History of Westeros (Game of Thrones)

Sent to be a page for Lord Beric Dondarrion at the age of 7, Edric Dayne was eventually raised to squire. Edric clearly took to the Lightning Lord, perhaps even looked up to him. Even after his father died, Edric stayed with Lord Beric, Even after Lord Beric died… Edric stayed with Lord Beric. He’s brave, shy and has a destiny difficult to divine due to his age and the 5 year gap. Nevertheless, he...

No known people live further west than House Farwynd of Lonely Light, and few houses if any are considered as strange. Even other Ironborn regard them as mad and tell stories that sound like a Northern house. There’s talk of Farwynd skinchangers, connecting them to killer whales, walruses, sea lions and more… not to mention rumors of Farwynds breeding with seals to make selkies. They are the Sunse...

Athens, Sparta, Thebes, and their neighbors fought a seemingly endless series of civil wars worthy of Westeros. But just like the War of Five Kings, Greece should have been more concerned with uniting against a greater threat massing to the North - one capable of conquering or enslaving them all. This is a grand story of deeds as infamous as the Red Wedding, as heroically selfless as Dunk or Brien...

We went to our first NYCC this year, and were front row for the Spotlight on George RR Martin, and attended the live premiere of the first Dunk and Egg trailer and the follow-up panel which included Peter Claffey (Dunk), Dexter Sol Ansell (Egg), Ira Parker (showrunner), and GRRM. This episode has our usual shot by shot breakdown of the trailer, followed by what we saw and learned at New York Comic...

Patchface drowned on his way to Westeros but somehow rose again on the beach near Storm’s End. The tragic and creepy fool sings of shadows, things under the sea, and undoubtedly at times, of the future. Here’s our attempt to interpret the songs of a man that even Melisandre fears. HoW Audience Survey - ⁠⁠bit.ly/howsurvey⁠⁠ Bonus Eps & More - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ patreon.com...

Steven Attewell of Race for the Iron Throne joined us to discuss the fascinating and terrifying Maelys the Monstrous, the Band of Nine, the Stepstones, Tyrosh, the Golden Company, Blackfyre lineage, Summerhall and all the events that led up to the outbreak of war. Published January 9, 2020, remastered 2025. Sadly, Steven passed in April 2024 - but his blog remains an amazing resource. RIP to a gia...

You have questions, we have answers. You have theories, we have opinions. There’s news about the upcoming shows. We also have pictures and anecdotes from DragonCon 2025 including Ashaya as Oscar Tully (with the rest of the Muppet Tully crew) and Aziz as Baelor the Blessed & Daemon Targaryen! HoW Audience Survey - ⁠bit.ly/howsurvey⁠ Bonus Eps & More - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

Prince Rhaegar believed his son was the Prince that Was Promised, that his was the song of ice and fire. But he was not the first to hear those ancient tones, not even the first in his family. In this one we consider who knows the dreams and prophecies now and centuries ago. We’ll compare different prophecies, histories, tales, songs, religious beliefs etc and see which elements are overlapping an...

The past, present, and possible futures of Ser Brynden Tully of Riverrun, Knight of the Gate and famous throughout Westeros, called Blackfish. Published October 4, 2017. Bonus Eps & More - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ www.patreon.com/historyofwesteros⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Shirts & Stickers - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠historyofwesteros.threadless.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

Ashaya and Aziz describe their adventures at WorldCon, including time with GRRM, panels with him and others such as Brandon Sanderson, Rebecca Roanhorse, and Robin Hobb. Capped off with the Hugo Awards and more! LA WorldCon - https://www.lacon.org/register/ Bonus Eps & More - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ www.patreon.com/historyofwesteros⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Shirts &am...

Several questions, actually. Who is the woman behind the red lacquer mask, and more importantly, what is she doing? Is she using a glass candle to speak to Dany? What does she mean by to go east you must go west and the rest? And perhaps most important of all, why does she repeatedly tell Dany to be a dragon? Our best answers within. Bonus Eps & More - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ www....

Nina Krusling joins us to discuss the life of Ser Ryam Redwyne, perhaps the most famous Kingsguard knight of all time. He lived during the Targaryen Golden Age and had a career that spanned 5+ decades. The lofty standard he set has only been matched by men like Prince Aemon the Dragonknight and Barristan the Bold. Bonus Eps & More - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ www.patreon.com/historyof...

