Thousands of years before the events depicted in the A Song of Ice and Fire book series,
Westeros was a land populated by fearsome Giants and the diminutive, stone age Children
of the forest, who wielded magic and had a deep connection to the natural world.
These non-human races roamed the continent for many years until the First Men entered
Westeros through the Arm of Dorne a southern land bridge leading to the eastern continent
of Essos, located across a narrow stretch of sea.
Although exact dates for such events cannot be known, Westerosi scholars of later ages
estimate the first migrations of humans into the continent began around 12000 years before
conquest.
BC before conquest, and AC after conquest, are the year notations used by these scholars,
who base it on the conquest of Aegon Targaryen, the warrior king who founded a powerful dynasty
which united the continent under their rule.
Returning to the Dawn Age as it was known, a popular story in the south claimed it was
the great hero Garth Greenhand who originally led the First Men into Westeros, settling
a realm in the reach where he became the ancestor of many noble houses including House Gardener,
while northern stories say it was the First King, possibly buried in the Great Barrow
of Barrowton who first led their people west.
Whatever the case, the First Men introduced a new level of technology to the continent,
wielding weapons and armor of bronze, riding horses, and using a runic writing system.
As a result they spread all the way into the north slaughtering any children of the forest
or giants who stood in their way.
Going to war, legends say the Children of the Forest performed a powerful magical ritual
to shatter the Arm of Dorne land bridge, thereby cutting off further migration west, but by
that point it was too late, as the First Men already on the continent could not be defeated.
Ending the war around 10000 BC, the First Men and Children formed a peace pact where
humans were given open lands while the natives took the deep woods.
This peace also caused the First Men to adopt the Old Gods of the Children, deities associated
with special weirwood trees, some of which served as heart trees with carved faces.
Although peace meant the slaughter of Children ended for a time, their population was greatly
diminished, as was that of the giants, who migrated into the far north to escape extinction,
lessening in number until they were rarely seen.
The First men meanwhile thrived after the war, establishing mighty kingdoms throughout
the continent during a period called the Age of Heroes.
It was during these years that many legendary figures from Westerosi history rose to prominence,
like:
Lann the Clever, founder of House Lannister, a cunning trickster who swindled House Casterly
into giving up their ancestral home of Casterly Rock.
Durran Godsgrief, Founder of House Durrandon who built the mighty fortress Storm’s end
to endure terrible storm attacks from the Sea god and godess of the wind in retaliation
for marrying their daughter Elenei.
Then there was the Grey King who slew a sea dragon and ruled the Iron Islands, from which
many of the Ironborn noble houses descended included House Greyjoy of Pyke.
Yet tragedy eventually struck in 8000 BC, when Westeros suffered a generation of darkness
and invasion by the Others, or White Walkers from the lands of always winter in the furthest
reaches of the far north.
Although the people of Westeros were accustomed to long dark winters, as seasons in this world
could last several years, the Long Night stood out for it’s unusual length resulting in
widespread famine and death.
These conditions then worsened when the White Walkers invaded, strange, beautiful, elegant
beings of ice, wielding powerful magic allowing them to raise armies from fallen humans and
animals, turning them into wights, unrelenting slave soldiers serving their masters without
question.
Although much damage was inflicted, legends claim the Last Hero saved humanity by embarking
upon a quest north in search of the elusive Children of the Forest.
The Last Hero underwent this journey with a dragonsteel sword, a horse, a dog and a
dozen companions, but lost them all along the way.
Yet in the end he found the children and convinced them to ally with the First Men against the
White Walkers.
Learning wights could be killed with fire while the Others fell to obsidian and dragonsteel,
the First Men rallied behind an organization called the Night’s Watch and won a decisive
victory in Battle for the Dawn, pushing the Others back into the Lands of Always Winter.
In order to prevent any such invasion in the future, the hero Bran “The Builder”, founder
of House Stark, raised a massive wall in the North, aided by the Children of the Forest
who cast powerful spells upon the ice.
The Night’s Watch was then charged with protecting the south from all threats beyond
the wall, including attacks from those first men who lived beyond the wall after it’s
construction.
These First Men developed their own clan based culture over time, calling themselves Free
Folk, while southerns called them wildlings, thinking of them as savages and raiders.
Emerging from a harrowing time, in which the First Men struggled for survival, it was important
to note that Westeros was not the only land facing crisis during the Long Night.
Taking a step back for a wider view of the known world, many peoples in foreign lands
told similar stories to those found in the western continent.
Across the narrow sea in Essos, stories of the Rhoynar people claimed a terrible darkness
froze the river Rhoyne until a Hero emerged who united the Children of the Goddess Mother
to sing a secret song which brought back the day.
Travelling further east, the Great Empire of the Dawn, said to rule nearly all lands
beyond the bone mountains had their own legends, with the most prominent version stating the
wicked deeds of the Bloodstone Emperor caused the Maiden Made of Light to turn her back
on the world.
