We now know what the (first?) Game of Thrones prequel show is going to be about: the Age of Heroes, a period in the distant past that has become legend by the time Jon Snow and Daenerys and Tyrion and the rest came along. So sayeth HBO: “From the horrifying secrets of Westeros’s history to the true origin of the white walkers, the mysteries of the East, to the Starks of legend … it’s not the story we think we know.”
But even though we have a general period, the Age of Heroes lasted for for a long time, although the exact span is unknown. It ended anywhere between 2000 and 10000 years before the events of Game of Thrones. In other words, it’s about as far back as the life of Jesus Christ on the one end and the conclusion of the last ice age on the other. Kind of puts things into perspective, doesn’t it?
So with all that time to work with, which stories is HBO going to tell if the pilot turns into a full series? Let’s run through several, and decide if they would be a good idea.
1. The arrival of the First Men
What it is: This isn’t actually part of the Age of Heroes, but rather the Dawn Age. The First Men are literally the first human beings to set foot in Westeros. Until that point, Westeros was populated exclusively by the Children of the Forest (and maybe the giants). We don’t know why the First Men came, or how fast, but they probably came from Essos by way of the not-yet-broken Arm of Dorne, marching under a king some call the First King and others Garth Greenhand.
Why it could be awesome: This could be great because we would get to see the Children’s civilization, if we can call it that, in its original state, undisturbed by humans. By the time we meet the Children on Game of Thrones, they’ve been depleted and living in caves for thousands of years. What was Westeros like when they were in full bloom, with weirwoods aplenty and creatures long extinct roaming the landscape?
Why it could be terrible: Who wants to see a primitive people slowly trickling into a new territory? There’s no action in that, no war, no backstabbing (that we know of). We are talking about a slow migratory process probably best summarized in a montage.
How likely we are to get it: 50% (but only as a brief flashback or introduction)
2. The War and the Pact
What it is: As humans tend to do, the First Men did not like the idea of living in the middle of a dense forest without proper houses and villages, so they started to fell trees, including the weirwood trees sacred to the Children of the Forest. Before you knew it, an interspecies war broke out.
That might not have been the whole story. Maybe there were too many humans too soon, and both races had to compete for resources. But either way, war ensued, the First Men fighting with bronze weapons and brute force and the Children with magic. The Children shattered the Arm of Dorne and subsequently flooded the Neck using something called the “Hammer of the Waters,” probably some kind of spell. The war ended with the Pact: the Children were granted the deep woods and the First Men got to run the rest of Westeros. The First Men agreed to no longer cut down any weirwood trees, and subsequently became followers of the Old Gods, their interpretation of the Children’s bond with the weirwoods.
Why it could be awesome: This is a proper war with strong fantastic elements, which has been what Game of Thrones does best over the last couple of seasons. We would also get a much deeper understanding of the Old Gods, or rather of the mysterious figures and events the First Men came to call by that name. And the Pact is one of the most important watershed moments in the history of Westeros.
Why it could be terrible: This could mean a lot of CGI warfare, which could look absurd on a larger scale. Another issue is that HBO has very little to base a show on. This conflict surely had leaders, but we don’t know any of their names or how and when and where they fought. It’d be a tall order of a show.
How likely we are to get it: 90% (Episode 1? Season 1? Only a flashback?)
3. Garth Greenhand and his offspring
What it is: Garth Greenhand, Garth the Green or Garth Greenhair was either the First King and High King of all of the First Men or just a leader of the First Men to whom history granted a lot of fancy titles. According to some stories, he even reached Westeros before the First Men. Depending on who you ask, he was a mortal man, a god demanding blood sacrifices, and a lot of things in between. He is supposed to have brought agriculture to Westeros and to have made the land bloom. Several of his children are known as the founders of prominent noble houses both extinct and extant, including House Gardener, House Oakheart, House Redwyne and House Hightower. Some even say his blood runs in the veins of the Starks of Winterfell.
Why it could be awesome: The life of Garth Greenhand, whatever his title, would be material enough for a show the length of Game of Thrones. There are a lot of named characters to work with who have at least some distant relation to people we’ve already met, which would make it easier to get invested. This could be a veritable family saga, an origin story for many of the Houses we know today, and some we don’t.
Why it could be terrible: Do we want all those open questions to be settled once and for all? Part of the appeal of these legends is that we get different accounts of what happened, and in contrast to the events from more recent history, we are probably not meant to be able to deduce the whole truth of it.
How likely we are to get it: 50% (if we don’t get a lot of this, there’s a good chance we won’t get any)
4. The creations of Bran the Builder
What it is: Bran the Builder is the legendary founder of House Stark. According to the legends surrounding Garth Greenhand, he is a descendant of Brandon of the Bloody Blade, one of Garth’s sons. Bran the Builder is best known for building the Wall and Winterfell. He might also have “helped” Durran Godsgrief build Storm’s End as a boy, whatever that means. He or his son, another Brandon, might also have built the Hightower, and he is supposed to have given the Night’s Watch a gift of land known as Brandon’s Gift. Guy kept busy.
