Difference between revisions of "Black stone"

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A '''black stone''' of unknown origin has been used in the construction of several structures throughout the [[known world]]. Some of it is described as oily or greasy, in contrast to the similar but "drier" constructions of [[Valyria]]n [[Dragonstone (material)|dragonstone]].{{ref|TWOIAF}}
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A '''black stone''' of unknown origin has been used in the construction of several structures throughout the [[known world]]. Some of it is described as oily{{ref|TWOIAF|The Iron Islands}}{{ref|TWOIAF|Beyond the Free Cities: Sothoryos}} or greasy,{{ref|TWOIAF|Beyond the Free Cities: The Basilisk Isles}}{{ref|TWOIAF|The Bones and Beyond: Asshai-by-the-Shadow}} in contrast to the fused [[Dragonstone (material)|dragonstone]] of the [[Valyrian Freehold]].{{ref|ADWD|5}} Separately, black [[basalt]] has been used as another construction material,{{ref|AGOT|55}} and [[Harrenhal]] has walls{{ref|TWOIAF|The Reign of the Dragons: The Conquest}} and melted towers{{ref|ACOK|30}}{{ref|AFFC|27}} of an unspecified black stone.
  
 
==Oily black stone==
 
==Oily black stone==
 
 
===Seastone Chair===
 
===Seastone Chair===
According to the [[ironborn]], the [[Seastone Chair]] was found on the shore of [[Old Wyk]] and had been carved from a block of oily black stone.{{ref|ACOK|26}} Its creators are unknown; Maester [[Kirth]] suggests it was left by visitors from across the [[Sunset Sea]].{{ref|TWOIAF| The Dawn Age}} The [[drowned men]] claim the ironborn are not descended from the [[First Men]] but instead came from the watery halls of the [[Drowned God]] beneath the sea. [[Maesters]] reject this suggestion that the ironborn are closer to fish or [[merling]]s.{{ref|TWOIAF| The Iron Islands}}
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According to the [[ironborn]], the [[Seastone Chair]] was found on the shore of [[Old Wyk]] and had been carved from a block of oily black stone.{{ref|ACOK|26}} Its creators are unknown; Maester [[Kirth]] suggests it was left by visitors from across the [[Sunset Sea]].{{ref|TWOIAF|Ancient History: The Dawn Age}} The priests of the Iron Islands claim the ironborn are not descended from the [[First Men]] but instead came from the watery halls of the [[Drowned God]] beneath the sea. [[Maesters]] reject this suggestion that the ironborn are closer to fish or [[merling]]s.{{ref|TWOIAF|The Iron Islands}}
  
 
===Isle of Toads===
 
===Isle of Toads===
The [[Isle of Toads]], one of the [[Basilisk Isles]], contains the [[Toad Stone]], a large statue of a toad made of a greasy black stone. It is said the people of the island are reminiscent of fish and have webbed appendages.{{ref|TWOIAF| The Basilisk Isles}}
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The [[Isle of Toads]], one of the [[Basilisk Isles]], is home to the [[Toad Stone]], a large statue of a toad made of a greasy black stone. It is said the people of the island are reminiscent of fish and have webbed appendages.{{ref|TWOIAF|Beyond the Free Cities: The Basilisk Isles}}
  
 
===Yeen===
 
===Yeen===
[[Yeen]], an ancient ruined city in [[Sothoryos]], is made out of massive blocks of oily black stone. Despite being surrounded by jungle and  having been empty for thousands of years, no plant creeps into Yeen.{{ref|TWOIAF| Sothoryos}}
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[[Yeen]], an ancient ruined city in [[Sothoryos]], is made out of massive blocks of oily black stone. Despite being surrounded by jungle and  having been empty for thousands of years, no plant creeps into Yeen.{{ref|TWOIAF|Beyond the Free Cities: Sothoryos}}
  
 
===Asshai===
 
===Asshai===
The buildings of [[Asshai]] by the [[Shadow Lands]] are said to consist of black stone with a greasy, unpleasant feel. It is claimed the stone drinks light, which makes Asshai a dark and foreboding city.{{ref|TWOIAF| Asshai-by-the Shadow}}
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The buildings of [[Asshai]] by the [[Shadow Lands]] are said to consist of black stone with a greasy, unpleasant feel. It is claimed the stone drinks light, which makes Asshai a dark and foreboding city.{{ref|TWOIAF|The Bones and Beyond: Asshai-by-the-Shadow}}
  
