When it comes to Game of Thrones, there is a ton to know about the various families and lineages that exist across Westeros. It can often feel impossible to truly know where any one character or even their house hails from, thanks to all the marriages that are made to bolster power throughout the realms.
Luckily, there are huge groups of dedicated fans who take the time to trace the lineage of all these houses and groups of people, even if it’s hard to come by much of that information in the television series. There are a few groups of people with unique and somewhat ancient backgrounds, and one of the oldest in the world of Game of Thrones is the Rhoynar.
Who Were The Rhoynar?
Something that might surprise many Game of Thrones fans is that, for a long time, the Rhoynar were a peaceful riverside-dwelling people. They didn’t actually hail from Westeros originally either. Instead, they originally called the continent of Essos their home, though that wouldn’t last forever. As anyone familiar with the series will know, good things do not last long in the world of Game of Thrones.
When compared to other groups of people during the time of the Rhoynar, they can be said to have been fairly advanced people, something that likely helped them live in peace through rumored deals to teach other people various skills. The Rhoynar were a successful civilization as well. Rather than simply subsisting, the people were thriving and crafting numerous large cities with blooming religions.
The Rhonyar's level of advancement also led to a relatively equal society between men and women. Despite there being some level of political turmoil among cities, it’s likely that the equality present was enough to keep any one ruler from making too rash of a decision. It’s the background information of the Rhoynar that makes it clear why they would eventually meet a rather sad fate.
That sad fate that the Rhoynar ended up meeting was at the hands of the Valyrians, specifically the Valyrian Freehold. Being such advanced and accepting people, the Rhoynar had no issue with other peoples settling in nearby lands. However, that would prove to be their downfall, and they would soon be locked in a war with the Valyrians. This era was known for the Rhoynish Wars, but those wars soon came to a brutal end once the Valyrians brought dragons into the mix.
Despite a strong pushback against the Valyrians, a massive fleet of dragons would wipe out much of the Rhoynar, leaving Princess Nymeria to lead her people in retreat. Sadly, it was this retreat that forever pushed the Rhoynar out of their lands and forced them to find a new place to call home. Without being able to say a proper goodbye to their homes and all the people they lost to the Valyrians, the Rhoynar set out onto the sea in a fleet of massive ships with the hopes of something better on the other side of the sea.
Where Did The Rhoynar Immigrate to?
While there may have been plenty of lands willing to welcome a group of people as skilled and advanced as the Rhoynar, they eventually ended up in a land every Game of Thrones fan should know: Dorne. While the Rhoynar were a much smaller group of people than they were before, Princess Nymeria was able to make a tactical move to marry into the Martell family. From there, Nymeria and her new husband Mors Martell would be able to take full control over the relatively fractured land of Dorne.
While the Rhoynar people likely didn’t lead the greatest life when compared to what they had before the Valyrian invasion, they did get to live on. The unfortunate part of the Rhoynar moving into Dorne is that the culture did essentially die out and become much more diluted by people of other cultures.
Which Families Are Descended From The Rhoynar?
As the years went on, the Rhoynar more or less disappeared as a culture. The true Rhoynar may not exist, but there are other groups that are closely associated with them; chiefly, the Dornishmen and the Greenblood. The Dornishmen are a mixture of various cultures and people, though the Rhoynar descent is said to be the strongest closest to water, while the Greenblood are the truly closest group due to more selectivity among their people.
Due to the nature of how much the Rhoynar spread out across Dorne upon their arrival, it’s actually possible that many or even all the major families of the land are in some capacity descended from Rhoynish blood. The most blatant families that descend from the Rhoynar are the House Martell and the House Dane.
This lineage means that the fan-favorite, though short-lived, character of Oberyn Martell is a descendant of the proud and advanced Rhoynar people. Putting that character from the show in the context of all the information on the Rhoynar makes it seem like Oberyn was a true descendant thanks to his laid-back attitude, proud nature, and way of seeing everyone as equals. The sad thing is that, thanks to House Of The Dragon taking place only hundreds of years before Game of Thrones instead of thousands, there isn’t any chance of getting to experience what the Rhoynish culture would have been like.
Game of Thrones is available to stream on Max.