The land of Westeros and beyond is a sprawling fantasy-inspired world created by A Song of Ice and Fire scribe George R.R. Martin. The series has gained immense popularity thanks to HBO’s now-seminal Game of Thrones TV adaptation, catapulting the tale of war, subterfuge, and scheming for the Iron Throne into the public consciousness. Though many superfans watch Game of Thrones, some find that their knowledge of the series is actually not as thorough as one might imagine.
There are plenty of names and terms out there to learn, fictional maps to analyze, and even entire languages developed — Martin’s world is a complicated one, and has served as a labor of love for decades now. Suffice it to say, that work ought to be appreciated, and fans can learn a little more about the fantasy world’s geography right here.
1. The North
The North is one of the more important locations within Game of Thrones. Its existence dates back many thousands of years; a group of people known as the First Men would colonize Westeros and spread throughout its reaches, eventually ending up in the North. The people there came into contact and conflict with the Children of the Forest, who eventually created the White Walkers to kill all men.
This turned out to be a mistake once the group went rogue, with an ancestor of the Starks, Brandon the Builder, later building the Wall after the defeat of the White Walkers to keep them safely out of the realms of men.
Bran the Builder’s line would persist as House Stark and would unite the North, and rule from Winterfell as kings for 12,000 years (or so they claim). Eventually, the Targaryens would come in with their dragons, and Torrhen Stark chose to kneel and lose his crown in exchange for his kingdom being left alone. It then became a region of Westeros under the Iron Throne, and the line eventually permanently regained its royal status when Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner) ascended the Northern throne as Queen in the North at the end of the series.
2. The Westerlands
Despite not being physically seen for much of the series, the Westerlands are one of the most important regions in the series. Home to the major noble antagonist of Game of Thrones, House Lannister, which rules from Casterly Rock. As its name implies, Casterly Rock actually did not originally belong to House Lannister — it belonged to House Casterly. According to legend, however, a figure known as Lann the Clever used his wits to swindle the Casterlys out of their magnificent home, and the family eventually became kings in the region.
The region is a rich one, with gold mines and rolling hills. The Lannisters have a stable and strong grip on the region, thanks largely in part to Tywin Lannister (Charles Dance). The Rains of Castamere, also known as the song that played during the Red Wedding, is inspired by an incident in which Tywin, feeling disrespected by House Reyne of Castamere, completely wiped the House out.
A brutal move, it shaped Tywin’s reputation for years to come. By the end of the series, it isn’t explicitly stated, but Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage) is likely the Lord of Casterly Rock, ruling the Westerlands as his father’s heir.
3. The Vale
The Vale is also an infrequently seen region, its people nonetheless still playing a pivotal role within the story. The Vale is ruled by House Arryn, who belongs to an ethnic group known as the Andals. Though the First Men and Children of the Forest made peace and the Children were given their own territories, the Andals had made no promises and began to colonize Westeros, eventually taking its southern half for their own and establishing the Seven as their own religion. House Arryn is the oldest of these Houses, and rules from the Vale.
House Arryn is a knightly House, and fans might have noticed that several characters from the Vale are depicted in armor quite commonly. The Vale is memorably ruled by Robin Arryn (Lino Facioli), a young boy who’s constantly perched at the side of his mother, Lysa Arryn (Kate Dickie).
Their castle is known as the Eyrie, and it will next be seen in House of the Dragon season 2 as House Targaryen searches for more allies in the civil war that will come to be known as the Dance of the Dragons.
4. The Iron Islands
The Iron Islands are probably the most infamous place in Westeros. Barren and free of trees, the people of the Iron Islands have turned to raiding and pillaging as a sort of hybrid of pirates and Vikings. The Iron Islands are actually distinct from the rest of Westeros in a number of ways: the group worships a Cthulhu-like deity known as the Drowned God (who may or may not be real), they demand that any boon is won by violence, and though they’re First Men, they do not care for Weirwoods.