 
==Bloodstone Emperor==
 
==Bloodstone Emperor==
The [[Bloodstone Emperor]] rejected the traditional gods of [[Yi Ti]] and instead encouraged the worship of a black stone said to have fallen from the sky. This emperor is said to have founded the [[Church of Starry Wisdom]] and possibly caused the start of the [[Long Night]].{{ref|TWOIAF| Yi Ti}}
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The [[Bloodstone Emperor]] rejected the traditional gods of [[Yi Ti]] and instead encouraged the worship of a black stone said to have fallen from the sky. This emperor is said to have founded the [[Church of Starry Wisdom]] and possibly caused the start of the [[Long Night]].{{ref|TWOIAF|The Bones and Beyond: Yi Ti}}
  
 
==Fused black stone==
 
==Fused black stone==
  
 
===Hightower===
 
===Hightower===
The foundation of the [[Hightower]] on [[Battle Isle]] at [[Oldtown]] is a square, labrynthine fortress of fused black stone. Its appearance is reminiscent of the [[dragonroads]] of the [[Valyrian Freehold]] and the [[Black Wall]]s of [[Volantis]], a Valyrian colony, but there is no archaeological evidence of Valyrians at Oldtown, save for the settlers atop [[Whispering Sound]] - Valyrians, Ghiscari and [[Summer Islands|Summer Islanders]] - who set up a place to trade and repair their ships. However, the fortress is plain and unadorned, unlike the fused stone constructions of the Valyrians, who twisted and shaped the fused stone to ornament their buildings.
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The foundation of the [[Hightower]] on [[Battle Isle]] at [[Oldtown]] is a square, labrynthine fortress of fused black stone. Its appearance is reminiscent of the [[dragonroads]] of the [[Valyrian Freehold]] and the [[Black Wall]]s of [[Volantis]], a Valyrian colony, but there is no archaeological evidence of Valyrians at Oldtown, save for the settlers atop [[Whispering Sound]]—Valyrians, Ghiscari and [[Summer Islands|Summer Islanders]]—who set up a place to trade and repair their ships. However, the fortress is plain and unadorned, unlike the fused stone constructions of the Valyrians, who twisted and shaped the fused stone to ornament their buildings.
  
Archmaester [[Quillion]] suggests a connection between the fortress and the [[mazemakers]] of [[Lorath]].{{ref|TWOIAF| Oldtown}} The legends of Lorath claim the mazemakers were destroyed by something from the sea.{{ref|TWOIAF| Lorath}} Maester [[Theron]], a bastard of [[ironborn]] ancestry, suggests in his ''[[Strange Stone]]'' that there is a connection between the Hightower's base and the Seastone Chair, and that they were created by the [[Deep Ones]], a legendary race created by the breeding of sea creatures with humans and which may have inspired the legends of [[merlings]].{{ref|TWOIAF| Oldtown}}
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Archmaester [[Quillion]] suggests a connection between the fortress and the [[mazemakers]] of [[Lorath]].{{ref|TWOIAF|The Reach: Oldtown}} The legends of Lorath claim the mazemakers were destroyed by something from the sea.{{ref|TWOIAF|The Free Cities: Lorath}} Maester [[Theron]], a bastard of [[ironborn]] ancestry, suggests in his ''[[Strange Stone]]'' that there is a connection between the Hightower's base and the Seastone Chair, and that they were created by the [[Deep Ones]], a legendary race created by the breeding of sea creatures with humans and which may have inspired the legends of [[merlings]].{{ref|TWOIAF|The Reach: Oldtown}}
  
 
===Five Forts===
 
===Five Forts===
The [[Five Forts]] along the northeastern edge of [[Yi Ti]] are made of great slabs of single-fused black stone, similar to that of Valyrian construction. Like the Hightower, however, there is no known connection between Valyria and the Five Forts.{{ref|TWOIAF| The Bones and Beyond: Yi Ti}}
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The [[Five Forts]] along the northeastern edge of [[Yi Ti]] are made of great slabs of single-fused black stone, similar to that of Valyrian construction. Like the Hightower, however, there is no known connection between Valyria and the Five Forts, which are attributed to the legendary [[Pearl Emperor]].{{ref|TWOIAF|The Bones and Beyond: Yi Ti}}
 
 
==Black basalt==
 
The ruined curtain wall of [[Moat Cailin]] in the [[Neck]] is composed of blocks of black basalt.{{ref|AGOT|55}} When wet, its massive stones appear to be coated in fine black oil.{{ref|ADWD|20}} [[Blackhaven]] in the [[Dornish Marches]] also has black basalt walls.{{ref|TWOIAF| The Stormlands: The Men of the Stormlands}}
 
 
 
[[Kayakayanaya]] near the [[Bone Mountains]] has walls of black basalt, black iron, and yellow bone.{{ref|TWOIAF| The Bones and Beyond}}
 
