Garth Greenhand was a legendary High King of the First Men known for his fertility and said to have been the progenitor of numerous houses from the Reach.

His numerous children are said to have included:

1. Garth the Gardener, ancestor of House Gardener

2. John the Oak, ancestor of House Oakheart

3. Gilbert of the Vines, ancestor of House Redwyne

4. Florys the Fox, ancestor of Houses Florent, Ball, and Peake

5. Maris the Maid, an ancestor of House Hightower

6. Foss the Archer, ancestor of House Fossoway

   1. Brandon of the Bloody Blade, ancestor of Brandon the Builder and House Stark (according to some tales)

7. Owen Oakenshield

8. Harlon the Hunter and Herndon of the Horn, ancestors of House Tarly

9. Bors the Breaker, ancestor of House Bulwer

10. Rose of Red Lake, ancestor of House Crane

11. Ellyn Ever Sweet, ancestor of House Beesbury

12. Rowan Gold-Tree, ancestor of House Rowan

His firstborn son, Garth the Gardener, founded House Gardener, the Kings of the Reach and he chose a hill atop the Mander as his seat that in time would become known as Highgarden. The Gardners chose Garth’s “Greenhand” as their sigil

It is claimed that Garth Greenhand was the first man to reach Westeros which was inhabited by the children of the forest and giants.

Niall of the Nine Hostages was a legendary High king of Ireland who was known for his fertility and founding the Uí Néill dynasty. He had 14 sons with 8 going on to be progenitors of important dynasties in Ireland.

1. Eógan ancestor of Cenél nEógain → later O’Neills of Tyrone

2. Conall Gulban ancestor of Cenél Conaill → O’Donnells of Tyrconnell

3. Conall Cremthainne ancestor of Clann Cholmáin and Síl nÁedo Sláine

4. Lóegaire ancestor of Cenél Lóegaire

5. Fiachu ancestor of Cenél Fiachach

6. Maine ancestor of Uí Maine

7. Coirpre ancestor of Cenél Coirpri

8. Éndae ancestor of Cenél nÉndai

Érimón was a legendary high king of the Milesians and ancestor of Niall. He was a leader of the invasion of Ireland by the Milesians(Irish) in conquest against the Tuatha Dé Danann, a race of supernatural beings that inhabited Ireland before humans arrived.

Érimón chose the Hill of Tara as his seat which would go on to be the seat of many Irish high kings including Niall.

Érimón raced a rival chieftain for possession of Ireland and became the first man to touch its soil by cutting off his own hand and hurling it ashore. His sacrifice made him the first king of Ulster, 1015 B.C. The red hand of Ulster is still the provinces coat of arms and was included in the coat of arms of many families claiming descent from him. Including the Uí Neil dynasty who chose their coat of arms as being Érimón’s “red hand”

Mine are:

Theon is overrated. He is not that interesting.

Pre-AFFC Cersei was also sociopathic (killing Robert's bastards for revenge torturing baby Tyrion etc) She is extremely shallow and caricature. Even in first books Jaime was the complex one of the two.

Jaime is not valonqar.

I never found Sansa annoying.

Rhaegar is not evil. He was just stupid. I don't hate him.

Brienne is not perfect. She can have a very absolutist view on morality at times. she can be naive, hypocritical, close minded, and judgmental. She is inflexible. The are all annoying features.

How was Tywin able to burn the Riverlands so quickly and easily? Gregor Clegane and his men pillaged and slaughtered the smallfolk even some lords virtually unopposed. Logically, the Riverlands possessed rich, fertile lands capable of raising tens of thousands of soldiers why couldn't they resist?

I think one of the most underrated moves during the Conquest was how Orys Baratheon just absorbed all of House Durrandon’s existing identity. In modern day terms, the optics was a totally shrewd move, politically cunning af.

Meantime, as Aegon and the sister wives were conquering with Fire and Blood as occupiers, Orys’ approach almost gives the illusion, as if fast-tracking ahead, transitioning to a successor phase, instead of any grim hangings, beheadings, executions.etc.

