This is a listing of legendary heroes that are mentioned in A Song of Ice and Fire.
For the main character index, see here
The Ice & Fire universe have their stories too. The people in these tales are usually the only ones who play the different epic fantasy tropes straight and they usually have supernatural elements to them.
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Worldwide Legends
Azor Ahai
Azor Ahai, the Warrior of Light
"When the red star bleeds and the darkness gathers, Azor Ahai shall be born again amidst smoke and salt to wake dragons out of stone."
Azor Ahai was a legendary hero who lived approximately eight thousand years before Aegon's Landing. It is said that during the midst of The Long Night, Azor Ahai rose up and defeated the Others, wielding a sword of fire, called Lightbringer. While his legend covers similar ground, it's unclear if he is literally the same figure as the Last Hero of Westerosi legend. Various legends of multiple Essosi cultures feature a hero who is an equivalent, or at least akin to Azor Ahai and his battle against a supernatural threat.
In the present day of the story, the rebirth of Azor Ahai is a current focus of the R'hllor religion, with Melisandre claiming Stannis to be his second coming.
- Alliterative Name: Azor Ahai.
- The Chosen One: Against Darkness. What that Darkness was is subject to debate, it could've been The Others or some other terrible threat.
- Cool Sword: Lightbringer, the Red Sword of Heroes. It's on fire.
- Flaming Sword: Lightbringer, the Red Sword of Heroes wielded against the Others.
- Founder of the Kingdom: Quite likely of the Patrimony of Hyrkoon.
- I Have Many Names: He's also called Hyrkoon the Hero, Yin Tar, Neferion, and Eldric Shadowchaser, depending on the version of the myth. Certain characters also believe Azor Ahai may also be the Prince That Was Promised and the fandom that he's also the Last Hero. This said, it is also possible that all of those were separate characters (or legends) who arose in response to the same global event. Azor Ahai stands out mainly because he has a prophecy about being reborn associated with him.
- Love Sacrificed for Power: Azor Ahai's success was thanks in part to a magic Flaming Sword he created. The dark side to the legend that's not always told, however, is that after several attempts to forge his magic sword, Azor Ahai finally succeeded by using his own wife, Nissa Nissa, as a Human Sacrifice in his third and final attempt.Salladhor Saan: A hundred days and a hundred nights he labored on the third blade, and as it glowed white-hot in the sacred flames, he summoned his wife. Nissa Nissa, he said to her, for that was her name, bare your breast, and know that I love you best of all that is in this world. She did this thing, why I cannot say, and Azor Ahai thrust the smoking sword through her living heart. It is said that her cry of anguish and ecstacy left a crack across the face of the moon, but her blood and her soul and her strength and her courage all went into the steel. Such is the tale of the forging of Lightbringer, the Red Sword of Heroes.
Nissa Nissa
Nissa Nissa
"Nissa Nissa, bare your breast, and know that I love you best of all that is in this world."
— Azor Ahai
The wife of Azor Ahai, who he sacrificed in order to create Lightbringer.
- Deface of the Moon: It is said that when she was stabbed, she released a great cry of anguish and ecstasy that left a crack across the face of the moon.
- Human Sacrifice: Her life was sacrificed to create a legendary sword that would defeat the Others and end the Long Night.
- Repetitive Name: Her name is the same two words.
- Til Murder Do Us Part: With a heavy heart, Azor Ahai stabbed her through the heart with his sword to transform it into Lightbringer.
The Prince That Was Promised
The Prince That Was Promised
The prince that was promised is a prophesied leader or saviour. The prince may be part of an ancient prophecy, a prophecy that foretells the coming of a hero to deliver the world from darkness. A "bleeding star" is supposed to herald the coming of the prince. The prince is said to have "a song"—the song of ice and fire. Possible candidates to be this hero include Daenerys, Young Griff, Stannis Baratheon, and others.- Ambiguous Gender: In A Feast for Crows, Maester Aemon comes to believe that the prophecy could've been mistranslated and potentially refers to a princess, rather than a prince, after Samwell Tarly tells him of Daenerys Targaryen and the birth of her dragons, which appears to fulfil several requisites of the prophecy.
- The Chosen Many: Possibly. Rhaegar Targaryen, who believed that The Prince would be born of his family's bloodline, is known to have stated that "the dragon has three heads", which means that Daenerys and Young Griff/Aegon could be two of them.
- Dragon Rider: It is said The Prince will bring back the dragons.
- Resigned to the Call: Stannis Baratheon thinks he is The Prince but doesn't want to be it, no more than he wants to be king.
- Samus Is a Girl: If Daenerys turns out to be The Prince.
- Shrouded in Myth: While some of the characters are well aware of the prophecy and its details, the readers only have very fragmentary information.
