt.^{[S 18]} Tollymore Forest featured prominently in the prologue of the pilot episode and in the pivotal scene where the Starks first find the direwolves. Cairncastle, meanwhile, served as the location where Ned Stark beheads the deserter Will.^{[S 16]} The interior of Winterfell, such as the Tower of the First Keep, the Great Hall, and Catelyn’s bedchamber, were filmed at The Paint Hall studio.^{[S 19]} Set designer Gemma Jackson said, “Winterfell was based on a Scottish castle.”^{[S 20]}

The North consists of the northern half of the Seven Kingdoms^[13] and is ruled by House Stark from their castle at Winterfell.^[14] The North is sparsely populated, but nearly as big as the other six southern kingdoms combined.^[15] Martin compared the North to Scotland.^{[S 15]} The climate is cold overall, with hard winters and mild snows common regardless of the season. Beyond the wall in the far north, the climate is polar with heavy snow while further south, it is milder with more rain. ^[15] The region’s northern border is the Gift, a stretch of land 50 leagues wide given to the possession of the Night’s Watch.^[16] However, due to Wildling raids it is filled with abandoned towns and farms.”Wikipedia

Night’s Watch

“Night’s Watch” redirects here. For other uses, see Night Watch

The Night’s Watch is a sworn brotherhood of men who patrol the Wall. The individual “Brothers of the Watch” (called “Crows” by the Wildlings)^{[S 2][S 3]} reject land and titles, practice celibacy, cut ties to their families, assume neutrality in politics, and never desert their assignments,^[64][65] on pain of death.^[66] Joining the Watch is still considered an honor because any man can rise through the ranks regardless of illegitimacy or criminal past, but in the first book,^[67][68] the Watch is severely undermanned.^[69] The Watch is based at Castle Black, where the Lord Commander of the Watch resides and new recruits are trained.^[70

Free Folk

Wildlings, also called Free Folk, are people who live beyond the Wall.^[70][73] They live in independent villages and have no central government.^[74] Bands of wildlings often cross the Wall for plunder.^[75] In A Storm of Swords, the wildlings unite under Mance Rayder, the self-styled ‘King-beyond-the-Wall’, and invade the Seven Kingdoms to escape the return of The Others.^[74] With the help of Jon and Stannis Baratheon, they settle in the North. Many move into the abandoned castles to defend the Wall.^[76]

The Wall is a huge structure of stone, ice, and magic^[24] on the northern border of the Seven Kingdoms.^[25] It is home to the Night’s Watch, a brotherhood sworn to protect the realms of men from the threats beyond the Wall.^[26]

The Wall was inspired by Martin’s visit to Hadrian’s Wall, in the North of England close to the border with Scotland. Looking out over the hills, Martin wondered what a Roman centurion from the Mediterranean would feel, not knowing what threats might come from the north.^{[S 21]} This experience was so profound that a decade later, in 1991, he wanted to “write a story about the people guarding the end of the world”,^{[S 22]} and ultimately “the things that come out of the [fictional] north are a good deal more terrifying than Scotsmen or Picts“.^{[S 23]}

Martin adjusted the size, length, and magical nature of the Wall for genre demands;^{[S 21]} Jon Snow’s chapters describe it as approximately 300 miles (480 km) long^[27] and 700 feet (210 m) high in general, rising up to a perceived 900 feet (270 m) in spots due to huge foundation blocks.^[28] The top is wide enough for a dozen mounted knights to ride abreast (approximately 30 ft or 10 m),^[29] while the base is so thick that the Wall’s gates are more like tunnels through the ice.^[30]

The novels’ legends claim that the First Men,^[31] or more specifically Brandon the Builder with the possible help of children of the forest and giants,^[5][32] constructed the Wall some 8,000 years before the events of the series.^[33]

The Wall has since been maintained by the Night’s Watch to guard the realms of men against threats from beyond, originally the Others, and later against wildling raids.^[4][26]

A strip of land known as “the Gift”, now stretching 50 leagues (about 150 miles (240 km)) south of the wall, was given to them in perpetuity thousands of years earlier for cultivation.^[16][34] In A Game of Thrones, of the nineteen castles built along the wall, only three are still manned:^[29] Castle Black with 600 men, and the Shadow Tower and Eastwatch-by-the-Sea with 200 men each.^[35] Parts of Castle Black have fallen into ruin.^[29]