Editing First Men (section)

===Social hierarchy===
[[File:Rise of the Mountain Clans Skysoul Visual Art Studios.png|thumb|350px|The [[Vale mountain clans]] descend from First Men, by Skysoul Visual Art Studios © Fantasy Flight Games]]
The exact laws of inheritance followed by the First Men have not been stated. Several of the groups that descended from the First Men practiced rule by consensus or election among several lords and chieftains in council. The [[ironborn]] of old chose their kings through a [[kingsmoot]], where each man who owned and captained a ship might cast a vote for the new king.{{Ref|TWOIAF|The Iron Islands: Driftwood Crowns}}

In [[Dorne]], before the [[coming of the Andals]] or the [[ten thousand ships|Rhoynar]], the First Men were divided into numerous petty kingdoms. The [[High Kings of Dorne]]<ref group="N">The title of "High Kings of Dorne" was also claimed by the lords of [[House Yronwood]], who ruled northern Dorne from the mountain domains of [[House Wyl]] to the headwaters of the [[Greenblood]].</ref> who ruled the lands near the mouth of the [[Greenblood]] were elected in a non-hereditary fashion from among a dozen noble families. This practice eventually collapsed when a dispute concerning an election set the families to war against one another.{{ref|TWOIAF|Dorne: Kingdoms of the First Men}}

The [[free folk]] who live [[beyond the Wall]] are led by chieftains. At several times during history, they have united behind a non-hereditary over-chief known as the [[King-Beyond-the-Wall]].{{Ref|AGOT|1}}{{Ref|ACOK|51}}{{Ref|ASOS|26}} The [[Vale mountain clans]] are led by chieftains as well. In council, they insist that every man or woman must be allowed to have their voice heard.{{Ref|AGOT|56}}

According to Archmaester [[Eyron]], the ancient [[Marsh King]]s of the [[crannogmen]] of the [[Neck]] were considered to be a "first among equals", often thought to be touched by the [[old gods]].{{Ref|TWOIAF|The North: The Crannogmen of the Neck}}

[[Thrall]]dom was a common practice amongst the First Men before the arrival of the Andals.{{ref|TWOIAF|The Iron Islands}} The [[first night]] was a custom in which warlords and heroes slept with maidens on their wedding night. Pregnancies were seen by some as a blessing, as the new husbands could then raise the children of heroes as their own.{{ref|FAB|Jaehaerys and Alysanne - Their Triumphs and Tragedies}}