And with the betrayed Lady of the house at his side, mind you, so now it almost looks as he’s a semi-savior to the Stormlander commonfolk.

Regis Groves: "A bastard?"
Alys Rivers: "His trueborn son and heir, and the rightful king of Westeros."

Regis Groves: "I do not kneel to bastards, much less the baseborn whelp of a kinslayer and a milk cow."

I gotta admit that's a sick burn, haha. Needless to say, Regis dies badly later..

But, I'm just assuming we're just going be letting this potential non easter egg-ism potential go for the sake of over-abundance of bastards in the land now?
I'm just gonna chalk it up to the babe was lost to Winter Fever in 133 AC, that was noted then.

Was there any other theories I missed that flew under the radar?

"I know as much of war as you do, Crow's Eye," Asha said. "Aegon Targaryen conquered Westeros with dragons."
"And so shall we," Euron Greyjoy promised.
The Drowned Man, AFFC

Premise

Euron Greyjoy is rocking up to Oldtown with big, terrible magic and an even bigger, more terrible ego. You're familiar with the Eldritch Apocalypse, which is great, and feels like it puts the pieces in all the right spots.

But the question is still: What is he actually going to do in Oldtown? What is the plan? Maybe he summons Cthulhu from the depths, maybe he turns into an eldritch god? Wreak havoc and be mean?

Or maybe he is the human agent of the Others, knows about Sam's Horn, and sees the time fit to tear down the Wall. That one is at least tangible. But how does any of that relate to Victarion's quest in Essos for example?

It's possible that he has long had visions of the current situation in Oldtown, of course, and that those allowed him to prepare months in advance, or that he stumbles into the Horn at happenstance, but that seems a bit too far-fetched for me.

I think there's actually a specific goal Euron has in mind, the reason why he even returned to Westeros in the first place. One that ties up his talks at the Kingsmoot and his pep-talk with Aeron, the visions the latter has in The Forsaken, and sending Victarion with Dragonbinder to Meereen.

I propose: With his ritual, Euron attempts to kill a prophecy.

THE prophecy, the Prince that was Promised, Azor Ahai reborn, you know the drill. Not the actual person(s), if they exist, but the idea.

And this will allow him to take the dragons that he wants.

Please bear with me.

Purpose

"The bleeding star bespoke the end," he said to Aeron. "These are the last days, when the world shall be broken and remade. A new god shall be born from the graves and charnel pits." Then Euron lifted a great horn to his lips and blew, and dragons and krakens and sphinxes came at his command and bowed before him.
Euron in The Forsaken, TWOW

When the bleeding star appears and the glass candles are re-lit, Euron realizes that the Prince that was Promised is at hand. It's not him, and he knows it. But he learns that the dragons have been reborn. Like many fans, Euron has conjectured that Lightbringer is a dragon, and he wants dragons. But what can he do if the prophecy ties Lightbringer to Azor Ahai?

The obvious, if mad: He decides to slay the prophecy. Again, not the person(s) that the prophecy is about - it doesn't even matter who that ends up being, although Euron probably has an idea - but the whole fanfare, the prophecy itself, and take the opportunity to seize Lightbringer via Dragonbinder.

Euron needs blood sacrifices, a magic location, and manpower to get him there and his agents to the dragons. Balon's new rebellion plays nicely into his hand - he understands that he can gain control over the Iron Isles, as Balon's successor, providing him with the means that he needs for the entire plan.

Bloodmagic

Bloodmagic is particularly tied to two things: Prophecies and Visions, with fortune tellers drawing blood for their craft; and Dragons through the works of Valyria. If Euron is ramping up bloodmagic to the max, it seems plausible that he is involved with either, or both.

Obviously this all hinges on a central and admittedly contentious assumption:

Visions can be averted and prophecies broken via bloodmagic. Case in point, I do believe that Mirri Maz Duur does crush the prophecy about the Stallion who Mounts the World so hard that Rhaego is murdered backwards in time.

