Northmen

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Northmen look for favorable ground, by Andrew Johanson © Fantasy Flight Games

Northmen[1][2] or northerners[3] are natives of the north, the northernmost region of the Seven Kingdoms.[4]

Ethnicity

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Bear Island loyalist, by Sara Winters © Fantasy Flight Games

Most northmen are descended from the First Men who settled the north in antiquity,[5] and the coming of the Andals to the north was halted at Moat Cailin.[6] There have been centuries of intermarriage with the Andals who conquered southern Westeros, however.[7] Due to its exposure to southron influences, White Harbor, the major port and only city in the north, has a mixed population.[8]

There were once numerous petty kingdoms in the region, but over centuries they submitted to or were extinguished by House Stark of Winterfell, who ruled as Kings of Winter and Kings in the North until Aegon's Conquest.[9] [10] The Old Tongue spoken by the First Men of antiquity has been replaced in the north by the Common Tongue, with the earlier language now only spoken beyond the Wall.[11] Northern accents can be considered "frosted".[12]

Many northmen, including Karstarks and Umbers, are large in stature and have thick beards and long hair.[13][14]

The people of the northern mountains are divided into twoscore clans.[10]

Crannogmen live in the swamps and marshes of the Neck. Some claim the smaller size of crannogmen is because of intermarriage with the children of the forest, while others attribute their size to poor nutrition.[15]

Skagosi live on the isolated island of Skagos in the Bay of Seals. Because of their size and smell, some maesters believe the hairy Skagosi have a strong admixture of Ibbenese blood, whereas others suggest they may be partially descended from giants.[16]

Some maesters believe the blood of Cape Kraken's people is closer to that of ironborn than northmen.[17]

Northmen have negative opinions of the free folk who live north of the Wall, considering them to be savage wildlings.[18][19][1] In turn, the free folk consider northmen of the Seven Kingdoms to be "kneelers"[20][21] but do not hate them like they do the Night's Watch.[22] Northmen have been considered wild[23][24] or savage[25][26][2][27] themselves by some southerners, such as Septon Eustace.[28][14]

Culture

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Religion

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A northman praying before a weirwood, by Kim Pope

Most northmen still follow the old gods, and they have little inclination for newer religions. The worship of the old gods is not accompanied by priests, holy texts, songs of worship, and barely any rites.[29][30] Prayers are done in silence.[30] Worshipers of the old gods visit godswoods, groves contained within castles throughout the Seven Kingdoms, where a heart tree, usually a weirwood, can be found. These trees, which have faces carved into them, are considered to be sacred. Worshipers believe the old gods watch through the trees.[31][32]

There are only a few houses who follow the Faith of the Seven,[33] with House Manderly the most prominent.[34] Due to its religious aspect, most northmen refuse to take holy orders and thus cannot become knights, although some northern cavalry are knights who still follow the old gods instead of the Seven.[35] Most knights of the north live in the region's southern lands, such as White Harbor[36] and the barrowlands.[32] Heraldry in the north is simpler than that in southern Westeros, showing the lesser influence that chivalry has had there.[37]

Since most northmen pray before heart trees instead of following the Seven in septs, some southrons consider them to be godless[14] or tree worshipers.[27][10]

In the aftermath of the Dance of the Dragons, many northmen from the host of Lord Cregan Stark remained in the riverlands, marrying widows at so-called Widow Fairs. They strengthened Houses Tully and Blackwood in particular, and helped to revive worship of the old gods south of the Neck.[38]

Customs

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The Long Winter, by German Nobile © Fantasy Flight Games

Guest right is treasured among northmen.[11] The people of the north have long memories, and a lord who does not seek his rightful vengeance threatens to have his own men turn on him.[13] A northern custom is that when someone is condemned to death, he who passes that sentence should swing the sword.[14][18]

During harsh winters, many farmers and younger northmen seek refuge in the winter town nearby Winterfell or in the castles of lords.[39][1] To preserve resources for the younger generations, many older northmen leave their home to ostensibly "hunt" during winter, with most not surviving until spring.[1] Men who are old, childless, homeless, or younger sons also traditionally joined winter armies which marched for adventure and plunder with no expectation of survival.[14]

The first night was allowed in the north until Queen Alysanne Targaryen convinced King Jaehaerys I Targaryen to abolish it.[34] Some northern lords, such as the Umbers still discretely practice it, however.[40]

Northmen hold the Night's Watch in high regard,[14] and many lords send annual gifts to support the black brothers.[41]

Bastards of noble origin from the north may be given the surname "Snow".[18]

Northmen have been referred to by other Westerosi as wolves[42][27][43] or wolf folk.[44]

Greatswords are used by northmen, including Umbers[32] and clan champions.[10] Boltons have used battle-axes in addition to greatswords.[45] Mail is a common armor in the north,[46] with many northern warriors wearing mail hauberks or shirts beneath heavy cloaks of wool or fur.[14][13] Karstarks wear cloaks made from the pelts of bears, seals, and wolves.[32]

Quotes

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In their mail shirts and shaggy fur cloaks, their features hidden behind thick tangles of beard, they swaggered through the city like so many armored bears, says Mushroom.[14]