Why it could be awesome: Bran the Builder is one of the most iconic characters from the Age of Heroes, and as such should feature in any story from that time. He’s connected to a lot of very important questions raised by Game of Thrones and A Song of Ice and Fire: Who built the Wall, and why? What secrets lie in Winterfell’s unplumbed depths? How did Storm’s End manage to withstand the attack of the gods? This series could separate the facts from the legend.
Why it could be terrible: Bran the Builder might not have been as awesome as legend tells us. There is speculation that his great deeds were not done by one Brandon Stark, but by a whole bunch of them over the generations. Or maybe our Bran Stark and Bran the Builder are actually the same person, thanks to time travel. Do we really want to go there? Time travel usually is an illogical mess.
How likely we are to get it: 98% (some of the things Bran the Builder supposedly built); 20% (Bran the Builder as an actual character)
5. Lann the Clever and Casterly Rock
What it is: Lann the Clever is the founder of House Lannister. He is best known for having swindled House Casterly, the original owners of Casterly Rock, out of their ancestral home. There are different version as to exactly how he did it and when. He is said to have lived to the ripe old age of 112 and had many sons and daughters.
Why it could be awesome: We would get to see a very different side of House Lannister, which up to now has been known for being rich, paying their debts and not taking kindly to being played for fools. What a change it would be to see a Lannister trickster fooling everyone with a perpetual smirk on his face, combining the best traits of Jaime and Tyrion without a dominating father spoiling all the fun.
Why it could be terrible: Upon closer examination, the story of Lann the Clever is probably too ridiculous to turn into epic, serious TV. One version has him stripping naked, buttering himself all over and slipping through a crack in the rocks to claim Casterly Rock from the inside. Another has him convincing Garth Greenhand that he is one of his sons to get parts of the inheritance. The stories are many and diverse, but all of them are pretty weird.
How likely we are to get it: 10%
6. Durran Godsgrief and his feud with the Gods
What it is: Another founder of a great house, Durran Godsgrief founded House Durrandon, from which all Baratheons except for Orys descend through the female line. He married Elenei, daughter of the gods, often depicted as a mermaid. Her parents, the god of the sea and the goddess of the wind, destroyed Durran’s keep during their wedding night along with everyone inside. Durran rebuilt the keep seven time,s according to the Faith, and the parents tore the castles down until his final castle, Storm’s End, withstood their attack.
Why it could be awesome: Storm’s End is one of my favorite mysteries, and probably my favorite castle of Westeros. And Durran is one of the characters from the Age of Heroes with the most distinguishable character traits; he is defiant and unrelenting. And in stark contrast to the likes of Lann the Clever, though, his struggle is as epic as can be.
Why it could be terrible: How exactly do you bring a battle against the gods to the TV screen? There is a serious risk of this looking unconvincing. Even if it didn’t, it would mean a departure from the style of Game of Thrones. While that show has dragons and White Walkers and the like, its world still works in accordance with the basic laws of nature, it has a realistic feel to it. This story could tear that to pieces.
How likely we are to get it: 20%
7. Nagga and the Grey King
What it is: The Grey King, the first king of the Ironborn, is not only seen as the ancestor of one great house, but of many, most importantly House Greyiron, House Greyjoy and House Hoare. The Grey King is said to have slain Nagga, the greatest of the sea dragons, and to have built his keep from Nagga’s body. During the time of Game of Thrones, only Nagga’s bones remain. He is said to have ruled for 1007 years, putting Lann the Clever’s age of 112 to shame.
Why it could be awesome: Hunting and finally slaying a huge sea dragon could be great on screen. This could be the Ice and Fire-version of Moby Dick. It would also be a chance to get to know more about those creatures. How similar are they to dragons? Are they really creatures of the Storm God? Does the Storm God even exist, or is there some reality behind Him like there is with the Old Gods?
Why it could be terrible: This story has little bearing on Westeros as a whole, and many people don’t like the Ironborn to begin with. The Grey King is as Ironborn as Ironborn gets. We must imagine him as the Old Way incarnate.
How likely we are to get it: 10%
8. Symeon Star-Eyes
What it is: Symeon Star-Eyes was a blind knight. Glass eyes seemed too pedestrian for him, so he put sapphires in his sockets, if the stories are to be believed. His weapon was a staff with a blade at both ends. Maybe something like a naginata with two blades?
Why it could be awesome: This could look cool as a fighting style. Maybe?
