Editing First Men

[[File:Brandon stark the builder by feliche.jpg|thumb|350px|[[Bran the Builder]], founder of [[House Stark]], by Feliche ©]]
The '''First Men''' are one of the three major ethnic groups from whom the [[humans]] of [[Westeros]] descend, the others being the [[Andals]] and the [[Rhoynar]]. The First Men were the culture of humans who first set foot on the continent. The influence of the First Men is still felt in Westeros, most strongly in the [[north]]. The [[Lord of the Seven Kingdoms]], the king on the [[Iron Throne]], claims to be the [[King of the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the First Men]].{{ref|AGOT|1}}

==Culture==
===Language===
The original language of the First Men was the [[Old Tongue]], a harsh, clanging language{{Ref|ASOS|15}} that is still spoken by the [[free folk]]{{Ref|ASOS|15}} and the [[giants]]{{Ref|ADWD|49}} found in the lands [[beyond the Wall]].

The First Men had a [[runes|runic]] writing system.{{Ref|TWOIAF|The Iron Islands}} They left their runes on rocks in most of the [[Seven Kingdoms]]; only in the [[stormlands]], where races older than the First Men were dominant, did the First Men carve their tales into the trunks of trees, which have since rotted away.{{ref|AFFC|5}}{{Ref|ADWD|7}}{{Ref|TWOIAF|The Stormlands: House Durrandon}} The meaning of the runes of the First Men are disputed at the [[Citadel]] to this day.{{Ref|TWOIAF|The Riverlands}} 

===Religion===
The First Men worshiped unspecified gods before they arrived in [[Westeros]].{{Ref|TWOIAF|Ancient History: The Coming of the First Men}} The [[Sistermen]] of the [[Three Sisters]] believed that sacred storms were the result of the [[Lady of the Waves]] mating with the [[Lord of the Skies]].{{ref|ADWD|9}} Their worship ended with the [[coming of the Andals]], who introduced the [[Faith of the Seven]].{{ref|ADWD|9}} In the [[Kingdom of the Storm]],{{Ref|TWOIAF|The Stormlands: Andals in the Stormlands}} the [[sea god]] and his wife, the [[goddess of the wind]], were worshiped.{{Ref|ACOK|31}}{{Ref|TWOIAF|The Stormlands: House Durrandon}} The [[ironborn]], who are considered by most to descend from the First Men, worshiped the [[Drowned God]] before the Andals came, and continue to do so.{{ref|TWOIAF|The Iron Islands}} In addition, they also continue to believe in the Drowned God's eternal enemy, the [[Storm God]].{{Ref|AFFC|1}}

[[File:Bill Corbett men of duty.jpg|thumb|350px|Worship before [[heart tree]]s, by Bill Corbett © Fantasy Flight Games]]

Following the [[Pact]] between the First Men and the [[children of the forest]], the majority of the First Men eventually set aside their own gods and adopted the gods of the children as their own.{{Ref|AGOT|66}}{{Ref|TWOIAF|Ancient History: The Dawn Age}}{{Ref|TWOIAF|The Stormlands: The Coming of the First Men}} These nameless deities{{ref|AGOT|70}} of stream, forest, and stone{{ref|TWOIAF|Ancient History: The Dawn Age}} are referred to as the "[[old gods]]" because the gods of the [[Andals]], referred to as the "[[Faith of the Seven|new gods]]", replaced them in all but the [[Westeros#The North|north of Westeros]].

The worship of the old gods is not accompanied by priests, holy texts, songs of worship, and barely any rites.{{ref|AGOT|70}}{{ref|ASOS|53}} Prayers are done in silence.{{Ref|ASOS|53}} Worshipers of the old gods visit [[godswood]]s, groves contained within castles throughout the [[Seven Kingdoms]], where a [[heart tree]] 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.{{ref|AGOT|48}}{{ref|AGOT|53}} The heart trees are usually weirwoods, and godswoods are often the only places where living weirwoods still remain{{Ref|AGOT|2}} until one goes north of the [[Wall]].{{ref|AGOT|48}} Once all noble houses had a godswood with a heart tree in its center, but the First Men, in their wars against the children of the forest, cut down many of the trees, as did the Andals later on, replacing the old gods with the Seven in the southern kingdoms.{{Ref|AGOT|66}}

