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Wiki of Westeros
House Hightower
House Hightower

"Wealthy, proud, and solitary, there have been Hightowers who wouldn't come down from their great lighthouse for decades. Its name, fittingly, is the Hightower."
Margaery Tyrell[src]

The Hightower is a massive lighthouse located in Oldtown, the oldest city in Westeros. It serves as the seat of House Hightower, proud and wealthy bannermen of House Tyrell of Highgarden.

The Hightower sits atop Battle Isle, an island in the waters off the city.[1] When House Hightower calls its banners to war, the beacon atop the lighthouse glows green with wildfire.[2] White ravens are sent from the Hightower to the rest of the Seven Kingdoms whenever the seasons change.[3]

History[]

Background[]

The Hightower is one of the most ancient structures in Westeros, being built before the walls of Oldtown were raised. An even more ancient fortress of black stone—predating the Hightower by thousands of years—forms the base of the tower, and the origin of that structure is a subject of debate; some maesters declare the fortress to be of Valyrian construction, due to similarities with the fused stone of Dragonstone and the Black Walls of Volantis. Archmaester Quillion, however, speculated that the fortress was built by the mazemakers of Lorath, and the Ironborn Maester Theron linked it to the Deep Ones, an intelligent race of fish-men. It is unknown why the island it sits on is named "Battle Isle."[1]

Game of Thrones: Season 6[]

When Sam and Gilly reach Oldtown, they behold the Hightower as white ravens are sent from its rookery, signifying that winter has come.[3]

In the books[]

In the A Song of Ice and Fire novels, the Hightower is described as being 800 feet tall - a hundred feet taller than the Wall itself (though still not approaching the sheer scale of the Wall, which stretches from one side of the continent to the other). It is the tallest structure in all of Westeros. It is also worth noting that the Hightower was assumed to have been built and designed by either Bran the Builder or his son, who was also named Brandon Stark.

According to The World of Ice & Fire sourcebook, the base of the Hightower, which appears to be much older than the rest of the building, is large, stout, square of fused black stone. Mystery surrounds its origins, as seamless black stone is a hallmark of Valyrian architecture, but its design is plain and unadorned (Valyrian fused stone is twisted into fanciful shapes). A link between the Hightower's base and the mazes found near Lorath has also been postulated. Whatever the case, the rest of the Hightower was built centuries later, as Oldtown developed into an increasingly important center of trade – it is after all, a lighthouse first and foremost.

Appearances[]

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Histories & Lore: Season 6, Short 12: "Oldtown" (2016).
  2. House of the Dragon: Season 1, Episode 5: "We Light the Way" (2022).
  3. 3.0 3.1 Game of Thrones: Season 6, Episode 10: "The Winds of Winter" (2016).

External links[]


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