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.
- The Chosen One: Against the Others.
- Cool Sword: Lightbringer, the Red Sword of Heroes. It's on fire.
- 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.
- Kill the Ones You Love: Azor Ahai could only complete Lightbringer by killing his wife, Nissa Nissa.
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 / Prophecy Twist: 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 One: So says 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.
- Heroes Love Dogs: That also died.
- Heroes Prefer Swords: That broke.
- No Name Given: "Last Hero" is his only known name.
- The Quest: To find the Children of the Forest.
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).
- Weapon of Choice: A Double Blade on a Stick.
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.
- Shrouded in Myth:
Word of God says Bran is the most legendary of Westeros' heroes. No one knows if he truly existed. - 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 skin changer 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
- 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 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."
- Human Sacrifice: According to legend, he performed these to the Others, like Craster.
- 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. 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.
- 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.
- 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 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, whe 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.)- Baleful Polymorph: Turned into a monstrous rat.
- 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 exaggerated.
- Eats Babies: His own, no less.
- Evil Albino: His rat form, at least, is white. No one knows what he looked like as a human.
- Evil Chef: Let's just say he went a little beyond the realms of both morality and Michelin stars.
- 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: Literately. Though ironically, the human pie was very good, 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: Is a giant rat.
- Sacred Hospitality: He broke it by killing the prince under his roof.
- The Secret of Long Pork Pies: Oh, yes. With bacon on top.
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.- Famous Ancestor: Considered by some as 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.
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 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.
- Bunny-Ears Lawyer: Florian was both a knight and a fool.
- Cool Sword: He bore a famous, so far unnamed, sword.
- Knight in Shining Armor: A fool-ish one, though.
- Naked First Impression: With Jonquil.
- No Ending: So far, readers do not know the rest of the story.
- Star-Crossed Lovers: Implied.
- Working-Class Hero: He was not of noble 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: Last of the Mountain Kings.
- Long Dead Badass: 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.
- Famous Ancestor: To the Lannisters.
- In-Series Nickname: 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.- Famous Ancestor: To House Yew.
- 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.
- 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 And 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: Eight feet tall in some tales.
- Famous Ancestor: 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: 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.
- Famous Ancestor: To House Hightower.
- Runaway Bride: She was meant to marry Argoth Stone-Skin, but instead she married King Uthor.
Foss the Archer
Renowed for shooting apples of the heads of maids who took his fancy.- Archer Archetype: To the point of shooting apples of heads.
- Famous Ancestor: To House Fossoway.
- 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.- Famous Ancestor: To House Tarly.
- 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: 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.- Famous Ancestor: To House Crane.
- Our Werebeasts Are Different: A werecrane.
Ellyn Ever Sweet
A girl who loved honey so much 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: The 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 High Tower. 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: Singers and storytellers that hail him as a knight or a Kingsguard.
- Broken Ace: He was haunted by ghosts of all the knights he killed.
- Characterization Marches On: In-universe.
- Multiple-Choice Past: Was he a knight of the Kingsguard?
- Shrouded in Myth: A legendary hero of whom little is truly known.
- The Dragonslayer: In legend, Serwyn killed the dragon Urrax supposedly by approaching from behind his shield so the dragon only saw its own reflection, then drove his spear through Urrax's eye.
Legends of the Iron Islands
The Grey King
The Grey King
- The Chosen One: Blessed by the Drowned God to wage war against the Storm God.
- 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: To the Ironborn.
- Long Dead Badass: If he ever lived to begin with, that is.
- Massive Numbered Siblings: Said to have left behind a hundred sons all over the Iron Isles.
- Thousand-Year Reign: According to legend.
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 glanaced off him leaving no mark while axes shattered against his skin.- Alliterative Name: Balon Blackskin
- An Axe to Grind: Which he carried on his left hand.
- Drop the Hammer: 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.- Cain and Abel: She's the Abel to her brother's Cain.
- 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.
- 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.