According to Maester [[Yorrick]], blood sacrifice to the old gods was still practiced in the vicinity of [[White Harbor]] five hundred years ago.{{ref|TWOIAF|Ancient History: The Dawn Age}}

===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}}

===Military===
[[File:Tristifer.jpeg|thumb|350px|King [[Tristifer IV Mudd]], by Roman Papsuev ©]]
The First Men wielded [[bronze]] swords{{Ref|AGOT|66}} and great bronze axes.{{Ref|TWOIAF|The Reach: The Gardener Kings}}{{ref|TWOIAF|The Westerlands}} They were armored in bronze as well,{{Ref|TWOIAF|The Reach: Andals in the Reach}}{{ref|TWOIAF|Dorne: The Breaking}} carrying large, leather shields.{{Ref|AGOT|66}} When the [[coming of the Andals]] began, the First Men still fought in bronze.{{Ref|TWOIAF|Ancient History: The Arrival of the Andals}} In time, however, Andal blacksmiths taught the First Men to arm and armor themselves in [[iron]].{{Ref|TWOIAF|The Reach: Andals in the Reach}} The First Men rode [[horse]]s into battle.{{ref|AGOT|66}}{{ref|TWOIAF|Dorne: The Breaking}}

Although not a seafaring people, the First Men did use fishing boats and trading cogs, though these were no match for longships with great sails and banks of oars.{{ref|TWOIAF|The Iron Islands}}

===Architecture and infrastructure===
When the First Men first settled in [[Westeros]], they cut down the forests, began to plow the fields, and constructed roads through the hill country.{{Ref|TWOIAF|The Westerlands}} The farms and villages the First Men built were protected by stout motte-and-bailey forts, which were later on replaced by stone castles.{{Ref|TWOIAF|The Westerlands}} The First Men also raised up [[ringfort]]s,{{Ref|TWOIAF|Ancient History: The Coming of the First Men}} ruins of which can still be found at numerous places, including the [[Fist of the First Men]],{{ref|ACOK|34}} and [[Seal Rock]] at [[White Harbor]],{{ref|ADWD|15}} and the [[stormlands]].{{Ref|TWOIAF|The Stormlands: Storm's End}} On [[Sea Dragon Point]] still stand ruins of ancient strongholds of the First Men.{{ref|ADWD|26}} The First Men, and later on the early Andals, built square towers and keeps.{{ref|TWOIAF|The North: Winterfell}} In the [[Reach]], Andal stonemasons taught the First Men how to further strengthen the defenses of their castles and holdfasts.{{Ref|TWOIAF|The Reach: Andals in the Reach}}

Some of the barrow fields contain monuments.{{Ref|TWOIAF|Ancient History: The Age of Heroes}} 

===Guest right===
The custom of [[guest right]] is both a sacred rule and an ancient one.{{Ref|ASOS|7}} The guest rights are taken seriously, both [[beyond the Wall]],{{Ref|ACOK|23}}{{Ref|ASOS|7}} and in the [[Seven Kingdoms]], and although it looms less in the southron kingdoms, it is held most dear in the [[north]].{{Ref|TWOIAF|The North}} There, breaking guest right is punished similarly to the direst of treasons.{{Ref|TWOIAF|The North}}

The most common way of receiving guest right is by eating "bread and salt".{{Ref|ASOS|49}} Once guest right has been offered and accepted, the guests and hosts are protected from harm by one another for the length of the stay.{{Ref|TWOIAF|The North}} Guest gifts can be given on the day the guests depart,{{Ref|ADWD|29}}{{Ref|ADWD|46}} possibly as a means of ending the protection of the guest right. Guest gifts are no longer given by all lords, however.{{Ref|ADWD|29}}

===Death===
[[File:Thomas_Denmark-Crypts_Winterfell.jpg|thumb|350px|The [[crypt of Winterfell]], by Thomas Denmark © Fantasy Flight Games]]
The First Men believed that the person who condemned another to die should be the one who wields the sword.{{Ref|AGOT|43}} [[House Stark]] practices this belief still.{{Ref|AGOT|1}}

The First Men interred their dead in [[w:tumulus|barrows]], which can be found everywhere in the [[north]], e.g., the [[Great Barrow]] of [[Barrowton]], where the [[First King]] of the First Men is said to have been buried.{{ref|ADWD|32}} The [[barrowlands]] contains wide plains of flatness which are relieved by long, low hummocks, the barrows of the First Men.{{Ref|AGOT|12}}