Pan-Westerosi Legends
The Last Hero
"So as cold and death filled the earth, the last hero determined to seek out the children, in the hopes that their ancient magics could win back what the armies of men had lost.
—Old Nan
An unnamed First Man who lived during the Long Night. He went looking for the Children of the Forest to find a way to defeat the Others. While this legend covers similar ground as Azor Ahai, it's unclear whether they are the same figure.
- Dwindling Party: He was joined by 12 friends who all died or abandoned him.
- Foregone Conclusion: While events are left vague, he eventually gains the help of the Children of the Forest and wins the Battle for the Dawn alongside the original Night's Watch.
- No Name Given: "Last Hero" is his only known name.
- The Quest: As the world froze and died around him, he set out to find the Children of the Forest and a way to save humanity.
Spotted Pate
Spotted Pate
Pate the Pig Boy
Often known as Pate the Pig Boy, he was the hero of thousands of fairy tales. Though stupid, his stories end up with Pate besting lords, knights or proud septons, including sitting in a high lord's seat or bedding a knight's daughter.- Embarrassing First Name: There are several people in Westeros named Pate after the Pig Boy, though opinions of the named vary: Acolyte Pate of the Citadel is personally not very flattered, while Pate of Longleaf was too preoccupied with killing Greens during the Dance of the Dragons to worry about his name.
- Good Is Dumb: His stupidity can be his greatest advantage.
- Kindhearted Simpleton: Stupid but good-hearted.
- Public Domain Character: In-universe. There are thousands of different stories that anyone can make up.
- Rule of Cool: In-universe. It's been noted that in real life, stupid peasant boys fare far worse than Spotted Pate, but those stories are not as interesting.
- Underdogs Never Lose: He always triumphs over lords, knights, and pompous septons.
- Working-Class People Are Morons: A moronic peasant.
Symeon Star-Eyes
Symeon Star-Eyes
A legendary warrior so-named because he replaced his eyes with sapphires after he lost them.- Handicapped Badass: Alas, sapphires can't really replace eyes (or so it would seem; he somehow saw hellhounds fighting).
Legends of the North
Bran the Builder
King Bran the Builder
Mythical ancestor of the Starks who built Winterfell and the Wall. He's also credited with aiding in the construction of Storm's End during his childhood.
- Composite Character: The World of Ice & Fire notes that he's credited with achievements that are believed to have occurred over the span of several lifetimes. That combined with the large number of northern kings named Bran or Brandon suggests that, even if he was a real person, he probably didn't do everything the legends say.
- The Engineer: He built the Wall and Winterfell. In some legends, he also helps Durran Godsgrief build Storm's End while he was still a child, which is why the North and the Stormlands are so tightly knit.
- Famous Ancestor: To House Stark.
- Founder of the Kingdom: The first King of Winter/King in the North. At least one of him was likely this.
- Person of Mass Construction: Bran the Builder is said to have built Winterfell and Storms End, two of the strongest castles in the world, as well as the Wall in the north. Many characters, however, doubt that he actually existed, or that he was a single person.
- Sorcerous Overlord: To the Free Folk, Bran is the tyrant who enslaved the giants and forced them to build the Wall.
Gaven Greywolf
Gaven Greywolf
A mythical skinchanger killed by a King of Winter during the "savage War of the Wolves".- Animal Motifs: The wolf.
- Alliterative Name: Gaven Greywolf.
- Our Werewolves Are Different: He was a warg, a skinchanger who specialized in entering and controlling the minds of wolves.
The Warg King
The Warg King
Another mythical skinchanger. He ruled Sea Dragon Point until the Starks brought him down and his Children of the Forest allies.- Famous Ancestor: To House Stark, through the female line.
- Kick the Dog: After defeating him, the Starks put his sons to the sword, along with his beasts and greenseers, whilst his daughters were taken as prizes by the Starks.
- Our Werewolves Are Different: Wargs don't transform into wolves, they rather take possession of their bodies.
- Sorcerous Overlord: Ruled Sea Dragon Point through magic.
The Night's King
The Night's King
Night's King was only a man by light of day, Old Nan would always say, but the night was his to rule.
Bran Stark
A Lord Commander of the Night's Watch who took a woman "with skin as white as the moon and eyes like blue stars", possibly a female Other, as a bride and became an Evil Overlord over The Wall. They were defeated by the combined forces of the Stark and the Wildlings armies. It is said he was from House Bolton or even House Stark.
- Aristocrats Are Evil: It is largely agreed that the Night's King was a nobleman. It is understood why his name was forever stricken from as it would give everlasting infamy to whoever family he was from.
- Boy Meets Ghoul: Married a female Other.
- Cain and Abel: If he was a Stark, then his own brother led the northern army against him, though it's unknown if he was the one to kill him.