Why it could be terrible: No reason to sugarcoat this: this is so over the top it would be ridiculous. Or at least, everything we know about it over the top, and we don’t know much. Also, if Symeon Star-Eyes were to appear, he couldn’t be a knight, since knighthood is supposed to have been introduced by the Andals, who only come to Westeros after the Age of Heroes.
How likely we are to get it: 5%
9. Serwyn of the Mirror Shield slays Urrax
What it is: Even more so than Symeon Star-Eyes, Serwyn of the Mirror Shield is your typical heroic knight. He is the Age of Heroes Amadis de Gaula or Percival, if you will. He saved a princess from giants and slew the dragon Urrax by hiding behind his reflective shield so that the beast could only see itself. He is said to have been haunted by the ghosts of the knights he killed and to have served in the Kingsguard of a Gardener king.
Why it could be awesome: Dragons, giants, heroic feats…that’s certainly something you can turn into a TV show. Dragons are a major draw for new fans interested in Game of Thrones and its spinoffs, and Serwyn of the Mirror Shield seems to be the only figure of his time (in Westeros) known to have fought one, assuming you don’t count sea dragons.
Why it could be terrible: As with Symeon Star-Eyes, it makes little sense that Serwyn is supposed to have been a knight, much less a knight of a Kingsguard. His story also sounds too stereotypical, really; a knight in shining armor saving a damsel in distress and slaying the dragon. The only chance to pull this one off would be to give it a much grittier twist.
How likely we are to get it: 10%
10. The Long Night and the Battle for the Dawn
What it is: The Long Night is…a very long night, a winter that lasted a generation. The Others/White Walkers and their wights showed up, probably for the first time, and drove the First Men and the Children, who were unable to stand before them, southward. Finally, the Others were defeated by a force led by Azor Ahai or the Last Hero (or maybe they’re the same person — it’s unclear) using dragonglass and probably Valyrian steel and maybe a flaming sword called Lightbringer.
The effects of the Long Night were far-reaching, and felt even in distant parts of Essos.
Why it could be awesome: The Long Night is very similar to what we will probably get in season 8 of Game of Thrones. If we like that, we’ll probably like this. After seeing Azor Ahai reborn, why not go back to the original? This would also resolve a lot of mysteries that might still exist even after Game of Thrones is over.
Why it could be terrible: Could it be too much of the same old thing? It’s kind of like Game of Thrones season 8, only we’d have a better idea of how it will end. Surely even a juggernaut like Game of Thrones could run out of steam if it fails to reinvent itself.
How likely we are to get it: 98%
11. The Night’s King and his bride
What it is: Not to be confused with the Night King, the Night’s King was the thirteenth Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch, who might have been a Stark of Winterfell; another Brandon, if Old Nan is to believed. He fell in love with what was most likely a female Other/White Walker. He “gave his seed to her” and declared the both of them king and queen. They ruled from the Nightfort for 13 years, committing unspeakable atrocities. They were brought down by yet another Brandon Stark, called the Breaker and a King of Winter, and Joramun, King-beyond-the-Wall.
Why it could be awesome: This sounds like an awesome pair of villains, doesn’t it? It would give us a very different perspective on the White Walkers; they would no longer be eternally distant, but very, very close. It would include elements we’re already familiar with, but with a very interesting twist.
Why it could be terrible: It might not be compatible with the way the White Walkers are portrayed on Game of Thrones, or with the Night’s King. Would it be possible to tell this story without breaking continuity? We’ll probably have to wait for either season 8 or The Winds of Winter (or even A Dream of Spring) to be sure.
How likely we are to get it: 30% (this is one of the more recent events we know about from the Age of Heroes – the prequel show may well conclude before it gets to this point)
12. The Freehold of Valyria
What it is: Arguably the mightiest empire the world of Ice and Fire has ever seen, Valyria is the home of the dragonlords, a group of powerful families. The Targaryens were among them. It is likely but unconfirmed if all of these families rode and bred dragons. Valyria ruled over vast parts of Essos, including what would eventually become the Free Cities, and even small parts of Westeros like Dragonstone.
Why it could be awesome: This would be a great opportunity to have dragons in the show, which would bring in the viewers. Valyria might also provide something like a counterpart to the Others/White Walkers, representing the fire to their ice. The ultimate fate of the Others and the dragons may be linked; their origins could be, as well.
Why it could be terrible: Valyria may be something that works better if we only ever get brief glimpses of it. A city and an empire full of dragons and sorcery could be too much. More importantly, the more of Essos the show gives us, the more it threatens to become overextended and incoherent. The Age of Heroes is an era of Westerosi history, and there is little intercontinental contact during that time. And the glory days of Valyria hadn’t even begun at this point, anyway — at least, not if we can trust the histories available.
How likely we are to get it: 90% (but probably only insofar as it relates to the origins of the Others)
Next: Meet the Heroes from the Age of Heroes
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