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[[File:Bear Island.jpg|thumb|Isolated and wild, Bear Island is a hardy place for a hardy people, where the bears are said to outnumber men.]] | [[File:Bear Island.jpg|thumb|Isolated and wild, Bear Island is a hardy place for a hardy people, where the bears are said to outnumber men.]] | ||
The Island that sits in the Bay of Ice might have been considered no more than an extension of the Clans of the Wood or the Mountain Clans, were it not for the unique people that have grown up under its dense pines or single jagged peak. The Bearmen, like the men of the Stony Shore, have been shaped by the threats that come to their shores, both from Ironmen Reavers, and Wildling Raiders that dare to cross the Bay of Ice from Beyond the Wall. The Bearmen believe that every man and woman must be able to toil and fight, in order for their people to survive.<ref>Martin, A Dance with Dragons 2: After the Feast, (London: HarperVoyager, 2012) p. 23.</ref> This has led to a unique perception of succession and a woman's role in war and peacetime. By the time of the Coming of the Andals, Bear Island was ruled by the Woodfoots, and their most significant vassal was House Mormont of Bearstone. | The Island that sits in the Bay of Ice might have been considered no more than an extension of the Clans of the Wood or the Mountain Clans, were it not for the unique people that have grown up under its dense pines or single jagged peak. The Bearmen, like the men of the Stony Shore, have been shaped by the threats that come to their shores, both from Ironmen Reavers, and Wildling Raiders that dare to cross the Bay of Ice from Beyond the Wall. The Bearmen believe that every man and woman must be able to toil and fight, in order for their people to survive.<ref>Martin, ''A Dance with Dragons 2: After the Feast'', (London: HarperVoyager, 2012) p. 23.</ref> This has led to a unique perception of succession and a woman's role in war and peacetime. By the time of the Coming of the Andals, Bear Island was ruled by the Woodfoots, and their most significant vassal was House Mormont of Bearstone. | ||
=== Notable Bearman Houses === | === Notable Bearman Houses === | ||
Revision as of 20:21, 19 April 2025
Regions and Cultures of the North
The North is a broad term for the vast expanse that is made distinct from the rest of Westeros by the nigh-impassable bogs, mires and marshes of the Neck to the south, and the Wall to the far north. The North consists of several diverse kingdoms and peoples however, thus it should not be considered a political expression.
Nonetheless, there is a distinct sense of cultural community which exists across the scope of the various First Man kingdoms in the North, primarily a shared sense of values, honour, and shared hardship due to the particularly harsh winters.
The Men of Winter
The North is vast, and harsh. What the men of this land value is personal strength and hardiness, loyalty to one's own - and maintaining the ancient traditions passed down from their forefathers. There are many kings that hold dominion over the vast stretches of plains, moors, hills, forests, bogs and great lakes that make up these lands, and they come from Houses that stretch back into the myths of the Dawn Age.[1] Among these are House Frost, that once ruled the nigh impenetrable Castle Frostguard, but had retreated into the far north-east of the region by the time of the Coming of the Andals. At that time, House Bolton still ruled as the Red Kings of their bloody kingdom, supported by House Towers and a smattering of other Houses that take sinster and morbid imagery for their arms. House Umber ruled the Last Lands before the wall, boasting of themselves as the blood of giants, and being the last true kings to be found for a thousand leagues to the north. The most storied and powerful single dynasty however at this time, remained House Stark - which had continued to grow its power, devouring its rivals on all sides.
Notable Winterman Houses
The Barrowlands and the Rills
The Barrowlands consist of the vast and windswept plains and hills that stretch westwards from the northern boundaries of the North past Moat Cailin. The landscape of the Barrowlands is dominated by their eponymous barrows, usually graves of important men and women from this region. The runestones around the barrow are often of great significance, particularly the arrangement and runes carved on the cairn stones. Kings and warriors are often buried with their most prized possession - and truly can it be said in the Barrowlands that more honour is given to the dead than to the living. By the time of the Coming of the Andals, the Barrowlands were ruled by House Dustin as Barrow Kings, and their notable vassals included the Stouts and Brownbarrows.[2]
The Rills on the other hand are an expanse of hills, valleys and streams that lie to the west of the Barrowlands. There are still some barrows in these parts, but the Rills have gradually developed a keen sense of their own identity, revolving particularly around horsemanship. The Houses of the Rills almost all take arms and names relating to their prized steeds. By the time of the Coming of the Andals they were ruled by the Kings of House Ryder, and their vassals included House Ryswell, House Charge, and House Ironsmith - the latter being one of the few First Men Houses to pride their ironworking.