The Starks bury their deceased family members in the [[crypts of Winterfell]],{{ref|AGOT|3}}{{ref|AGOT|66}} located beneath [[Winterfell|their castle]]. The [[House Bolton|Boltons]] similarly bury their deceased beneath the [[Dreadfort]].{{ref|ADWD|32}} The [[House Blackwood|Blackwoods]], originally from the north, have buried their dead at [[Cairns]] and beneath the [[weirwood]] in the [[godswood of Raventree Hall]].{{ref|ADWD|48}}

The [[House Tully|Tullys]] of [[Riverrun]], a house of First Men origin who now follow the [[Faith of the Seven]], place their dead in a funereal boat on the [[Red Fork]] and have it sink into the river after being set ablaze with fire arrows.{{ref|ASOS|35}}

==History==
===Arrival in Westeros===
Some [[maester]]s believe that the First Men originated in the grasslands of [[Essos]], in the lands now known as the [[Dothraki sea]].{{Ref|TWOIAF|Beyond the Free Cities: The Grasslands}} Between eight thousand and twelve thousand years{{ref|TWOIAF|Ancient History: The Coming of the First Men}}{{Ref|AGOT|66}} before [[Aegon's Landing]], during the [[Dawn Age]], the First Men came to [[Westeros]] from Essos, although no tale recalls exactly why they made the trek westwards.{{Ref|TWOIAF|Ancient History: The Coming of the First Men}} The First Men crossed the land bridge called the [[Arm of Dorne]] under the leadership of the [[First King]], according to legends from the [[north]], or [[Garth Greenhand]], the [[High King of the First Men]], according to some legends from the [[Reach]].{{ref|TWOIAF|The North}}{{ref|TWOIAF|The Reach}}

The First Men supposedly found the [[Seastone Chair]] upon the shores of [[Old Wyk]] when they first came to the [[Iron Islands]].{{ref|ACOK|24}} It was the First Men who named the indigenous inhabitants "[[children of the forest]]", though the diminutive people's own name for themselves translates as "those who sing the song of the earth".{{ref|ADWD|13}}

===War with the children of the forest===
:{{main|War of the First Men and the children of the forest}}
[[File:HBOfirst men slay the children.jpg|thumb|350px|First Men fighting [[children of the forest]]. Screenshot from ''[[Game of Thrones]]'' Blu-ray content.]]
The First Men came with [[bronze]] swords and great leathern shields, riding [[horse]]s. As the men settled in the new land, carving out holdfasts and farms, they chopped down and burned the carved [[weirwood]]s that were sacred to the [[old gods|gods]] of the [[children of the forest]]. This provoked [[War of the First Men and the children of the forest|wars]] between the children and the First Men. Though the children fought with their [[greenseer]]s, [[magic]], and [[wood dancer]]s, the First Men were larger, stronger, and more technologically advanced.{{ref|AGOT|66}} The First Men cut down weirwoods as they believed that the greenseers could see through the eyes of the trees.{{Ref|ACOK|28}}

According to the old songs, the desperate children gathered greenseers to the [[Isle of Faces]]{{ref|TWOIAF|Dorne: The Breaking}} or to [[Moat Cailin]],{{ref|TWOIAF|Ancient History: The Coming of the First Men}} a castle raised roughly ten thousand years ago{{ref|ACOK|66}} by the First Men.{{ref|AGOT|37}} The greenseers used dark magic to shatter the [[Arm of Dorne]] with the [[hammer of the waters]], creating the [[Stepstones]] and the [[Broken Arm]] and flooding the [[Neck]] into a swamp.{{ref|TWOIAF|Ancient History: The Coming of the First Men}}{{ref|TWOIAF|Dorne: The Breaking}} Although the land bridge from [[Essos]] was shattered, the greenseers failed in their effort to halt the First Men, who were already more numerous in [[Westeros]].{{ref|TWOIAF|Dorne: The Breaking}}{{ref|AGOT|66}}

First Men also warred against [[giants]],{{ref|TWOIAF|The Westerlands}}{{ref|TWOIAF|Dorne: The Breaking}} who were hostile to the newcomers.{{ref|TWOIAF|The Stormlands: The Coming of the First Men}}

