History Characters / ASongOfIceAndFireValyrians

* LostTechnology: Almost all of the Valyrians' great accomplishments were lost in the Doom. The knowledge of forging [[AbsurdlySharpBlade Valyrian steel]] was lost, as was knowledge of magical architecture that allowed for the building of monuments like the Valyrian roads, topless towers and the Long Bridge of Volantis.

* ArtisticLicenseBiology: Played with. The Targaryen practice of consanguineous incest was inherited from the Valyrian dragonlords, who practiced it for centuries. Much like the Targaryens, for this practice to be sustainable and widely used, the Valyrians must have had a supernatural resistance to genetic disorders and inbreeding too. While it ''is'' possible in real life for incestuous unions to result in perfectly healthy children, the chances of something going wrong get steeper and steeper the more the inbreeding goes on. Practicing it on a widespread, societal scale means that the statistical averages of such a thing should really start appearing.

* PeopleOfHairColor: Almost universally, Valyrians gave platinum-blond hair, violet eyes and nigh-elfin beauty. They were unusual-looking even when there was ''a whole race of them'' still alive. Now that most of them are gone, those who remain stick out like a sore thumb.

-->'''--A poem about the Doom of Valyria'''

* OutgrownSuchSillySuperstitions: While the Valyrians did have an original pantheon of gods, all religions were tolerated within their vast domains - some from conquered peoples, others that sprang up over time. So long as your priests didn't actively encourage rebellions against them, the dragonlords didn't care what gods their subject peoples worshipped. Many of the dragonslords even switched to other religions, or didn't believe in any gods at all. Some scholars believe that the country's ruling class regarded them all as false and saw religion as a primitive relic, but they still encouraged it among their subjects to keep the lower classes divided and unable to rise against them. This of course fits UsefulNotes/TheRomanEmpire motif as noted by Edward Gibbon[[note]]''The various modes of worship, which prevailed in the Roman world, were all considered by the people, as equally true; by the philosopher, as equally false; and by the magistrate, as equally useful.''[[/note]]
* PeopleOfHairColor : Almost universally, Valyrians gave platinum-blond hair, violet eyes and nigh-elfin beauty. They were unusual-looking even when there was ''a whole race of them'' still alive. Now that most of them are gone, those who remain stick out like a sore thumb.

Valyrians are known for their platinum-blond hair, violet eyes and extreme beauty; their descendants are found scattered in the Free Cities, especially in Volantis (comprising the city's nobility) and Lys (occupying various berths in the city's social strata). Four remaining Westerosi noble houses are of Valyrian descent, namely [[Characters/ASongOfIceAndFireHouseTargaryen the Targaryens]], [[Characters/ASongOfIceAndFireHouseVelaryon the Velaryons]], [[Characters/ASongOfIceAndFireN arrowSeaHouses the Celtigars]] and the Longwaters. Extinct Westerosi houses that claimed Valyrian descent included [[Characters/ASongOfIceAndFireHouseBlackfyre the Blackfyres]] and [[Characters/ASongOfIceAndFireLordsOfHarrenhal House Qoherys]]. Houses that have tangential ties to Valyria, though with otherwise unconfirmed descent (through their distinct appearance or by mere rumor) include [[Characters/ASongOfIceAndFireHouseDayne the Daynes]], [[Characters/ASongOfIceAndFireHouseBaratheon the Baratheons]] and [[Characters/ASongOfIceAndFireHouseHightower the Hightowers]].