George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series is perhaps the most richly developed fantasy world in modern times. Though the HBO show ended in 2019, the book series is still a few seasons behind. The conclusion of both the war for the throne of Westeros and the war against the Others, is literally unwritten. Still, a great deal of information about the world and its many factions has been provided.
Perhaps one of the most important groups in the larger narrative is the fabled Night's Watch. But how long has this order existed and why are they so central to Martin's plot?
When Was the Night's Watch Created?
Legend has it that The Night's Watch was founded during the Age of Heroes, 8,000 years before Aegon Targaryen conquered the Seven Kingdoms. During The Long Night, when darkness covered the Known World, and a brutal generation-long winter pushed humanity to the brink, The Others and their undead armies came to kill and convert every living creature. At the time, Westeros was populated by the Children of The Forest (essentially Martin's Elves) and the First Men, the continent's Viking-like indigenous humans.
The Children of the Forest and the First Men failed to stop The Others' southward advance until the discovery that dragonglass could kill the malevolent ice wraiths. A militia of rugged survivors, armed with weapons made of dragonglass, drove the Others all the way back to Westeros' northernmost polar regions in the Lands of Always Winter. These nameless heroes were the first members of the Night's Watch. They would go on to found the order to ensure that, should The Others ever return, the living would be prepared.
With the help of the Giants and the Children of the Forest, Brandon the Builder, fabled ancestor of House Stark, built the Wall across the northern border of the Seven Kingdoms. The three hundred mile long, seven hundred foot tall barrier of stone and ice, enchanted with the Children's magic, was designed to wall off a subsequent invasion by the Others. The Night's Watch built and garrisoned nineteen castles along the Wall. The Watch's sentries devised a system for advance alert based on what they saw approaching the Wall - one horn blast for returning Night's Watch rangers, two for wildlings and Giants, and three for Others. Further, the men of the Night's Watch organized themselves into three orders: stewards, builders, and rangers.
Stewards deal with the less glorious, day-to-day business of running the Watch. They cook, clean, farm, and order needed supplies from the rest of the Seven Kingdoms. They also act as attendants to the higher ranking members of the Watch, such as the Lord Commander. Though stewards go through the same combat training as every other member of the Night's Watch, fighting is not a regular part of their duties. The highest ranking steward is known as the First Steward.
Like the stewards, Builders are trained in combat but quickly assigned other duties. Lead by the First Builder, Builders are primarily concerned with maintain the Wall and its fortifications. They are trained, whether before joining the Watch, or after, as masons, carpenters, miners, and general handymen.
The final and most famous order is the rangers. The rangers are the primary fighting force of the Night's Watch, specially trained to survive in the harsh lands north of the Wall. They patrol the haunted forest and ride out beyond the Wall to keep tabs on wildlings (the humans trapped north of the Wall when it was erected), Giants, and to listen for signs of Others. In keeping with the tradition of the other orders, the lead ranger is called the First Ranger.
Whatever their ultimate designation, all men of the Night's Watch take vows before their chosen gods upon initiation. They vow to take no wives, hold no property, and father no children so that they are discouraged from abandoning their post or interfering in the political affairs of the Seven Kingdoms. This was especially important in the early days before Aegon's Conquest as, back then, there really were seven distinct kingdoms. In an effort to keep the Night's Watch committed to its vital duty and prevent it from becoming just another army, the Night's Watch takes a policy of neutrality in all conflicts, concerning itself with the Wall alone. Any familial or political affiliation held by an initiate prior to joining the watch is immediately forfeit both socially and legally once he takes his vows.
Who Was the First Leader of The Night's Watch?
The leader of The Night's Watch is known as the Lord Commander. The Lord Commander serves a life term, and is chosen in a popular election by every current member of the Night's Watch. Occasionally, such as during a time of crisis, a high ranking member of the Watch may temporarily serve as acting Lord Commander following the true Lord Commander's death. But the Watch forbids any acting Lord Commander from serving too long and will ultimately force an election to maintain the integrity of the office.
As perhaps the only example of a democratically elected leader in the Seven Kingdoms, the office of Lord Commander is distinct from the lordships and thrones of the rest of the continent. This was yet another intentional measure enacted to prevent the Watch from becoming a political force that could upset the balance of power between the kingdoms or, more importantly, lose sight of their true purpose. It is unknown who first held the office as the names and deeds of the men of that era are often indistinguishable from that of myth and fable.
Why is The Night's Watch Still Necessary?
During the early days, men joined the Night's Watch out of a sense of duty. It was considered an honorable calling and every living soul in the Seven Kingdoms knew that, if not for the Watch, they would be dead or worse. With the passing of millennia, people many generations removed from the days of the Long Night, dismissed the stories of Others and undead wights as mere fairy tales. In time, the Watch's ranks shrank significantly, and the Seven Kingdoms lessened their contributions to the Watch's upkeep.
By the time of Game of Thrones, the Watch had become Westeros' Australia - a place to dump criminals and the politically undesirable. Both the throne and the many noble families of Westeros used the Watch's requirement that initiates abandon all titles as a way to remove dangerous or embarrassing nobles from the line of succession. A firstborn child who joined the Watch could no longer inherit his father's title and thus ceased to be a threat.
Many of the continent's convicted criminals, whether innocent or not, accepted a life sentence at the Wall in lieu of execution. In fact, some men, upon committing a crime or having reason to believe that they would be blamed for one, instinctively fled to the Wall. Membership in the Watch absolved a man of all crimes and not even the King could moVe against him. The price for this amnesty, and indeed the price for all membership in th Watch, was service for life. Deserters were summarily executed.
When the Others finally returned, eight thousand years after the Long Night, the Watch was woefully unprepared. Martin's book series has not yet ended and the official story of the war is unknown. The HBO series, allegedly taking direction from some of Martin's notes, shows Jon Snow lead an alliance of wildlings, brothers of the Night's Watch, and Northern Houses against the Others. Once they are defeated with the help of Daenerys Targaryen, Jon Snow, the then Lord Commander, is sent back to the Wall.
But with the Others defeated, what need is there for the Watch or the Wall? It stands to reason that the new ruling class would still need a place to put their political rivals. And though in the series the wildlings came to the aid of the Seven Kingdoms in the end, perhaps there is always a threat of future invasion. Perhaps fans, of the series at least, will find out when Max's upcoming Jon Snow spinoff series finally airs.