  
 
==See also==
 
==See also==
*[[Dragonstone (material)|Dragonstone]]
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*[[Basalt]]
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*[[Dragonstone (material)]]
  
==References and Notes==
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==References==
 
{{references|2}}
 
{{references|2}}
  
 
[[Category:Substances]]
 
[[Category:Substances]]
 
[[fr:Pierre noire]]
 
[[fr:Pierre noire]]

Revision as of 06:45, 22 October 2022

A black stone of unknown origin has been used in the construction of several structures throughout the known world. Some of it is described as oily[1][2] or greasy,[3][4] in contrast to the fused dragonstone of the Valyrian Freehold.[5] Separately, black basalt has been used as another construction material,[6] and Harrenhal has walls[7] and melted towers[8][9] of an unspecified black stone.

Oily black stone

Seastone Chair

According to the ironborn, the Seastone Chair was found on the shore of Old Wyk and had been carved from a block of oily black stone.[10] Its creators are unknown; Maester Kirth suggests it was left by visitors from across the Sunset Sea.[11] The priests of the Iron Islands claim the ironborn are not descended from the First Men but instead came from the watery halls of the Drowned God beneath the sea. Maesters reject this suggestion that the ironborn are closer to fish or merlings.[1]

Isle of Toads

The Isle of Toads, one of the Basilisk Isles, is home to the Toad Stone, a large statue of a toad made of a greasy black stone. It is said the people of the island are reminiscent of fish and have webbed appendages.[3]

Yeen

Yeen, an ancient ruined city in Sothoryos, is made out of massive blocks of oily black stone. Despite being surrounded by jungle and having been empty for thousands of years, no plant creeps into Yeen.[2]

Asshai

The buildings of Asshai by the Shadow Lands are said to consist of black stone with a greasy, unpleasant feel. It is claimed the stone drinks light, which makes Asshai a dark and foreboding city.[4]

Bloodstone Emperor

The Bloodstone Emperor rejected the traditional gods of Yi Ti and instead encouraged the worship of a black stone said to have fallen from the sky. This emperor is said to have founded the Church of Starry Wisdom and possibly caused the start of the Long Night.[12]

Fused black stone

Hightower

The foundation of the Hightower on Battle Isle at Oldtown is a square, labrynthine fortress of fused black stone. Its appearance is reminiscent of the dragonroads of the Valyrian Freehold and the Black Walls of Volantis, a Valyrian colony, but there is no archaeological evidence of Valyrians at Oldtown, save for the settlers atop Whispering Sound—Valyrians, Ghiscari and Summer Islanders—who set up a place to trade and repair their ships. However, the fortress is plain and unadorned, unlike the fused stone constructions of the Valyrians, who twisted and shaped the fused stone to ornament their buildings.

Archmaester Quillion suggests a connection between the fortress and the mazemakers of Lorath.[13] The legends of Lorath claim the mazemakers were destroyed by something from the sea.[14] Maester Theron, a bastard of ironborn ancestry, suggests in his Strange Stone that there is a connection between the Hightower's base and the Seastone Chair, and that they were created by the Deep Ones, a legendary race created by the breeding of sea creatures with humans and which may have inspired the legends of merlings.[13]

Five Forts

The Five Forts along the northeastern edge of Yi Ti are made of great slabs of single-fused black stone, similar to that of Valyrian construction. Like the Hightower, however, there is no known connection between Valyria and the Five Forts, which are attributed to the legendary Pearl Emperor.[12]

See also

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 The World of Ice & Fire, The Iron Islands.
  2. 2.0 2.1 The World of Ice & Fire, Beyond the Free Cities: Sothoryos.
  3. 3.0 3.1 The World of Ice & Fire, Beyond the Free Cities: The Basilisk Isles.
  4. 4.0 4.1 The World of Ice & Fire, The Bones and Beyond: Asshai-by-the-Shadow.
  5. A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 5, Tyrion II.
  6. A Game of Thrones, Chapter 55, Catelyn VIII.
  7. The World of Ice & Fire, The Reign of the Dragons: The Conquest.
  8. A Clash of Kings, Chapter 30, Arya VII.
  9. A Feast for Crows, Chapter 27, Jaime III.
  10. A Clash of Kings, Chapter 26, Arya VI.
  11. The World of Ice & Fire, Ancient History: The Dawn Age.
  12. 12.0 12.1 The World of Ice & Fire, The Bones and Beyond: Yi Ti.
  13. 13.0 13.1 The World of Ice & Fire, The Reach: Oldtown.
  14. The World of Ice & Fire, The Free Cities: Lorath.