Road to Game of Thrones season 8: introduction to the history of Westeros

The eighth and final season of Game of Thrones is coming soon. The world of Westeros, in which most of the history takes place, is immense. And that's an understatement. This is not only the current scale, it is also its deep history dating back tens of thousands of years and involving multiple species and human races.

Here is a small overview of the history of Westeros to contextualize everything that has happened so far in the series.

It's really very brief, because a detailed story covers a hardcover book (called The World of Ice and Fire). Whatever it is, we go there.

In the misty days of the ancient Westeros, it was a huge wilderness area occupied by the oldest of the breeds – the children of the forest. Of course, they were not alone. There were animals and giants, but children were the dominant race. The children appeared in the Bran Bow in the series. It's one of them, Leaf, who sacrifices his life so that Bran and the others can escape White Walkers.

Children worshiped nature (the ancient gods that northerners like Starks were going to adopt) and knew magic. Then the first men came from the other side of the narrow sea with their swords and bronze armor and began to conquer the continent. The children fought back, but their weapons like the dragonglbad clbad and even their magic could not compete with metal weapons.

Now the story of the series and the books diverge. Nothing in the books suggests that children are responsible for creating the White Walkers, at least not yet. In the series, the children stabbed some of the first men and turned them into white walkers.

The war finally ended and the children and the first men learned to live side by side. First men, most of the northerners, such as Starks, Boltons, Umbers, and others, descended.

First men and children also repelled the first wave of White Walkers in what was called the dawn battle. The Dawn in his name was referring to the sunrise after a supposed long night on earth after the White Walkers invasion.

The wall was built by Brandon Stark (perhaps the first Stark) with the help of children, giants and others. It was the Age of Heroes.

The Andals invaded Essos. They were light-haired people from most southerners, like the Lannisters, who trace their ancestors. Another group came to Dorne, fleeing the persecution of the Valyrian Fortress. They were the Rhoynar. The current Dornishmen and Dornishwomen have both the Andal and Rhoynar genes.

About 300 years ago, Targaryens was limited to Dragonstone and had never ruled any kingdom in Westeros. Aegon Targaryen invades Westeros with his sisters Rhaenys and Visenya

All three had dragons, but Aegon had the largest: Balerion, the Black Dread (called in the show Balerion the Dread). Aegon quickly conquered Westeros, which was later divided into seven kingdoms (so called Seven Kingdoms, although they are no more than one). Conventional armies have no answer to give to fearsome fire-breathing reptiles

About fifteen years before the events of the series, Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark escape together. Rhaegar was the son of Aerys Targaryen, also known as Crazy King. Lyanna was Ned Stark's sister

Robert was supposed to marry Lyanna and thought she had been abducted. When Lord Rickard Stark, Ned Stark's father, and his older brother, Brandon Stark, went to King's Landing to demand the return of Lyanna, the mad king prepared them alive in their own armor.

as the war of the usurper. Robert and Ned fought and defeated the Targaryen and Robert was installed as king. After that, Ned went to the Tower of Joy to rescue Lyanna, whom he found dying in childbirth.

Ned brought the child, named Aegon Targaryen by Lyanna, home (Winterell), and declared that it was his bastard son named Jon Snow. . (The secret died with him until Brandon Stark and Samwell Tarly independently discovered the identity of the child.)

During Robert's reign, the Greyjoys rebelled – they are basically the Westeros Vikings, sturdy people who are never content to live in long peace. Of course, they lost. Theon Greyjoy, the son of Lord Balon Greyjoy, was held hostage at Winterfell by the Stark.

Back to Game of Thrones on April 14th. The show will air on Star World in India.