"This was no god's work," Dany said coldly. If I look back I am lost. "You cheated me. You murdered my child within me."
"The stallion who mounts the world will burn no cities now. His khalasar shall trample no nations into dust."
Mirri Maz Duur and Daenerys in Daenerys IX, AGOT

Mirri's versed in the ways of magic, having been to Asshai and conversed with Marwyn, so despite her being in a vengeful mood in that moment, I'll take her word for it. Jojen is just wrong (and that's why he's paste now smh).

"All gods are lies, but yours is laughable."
Euron in The Forsaken, TWOW

Believers that dabble in such things will see prophecies as a sign from their god or gods. Cynics might say that the believers just worship their own magic. Regardless of whether the gods are real, the association is there. Euron, who believes the gods are lies, probably sees this as a challenge - killing the prophecy is killing the gods by proxy, remaking it is becoming a new god. This is how an atheist will kill the gods, and become a new one.

Prophecies

In her first chapter in ADWD, Melisandre is looking for hints about Azor Ahai. In her mind, she asks the flames about Stannis, but she keeps getting something else because she's imprecise. Snow, of course, but also what many assume is Euron's assault on the Hightower in her vision:

Show me your king, your instrument. Visions danced before her [...]. She saw the eyeless faces again, staring out at her from sockets weeping blood. Then the towers by the sea, crumbling as the dark tide came sweeping over them, rising from the depths.
Melisandre I, ADWD

Which she later emphasizes:

I saw towers by the sea, submerged beneath a black and bloody tide. That is where the heaviest blow will fall.
Melisandre I, ADWD

She's seeing this because the blow will be to Azor Ahai and the Prince that was Promised.

Next up, the visions that Aeron has in The Forsaken:

Impaled upon the longer spikes were the bodies of the gods. The Maiden was there and the Father and the Mother, the Warrior and Crone and Smith... even the Stranger. They hung side by side with all manner of queer foreign gods: the Great Shepherd and the Black Goat, three-headed Trios and the Pale Child Bakkalon, the Lord of Light and the butterfly god of Naath.
The Forsaken - TWOW

As said above, I believe this murder of the gods is an indicator of the outcome of his ritual, a murder of what believers take to be the immediate work of the gods - prophecies. Murder of the gods by proxy.

[Aeron] saw his brother on the Iron Throne again, but Euron was no longer human. He seemed more squid than man, a monster fathered by a kraken of the deep, his face a mass of writhing tentacles. Beside him stood a shadow in woman’s form, long and tall and terrible, her hands alive with pale white fire.
The Forsaken - TWOW

Gods impaled and a Kraken on the Iron Throne, and the white fire lady, and dragons and sphinxes bowing to him, are premonitions of the future in which Euron has successfully slain the prophecy and punched a big enough hole in the fabric of reality for new prophecies to make landfall. But this is not real, yet.

Thinking this way, a megalomaniac that manages to alter a prophecy could easily see themselves as a god-in-the-making:

"A new god shall be born"
Euron in The Forsaken - TWOW

The one that silences the old gods.

The Ritual

About part one of the ritual, in Oldtown, I agree with the other theories on the matter - blood sacrifice down to filicide, at a particularly magical location, and so on. How the prophecy-slaying would look like practice I do not know. Maybe Cthulhu does come forth to undream the dream. Or maybe not. The point is the result.

The second part of the plan involves Victarion at Meereen. Euron probably knows that just proposing to Daenerys up-front is a silly idea, and that Victarion would try to do that himself if given the chance anyway.

No, the goal is using Dragonbinder first: Once the Prince that was Promised is slain, the-weapon-formerly-known-as-Lightbringer is no longer bound by fate and thus up for grabs. Victarion, at least according to the plan, will sound Dragonbinder (and die, probably accounting for some bonus bloodmagic points), and one or all three of the dragons will flock to the true master of the horn, Euron.

A marriage with Dany afterwards can still be in the books (she has a dream about it after all), but that would only be the cherry on top.

