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House Blackwood: Part 1 – The Time of the Tree

House Blackwood and its origins begin in the most ancient of times, when the Children of the Forest held sway, and there were fewer people, and Houses, but more Kings and Kingdoms. We explore their connection to these ancient mysteries, their great creepy weirwood and the various wars and politics that led to current times, where Blackwoods marry Starks, Targaryens and others. Find part 2 in this series here.

Blackwood’s solar was on the second floor of a cavernous timber keep. There was a fire burning in the hearth when they entered. The room was large and airy, with great beams of dark oak supporting the high ceiling. Woolen tapestries covered the walls, and a pair of wide latticework doors looked out upon the godswood. Through their thick, diamond-shaped panes of yellow glass Jaime glimpsed the gnarled limbs of the tree from which the castle took its name. It was a weirwood ancient and colossal, ten times the size of the one in the Stone Garden at Casterly Rock. This tree was bare and dead, though.

“The Brackens poisoned it,” said his host. “For a thousand years it has not shown a leaf. In another thousand it will have turned to stone, the maesters say. Weirwoods never rot.”

“And the ravens?” asked Jaime. “Where are they?”

“They come at dusk and roost all night. Hundreds of them. They cover the tree like black leaves, every limb and every branch. They have been coming for thousands of years. How or why, no man can say, yet the tree draws them every night.”

– Jaime I, ADWD

Images

  • Rhaelle Targaryen & Betha Blackwood by Poly-Hebdo
    poly-hebdo
  • Algernon Blackwood
  • House Blackwood sigil
  • Raventree Hall by Drafturgy
  • Raventree Hall by Elena Maria Vacas
  • Daella Targaryen by Poly-Hebdo
  • House Teague sigil by Lord Evermore
  • House Targaryen & House Blackwood by Abjiklam
  • Wolfswood & Winterfell
  • Size of Wolfswood
  • Path from Wolfswood to Blackwood Vale
    Path from Wolfswood to Blackwood Vale
  • Riverlands at the time
  • Blackwood Vale and Stone Hedge
    Stonehedge
  • High Heart
  • Crownlands
  • Fairmarket
https://youtu.be/P-g5Jewsy5o

Filed Under: Blog, Episodes Tagged With: a song of ice and fire, ancient history, andals, benedict justman, benedict rivers, blackwood, blackwood vale, children of the forest, first men, house blackwood, house bracken, house hoare, house justman, house stark, house targaryen, house teague, house tully, raventree hall, tristifer mudd, weirwood, wolfswood

Plots: Religion & Magic Part 2 – Weirwoods (spoilers)

Weirwoods

weirwoods gif

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08izO48s51I

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History of Westeros delves deep into Heart Trees & Weirwoods. As always, we discuss their history while poring over the details to learn as much as possible. We cover everything from tree dreams to blood sacrifice, the power of stumps, Bran’s visions, the cave of the Three Eyed Crow and an assortment of items made from weirwood… and quite a bit more. It’s such a huge topic we can’t even tease it all! Part 2 of our Weirwoods series is out now, view it here.

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I never knew that northmen made blood sacrifice to their heart trees.

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[column size=”1/1″ center=”yes”]A leaf drifted down from above, brushed his brow, and landed in the pool. It floated on the water, red, five-fingered, like a bloody hand.[/column]

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Filed Under: Episodes Tagged With: andal invasion, arya stark, audio, bloodraven, bran stark, bran's dreams, bran's visions, brandon the builder, brynden rivers, children of the forest, dreams, first men, ghost, godswood, heart tree, leaf, melisandre, skinchanger, the pact, theon greyjoy, three eyed crow, video, weirwood, winterfell

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