- Evil Counterpart: To Stannis Baratheon. Like the Night's King, Stannis was "seduced" by an Ambiguously Human sorceress who persuaded him to declare himself king and practice Human Sacrifice, and rules from the Nightfort. Furthermore, if the Night's King really was a Stark like Old Nan claims, both also warred against their own brother.
- Evil Overlord: Became one over Night's Watch, the Wall and the Gift. It took an alliance between the Starks and the Wildlings to take him down.
- Fallen Hero: Formerly a man of the Watch known for his courage.
- Fatal Flaw: Fearlessness.Old Nan: "And that was the fault in him, for all men must know fear."
- History Repeats: For whatever reason, his story is almost identical to Yi Ti's Bloodstone Emperor. Both were men who married monstrous women, performed sacrifices to a dark power and claimed dominion over the land. The only difference seems to be that The Bloodstone Emperor happened much earlier and allegedly caused The Long Night while the Night's King was a member of the Night's Watch and could've only existed after the Wall was already put up after the end of the Long Night.
- Human Sacrifice: According to legend, he performed these to the Others, like Craster.
- "Just So" Story: The Night's King is the reason why Castle Black has no defensive on its south side, so it can be relieved quickly if it has been taken over.
- Love Makes You Evil: One possible (and squicky) interpretation of his tale.
- No Name Given: All records of him were erased and his name was forbidden from being spoken, though some believe he was a Bolton, an Umber or even a Stark.
- The Oath-Breaker: The worst example. He is not supposed to marry, yet he married a creature that is likely to have been an Other, the very reason the Wall and Night's Watch were created in the first place. He's not supposed to wear a crown, yet named himself king. He's not supposed to own land, yet turned The Wall into his kingdom.
- Riddle for the Ages: If he and his queen actually existed, or are merely legend.
- Sorcerous Overlord: He used magic to bind his brothers of the Watch to his will. The Nightfort was his headquarters.
- Things That Go "Bump" in the Night: The hard-bitten Northmen are still scared of the Night's King.
- 13 Is Unlucky: He was the thirteenth Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, and betrayed Westeros to become an Evil Overlord.
- Unholy Matrimony: With a pale woman/female Other.
- Un-person: The Night's King's Multiple-Choice Past is because his true name was destroyed and forgotten.
The Thing That Came in the Night
An entity that, according to an old story, came to the Night Fort on a night long ago. Four 'prentice boys saw it, but could not describe it — each claim contradicted the others in some way. Within a year, three of the boys died, and the fourth went mad. The thing returned a century later, with the 'prentice boy shambling behind it in chains.
- Go Mad from the Revelation: The four 'prentice boys who witnessed the Thing and its activities either died or went mad as a result of doing so.
- No Name Given: It's never identified by any specific title, only a generic descriptor.
- Nothing Is Scarier: A central part of the Thing's story is that it's never described in any real detail — it's never said what it looked like, or where it came from, or what it came to do, only that knowledge of these things drove the 'prentice boys mad.
The Rat Cook
The Rat Cook
Another infamous figure of the Night's Watch. As the name suggests, he was a cook of the Night's Watch who was supposedly offended by an Andal King, who then visited the Nightfort. As revenge, the Rat Cook served him a delicious pie of bacon... and his own son's flesh; the king enjoyed the pie so much that he asked for a second helping. The gods cursed the cook by turning him into a fat, white rat which could only survive by feasting on its young, condemned to run the halls of the Nightfort. Rather than because of the murder or the forced cannibalism, they did it because he broke the rules of Sacred Hospitality. Brothers of the Night's Watch believe he still haunts the Nightfort, and his tale inspires Wyman Manderly's killing of Walder Frey's sons and serving them as pies, while having the bards sing a song about Rat Cook (Unlike him, Wyman killed the Freys the moment they were no longer his guests.)- Disproportionate Retribution: It's never stated what wrong the King did to the Rat Cook, but surely killing the guy's son and serving him in a pie might have been a bit excessive.
- Eats Babies: His curse, besides his transformation, is to forever prey on his own offspring.
- Evil Chef: Let's just say he went a little beyond the realms of both morality and Michelin stars.
- Forced Transformation: The gods turned him into a monstrous rat.
- Horror Hunger: After becoming a rat, his children were the only things that he could eat.
- I'm a Humanitarian: It's unknown if he tasted the pie, but he made the king eat his own son. As payback, the gods turned him into a rat that can only feast on its own children.
- Lethal Chef: Literally. Though ironically, the human pie was very tasty, thus inverting this trope.
- Mystery Meat: Well, it wasn't a mystery when he revealed what he'd done. But, during the meal, yes.
- Revenge by Proxy: The king wronged him, so he decided to take it out on his son.
- Rodents of Unusual Size: He's a giant rat.
