As he steps into Harrenhal’s godswood, he encounters a bizarre, horned creature straight out of a Guillermo del Toro fantasy—a being whose hooves echo with a horse-like rhythm. This eerie figure hints at deeper mysteries in Westeros and the Dance of Dragons.
Westeros has a rich history beyond Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon. The continent was formerly home to the mysterious Children of the Forest, non-human creatures that worshiped weirwood trees and had supernatural skills like greensight—dreams that forecast future events—and the ability to converse with the dead.
Their peaceful existence was shattered by the arrival of the First Men, who crossed from Essos armed with bronze weapons. This led to a millennia-long conflict, which ended with the Children creating the Arm of Dorne to isolate Westeros.
Fast forward thousands of years, and the Andals invaded, sparking another battle. The Children and the First Men united against this new threat but ultimately retreated, with the Children disappearing from history. The Children of the Forest take Bran Stark (Isaac Hempstead Wright) to the Three-Eyed Raven in Game of Thrones. They also created the White Walkers to fight the Andals, but they ended up in a perpetual winter.
As House of the Dragon delves into these ancient mysteries, Daemon’s vision of the Green Men hints at deeper, unresolved threads in the Targaryen saga.
The Green Men Protect the Last Bastion of the Ancient Times in Westeros
In House of the Dragon, the mystique of the Green Men is gaining prominence, revealing their role as protectors of Westeros’ ancient magic. The First Men cut down weirwood trees because the Children of the Forest used them for spying during their long conflict. Eventually, these trees became pivotal in forging peace. The Children and the First Men met on the Isle of Faces, carving faces into the weirwood trees to let the gods witness their pact. The Children withdrew into the forests, leaving most of Westeros to the First Men, who vowed never to cut down another tree.
To safeguard the sacred weirwoods on the Isle of Faces, the Children created the enigmatic Green Men. Their true nature—whether human or something else entirely—remains shrouded in myth. In A Song of Ice and Fire, Old Nan tells Bran that the Green Men are horned beings with dark green skin who ride elks and still inhabit the Isle. They are also rumored to have protected the Children of the Forest during the Andal invasion.
The Green Men’s lore extends beyond myths. Jojen and Meera Reed’s Knight of the Laughing Tree story reveals their father, Howland Reed, visited the Isle of Faces before the Harrenhal tourney. The Green Men, with their ancient magic, may still influence the Dance of Dragons. Although human interference has diminished their reach, the Isle of Faces and the Gods Eye remain bastions of their lingering magic. As the saga unfolds, the Green Men’s connection to the ancient ways might just hold the key to pivotal events in the Targaryen conflict.
Watch House of the Dragon on HBO.
Follow Us: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Youtube | Google News