Dornishmen

From A Wiki of Ice and Fire
Revision as of 08:35, 25 December 2011 by Stormlander (talk | contribs) (Culture)
Jump to: navigation, search

The Dornishmen, are the natives of Dorne off the southern part of Westeros. They have a reputation for hot-bloodedness and sexual licentiousness. They are viewed with some mistrust and rivalry by the people of the Dornish Marches. Dornish bastards are given the surname Sand.

Culture

Dornishmen culture has Andal origins but mostly influenced by the mass immigration of the Rhoynish people who settled in Dorne, following the Rhoynar Invasion, their influence can be observed in many Dornish customs, like rights of women,in terms of inheritance law which disregard gender.[1][2] status of mistresses/Paramour and their general sexual licentiousness compared to the rest of the seven kingdoms.

Dornish lords wear silk and satin robes with jeweled belts and flowing sleeves and favor armor that is heavily enameled and inlaid with burning copper, shining silver, and/or soft red gold [3]

Ethnicity

The Rhoynar were a slender people with smooth olive skin, black hair and dark eyes. Their impact on the Dornish gene pool is strongest along the coast of Dorne, and grows faint farther inland. Dornishmen with Andal blood are larger and fairer than those with Rhoynish.

According to King Daeron I, observations during his wars in Dorne, there are three group of Dornishmen:

  • salty Dornishmen, who live along the coasts, lithe and dark with smooth olive skin and long black hair.
  • sandy Dornishmen who live in the deserts and the long river valleys, who are even darker, faces burned brown by the hot Dornish sun.
  • stony Dornishmen who live in the passes and heights of the Red Mountains, the biggest and fairest, sons of the Andals and the First Men, brown-haired or blond with faces that freckled or burned in the sun.

Additionally, another group exist the Greenblood orphans, who ply the Greenblood in poleboats.


Dornish spearmen.png

Military

Dornishmen prefer round metal shields, spears, short throwing spears or the double-curved bows. The Dornishmen, are famous for their light cavalry and use their Dornish double-curved skillfully from horseback. Because of the heat, they wear lighter armor than in the rest of the Seven Kingdoms made of metal disks, sometimes decorated with copper, sewn in the manner of scales on the leather, traditionally turbaned helmets[citation needed]. To allow themselves to fight in the burning sun of Dorne, they wear brightly colored flowing robes covering the metal parts of their armor.[4]

Dorne is the least populous of the Seven Kingdoms, as such it seem to favor different tactics than the rest of the Seven Kingdoms, generally avoiding pitched battles and depending on the speed of their lightly armored men and their swift horses. which are more suited to their smaller numbers and allow them to take advantage of the harsh conditions of Dorne. Indeed, the heat and scarcity of water points make little obvious movement and supply of a very large army. These techniques have proven effective in war against the dragons of the house Targaryen, and latter against king Doren during the Conquest of Dorne and though their wars against the Reach and Storm's End for a thousand years.

References and Notes