- Sacred Hospitality: He broke it by killing the prince under his roof.
- The Secret of Long Pork Pies: Literally. The pie he served the King was a mix of regular pork and long pork.
- You Dirty Rat!: For slaying a guest beneath his roof, he was turned into a rat and cursed to be unable to eat anything but his own children.
Legends of the Stormlands
Durran Godsgrief
Durran
Durran Godsgrief, King of a Thousand Years
The mythic founder of House Durrandon and first Storm King. He fell in love with Elenei, daughter of the God of the Sea and the Goddess of the Wind, and took her maidenhead, making her mortal. Enraged, Elenei's parents sent a storm that destroyed Durran's stronghold, killing his family and friends. He alone survived because Elenei protected him. Durran declared war on the gods and rebuilt his keep, which was also destroyed by the furious gods. The fight went on until Durran built a seventh keep with help from either the Children of the Forest or Bran the Builder, which resisted the wrath of the gods and became known as Storm's End.- Aristocrats Are Evil: The dark aspect of his story is how he disregarded the pleas of his smallfolk for the sake of his pride and honor.
- The Determinator: He faced the wrath of gods and never surrendered.
- Famous Ancestor: He is this to House Durrandon and, through the female line, to House Baratheon.
- Founder of the Kingdom: He was the first Storm King.
- In-Series Nickname: He is called "Godsgrief" after marrying the daughter of the Goddess of the Wind and the God of the Sea and defying them.
- Rage Against the Heavens: After the God of the Sea and the Goddess of the Wind killed his family for marrying their daughter.
- Star-Crossed Lovers: He was a mortal man. Elenei was the daughter of a god and goddess. They fell in love. Conflict after conflict ensues as the gods try to keep them apart.
- Thousand-Year Reign: According to tales, he ruled for a thousand years. Archmaester Glaive, a stormlander, proposes that it was actually a case of a succession of Kings all bearing the same name.
Elenei
Elenei
The daughter of the Goddess of the Wind and the God of the Sea, Elenei gave up her immortality when she gave her maidenhead to Durran. They married and her parents showed their wrath by destroying his keep. Elenei used her remaining powers to protect her husband, but his family and friends died.- Brought Down to Normal: Almost. She loses her immortality when she gives up her maidenhead to Durran. But she is able to use her remaining powers to protect him from the wrath of her parents.
- Divine Right of Kings: House Durrandon claimed this, as they are descended from Elenei, a goddess; they are one of the only noble houses to stake such a high claim.
- Famous Ancestor: She is this to House Durrandon.
- Hot God: Until she became a mortal.
- Mortality Ensues: She becomes a mortal once she gives her maidenhead to a mortal man.
- Parental Marriage Veto: While her parents forbid the marriage, Elenei marries Durran anyway.
- Star-Crossed Lovers: With Durran. Their love is forbidden by her parents who do what they can to stop them from being together.
- Virgin Power: Kind of; she lost her power after losing her virginity, but mainly because she lost it to a mortal.
- You Are Worth Hell: Durran sacrificed everything and lost everyone to be with Elenei. He also had to build a literal affront to the gods to withstand the wrath of her parents, all for Elenei.
Galladon of Morne
Galladon of Morne
Ser Galladon was a perfect knight. His valor was so great the Maiden, of the Seven, fell in love with him. She gave him an enchanted sword, the Just Maid, to demonstrate her love for him. No sword could check the sword's blows, no shield could stop them.- Divine Date: The Maiden, one of the seven gods, fell in love with him and gave him an enchanted sword.
- The Dragonslayer: He is said to have slain a dragon using the Just Maid.
- Famous Ancestor: Considered by some to be an ancestor of House Tarth.
- Heroes Prefer Swords: The Just Maid.
- Honor Before Reason: According to the legend, he only unsheathed the Just Maid three times, not once against a mortal man, for the fight would have been unfair.
- Knight in Shining Armor: Full of valor and honor.
- Master Swordsman: No one could beat him when he wielded the Just Maid.
Legends of the Riverlands
Florian and Jonquil
Florian the Fool and Jonquil
Jonquil: You are no knight, I know you. You are Florian the Fool.
Florian: I am, my lady, as great a fool as ever lived, and as great a knight as well.
Jonquil: A fool and a knight? I have never heard of such a thing.
Florian: Sweet lady, all men are fools, and all men are knights, where women are concerned.
Florian: I am, my lady, as great a fool as ever lived, and as great a knight as well.
Jonquil: A fool and a knight? I have never heard of such a thing.
Florian: Sweet lady, all men are fools, and all men are knights, where women are concerned.
Florian was a fool and a knight — even though he's supposed to have lived in the Age of Heroes, before the arrival of chivalry — who saw Jonquil while bathing in a pool in what is now Maidenpool. Their story is the subject of many a romantic song.