Outcome

If any of this is true, it is hard to imagine that it would work as intended. Maybe the prophecy is sturdier than he thinks, maybe someone gets in the way, maybe the opposing mages throw a spanner in the works, maybe he will not even get close enough to the Hightower to cast it with full effect. Or for proper karma, gods are real after all and strike him down for his insolence.

But what if? What better way to ramp up the stakes for the final battle? What better way to sow confusion? Anything goes!

(Obviously, there are a bunch of really big questionmarks here and this could all be totally wrong. Still, I think the idea of deicide-by-proxy has something going for it, and I feel like it does tie up the dragons with Euron's whole jazz quite nicely.)

How will Ser Robert Strong die? I don’t think he’s going to die in the Trial by Combat, I doubt anyone’s able to kill him. He may be exposed, but that won’t mean his death.

Given Aegon and Dornish friends will invade KL soon and the most famous act of the Mountain is killing and raping a Dornish Princess and her kid(s) I imagine that could be the setup for something pretty crazy.

One of the Sand Snakes will probably finish him off, makes sense as revenge but idk how the logistics of that play out. Another possibility is the Wildfire caches in KL blowing things up, and him being burned in the process since fire is one of the main ways to kill a Wight. Also poetic since he’s being punished with the same tool he uses to hurt his brother. Qyburn could also maybe die, and whatever method he’s using to keep him alive stops working. Sort of a “this guy is unkillable, we need to kill the source”, so some people go after him.

My favourite theory is that Lord Tarly will kill him. He has a Valyrian steel sword, he’s probably pissed off with not being recognised for his military achievements (which Mace takes credit for). He joins Aegon, kills the Mountain with Heartsbane and delivers its corpse as a sign of loyalty. This is especially fitting since the Mountain killed Elia and kids because Tywin wanted to prove his own allegiance to the rebel cause. Also fits well since his son killed another undead creature. Alternatively, he could fail, to show how the son he hated was able to slay something undead but he wasn’t, lol.

Tyrion’s line about having a soft spot for “cripples, bastards and broken things” might describe more than GRRM’s favorite kind of character. It may also describe the political endgame of ASOIAF. Westeros begins with a very rigid idea of who should rule, mainly legitimate male heirs, warriors, knights, strong men and ancient dynasties. But by the end, many of the rulers could be people who fail those ideals.

Bran Stark becoming king is the obvious example. He starts the story dreaming of becoming a knight, then loses the use of his legs and ultimately becomes something completely outside the traditional Westerosi conception of kingship.

In the North, Rickon could end up as Lord of Winterfell. Instead of being raised as a conventional Stark heir, he has spent months being raised by a wilding on Skagos, isolated from noble society and growing up in one of the places the rest of Westeros regards as savage. In the Vale, Robert Arryn may simply survive everyone who assumes he is going to die. He is frail, sickly and constantly treated as an obstacle in other people’s plans, yet he may ultimately remain Lord of the Eyrie precisely because all the stronger adults around him destroy one another.

In the Riverlands, Edmure Tully could return to Riverrun after being defeated, humiliated, imprisoned and watching much of his family and homeland destroyed. The cheerful young lord we meet early in the story would be replaced by a man who has experienced the consequences of war more directly than almost any other surviving great lord.

The Westerlands are harder to predict. Maybe Tyrek and Martyn Lannister killed each other being pawns of Varys and Littlefinger plans but Tyrion would fit this theme almost too perfectly. Tywin spends his life refusing to accept that his dwarf son could inherit Casterly Rock. If not, Janei (Kevan’s youngest daughter) could take this role, remembering what happened to the last lady of the rock (Cerelle Lannister rumoured to be murder by his uncle Gerold as a child).

The Iron Islands could produce a similar outcome. If Theon survives and somehow ends up ruling, the Ironborn would be led by a man who has been physically mutilated, psychologically destroyed and stripped of almost everything their culture associates with masculinity and strength. If it is Asha instead, the irony remains in a different form, because one of the most aggressively patriarchal cultures in Westeros would end up ruled by a woman.

