Magic in Westeros is not exclusive to the north though, and it has appeared again in several ways further south. The White Walkers are said to be powerful magic users, capable of forging weapons from pure ice, and raising the dead to serve as soldiers in their army. Indeed, magic seems to be the strongest in the northern regions of Westeros, with the reemergence of the White Walkers from the Land of Always Winter. To this day, Wargs and Greenseers are exclusively northern descendants of the First Men, such as the Starks and many Wildling tribes. Over the years though, they were somehow passed on to the First Men, possibly as a result of their close living proximity, their worship of the same gods, or perhaps even ancestral intermingling. Warging, the ability to enter the bodies of animals and take control of them, and Greensight, or prophetic dreams, are perhaps the most common magical traits in this region.īoth of these abilities were originally magical talents of the Children of the Forest, the original inhabitants of Westeros. That being said, there are many ways that magic has manifested itself in Westeros, especially after the Red Comet. Throughout the Seven Kingdoms, it is widely assumed that if magic ever existed (and there are many who believe it is just a myth), it has vanished from the world. It is occasionally studied by the Maesters of The Citadel, but it is said that only one in a hundred ever bother to stay with the subject long enough to earn a link for their chain (the Valyrian steel link in this case). The practice of magic, sometimes referred to as the "higher mysteries" in Westeros, is uncommon in this part of the world. It's unarguable though that magic is an extremely potent force again, and practitioners around the world are using it in many different ways.
Other practitioners of magic believe its return was caused by the reappearance of dragons themselves, just as magic left the world as they died out. In some Westerosi folkore, a red comet is a message from the gods signalling the dawn of a new age.
The cause of this resurgence of magical power is unknown, although some speculate it may have to do with the Red Comet, a celestial event that was visible around the world, from The Wall, to King's Landing, and even in the Dothraki Sea. No matter the cause though, magic did indeed seem to leave the world, and in the centuries that followed, the practices of Old Valyria began to slip into the realm of myth and legend.ĭuring the events of Game of Thrones, magic has begun to gradually seep back into the world, manifesting itself in a myriad of ways. Some attribute it to supernatural forces that may have caused the Doom itself, while others believe it was linked to the death of the dragons themselves. With the Doom came an end to the advanced magical practices of the day, although historians are unsure as to why. Perhaps most importantly, magical horns and other spells were used to tame Dragons, and the Valyrian dragonriders became the most feared military force in the world.Īll of that came to a sudden end though when the Doom of Valyria annihilated nearly the entire civilization after 5,000 years of dominance. And in certain, dark circles, some even experimented with human-animal hybrids. Incredibly elaborate structures were erected by masons who did not work the stone with their hands, but instead molded it with unnatural fire. Valyrian wizards created Dragonglass candles that could allow you to telepathically communicate with others thousands of miles away. Spell-forged steel was used to craft swords of unmatched quality, and those that have survived to the present day are immeasurably valuable.
In Old Valyria, it was commonly practiced, and woven into the very fabric of that culture. Many thousands of years before the events of Game of Thrones, magic was a truly powerful force in the world.
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