Garth Greenhand
Garth was the High King of the First Men, it is written; it was he who led them out of the east and across the land bridge to Westeros. Yet other tales would have us believe that he preceded the arrival of the First Men by thousands of years, making him not only the First Man in Westeros, but the only man, wandering the length and breadth of the land alone and treating with the giants and the children of the forest. Some even say he was a god. - The World of Ice and Fire[1]
Garth Greenhand was a mythical High King of the First Men and the legendary forebear of nearly every great house in the Reach.[1]
Appearance and Character
Tradition depicts Garth dressed head-to-toe in living green[1]. Some tales claim his hair or even his skin possessed a green hue[1]. Or even that he had the antlers of a stag[1]. All agree he wore crowns woven from vines and wildflowers[1].
Most legends praise him as a kindly fertility god who made fields flourish and orchards bear fruit[1]. Older, and darker songs hint that he once demanded blood sacrifice to assure the harvest. Whether man or deity, he is remembered as generous to his followers. In some stories the green god dies every autumn when the trees lose their leaves, only to be reborn with the coming of spring.
History
Traditions diverge on Garth’s beginnings. Some songs name him the High King who guided the First Men across the Arm of Dorne, while others place him roaming Westeros long before the First Man arrival, the lone man among giants and the children of the forest, clad in living green and crowned with flowers. [1]Others dismiss the divine origins, calling him no more than an early war-chief.
Whichever tale is true, all agree that when Garth reached the lush valley of the Mander he claimed a broad, grassy hill, planted an oak that grew into the living throne called the Oakenseat, and raised a hall that later generations would honor as Highgarden. From that green seat he reigned, some say as a god-king, and scattered seed from an endless sack, teaching men to plough, sow, and reap. Farms, orchards, and villages sprang up in his footsteps; the land itself seemed to bloom at his smile. He was likewise said to bestow fertility on women, turning barren wives fruitful and maidens ripe with a touch of his green hand.
Garth’s innumerable offspring fanned out across the Reach and beyond, founding houses, forging alliances, and shaping the region’s earliest history. [1]
Descendants
- Garth the Gardener, became the first King of the Reach, built his hall above the Mander, and founded House Gardener.
- Florys the Fox, famed for her cunning, maintained three unsuspecting husbands at once; her sons established House Florent, House Ball, and House Peake.
- Maris the Maid, called the "Most Fair", inspired the first tourney in the Reach; she spurned the victor Argoth Stone-Skin and married King Uthor of House Hightower, weaving her blood into Oldtown’s ruling line.
- Foss the Archer, dazzled onlookers by shooting apples from maidens’ heads; his descendants became House Fossoway.
- Brandon of the Bloody Blade, drove giants from the Reach and slew so many children of the forest at Blue Lake that it has been called Red Lake ever since. Some say he is the ancestor of Brandon the Builder and House Stark.
- Owen Oakenshield, conquered the Shield Islands, driving selkies and merlings back into the sea and securing the Mander’s mouth for future generations.
- Harlon the Hunter and Herndon of the Horn, twin brothers, founded House Tarly at Horn Hill and reputedly prolonged their lives by sharing the embraces of a woods witch each full moon.
- Bors the Breaker, gained the strength of twenty men by drinking bull’s blood and founded House Bulwer of Blackcrown; some tales insist he grew black horns.
- John the Oak, hailed as the First Knight and said to stand ten or even twelve feet tall, introduced chivalry to the Reach and sired the Oakhearts of Old Oak.
- Ellyn Ever Sweet, struck a pact with the King of the Bees, becoming the first beekeeper and ancestress of House Beesbury.
- Gilbert of the Vines, taught the folk of the Arbor to press sweet wine and became the forefather of House Redwyne.
- Rose of Red Lake, was a skin-changer who could turn into a crane; that gift is said to surface occasionally among the women of House Crane.
- Rowan Gold-Tree, Legend says Rowan’s grief birthed a golden tree from an apple wrapped in her hair, founding House Rowan through her daughters, and some tales even name Lann the Clever as her (or her sister Florys the Fox’s) bastard son.
Quotes about Garth
- “Garth liked to plant his seed in fertile ground, they say. I shouldn't wonder that more than his hands were green.” – Olenna Redwyne to Sansa Stark.