Today, let's talk about another noble house of the North, House Dustin. Their words aren't officially listed anywhere, but their sigil is a yellow background with two rusted axes with black shafts that are crossed, and a black crown between their points. Their seat is a castle called Barrow Hall, located in Barrow Tundh, and beneath those walls exist a winter town, one of two located in the North, that Northerners flocked to to survive the harsh winters. The wide and empty plains of their territory is said to prosper because of the shrewd stewardship of the dustants. Like most northern houses, the blood of the first men flows through them. But House Dustin also boasts something else. The blood of the first king of the first men and the Barrow kings of the Barrow lands. So let's talk about the potential origin of House Dustin before getting into their more concrete history. The story goes that the first king of the first man was actually the person that led the first men over 12,000 years ago from Esos to Westeros via the arm of Dorn. The reach has a different story claiming that man was Garth Greenhand, but will ignore the reach for now and go with House Dustin's story. So this first king leads the first men to Westeros and they begin to settle. The first king would continue traveling north through Westeros until he reached present day Barrow Tundh. From there, the first king built his home and his successors would be the Barrow kings of Barrow Tundh, a allegedly rulers supreme of the first men. Folklor also claims that the great Barrow of Barrow Tundh at the foot of which they built their seat contains the grave of this first king. Along with this, it is also believed there is a curse on the great Barrow which prevents no living man from rivaling the first king. This curse makes any pretender to the title grow corpse-like in appearance as it sucks away their vitality in life. Which, perhaps a tiny bit of a side note, the corpse queen that the Knights King ruled with at the wall is suggested to be a woman from the Barrow lands. A daughter of a Barrow king who was then a power in his own right and associated with graves. Whether all these stories are true with most legends in the Asangha Vice and Fire series is unclear. With regards to the Dustin's being descended from the first king of the first men, Masters believe that the first men would have taken dozens if not hundreds of years to settle the North. So could the first men have settled in the North within a human's lifetime? Sure. Would they have? That's a little iffy and it's unclear really if the Dustin's are descended from this first king. Even if the first king didn't settle there, how Stustin is most likely descended from the Barrow kings according to Masters. But regardless of how likely it is, how Stustin still claims their bloodline for both the first king and the Barrow kings. And this is something they like to remind people of, which is why they include a rusted crown on their sigil. Since the Barrow kings are agreed on by Masters to most likely be of how Stustin's blood, let's continue with their house history through them. The Barrow kings would rule their small territory within the North, thousands and thousands of years before the start of the books, as well as many other petty kings throughout the North did before the Starks united them. The Barrow kings would style themselves the kings of the first men and claim supremacy over all first men everywhere. How well they actually ruled all these first men is up for debate. My guess is not too well. I doubt they had much control of the first men throughout Westeros. So the Barrow kings would rule their area and would even help the crown augment Fennmoke Kalen from time to time, from invaders from the South. They would continue to rule as kings until how Stark got it in their heads that the Stark should unite and control the North. The struggle for dominance between the Starks and Barrow kings would be called the Thousand Year War by Singers, but it was actually a series of wars that lasted closer to 200 years. We don't have an exact time the Barrow kings were forced to bend the knee to the Starks, but eventually they did. The best guess is likely thousands of years before the start of the novels and well before the arrival of the Andals in Westeros. After bending the knee and the Barrow king giving his daughter's hand in marriage to a Stark, they would faithfully serve how Stark and there aren't any rebellions or uprisings of note. They appear to be a very loyal house for most their history. When Agon the First Targaryen came to Westeros some 300-ish years before the start of the novels, the Starks would bow down to them, becoming wardens of the North. The Dustin's would continue to serve the Starks, but now also the Targaryens. In the Great Council of 101 AC at Harrenhal, how Stustin was support Rainey's Targaryen, as would how Stark. When the dance of the dragons occurred in 129 AC, how Stustin with the Starks would side with Rainer a Targaryen, the Blacks. Lord Roderick Dustin, known as Roddy the Ruin, would lead 2,000 northern soldiers known as the Winter Wolves to join the war under Kregan Stark's orders, the current warden of the North. These winter wolves were grizzled northern men that rode shaggy northern horses and used axes, spiked maces and ancient iron swords. They were also men that were driven to join Lord Dustin under the fear of winter and saving their families from having one more mouthed feed. In the Targaryen war, they would attack the Lannister Spearmen five times in the Battle of Lake Shore. However, their charging of the Spearmen, despite the victory, would leave two-thirds of the northern men killed or wounded. Later Lord Dustin and the wolves fought at Butcher's Ball, a battle fought south of the gods' eye. Their Lord Dustin sounded the charge of the Blacks fanguard, which was made of his winter wolves and river knights. Later during the battle, he would be challenged, along with two other men, to a fight by Sir Kristen Cole, agon the second's hand. Lord Dustin would refuse with the other men, and Cole would be killed with arrows and his host destroyed. Lastly, Roderick Dustin would lead his wolves from a gate in the first battle of Tumbleton, to fight Lord Orman, high tower and his men, and defend the town. The winter wolves would be outnumbered 10 to 1, but Roderick would slay Lord Orman and his cousins, Sir Brendan, high tower, before dying from his wounds. Which is amazing as Master State Lord Dustin was bloody from head to heel with a splintered shield and cracked helm, but he was so drunk with battle and a lot of adrenaline that he didn't feel his wounds until the end. Fast forward another 130 plus years during the rule of Ned Stark's father, Rickard Stark, as Warden of the North. Rickard would send his eldest son, Brandon Stark, to Barotun, to be fostered by Lord Dustin. Later during Roberts Rebellion in 282AC, during the betting ceremony in Ned Stark's and Catlin Telly's wedding, Lord William Dustin, the son of the Lord Dustin that had fostered Brandon Stark and was now the new Lord of Barotun, would look at the naked Catlin and tell Ned that her breasts were enough to make him wish he had never been weaned. Lord William Dustin would be one of the companions that went to the Tower of Joy with Ed Art Stark. He would ride a great red salion with a fiery mane given to him by his wife of less than half a year, Barbury Dustin, formerly a Rysswell. He would not survive the battle at the Tower of Joy. His bones would be laid to rest beneath the red mountains of dawn and Lady Barbury Dustin would become the head of House Dustin. Briefly, let's talk about House Dustin in the books. We don't hear much about the Dustin's. House Dustin and really Lady Dustin would send as few men as she could to help Rob Stark's war. Among these men were spies that would inform the head of House Dustin on Rob Stark in his campaign. In a storm of swords, House Dustin would not answer Maester Amon's raven, pleading for help to defend Castle Black from wild leans. And a dance with dragons, House Dustin, along with House Rysswell, would burn the long ships of the Ironborn on the fever river. They, along with Ramsay Bolton, would prepare to attack Mochaelyn. Later, Lady Dustin would host the Bolton's at Barrowton. House Bolton is tied to House Dustin through marriage. Barbury Dustin's younger sister was Ryss Bolton's second wife, and House Bolton is in dire need of the men in Barrowton. And Ryss is very sure to keep Lady Dustin very pleased and sweet. Lady Dustin and House Dustin's men would travel to Winterfell to witness Ramsay Bolton's wedding to fake Arya. They would bring their own food and fodder from Barrowton. And if you have suspicions about this crafty lady, this Sunday we're going to talk about Lady Barbury Dustin, who she is, her past, and what she's up to. So make sure you like this video. It helps a lot and come back every week for at least two Game of Thrones videos.