The Iron Islands rebels frequently, hoping to be its own kingdom that can raze and steal from Westeros whenever it wants. In the past, the Iron Islands would decide who its king would be through a process known as a Kingsmoot, whereby every captain votes for the best reaver on the islands. House Hoare used to rule the Islands and the Riverlands, having built Harrenhal, but Aegon Targaryen burned them alive and instated House Greyjoy as their ruler. Yara Greyjoy (Gemma Whelan) is its Lady by the end of the series.
5. The Reach
The Reach plays an important role in Westeros. The most populous and prosperous region, the Reach is known for its fertile grounds and operates as the breadbasket of Westeros. The House that rules the Reach is House Tyrell, and the family rules from Highgarden. Their rule was controversial, however: they were raised from, essentially, servants to the Lords of a whole region after the previous rulers, House Gardener, were killed by the Targaryens.
The Reach is potentially the most powerful region in Westeros, thanks to the large number of people it can field for its armies. The Reach is currently a central player in House of the Dragon, where House Hightower, a prominent and ancient House in the Reach, is attempting to put one of its descendants, King Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney) on the Iron Throne. House Tyrell is eventually wiped out in Game of Thrones, and Bronn (Jerome Flynn) somewhat inexplicably ends up in charge of this region.
6. The Stormlands
It’s entirely possible the Stormlands are the least-seen region in the entire series. Its main castle, Storm’s End (from which House Baratheon rules) was only spotted in House of the Dragon, and it has only the briefest of appearances back in season 2 of Game of Thrones (it’s where Gethin Anthony’s Renly is killed by Stephen Dillane’s Stannis).
In House of the Dragon, it appears slightly more often. Storm’s End is a central setpiece, actually — it’s where Aemond Targaryen (Ewan Mitchell) accidentally kills his nephew, young Lucerys Targaryen (Elliot Grihault). The rulers of this region, House Baratheon, were actually descended from a bastard brother of King Aegon Targaryen, who married into an ancient and kingly line. They eventually ended the Targaryen dynasty in the form of Robert Baratheon (Mark Addy), however, and are reduced back to Lords by the end of the series, where Gendry (Joe Dempsie) is legitimized and named as the new Lord.
7. Dorne
To be completely honest, Dorne is the best place to live in all of Westeros. Sure, it’s a desert, which makes it pretty hot, but it’s a dry heat. Not only does this kingdom allow women to inherit just the same as men, but it’s far more progressive than the rest of Westeros. Dorne can be compared to Moorish Spain during Medieval times, while Westeros is more like Northwestern Europe. Their society is marginally more advanced thanks to regular contact with the Free Cities, and attitudes towards sexuality tend to be more liberal.
The Dornish are also ethnically distinct from the rest of Westeros. See, the Dornish have a large population of Rhoynish people — a group that was displaced by Valyria’s encroachment, and eventually their boats took them to the shores of Westeros. Their leader was a warrior woman named Nymeria, who would eventually go on to marry into House Martell, uniting Dorne under her rule as the Princess. Because of this backstory, Dorne hated dragons for a long time and successfully resisted Targaryen rule until marriage brought them into the fold.
Pedro Pascal’s Oberyn Martell was perhaps the character with the most importance and impact from this region, but his death (and that of most of his family) means that an unnamed Martell ended up as the Prince of Dorne by the end of Game of Thrones.
Despite popular misconceptions, the Crownlands, the Riverlands, King’s Landing, and North of the Wall are not their own autonomous kingdoms. Because the Targaryens arrived when there were seven kings on the continent, they chose to maintain these regions (as well as add a few more for administrative purposes).
Although Game of Thrones featured plenty of exploration, it’s clear that HBO still wants to show off more of Westeros to its audiences. And, with a number of spin-offs such as The Tales of Dunk and Egg on its docket, it’s likely that fans will get to see more of Westeros before long.
Published: Sep 15, 2023 06:39 am