Unlike Tolkien’s fantasy realm, humans contribute to around 90% of the relevant events inGame of Thrones. They fight over ethnic backgrounds and family names, but there’s no difference in species. Humans rule Westeros, frequently butchering each other for chunks of land and fancy titles. However, people weren’t always the dominant species on the continent. That era began thousands of years ago with the Dawn Age.
Game of Thronescleverly buries its historybehind a layer of mythology. Those who lived in Westeros before the story’s canonical events lacked a written language and kept no records. The books and show note that ancient events are taught through song and rumor rather than textbooks. Subsequently, every narrative before the Coming of the Andals is shrouded in playful mystery that could leave it fiction within fiction.
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What came before the Dawn Age?
The Dawn Age is the first period of human history. No one knows how humans came to be in theGame of Thronesuniverse. Their geographical origin is also unclear. Many societies claim to be the oldest, but no conclusive evidence settles the decision.Yi Ti, Qarth, and theGhiscari Empire offer limited historical records or long-shared stories about their ancient history. It is known that humanity did not originate or initially inhabit Westeros. Humans may have evolved or otherwise spawned on Essos, a continent at the far Eastern end of the Known World. A small group of humans, thought to have originated in the plains of the Dothraki Sea, crossed a natural land bridge from Essos into the land that would become Dorne. Their history remains questionable. Samwell Tarly, oneof the better-educated figuresin the franchise, stated,
The oldest histories we have were written after the Andals came to Westeros. The First Men only left us runes on rocks, so everything we know about the Age of Heroes and the Dawn Age and the Long Night comes from accounts set down by septons thousands of years later. There are archmaesters at the Citadel who question all of it.
Two indigenous species dominated Westeros.The Children of the Forestwere small, green-skinned humanoids who worshiped nature spirits and practiced ancient magic. The giants were massive humanoids with tremendous physical strength and limited mental capacity. The Children and giants regularly fought over land and resources, but their shared dominion over the land never allowed either to conquer. Both were happy living within the bounds of nature. After untold generations of the indigenous population ruling Westeros, everything changed when humanity arrived.
When did the Dawn Age begin?
Some 12,000 years ago, the First Men crossed the Arm of Dorne and reached the new continent. Some legends argue that Garth Greenhand, High King of the First Men, was thefirst human in Westeros. The First Men were not kind to the owners of their new home. The two parties couldn’t easily communicate, and the First Men quickly ran afoul of the Children’s religious beliefs. The humans cut down the forests that sheltered the Children, killing the weirwood trees they saw as sacred. The Children reacted violently, starting a war that would last 2,000 years. The First Men were bigger, stronger, and more numerous than their foes. The Children of the Forest had deadly dragonglass weapons and access to magic. Both sides incurred losses, but neither faltered. The Children summoned a massive attack called the Hammer of the Waters to destroy the Arm of Dorne and stopthe First Men frominvading. The humans were undeterred, crossing the sea via the remaining Stepstone Islands. After two millennia, cooler heads prevailed.
How did the Dawn Age end?
The First Men and Children of the Forest forged a peace treaty, ending the war. They signed the Pact on an Island in what would become the Riverlands. The Children agreed to give the First Men most of Westeros to support their numbers, while the humans would allow the Children dominion over the deep woods. The humans also promised never to cut down another weirwood tree. The Children of the Forest celebrated by carving a face on every weirwood on the island. The Dawn Age ended as humans were accepted as a part of Westeros’s natural ecosystem. They arrived, caused trouble, then resolved the conflict through a mutually beneficial relationship. After they achieved peace,the Age of Heroes began.
The Dawn Age covers the difficult first steps of the First Men on Westeros. It was a 2,000-year period of war against people who didn’t believe in owning land. It’s almost entirely based on a misunderstanding. Though the First Men made peace with the Children of the Forest,their story doesn’t end well. The Dawn Age is a tale of exploration and the simple virtue of seeking peace. The Dawn Age remains shrouded in mystery, but the historical truth is less important than the lessons it could teach future generations.