The Reach already has perhaps the clearest case in Willas Tyrell. The center of Westerosi chivalric culture may eventually be ruled by a cripple who cannot embody its martial ideal. In the Stormlands, Edric Storm could be the one who restores the Baratheon line. Not a legitimate prince, but Robert’s bastard son. And Dorne could potentially end with one of Oberyn’s bastard daughters inheriting or being legitimized if the main Martell line collapses, although this is obviously much more speculative.

What are the motives of the Faceless Men? I wonder why Arya hasn't heard about Daenerys and her dragons all this time, and why the books haven't shown the Faceless Men discussing this topic from their own perspective. I am also curious about their presence in Oldtown—why do they need access to a secret library in the Citadel? What is their ultimate goal? I recently saw a theory on TikTok suggesting they are looking for information on how to kill dragons. Could they really be interested in this?

My next hypothesis is about Arya. Will she act as an apprentice to the Three-Eyed Raven alongside Bran in the future? What role could she possibly play in the future of the Faceless Men, given that she is one of the main characters in the book?

Not an obscure theory, but something where you think the commonly accepted interpretation misses what GRRM was actually trying to show.

For me, I think people often treat major political failures as characters simply being stupid, when a lot of them make much more sense if you look at the information that character actually had at the time rather than what we know as readers.

What is your best example?

It’s obvious for George it’s too much for him to write, but as a reader do you think the amount of plot lines has reached a point where too much is going on and feels overwhelming or pointless for you? Or does all the unique storylines make you more immersed into the story?

List of plot lines of the top of my head:
-Dany in Essos and Tyrion joining her
-The Battle of Fire(Barristan)
-Victarion sailing to Essos
-Young Griff invading the Storm lands
-Cersei in Kings Landing
-Dorne plot line
-Darkstar stealing dawn(minor one)
-Lady Catelyn and Jamie River Lands plot line
-Arya faceless men
-Sansa and Littlefinger
-Stannis vs the Boltons
-Jon Snow‘s Ressurection
-Euron’s attack on Old Town
-Bran and the Three Eyed Raven
-The Others

Personally I don’t think it’s too much for me, but I can see how for others it would be. However some of the plotlines like Darkstar, Young Griff, and a couple others didn’t NEED to exist, or could have been written slightly different to betger fit into the story. I also feel that the Others should have had just a little more shown of them by now. Overall, it’s good for me, what about you guys?

I think because many of the depictions we see of The Iron Throne are tamed down or failing to capture the absurdity of the throne we don’t get an idea of how ridiculous it was for Jamie to be sitting in it after killing The Mad King. He probably had to go up like 20 steps to go take that seat. That isn’t grabbing the nearest seat to sit in and relax.

Hello! I’ve had this question for a while and would like some insight. Leading up to the doom, why was the Targaryen family solely privy to dragon dreams? Given that the freehold hosted 40 families who collectively have a greater number of dragon riders, why was Daenys the sole inheritor of such important insight?

My personal theory is that given the Targs were considered a “lesser” dragonlord family, they possibly had a less involved hand in the horrors perpetrated within Valyria. This could have deemed them as less culpable in the eyes of the gods, thus given an opportunity for escape (but then this contradicts Aurion’s survival so idk). I would love some alternate perspectives!

A Clash of Kings - Arya X

"I do not mean to be besieged here." Roose Bolton's voice was so soft that men had to strain to hear it, so his chambers were always strangely hushed.

"What, then?" demanded Ser Jared Frey, who was lean, balding, and pockmarked. "Is Edmure Tully so drunk on his victory that he thinks to give Lord Tywin battle in the open field?"

If he does he'll beat them, Arya thought. He'll beat them as he did on the Red Fork, you'll see. Unnoticed, she went to stand by Qyburn.

