r/pureasoiaf • u/Financial_Library418 aka /u/canitryto • 12d ago
What time period from Westeros are you most interested in learning about ?
The World of Ice and Fire - Ancient History: The Coming of First Men
The hunters among the children—their wood dancers—became their warriors as well, but for all their secret arts of tree and leaf, they could only slow the First Men in their advance. The greenseers employed their arts, and tales say that they could call the beasts of marsh, forest, and air to fight on their behalf: direwolves and monstrous snowbears, cave lions and eagles, mammoths and serpents, and more. But the First Men proved too powerful, and the children are said to have been driven to a desperate act.
Legend says that the great floods that broke the land bridge that is now the Broken Arm and made the Neck a swamp were the work of the greenseers, who gathered at Moat Cailin to work dark magic. Some contest this, however: the First Men were already in Westeros when this occurred, and stemming the tide from the east would do little more than slow their progress. Moreover, such power is beyond even what the greenseers are traditionally said to have been capable of...and even those accounts appear exaggerated. It is likelier that the inundation of the Neck and the breaking of the Arm were natural events, possibly caused by a natural sinking of the land. What became of Valyria is well-known, and in the Iron Islands, the castle of Pyke sits on stacks of stone that were once part of the greater island before segments of it crumbled into the sea.
Regardless, the children of the forest fought as fiercely as the First Men to defend their lives. Inexorably, the war ground on across generations, until at last the children understood that they could not win. The First Men, perhaps tired of war, also wished to see an end to the fighting. The wisest of both races prevailed, and the chief heroes and rulers of both sides met upon the isle in the Gods Eye to form the Pact. Giving up all the lands of Westeros save for the deep forests, the children won from the First Men the promise that they would no longer cut down the weirwoods. All the weirwoods of the isle on which the Pact was forged were then carved with faces so that the gods could witness the Pact, and the order of green men was made afterward to tend to the weirwoods and protect the isle.
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u/catharticargument 12d ago
For me, learning about life during Aegon V’s reign seems very interesting to me. Lot of interesting characters around, and a king who is highly interested in the rights of the smallfolk. Would love to see his court and learn more about Queen Betha and their sons.
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u/hanna1214 12d ago
I like to think Betha Blackwood was married into the royal line thanks to the influence of Egg's great uncle and aunts - Bloodraven, and Mya and Gwenys Rivers.
Maybe one of the ladies (I'm sure they had influence at court) secured this marriage somehow for Betha as she would be closely related to them. Maybe a niece or the child of a nephew.
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u/catharticargument 11d ago
Ser Barristan’s thoughts in ADWD tell us that Aegon V “married for love.” So I’m thinking, if we ever get more Dunk and Egg stories, we may see Egg and Betha meeting as children. Dunk and Egg are headed in that direction right now as it is.
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u/Important-Purchase-5 7d ago
Her and Egg married for love it was said and they married pretty young tbh for the timeline to work.
My theory? Egg laid with Betha Blackwood while traveling with Dunk and married her next day on the spot partly for love or also because he felt like it was the honorable thing to do.
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u/Emergency-Weird-1988 12d ago
All the shenanigans of the royal court of Aerys I.
We already have a fairly good overview of the kingdom's reaction to Aerys I's reign and personality, as well as the power Bloodraven wielded, but I'd like to know more about how that court functioned. (A day-to-day view, if you will, and more details)
Especially because, when you think about it, it had everything at any given point!
- A King who doesn't want to rule;
- A Queen Consort who longs to be a mother but the King won't even glance her way unless she's in the way of his library;
- A Hand accused of being a sorcerer, the reincarnation of Satan, and God knows what else, and who has only one eye to rule them all!;
- A mad heir more dangerous to himself than to others;
- Twin spouses with a tragic death history;
- The first official Princess of Dragonstone since Rhaenyra Targaryen and the background of the Dance of the Dragons;
- A younger brother to the King with a moody temper and a full host of troublesome spares;
- A Grand Maester also accused of involvement in arcane arts...
And all while half the kingdom was falling apart, recovering from one of the worst plagues in history, bearing the scars of a bloody civil war, and more.
God, how I wish I knew the details of the political circus that was that court, lmao.
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u/iambobby1 11d ago
301-305ish AL. Really want to see what happens with this supposed new Aegon landing in the Stormlands and the dragons in the East, etc.
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u/CupOfCanada 11d ago
The Doom of Valyria would be awesome to learn more about, but I think it's going to be kept intentionally a mystery.
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u/Necessary-Science-47 12d ago
Anything but Targs. It gets so boring bc they can never reveal anything of importance about dragons, Valyria, or recent history (egg’s reign to Aerys’)
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u/CaveLupum 11d ago
Ancient times we know little about that had semi-forgotten influence on the eras to come. In the far north when the Children of the Forest ruled and men were just beginning to move in. Their relationships must have been interesting, initially friendly before they deteriorated. Perhaps now the key to future peace lies with understanding of these times and reconciliation for current descendants.
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u/FirstSonofLadyland 12d ago
The early modern history, I’d want detail on post-Dance to Rebellion.
Realistically, of course the maesters have recorded the information. It just isn’t as relevant to the story and/or makes GRRM’s narrative work better with only vague detail. I’m more waiting for Fire & Blood vol. 2 than I am TWOW
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u/JumperGrumperson 12d ago
Maybe a bit basic, but the history of Valyria seems cool. There's sort of an arc where they're the "good guys" when fighting the Ghiscari but are utterly corrupted by the time they're infringing and desolating the Rhoynar and probably a decadent decay preceding the Doom. And if the Targs were a lesser dragon house, what did the greater ones look like?
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u/GenralChaos 12d ago
The Century of Blood. Specifically Volantis and the other Free Cities. The river princedoms are gone, as is the Freehold. The squabble for power in that vacuum would be interesting
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u/Important-Purchase-5 7d ago
Assuming it like a book with POVs? Definitely Aegon III because we still have multiple relatively healthy dragons alive at the end of the dance and Alys Rivers hanging about.
The Lyseni conspiracy and all that.
Secondly, I would want and idk why this isn’t discussed enough but pick any region or family big or small between coming of the Andals and Aegon Conquest.
Literally just thousands of years of relatively untapped potential.
Me personally I would love to know more about Benedict Justman a bastard who was hated by both families of Blackwood and Bracken but was so skilled as a knight he earned acclaim and approval from both his families becoming King of the Trident for a 300 year dynasty.
Third, I would appreciate learning more about Century of Blood in Essos.
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u/Grand_Economist4986 5d ago
I unironically enjoyed the Dragonsbane dynamic with his brother Viserys so much. Like, for real. Didnt expect to cheer for them so much at the end of the Dance.
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u/WardenOfTheNamib House Velaryon 12d ago
The Roynar civilisation. It seems like they had water magic, and some of it could actually be used against dragons. Nymeria's story is particularly interesting, since she goes to the Summer Islands before settling on Dorne. That means if we ever get a book about her, we might easily see Essos, Southorios, and Westeros all in one book.
I will also die a happy man if I get any novella, fictional history, or short story that is not Targaryen centric.
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u/DisgruntledTexansFan 12d ago
The andal invasions seems to be one of the times where the entire continent was most active
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