—writings of Gyldayn

They say those northmen are a savage folk, and their woods are full of wolves.[47]

—John the Fiddler to Duncan the Tall

The men of the winterlands are made of iron and ice, and even my boldest knights fear to face them.[48]

—Tywin Lannister to Ulf

These are northmen, Uncle. The north remembers.[13]

—Robb Stark to Brynden Tully

Northmen, they were. Savages who worship trees.[27]

—Septon at Sallydance to Lem

She knew them by their beards, by their faces, by their cloaks of bearskin and sealskin, by their half-heard toasts and the songs they sang; Karstarks and Umbers and men of the mountain clans.[49]

—thoughts of Arya Stark

Victarion: We will have all the north, as your lord father dreamed.
Asha: When longships learn to row through trees, perhaps. A fisherman may hook a grey leviathan, but it will drag him down to death unless he cuts it loose. The north is too large for us to hold, and too full of northmen.[50]

—Victarion Greyjoy and Asha Greyjoy

Davos: I never knew that northmen made blood sacrifice to their heart trees.
Bartimus: There's much and more you southrons do not know about the north.[35]

—Davos Seaworth and Bartimus

The Freys may not care, but the northmen ... they fear the Dreadfort, but they love the Starks.[51]

—Barbrey Dustin to Theon Greyjoy

References

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  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 49, Jon X.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Fire & Blood, The Dying of the Dragons - Rhaenyra Triumphant.
  3. ↑ A Game of Thrones, Chapter 2, Catelyn I.
  4. ↑ A Storm of Swords, Chapter 2, Catelyn I.
  5. ↑ The World of Ice & Fire, Ancient History: The Coming of the First Men.
  6. ↑ The World of Ice & Fire, Ancient History: The Arrival of the Andals.
  7. ↑ So Spake Martin: Event Horizon Chat, March 18, 1999
  8. ↑ So Spake Martin: The Drowned God and More, July 14, 1999
  9. ↑ The World of Ice & Fire, The North: The Kings of Winter.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 17, Jon IV.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 The World of Ice & Fire, The North.
  12. ↑ A Feast for Crows, Chapter 42, Brienne VIII.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 A Storm of Swords, Chapter 20, Catelyn III.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 14.5 14.6 14.7 Fire & Blood, Aftermath - The Hour of the Wolf.
  15. ↑ The World of Ice & Fire, The North: The Crannogmen of the Neck.
  16. ↑ The World of Ice & Fire, The North: The Stoneborn of Skagos.
  17. ↑ The World of Ice & Fire, The North: The Mountain Clans.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 A Game of Thrones, Chapter 1, Bran I.
  19. ↑ A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 39, Jon VIII.
  20. ↑ A Storm of Swords, Chapter 15, Jon II.
  21. ↑ A Storm of Swords, Chapter 41, Jon V.
  22. ↑ So Spake Martin: Wildlings in the North, April 24, 2001
  23. ↑ A Clash of Kings, Chapter 30, Arya VII.
  24. ↑ The World of Ice & Fire, The Vale.
  25. ↑ The World of Ice & Fire, Dorne.
  26. ↑ Fire & Blood, Aegon's Conquest.
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 27.2 27.3 A Storm of Swords, Chapter 22, Arya IV.
  28. ↑ Fire & Blood, The Dying of the Dragons - The Short, Sad Reign of Aegon II.
  29. ↑ A Game of Thrones, Chapter 70, Jon IX.
  30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 A Storm of Swords, Chapter 53, Tyrion VI.
  31. ↑ A Game of Thrones, Chapter 48, Jon VI.
  32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 32.2 32.3 A Game of Thrones, Chapter 53, Bran VI.
  33. ↑ A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 15, Davos II.
  34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 Fire & Blood, Jaehaerys and Alysanne - Their Triumphs and Tragedies.
  35. ↑ 35.0 35.1 A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 29, Davos IV.
  36. ↑ So Spake Martin: The Drowned God and More, July 14, 1999
  37. ↑ So Spake Martin: Shields of the North, June 03, 2000
  38. ↑ Fire & Blood, Under the Regents - The Hooded Hand.
  39. ↑ A Game of Thrones, Chapter 37, Bran V.
  40. ↑ A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 32, Reek III.
  41. ↑ The World of Ice & Fire, The Wall and Beyond: The Night's Watch.
  42. ↑ A Storm of Swords, Chapter 11, Jaime II.
  43. ↑ A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 62, The Sacrifice.
  44. ↑ A Feast for Crows, Chapter 11, The Kraken's Daughter.
  45. ↑ A Clash of Kings, Chapter 66, Theon VI.
  46. ↑ So Spake Martin: Yet More Questions, July 22, 2001
  47. ↑ The Mystery Knight.
  48. ↑ A Game of Thrones, Chapter 56, Tyrion VII.
  49. ↑ A Storm of Swords, Chapter 50, Arya X.
  50. ↑ A Feast for Crows, Chapter 18, The Iron Captain.
  51. ↑ A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 41, The Turncloak.
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