- Anachronism Stew: In-Universe. You can't be a knight before the invention of knighthood, and yet Florian supposedly was.
- Bunny-Ears Lawyer: Florian was both a knight and a fool.
- Cool Sword: Florian bore a famous, but unnamed in the books, sword.
- Naked First Impression: Florian first met Jonquil when she was bathing outdoors.
- No Ending: Only a snippet of the story is present in the books, and its ending isn't revealed.
- Working-Class Hero: Florian was of common birth.
Legends of the Vale
The Winged Knight
The Winged Knight
The Winged Knight was a legendary warrior who is said to have flown to the top of the Giant's Lance on the back of a giant falcon and killed the last Mountain King in single combat. Is now held as the mythical ancestor of the Arryns in-universe.- Anachronism Stew: In universe. In The World Of Ice and Fire, it's mentioned that the Winged Knight was erroneously considered the first member of the Kingsguard, which historically didn't make any sense, as there are hundreds, if not thousands of years between the two.
- Composite Character: He's often conflated with Ser Artys Arryn despite the fact that the Arryns are supposed to be the purest line of Andal nobility. Although it should be noted that the Age of Heroes and the rule of First Men in the Vale ends roughly around the time the Andals invade the Vale so it's not impossible.
- Known Only by Their Nickname: His name is not known.
The Griffin King
The Griffin King
The last of the Mountain Kings, a dynasty of the First Men, to rule the Vale. He was supposedly defeated in combat by the Winged Knight.- Known Only by Their Nickname: His name is not known.
- Last of His Kind: He was the last of the Mountain Kings.
- Long-Dead Badass: He was killed by the Winged Knight long ago.
Legends of the Westerlands
Lann the Clever
Lann
Lann the Clever
Ned wished he were here now, to winkle the truth out of this damnable book.
—A Game of Thrones chapter 27
A legendary trickster hero whom the Lannisters claim as an ancestor.
- Irony: The mythical founder of House Lannister, a family of elitists who turn their noses up at anyone they consider a social climber, was a rogue swindler of indeterminate background who used illicit means to steal Casterly Rock for himself and his descendants.
- "Just So" Story: It is said that Lann stole a bit of sunlight to brighten his hair. This explains why the Lannisters are blonde.
- The Magnificent: Lann the Clever.
- Multiple-Choice Past: It is unknown where he came from. Some versions of his tale state he was an Andal adventurer, even though his adventures take place centuries before the Andal invasion. Whatever the case several tales involve him finding a secret way inside Casterly Rock. Once inside, he worked great mischief, whispering threats in the ears of the sleeping, making terrifying noises, stealing treasures from one brother and planting them in the bedchamber of another and setting traps. He set the Casterlys at odds with each other and convinced them that the Rock was haunted. Lann uses the secret way in to fill the Rock with vermin, thereby driving out the Casterlys. Lann smuggles a pride of lions into Casterly Rock. The men were then eaten by the lions, and Lann took one of the females as his wife. Yet another tale tells him as stealing in and having his way with maidens. A crop of golden-haired children appeared 9 months later, though the girls would claim they were still maiden.
- The simplest tale claims that Lann was a man-at-arms at Casterly Rock who impregnated the daughter of Lord Casterly. Lord Casterly died without any male heirs and the lordship passed to Lann's son with her.
- Some legends of the Reach state he was a bastard son either of Florys the Fox or Rowan Gold-Tree - Florys was also a trickster while Rowan had golden hair.
- The Trickster: Said to have swindled Casterly Rock from the Casterlys using nothing but his wits. Another story tells of how he stole gold from the sun to brighten his hair. Another tale of the Westerlands mentions he posed as a son of Garth Greenhand - Garth having so many children he couldn't recognize he wasn't one - and made off with part of the inheritance of Garth's children.
Alan o' the Oak
The Blind Bowman
Alan o' the Oak is a mythical figure from the Westerlands.- Handicapped Badass: Alan was blind but still handy with his bow.
- Improbable Aiming Skills: Otherwise he wouldn't be a legend.
Crake the Boar Killer, Pate the Plowman, The Hooded Man
Legendary figures of the Westerlands.
- All There in the Manual: These guys are only found on The World of Ice & Fire.
- Bit Character: Nothing else is known about these legends aside from their names and who their descendants are.
- Famous Ancestor: Respectively, to Houses Crakehall, Moreland and Banefort.
Legends of the Reach
Garth Greenhand
"Garth like to plant his seed in fertile ground, they say. I shouldn't wonder that more than his hands were green."
—Lady Olenna Tyrell
A legendary leader of the First Men, ancestor of most of the noble houses of the Reach. The subject of contradictory tales, he's hailed as the High King of the First Men, leading them through the Arm of Dorne, though other tales hail him as predating the arrival of the First Men, making him the first and—for a time—only human in Westeros.
