Who Were First Men, Andals And Rhoynar In Westeros History?

Who are the First Men, Andals, and the Rhoynar who are claimed and sworn by every ruler of Iron Throne? What is their history in

By Mohit Srivastava
November 17,2022
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The call-out titles of the rulers of seven kingdoms are often superseded by the mention of ‘First Men’, ‘Andals’, and/or ‘Rhoynar’. They have also been prominently mentioned in the HBO shows like Game of Thrones (GOT) and House of the Dragon (HOTD). Who exactly are they and what is their significance in the history of Westeros and Essos according to George R. R. Martin’s A World of Ice and Fire? Let us dig in.

First Men

The First Men

First Men are one of the three ethnic groups (others being the Andals and the Rhoynar) from which the Westeros people are believed to be descended. They were the first inhabitants of the continent and still heavily influence the northern culture of Westeros. Some maesters believe that the First Men originated in the grasslands of Essos, now known as the Dothraki sea, between 8000-12000 BC. They spoke the Old Tongue (a harsh, clanging language), and practiced a runic writing system.

The First Men worshiped unspecified gods before they arrived in Westeros. The Sistermen of the Three Sisters believed that sacred storms were the result of the Lady of the Waves mating with the Lord of the Skies. Their worship ended with the coming of the Andals, who introduced the Faith of the Seven.  A war ensued between the First Men and the Children of the Forest until the war started favoring the First Men on account of their strength and comparatively advanced bronze weaponry. Afterward, a pact was signed and peace resumed, eventually leading to the First Men adopting the gods of the children as their own. It is believed that the First Men were the ones who constructed roads and practiced irrigation by cutting down forests. 

Andals

Andals

The Andals invaded Westeros at around 6000 BC. This led to the fall of the First Men and Children of the Forest. They brought with them the belief and practices of Fath of the Seven. The Andals were a tall and fair-haired people said to have originated in the Axe of northern Essos, while some say they came from south of the Silver Sea. Andals were believed to learn the use of iron from the Rhoynar of Rhoyne.

Maesters generally believe that the Andals fled because of the expanding Valyrian Freehold. Andals first landed in the Fingers and attacked the First Men of Vale. Thereby they proclaimed the triumph of the Seven (the new gods) over the old gods. The Andals used iron, while the First Men used bronze. The Andals also brought a superior writing system that supplanted the First Men’s runes. The Dothraki refer to Westeros as Rhaesh Andahli, the land of the Andals.

Rhoynar

Rhoynar

The Rhoynar is a culture of river-faring people who lived on the banks of river Rhoyne in Essos. The Rhoynar were slender people with smooth olive skin, black hair, and dark eyes. Their culture differed a lot from the Andals, as they granted the inheritance to the eldest child regardless of gender. They even supported homosexuality. They never called their rulers kings and queens, rather they were called Princes and Princesses. This is still practiced in Dorne. They used Iron weapons.

During the Vakyrian Freehold expansion, the Rhoynars went on a two and half century war with the Valyrians. Garin the Great, Prince of Chroyane, led two hundred and fifty thousand Rhoynar to their deaths in the battle. Nymeria, Princess of Ny Sar, led the surviving Rhoynar, mostly women and children, in fleeing Essos in ten thousand ships. Later, Valyrians destroyed the Rhoynish realm. Nymeria marries Dornish Lord – Mors Martell and the Rhoynars eventually intermingled with the Dornish people.