Naath

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Naath is located in Sothoryos
Naath
Northern Sothoryos and the location of Naath

Naath, known to the ancients as the Isle of Butterflies,[1] is an island in the Summer Sea off the northwestern coast of Sothoryos.[2]

Geography

Naath is west of the Basilisk Isles and northern Sothoryos. It is located east of the southernmost and largest of the Summer Isles, Jhala, and due south of the Valyrian peninsula. Naath is separated from Jhala and Valyria by large stretches of the Summer Sea.[3]

People

Naathi have a unique look to them with flat faces, dark skin and golden eyes.[4] They are called the Peaceful People, due to their belief in extreme pacifism. They make music rather than war and kill nothing, not even animals, eating only fruit and never flesh. They are widely sought after by slavers who consider them to make the best slaves.[4]

Culture

The Naath believe in one god, the Lord of Harmony, who has existed and will exist for all time. He is the source of creation.[5]

Naathi revere butterflies as messengers of the Lord of Harmony, charged with protection of the island and its people. These legends come from the butterfly fever that has laid waste to conquerors throughout history.[1]

Economy

Before the slaver raids intensified significantly after the Doom of Valyria, the Naathi were involved in long-distance trade networks stretching from Essos to Westeros. Given that the island's environment is well-suited for insect life, Naath used to be a major exporter of silk from silkworm caterpillars. The Naathi also exported fine handicrafts and delicate spiced wine. The Naathi's shimmering silks could be found in markets throughout the Seven Kingdoms and the Free Cities. The slaver raids became so frequent after the Doom, however, that the Naathi abandoned their coasts to take refuge in the hills and forests of the interior. As a result the export trade has largely collapsed in the past four hundred years, and Naathi silks are less and less frequently seen in the world's major cities.[1]

History

During the height of the Old Empire of Ghis, one of their ships briefly landed in the Summer Isles, alerting their inhabitants that lands and peoples existed beyond their own waters. Explorers from the isles then landed on Naath to the east.[6] The Ghiscari seized Naath three times.

The Valyrian Freehold eventually erected on Naath a fort whose ruined walls of fused dragonstone can still be seen. A company of Volantene adventurers built a trade town with timber palisades and slave pens. Corsairs from the Basilisk Isles have landed on the island countless times. None of these invaders survived, however, all falling victim to the butterfly fever, a horrific plague which makes its victims violently spasm and die. The Naathi are immune to this local disease, which is theorized to be carried by the butterflies of the island. The Naathi claim that none of these invaders maintained a permanent presence on the island for more than a single year.[1]

A thousand years ago, the ten thousand ships of Rhoynar refugees led by Princess Nymeria stopped at Naath after fleeing from their failed attempt to settle in Sothoryos. The Peaceful People welcomed Nymeria and her followers, but the butterfly fever began to kill Rhoynar by the score, driving them back to their ships. After their brief stop at Naath the Rhoynar passed farther west to the Summer Isles.[7]

Slavers and corsairs learned to limit their time on the island, instead capturing the Peaceful People in nighttime raids. The captives were then sold in Valyria and Slaver's Bay.[1] The slaver attacks worsened during the Century of Blood, since Valyria no longer controlled the seas. Unwilling to break their vows of total pacifism, even to defend their homes and persons, the Naathi fled from their coasts to the hills and forests. As a result the silk exports which once flowed from Naath have dwindled away.[1]

Recent Events

A Storm of Swords

Daenerys Targaryen meets Missandei, who is from Naath.[4]

A Dance with Dragons

Daenerys, Queen of Meereen, offers to send Missandei back to Naath after the death of her brother, Mossador, but the scribe declines.[8]

Quotes

Daenerys: Come. Sit. Talk with me.

Missandei: If it please you. What shall we talk of?

Daenerys': Home. Naath. Butterflies and brothers. Tell me of the things that make you happy, the things that make you giggle, all your sweetest memories. Remind me that there is still good in the world.[9]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 The World of Ice & Fire, Beyond the Free Cities: Naath.
  2. A Dance with Dragons, Map of Valyria
  3. The Lands of Ice and Fire, The Known World.
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 A Storm of Swords, Chapter 23, Daenerys II.
  5. A Storm of Swords, Chapter 71, Daenerys VI.
  6. The World of Ice & Fire, Beyond the Free Cities: The Summer Isles.
  7. The World of Ice & Fire, Ancient History: Ten Thousand Ships.
  8. A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 11, Daenerys II.
  9. A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 50, Daenerys VIII.