- Ambiguously Human: Some tales call him a god, others a mortal man. If he existed at all, its equally plausible that he was an ordinary man who was deified after his death due to Gossip Evolution, or a genuine deity who was Retconned to be human after the Pact was signed and the First Men turned from their original gods to worship the Old Gods of the Forest.
- Back from the Dead: In stories that depict him as a god, he dies every autumn only to be reborn in spring.
- Characterization Marches On: In-universe: from Physical God to mortal King.
- Color Motif: Green is the color associated with him. In some tales he literally has green hands, green hair, or even green skin allover. Others simply state he wore green clothes.
- Decomposite Character: While the A Song of Ice and Fire novels implies he was the first Gardener king, in The World of Ice & Fire it is revealed he's Garth the Gardener's father.
- Famous Ancestor: Not only to the noble houses of the Reach, but in some tales he's even the ancestor of Bran the Builder, Durran Godsgrief, Lann the Clever and other legendary heroes of Westeros.
- Green Thumb: He had ability to "make the land bloom". Different tales show him teaching men agriculture, and also making the land bloom through supernatural means. He even restores fertility in barren women with a touch, makes girls flower with a smile, mothers give birth to twins or triplets with his blessing.
- Human Sacrifice: In some of the oldest tales he demands blood sacrifice from his worshipers to ensure a bountiful harvest.
- Horned Humanoid: In some tales he's even given stag-like antlers.
- I Have Many Names: Garth Greenhair, Garth the Green as well.
- Massive Numbered Siblings: His offspring: Garth the Gardener (House Gardener), John the Oak (House Oakheart), Gilbert of the Vines (House Redwyne), Florys the Fox (Houses Florent, Ball and Peake), Maris the Maid (House Hightower), Foss the Archer (House Fossoway), Brandon of the Bloody Blade (held in some legends to be the father of Bran the Builder), Owen Oakenshield, Harlon the Hunter & Herndon of the Horn (House Tarly), Bors the Breaker (House Bulwer), Rose of the Red Lake (House Crane), Ellyn Ever Sweet (House Beesbury), Rowan Gold-Tree (House Rowan). He had so many children a legend of the Westerlands tells of how Lann the Clever posed as a son of Garth and Garth couldn't recognize he wasn't one.
- Precursors: In some tales he was present in Westeros before the arrival of the First Men, tying into the in-universe theory that perhaps there was a third race—or at least men—in Westeros along with the Children of the Forest and the giants.
- Physical God: In some tales.
- Really Gets Around: Due to lords and commoners giving him their daughters to deflower in exchange for a successful crop.
- Walk the Earth: In tales in which he predates the First Men, he wanders the land treating with giants and the Children of the Forest.
Garth Greenhand's offspring
According to myth Garth Greenhand had hundreds of children, many of which are the subject of legends and who founded several of the noble houses of the Reach.
Jon the Oak, the First Knight
A legendary knight who brought the institution of chivalry into Westeros.- Artistic License – History: In universe. Even though Andals brought chivalry, John the Oak is considered the founder of chivalry in Westeros.
- The Big Guy: He was eight feet tall in some tales.
- Famous Ancestor: He was the ancestor of House Oakheart of Old Oak.
- Half-Human Hybrid: According to some tales, was sired by Garth Greenhand on a giantess, accounting for his large size.
- Knight in Shining Armor: Supposedly the first such, though this obviously conflicts with the more likely idea that chivalry was introduced with the Andals.
Gilbert of the Vines
Taught the men of the Arbor to make wine.- Founder of the Kingdom: He was the founder of House Redwyne of the Arbor.
Florys the Fox
The most clever of Garth Greenhand's children.- Cunning Like a Fox: Her name is an invocation of this trope.
- Famous Ancestor: From her sons sprang House Florent, House Ball and House Peake.
- Really Gets Around: Kept three husbands, each ignorant of the existence of the other two.
- The Trickster: A female example.
Maris the Maid, the Most Fair
Whose beauty was so renowned that fifty lords vied for her hand in the first tourney to ever be held in Westeros. Married King Uthor of the High Tower even though the victor was Argoth Stone-Skin, the Grey Giant, who spent the rest of his days raging outside the walls of Oldtown.- Artistic License – History: In universe. Even though Andals brought chivalry and tourneys, Maris is held as the reason for the first tourney even though her legend dates to the Age of Heroes.
- Runaway Bride: She was meant to marry Argoth Stone-Skin, but instead she married King Uthor.
Foss the Archer
Renowed for shooting apples off the heads of maids who took his fancy.- William Telling: Famous for his archery skills and shooting apples off heads.
