Artys Arryn, also known as the Winged Knight, is mentioned. He is deceased when the events of the series begin. He has only appeared in the Complete Guide to Westeros and Histories & Lore featurettes. He was a knight that participated in the Andal invasion of Westeros. He was the founder of House Arryn.
Biography
Background
The Winged Knight (left) duels the Griffin King (right)
According to legend, Ser Artys flew atop a giant falcon, landing on the topmost mountain of the Vale, and defeated the Griffin King, the last of the First Men Mountain Kings. Afterward, he took the Eyrie and became the first King of Mountain and Vale founding House Arryn. His descendants continued to rule the Vale as Kings until the Targaryen conquest, and then as Lords Paramount of the Vale in the name of the Iron Throne.[1][2]
In the books
In the A Song of Ice and Fire novels, Ser Artys is the hero of a thousand tales. Robert Arryn, the child lord of the Eyrie, is fond of Ser Artys' stories. In the The World of Ice and Fire book it is revealed that the historical Ser Artys Arryn has been conflated by singers with a previous legendary First Men figure known as the Winged Knight.
The historical Ser Artys was known as the Falcon Knight and was born on the Vale, at the shadow of the Giant's Lance, long after the first Andal invaders had landed and carved out petty kingdoms for themselves. After King Robar II Royce unified all the First Men houses and clans of the Vale under his ruler to strike against the divided Andal houses and petty kings, the Andals united under Ser Artys, who was of an age with King Robar II. He led the Andal army in the Battle of Seven Stars, taking part in its final stage. Artys led a force of over five hundred knights through a goat track on the Giant's Lance to take the already weakened First Men in the rear, leaving a decoy, who was slain by Robar, among the main fighting force. It is possible he slew Robar himself, though other figures also boasted the same. In any event, after the Andal victory, the First Men houses bent the knee to Ser Artys, who was declared King of Mountain and Vale.
Meanwhile, the Winged Knight was a legendary figure of the Age of Heroes - made a knight by singers and storytellers as knighthood was an Andal tradition - said to have flown upon a huge falcon and had armies of eagles at this command. He won the the Vale by slaying the Griffin King atop the Giant's Lance. He is said to have been friendly with giants and merlings. His wife, one of the children of the forest, died giving birth to his son. Maester Yandel speculates singers conflated the two figures to curry favor with the Arryn dynasty, giving rise to legends that Ser Artys was the Winged Knight who drove the First Men from the Vale and took the Eyrie, instead of its construction being carried out by descendants of Ser Artys ever since his grandson, Roland I Arryn, ordered it.
See also
References
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