The Education of Varys

When we think of explorers we think of the Sea Snake and Elissa Farman, who had an urge to discover. Or Nymeria and the Rhoynish refugees, who were forced into seeking new lands. Notably these names are all nobles. They had their own ships, their own crews, their own funding, and all the security and safety that brought with it. Our subject today is Lomas Longstrider, who explored farther and wider than any of the above individuals, without any of their advantages. But even more interesting than the character of Lomas are the locations he visited… or may have visited. In this episode we’ll discuss what he dubbed “Wonders Made by Man”. Bonus Eps & More - www.patreon.com/historyofwesteros Shirts & Stickers - historyofwesteros.threadless.com Nina: goodqueenaly.tumblr.com Sean's YouTube: bit.ly/3818H9X www.historyofwesteros.com

Throughout the series, a large number of characters have gone missing. Some have run off of their own accord, others perhaps seized against their will. Some we last saw in great danger while others, well, they’re not so easy to categorize. This episode is dedicated to those characters who have been on the pages but don’t have known locations, let alone fates. This includes a very wide variety of individuals large and small like Tyrek Lannister, Stonesnake, Tysha, Tanselle, and Benjen Stark. Bonus Eps & More - www.patreon.com/historyofwesteros Shirts & Stickers - historyofwesteros.threadless.com Nina: goodqueenaly.tumblr.com www.historyofwesteros.com

A thousand years ago, Karlon Stark put down a rebel lord and was rewarded with lands and a castle he named Karhold. The Karhold Starks became House Karstark, greatly benefiting Winterfell and the reverse to the Dreadfort. Over the centuries, the Starks and Karstarks would intermarry several times, renewing their ancient ties through marriage alliance. But the events of ASOIAF have seen great change, as Rickard Karstark went from staunch ally of King Robb Stark to the execution block. There’s now a rush to claim Karhold - his daughter Alys married Sigorn, son of the man who led the attack on Castle Black and they’ve got 200 Thenns backing them, but the lawful heir Harrion Karstark is still alive in the south and Arnolf Karstark has conspired with the Boltons to betray Stannis to claim the castle for his son Cregan. Bonus Eps & More - www.patreon.com/historyofwesteros Shirts & Stickers - historyofwesteros.threadless.com Nina: goodqueenaly.tumblr.com Sean's YouTube: bit.ly/3818H9X www.historyofwesteros.com

Once the closest thing to a town in the lands beyond The Wall, something terrible and mysterious befell Hardhome about 600 years ago. It has since become an overgrown ruin, shunned and considered accursed… Yet despite that, it is suddenly important again - as hordes of refugees flee there, following the dreams of a woods witch. As reports reach Jon of wights in the woods and waters, dreams reach Melisandre of an impossibly cold mist turning the Free Folk into skulls. What the heck happened all those years ago? And what the heck is happening there now? Could this be how the Others get their army? Head to factormeals.com/westeros50 and use code westeros50 to get 50% off. Bonus Eps & More - www.patreon.com/historyofwesteros Shirts & Stickers - historyofwesteros.threadless.com Nina: goodqueenaly.tumblr.com Sean's YouTube: bit.ly/3818H9X www.historyofwesteros.com

A twist, two trailers at once - we dive into them both, turn on video on Spotify to view the images. Many screenshots from both trailers will have their due! Rize: https://rize.io/u/westeros and use promo code WESTEROS for a 25% discount off your first three months! Bonus Eps & More - www.patreon.com/historyofwesteros Shirts & Stickers - historyofwesteros.threadless.com Sean's YouTube: bit.ly/3818H9X www.historyofwesteros.com

“How often do you think about the Roman Empire?” is a fun question that went viral in 2024, but in this episode we’re concerned more with how often GRRM thought about Rome (and not just the empire) when writing ASOIAF. We’ll also take a few minutes to talk about how HBO’s Rome was pivotal to the making of HBO’s GoT. Rize: https://rize.io/u/westeros and use promo code WESTEROS for a 25% discount off your first three months! Bonus Eps & More - www.patreon.com/historyofwesteros Shirts & Stickers - historyofwesteros.threadless.com Nina: goodqueenaly.tumblr.com Sean's YouTube: bit.ly/3818H9X www.historyofwesteros.com

A look at the early life of the man who became the most devious in the Seven Kingdoms. We’ll delve into his days on the street, learning to steal and survive, to the mummer’s troupe and being sold for a ritual that maimed him. When left to die, he vowed to live, and what a life it was for the Spider… From near death to Prince of Thieves and a lifelong partnership with a certain bravo named Illyrio Mopatis. Bonus Eps & More - www.patreon.com/historyofwesteros Shirts & Stickers - historyofwesteros.threadless.com Nina: goodqueenaly.tumblr.com Sean's YouTube: bit.ly/3818H9X www.historyofwesteros.com

The second half of Aziz's discussion with Alt Shift X. This portion includes spoilers for all Dune books and includes discussions on themes and parallels... and some major differences as well.

He’s an undead ranger and skinchanger with an elk and ravens… and a mission. He saves Sam & Gilly and leads them to the Black Gate at the Nightfort so they can bring Bran and friends to him on the other side… because he cannot pass. He leads them far to the north and on the way he kills turncloak rangers, makes cannibals of them all, and calls himself “your monster, Brandon Stark”. He helps them fight off wights at the cave mouth where the Last Greenseer resides, but does not follow… because he cannot pass. He’s Coldhands - but who is Coldhands? We might not know his identity, but his very existence tells us a lot about the Old Gods, the Others and the Children. Go to https://magicmind.com/westeros and get up to 56% off your subscription for the next 10 days with code WESTEROS20. Head to factormeals.com/westeros50 and use code westeros50 to get 50% off. Bonus Eps & More - www.patreon.com/historyofwesteros Shirts & Stickers - historyofwesteros.threadless.com Nina: goodqueenaly.tumblr.com www.historyofwesteros.com

DUNE is one of the most successful sci fi creations of all time, and GRRM is absolutely one of the many who was influenced by it. In this episode, Aziz and Alt Shift X discuss both authors, their styles and the many parallels to Dune found in ASOIAF. There are NO spoilers for Dune 2 the movie in this episode - but look out for part 2 of this episode, which WILL have spoilers. Bonus Eps & More - www.patreon.com/historyofwesteros Alt Shift X- www.patreon.com/AltShiftX Shirts & Stickers - historyofwesteros.threadless.com www.historyofwesteros.com