Harrenhal is considered the largest castle ever built in the Seven Kingdoms. George RR Martin’s world of ice and fire was heavily influenced by the events at Harrenhal. Even HBO’s live-action adaptations – Game of Thrones (GOT) and House of the Dragons (HOTD), have a strong influence on the events of Harrenhal. Due to its bloody history, Harrenhal is considered one of the darkest and most ruinous places. Let’s look at his cursed history.
Harrenhal Castle
An artist’s illustration of Harrenhal
Some of the wealthiest families took possessions of Harrenhal Castle. The wealth is due to the surrounding lands subject to Harrenhal being among the most fertile in all of Westeros. Harrenhal is located within the Trident River and Gods Eye Lake catchments. However, the castle is so huge that even the most productive farmland in Westeros fails to fully garrison an entire troop of soldiers holding the castle.
In the A song of ice and fire Romanesque, Harrenhal Castle is made up of huge walls and five massive towers – the Dread Tower, Widow’s Tower, Wailing Tower, Ghost Tower and the Kingspyre. The castle spans about three times as much land as Winterfell. Son Godswood covers approximately 20 acres. Its stables can hold a thousand horses and its kitchens are as large as the great hall of Winterfell. The main room contains about thirty hearths.
Harrenhal’s story
The Burning of Harrenhal by Belarion of Aegon, The Dread
Construction of the castle was started by King Harren Hoare’s grandfather, however, it took forty years to complete its construction. When done, King Harren gave it his name and called it the “Harrenhal”. His main objective, as intended by Harren’s grandfather, was to consolidate their hold on Riverlands. Upon completion, Harren bragged about the impregnability of the castle. By a twist of fate, the very day “the last stone was laid” and Harren settled, Aegon I Targaryen the Conqueror, invaded Westeros and its dragons raged on the walls of Harrenhal.
The huge Belarion, the Black Dread, flew over the massive towers and burned them all. Harrens were roasted alive in the tallest of the towers (the tower that came to be known as the Kingspyre). All of House Hoare perished in the dragonfire. As a result, the castle was reduced to a charred, melted, black ruin.
The Curse of Harrenhal
Harrenhal as depicted in Game of Thrones
For all the grandeur Harrenhal was once known for, it has been left to decay in the centuries since Aegon’s invasion. To this day it is infested with bats, and even now there are hitherto unexplored areas within the castle. It turned out to be incredibly difficult to garnish, despite the fact that the income from its lands is enormous.
Once Aegon acquired the castle from House Hoare, he granted it to his Banneret of House Qoherys. They were followed by House Towers, Harroway, Strong and Lothston. However, anyone who took the charred castle ended up dead. This obviously became known as Harrenhal’s curse. The commoners even believed in many traditions like the story of Mad Lady Lothston, the fiery ghosts of Harren and his sons, and servants who fall asleep and are found reduced to ashes the next day.
So far in the books, Roose Bolton is the only one to have escaped the supposed curse – possibly because he voluntarily withdrew from the castle. Harrenhal is considered an extremely ill-reputed place, not only because of the alleged curse: according to Jaime, Harrenhal has seen more horrors in its three hundred years than Casterly Rock had seen in three thousand.
Harrenhal rulers over time and their eventual fate
The Grand Council of King Jahaerys I Targaryen in HOTD
Ah, and what a castle it is. Cavernous halls and crumbling towers, ghosts and drafts, ruinous to heat, impossible to garrison…and there’s that little curse issue. – Petyr Baelish at Sansa Stark
Harrenhal is said to be cursed, as many houses and individuals who held the castle eventually met with evil ends. This is seen through the events of the novels of A song of ice and fire, as well as in the book – fire and blood.
- Hoare House (1 AC) – wiped out in the burning of Harrenhal by Aegon the Conqueror.
- Qoherys House (1 AC-37 AC) – wiped out by Harren the Red.
- Harwayway House (37 AC-44 AC) – wiped out by King Maegor I Targaryen.
- house towers (44 AC-61 AC) – died without heirs.
- Queen Rhaena Targaryen (61 AC – 73 AC) – deceased.
- Fortified house (73 AC – 131 AC) – executed by Lord Cregan Stark.
- Lothston House (From AD 151) – the line ended during the reign of King Maekar I Targaryen.
- Home When (for about 30 years – 298 AC) – ceded the castle to Lord Tywin Lannister.
- Slynt House (298 AC – 299 AC)
- Baelish House (299AC)
To note: In the works of George RR Martin, the official dating system is based on the war of conquest. Thus, all dates are “BC” for “Before Conquest” or “AC” for “After Conquest” (“Conquest” referring to the conquest of the Seven Kingdoms by Aegon I Targaryen).
Even at the start of HBO’s A House of The Dragon, in its pilot episode, King Jaeherys I Targaryen summoned a Grand Council to Harrenhal to announce his heir to the Iron Throne. And then in episode 6, it’s implied that Lord Larys Strong burned his father, Lord Lionel Strong, and his brother, Ser Harwin Strong at Harrenhal. He even declares to Alicent Hightower that “he passes judgment on all those who pass under his doors”.
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