===The Pact===
[[File:LastHero.jpeg|thumb|350px|The [[last hero]], by Roman Papsuev ©]]
The wars against the [[children of the forest]] went in the First Men's favor until the two sides reached a peace agreement, called the [[Pact]], on the [[Isle of Faces]]. The First Men gave dominion of the deep woods to the children and promised to stop cutting down [[weirwood]]s. In return, they received claim to the rest of the Westeros.{{ref|AGOT|66}} [[Giants]] did not participate in the Pact.{{ref|TWOIAF|The Stormlands: The Coming of the First Men}}

The Pact began four thousand years of friendship and peace between the two peoples,{{ref|AGOT|66}} although the children were already much diminished.{{ref|TWOIAF|The Stormlands: The Coming of the First Men}} The years that followed the forging of the Pact is known as the [[Age of Heroes]].{{ref|AGOT|66}} The First Men eventually set aside their religion to worship the children's [[old gods|secret gods of the wood]], and like the children they carved faces into the weirwoods, creating [[heart tree]]s. The children of the forest taught them to use [[raven]]s to communicate over long distances, but in those days the birds would speak the words, and the [[greenseer]]s of the children could change their skins and speak through the animals.{{ref|ADWD|34}}

===The Long Night===
During the [[Long Night]], the First Men suffered from a generation of winter and the legendary [[Others]] are said to have invaded from the [[Land of Always Winter]]. Archmaester [[Fomas]] suggests the Others were a tribe of First Men instead of a monstrous enemy.{{ref|TWOIAF|Ancient History: The Long Night}} 

[[North]]ern legends claim the [[last hero]] sought out the [[children of the forest]] to gain their aid.{{ref|AGOT|24}} The Others were driven back in the [[Battle for the Dawn]] and the [[Night's Watch]] was created to keep them at bay.{{ref|TWOIAF|Ancient History: The Long Night}}{{ref|ACOK|21}} Six thousand or eight thousand years ago{{ref|TWOIAF|Ancient History: The Long Night}} the First Men built the [[Wall]],{{ref|AGOT|70}} allegedly with the aid of children and [[giants]].{{ref|TWOIAF|The North: The Wall and Beyond}}

===Coming of the Andals===
:{{main|Coming of the Andals}}
[[File:Battle of the Seven Stars.jpg|thumb|350px|The [[Battle of the Seven Stars]], by John McCambridge ©]]
Thousands of years after the Long Night,<ref group="N">The time when the Andal invasion occurred is disputed; some sources indicate it took place six thousand years ago (''[[A Game of Thrones]]'', [[A Game of Thrones-Chapter 40|Catelyn VII]] and ''[[The World of Ice & Fire]]'', The Vale: The Eyrie); ''[[True History]]'' states it was four thousand years ago (''[[A Dance with Dragons]]'', [[A Dance with Dragons-Chapter 48|Jaime I]]); Some [[maesters]], like [[Denestan]], claim it was two thousand years ago (''[[A Dance with Dragons]]'', [[A Dance with Dragons-Chapter 48|Jaime I]] and ''[[The World of Ice & Fire]]'', The Vale: The Eyrie).</ref> the [[Andals]] crossed the [[narrow sea]] and began [[coming of the Andals|their migration]] from [[Essos]] to [[Westeros]].{{ref|AGOT|66}} For several hundred years{{ref|AGOT|66}} the First Men and the Andals warred, fighting for control of the continent. Eventually, the Andals conquered or married into the kingdoms in the southern half of the continent, while the First Men [[King in the North|Kings of Winter]] stopped all Andal incursions through the Neck at [[Moat Cailin]].{{ref|AGOT|66}}

Since the Andals were outnumbered by the defeated First Men, the victorious newcomers pursued a policy of consolidating control over the native Westerosi instead of extermination. [[Godswood]]s were allowed to remain in many castles to prevent conflicts over [[religion]] as the [[Faith of the Seven]] spread throughout southern Westeros. Many Andal kings married the wives and daughters of defeated First Men kings to demonstrate their right to rule.{{ref|TWOIAF|Ancient History: The Arrival of the Andals}}

The Andals continued practice of the [[first night]].{{ref|FAB|Jaehaerys and Alysanne - Their Triumphs and Tragedies}}