Ancient legends and stories told of the Long Night have a lot in common with the Norse conception of Ragnarök, which begins with ice and ends in fire. Modern archaeology and volcanology have in turn added a tangible element to these tales, helping us understand how they came to exist in the first place. Join us for a deep dive into prophecy and cataclysm using both science and mythology, all wrapp...

House Umber produces unusually large humans, so large that there might be some giant’s blood in their distant ancestry. The Greatjon was King Robb Stark’s most loyal Lord… and his Kingmaker. If he lives up to the Umber sigil - a giant breaking its chains - watch out Lannisters and Freys. But House Umber also has a dark side, both in their political dealings and their connection to the Old Gods. Jo...

A deep dive into the death and/or disappearance of First Ranger Benjen Stark. The mystery surrounding his last ranging, the undead members of his party who returned, and his life before joining the Night’s Watch. Will he return? What has he learned of the Others? What does he know of the secrets of his siblings Eddard and Lyanna? Join us as we take on questions related to his fate as well as his p...

Boltons, Freys, Manderlys and more all packed into a snowbound Winterfell is a recipe for more than cannibal pies. It seems half the inhabitants of the castle hate each other, while the other half are probably just better at hiding it. Either way, there have been several murders. The collective rage and paranoia of the inhabitants increases with  each successive death, increasing the odds of anoth...

A follow up to our "The Tragedy of Summerhall" episode. This one delves deep into Aerys, Rhaegar and other characters who were impacted by Summerhall. There's talk of how the Mad King could wreak havoc on the Seven Kingdoms even now... Originally Published August 26, 2015, remastered July 2025. Bonus Eps & More - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ www.patreon.com/historyofwesteros⁠⁠...

An episode dedicated to the backstory and ambition of who Prince Doran Martell refers to as “the most dangerous man in Dorne”, Gerold “Darkstar” Dayne, the Knight of High Hermitage. Bonus Eps & More - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ www.patreon.com/historyofwesteros⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Shirts & Stickers - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠historyofwesteros.threadless.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

Ashaya and Aziz delve deep into the mysteries of Summerhall. Egg, Dunk, Aerys, Rhaella...wildfire. What went wrong, who caused it, prophecies, dragon eggs, death and destruction... this episode has it all. Published July 30, 2015. Remastered 2025! Bonus Eps & More - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ www.patreon.com/historyofwesteros⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Shirts & Stickers - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

Over time there have been those who claimed to be royalty but were absolutely, positively not. These deceptions come in many forms, and we have many entertaining examples… all failures of course. Because if someone succeeded, how would we know? Featuring examples from the post-Wars of the Roses era as well as ASOIAF! Bonus Eps & More - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ www.patreon.com/historyofwes...

Of all the dreamers in Targaryen history, it’s difficult to argue Daenys wasn’t the most crucial. It was her vision of the Doom that brought their House to safety on Dragonstone ahead of the extinction that took all of Valyria and every other dragonlord family. This episode is devoted to what we know of her life, the era in which she lived, and of course - her prophecies. Bonus Eps & More - ⁠⁠...

The full story of the biggest dragon of all time, from a hatchling in Valyria to a skull in the basement. Video available in the Spotify app. (scripted) Bonus Eps & More - www.patreon.com/historyofwesteros Shirts & Stickers - historyofwesteros.threadless.com Nina: goodqueenaly.tumblr.com www.historyofwesteros.com

Lying far to the south of Westeros and Essos are the Summer Isles, representing the most southwesterly peoples of the known world. Famed for their shipbuilding and navigation skills, the Summer Islanders are also a unique culture in part due to their relative isolation and favorable geography. Despite this, they have a history with Valyria, Sothoryos and places unknown to Westeros. They might be t...

Though not an ancient House, the Freys are powerful and prominent in plotlines of all kinds, usually for all the red reasons. Wrong reasons, rather. But not only are they a big part of ASOIAF, they appear in some surprising places over the last few centuries as well. We examine their rapid rise from bridge builders on the Green Fork to players of the Game of Thrones. Bonus Eps & More - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

They began as King’s men on a mission - what seemed a clear cut case of heroes vs. villains. Even after the death of King Robert, the Brotherhood Without Banners remained a model of honor and duty, serving the common folk instead. But time and deprivation wore on them, and they slowly lost their sense of purpose, justice… and their humanity. Quite literally in 2 cases. This is their tragic, surpri...