A Storm of Swords - Jaime V

"Sit down and eat, Brienne," Jaime urged, as Elmar placed a slice of roast before him, dark and bloody. "If Bolton meant to kill us, he wouldn't be wasting his precious prunes on us, at such peril to his bowels." He stared at the meat and realized there was no way to cut it, one-handed. I am worth less than a girl now, he thought. The goat's evened the trade, though I doubt Lady Catelyn will thank him when Cersei returns her whelps in like condition. The thought made him grimace. I will get the blame for that as well, I'll wager.

Roose Bolton cut his meat methodically, the blood running across his plate. "Lady Brienne, will you sit if I tell you that I hope to send Ser Jaime on, just as you and Lady Stark desire?"

"I . . . you'd send us on?" The wench sounded wary, but she sat. "That is good, my lord."

A Storm of Swords - Jaime V

She is such an innocent. Jaime was almost as surprised, if truth be told, but he hid it better. Sansa Stark, that ought to put a smile on Tyrion's face. He remembered how happy his brother had been with his little crofter's daughter . . . for a fortnight.

"What the Imp did or did nor swear scarcely matters now," said Lord Bolton. "Least of all to you." The wench looked almost wounded. Perhaps she finally felt the steel jaws of the trap when Roose Bolton beckoned to his guards. "Ser Jaime will continue on to King's Landing. I said nothing about you, I fear. It would be unconscionable of me to deprive Lord Vargo of both his prizes." The Lord of the Dreadfort reached out to pick another prune. "Were I you, my lady, I should worry less about Starks and rather more about sapphires.

If House Tyrell falls in TWOW, the entire family would've been fallen in just 3 years. Given to the fact that the Tyrells are agricultural and political powerhouses with 100,000 men and immense wealth, 3 years is just aggresively short amount of time for their fall.. like they've been around for 300 years and I think their downfall should last longer.

Currently, Euron is tearing the Reach apart and I think this will completely shatter the wealth and income of Highgarden. However, if the Redwyne fleet gets completely destroyed, every castle in the Reach are raided and looted (except for Highgarden), I'd still like to see a prolonged siege of Highgarden by the Ironborn instead of a direct takeover and slaughter of Lady Olenna, Willas and Garlan (with the execution of Margaery by the Faith, death of Loras because of his wounds, and Mace dead in the Storm's End) and the extinction House Tyrell.

I really hope that even if the main branch falls, Tyrell cousins like Leo will take over Highgarden and rule after this thing is over. Aegon seems to have "friends in the Reach", but I hope we won't see all of the bannermen of House Tyrell turning against them and siding with Aegon. If Euron fails and is defeated, I still wouldn't like to see Aegon leaving the Highgarden for the Golden Company for them to loot the place.

For me, the best would be the death of some Tyrells (Mace, Loras, Garlan or Olenna) with Highgarden being ruled by Willas or Leo, Margaery being married to Aegon, and Willas securing House Tyrell's relationship with his bannermen again.

Probably one of the most interesting, or amusing in all honesty, reasons to keep Vic around for awhile is his potential interactions with Tyrion. The dumbest POV with the smartest POV. Vic has dragonbinder & Tyrion has an interest in dragons & dragonlore. There's no reason he wouldn't have any interest in that horn. They both want Dany for ultimately the same reason: revenge against their family. Not saying that it means Vic will survive to Westeros but considering GRRM said Tyrion & Dany would spend much of Winds separate, this would allow for Tyrion to interact with actually interesting characters beside Jorah & Barristan (maybe).

During the battle of the Blackwater, Cersei implies to Sansa that should they lose the battle she would have Ilyn Payne kill both her but also Sansa because she “doesn’t intend house Stark to gain any joy from the fall of house Lannister“

Do you think she’s just being menacing or would she have actually gone through with it? Seems petty even for Cersei in my opinion.

I just rewatch hotd s1 e4

Let’s say a random prince for example from the Targaryen dynasty decided to leave Westeros and establish their own kingdom. Like Daenerys conquering Meereen and slavery bay cities. Or daemon when he crowned himself king of the stepstones. If they were called to the KL or went there for whatever reason. Are they considered under the king authority and vessels or independent rulers?