==Legacy==
According to [[George R. R. Martin]], hardly any Westerosi are pure [[Andal]] or First Man after thousands of years of interbreeding.<ref>[[So Spake Martin]]: [http://www.westeros.org/Citadel/SSM/Entry/Event_Horizon_Chat Event Horizon Chat (March 18, 1999)]</ref>

While much of their culture was lost over the millennia, the people of the [[north]] retained the spirit of the First Men and many are proud of carrying the blood of the First Men in their veins, such as the [[House Stark|Starks]]{{ref|AGOT|1}} and the [[House Karstark|Karstarks]].{{ref|ASOS|20}} South of the [[Neck]] there have been people that still proudly claim the blood of the First Men, such as the [[House Blackwood|Blackwoods]] and [[House Bracken|Brackens]],<ref>[[So Spake Martin]]: [http://www.westeros.org/Citadel/SSM/Entry/1243 Blackwood-Bracken Feud and Coinage], August 13, 2003</ref> the [[House Dayne|Daynes]],{{ref|AFFC|21}} the [[House Redfort|Redforts]],{{ref|AGOT|34}} the [[House Royce|Royces]],<ref>The Citadel: [http://www.westeros.org/Citadel/Heraldry/Entry/House_Royce02/ House Royce of Runestone]</ref> the [[House Strong|Strongs]],{{ref|FAB|The Dying of the Dragons - Rhaenyra Triumphant}} the [[House Westerling|Westerlings]],{{ref|ASOS|14}} and the people of [[Crackclaw Point]].{{ref|AFFC|20}} Lord [[Yohn Royce]] possesses a suit of [[Runes|rune]]-covered [[bronze]] armor dating back thousands of years.{{ref|AGOT|29}} The [[Vale mountain clans]] of the [[Mountains of the Moon]] are descendants of the First Men.{{ref|AWOIAF|The Vale: Mountains of the Moon}}

During [[Aegon's Conquest]], [[Aegon I Targaryen]] was proclaimed [[King of the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the First Men]] by the [[High Septon (Aegon's Conquest)|High Septon]] in [[Oldtown]],{{ref|TWOIAF|The Reign of the Dragons: The Conquest}} and Aegon's successors on the [[Iron Throne]] have continued the usage. Since the [[Seven Kingdoms]] continued to have inconsistent laws by the time of King [[Jaehaerys I Targaryen]], including some places following ancient laws of the First Men, Septon [[Barth]] began the unifying [[Great Code]] in {{date|55}}.{{ref|FAB|Jaehaerys and Alysanne - Their Triumphs and Tragedies}} Barth and Queen [[Alysanne Targaryen]] ended the practice of the [[first night]], considering it an antiquated practice of the First Men of old.{{ref|FAB|Jaehaerys and Alysanne - Their Triumphs and Tragedies}}

[[Styr]], the [[Magnar of Thenn]] who leads the [[Thenns|Thenn people]] living [[beyond the Wall]], claims to be the last of the First Men.{{Ref|ASOS|26}}

==Quotes==
[[File:Nights watch wall by reneaigner.jpg|thumb|350px|The [[Wall]] by Rene Aigner ©]]
{{quote|The First Men were a savage race, and like the [[free folk|wildlings]] [[beyond the Wall]], they followed only strength.{{ref|FAB|Jaehaerys and Alysanne - Their Triumphs and Tragedies}}|[[Albin Massey]] to [[Alysanne Targaryen]]}}

{{Quote|The blood of the First Men still flows in the veins of the [[House Stark|Starks]], and we hold to the belief that the man who passes the sentence should swing the sword. If you would take a man's life, you owe it to him to look into his eyes and hear his final words. And if you cannot bear to do that, then perhaps the man does not deserve to die.{{Ref|AGOT|1}}|[[Eddard Stark]] to [[Bran Stark]]}}

{{Quote|Some twelve thousand years ago, the First Men appeared from [[Essos|the east]], crossing the [[Broken Arm]] of [[Dorne]] before it was broken. They came with [[bronze]] swords and great leathern shields, riding [[horse]]s.{{Ref|AGOT|66}}|[[Luwin]] to [[Bran Stark]]}}

==See also==
:*[[:Category:Images of First Men|Images of First Men]]

==Notes==
{{Notes}}

==References==
{{references|2}}
{{Cultures}}

[[Category:First Men| ]]
[[Category:Cultures]]
[[Category:Westeros]]
[[Category:The North]]

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