Brandon of the Bloody Blade
Who drove giants away from the Reach and made war against the Children of the Forest, killing so many of them that the Blue Lake became known as the Red Lake.- Cool Sword: His Bloody Blade.
- Famous Ancestor: According to myths of the Reach, he's the father of Bran the Builder.
Owen Oakenshield
Who conquered the Shield Islands, driving selkies and merlings back into the sea.- Alliterative Name: Owen Oakenshield.
Harlon the Hunter and Herndon of the Horn
Twin brothers who built a castle atop Horn Hill and took a beautiful woods witch as wife, living for a hundred years—as having sex with her during the full moon kept them from aging.- Twin Threesome Fantasy: They were twins married to the same woman.
Bors the Breaker
Who gained the strength of twenty men by drinking only bull's blood.- Founder of the Kingdom: He was the founder of House Bulwer of Blackcrown.
- Horned Humanoid: In some tales he drank so much bull's blood he grew a pair of horns.
Rose of Red Lake
A skinchanger capable of transforming into a crane, a power some say still manifests from time to time in her descendants, the women of House Crane.- Animorphism: She was said to be able to transform herself into a crane.
Ellyn Ever Sweet
A girl who loved honey so much that she sought the King of Bees and swore to care for his children and their descendants for all time, becoming the first beekeeper.- Founder of the Kingdom: She was the first mother of House Beesbury.
Rowan Gold-tree
So bereft when her lover left her for a rich rival she wrapped an apple on her golden hair, planted it upon a hill, and grew a tree whose barks and leaves and fruit were all golden.- Hair of Gold: So much that it helped to grow a golden tree.
- Famous Ancestor: House Rowan of Goldengrove trace their descent to Rowan's daughters.
Uthor of the High Tower
King Uthor of the High Tower
The mythical ancestor of House Hightower. According to legend, he married Maris the Maid before the rightful winner of her hand, Argoth Stone-Skin, could claim her.- Founder of the Kingdom: Ancestor of House Hightower. He also commissioned the Hightower to Brandon the Builder — or his son Brandon Stark.
Serwyn of the Mirror Shield
Serwyn of the Mirror Shield
Serwyn, better known as Serwyn of the Mirror Shield, is a famous and legendary knight. Despite the legends that have him as a member of the Kingsguard, Serwyn lived in the time of the First Men, thousands of years before there were Kingsguard or even knights in Westeros.- Artistic License – History: Many singers and storytellers that hail him as a knight or, more specifically, as a Kingsguard. Knights only appeared in Westeros with the coming of the Andals and the Faith of the Seven, while Serwyn was a First Man. The Kingsguard were established even later by Aegon I.
- Broken Ace: He was haunted by ghosts of all the knights he killed.
- The Dragonslayer: In legend, Serwyn killed the dragon Urrax supposedly by approaching from behind his shield so that the dragon only saw its own reflection, then drove his spear through Urrax's eye.
- Shrouded in Myth: He was a legendary hero of whom little is truly known.
Legends of the Iron Islands
The Grey King
The Grey King
The mythical first King of the Iron Isles and ancestor of the Greyjoys. It was said he slew Nagga, the first sea dragon, with the blessing of the Drowned God; made war against the Storm God, bringing fire to earth by taunting him into setting a tree ablaze; took a mermaid as wife, and ruled for a thousand years.
- The Chosen One: He was blessed by the Drowned God to wage war against the Storm God.
- Cool Crown: He wore a tall, pale crown made from Nagga's teeth.
- Famous Ancestor: Most of the great Ironborn houses, such as House Greyjoy, boast to descend from him and his sons, except for House Goodbrother.
- Founder of the Kingdom: He was the first king of the Ironborn, and supposedly created the modern culture and institutions of the Iron Islands.
- Long-Dead Badass: If he ever lived to begin with, that is, he's been dead for millennia.
- Massive Numbered Siblings: He's said to have left behind a hundred sons all over the Iron Isles.
- Thousand-Year Reign: According to legend, he ruled for a thousand years.
Nagga
Nagga had been the first sea dragon, the mightiest ever to rise from the waves. She fed on krakens and leviathans and drowned whole islands in her wrath, yet the Grey King had slain her and the Drowned God had changed her bones to stone so that men might never cease to wonder at the courage of the first of kings.
A great sea drgon from the Age of Heroes. Nagga was slain by the Grey King, who fashioned her bones into a hall, her jaws into a throne, and her fangs into a crown. The crown and throne are both long lost, but her vast bones still stand on the crags of Old Wyk.
- Kraken and Leviathan: Nagga is said to have been the biggest thing to ever haunt the oceans, and was large enough to prey on krakens and leviathans and to flood whole islands with the waves that she could rouse.
- Monster Progenitor: She is said to have been the first of the sea dragons.
