Highgarden
Seat of House Tyrell, Lords of Highgarden and Wardens of the South
- House
- House Tyrell
- Region
- The Reach
- Raised by
- The Gardener kings of old — the Tyrells only their stewards, until the dragons came
- Age
- Ancient seat of the Kings of the Reach
The stones themselves
Highgarden was raised as the seat of the Gardener kings and is a fortress made pleasant — three concentric rings of white stone wall, but within them fountains, ivied courts, singers, and terraced gardens above the flowering banks of the Mander. Where other great seats trade in fear, Highgarden trades in plenty; it guards the richest lands in Westeros and shows it in every rose. The Tyrells held it not as kings but as stewards, until Aegon's dragons unseated their masters.
Famous halls and features
The briar labyrinth
A great hedge maze grown outside the walls, in which the unwary may wander for hours — a garden that doubles, gently, as a defence.
The three rings
Three concentric curtain walls of pale stone, each within the last, so that beauty and strength are folded into the same green seat.
The gardens of the Mander
Terraced gardens and fountains above the river, from which the castle takes its name and House Tyrell its golden rose.
Sieges and history
Where the story of Highgarden touches the great chronicle of the realm — follow each thread back into the timeline.
A legend of Highgarden
The Reach traces its lords to Garth Greenhand, a green-handed god or god-king of the First Men whose touch, the songs say, made the fields flower and the trees fruit. Every great house of the Reach claims his blood, the Tyrells among them — though, the maesters note, a family that rose as household stewards has more reason than most to reach for a divine grandfather.
Common questions
How did House Tyrell get Highgarden?
The Tyrells were hereditary stewards of Highgarden under the Gardener kings. When the last Gardener king died at the Field of Fire against Aegon's dragons, Harlen Tyrell surrendered the castle, and Aegon named the Tyrells Lords of Highgarden and Wardens of the South.
Is Highgarden a fortress?
Highgarden is defended by three concentric rings of walls and a briar maze, but it is famed less as a stronghold than as a place of gardens, fountains, and abundance — a reflection of the wealthy Reach it governs.
Who was Garth Greenhand?
Garth Greenhand is the legendary progenitor of the peoples of the Reach, a First Men figure said to make crops grow wherever he walked. Most great Reach houses, including the Tyrells, claim descent from him.
What is the sigil of Highgarden?
House Tyrell of Highgarden bears a golden rose on a green field, fitting for a seat set amid gardens and the fertile lands of the Reach. Their words are 'Growing Strong.'