Notable Barrowman Houses
The Stony Shore
The western coastlines of the North that runs from Blazewater Bay to Sea Dragon Point. It is defined by expansive pebble beaches and rocky bluffs. The soil in thin and shallow inland, due to the lack of protection from the gusting winds. The sparse and straggly trees stand far apart from one another here. A distinct culture has emerged from the way of life that living in these parts requires, colloquially referred to by most as the Pebblemen. Pebbleman culture is defined by a lifestyle of quarrying, fishing, and defending their coast against Ironborn raiders. By the time of the Coming of the Andals there were two Pebbleman Kings along the Stony Shore - the Slate Kings of Blackpool, and the Fisher Kings of Whitecaster.[3]
Notable Pebbleman Houses
The Clans of the Wood
The great forest which expands through the north and western reaches of the North is among the oldest and wildest in all of Westeros. It has been given many names by the many peoples and kings that have laid claim to it, and those same Great Houses have named themselves after the territory they ruled; Blackwood, Greenwood, Amberwood, Wolfswood. There are those who live their entire lives without walking in an open field or seeing the sea. The Wolfswood Clans have a fierce sense of tribal identity, and are some of the best hunters in Westeros. After centuries untold of conflict, no one king held sway here by the End of the Age of Heroes. Though the Blackwoods have been long since driven south, House Amber, House Greenwood, House Glover and the Warg King Gaven Greywolf still were competing for control of the forests by the time of the Coming of the Andals.
Notable Wolfswood Clans
The Mountain Clans
The Clansmen of the far north-west reaches of the North live in largely isolated mountain valleys and woods, apart from the rest of the struggles of the North. The Clans mostly spend their time warring and feasting with one another, and keep to themselves unless some great need calls them out of their mountain fastnesses. These are the First Men as they were at the start of the Age of Heroes. The Clans here are famed for living life to the fullest, warring and singing - for winter comes and death comes with it. Their hospitality is unparalleled in all the North - and will remain such, unless you offer insult to the host. The predominant clans here are The Wull, The Knott, The Norrey, The Flint and the Liddle.
Notable Northern Clans
Bear Island
The Island that sits in the Bay of Ice might have been considered no more than an extension of the Clans of the Wood or the Mountain Clans, were it not for the unique people that have grown up under its dense pines or single jagged peak. The Bearmen, like the men of the Stony Shore, have been shaped by the threats that come to their shores, both from Ironmen Reavers, and Wildling Raiders that dare to cross the Bay of Ice from Beyond the Wall. The Bearmen believe that every man and woman must be able to toil and fight, in order for their people to survive.[4] This has led to a unique perception of succession and a woman's role in war and peacetime. By the time of the Coming of the Andals, Bear Island was ruled by the Woodfoots, and their most significant vassal was House Mormont of Bearstone.
Notable Bearman Houses
Skagos
The Stone-Born dwell apart from other men, and seek them out only for trade or plunder. They are excellent stone-workers, raisers of runestones and carvers of rock, but also skilled boatmen who can terrorise any of the eastern shores of the north.[5]
Notable Skagosi Houses:
- ↑ George R. R. Martin, The World of Ice and Fire, (London: HarperVoyager, 2014) p. 137.
- ↑ Martin, World of Ice and Fire, (London: HarperVoyager, 2014) p. 137.
- ↑ Martin, World of Ice and Fire, (London: HarperVoyager, 2014) p. 137.
- ↑ Martin, A Dance with Dragons 2: After the Feast, (London: HarperVoyager, 2012) p. 23.
- ↑ Martin, World of Ice and Fire, pp. 139-140.