at the stronghold of Castle Black.
Of course, there are obvious disadvantages. Their job is to guard the imposing and immense fortification known as the Wall, which keeps out the wildings and a number of unspecified creatures that haunt their nightmares. Some believe their tales from childhood of things that go bump in the dark from Beyond the Wall, while some disregard them as nonsensical fairytales.
The latter opinion has become the norm when the series begins. The Night’s Watch is less honoured than before, with numbers dwindling, and new members that swear the oath not loyal soldiers but former prisoners and thieves faced with an ultimatum of being maimed or spending their lives guarding the Wall.
Those that swear the oath must live a life of celibacy, and can never desert their brothers. Punishment for deserting is death by beheading, as witnessed in one of the early scenes of the first episode.
There are three groups within the Watch: the Stewards, who look after the needs of the members of the Watch, the Builders, who maintain the stronghold and the Wall, and the Rangers, who patrol the dark forest.
The wall, which is a staggering 700ft high, separates the Seven Kingdoms from the North. Jeor Mormont is the Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch – a gruff but honourable man, who believes change is coming from the North and fears for the lives of his men. He is held in great esteem by his men, and is always accompanied by a raven. Mormont marched to war with Lord Stark during Robert’s Rebellion, before joining the Night’s Watch six years later, and rapidly moving through the ranks to become Lord Commander.
As Lord of Bear Island, Jeor marched to war under Lord Eddard Stark’s banner during Robert’s Rebellion. Concerned by the dwindling numbers, he used it to his advantage, dropping the regular patrols for a more random system so wildings could never guess when they would happen.
Mormont is played by veteran Scottish actor James Cosmo, who said of the series in 2011, ‘It’s pretty violent, and pretty sexy, with lots of political intrigue. They conjure up a wonderful world. It’s got a Lord of the Rings mythical quality to it, but there’s horror elements and zombies, and lots of swords and horses.’
One of the recruiters for the Wall is Yoren, a man who joined the order after killing his brother’s murderer with an axe. Yoren, played by former EastEnders actor Francis Magee, travels around the Seven Kingdoms, usually to castle jails, recruiting new members. During the first season, Tyrion Lannister takes a liking to Yoren, and they both head off to King’s Landing. Their journey together ends when Tyrion is captured by Catelyn Stark and men dedicated to the Starks, but Yoren flees to the Red Keep where he tells Ned Stark about his wife’s actions.
It’s Yoren who grabs Arya in the square following her father’s execution, and quickly cuts her hair and instructs her to pose as a boy to avoid detection from the Lannisters. He is killed by royal soldiers after refusing to surrender a recruit.
The greatest daily threat to the Night’s Watch are the wildings, or the Free Folk as they are known. Groups regularly cross over the Wall on raiding trips. They are seen as nothing but a nuisance by some, but are becoming an organised and deadly unit under the leadership of the former Night’s Watch member with the self-imposed tag of King-Beyond-the-Wall, Mance Rayder. The charismatic leader plots an invasion against the Seven Kingdoms to escape the threat from the Others. The Others are creatures that roam the sparse lands Beyond the Wall.
Kit Harington, who plays Jon Snow, a member of the Night’s Watch, said of the Watch to the Huffington Post , ‘In Jon’s head, he is very loyal to the Night’s Watch. To forsake his family, his brothers and sisters down South and after all that’s happened in the first season, his position now lies with the Night’s Watch. He has to be 100 per cent
Of course, there are obvious disadvantages. Their job is to guard the imposing and immense fortification known as the Wall, which keeps out the wildings and a number of unspecified creatures that haunt their nightmares. Some believe their tales from childhood of things that go bump in the dark from Beyond the Wall, while some disregard them as nonsensical fairytales.
The latter opinion has become the norm when the series begins. The Night’s Watch is less honoured than before, with numbers dwindling, and new members that swear the oath not loyal soldiers but former prisoners and thieves faced with an ultimatum of being maimed or spending their lives guarding the Wall.
Those that swear the oath must live a life of celibacy, and can never desert their brothers. Punishment for deserting is death by beheading, as witnessed in one of the early scenes of the first episode.
There are three groups within the Watch: the Stewards, who look after the needs of the members of the Watch, the Builders, who maintain the stronghold and the Wall, and the Rangers, who patrol the dark forest.
The wall, which is a staggering 700ft high, separates the Seven Kingdoms from the North. Jeor Mormont is the Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch – a gruff but honourable man, who believes change is coming from the North and fears for the lives of his men. He is held in great esteem by his men, and is always accompanied by a raven. Mormont marched to war with Lord Stark during Robert’s Rebellion, before joining the Night’s Watch six years later, and rapidly moving through the ranks to become Lord Commander.
As Lord of Bear Island, Jeor marched to war under Lord Eddard Stark’s banner during Robert’s Rebellion. Concerned by the dwindling numbers, he used it to his advantage, dropping the regular patrols for a more random system so wildings could never guess when they would happen.
Mormont is played by veteran Scottish actor James Cosmo, who said of the series in 2011, ‘It’s pretty violent, and pretty sexy, with lots of political intrigue. They conjure up a wonderful world. It’s got a Lord of the Rings mythical quality to it, but there’s horror elements and zombies, and lots of swords and horses.’
One of the recruiters for the Wall is Yoren, a man who joined the order after killing his brother’s murderer with an axe. Yoren, played by former EastEnders actor Francis Magee, travels around the Seven Kingdoms, usually to castle jails, recruiting new members. During the first season, Tyrion Lannister takes a liking to Yoren, and they both head off to King’s Landing. Their journey together ends when Tyrion is captured by Catelyn Stark and men dedicated to the Starks, but Yoren flees to the Red Keep where he tells Ned Stark about his wife’s actions.
It’s Yoren who grabs Arya in the square following her father’s execution, and quickly cuts her hair and instructs her to pose as a boy to avoid detection from the Lannisters. He is killed by royal soldiers after refusing to surrender a recruit.
The greatest daily threat to the Night’s Watch are the wildings, or the Free Folk as they are known. Groups regularly cross over the Wall on raiding trips. They are seen as nothing but a nuisance by some, but are becoming an organised and deadly unit under the leadership of the former Night’s Watch member with the self-imposed tag of King-Beyond-the-Wall, Mance Rayder. The charismatic leader plots an invasion against the Seven Kingdoms to escape the threat from the Others. The Others are creatures that roam the sparse lands Beyond the Wall.
Kit Harington, who plays Jon Snow, a member of the Night’s Watch, said of the Watch to the Huffington Post , ‘In Jon’s head, he is very loyal to the Night’s Watch. To forsake his family, his brothers and sisters down South and after all that’s happened in the first season, his position now lies with the Night’s Watch. He has to be 100 per cent
Similar Books
