Difference between revisions of "Wall"

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Revision as of 12:25, 21 November 2011

The Wall
The North and the location of the Wall
The North and the location of the Wall
The Wall
The North and the location of the Wall

The Wall is a massive wall of ice that stretches across the northern border of the Seven Kingdoms, separating it from the wild lands beyond. It extends from the Frostfangs mountain range in the west to the Bay of Seals in the east.

History

The Wall was reputedly created over 8,000 years prior to the present setting by Brandon the Builder after the Long Night to defend the realms of man from the wildlings and Others. Approximately 300 miles in length and 700 feet in height, the Wall is protected by the Night's Watch and according to some, ancient spells and sorcery.[1] Supposedly, Brandon the Builder had placed his foundations along the heights wherever possible.[2] Several mentions in the text suggest that the Wall was much smaller at the time, having been built upon by the Night's Watch builders, who quarried huge blocks of ice from frozen lakes in the haunted forest and dragged them south to the Wall higher, raising it over the centuries to its present size. However, the severely reduced Night's Watch at the present time is limited to maintenance duty. A total of nineteen fortresses have been built along the Wall though only three, The Shadow Tower, Castle Black and Eastwatch-by-the-sea are occupied at the time of the books.

Description

The Wall stretches for 300 miles and is approximately 700 feet tall, It is made of solid ice and stone, and can be seen for miles in the distance which seems grey or blue depending on weather. The top is wide enough for a dozen mounted knights to ride abreast and is thicker at the base.[3] According to myth, There are old spells woven into it, to strengthen it and keep creatures of a magical nature from passing it, such as the Others. [2][4]

At its peak it is studded with catapults and cranes.[3] The Night's Watch permits the forest to come no closer than half a mile to the Wall. However between the three inhabited fortresses, the forest has crept back.[5] The Wall is straight from Castle Black to Eastwatch-by-the-sea, but runs like a snake between Castle Black and the Shadow Tower.[2] The galleys of Eastwatch patrol of the Bay of Seals in part to catch smugglers who trade weapons to the wildlings[6] and to the west the mountains and deep river Gorge, make the terrain impassable for all but small groups of raiders.[7]


Easter egg: According to George R. R. Martin the inspiration for the wall came from Hadrian's Wall.


List of castles along the Wall

The hundred leagues of the Wall are guarded by nineteen castles which act as garrisons for the Night's Watch. Over the centuries, as the manpower of the Watch has dropped, these castles have gradually been abandoned. During the event of A Game of Thrones only three remain in use [5]


From West to East:

Name Status Description
Westwatch Abandoned
Shadow Tower Manned by the Watch
Sentinel Stand Abandoned
Greyguard Abandoned for two hundred years. now mostly collapsed
Stonedoor Abandoned
Hoarfrost Hill Abandoned
Icemark Abandoned
Nightfort Abandoned for two hundred years. It was the first castle abandoned by the Watch, back in the time of the Old King.
Deep Lake Abandoned Was built to replace the Nightfort.
Queensgate Abandoned
Castle Black Manned by the Watch
Oakenshield Abandoned
Woodswatch Abandoned
Sable Hall Abandoned
Rimegate Abandoned
Long Barrow Abandoned
Torches Abandoned
Greenguard Abandoned
Eastwatch Manned by the Watch Easternmost Castle.

See Also

References and Notes

  1. A Storm of Swords, Chapter 56, Bran IV.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 A Storm of Swords, Chapter 30, Jon IV.
  3. 3.0 3.1 A Game of Thrones, Chapter 19, Jon III.
  4. SSM: The wall (September 09, 2000)
  5. 5.0 5.1 A Game of Thrones, Chapter 21, Tyrion III.
  6. A Storm of Swords, Chapter 54, Davos V.
  7. SSM circumventing the Wall

This page uses content from the English Wikipedia. The original content was at Night's Watch. The list of authors can be seen in the page history of Night's Watch. As with A Wiki of Ice and Fire, the content of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.