- Our Dragons Are Different: Nagga is described as having been a "sea dragon", although what precisely this is, and what relation it might have with the common dragons, is never made clear.
- Ribcage Ridge: Her last remaining trace is her huge ribcage, counting forty-four ribs as wide as a ship's mast and twice as tall, that still stand on the clifftop of Old Wyk. The Grey King made his hall there, and in the present day this is still the Ironborn's holiest site and where they go to hold their kingsmoots.
Balon Blackskin
Balon Blackskin
A legendary Ironborn raider who fought with an axe on his left hand and a hammer on his right. He was also impervious to man-made weapons: swords glanced off him leaving no mark while axes shattered against his skin.- Alliterative Name: Balon Blackskin
- Brutish Character, Brutish Weapon: Downplayed example; while not a brute, he is invulnerable to artificial weapons. Also fought with a hammer on his right hand.
- Dual Wielding: An axe and a hammer.
- Pirate: An Ironborn raider.
- Super-Toughness: His skin was impervious to man-made weapons.
Legends of the Free Cities
The Shrouded Lord
The Shrouded Lord
A mysterious figure said to rule the mist around Sorrows (formerly Chroyane) and to spread greyscale since the time of Prince Garin. He rules over the "stone men", people infected with Greyscale and exiled to dwell at Sorrows.- Back from the Dead: Some believe he's an undead Garin, risen from his watery grave.
- I Have Many Names: His Grey Grace, the Prince of Sorrows.
- Legacy Character: Others believe that there have been numerous Shrouded Lords, and when one dies another one takes his place; the one currently holding the title is a corsair from the Basilisk Isles.
- Living Statue: Another version of the myth holds he was a statue at first, and a grey woman from the fog kissed life to it with lips as cold as ice.
- Plague Master: It's said he spreads Greyscale through "the grey kiss".
- Shrouded in Myth: The stories of the Shrouded Lord's nature and origins are many.
- You Remind Me of X: Tyrion has nightmares in which the Shrouded Lord turns out to be his father.
Legends of Yi-Ti
God-on-Earth
God-on-Earth
The reputed founder of the Great Empire of the Dawn, predecessor to the Golden Empire of Yi-Ti.- Ascend to a Higher Plane of Existence: At the end of his ten thousand year reign, he ascended to the stars to join his parents.
- Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": No personal name is ever mentioned about him, only the descriptive God-on-Earth.
- Founder of the Kingdom: The YiTish trace the origin of their civilization to him.
- God in Human Form: The son of the two main YiTish deities (the Maiden-Made-of-Light and the Lion of Night), he lived on the mortal world and ruled as Emperor.
- Really Gets Around: He had one hundred wives.
The Amethyst Empress
The Amethyst Empress
The eighth and only female ruler of the Great Empire of the Dawn. Shortly after she took the throne, she was betrayed and murdered by her younger brother, who would then crowned himself the Bloodstone Emperor.- End of an Age: Her death marked the beginning of the end for her empire.
- Heir Club for Men: Averted. She was crowned ahead of her younger brother.
- Heroic Lineage: She is (reportedly) a descendant of the gods, not that it helped her much.
- The High Queen: Subverted. She likely would have been this had she lived, but she died before making any major impact.
- Purple Is Powerful: Subverted. She ruled the greatest empire in history and was associated with the color purple via her connection to amethysts, but her only notable accomplishment is getting murdered.
- The Smurfette Principle: She was the only female ruler of the Great Empire of the Dawn.
The Bloodstone Emperor
The Bloodstone Emperor
The legendary ninth and last ruler of the mythic Great Empire of the Dawn, responsible for its downfall and the beginning of the Long Night in the YiTish tradition.- Cain and Abel: He's the Cain to his sister's Abel. He murdered her for power, an act known as "the Blood Betrayal".
- End of an Age: His actions caused the downfall of his own empire.
- Foreshadowing: His existence seems to predate the Night's King of Westerosi lore despite their stories being virtually identical.
- Green-Eyed Monster: He killed his older sister out of envy and took her throne.
- Heroic Lineage: He could trace his lineage to the gods themselves but turned his back on them all the same.
- I Am a Humanitarian: He regularly feasted on human flesh.
- Necromancer: He was reputed to practice necromancy among other foul arts.
- Our Founder: Believed by many to have been the first High Priest of the sinister Church of Starry Wisdom.
- Sorcerous Overlord: He became this for the Great Empire of the Dawn, practicing all sorts of Dark Arts, enslaving his own people, and indulging in all sorts of depravity.
- Unholy Matrimony: Marrying a tiger-woman is listed among his sins, so it was likely this.
- The Usurper: He stole the throne from his elder sister, the Amethyst Empress, in what became known as the Blood Betrayal.