This led to an age of darknesss, when the Lion of Night came forth to punish the realms
of men.
As a result demon armies invaded from the north east, causing the Peal Emperor to build
five massive black stone fortresses for their defense.The devastation of these years only
ended when a hero wielding the sword Lightbringer led the armies of men to victory against the
forces of night, restoring light to the world.
Though humanity was saved, the Great Empire of the Dawn did not survive and so many of
the realms that formed in the ensuing years adopted their own versions of the hero, naming
him Hyrkoon the Hero, Neferion, Yin Tar and Eldric Shadowchaser, while the followers of
the Red God R’hllor in the ancient city of Asshai called him Azor Ahai.
The legend of Azor Ahai then went into further detail, claiming that to forge Lightbring,
the red sword of heroes, he labored for 100 days and nights before driving the blade through
his wife Nissa Nissa’s heart, so her blood, soul, strength and courage went into the steel.
Using this sword to save humanity, prophecies foretold Azor Ahai would one day return, reborn
to fight against a second darkness.
Following the years of the Long Night, many of the ancient realms were lost, allowing
new powers to emerge throughout the world, while others survived and rebuilt as best
they could.
South of Westeros in the Summer Isles, an Ebony skinned people developed an enlightened
culture that emphasized love and trade over hatred and warfare, while further east was
Sothoryos, a mysterious resource rich content that many civilizations failed to colonize
because of dangerous wildlife, deadly diseases and large, hostile natives known as the brindled
men, one of the many non-human races who shared this world, like the short, stocky Ibbenese
on the island of Ib, the nature loving Wood Walkers of Ifequevron, and the strange, violent
green skinned people of the Thousand Islands.
In the far east of Essos, the Golden Empire of Yi Ti was the largest and most prosperous
of the successor states from the Great Empire of the Dawn,benefiting from the Jade Sea trade
route which brought ships from east and west to trade rare items for high prices.
Other states and peoples of the region included the Patrimony of Hyrkoon, nomadic jogos nhai
and a number of far eastern realms so distant the scholars of Westeros know them only as
lands of magic, monsters and barbarous people, demonstrated in the mysterious city of Asshai
where the water glowed green at night and no children or animals could be found.
Moving west beyond the Bone Mountains, Essos was populated with many realms until the rise
of the Valyrian Freehold.
Starting as simple sheepherders, the pale skinned, silver-gold haired, purple eyed Valyrians
found dragons living around the 14 Flames volcano chain on the valyrian penninsula,
and over time became dragonriders, capable of great magic.
Among the many cultural traits they developed, the most notable was their tradition of marrying
within their own families to keep their blood of the dragon strong.
Expanding into a mighty empire, their enormous, flying, fire breathing dragons proved an overwhelming
advantage, forcing conquered survivors to flee or submit to Valyria.
As they expanded westward, the Andal peoples of northern Essos first migrated to Andalos
along the coast before sailing aboard ships to settle Westeros.
Dated to between 6000 and 2000 BC, the Andals became the second major human cultural group
to invade the continent, going to war with the first men.
In addition to wielding weapons of armor of iron, having an elite class of warrior Knights
and developing a superior writing system, the Andals were devout worshippers of the
Seven.
A single god with seven aspects, represented by the father, mother, smith, warrior, maiden,
crone and stranger.
Conquering all of Westeros south of the neck, it was only the First men of the North under
House Stark that successfully defended their realm.
Although the Andals spread the faith of the seven to nearly every territory they controlled,
they also married the defeated and adopted many of their traditions, most noticeably
in the Iron Islands, where they converted to the faith of the Drowned god held by the
local population.
Around 700 years before conquest, the last major migration into Westeros occurred when
Princess Nymeria led what remained of a 10000 ship Rhoynar refugee fleet, escaping the Dragonlords
of Valyria.
After failing to settle other lands, Nymeria arrived in Dorne and married the Andal leader
of House Martell, creating an alliance that conquered the territory, making Westeros a
land Andals, Rhoynar and First Men.
Across the narrow sea, the Valyrian Freehold thrived under the rule 40 noble families until
114BC, when the Targaryen withdrew from politics and moved their entire household to the far
away island of Dragonstone in the narrow sea.
Aenar Targaryen made this decision because his daughter Daenys the Dreamer had a vision
foreseeing a great tragedy which struck twelve years later in 102BC, when the 14 flames volcano
chain erupted, shattering the Penninsula.
Following the Doom of Valyria, Essos descended into a Century of Blood, with former Valyrians
territories struggling to survive.
By the end of this perior the western coast was ruled by 9 Free cities, while the Dothraki
sea further east was held by nomadic horselords which conquered nearly all nearby civilizations.
One of the few areas to survive the Dothraki and prosper during these years were the cities
of Astapor, Yunkai and Meereen, along slaver’s bay, as they built their economy around the
slave trade, thereby providing a place for the Dothraki to sell the prisoners they took
in battle.